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Which is better, subtitled anime or dubbed ones?

A voice can either make or break an animation. Disney's Aladdin would've been half as successful had Robin Williams not put his talent to the film. The same applies to anime. But unlike the west, the standard of voice artists (or seiyus as they are called) is kept high, and some of the best voices featured aren't just for the full-length features. Even TV-anime series make use of some of the biggest seiyu names around. There are even schools specialising in the training of these talents, and not surprisingly, the best ones are treated like stars in Japan, having their own fan clubs, CD albums and concerts. Sometimes screen actors are called upon to fill these roles (as in Mononoke Hime), but more often than not, seiyus are the ones providing the voice-overs.

Unless kids are the main audiences, anime is best appreciated through subtitled versions. Some unfamiliar with anime might find it odd that fans who don't understand Japanese would insist on having the subtitled ones or nothing. But if you watch enough of anime, you'll realise that the voices -- the way they speak, laugh, cry etc -- lend a certain mood to the show which the dubs often fail to convey. Again, seiyus are trained for this medium, and it's something voice artists (if you can call them that) outside Japan can't replace. I've seen far too many animes being ruined after they've been dubbed (horribly) in English, Cantonese, Mandarin (esp Taiwanese mandarin) etc. Very seldom does one come across well-dubbed anime -- the Patlabor TV series that was here a year or two back was one (dubbed quite well by the liaoning group). But those are VERY few.

After all, why would you think Disney is distributing the Studio Ghibli titles in two formats -- dubbed (for younger audiences), and subtitled (for older ones)?

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