the_thomas•8d agoMost Upvoted

Subbed vs Dubbed for comedy anime, which actually hits better?

I've been going back and forth on this for years, but recently I watched Kaguya-sama Love is War in both versions and I'm convinced the dub actually lands more jokes. The timing and cultural references they adapt feel way more natural in English, especially the narrator's over the top delivery. But then I tried the same test with Gintama and the sub was clearly funnier because so much relies on Japanese wordplay that just can't be translated. So which side wins for you, is it just show dependent or do you have a hard rule about one or the other?

3 comments

3 Comments

nathan2898d ago

Am I the only one who spends the first 5 minutes of a dubbed episode just trying to figure out if the voice actor for the protagonist sounds like my ex or my old high school gym teacher? But seriously, for Kaguya-sama I agree the dub works because the narrator is basically a British guy losing his mind, which is universal. For Gintama though I learned the hard way that trying to explain a Japanese pun on "octopus" and "salary" in English just makes you look like someone who failed improv. Guess it's show dependent, like deciding which of your hobbies to embarrass yourself with in public.

seth_carr8d ago

Alright, you totally sold me on that.

ruby5618d ago

The narrator is the entire reason that dub works. Without that British guy losing his mind the jokes just fall flat. Sub purists can keep their honorifics and their pun explanations. Dubbed Kaguya is genuinely hilarious and people who skip it are missing out. Have you tried the dub for Konosuba yet?