Why do anime fans bash american voice actors so harshly?

Question

I love to watch anime alot and I do notice the difference in the voice acting. But damn I get tired of reading post like "DAMN AMERICANS SCREW UP EVERYHTING!" this coming from people who live in america. Personally I dont give a damn how they sound as long as it's in a language i understand. I Dont know japanese and hate reading subtitles (especially in series like naruto). So i gues i'm asking why the big fuss? cant u be happy once it comes to DVD and then you'll be able to change it back to the orginal language.

Answer 1

I totally agree with you. I think most of the anime voice actors do a fantastic job. Some people just have to go all "fan boy" and cry about it not being original. Some stuff is acted good and there is stuff that is not. Good and bad acting happens on both sides of the ocean.

Answer 2

Sometimes it's preference. The original voice actors are the choice of the original director and, in many cases, are the result of a lot of casting effort to get the right person with the right voice. You also know the original director worked with the actors to get the effect he or she wanted. For a lot of us that's important because all that's most human about the characters comes through the voice; the animation is expressive but it's still animation. More often than not it's an actor's voice that brings the animation to life.

While some dubs are pretty good (Cowboy Bebop comes to mind), more often than not the American voice actors are people who want to be Broadway/TV/film actors but can't get work doing that, or they're random people around the studio. If you don't believe me on that one, watch some of the DVD extras from houses like Central Park Media. I've noticed they tend to hire two or three actors and the rest of the voices are just studio staff. That's not a good way to put together a high quality dub.

The most vitriolic complaints about dubs are when the American publisher changes the story as well. Fans of the original are, understandably, upset when the story they love so well winds up on the cutting room floor in favor of something the publisher thinks will be more palatable to the American mainstream. Check out the difference between shows like Cardcaptor Sakura (Japanese version) and Cardcaptors (American version) or Robotech (American version) and Macross (Japanese version). Those are the American "screw ups" that bother me most; I always have the choice of switching the audio on a DVD and ignoring the dub but there's usually no DVD option for "un-butcher."

I don't mind subtitles at all. After watching enough anime in the original I got used to the pace of action vs. subtitles so I can generally absorb both now without missing anything. I've also gotten familiar with a lot of common Japanese expressions so, even though I don't speak Japanese, I don't need the subtitles for a lot of common things people say. If you tried for a while you may find yourself in the subtitle camp.

If you like dubs, go ahead and watch them. Just know that the people complaining about the dubs want something different out of the anime then you do, that's all.

Answer 3

I personally like watching anime in japanese and reading the subtitles, even though I don't know japanese. I enjoy the sound of the language and the original actors' voices usually DO match the character's personality, which is extremely important when you are attempting to pick up different nuances that are displayed physically and verbally. And I actually have learned a word or two of the language while watching anime in japanese.

Sadly, as another responder pointed out, all too frequently dubbed animes are dubbed incorrectly, either from carelessness or poor translation. And sometimes the dubbed voice doesn't come close to matching the character, which is very annoying.

True anime (meaning anime produced in Japan) is filled with the Japanese culture and I don't want to watch an anime from the American perspective. If that was the case, I would watch the Disney Channel.

Answer 4

Some of the voice actors are just bad, especially in older dubs.

Some of the voice actors are not really bad, but their acting is too kiddy cartoon-ish.

Unlike in live-action productions, an anime character is "born" out of TWO different sources: the visual and the voice. While the original voice actors talk to the director and have insight in the character and the scenes, the dub reflects just a second-hand understanding. This is why even if the American actor sounds "better" in a "funnier" or "more dramatic" way, any voice acting difference that gives different vibes, must be solved in favor of the original acting. So even though the subs are not perfect either, I prefer watching the original, and not just for anime.

Answer 5

In some of the very early anime, the american voice actors had funny reactions to the Japanese toons. In one episode of the 8th Man, a security guard is going through a factory and looks at a asign written in Japanese. He says "I don't know how they expect us to get around with all the signs in Japanese!"

I think the voice actors do a great job. Mostly thats because there are a few actors doing most of the work. In MegasXLR, the voice of Kiva is voiced by an actress working in Anime from Robotech onwards.

Answer 6

Cause its really really really bad sometimes, i mean have you ever seen DN Angel? Dark's voice is perfect in jap cause it sounds his age, but he eng voice makes him sound like a 7 year old. Or Gundam Seed Lacus Clyne's eng voice sounds like she is 10 years old. Most of the time its not the voices, but its the editing that was done to the anime, editing anime takes out all the good parts, thats the only time i ever complain or if the voices really really suk, but Full Metal Panic turned out good, the voices are good both in jap and eng. Whats wrong with it being in jap, subs are fine and nothing is edited, and you get to see it before most people that are like you. I really dont care if i dont understand it, over time i will learn some words which is fun, and many animes are only in japan and are in japanese, so what are you gonna do then? And once its on DVD the anime still is edited and wont have the goodness of the original.

Answer 7

I suppose some people like the authenticity of the original voices.
With dubbing there is a lot of editing to the original dialogue (so that the words match the movements of the mouth), and when the script is being translated from Japanese to English, there is the "lost in translation" factor.

Answer 8

Maybe you haven't heard the bad translations yet (or you just don't care)... Everything is translated as to a kid. Sometimes the individual voices cast are wrong, and when they read the script, they overdo everything, in order to make the anime more appealing to kids.

You should read the subtitles. Hearing the way it was originally supposed to sound most of the time makes a big difference.

Answer 9

At times they are good, and sometimes they're not.
Good voice acting-
Final Fantasy 7-Vincent
Fushigi Yugi-Miyaka, Tomohome, Nariko
Yuyu Hakusho-All characters except Kuabara
Inuyasha- Sesshomaru, Rin, Naraku, Sango, Miroku

Bad voice acting-
Naruto-Naruto, Sakura
Sailor Moon-Serena(Moon)
Tenchi Muyo-Tenchi, Ayeka
DBZ-All characters except Pan and Trunks (Future)

It all depends on who hires them, and who gets the part.
Josh Seth and Crispin Freeman are 2 of the most famous, and probably best male voice actors.

Lara Jill Miller is also one of the best female voice actors, she does a lot of anime and non amime.

So it all depends on what and who.

Some actors have annoying english voices for their characters, that's all...that's why 90% of naruto haters are naruto haters.

Answer 10

Unless the voice over is headed by a good company [like Disney's releases of Miyazaki's movies] the recordings are horrible usually. It also I think sometimes depends on how popular something is. Companies will put more effort into a "name" than a "non-name".