The decline of dubbed anime...?

Question

Don't know why the hell the last question was deleted since there was nothing wrong with it. So...

Does anyone have any knowledge or inside information on anime studios that are starting to take the course towards subbing only?

I've been to several message boards, and the concensus that I'm getting is that a few studios are bypassing dubs to save money on anime titles that they consider wouldn't sell otherwise.

If they do this will they not be essentially cutting their potential profits from those of us who buy titles *because* it has a dub track? Where's the marketing sense in this line of thinking?

Will they really save THAT much money by alientating the other half of the anime fan base ("dub lovers" like myself)?

I respect that others like subs only, but would prefer that MY likes (and fans like me) are taken into consideration as well by these studios who supposedly "know" what the anime fans want.

Answer 1

I would think it is simple economics: If the profits from additional sales (to folks like yourself who wouldn't buy sub-only) are larger than the cost of producing the dub, you'll get a dub version. If not, you probably won't. The studios aren't trying to ignore you, they're just maximizing the bottom line. Most hard-core anime fans prefer the subtitled version, and it's cheaper to produce, so I can see where sub-only would be done.

However, the audience for dubs includes non-anime fans, and is a much larger group of people. For that reason, dubs will be done most of the time. Only fairly obscure series without potential for a large audience seem likely to be sub-only (because for those titles, people who want dubs are not "half the audience").

For what it's worth, I don't see many series coming out sub-only. Indeed, some notably popular series (like Pokemon) were released dub-only, without the Japanese soundtrack. All of the series I'm currently following are being released on DVD with both English and Japanese soundtracks. The only exceptions I can think of out of my own collection, are mostly older series which were so severely edited when originally dubbed that you couldn't use both soundtracks with a single video version (Cardcaptor Sakura vs Cardcaptors, Gachaman, etc.).

Answer 2

this is unquestionably no longer common... superb question in spite of the incontrovertible fact that :) a million. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood 2. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica 3. Angel Beats 4. Naruto 5. Dragon Ball (and DBZ, yet no longer DBGT) 6. Steins Gate 7. Clannad (and Clannad Afterstory) 8. Code Breaker 9. Hunter x Hunter 10. yet another eleven. Sword paintings on line 12. Pokemon (the unique sequence, no longer this new crap) 13. Rurouni Kenshin 14. One Piece 15. Card Captor Sakura sixteen. Elfen Lied 17. to blame Crown 18. Mirai Nikki 19. Nichijou 20. Toradora

Answer 3

Dubbing is a costly and time-consuming process, often becoming as expensive as the actual creation of the show. They have to hire voice actors, translators, people to localize, etc. And all together, this process takes such a long time that dubbed anime shows begin to fall far behind their Japanese counterparts (take Naruto, for example- the American show is over 100 episodes behind the Japanese show, and other language dubs are even further behind.) It would be much easier and more convenient to skip the dubbing process altogether and release subbed anime, as it would reach all parts of the world much faster, and at a much lower cost.

Answer 4

I'm practically okay with both subs and dubs - however subs are prized more since the real voice actors or seiyuu sounds fitting and better than American dubbers. I'd like it in English if only they cut the crap about putting in corny cheesey old style lines like rhymings or ego stuff like "Speed is my middle name!" and to pick REAL good voice actors. Bleh. Plus they need to stop editing it way to much like pointlessy wiping out backgrounds with writings (like in animes that has stores behind characters that actually has names for them). Just look what they done to YuGiOh! I understand why they needed some editting, but they took way to far. They should've left that show for teens and not for little kids.

I say, they could've even profited more had they released their pathetic dubbed anime dvds with inclusion of the original subbed contained. But no, they worry too TOO much about overreligious people, over-sensitive people and stupid parents who thinks they know how to take care of their child but they don't so they will send in compaints of this and that.

Answer 5

Personally I hate dubs, americans put no feeling towards the voice overs and its like listening to children read the script. I assume more people buy subbed versions anyway.

Answer 6

Unfortunately (or fortunately) money talks. As you said, studios do save money by not hiring voice actors. I much prefer dubs myself. But only if they're done right (ie Yu Yu Hakusho).

Answer 7

there is a rising popularity in subbed anime among the otakus and the studios are responding accordingly.....