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When did dubs go bad? Was there a specific point we went from passable, sometimes even preferable English dubs to the absolute trashfire of current year?
 
When did dubs go bad? Was there a specific point we went from passable, sometimes even preferable English dubs to the absolute trashfire of current year?
There have always been shit dubs. But the ones that stood out tended to get talked about more. The problem today is that they want every dub to be the same. Fuck having fun. This is srs buisness now. The death of ADV didn't help.
 
When did dubs go bad? Was there a specific point we went from passable, sometimes even preferable English dubs to the absolute trashfire of current year?
A combination of the voice actors unions bullying talent out of the industry at the behest of long term VAs, the me to movement pushing veterans out like Vic Mignogna, as well as the Woke Mind Virus and LGBTQ infection hitting everything.

As an example one of the more popular new Voice Actresses is Little Kuribohs trans wife. She played the female dwarf in Delicious in Dungeon as an example.

You also have people like Yong Ye and ProZD trying to push into the space and bully whites out of roles because "Asians should play Asians and blacks should play blacks" etc.

So pretty much the same problem every other medium of entertainment is facing.

Oh and dubbing Localizers changing lines to be more inclusive.
 
When did dubs go bad? Was there a specific point we went from passable, sometimes even preferable English dubs to the absolute trashfire of current year?
I think it's pretty much always been bad.

But there's a unique issue now where they get good voice actors, but have them perform poorly as though they're directed to do so. It's like they have a set idea of what an "anime dub" should sound like and are trying to emulate that rather than a good performance to begin with.

Makes me think of Batman the Animated Series where they were able to get some really great voice actors, many who had performed in theater previously, due to the dialogue not being tons of yelling or rough crap that would mess up voice actors voices in some cheesier cartoons done prior to it. Instead it was often fairly normal performances. It was like there was a transition to realizing you could treat performances in these cartoons with a bit more dignity and professionalism, which I think has been absent from anime dubbing.

With anime dubs it often seems like they have a hard time treating it as something serious, instead wanting to do this intentional cheesiness or emulating the crappy dubbing of the past. May also be connected to many voice actors thinking of anime as solely for kids and imagining it needs an intentional goofiness to it, due to looking down on the idea of a kid's property being treated with any seriousness (in terms of professionalism).
 
I think it's pretty much always been bad.

But there's a unique issue now where they get good voice actors, but have them perform poorly as though they're directed to do so. It's like they have a set idea of what an "anime dub" should sound like and are trying to emulate that rather than a good performance to begin with.

Makes me think of Batman the Animated Series where they were able to get some really great voice actors, many who had performed in theater previously, due to the dialogue not being tons of yelling or rough crap that would mess up voice actors voices in some cheesier cartoons done prior to it. Instead it was often fairly normal performances. It was like there was a transition to realizing you could treat performances in these cartoons with a bit more dignity and professionalism, which I think has been absent from anime dubbing.

With anime dubs it often seems like they have a hard time treating it as something serious, instead wanting to do this intentional cheesiness or emulating the crappy dubbing of the past. May also be connected to many voice actors thinking of anime as solely for kids and imagining it needs an intentional goofiness to it, due to looking down on the idea of a kid's property being treated with any seriousness (in terms of professionalism).

Also. hentai dubs, back when they were a thing for 90s and 2000s titles, were also bottom barrel for the most part. They either used pornstars, which can make the moan sounds but suck at dialog, or their pay is so low that it seems like they grab random people off of the street to read lines. Their attention to keeping accurate translations weren't a priority either, which lead to things such as Bible Black's English dub being "so bad, it's good".
 
The dub is pure kino, this advice is gay.
I didn't say the dub wasn't great, I love it. I said there are probably some parts that are likely worth watching the sub for too.

When did dubs go bad? Was there a specific point we went from passable, sometimes even preferable English dubs to the absolute trashfire of current year?
The day you discovered piracy and watched Kill La Kill while it was airing.

You also have people like Yong Ye and ProZD trying to push into the space and bully whites out of roles because "Asians should play Asians and blacks should play blacks" etc.
Yong Yea played a black man in Jojo Part 6 despite being Asian. No explanation for why they made that choice, just a really goddamn stupid bit of nonsense miscasting.
 
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I mean this isn't true though.

Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Code Geass, Black Lagoon and a whole host of other shows had great dubs.

It's just that good dubs back in the day were a lot more rare than bad ones, as is the case with everything
There obviously would be some gems that come out, but on the whole I'd say the industry was bad.

I remember with Excel Saga there was a story of the main English voice actress permanently damaging her voice from it, which I'd consider the fault of the directing. Stories like that probably did turn off more competent and experienced voice actors since most people don't want to basically get injured due to a show demanding too much of them.

I suppose it's a bit like the people producing/directing the dubs just didn't know or care enough to do a better job. That's why I bring up the stuff about the casting of Batman TAS, since the voice casting director for it was famously great about it and was giving more consideration for how the job would really be for the actors (which is why many were happy to come on board even when it was random actors like Jeffrey Tambor).

You don't seem to have the same considerations given to anime dubs so it often feels more like happy accidents when it comes out great.
 
That list is pretty great. The only notable overlook I can see is Fruits Basket, but it more than makes up for it by actually listing Shigofumi, one of the biggest hidden gems in the medium.
 
The day you discovered piracy and watched Kill La Kill while it was airing.
Hey, the dub was actually good, they just should've switched Senketsu and Aikurou's voices and it would've been perfect.

Oh speaking of, saving this for prosperity. :story:
Screenshot_20260118-213857_Vivaldi.jpg
 
Hey, the dub was actually good, they just should've switched Senketsu and Aikurou's voices and it would've been perfect.
The question was asking "when did dubs go bad", and the answer is "when you stopped watching dubs and only watched subs because they came out first". It's a matter of perception, that being people who are terrified of checking dubs or just disinterested in watching dubs of shows they've seen before. As someone who was watching Toonami the past several years, I could see the industry is still putting out good dubs along with bad ones.
 
You also have people like Yong Ye and ProZD trying to push into the space and bully whites out of roles because "Asians should play Asians and blacks should play blacks" etc.
Bro commies, sorry, (((commies))) want niggers to play everyone... Remember deathnote 2017? Castlevania's netfux cartoon? Holy fuck, how about poor Vivi in the OneMuttpiece adaptation, just blatant abyssalizing. And it ain't just America's jews doing it...
Judeo-Communized France's nu-Lupin propaganda.png
Reminds me, in Spy x Family during Loid's flashback there's this White shopkeeper who is obviously an older black woman in the dub, like aunt jemima... It's hilariously obvious when the bastardized southern drawl comes out, every time. Just shake my head, "Yeap, that's a shitum."
 
The question was asking "when did dubs go bad", and the answer is "when you stopped watching dubs and only watched subs because they came out first". It's a matter of perception, that being people who are terrified of checking dubs or just disinterested in watching dubs of shows they've seen before. As someone who was watching Toonami the past several years, I could see the industry is still putting out good dubs along with bad ones.
I'd need examples of good modern dubs to say that.
 
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