Overheard a guy at the con say dub is the only way to watch One Piece and I got heated

I was standing in line for the Toei panel at Anime Expo last Saturday, and this dude behind me goes 'sub purists are just elitists, I've watched all 1,000 episodes dubbed and it's better.' Man, I've been a sub fan since 2005 when I first saw Naruto on a fansub DVD from a local shop. How can you say that when the original voice direction and jokes land so much harder? Anyone else run into someone who swears by one format like it's a fact, not a preference?

3 comments

3 Comments

loganl221mo ago

Read an interview with Masako Nozawa once (Goku's voice actress) where she said the original language carries the soul of the character, and that always stuck with me. The Japanese cast for One Piece has been doing these roles for over twenty years, they know the characters inside and out. I can see the appeal of dub for multitasking or if you have vision issues, no disrespect there. But claiming it's straight up better feels wrong when so many gags and puns in the original Japanese are completely untranslatable. The way Luffy says 'Gomu Gomu no' with that specific rhythm just hits different in Japanese. Different strokes for different folks, but facts are facts about the voice direction.

the_jamie1mo ago

oh man this is so true and it actually reminds me of something ive noticed about music too. like you know how some songs just hit harder in the original language even if you dont understand it? lmao i listen to a lot of kpop and even if the english versions exist the emotion and delivery just doesnt land the same way. its like the original creators have this specific energy and intention baked into every little sound and rhythm that gets lost no matter how good the adaptation is. same thing with movies too honestly subtitles for life lol

black.joel17d ago

yeah totally agree with the jamie on that. i got really into some japanese indie rock a few years back and tried looking up translations but it just wasnt the same. theres this band called tricot and the way the singer phrases things with the guitars just feels right in japanese even though i have no clue what shes saying. i think its the rhythm of the language itself matching the music beats, you know?