Anime Talk: Dubs vs Subs... It's OK to hate dubs...

                Everybody in the anime community has encountered an English dub hater at least once. Those English dub haters dogmatically claim that English anime dubs are appalling and should burn in heck. English dub haters declare that anime should only be watched in Japanese. It’s like how the Puritans strongly believed that the practice of religion is exclusively allowed to only them. To be honest, there is nothing wrong with hating English dubs and only watching anime in Japanese. But when people act like zealots of the “Holy Japanese Dubbed Anime Church” bashing on others who enjoy English dubbed anime… that is when the line is crossed.

This can also be translated to "Hey, Kare, want some curry?"
Kiniro Mosaic

                 Japanese dubbed anime air before an English dub is even planned to be recorded. Of course the series are broadcast on Japanese television, so one can infer that the show is designed to appeal to a Japanese audience. As a result of this marketing, anime has elements that are meant to be recorded in Japanese. One of those elements is puns. Here is an example, “Kare, do you want some karē.”  “Karē” means curry. “Kare” is a nickname for Karen. This is a pun on a person’s nickname and a food name. If this pun was to be literally translated “Kare, do you want some curry?” would be the result. Therefore the pun wouldn’t work in English. Another element that is exclusive for Japanese dubs are honorifics. (There are some terms that are convertible in Korean however.)  “Onii-chan” is when a younger sibling calls his/her older brother in a childish or(and) affectionate way. But “onii-chan” is also used to call older males that are not the user’s older brother. In the United States, people usually call each other by first names without any honorifics in casual situations.  It is hard to translate Japanese honorifics under certain circumstances because of cultural differences.

                Putting the above into account, it may seem that English dub hating is legitimate. In fact it is. There is nothing wrong with hating English dubs. One may argue by mentioning the details from the second paragraph, another may say that reading subs are too difficult, or somebody may prefer English voice acting over Japanese simply because it sounds better. Whatever the reason, it is absolutely okay to choose Japanese dubs over English dubs or just hate English dubs. But yelling at the people who prefer English dubs is a problem. Everybody is different; anime fans have different dub preferences. Both dubbed and subbed anime have its merits. Dubbed anime has the advantage of letting the viewer enjoy the visuals without reading. Subbed anime gives the watcher an insight of Japanese culture. With that being said, both sub watchers and dub watchers (or a combination of both) are essentially the same. Yes, dub and sub have big differences and distinct characteristics. However that only proves the point that both dub and sub watchers are alike. Since dub and sub have its uniqueness, both parties must accept each other for its exclusivity. It is like treating others with respect. Look at President Nixon and Dictator Mao Zedong, they’re opposites yet they still showed respect to each other. If contrasting people can shake hands, shouldn't alike people do the same if not more?

If a president and a dictator can shake hands,
an anime fan and another anime fan can shake hands too.

                Hating English dubs or even hating Japanese dubs is alright. Everybody has their preferences. Anime is meant for entertainment, so as long as you enjoy the series, the language doesn't matter.