If we go back nearly a decade or so—as of this article, that means around 2008—we would see a very different state for the anime industry. Even when a series was considered very popular in Japan, the anime series itself wouldn’t be sent to America to be dubbed at least for a year or even sometimes more than that. A perfect example of this would be the very well know Kuroshitsuji series—Black Butler in English—that didn’t get a dub from publishers Funimation until 2010 though the series released in 2008 in Japan. Though this trend slowly began to change roughly around 2012, where some series were getting simuldub—the theme of dubbing a show to somewhat match the Japanese release of an episode—with shows like Psycho-Pass. Even more recently Funimation has been getting faster than ever before dubbing shows roughly a few weeks after the series starts! This has led to a massive increase in English Voice Acting work and actors in general but that also leads us to our question for today. Should all anime get dubbed immediately?
The Good about Quick Dub
Having a series quickly dubbed means the anime industry outside Japan is slowly becoming a stronger medium then ever before. More anime-related jobs are necessary so more and more newcomers to the world of anime and the various jobs linked to it are needed and desired. With several more recent shows, an influx of talented voice actors and actresses are coming forth and even voice actor veterans are returning to give their talents in more anime series than ever before. We don’t want to sound corny but this concept allows anime to become more recognized and popular in not just America but various countries as well. It goes to show that unlike the times where anime was still a niche medium in countries outside Japan, it now is a well-recognized medium that probably will find larger audiences and even more recognition within the animation world.
The Not So Good About Quick Dub
The biggest problem with dubbing anime extremely early though also leads to the possibility that dubs in the future could possibly be very rushed. We aren’t saying this has happened yet—though if you go online you might see some different thoughts depending on the site you’re on—but think along these lines for a moment. If Funimation were to begin simuldubbing not three or four shows at a time but maybe a dozen or more, there could be an influx of trying to just get able bodied voice talent and that might make for poorer quality overall. That isn’t to say the voice actor or actresses themselves are weak or not up to par with bigger, more well-known ones but given their freshness to the anime scene they might not yet fully be able to do roles that should take some time to get into. Like any medium, quality should always trump quantity but if anime series get dubbed too quickly, as the years go on, there could be a serious shift in that thought process which would make dub less popular overall.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of your stance on anime dub versus sub—which we have talked about plenty of times here at Honey’s Anime—anime dubbing is growing more and more steadily as anime becomes more popular in the world. This is a wonderful thing to say the least and yet it scares us because we want to see our favorite characters get voiced to their best abilities and with quicker releases there could be a time in the future where this might not happen.
What do you think about all this though? Should anime be dubbed immediately or should publishers like Funimation go back to the older days and release dubs far and fewer in between? Tell us your opinions in the comments down below as we open the floor to you. If you liked this type of article and want more like it, there are plenty of similar articles here at our beautiful website known as Honey’s Anime!
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