I Like Anime, But I Watch Dubs, And I Don’t Care If That Makes You Angry

There’s this constant debate in the “geek world” about anime, that I’m pretty sick of. Yup, the “should you watch anime in sub or dub” debate.

The debate you can pretty much hear from around the world because any time an “avid fan” brings it up … their screams about why subs are better than dubs can be heard from miles away.

So today we’re “tackling” this “issue” head on, or well … actually, we’ll just be discussing why we don’t care if dubs make you angry.

Should You Watch Anime In Sub Or Dub?

Honestly? We Don’t Care!

And when I say we … I really mean ME.

I DON’T CARE if you watch anime in subs or dubs, as long as at the end of the day we can both talk about the same god damn show, and how much we enjoyed it, or hated it. It’s really that simple!

I grew up watching “Pokémon”, “Digimon”, “Yu-Gi-Oh!”, “Sailor Moon”, and “Dragon Ball Z”, way before I realized they were actually anime series, not just cartoons.

My brother and cousins would pretty much always have these shows on, so I really kind of had no choice? But there were days when I found myself joining them in front of the TV, even when I didn’t have to.

Or when I secretly realized that I too wanted to collect Pokémon cards, but just never admitted it out loud.

But as I grew older, my anime “addiction” grew weaker, and weaker. It wasn’t until I got a random My Hero Academia Funko Pop a few years ago that I decided to check out the show, which led to me binging the series during the pandemic.

Of course it’s now my favorite show of all time, and I too stare at the screen screaming back at the characters like a mad person.

Just sign me up for U.A. Academy already! But I’m not teaching nothing to Class 1A, ’cause I ain’t got the time for that kind of drama!

But my point is … when I started watching Anime in the 90’s, I was already watching dubbed episodes.

Fast forward 20 years later, and now folks are shunning people, and trying to make them feel bad because they still watch anime the same way? It’s ridiculous!

And yeah I know about the “if you know better, you’ll do better” argument.

But for some of us “anime geeks” it’s really not THAT serious! Some of us just wanna watch the shows that we love, without all the fussing about if subs or dubs are better. WE’RE WATCHING THE SAME SHOW PEOPLE!

Stop trying to alienate people who could be your friends, because you think you’re superior for watching shows in a foreign language.

We’re literally on the same side of the fence!

Go argue with someone who still thinks anime, and cartoons, are just for kids.

Because the truth of the matter is … subs don’t make you cooler!

Please alert me when you can actually speak said language, and don’t have to rely on the subtitles to help your English only speaking ass understand whats happening. That’ll make you cooler!

And I get that changing the language, also changes the show, because things can’t be translated exactly the same, but OH MY GOD! Do you have to be an insufferable asshole while “explaining” why YOU prefer to watch subs?

Because that’s all it is … a preference! You were given two options, and you choose option A, and I choose option B. That’s it! It’s like putting ketchup on a hotdog, instead of mustard. I don’t go around screaming you should put ketchup on your hotdog instead of mustard. And you can’t tell me I shouldn’t use ketchup.

*sings* It could all be so simple!

Have you ever even stopped to ask people WHY they watch anime dubbed? Or do you only care about your own opinions?

Why I Watch Anime In Dub Instead Of Sub.

Listen, I like watching anime in my spare time, which usually means while I’m eating. So reading subtitles, while staring at the screen because this fight scene is more intense than I thought, without creating a complete mess in my lap, is almost impossible. I’m clumsy! That’s not my fault.

I’ve learned to accept it. It is what it is.

I know my strengths and trying to watch (and enjoy) a show in a language other than English, while eating, just isn’t one of them. I’ve tried!

But it’s usually harder to follow, and I end up missing what’s happening on screen to look at my plate, and boom … I’m annoyed, and rewinding the scene for the 3rd time because I missed it, again. So I just stopped trying!

When I watched Lupin on Netflix (in French) I had to seriously pay attention. And honestly, I watch Anime for fun, not to be stressed out. I just wanna be able to follow the story without having to stay glued to the screen, reading subtitles.

I literally JUST got used to subtitles recently. I’ve been watching shows in English for more than 20 years!

What you’re NOT gonna do, is act like that can just be reversed overnight! And you’re definitely not gonna make me feel bad for watching a show that I actually like! ‘Cause I could just watch Spider-Man or something else instead!

So yes … I’m choosing convenience over “art”, or however you wanna argue that. But I mean, in my defense, isn’t that why they created dubbbed episodes in the first place? If they didn’t want us watching it in English, allowing a whole new target audience to be inspired by their show, they wouldn’t have created English episodes!

So stop fighting with people who actually like watching the same shows as you, because you think one way is better than the other, and just let people be happy! Dubbed episodes make me happy! Go be angry elsewhere.