Dub vs sub debate got way more complicated after talking to a deaf friend

I was at a con last weekend and got into it with this guy named Marcus who's been watching anime for 20 years. He said subtitles actually ruin action scenes for him because his eyes have to keep bouncing between the fight and the text. He's not deaf or anything, he just thinks dubs let him actually watch the animation. I always thought it was about voice acting quality. So now I'm torn, does the visual experience matter more than the original performance or what?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_park921mo ago

Yeah that actually changed my mind too, never thought about it that way before.

the_wendy1mo ago

Bro you're making this way too deep. Marcus just can't handle reading and watching at the same time, that's a him problem not a dub pro. Loads of people watch action movies with subtitles just fine. Tell him to try reading faster or pick a better font size.

james_bell1mo ago

Honestly I had the same problem for a while with fast action scenes. What helped me was turning on subs for everything even shows in English. @shane_park92 might have the right idea about just getting used to it over time. After a couple weeks your brain just learns to scan the text faster without losing track of the action. Marcus should give it a real shot for a month before giving up on it.