10 votes

"...more than half of our members globally tuned into [anime] last year" - Netflix Anime Director

17 comments

  1. [10]
    HotPants
    Link
    It's not just anime, Netflix has been heavily promoting some fantastic "foreign" series that frankly would never have seen the light of day outside their own culture/ language/ country.

    It's not just anime, Netflix has been heavily promoting some fantastic "foreign" series that frankly would never have seen the light of day outside their own culture/ language/ country.

    9 votes
    1. [9]
      imperialismus
      Link Parent
      They're doing their part to cure English native speakers of their phobia of subtitles. Although many non-English shows still get English dubs, I've seen more and more people say they prefer the...

      They're doing their part to cure English native speakers of their phobia of subtitles. Although many non-English shows still get English dubs, I've seen more and more people say they prefer the original audio (which I've always considered the superior option, but then again I grew up watching subtitles).

      5 votes
      1. [8]
        nothis
        Link Parent
        Hot take: I never got the appeal of subs for media where you don't understand the language and dubs exist. You won't get much more out of watching the original, where you don't get the intonation...

        Hot take: I never got the appeal of subs for media where you don't understand the language and dubs exist. You won't get much more out of watching the original, where you don't get the intonation the subtleties of the word choices, accents, pronunciation and – I swear nobody ever mentions this – the subtle facial expressions while your eyes are distracted reading the goddamn text.

        Language is a certain barrier, here, and that's fine. I do watch subtitled movies if no dub exists. But if there's a dub and it's not... comically bad (I never really see those "terrible, terrible" dubs people talk about, to be honest) I prefer the dub.

        3 votes
        1. cfabbro
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          Go watch Squid Game on Netflix in the original Korean with English subs, then go back to watch the dubbed version afterwards, and I think that might change your opinion on subs vs. dubs. The...

          Go watch Squid Game on Netflix in the original Korean with English subs, then go back to watch the dubbed version afterwards, and I think that might change your opinion on subs vs. dubs.

          The English voice acting isn't horrible, but one of the most glaring issues with the dub is that the tone of the English actors' performances is drastically different. The original Korean actors (other than during a few lighthearted moments in the first episode) are generally being very serious and dramatic in their tone, and playing things very straight overall, whereas in the dub it's almost like the English voice actors were told the whole show was meant to be a comedy, and so it feels like they're constantly hamming it up.

          But worse than that, if you watch the English dub with the English subs on (which matches the Korean dialogue), you will also get to see just how badly the dub adaptation mangled the original script. I suspect this happened due to them trying to "Americanize" it for English speaking audiences, but they did it in such a hamfisted way, e.g. by adding tons of swear words, and removing all the honorifics (which actually play a HUGE part in the story and character development of the show!). The English dialogue also has these bizarre pauses all throughout the show, often mid-sentence, which was likely done to keep the English dialogue in sync with the Korean actors' mouth movements.

          And by making all those changes to the dubbed version, all the nuance, subtlety, and emotional weight of what was originally conveyed in Korean gets completely lost, and the emotional impact of several majors scenes is completely undermined too. And in my experience, most dubs suffer from very similar issues, which is why I almost always watch international movies/shows in their original language with English subtitles, and not the dubs. Western releases of Studio Ghibli films being the only real exception I can think of, since they take great care in their translations, and often hire big-name, A-list talent as their voice actors too.

          7 votes
        2. lou
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          It depends. The timbre, timing, and intonation of the original performers are pretty important too. With dubs, you remove that entirely. Subtitles, on the other hand, do not remove facial...

          It depends. The timbre, timing, and intonation of the original performers are pretty important too. With dubs, you remove that entirely. Subtitles, on the other hand, do not remove facial expressions entirely, they merely distract from it.

          Edit: also, if you're used to subtitles, you can read pretty quickly, and there's plenty of time to look at facial expressions. So it's not as bad as you may think.

          5 votes
        3. [2]
          stu2b50
          Link Parent
          If we’re talking about dubs of live action shows, my personal taste is completely the opposite. I cannot watch a dubbed live action show - there’s no way you can actually get the lip movements to...

          If we’re talking about dubs of live action shows, my personal taste is completely the opposite. I cannot watch a dubbed live action show - there’s no way you can actually get the lip movements to match the dub. Maybe when we get deepfake lip faking.

          All live action dubs are comically bad for me. Not the voice actors fault necessarily, I just can’t handle the desync.

          Also I can definitely read the subtitles while still entirely focused on the main picture.

          5 votes
          1. lou
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            I'd say it depends on your knowledge of the original language. English subtitles? Fine by me, they only serve to confirm my understanding (not my first language). Japanese? Yeah, I'm glued to the...

            I'd say it depends on your knowledge of the original language. English subtitles? Fine by me, they only serve to confirm my understanding (not my first language). Japanese? Yeah, I'm glued to the subs.

            1 vote
        4. [3]
          knocklessmonster
          Link Parent
          For me it's that dub acting is usually pretty bad. If they're acting poorly in a foreign language I couldn't tell, and it's not an issue for me to read the subtitle and watch the scene. It's far...

          For me it's that dub acting is usually pretty bad. If they're acting poorly in a foreign language I couldn't tell, and it's not an issue for me to read the subtitle and watch the scene. It's far worse in anime, which has admittedly gotten better over the years, but I prefer subs.

          Most complaints about subtitles from people I know are due to people reading slowly, which I also understand.

          3 votes
          1. [2]
            Akir
            Link Parent
            The biggest problem I have had with anime dubs over the past few years is that most of them get done in the same studios with the same rotating cast of VO talent. Monica Rial’s little girl voice...

            The biggest problem I have had with anime dubs over the past few years is that most of them get done in the same studios with the same rotating cast of VO talent. Monica Rial’s little girl voice is forever etched into my brain.

            1 vote
            1. knocklessmonster
              Link Parent
              I'm a more occasional viewer, but I can see how that could be a bit of an issue if you watch a bunch of anime put out by the same publisher.

              I'm a more occasional viewer, but I can see how that could be a bit of an issue if you watch a bunch of anime put out by the same publisher.

              1 vote
  2. [6]
    PhantomBand
    Link
    Good, hopefully anime can make it into "popular enough to be socially acceptable" territory. Like, I shouldn't care if it is or not, but I'd appreciate it if anime would be more accepted by the...

    Good, hopefully anime can make it into "popular enough to be socially acceptable" territory.

    Like, I shouldn't care if it is or not, but I'd appreciate it if anime would be more accepted by the average public. And more people enjoying anime is always good.

    3 votes
    1. knocklessmonster
      Link Parent
      Honestly, I think we're getting there. I'm not a fan of anime, per se, but I watch the anime I watch simply because they're good shows. I watched Parasyte because it was an interesting idea,...

      Honestly, I think we're getting there. I'm not a fan of anime, per se, but I watch the anime I watch simply because they're good shows. I watched Parasyte because it was an interesting idea, Dragonball partly because it was a cartoon I watched as a kid, but as I got into it, it was just a darn good show. I watched One Punch Man out of curiosity because Bill Burr talked about it and the video got recommended to me, which is peak "anime breaking into the mainstream as good shows." "Attack on Titan" and "My Hero Academia" came recommended by a weeb friend (she'd be honored by the description), but I stuck it out because they're that good, and I think I follow them more fervently than she does.

      My hope for the future is that a lot of media, anime and more, becomes normalized as just more media to consume and enjoy, regardless of format or origin.

      4 votes
    2. Akir
      Link Parent
      I think we're just about there, espeically when it comes to film, but I feel that it's largely because there has been a shift in what kind of anime gets produced. The decade before was full of...

      I think we're just about there, espeically when it comes to film, but I feel that it's largely because there has been a shift in what kind of anime gets produced. The decade before was full of Shonen properties that were designed for a young/teenage boy audience, but that seems to have been overshadowed by isekai subgenre work (which, to be fair, has a lot of overlap with shonen - but even when it is, it seems to be more accessable to people outside the target demographic).

      More than anything, I see a lot of 'boutique' anime being produced. Studios like Kyoto Animation, P.A. Works, Wit Studio, and Science Saru are producing some seriously amazing visuals, working on much more challenging or otherwise adult narratives. And although animation is one creative field where auteur theory tends to fall apart especially easily, there are more talented high-profile creators in the field than there have ever been, and they are incredibly prolific in their work right now.

      The biggest shift I've seen, and the one I think is most directly responsible for getting westerners interested in the artform, is that there have been a lot more animated films that also appeal to adults. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli started it (and got a lot of help in the west from Disney), but there are many other films to choose from since they started, many of which I think are doing a better job of catching adult and/or western audiences. While I understand not everyone will see something like A Silent Voice and not have the same emotional reaction I did, I can't imagine watching it and not finding at least one thing to like.

      3 votes
    3. [3]
      EditingAndLayout
      Link Parent
      Where should I start if I've never gotten into anime, but I absolutely loved Castlevania? I've never been able to get used to the animation style in series like One Piece.

      Where should I start if I've never gotten into anime, but I absolutely loved Castlevania? I've never been able to get used to the animation style in series like One Piece.

      3 votes
      1. knocklessmonster
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        You'd definitely want to start with stating what you liked. I can't make recommendations based on it because I haven't watched it, but I think I've got an approach that may help. I personally...

        You'd definitely want to start with stating what you liked. I can't make recommendations based on it because I haven't watched it, but I think I've got an approach that may help.

        I personally watch any anime because it's a good show that happens to be anime (see my other comment in this subthread). A few I'd recommend, particularly because they deal with fairly Western themes closer to what you or I would be more used to comparing to, would be Cowboy Bebop (the 28-episode anime, not the Netflix thing) and One Punch Man. Cowboy Bebop is more of a science fiction space western than it is anything else, it just happens to be Japanese and animated, tbh. Either Firefly foresaw a similar future or borrowed heavily from it. One Punch Man is a superhero show about the most powerful superhero who is so strong he's bored, and the complications of that in a super-competitive superhero ranking system. One Punch Man is more about the characters than it is any larger story (but it still has one). These shows also follow a conventional shorter format, with seasons between 28 (Cowboy Bebop, from 1998) to about 8 (One Punch Man, fist released in 2015), instead of something like One Piece or Bleach that are long as hell (~1000 and 366 episodes respectively).

        3 votes
      2. PhantomBand
        Link Parent
        Well, One Piece is quite unusual. Haven't seen the Castlevania anime, what did you like about it exactly?

        Well, One Piece is quite unusual.

        Haven't seen the Castlevania anime, what did you like about it exactly?

        2 votes
  3. knocklessmonster
    Link
    A benefit to the golden age of streaming services, which may unfortunately be deteriorating, is the prevalence of anime. Many shows took years to appear on several platforms in their entirety...

    A benefit to the golden age of streaming services, which may unfortunately be deteriorating, is the prevalence of anime. Many shows took years to appear on several platforms in their entirety (Here's to you FMA: Brotherhood on Netflix, but I may catch up on Jojo if it's all on Netflix), and some have been damaged by their attempts at interpretation (Netflix's Cowboy Bebop being cancelled, which also serves as a signal that it's arguably not worth watching). If everything rolls back into niche-specific services, I honestly feel this would be a sad day for everybody, not just die-hard anime fans. As far as visual media, I can't think of a better feeling than taking a chance on something and having it click.

    I've mentioned in this comment section that I watch any anime I do because it's a good show, and I think the prevalence of anime has done good work in showing things are simply worth watching on their own merits. I mentioned Bill Burr talking about One Punch Man which is as powerful an example of an anime standing on its own as a show as I can think of. Heck, I even watch Beastars because behind the animal characters, there's an interesting Zootopia-but-film-noir dynamic, and I'll admit I went out on a limb for that show but it delivered. A few people I know who backed away did so because it was a bit odd, but i don't feel it's anything inherent to anime.

    More relevant to the article, as somebody who damn near grew up on Hong Kong action movies (late 90s/early 00s Jackie Chan flicks like Drunken Master and First Strike are some of my top favorites), I have a lot of respect for Netflix for pushing their non-American shows because, as mentioned, there's plenty of good things coming out that are very relatable from a slightly different cultural perspective. Anime is only one dimension of it, and I think the broader acceptance of anime, internationally, also reflects the potential broader acceptance of other countries' media.

    2 votes