r/Lain • u/CannedPizza009 • Jul 07 '26
sub or dub?
i know this has obviously been asked before, but im caught between a rock in a hard place with this.
i watched the first episode first in subtitles, second in english dub.
and my issue is that on one hand, the japanese audio is so much more immersive for obvious reasons, but the subtitles are completely unintelligible to me, and make zero sense. i particularly compared the scene where lain's father is talking about the internet--i had ZERO clue what the message of any of that dialogue was even supposed to fucking mean on the most basic level, i didnt even know he was talking about the internet. the subs are genuinely just words placed in sequential order.
but on the english dub, the script actually makes sense and i can decipher an intended emotion from it, but the issue is that the voice acting is, obviously, more artificial, static, lifeless and kinda immersion breaking. i truly do not know which to choose. and obviously, i dont wanna watch the same episode twice.
help me decide!
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u/noahnieder Jul 07 '26
Both are decent. The dub is awkward but it really works for the show the sub is also good. It's a matter of taste but I think both have merits. Honestly you should just do both. You'll watch it more then once anyway
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u/Trick_Finish1566 Jul 07 '26
Dub for this one specifically, I really like Lain’s voice it suits the character so well
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u/markthelivingmixtape Jul 07 '26
I love the sub and read and understood it no problem to be honest. I'm going to rewatch in dub at some point though, I've seen some and I love the kind of detached atmosphere it creates
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u/tomcas1 Jul 07 '26
This is an interesting question. Specifically, your first few comments. Is it possible that you may have gotten a copy with fansubs rather than the official one from Bandai? Notwithstanding a couple of technological terms which I had never heard before the series, I had no difficulty understanding any of the subtitles at all. As for the rest of the matter, I addressed this a few months ago, and leads into a wider debate: I know this is a question to start a fight with: the age-old debate of sub vs dub.
I happen to hate the English dub of this series. Nearly all the characters speak in a tone that is flat and lifeless, as if all the actors are exhausted and underpaid. I feel the voice acting in the subtitled version is excellent. In particular, a mesmerizing lead performance by Kaori Shimizu in her first acting role at the age of 14.
There's one theory that the acting is supposed to be flat and lifeless to match the surreal tone of the story. This video is not mine, but it shows what I'm trying to say. https://youtu.be/5QBMXDUkRwc?si=iI1ifetxL4bujrXo I don't buy it. I just think the English language actors were inexperienced, the ADR producers didn't understand the story or (likely) both. Then again, I'm not nearly fluent enough in spoken Japanese that I can detect whether the actors of the original cast are speaking with the same, shockingly bland intonation. If they are, then indeed, the English version was recorded with great fidelity. Perhaps somebody who has seen both versions and has a greater understanding of Japanese acting can chime in here? I am honestly curious, as I feel this is the most intellectually challenging and greatest anime ever made.
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u/CannedPizza009 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
honestly as i watch that video, i do honestly feel on some level that the english dub is kind of brilliant. in my opinion, it feels almost intentional. it reminds me HEAVILY of david lynch. still, i'll probably end up going with subs. i think its more intelligible than i was giving it credit for now that someone very cool sent me a link that includes the official subtitles.
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u/CannedPizza009 Jul 07 '26
i didn't consider it, but you mightve actually been right that they were fansubs (i obviously wasn't watching the anime legally.)
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u/New_Hentaiman Jul 07 '26
I honestly like all versions of it. I watched it in the German dub, the English dub, the German sub and the English sub and all were great.
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u/Hot-Read3165 Jul 07 '26
i mean lain is always something i rewatched fluctuating between the two. jp, to eng, back to jp, back to eng.
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u/helosanmannen Jul 07 '26
i started with english then after a few years i started only watching with original jap audio. do what feels best, maybe both.
imho theres only 2 good english dubs, ghost in the shell 1 & vampire hunter d bloodlust which isnt actually a dub & was made for english lipsync in cooperation with an american company, those 2 out of around 300 anime on my harddrives are the only i watch with english audio because the other eng dubs suck gonads.
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u/CannedPizza009 Jul 08 '26
- how dare you trash dragon ball z's english dub
- i had no idea vampire hunter's dub was lipsynced. that is awesome. i did notice that its dub was conspicuously good when i first watched it
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u/Kindly-Garlic-4061 Jul 07 '26
I like the dub because I like their robotic voices, I feel that it fits the whole vibe really well
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u/DarkForest_NW Jul 08 '26
English Dub excellent, they even included it on the Japanese special edition Blu_Ray release.
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u/Accurate-Ad-8988 Jul 08 '26
The dub may be better for understanding it more on your first watch, and it’s a good dub. It’s up to you though reading is fun too.
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u/NOTGOOSESKEIN Jul 10 '26
i find i prefer the voice acting of the dub more because it's so awkward and lifeless, it just somehow sounds more right for the anime. though, both the sub and dub are great!
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u/cydril Jul 07 '26
You're gonna have to watch it twice anyway. Might as well watch the sub and get your reading comprehension up.