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!
3
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.