odd to say, but I really like both, and prefer to have an option if possible.
When I first started watching anime,knowing what it is (never heard of it as a kid, and thought Battle of the Planets was American,lol!) anyhow, almost ALL the imports I watched on VHS were subbed, very few were dubbed.
As a purist, I can understand the desire for subs over dubs, and agree...subs ARE better,should be easier and closer to meaning in translation, etc. The problem is, not everything translates from foreign languages into English perfectly, even in writing. Something is almost always "lost in translation", whether it is a word, a meaning, or a subtle feeling. Also, many subs are fansubs, done by people who rush to get them out rather than watch what they are actually SAYING. I'm certain we have ALL seen broken English, poor grammar, and dubs that just make no sense whatsoever.
In those cases, I'd MUCH rather have a dub that I can understand. Also, my eyesight isn't always that great...and sometimes I enjoy watching anime late at night with a beer or three.... anyone ever tried to read something at 1am half-buzzed on Guinness or Sapporo ? Now, Hentai doesn't matter...a moan is a moan! but I'd rather have some idea what Revi (or Levi, depending on which translation ya got) is shooting at while watching Black Lagoon, and WHY, personally!
I also like to know the meanings of different words showing up on the screen as well. For example, unless you read Kanji, you have NO idea what all the writing is on the screen of the first episode of Dancing in the Vampire Bund, and that's WITH subs..... you can't tell if it's a part of the original anime, or one of those fansub group "shout-outs", or what! However, there IS a better version out there that translates those as well, and you can clearly see it's meant to be like those title overlays and watermarks you see on shows like Jerry Springer and the like.
True, that's an example of subs over subs, not subs over dubs.... but it does show another problem with subs... they are not always perfect either.
A GOOD dub will at LEAST still have some of the original feeling and emotion portrayed, even if the words themselves are not "pure", and without feeling and emotion, sometimes it's hard to understand even with subs why a character is "getting all worked up" about something.
And a good sub, in order to keep the flow, will STILL have to lose something. Characters can talk quickly or incessantly.... but trying to read what they are saying, without either filling the entire screen with subtitles or staying on a single frame for 10 minutes.....impossible! In order to keep the flow, you would necessarily have to "sum up" what they are saying rather than an exact word-for-word translation.... thereby STILL slightly defeating the purpose of "purity".
So, really...I like both, and prefer a choice depending on my own situation, as well as on how bad the voice actors are, or whether or not it's a fansub and if it is well or poorly done...how verbose the characters tend to be... etc.
