The difference in how anime dubs sound now versus 10 years ago is driving me up a wall

I was rewatching an old series from 2013 last weekend, something I used to love, and the voice acting felt so natural and lived in. Then I tried a new popular show that dropped in February and the dub sounded like everyone was reading lines in a soundproof booth with no emotion. What happened to directors letting actors actually breathe and react to each other? Is it a budget thing or are they just rushing these out the door now?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna58929d ago

Is it me or does it feel like the newer dubs are being directed in a way where every pause and breath is cut out? I remember watching dubs from ten years ago where you could hear the actors actually bouncing off each other in a scene, like they were in the same room. But now it sounds like they record each line separately and stitch it together with no room for natural gaps. Do you think it's more about the directors rushing through sessions or maybe the actors not getting to record together in the same studio? I'm honestly curious if this is a cost cutting thing or if the style just shifted.

graceprice29d ago

luna589 I know exactly what you mean. I noticed it first in a shonen dub where the main character would yell something and the villain would start talking before the echo even faded. It felt so choppy. For me, the biggest giveaway is during arguments between characters. In older dubs like Cowboy Bebop or FMA, you could hear them almost talking over each other naturally. Now it sounds like they recorded each line in a different booth and then a software program just snapped them together like puzzle pieces. I think it's definitely a cost thing, not a style choice. Having all the actors in one room costs way more.

jesse_craig2629d ago

I read something the other day about how most studios switched to remote recording during COVID and just never went back, so now actors are recording from closets in their apartments instead of the same room. Idk it definitely explains why nobody sounds like they're actually in a scene together.

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