The Obligatory DiC-Bashing Rant or My Two Cents
Okay, so I’m not quite sick of this whole bash DiC thing until I do it too. Yes, I started watching “Sailor Moon” on USA network. And yes, it was the first anime I ever became obsessed with. But that doesn’t mean that I never would have seen it if it hadn’t been for DiC. Since I already loved Japanese animation, I’m sure someone would have introduced me to the better Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon sooner or later, so don’t e-mail me saying “you can’t hate the dub, because without it you never would have seen the real thing.” That’s not true at all. The Slayers doesn’t air on NA television, but I still have most of the episodes on tape (subbed) and I love them.
I’ve read plenty of anti-dub rants, but there’s more I need to add to the list of why I hate DiC. First there’s the basics: the voices are horrible, the music is cheesy Hanson pop, the shows are cut and edited so that no element of the original really remains, and the translation -- if you can call it that -- is so warped that it changes entire (and important) aspects of the series. But that’s not all.
Dic did not dub several episodes, skipping several great ones for no apparent reason! (Which turns out to be a good thing, since those weren’t destroyed by the dubbing process.) Like the Sailor V episode, “Sailor Venus no kako, Minako no hiren...” What was wrong with that? It proved Sailor Moon wasn’t the first “scout”? I can just see executives at Dic saying, “It might confuse their tiny brains and they may change the channel over to Barney.” They gave Mina almost no personality. I haven’t seen the Dub in over a year now, but if I remember correctly, Mina rarely says a phrase other than “why?” or “let’s go!” They even cut out the infamous scene where Minako thinks she cut off her finger, but it’s just a carrot.
Also, they turn Moon & Mars against each other with the characters “Serena” and “Raye”. I don’t understand this at all (wakarimasen!!!). Was the idea of friendship too much for kids to handle? How is making them hate each other better for kids? And I won’t even go into what they did to poor Chibiusa.
My brother was watching the Dub on Cartoon Network last week and I walked into the room. Luna was talking and my jaw dropped. Her voice! OMG, that’s not Luna-chan at all, it’s some reject from Mary Poppins! I couldn’t even bare to watch more so I left the room.
The fact is this: THE DUB is GOD-AWFUL. It’s a sad example of what happens when things become “Americanized”. I hate the Dub!
People say, "if you don't like the dub, don't watch it, but don't bother bashing it." Those people don't understand that not watching isn't enough because I have to put with fans all the time who have lists of incorrect, stupid "facts" they learned from the Dub (or assumed from something the Dub says). This a war we're fighting (only not as drastic and bloody). The Dub is a great kiddie show. But if you're a true fan, it's not right.
