If there’s any industry undergoing rapid change, it’s English language anime dubbing. Fans of the 80s and 90s will remember collecting their favorite shows on VHS, three or four episodes at a time. When anime started coming out in half seasons or complete series DVDs in the mid-00s, it was revolutionary. Not to sound all old-timey, you-kids-get-off-my-lawn, or anything; just like other forms of television and film, how we watch and collect anime has changed over the years, even more rapidly recently.
The primary method of consuming anime has gone digital through websites like Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix, and binge-watching has become that much easier. Fans can keep up with new episodes as they air in Japan as well. Monthly subscription rates provide a more affordable alternative to purchasing individual shows, and some of these websites even offer free accounts with some provisions, such as delayed release dates for episodes or more advertisements that allow providers to make money without charging viewers.
These options are all well and good if you enjoy subtitled anime, or previously dubbed series. As anime fans become more accustomed to episodes being simulcast and the turnaround time for subtitled shows quickens, though, taking that same amount of time to turn around an English dub seems twice as long. It’s impatience, true, but it’s also an expectation that as media consumption changes, media production hastens to keep pace.
FUNimation is certainly making an effort; following its success simul-dubbing 2014’s Space Dandy, and in fact airing the English dub before the Japanese episodes due to the time difference, the company has launched its DubbleTalk initiative. For the past few seasons, a few weeks into their simulcast, FUNimation is plucking series to dub weekly. Though it may take some time for the DVD/Blu-ray releases, subscribed fans can now watch shows dubbed ahead of time.
Crunchyroll is also testing the waters of simul-dub options. New seasons of Durarara!!, which Bang Zoom! Entertainment dubs, are also airing in English online in advance of DVD release dates. Currently Crunchyroll has a short list of series available dubbed, and should the endeavor prove successful, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the practice increase.
Simul-dubbing has its pros and cons. Because of the fast turnaround, the staff and actors working on these projects are under expedited schedules. In series that are dubbed after the final episode has come out in Japanese, English language directors and writers have a chance to look at the work as a whole and make choices regarding casting, script, and delivery that may not have payoff until later in the show, whereas going episode by episode requires some leaps of faith. Where an actor would usually come in to record a number of episodes all at once, simul-dubbing requires weekly sessions out of at least the main cast, which requires flexible availability from the actors.
On the flip side, it’s a testament to the skill and dedication of the dubbing crew when they turn around a product as impressive as Space Dandy, Tokyo Ghoul A, or Gangsta on a weekly basis. Additionally, it puts the product in the hands of its fans (metaphorically) that much more quickly and allows dub viewers to enjoy new and current episodes with the same timeliness as sub viewers.
As for putting products in the hands of fans not-metaphorically, dubs must wait until the products release in Japan. Often times animation studios will go back and clean up off-model panels or put the finishing touches on the broadcast version of anime so that it’s in top form for the DVD/Blu-ray version that fans will add to their permanent collections. When the cleaned-up copy is available, English dub teams may have to go back and do a little touch-up of their own if the animation of lip flaps has changed at all. Anime collectors of all languages deserve the best quality for their permanent collections.
So, yes, the wait for physical copies can feel eternal when streaming has made legal anime consumption so much easier and more convenient, but it’s worth it in the end. Simul-dubbing is still a new facet of the industry, but already it’s helping to ease the pain of waiting for DVDs or Blu-ray discs. When the final product comes in, fans know they most likely will be getting the best.
