turvy wrote:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/LOST-シーズン1-コンパクト-BOX-DVD/dp/B007X2SMTO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344652446&sr=8-1
What do you think?

I stopped watching around 3rd season and when it finally finished I just watched condensed seasons on youtube. Turns out even those were boring and lacked any kind a coherent plot points (3 seasons and I felt like I didn't miss anything, what does that tell you).  I watched the finale in its full form and it was one of the worst endings in the history of endings.

Ending clearly showed the way writers approached the show, there never was a story arc about which they wanted to inform the viewer. Their whole idea was: plane, crash, island, polar bears, black mist, mysteries... everything else came along just to extend their viewership numbers. It was television at its worst, a money grab that's not even dressed as something else. "How I met your mother" comes to mind since its doing the same thing, but at least that was funny until a few seasons ago.

Oh and about Japanese. I'd consider watching something with more substance, it think AKBINGO would be a better choice

Of course (although apparently obvious only to me), I meant what do you think of it in Japanese. During its prime I was very into it and know the story pretty well so I figured that would be a great advantage when decoding the Japanese.

In general, what do you think of learning from dubbed resources?. I am not asking whether I will learn something at all, learning is learning after all, but I have no idea what becomes of these products when they get converted into Japanese.

Last edited by turvy (2012 August 15, 7:55 pm)

Stian wrote:

In Japan, dubbing is serious business, or so I've heard...

Usually they just get the same 3 guys to do it.

I wouldn't really recommend dubs unless you can't find any anime or dramas you like. Japanese subtitles are now available for most new anime/drama which help a whole damn lot when you're starting out.

Last edited by quincy (2012 August 15, 8:05 pm)

Most Japanese subs don't follow what the Japanese says, either. It's all paraphrased. I think it's because they have different teams making the subs and dubs...

The subs and dubs don't match because the dubs are very restricted in they have to follow the movement of the actors mouths while the subs retain more quality translation of the original English script.

That said, lost is one of the most popular TV shows in history and probably has a good quality translation. I'm curious how they handle the Korean dialogue though.

Translation of a phrase (as any translators here will vouch for) is difficult... but translation of a work of art, and it's magic, is itself an artistic craft. Benjamin wrote that the task of the translator is to recreate as an artist the magic of the original in the second language... so in other words, more important than specifics the energy and power of the original is to be found again in the second language. That's why poets have translated Dante hundreds of times.

As it applies to movies/anime/Lost, etc... I'd say the dub is generally going to be of a lesser energy than the original. Something to consider however is that maybe even that weakened energy is more compelling than lots of other things. I've watched Kill Bill and the Hangover in japanese several times... not as good as the english but better than most anime and doramas.

I have even (only once) found a translation that I actually prefer to the original. Inception... fantastic japanese dub. When I went back to the english I couldn't believe what a sissy Leo sounds like. Not only are the japanese voices more suited for the characters, the dialogue is actually much better written.

It's quite possible that dubbed western shows may be easier to follow, because you are more familiar with what characters usually say in certain situations and how the narratives are structured. The acting/pacing/script could be more one's liking too.  In the long run, there's probably plenty to learn from more authentically japanese stuff but as learning material I think dubs are totally fine and may in fact be optimal because there'd be less cultural things you need to understand, just lots of predictable dialogue and situations.

I can't say I've ever watched an entire dubbed series though.

Last edited by nadiatims (2012 August 16, 5:04 am)