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Mar 26, 2018 1:46 AM
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Note: This discussion is mainly for the dub-preferring community. I do not want any backlash from sub-elitists. If you prefer subs over dubs (which the majority of you will be), I suggest that you can stay away from this discussion.

When it comes to Sentai Filmworks dubbing, people will say that they will automatically suck. Despite being a dub-watcher myself, it is clear why many people (even some dub lovers) despise most of their dubs. They are not as good as the original Japanese.

If you don't know, Sentai Filmworks is a licensing anime company based in Houston, Texas which is the spiritual successor of ADV Films, who seem to be quite good when it comes to dubs. If you've seen Full Metal Panic, Princess Tutu or Ghost Stories, you know how good they can be. But since that ADV was shut down, Sentai Filmworks was born. They've had a few actors from ADV (which some also do Funimation works) to dub some of their licensed anime. However, they aren't as good as they were used to during the ADV times.

Tell me what are your thoughts on many of Sentai's dubs. And are they better or worse than expected? What are some flaws when it comes to Sentai dubbing anime? Also, if you have any, what are some of the best dubs that they've done? Note: licensed shows (like K-On, Higurashi or Persona 4) that weren't dubbed by Sentai (and instead in LA or probably in Funimation too) do not count.
removed-userMar 26, 2018 10:47 PM
Mar 26, 2018 1:47 AM
#2

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Oct 2017
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Funimation is worse I actually used to like some Sentai dubs back when I watched dubs, but nowadays dubs in general are just bad.
Mar 26, 2018 3:11 AM
#3

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Yeah, mostly everyone can agree that Sentai is bad at dubbing. I dislike almost every dub I've seen from them, so I rarely ever give their stuff a chance.
Mar 26, 2018 4:57 AM
#4

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Mar 26, 2018 7:38 AM
#5
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Depends on the anime but for one like Cardcaptor Sakura, jesus that one anime I legit had to switch to sub to keep watching.
Mar 26, 2018 11:10 AM
#6

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They do have some gems here amd there, such as the DanMachi and Gekkan Shoujo dubs. Their failings normally come from putting Chris Ayres in charge of the script.
Mar 26, 2018 11:12 AM
#7

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I thnk the K-ON dub they did is pretty good. Mileage may vary, but you can look up the Animax Asia one at least to hear how bad it could have been.
help
Mar 26, 2018 11:16 AM
#8

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I honestly never pay attention to who produced a dub, I just judge them on a case by case basis. I know which dubs that I tried I liked and which I couldn't watch, but that's it really.
I probably regret this post by now.
Mar 26, 2018 1:12 PM
#9
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It depends on the dub, but generally I'm not a fan of them. I usually like the main cast (and even that's not consistent), but the supporting cast tends to sound very stilted and inexperienced. Also the dub scripts sound awkward because they keep in a lot of the honorifics and direct translations.
That being said, I recently watched their dub of Amagi Brilliant Park and really enjoyed it. So maybe they've gotten better? I'm not sure because by the time they've dubbed something I've usually already seen it.
Mar 26, 2018 1:15 PM

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I do find them enjoyable enough. I really liked Haikyuu dub.

In case, you don't know. Sentai has started their own simuldub program "DubCast", and I'm looking forward to it.
Mar 26, 2018 2:06 PM

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https://myanimelist.net/anime/producer/376/Sentai_Filmworks

I've finished or seen parts of (the dub of) the following.

Angel Beats
Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary)
Black Bullet
Mondaiji (Problem Children)
Chaika (and Chaika: Avenging Battle)
Canaan
Ika Musume
Cross Ange
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
Angelic Layer
Infinite Ryvius
Someday's Dreamers (Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto)
You're Under Arrest (Taiho Shichau zo)

Also have completely seen the following, but not dubbed. (Crossed-out series are ones with no dub available.)

Atelier Escha & Logy
AKB0048 + AKB0048 Next Stage
Phantasy Star Online 2
Allison & Lillia
Leviathan the Last Defense
Frame Arms Girl
Modern Magic Made Simple
Uta~Kata

Some of these strike me as Funimation dubs. Can someone tell me which of these were actually dubbed by Sentai Filmworks, as opposed to Funimation or someone else?
Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut.
Mar 26, 2018 2:50 PM

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Even some dub elitists agree that Sentai Shitworks are terrible at dubbing.

That should tell you something
Nico- said:
@Comic_Sans oh no y arnt ppl dieing i need more ppl dieing rly gud plot avansement jus liek tokyo ghoul if erbudy dies amirite
Conversations with people pinging/quoting me to argue about some old post I wrote years ago will not be entertained
Mar 26, 2018 3:18 PM

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KawaiiPotato1412 said:
When it comes to Sentai Filmworks dubbing, people will say that they will automatically suck. Despite being a dub-watcher myself, it is clear why many people (even some dub lovers) despise most of their dubs. They are not as good as the original Japanese.


Barely any dubs are as good as the subbed versions so if that is the reason you or other dub watchers dislike Sentai Filmworks, then you shouldn't be watching dubs in the first place.

Yes, I commented on your thread even though I prefer subs. Deal with it.
Apoc_RevolutionMar 26, 2018 3:25 PM

Mar 26, 2018 5:51 PM

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rsc-pl said:
But something like good dub doesn't even exist anyway :)


And I always try to piss on a raging forest fire to extinguish it.
Life Is Short But Intense.
Mar 26, 2018 8:22 PM
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pancake_monster said:
I thnk the K-ON dub they did is pretty good. Mileage may vary, but you can look up the Animax Asia one at least to hear how bad it could have been.
Well that's because it used to be licensed by Bandai and by that time it was dubbed by BangZoom in LA so technically a dub like K-On's wouldn't fit here.
removed-userMar 26, 2018 8:28 PM
Mar 26, 2018 8:26 PM
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Red_Ryu12345 said:
Depends on the anime but for one like Cardcaptor Sakura, jesus that one anime I legit had to switch to sub to keep watching.
Cardcaptor Sakura I think was not licensed by Sentai (in fact they would rarely license older anime like CS). Plus it's a pretty old dub (probably even before Cowboy Bebop) so feel free to hate on it. Most recently Funi acquired the rights to the newer series so expect better actors for the roles.
removed-userMar 26, 2018 8:39 PM
Mar 26, 2018 8:37 PM
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_Ako_ said:
I doubt if the anime itself is even good to begin with.
You've got quite a good note in there. As you can see, Sentai mostly does works like ecchi, harem, slice of life, moe and all those cutesy, fan-bait stuff like that. From what I've seen from its page here in MAL, they only have a handful of works that score over 8. So yeah the majority of the anime they licensed are pretty crappy when it comes to the quality of the anime.
Mar 26, 2018 8:42 PM

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27806
No, Saban is worse than Sentai and slightly worse than 4Kids, just look at what they did to Precure. Outdated name changing of titles and characters, censorship not present in the original, and other sorts of disasters, and worse yet, it got a second season (How? People actually watched that trashfire of a dub?).


Mar 26, 2018 8:50 PM

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Hoppy said:
No, Saban is worse than Sentai and slightly worse than 4Kids, just look at what they did to Precure. Outdated name changing of titles and characters, censorship not present in the original, and other sorts of disasters, and worse yet, it got a second season (How? People actually watched that trashfire of a dub?).


Saban has one good dub and just barely. And like 4kids it is a case of bad censorship
The anime community in a nutshell.
Mar 26, 2018 10:40 PM

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GlennMagusHarvey said:
Angel Beats
Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary)
Black Bullet
Mondaiji (Problem Children)
Chaika (and Chaika: Avenging Battle)
Canaan
Ika Musume
Cross Ange
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
Angelic Layer
Infinite Ryvius
Someday's Dreamers (Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto)
You're Under Arrest (Taiho Shichau zo)

Some of these strike me as Funimation dubs. Can someone tell me which of these were actually dubbed by Sentai Filmworks, as opposed to Funimation or someone else?


Well, since no one's responding to my question I might as well just continue with the assessment.

I enjoyed the dubs of the first four -- Angel Beats, Kyoukai no Kanata, Black Bullet, and Mondaiji. But I think at least a couple of these are Funimation dubs for some reason.

I didn't watch Chaika dubbed; but only heard bits of it dubbed. Come to think of it it ought to be in the second list.

I'm satisfied with what I've seen of Canaan and Ika Musume. I think Canaan is a Funimation dub though.

I enjoyed the dub of Cross Ange.

I was a little meh at the dub of Muv-Luv Alt. One particular qualm I had about it was how it pronounced Lt. Cui's name as "Kewie", which is clearly not a Chinese name pronunciation. (She actually does have a proper Chinese name, which is pronounced more like "chúi" (according to Spanish pronunciation notation).) Also I think this is a Funimation dub?

Angelic Layer's dub is okay I think.

I don't remember enough of Infinite Ryvius's dub or Someday's Dreamers's dub to say much.

You're Under Arrest's dub changed around some lines and introduced some new jokes, but they made the show a lot more enjoyable for me, compared to watching it subbed.
Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut.
Mar 26, 2018 10:42 PM

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they did a shit job with higurashi which is probably the reason season 2 will never get dubbed.
"among monsters and humans, there are only two types.
Those who undergo suffering and spread it to others. And those who undergo suffering and avoid giving it to others." -Alice
“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.” David Hume
“Evil is created when someone gives up on someone else. It appears when everyone gives up on someone as a lost cause and removes their path to salvation. Once they are cut off from everyone else, they become evil.” -Othinus

Mar 27, 2018 12:17 AM
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Jul 2018
561867
GlennMagusHarvey said:
GlennMagusHarvey said:
Angel Beats
Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary)
Black Bullet
Mondaiji (Problem Children)
Chaika (and Chaika: Avenging Battle)
Canaan
Ika Musume
Cross Ange
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
Angelic Layer
Infinite Ryvius
Someday's Dreamers (Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto)
You're Under Arrest (Taiho Shichau zo)

Some of these strike me as Funimation dubs. Can someone tell me which of these were actually dubbed by Sentai Filmworks, as opposed to Funimation or someone else?


Well, since no one's responding to my question I might as well just continue with the assessment.

I enjoyed the dubs of the first four -- Angel Beats, Kyoukai no Kanata, Black Bullet, and Mondaiji. But I think at least a couple of these are Funimation dubs for some reason.

I didn't watch Chaika dubbed; but only heard bits of it dubbed. Come to think of it it ought to be in the second list.

I'm satisfied with what I've seen of Canaan and Ika Musume. I think Canaan is a Funimation dub though.

I enjoyed the dub of Cross Ange.

I was a little meh at the dub of Muv-Luv Alt. One particular qualm I had about it was how it pronounced Lt. Cui's name as "Kewie", which is clearly not a Chinese name pronunciation. (She actually does have a proper Chinese name, which is pronounced more like "chúi" (according to Spanish pronunciation notation).) Also I think this is a Funimation dub?

Angelic Layer's dub is okay I think.

I don't remember enough of Infinite Ryvius's dub or Someday's Dreamers's dub to say much.

You're Under Arrest's dub changed around some lines and introduced some new jokes, but they made the show a lot more enjoyable for me, compared to watching it subbed.
I think all were dubbed by Sentai, except for Squid Girl (Ika Musume) which was dubbed by not Funi but probably by BangZoom in LA.
Mar 27, 2018 9:59 AM
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KawaiiPotato1412 said:
Red_Ryu12345 said:
Depends on the anime but for one like Cardcaptor Sakura, jesus that one anime I legit had to switch to sub to keep watching.
Cardcaptor Sakura I think was not licensed by Sentai (in fact they would rarely license older anime like CS). Plus it's a pretty old dub (probably even before Cowboy Bebop) so feel free to hate on it. Most recently Funi acquired the rights to the newer series so expect better actors for the roles.


They had a redub of it more recently.

It was really really bad. I wanted the 90s Voice actors back is how bad they were.
Mar 27, 2018 8:30 PM

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pancake_monster said:
I thnk the K-ON dub they did is pretty good. Mileage may vary, but you can look up the Animax Asia one at least to hear how bad it could have been.
K-ON was dubbed by bandai before they closed and sentai re-released it.
Mar 27, 2018 8:37 PM

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377
Central Park Media is the king of dubs. Those Sentai Filmworks people couldn't possibly be as terrigreat as they were.
Mar 27, 2018 8:39 PM
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The only dub I've seen from them is The Garden Of Words and it was decent.
Mar 30, 2018 12:57 AM
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That is not at all true. Dubbing is just bad at anime.
Mar 30, 2018 1:16 AM

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I wouldn't say they're bad exactly but there are better companies like Bang Zoom, NYAV Post, and Funimation. Some of Sentai's dubs I like a lot, others are kinda mediocre. The older dubs from the 90s when they were ADV were much more dodgy than the current ones.
KruszerMar 30, 2018 1:22 AM
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Apr 22, 2019 7:19 AM
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Well, for the most part, Sentai is doing a good job when it comes to dubs. The translations used in their dubs seem pretty straightforward when compared to Funimation dubs, which you should stay away from, as their dubs are inconsistent when it comes to translation.
Apr 22, 2019 3:23 PM

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I have zero problems with Sentai's dubs.
Life Is Short But Intense.
Apr 23, 2019 1:30 AM
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If their employees are the types of people to be outright lazy at their efforts whilst on the job, then you've already answered your own question.
Apr 23, 2019 1:12 PM

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Most people seem to say so, but I think they get a little bit too much hate
May 4, 2019 10:18 AM

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Angel Beats is the only one I'll give them 5 stars on, the rest is meh
Jul 29, 2020 6:30 AM
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Aside from maintaining the honorifics in some shows I like sentai dubs even ones where they did that it didn't bother me enough to detract from my enjoyment if you want evidence of good sentai dubs here are the ones I like as of july 2020

Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?
Gate
Maid-Sama
Amagi Brilliant Park
Heaven's Memo Pad
Angel Beats
My Love Story!!
Campione!
Made In Abyss
Waiting In The Summer
My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu
Cross Ange
Tada Never Falls In Love
Chaika - The Coffin Princess
Domestic Girlfriend
Grimoire Of Zero
3D Girlfriend
Bodacious Space Pirates
Kampfer

P.S. For anyone looking to praise Funimation while bashing Sentai I would like to point out the overlap in the voice acting talent David Wald, Jad Saxton, Brittney Karbowski, David Matranga, Monica Rial, Bryson Baugus, Austin Tindle, Luci Christian, Shelley Calene-Black and Natalie Rial off the top of my head.
Arendelle_GundamJul 29, 2020 9:13 AM
Jul 29, 2020 7:13 AM

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Sentai’s subs are far worse than their dubs. I groan anytime I see them license anything.
その目だれの目?
Jul 29, 2020 8:31 AM

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Arendelle_Gundam said:
Aside from maintaining the honorifics in some shows I like sentai dubs even ones where they did that it didn't bother me enough to detract from my enjoyment if you want evidence of good sentai dubs here are the ones I like as of july 2020

Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?
Gate
Heaven's Memo Pad
Angel Beats
My Love Story!!
Campione!
Made In Abyss
Waiting In The Summer
My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu
Cross Ange
Tada Never Falls In Love
Chaika - The Coffin Princess
Domestic Girlfriend
Grimoire Of Zero
3D Girlfriend
Bodacious Space Pirates
Kampfer

P.S. For anyone looking to praise Funimation while bashing Sentai I would like to point out the overlap in the voice acting talent David Wald, Jad Saxton, Britney Karbowski, David Matranga, Monica Rial, Bryson Baugus, Austin Tindle, Luci Christian, Shelly Calene-Black and Natalie Rial off the top of my head.
Of these I've only fully watched the dubs of Angel Beats and Cross Ange but I definitely enjoyed those two.
Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut.
Jul 29, 2020 9:55 AM

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2838
I think Sentai has got a lot better with more of their recent dubs for example I think the Made in Abyss dub is fantastic. On the other hand a lot of there older dubs are kinda hit or miss. An older dub I like from them is Clannad I don't think it's bad but a older dub I think is terrible from them is the dub of Nyan Koi. However a problem that a lot of there older dubs suffer from is keeping the Japanese Honorifics like san, chan, senpai, kun, etc. This is a problem that plagues even dubs I like from them it always sounds cringe I'm glad it's a practice that the pretty much stop. But as whole I do think Sentai has improved.

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