While the English souls Dubs have improved considerably in recent years, the vehicle still has its right dose of notorious examples that live in the memory of fans – for all the wrong reasons. Both due to a questionable casting, an embarrassing location, a bad direction or a bizarre change of script, these doubts are proof of how bad things can go in the first days.
Some are so involuntarily hilarious that they have become favored of worship, while others are simply gearmable for anyone who appreciates the original story. Here is a look at 10 of the worst English Dubs souls of history – and because they are so unforgettable.
1. Ghost stories
This anime has reached the legendary status to have one of the funniest Bad Dub ever recorded. The English voice actors was given free to improvise, throwing the original screenplay outside the window. The result? A completely different show – irreverent, chaotic and hysterically funny. If you are looking for the original story, you will not find it here, but if you want to laugh, this dub is pure gold.
2. Cipher
The strange handed down delivery FigureDub English is reduced to its unusual production: the Japanese-English bilingual speakers have written and recorded the lines without professional translation inputs. Admirable effort, but the result sounds … outside. Natural language schemes? Not entirely. Fascinating as a production experiment? Absolutely.
3. Cardcaptors (Cardcaptor Sakura)
This dub has not only translated the anime – rewritten it. The episodes have been reorganized, censored and completely removed, remodeling the story in something more “oriented towards action” for the western public. Unfortunately, this slaughtered rhythm has reduced much of the charm and emotional heart of the original.
4. One piece (4kids version)
Perhaps the best known case of too zealous censorship. The pistols became water pistols, the cigarettes turned into lollipops and whole arches were vanished. The uncomfortable script changes, the strange vocal choices and missing episodes left the spectators with a confused and watered version of the epic pirate of Eichiro Oda.
5. Garzey’s Wing
A little vocal masterclass. The actors seem to read directly from the script: monotonous, without emotions and often cut in half a sentence. Combine it with the embarrassing line times and you have an English dubbing that is so difficult to bear as fascinating to separate.
6. Angel cop
Full of bizarre dialogue and flat delivery choices, Angel cop“S dub sounds disconnected from its high post action scenes. Some characters are almost indistinguishable from each other, and then there are notorious lines such as: “If this is justice, then I’m a banana.” Quite said.
7. Lum the Invader Girl (Urusei Yatsura BBC Dub)
The BBC grip on this classic is a strange delight. The acute voice of Lum is only part of the chaos-eyed phrases incomprehensible such as “It will be like taking sushi from a child” AND “These glasses are like a gelatin on my head” And you have such a bizarre dubbing, it’s fun.
8. Devilman
As Ghost stories, DevilmanDub English often feels as domestic. The lines are strangely stimulated, with tones that do not correspond to the scenes. However, the original plot vaguely follows, making it a fun but imperfect relic of its time.
9. Elfen Song
Lucy’s English acting is excellent, which only highlights how little brilliant the rest of the cast is. The quality of the irregular performance is stoning and the dated audio production does not help. Fans may still prefer this dub, reading subtitles, but it is far from perfect.
10. Higurashi: when they cry (2006 Dub)
This first dubbing suffers from a division into quality: some actors nail their roles, while others feel wildly wrong or scarcely direct. Tonal inconsistency is particularly furious for a series built on slow horror and sudden emotional changes.
British souls have made a long way, with many modern outputs that rival or even exceed the original Japanese performances. But for each great dubbing, there is a reminder of embarrassing, experimental and sometimes serious production reminder that have been before.
Sources: Comicbook
