Nothing makes me cringe more than hearing people say, "I prefer the English dubs of anime because I'm too lazy to read the subtitles." It takes a lot within me to not smack them against the side of their heads for being so retarded.
Anime is a misunderstood (by the average American) genre in our culture. Most dismiss them as childish cartoons instead of appreciating the fact that it is a different medium to express art, just as PIXAR reinvented the idea of digital animation as being more than a "computer generated cartoon on the big screen." There is a reason why classics like AKIRA and the films of Miyazaki have been recognized by the West and considered true classics in film.
However, the one element I can't grasp is why people can't appreciate reading the subtitles so they can truly hear the Japanese language. In a way, I'd equate it to somone attending an opera and asking to see the version of La Traviata in which the performers speak the lines in English. And I use the word speak, because the trained voice actors who perform in these anime projects don't just say lines in Japanese - it is a specialized style that truly enhances the drama or comedy of the show.
The style in which the characters converse with one another in the stories are exaggerated and emotive to the 11. But that is what brings the stories to another level. Anyone who has truly watched an anime series or film with the Japanese voices will cringe and pucker their brows wondering why the English speaking voices are so flat and LAME. Not to mention, if you watch enough anime in Japanese, you start to pick up on words and phrases, so what's not to like about learning a foreign language?
So stop being lazy and watch all anime (and great foreign films) it their native tongue. I mean, can you actually respect any foreigner who watches, say, Terminator 2, in anything but our English language? Exactly.
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