Subbed vs dubbed debate hit me hard on my Cowboy Bebop rewatch

I had to pick between the sub and the English dub for watching Cowboy Bebop again last week. I went with the dub because Steve Blum's Spike just feels right to me after all these years. Honestly it was the right call for this show but I still wonder if I missed some nuances in the Japanese voice acting. Anyone else got a series where the dub is the only way to watch?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_singh3923d ago

2001 was 23 years ago, man. I love the Bebop dub too but calling it the definitive version feels like a stretch. It's a great dub for its time, but acting and translation standards have only gotten better since then.

jesse_cooper24d ago

The original Cowboy Bebop dub came out in 2001 or so and it set the bar so high that everything else has to catch up. I watched it both ways back then and the Japanese cast is fine but Steve Blum and the whole English crew just nail the vibe of the show so perfectly. I actually think you missed something not the other way around because the English script has this natural flow that matches the jazz soundtrack in a way the Japanese lines don't always hit. The director for the dub, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, had the actors record together in the same room which is super rare for dubs and gives it that alive feel. So no, I don't really buy that the Japanese version has more nuance here. The dub is the definitive version for Bebop.