Subs or dubs?

[Memory]

I prefer dubs unless it's really bad. I find it very distracting to have to constantly look down and read text at the bottom of the screen instead of focusing fully on the video. It's also harder for me to get emotionally invested in what's going on if I can't directly understand what's being said.

I don't watch much anime or foreign media, but the worst dub I've seen so far is the one for the 2003 Kino's Journey anime.

[BlackMageGaming]

For the most part, dubs alllllllllllll the way.
I grew up with things like Dragon Ball Z Kai, Cowboy Bebop, Sonic X, Evangelion, everything a little me could get his hands on.
 

However, I would watch newer animes with my friends, and the dubs felt... off?
I don't exactly know what happened, but the dubs lost their impact to me, it was like they began to feel soulless. It was then when I would watch all of pre-timeskip One Piece with a group of friends. We watched it subbed, and I really enjoyed it! So I felt conflicted, and I still watch dubs for the most part, but I sometimes step out of my comfort zone, especially if the dub sucks really bad.
 

Nowadays, I watch my in-person foreign shows subbed, like the recent Squid Games, but I sometimes switch between the sub and watch the dub when I'm curious of how they translate certain things.

[larvapuppy]

I listened to this video today and it made me think of this thread, so I'm sharing:

Subs Vs. Dubs: THE TRUTH

I think I agree with a lot of what she says! I'm personally a fan of subs over dubs but I do think dubs have their place. I will watch dubs when I'm engaging with shows/movies more casually. I also usually watch Studio Ghibli movies in dub always because that's how I watched them as a child and I find the dubbing performances are done really well.

[xolta]

Mostly subs now of these days, unless it a dub I'm personally nostalgic for.  Example of a dub were nostliga makes it hard to to watch the sub is the Yu Yu hakusho dub. Now Some shows are frankly better dubbed are Ghost stories and samurai pizza cats. But they almost feel like porotype abridged series.

[Dibs]

Sometimes the biggest crime a dub can commit for me is being American when it doesn't suit it. Hearing the Spy X Family cast with American accents is damaging to my psyche. Let the Mob Psycho 100 cast be Scouse! That being said, explicit comedies like The Disasterous Life of Saiki K suit dubs very well, especially when they're very fast-talking, making subs unwieldy. I'm also halfway through the Death Note dub and liking it a lot!
I suppose ultimately for me it's less a case of setting and more a case of genre or tone. Comedies and crime fit with American voices in my mind, but most other anime genres call for subs.

[candycanearter07]

I prefer subs usually, hearing the original audio feels better. That being said, I'm not a purist about this, I am still fine listening to dubs if they're not egregious.

[WG2k]

I usually watch dubs. I personally prefer to understand what i'm hearing rather than looking at the bottom of the screen most of the time. The only reason i'd watch a sub is if there's literally no dub available.

[jack_dawlia]

When its a show i'm engaged with and actually paying attentions to (like dungeon meshi or witch hat) i prefer sub :D! Dub voice acting usually feels stilted and unnatural to me, so i like hearing the original voices (and if its unnatural in the sub - i dont speak the language so i cant tell :P). and apparently the translation is usually more acurate in subs , though that doesnt matter much to me.

With shows i've got in the background and dont really care about/am not paying attention to, i prefer dub so i can tell whats happening without having to look at the screen. I also enjoy dubs when watching low budget anime where they dont care and let the voice actors do whatever the hell they like LOL (like ghost stories).

Ahhh now I'm remembering vising family in lithuania and all non-lithuanian shows are dubbed by a single guy doing every single person/character with different voices, with the original volume just being turned down when it was time for the translation

[lakes]

I think it depends on the series/movie. I prefer subs usually. However for certain animes, I'll prefer the dub (Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Black Lagoon, etc). With live action movies, I only watch the dub if it's camp or a trashy exploitation flick. Otherwise it just feels very out of place because of lack of the lip syncing.
I definitely see the case for dubs though if you just want something in the background, to focus on the visuals, or have an impairment that makes reading harder/impossible.
I just find that it isn't that big a deal for me.