Would Sonic X have been better received with a closer translation?

[Extryn]

I personally adore the Japanese dub, I have the entire series subbed and watch it regularly.

I'll just say this now - I'm probably very biased because I still have an extreme dislike of the 4Kids voice cast.

What I didn't like about the 4Kids dub was the way the atmosphere of the show was changed. In the Jap version, the humour was based around the crazy antics of the hero and the villain, Decoe and Bocoe's weird manner, things like Eggman watching an infomercial or Sam Speed refusing to go through Gate #2 because "NUMBER TWO?! I'M NUMBER ONE!", even Knuckles dropping his precious leek bun. 4Kids changed this to terrible puns and kid-friendly whatever and I really hated that. I feel that in the localisation a lot of depth was removed from the plot, characters, humour, everything.

The entire plot was dumbed down and simplified, and I really think it lost a lot of appeal. I can happily sit down and watch the sub with other members of my family and they're perfectly happy to watch it too, but I'm the only one who can sit through the dub (back when I couldn't find the third season subbed).

I disagree about the characters, I think their characterisation was excellent in the original. I loved how they made Sonic carefree and always off on his own, and I also loved Knuckles' lovable bumbling, because he could be plenty serious and badass when he needed to be.

The only thing I didn't like common to both the original and 4Kids dub was the way Tails was shoved to the side and of course Chris, but I found that easy enough to get over. I am a firm believer that the japanese dub of Sonic X is actually pretty good, 7/10.

[AdventChild]

I've never watched the Japanese subbed, but hearing that Sonic X was one of 4kids 'faithful' translations and close to the original, it'll be slightly better if it was more closer to the script yet still it'll be as bland knowing that there will be hardly any difference. I mean the only things that 4kids changed are censored death scenes, some(/most) of the writing and dialogue, music, and editing here and there, but my problems with the dub will probably remain the same. Problems including, boring/dull episodic plots, poor written characterization for the cast, uninteresting humans that take up a lot of screentime, Chris as the char that kids need to relate to(a rich Sonic obsessed spotlight hogging useless brat), poorly drawn animation, and bad writing and plot. So only little value would be gain, but Sonic X was and is a bad anime. If it were made like a mostly comedic anime like Gintama and Zetsubou Sensei with better animation, then it could have a chance for being good.

Also, IMO, Sonic X is better than SU because it doesn't have the chars frikkin' singing in every episode, and if 4kids VAs sing it'll be total Hell. Though SU's musical moments during the action scenes alone were just lame and degrading that it makes it near unwatchable along with bad concepts like a dumb plot with plotholes, poorly executed idea for weapons, Sonic with siblings and voiced by the same male VA including the girl, and bad animation.

[Dr. Mechano]

I'd like to compare two scenes from the Japanese and English dub of the show.

Let's set the stage with the epilogue of episode 71.

In the Japanese version, Dr. Eggman wearily trudges into the Chaotix Cafe and, to the relaxing tune of somber piano music, orders a glass of wine. Cut to Sonic in space who, unlike his comrades, knows Eggman has secretly helped them escape the planet and the Metarax's attack. He offers a simple, "Thank you, Eggman" as the episode closes.

In the English dub, Eggman drinks a glass of prune juice (Because Eggman is old and old people drink prune juice, right?) as Vector plays a funky electric piano song. Sonic's comment becomes a pun; "Thanks, Doctor! Yer not such a bad egg afterall!" Pure cheese.

Granted, as someone who likes cheesy, I enjoyed the dub thoroughly (Albeit probably not for the intended reasons). I will still say that, despite enjoying the dub, the Japanese version was a superior and much better-written product, and as a whole I vastly prefer the original audio.

[DaBatGuy]

Also, IMO, Sonic X is better than SU because it doesn't have the chars frikkin' singing in every episode, and if 4kids VAs sing it'll be total Hell.

And now a moment of silence for the late, great nation of freedom.

[Vertekins]

I don't think so. Even with a closer translation you'd still have terrible animation at times, idiot plots (Episodes 40 and 41 anyone?) and hypocritical characterisation. Translating it better wouldn't have removed these problems and so it wouldn't make the series much better.

[Viku]

I gotta agreed, the original dub makes the series more entretaining. But after seeing the whole series again I realize, it only rises it from BAD to OKAY...not GOOD or EXCELENT.

Both in original and american dub the humans get far too much spotlight, Chris is still the annoying brat in both versions, Cream is still there for who the fucks reason (seriously, was Cream's prupose in this anime just to be cute?) and Sonic, yeah, he was okay, but his personality was just "Hey I'm laydback" more than the Sonic we know and love...Sonic is more than that. Knuckles, well Knuckles was okay and I'm sure you will hate me for say this but I feel Dan Green does a very fittable voice for him in both anime and games (I do like more his old VA. But this one is still lovable for me) but sadly the poor echidna was used more for jokes and that's something I have been hating lately from SEGA's part (Seeing Knux as comic relief is getting old. What happened to the kind-of-loner but trustable friend Knuckles that used to be one of my favorite characters?.

There were still some very well characters: Eggman was pretty good since we could see more of him than we usually do in the games. Also Rouge, I gotta say Rouge was one of the best portrayed characters in the whole anime!! Why? Because, unlike in the games, they kept her with the "usefullness" and personality that she had in SA2 for the entire run. Cosmos was okay, I did find the whole thing with Tails cute, but sadly 4kids butcheded all the drama her death caused

Amy...what can I say? I can't believe it, but her sonic fanatism was even bigger and worst than the games! (and that's saying a lot) Pretty bad in my opinion. I really think one of the big bad points in both the dub and the original is that the most useless characters have too big spotlights.

and ging back to chris, oh boy. I'll skip right pass all the things everyone seems to say about Christ to say that one of the things that irritates me themost is that actually there was a moment were they could have saved chris as a character for me. A moment where they could have fixed the annoying characters he was and actually making likeable. Which moment you may ask? When he grew up, of course! If they wouldn't have turned Chris back into a kid in season 3 they would have been able to make him a more likeable character. He became a scientist, a more mature person and his time with Sonic & Co. turned him into a better and kind-of-carefree person. Sadly all that development went down the toilet when he turned back into a child. I kow that it was probably because kids can't relate with adults but honestly, who was the idiot who thought the kids would relate to chris? Specially with so many other characters that can fill that job better! If he would have stayed as an adult maybe he would have been better in combat (after all, he said he learned karate) and his friendship with Sonic would have been different and more interesting (after all he would have been OLDER than the blue blur and not the other way around). it pisses me so much that they actually had the chance to redeem Chris but they didn't!

Overall, I think the original dub of Sonic X is Okay. Not good, not bad, just Okay. It was way better than the american dub that's for sure, but it wasn't the anime I was hyped for...

[Blazey Firekitty]

I'd like to compare two scenes from the Japanese and English dub of the show.

Let's set the stage with the epilogue of episode 71.

In the Japanese version, Dr. Eggman wearily trudges into the Chaotix Cafe and, to the relaxing tune of somber piano music, orders a glass of wine. Cut to Sonic in space who, unlike his comrades, knows Eggman has secretly helped them escape the planet and the Metarax's attack. He offers a simple, "Thank you, Eggman" as the episode closes.

In the English dub, Eggman drinks a glass of prune juice (Because Eggman is old and old people drink prune juice, right?) as Vector plays a funky electric piano song. Sonic's comment becomes a pun; "Thanks, Doctor! Yer not such a bad egg afterall!" Pure cheese.

Granted, as someone who likes cheesy, I enjoyed the dub thoroughly (Albeit probably not for the intended reasons). I will still say that, despite enjoying the dub, the Japanese version was a superior and much better-written product, and as a whole I vastly prefer the original audio.

This pretty much sums up why I'm more interested in the original version. The dub seems rather funny, and is probably funnier than the Japanese version, but the original script seems to be, at least from what I've heard, more focused on trying to make the characters likable and relatable. "You're not such a bad egg" is funny because of how over the top it is, but "Thank you Eggman" is rather touching.