Many, many, many, many years ago (in the mid 90s) a friend of mine introduced me to the wonders of anime. Movies like Fist of the North Star, Ninja Scroll, Lily C.A.T., Vampire Hunter D, Ghost in the Shell, and Wicked City captured my attention and shifted my expectation of what animation could be while introducing me to the twisted side of Japanese animation. Some of the movies (all on VHS) were subtitled, but most of them were dubbed in English. Although I was no stranger to watching foreign films (as my mother was a movie fanatic), but these were the first dubbed films I had encountered, and having never had a problem understanding subtitled foreign language films, I assumed dubbed versions would be that much easier to follow! At least, that's how I felt before my friend brought over a dubbed version of Akira. Never have I been more determined to understand a film that seemed to refuse to be comprehended, and as a result, there might only be one movie I've seen more times that the dubbed version of Akira.
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For anyone who's not watched anime from that time period, or maybe not seen Akira, there's a ocean of difference between watching, say Fist of the North Star, where there's gore abound but the animation quality is lower, and watching Akira. Comparing the two would be akin to comparing John Carpenter's Halloween and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon; the only real direct comparison being their both live action genre movies. Akira considerably raised the bar on what animation could achieve through both storytelling and visual effects.* But if you'd only seen the dubbed version, you'd only agree with the second half of that statement.
Akira has some of the most intricate, resplendent cell animation you'll ever see, but the dubbing is akin to most Americanized anime TV shows of the time, with "ahhhhhhhh"ing and "huuuuuuhhhhh"ing peppered into sparse and disconnected dialogue. The only logical conclusion I could draw from that disconnect was that I was missing something in the dialogue, some key phrase somewhere that pulled all the disconnected ideas together. And on one level I was correct; on another, more immediately important level, I was too trusting of the ability of dubbing to effectively communicate the nuances of plot and character development.
In all I probably watched the dubbed version ten times before giving up all hope. And then, a few months later, someone gave me a bootleg of the subtitled version. Not only was the dubbed version missing LOADS of plot nuance, it was missing key bits of the main characters relationships, backstory, and most importantly, it was missing the poetry of the story. Up to that moment in my life, I had never felt more vindicated: this glorious visual feast of a movie ACTUALLY HAD A WELL THOUGHT OUT PLOT, WELL DEVELOPED CHARACTERS, AND LAYERS OF DEEPER MEANING. This was indeed the masterpiece I had always felt it must be, and for years after that, if someone wanted to watch a dubbed version of something, I opted to not watch the film at all.
Sometimes you just have to read a movie to get the intended experience. Next time you're deciding between dubbed and subtitled, see if you can watch both at the same time, and see for yourself the difference. (Or watch the dubbed version so many times you accidentally memorize the dialogue and compare them that way...)
*(If you want to know more about Akira's cultural impact,
Karla Clark's article on the subject is a pretty good place to start.)
The plot involves a young lady who wants to visit Southeast Asia with her friend. While her Grandmother forbids anyone from the family visiting this region she talks her older brother into allowing her. He does make her promise to wear their Grandmother’s medallion to keep her safe while traveling. Of course, early in their vacation, the young lady decide the medallion is too heavy to wear and it’s unceremoniously ditched, and she and her friend swiftly die under mysterious and horrifying circumstances. Her brother comes looking for answers and discovers that an evil wizard has been using his powers to exact revenge on the descendants of the man responsible for the destruction of his village. The Wizard’s revenge tactic of choice: casting a spell that causes his victims to vomit up live centipedes, which then eat said victim. Eventually the previously ditched medallion is used to summon a cobra that kills the wizard thus ending his quest for revenge.
1) One of the first things the young ladies do on their vacation is purchase grass jelly from a street vendor. A quick google search told me that it’s a jelly-type dessert eaten in East Asia served chilled, often with toppings such as fruit and has a “mild, and has a slightly bitter” taste. It doesn’t seem like the sort of thing you’d enjoy as a mid-jog treat, but it seems that both girls enjoy it while doing just that. (Personally, I’d settle for a cold water and a granola bar.)
3) At times the acting feels somewhat stilted or hammy (like the grass jelly vendor evil-villain mugging to the camera). Some of that could be attributed to budget constraints and a less experienced director, but it also seems to be pretty common place for the era and the region. It is also hard to tell if it’s a throwback to silent Hollywood films (when everyone overacted, to ensure nothing is missed by the audience), or if that was an organically universal way to make low budget films.
This movie is seriously bonkers! The gore effects are truly stomach churning, and the cast and crew must be applauded for their bravery. These are not CGI bugs crawling over all our actors, these are real, biting, hissing centipedes! While it somewhat relies on some old tropes, that never deters from the fun. It’s a cheeky, gross, creepy-crawly movie that plays well to a crowd of fun-loving, brave souls. So grab some of your more squeamish friends and give this one a shot! 
