Many of the Japanese director, Hayao Miyazaki’s, animated films have been known as classic examples of high-quality anime from Japan and have drawn in generations of fans worldwide. This week, we explored why Miyazaki’s anime still not only holds up, but serves as film initiations for animation fans into the world of anime. These films also feature excellent voice work and had very successful releases in America.

This week, we first look at these films’ cultural significance as past anime and discuss the possibilities for the future. In our second podcast, we then discuss whether subtitles or dubbed anime from Japan is more effective for storytelling.

Part 1: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki

0:06 – Introduction
1:35 The anime community
2:47 Films that bring new fans
5:28 The standout films from Miyazaki
9:33 The “Spirited Away” influence
10:57 Worldbuilding and storytelling
13:03 The dubbed voice work on the films
13:51 Celebrity voice dubs -do they ruin immersion?

Part 2: Subtitles vs. Dubbed Voices

0:14 This segment begins on subtitles vs dubbed voices.
0:52 Alex’s preference for dubs
2:11 The case for dubs over reading subtitles
3:28: Dubs with poor quality voices vs. expressions in Japanese
7:22 Quality voicework for immersion
9:27 Cultural context of how voices sound
14:03 Acceptance of dubbed anime

Natalie Hanson, Ulises Duenas, and Alex Coba can be reached at [email protected] or @NatalieH_Orion, @OrionUlisesD or @ThatOneGuyCoba on Twitter.