Should you watch anime dubbed or subbed?

There is no need to read while you are watching

Question: Should you watch anime dubbed or subbed?
Position‹2 of 3›: Dubbed anime is better
Argument‹2 of 2: There is no need to read while you are watching

Dubbed anime can be watched normally like any other cartoon without having to worry about reading off the screen.

The argument

When anime is dubbed, viewers can understand what’s going on in the anime right away since they are listening to a language that is familiar to them. They can also enjoy the visuals of the anime without subtitles blocking parts of the screen. People with learning disabilities may be physically incapable of keeping up with reading subtitles, and pausing the video would affect the viewing experience. Dubbing eliminates that problem by replacing the Japanese audio entirely with an English one, and the viewer can simply listen and understand instantly. Dubbed anime enhances the experience of watching anime without compromising on visuals and viewing pace. It levels out the playing field for all non-Japanese viewers of anime.

Premises

[P1]Dubbed anime lets viewers understand the dialogue instantly in a familiar language and enjoy the visuals without subtitles blocking the screen. [P2] Viewers with learning disabilities may be unable to keep up with subtitles, and pausing to read disrupts the experience. [P3] By replacing the audio entirely, dubbing removes the need to read and levels the playing field for all non-Japanese viewers. [C] Therefore, because there is no need to read while watching, dubbed anime is better.

Counter-arguments

Advocates of subtitles reply that 'not having to read' is a convenience, not proof that dubs are better, and that it comes at a cost the argument ignores. Subtitles preserve the original voice performances, intonation and timing that the creators intended, whereas dubs replace them with new actors and rewrite lines to fit lip movements, often altering jokes, nuance and cultural references. On this view what dubbing removes — the authentic performance — matters more than the effort it saves. They also note the accessibility point cuts both ways: subtitles are essential for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and experienced sub-watchers report reading them without missing the visuals, since the eye takes in text and image together. Where a viewer genuinely cannot follow subtitles, dubbing helps, but that is a case-by-case matter — which is closer to the 'it depends' position than to a general claim that dubbed is better.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Visual experience is unique to every viewer and it therefore can't be assumed how subtitles will affect the quality.