Hot take: Should dub watchers get called out at conventions or left alone?

I was at Anime Expo 2023 in LA last July, and this guy started lecturing a girl near the merch booth about how she was 'wrong' for watching the dub of Attack on Titan. She looked super uncomfortable, you know? I stepped in and told him to back off, but then a few people around us actually sided with him saying she needed to 'experience it correctly.' Now I'm wondering if calling out dub vs sub preferences is ever okay or if con culture is just getting too gatekeepy. Has anyone else seen this kind of thing go down and how did you handle it?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlie_stone7213d agoMost Upvoted

Man I used to roll my eyes at dub watchers myself but honestly seeing people get ganged up on like that just made me rethink the whole thing. At the end of the day who cares how someone enjoys their show right?

anthony16513d ago

Yeah @charlie_stone72 that "who cares how someone enjoys their show" part really hits home. I was the same way back when I was heavy into anime forums, always arguing subs were the only real way to experience it. But then I had a buddy who couldnt keep up with subs because of a visual issue, and watching him get roasted for asking about dubs made me feel like a jerk. What worked for me was just telling people straight up, "Hey I used to think like that too until I realized we're all just trying to have a good time." Most folks calm down when they see you've been where they are.