Ghost in the Shell (1995): Sub or Dub?
Three ANN critics graded the 1995 film's English dub across three releases, and each preferred the Japanese. Both casts, the critics' specific objections, and the 4K disc's two subtitle scripts.
Watch Ghost in the Shell in Japanese if you can. Three ANN critics reviewed the 1995 film's English dub across three home releases, and each graded the Japanese version higher. The dub has defenders, and the film was made with an eye on audiences outside Japan, but its English track has never been the one critics reach for first.
The short answer
Japanese for a first viewing. The English dub is a reasonable second choice, especially if you want the version Manga Entertainment put on American shelves in 1996. Whichever you choose, check which cut you have: ANN lists a different Japanese voice for the Puppet Master in the 2.0 version, and the ending song depends on the release.
Who made each track
ANN's encyclopedia dates the Japanese premiere to November 18, 1995, and lists Manga Entertainment as production partner and licensor. Brian Ruh's review notes that the film "was developed jointly with the UK's Manga Entertainment, and created with an eye towards the growing interest in anime outside of Japan." ANN credits the English recording to Animaze, directed by Quint Lancaster, with an English script by Mary Claypool, Mary Mason and Lancaster. ANN's 2020 report says Manga Entertainment released the film in the United States on VHS in 1996.
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Motoko Kusanagi | Atsuko Tanaka | Mimi Woods |
| Batou | Akio Ōtsuka | Richard George |
| Togusa | Kōichi Yamadera | Christopher Joyce |
| Aramaki | Tamio Ōki | William Frederick |
| The Puppet Master | Iemasa Kayumi | Abe Lasser |
ANN credits Yoshiko Sakakibara as the Puppet Master in the 2.0 version, so a Japanese viewing of that edition does not use the original voice for the role. The full credits are in ANN's entry.
What the critics heard
Jonathan Mays, reviewing Manga Entertainment's DVD in 2003, found the Japanese voice acting "subtle but effective" and singled out Atsuko Tanaka and Akio Ōtsuka. He thought Mimi Woods' Motoko "occasionally crosses the line from low-key to wooden, but the English dub is otherwise strong." He graded the dub B+ and the sub A. His review covers that disc.
Carlo Santos reached the same grades reviewing Manga Entertainment's Special Edition DVD in January 2005. He found the dub "still competent by modern standards," with an English Batou who has the aura of an action hero and a Motoko who is quietly confident, if sometimes too robotic. His specific objection is to the script: the dub "tends to add swear words where none exist, and sometimes has to re-arrange entire blocks of dialogue, but generally maintains the meaning of the original translation." His review has the details.
Ruh's 2020 review of Lionsgate's 4K release graded the dub C and the sub A-, the widest split of the three.
Subtitles and the ending song
Ruh first thought the 4K disc's subtitles were "dubtitles" and then found that it switches automatically: on English audio the subtitles follow the dub script, and on Japanese audio they are "a more faithful translation." The menu offers only one "English subtitles" option, so the second script is easy to miss. He also judged the translation better than on Anchor Bay's earlier Blu-ray, whose subtitles he described as one of that edition's big complaints: "stilted and awkward."
The same disc plays Passengers' "One Minute Warning" over the end credits on both audio tracks. In earlier releases, Ruh notes, that song played with the English audio and Kenji Kawai's "Reincarnation" with the Japanese. Our ending explainer covers the final scene, with spoilers.
A note on quoting
Santos's point about rearranged dialogue applies to any quote from this film: a line from the dub, the Japanese-track subtitles and Anchor Bay's subtitles may be three different English sentences. Name the release and the track when you save one. The Ghost in the Shell watch order covers where the 1995 film sits among the sequels and series.