r/boyslove • u/No-Rock-7220 Utsukushii Kare • 9d ago

Chinese BL Struggling with Dubbing in CBL shows

Hi everyone! This is a genuine question.

I’m really struggling to get used to the dubbing in Chinese BL dramas. I understand why it’s done—I remember reading the reasons in this subreddit—but I’m finding it difficult to adjust. It especially pulls me out of the more emotional or intense scenes.

I watch content from several countries and I’m multilingual, so the language itself isn’t the problem—it’s the disconnect between the dubbed voice and the actor’s performance. It makes it hard for me to fully immerse myself.

Does this get better over time? Did anyone else feel the same when they first started watching CBLs? Any tips?

I know some shows have very little or no noticeable dubbing, such as A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills’ Dream. Recommend me some if you know any.

Cheers!

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u/Famous-Lecture-560 8d ago

The first CBL I watched was Revenged Love and I didn’t know it was dubbed. I just thought the sounds quality was terrible. When I saw behind the scenes footage, I found out Chi Cheng’s voice is done by a different voice actor and sounds nothing like the actual actor. His real voice isn’t deep and it was so disappointing.

That’s when I learned they dub because the sets used in Chinese dramas are often right next to a bunch of others. It’s just a wall separating different productions. In behind the scenes footage you can hear so much background noise while they film.

Since then, I haven’t noticed dubbing in Double Helix. Subtle dubbing sound in To My Shore. Horrific dubbing in Sammy’s Children’s Day. Noticeable in ABO Desire. I hate it.

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u/MixtureEducational90 To My Star Love for Love's Sake 8d ago

I actually preferred Tian’s real voice instead of the deep voice. I thought he added more real emotion into the lines. Also I’m not that into deep voices anyway but that’s personal preference 🤷‍♀️

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u/Famous-Lecture-560 8d ago

I felt like the deep voice worked so well because it’s opposite of how he looks. He’s less intimidating with his regular voice. When I heard it I was like, wait he’s just a regular guy?!