Intro

I’ve noticed quite a few comments about the lip-sync in this series, so I figured I’d start a discussion so we can talk about it all in one place.

⸻

Background

Post-production voice dubbing is very common in Chinese productions, as filming environments are often loud and not ideal for clean audio.

This series is dubbed in Cantonese, which makes sense given that the story is set in Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong. Using Mandarin throughout would feel less authentic for a Hong Kong based gangster setting.

That said, not all cast members speak Cantonese. Because of this, there are moments where the lip-sync doesn’t fully match the spoken dialogue. In many cases, Cantonese dubbing is layered over lines that were originally delivered in Mandarin, which can create noticeable discrepancies.

⸻

Poll / Discussion

For those currently watching, I’m curious does the voice dubbing affect your viewing experience? 

1. Yes
2. No

If so, do you speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Both, or Neither?

IT DOES AFFECTING MY WATCHIN EXPERIENCE BCS I STARTED LAUGHING MY AHH OFF ESP CHUSAN AKAJHAHAHAAH HES SO FUNNY SO DIFFERENT FROM WHT I REMEMBERED LAST TIME I SEE XIXI ON SCREEN

HIS PERSONALITY 

HIS MISMATCHED LIP

HIS OBSESSION W LIUYI'S AHH 🥀

i actually glad even tho zhaozhao can speak cantonese he still use mandarin ig? idk

i feel like he do tht on purpose to bring the natural acting since xixi cant speak cantonese also they both mentioned tht they nailed the audition w/o the script (iirc)

so w zhaozhao speakin mandarin, xixi wont wait zhaozhao's line for his turn + improvising

 Wasabi:

For those currently watching, I’m curious does the voice dubbing affect your viewing experience?

Yes
No
If so, do you speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Both, or Neither?

i dont speak Mandarin and i also dont speak Cantonese, but i dont find myself minding the dub that much. idk maybe because im invested in the story, i guess it takes time to get used to it, but it doesnt stop me from watching

 power bottom enjoyer:

IT DOES AFFECTING MY WATCHIN EXPERIENCE BCS I STARTED LAUGHING MY AHH OFF ESP CHUSAN AKAJHAHAHAAH HES SO FUNNY SO DIFFERENT FROM WHT I REMEMBERED LAST TIME I SEE XIXI ON SCREEN

HIS PERSONALITY 

HIS MISMATCHED LIP

HIS OBSESSION W LIUYI'S AHH 🥀

i actually glad even tho zhaozhao can speak cantonese he still use mandarin ig? idk

i feel like he do tht on purpose to bring the natural acting since xixi cant speak cantonese also they both mentioned tht they nailed the audition w/o the script (iirc)

so w zhaozhao speakin mandarin, xixi wont wait zhaozhao's line for his turn + improvising

Same, I get you the dubbing does make it  harder to take some scenes  seriously. 😂

 LueurArcane:

i dont speak Mandarin and i also dont speak Cantonese, but i dont find myself minding the dub that much. idk maybe because im invested in the story, i guess it takes time to get used to it, but it doesnt stop me from watching

That makes sense tbh, I think it’s easier if you don’t speak the languages 🤔 for me it stands out quite a bit. I watch one pass with audio turned down/off with focus on subtitles, then do a second pass just to listen to the audio in the background.

 Tanky Toon:

I speak both and for me dubbing usually throws me off....I would honestly rather hear it in the original language it is produced, like even if Korean dramas and Japanese dramas, I would rather hear the dialogue in Korean or Japanese than in English Dub....it throws me off since I prefer the auxiliary experience. But it is what it is, what can I say. 

Same, can’t agree with you more. 💙

@any_anka You make a fair point. i am also sensitive to dubbing. I think they might have also chosen to go with Cantonese because there is already an audio drama (sort of like an audio book) of this series already in Mandarin. I view the decision to dub as both a practical one and a desire to let long time followers of the series have a chance to hear the lines in the original intended language that the plot is set in. Though, I’m not going to lie. It really did through me off, its like listening to old Hongkong movies but in reverse. Instead of Mandarin Dub over Cantonese, its Cantonese dub over Mandarin.

I have a question: Is the dubbing in this series done by the actors themselves, a completely different voice actor cast, or a mix? I've been wondering through this whole show but I don't know what any of the actors sound like well enough to tell. I know that China likes to dub with different voices for characters sometimes when it doesn't really seem necessary (looking at you, Exclusive Fairytale). I haven't been able to find anything about the dubbing voices in online posts. I figure someone has said it somewhere but I don't want to have to search the whole internet for it lol.

To be honest, I'm so used to the weird dubbing audio in cdramas that it took me until partway through the second episode to realize the dub was in a different language from what the actors mouths were speaking. Generally, the dubbing is one of the things I don't love about cdramas. I get why they do it, and I know that shows all over the world use some amount of rerecording lines in post production for audio quality reasons, but there are many cdramas where it's just so obvious and I can't stop noticing it. It makes more sense to me for this drama because they actually changed the language, and for authenticity reasons!

I do not speak any form of Chinese, but I am used to hearing Mandarin because there's just more media using it. I think I've only seen one or two other shows using Cantonese, and I'm enjoying getting to experience this language more!

I personally wouldn't really mind if they had just used original audio with Mandarin as it would've been more natural, but I would've been aware the whole time that it really should've been Cantonese, and I've also seen some comments from Cantonese speakers that they appreciate it being used in this show. It would've been really cool if the actors could learn the Cantonese beforehand and use more natual audio, but obviously that would've taken more time and been more difficult for everyone. So overall, I am for the dubbing!