[strawberryshortcake]

Great points everybody, great points. Another thing that's coming to mind is this.

(1) Given that I grew up on Disney and American animation, I had always used both my ears and eyes simultaneously to view programs without giving it much thought. Naturally, I simply hate to "neglect" either sense or even give one sense (vision/sight = eyes) more weight when watching anime. Comprehension of the original language would in fact be the only time that allows me to give both of these senses in question equal attention.

(2) If there weren't any subtitles, hearing the Japanese audio alone and not being able to comprehend or make any sense out of it doesn't give me any pleasure or satisfaction. I find reading subtitles to essentially put ALL the pressure on my eyes to try to fully understand the anime storyline 100% of the time for obvious reason.

(3) Reading subtitles essentially turns the anime into a "moving-book" with the Japanese audio track as "ambient noise" that has no meaning. It's kind of like going to a foreign country where there is a language barrier. I hear what you are saying, but I don't understand what you are saying. By default, a translator would be needed in this case.

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For those who prefer to watch anime in subtitled format, I would like to also know what's going on in your mind when you're actually sitting down to watch an episode, an OVA, or an anime movie. The following questions are meant to help me understand where you guys/gals are coming from. I want to see it through your eyes.

(A) Are you actually fully "listening" and "comprehending" the Japanese audio whilst reading the subtitles?

(B) Are you simply trying to make sense of the anime ONLY through reading the subtitles while leaving the Japanese audio in the background as "ambient" noise?

(C) For those that don't actually understand Japanese, is the Japanese audio considered to be "ambient" noise while your watching the anime.

(D) If you are in fact incorporating the audio part into your viewing pleasure, are you able to simultaneously process the Japanese audio AND the subtitles so that they are essentially "one of the same." In other words, when does reading subtitles with the original audio track that you obviously don't understand become an "equivalent" as if say, Japanese, is your first language.

***Hopefully that kind of makes sense.***