Audience’s Rights Reform #7: Correction of plothole-inducing continuity errors
Audiences should not be expected to ignore or mentally correct errors that could easily be fixed with minor edits. Inconsistencies, plotholes, and continuity errors should be edited out wherever possible. (Unless they’re intentional, like the location of Springfield in The Simpsons.) In most cases, this could be achieved simply via redubbing a few lines (with minimum-wage replacement voice actors if necessary).
Example A: Pokémon EP005
In the English dub of the fifth episode, Brock’s mother was mistakenly stated to be dead due to a mistranslation. And yet, in a Hoenn-arc special roughly 300 episodes later, she was shown to be alive. This contradicts earlier dialogue and creates confusion about Brock’s family situation — confusion that could easily have been avoided. Therefore, it is extremely unjust that they have never gone back and redubbed the error in episode 5. It would take only a few seconds of new audio to correct this needless inconsistency.
Example B: Digimon Adventure
There are many translation-induced continuity errors in the English dub of Digimon Adventure, and they too would be easily corrected with a few seconds of redubbing.
In episode 3, Matt and T.K. are mistakenly stated to be half-brothers who used to live together, rather than full brothers with divorced parents, as is revealed to be the case in multiple later episodes. This error is not only a continuity error, but it makes no sense; if they were half-brothers, they would almost certainly still live together or never would have. More importantly, it changes the emotional dynamic between the characters.
In episode 10, Mimi says she misses her baby brother. In episode 21, Mimi’s parents are revealed, but there is no sign of a brother. Obviously, the dubbers had assumed the children’s families would never be shown. This error undermines the reliability of the dub’s emotional content, especially when it suggests a family dynamic that is never supported or acknowledged again
Example C: Sonic Boom episode 5 “My Fair Sticks”
This episode shows Sticks the badger (one of the main characters) stealing the Awardy Award from Leroy the turtle (a minor character), who won it. Ideally, this episode should be edited so Mayor Fink rescinds the award from Leroy and gives it to Sticks, because she saved the award ceremony from Eggman. Or so that Leroy does the right thing and concedes to Sticks for that reason. Either way, this would take no more than 30 seconds of new content.
This edit is needed because Sticks is shown to own the trophy in later episodes, meaning she must have been declared the winner offscreen. By implying a conclusion that was not depicted, the show caused unnecessary confusion. A minor edit would resolve this inconsistently while preserving narrative coherence.