Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

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Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Wezenheim » Mon Nov 09, 2015 8:23 pm

Hello everyone, I've got an interesting little survey for you guys.

I'm currently taking an Intermediate Composition course in college and we recently got an assignment to write an essay about the communication, writing, and practices of a certain discourse group. I was going to write about Dragon Ball fans in general, but I realized that would be too broad so I decided to focus specifically on English speaking fans of Dragon Ball who prefer the Japanese version of the series. Since the original version differs greatly from Funimation's first English dub, there are a lot of names and such that only those aware of the Japanese version would know; such as how to pronounce the word Saiyan and that T/ien is actually Tenshinhan.

With that being said, I'm going to ask a few questions and it'd be awesome if you answered them. I've found plenty of material to talk about across the Kanzenshuu boards and on various other sites, but I think it would be helpful and interesting for my paper to have users (and staff, if they'd like) answer these specific questions. You can answer as many or as few that you want to answer, and every bit counts. You can be as detailed or simple as you'd like. I might quote you in my paper and perhaps even in a YouTube video (IF I decide to put the essay into video form), so if you don't feel comfortable being quoted keep that in mind.

Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?

Q3: How old are you currently and what is your gender?

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?

Q6: Are there any terms (beyond stuff like character names) that only this particular community would know/understand? An example of this would be the term "Viz-ism".

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?

Again, you can answer as many or as few of these as you'd like. If have any other information that you think would be useful for my essay, feel free to post about it! To provide some more insight just for those that are curious, this is a section from the paper's prompt: "Analyze the genres and major communication (using that term broadly to mean print, oral. and multi-media sources) used by this discourse community – in other words, how do they communicate and compose? To get started, you might ask these types of questions: What kinds of texts get produced and for what purposes? What genres are typically used and how varied are they? Are texts produced individually or collaboratively? What counts as discourse – what does this community value as good writing, speaking, or communicating? What types of specialized vocabulary, jargon, or language is used? How is oral or visual communication used to complement the written or text-based discourse? What do they talk about? Why?"

Since I do consider myself a part of this community, I'd be honored to write a paper about it and I'd be very thankful even if you only wanted to answer one question. This kind of stuff fascinates me, so I'd love to hear all of your stories anyway! Thanks a lot!

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Doctor. » Tue Nov 10, 2015 12:58 am

Wezenheim wrote:Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?
Is it a cop-out to say everything? I love Kikuchi's score and I love the voice actors' passion, dedication and talent. I don't think there could have been any other people in the entire world who could pull off these roles, and understand the show as much as these people I listed off. I enjoy the manga more, and even if the anime existed solely as a marketing tool, the love put into it still shows.
Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?
Well, I was introduced to the franchise fairly recently, about five years ago. I watched the Funimation dub first of all, then half a year, maybe a year after the fact, I started watching the Japanese version after countless suggestions and arguments on Youtube, other social media and forums about it. I fell in love immediately.
Q3: How old are you currently and what is your gender?
I'm male and 18 years old.
Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?
I assume the Dragon Ball community in general, not just Kanzenshuu. I guess what I love most is how diverse it is? It's to be expected, considering Dragon Ball is such a huge franchise and it has spawned a multitude of different products and different versions of the same story. But there's something endearing about such a huge fanbase having so many different fans that love different things. This doesn't exist with other franchises, sure some people have different opinions, but rarely do you come across a series like this.
Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?
This may seem contradictory based on what I just said, but it being so diverse is not only its biggest strength but its biggest downfall. When people have very different opinions, and especially in a fanbase with a lot of children, hostility no doubt will exist between the fans. There are giant splits in the fanbase. As long as all parties can maintain civil, these splits are wonderful, but when it doesn't happen, it's terrible.
Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?
Well, it is the original, is it not? I'm not sure how most people feel about this, but I often tend to enjoy the original version more than any other. Why? Well because, you understand what the original intent of certain scenes was, you can get a better understanding of the series as whole.
Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?
The inaccurate script and the fact that the score was replaced.

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Wezenheim » Tue Nov 10, 2015 2:29 am

Doctor. wrote:
Wezenheim wrote:Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?
Is it a cop-out to say everything? I love Kikuchi's score and I love the voice actors' passion, dedication and talent. I don't think there could have been any other people in the entire world who could pull off these roles, and understand the show as much as these people I listed off. I enjoy the manga more, and even if the anime existed solely as a marketing tool, the love put into it still shows.
Not a cop-out at all, I agree with you completely!
I assume the Dragon Ball community in general, not just Kanzenshuu. I guess what I love most is how diverse it is? It's to be expected, considering Dragon Ball is such a huge franchise and it has spawned a multitude of different products and different versions of the same story. But there's something endearing about such a huge fanbase having so many different fans that love different things. This doesn't exist with other franchises, sure some people have different opinions, but rarely do you come across a series like this.
Very true. When I went to see Resurrection 'F' in theaters not too long ago I just remember there being so many different kinds of people there, of all ages. It was very cool. When I suggested this topic to my professor she remarked that Dragon Ball fans were among the most diverse she's ever seen. There's just something so very awesome about that.
This may seem contradictory based on what I just said, but it being so diverse is not only its biggest strength but its biggest downfall. When people have very different opinions, and especially in a fanbase with a lot of children, hostility no doubt will exist between the fans. There are giant splits in the fanbase. As long as all parties can maintain civil, these splits are wonderful, but when it doesn't happen, it's terrible.
Yeah, hostility is still alive and well in the fan base, which is a sad thing. When you have so many different types of people though, there are bound to be differing opinions which can lead to sometimes heated debates.

Thanks for your answers, man. I appreciate it.

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by DoomieDoomie911 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 2:53 am

Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?

Because it's how Dragon Ball was meant to be seen, and I just think it's superior over any other version as far as, well, pretty much everything goes.

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?

I was always aware of the Japanese version, but I didn't actually start watching it until a little over four years ago. It only took me about two clips to get me hooked.

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?

Just as Doctor. said, I love just how diverse it is and how it's brought so many people together over the years. (Also, I assume you're talking about the Dragon Ball community as a whole here.)

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?

Far, far too much in-fighting over silly things (ie. sub vs. dub debates or power level discussions, oh my GOODNESS, power level discussions :roll:).

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?

Because there are so many inaccuracies, and because I just prefer to watch/read/play things the way they were meant to be watched/read/played. I don't like it when localizations change things (almost anything, really) that was in the original version. That goes for pretty much everything; I can't really watch a dub of anything. Heck, I even have a hard time playing dubbed video games...

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?

For me it's the inaccuracies and the voices and the music. The Japanese voices for pretty much all of Dragon Ball's characters fit them so much better than the dub's (FUNimation dub). Going back to the music, the Kikuchi score just represents the series SO WELL! It's just so good; I could listen to it all day long. They couldn't have produced better music for the series. The Faulconer score ruins this for the dub. It replaces the whimsical music with rock and metal-like tracks; it's really, really awful to me.



Thanks for the questions! I'm very opinionated, so I always love a good excuse to tell someone what I think! :P
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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Wezenheim » Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:19 am

DoomieDoomie911 wrote:Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?

Because it's how Dragon Ball was meant to be seen, and I just think it's superior over any other version as far as, well, pretty much everything goes.

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?

I was always aware of the Japanese version, but I didn't actually start watching it until a little over four years ago. It only took me about two clips to get me hooked.

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?

Just as Doctor. said, I love just how diverse it is and how it's brought so many people together over the years. (Also, I assume you're talking about the Dragon Ball community as a whole here.)

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?

Far, far too much in-fighting over silly things (ie. sub vs. dub debates or power level discussions, oh my GOODNESS, power level discussions :roll:).

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?

Because there are so many inaccuracies, and because I just prefer to watch/read/play things the way they were meant to be watched/read/played. I don't like it when localizations change things (almost anything, really) that was in the original version. That goes for pretty much everything; I can't really watch a dub of anything. Heck, I even have a hard time playing dubbed video games...

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?

For me it's the inaccuracies and the voices and the music. The Japanese voices for pretty much all of Dragon Ball's characters fit them so much better than the dub's (FUNimation dub). Going back to the music, the Kikuchi score just represents the series SO WELL! It's just so good; I could listen to it all day long. They couldn't have produced better music for the series. The Faulconer score ruins this for the dub. It replaces the whimsical music with rock and metal-like tracks; it's really, really awful to me.



Thanks for the questions! I'm very opinionated, so I always love a good excuse to tell someone what I think! :P
Thanks for the feedback, man! I agree with just about everything you said. I actually like some of Faulconer's stuff but it doesn't fit Dragon Ball that well. Kikuchi's score is definitely my favorite.

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by dae428 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 6:55 pm

Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?

Honestly. it's a bit hard to say... I generally read the manga over watching the anime. I guess I really like how it feels like Dragon Ball. Goku sounds like Goku. The manga is adapted faithfully enough. The music is great and timeless.

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?

The first time I had ever watched the original version of Dragon Ball in general was back when I was a kid, around 11 to 12 and had learned that there was a Japanese option for one of my DVDs of the Boo arc. Out of sheer curiosity I switched the language option to Japanese and my mind was pretty much blown after that and from then on I had decided to always watch things in their original format. It's kind of funny too because I had seen the Korean version of Dragon Ball Z before the English version and had always just assumed that the Korean dub was just always superior to the English and the Japanese (which I had always assumed was the same as the English).

Q3: How old are you currently and what is your gender?

22 and male.

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?

The willingness for discussion and the fact that this happens to be the place where all the people who actually prefer the original version of Dragon Ball seems to gather.

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?

As in all forums, there's always going to be a few pigheaded people who only see things in their perspective and fail to even attempt to see where other people are coming from. I guess I also dislike how whiny some people are and how they tend to blow up really pointless things that generally don't even matter.

Q6: Are there any terms (beyond stuff like character names) that only this particular community would know/understand? An example of this would be the term "Viz-ism".

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?

It's the original and follows the manga better. Despite this I don't think Funimation is doing all that bad these days though. I think they're doing a fine job based on what I've seen in Battle of Gods and Resurrection F. I will say though that I despise kid Gohan's voice in Kai. It's far too whiny and it also doesn't sound natural to me.

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?

It depends whether or not you're talking about these days or back then during the earlier days. Back then there was mass censorship, terrible voice acting, and unfaithful scripts that deviated from the source to the point where characters were almost different characters. I think they're alright now. I mean they (Funimation) still do tend to try to 'punch up' the script, but honestly it's nothing compared to the disgusting changes done by Viz for the manga for the Boo arc of Dragon Ball(Z).

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by DoomieDoomie911 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:15 pm

dae428 wrote:I mean they (Funimation) still do tend to try to 'punch up' the script, but honestly it's nothing compared to the disgusting changes done by Viz for the manga for the Boo arc of Dragon Ball(Z).
What kind of changes did Viz make to the Boo arc? :eh:
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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by dae428 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:18 pm

DoomieDoomie911 wrote:
dae428 wrote:I mean they (Funimation) still do tend to try to 'punch up' the script, but honestly it's nothing compared to the disgusting changes done by Viz for the manga for the Boo arc of Dragon Ball(Z).
What kind of changes did Viz make for the Boo arc? :eh:
They censored some art such as guns and middle fingers and they did a lot of dumb name changes. Mr. Satan is Hercule, Satan City is Herculeopolis, Puipui is Pocus, Vegetto is Vegerot... Stuff like that. I was kind of exaggerating to be honest but that kind of stuff really gets on my nerves especially because I can't just buy an uncut version of the manga or anything like that like I can with the anime.
Last edited by dae428 on Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by DoomieDoomie911 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:20 pm

dae428 wrote:
DoomieDoomie911 wrote:
dae428 wrote:I mean they (Funimation) still do tend to try to 'punch up' the script, but honestly it's nothing compared to the disgusting changes done by Viz for the manga for the Boo arc of Dragon Ball(Z).
What kind of changes did Viz make for the Boo arc? :eh:
They censored some art such as guns and middle fingers and they did a lot of dumb name changes. Mr. Satan is (the H-word), Satan City is Herculeopolis, Puipui is Pocus, Vegetto is Vegerot. Stuff like that. I was kind of exaggerating to be honest but that kind of stuff really gets on my nerves.
Yeah, I had forgotten about Hercule and the guns. I actually don't remember "Herculeopolis", though. Maybe they removed that in later printings? :think:
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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by dae428 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:25 pm

That's possible. I have the Vizbigs so it might just be the case that i just have an older copy or that the Vizbigs never changed from their original printing.

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Wezenheim » Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:26 pm

dae428 wrote:Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?

Honestly. it's a bit hard to say... I generally read the manga over watching the anime. I guess I really like how it feels like Dragon Ball. Goku sounds like Goku. The manga is adapted faithfully enough. The music is great and timeless.

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?

The first time I had ever watched the original version of Dragon Ball in general was back when I was a kid, around 11 to 12 and had learned that there was a Japanese option for one of my DVDs of the Boo arc. Out of sheer curiosity I switched the language option to Japanese and my mind was pretty much blown after that and from then on I had decided to always watch things in their original format. It's kind of funny too because I had seen the Korean version of Dragon Ball Z before the English version and had always just assumed that the Korean dub was just always superior to the English and the Japanese (which I had always assumed was the same as the English).

Q3: How old are you currently and what is your gender?

22 and male.

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?

The willingness for discussion and the fact that this happens to be the place where all the people who actually prefer the original version of Dragon Ball seems to gather.

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?

As in all forums, there's always going to be a few pigheaded people who only see things in their perspective and fail to even attempt to see where other people are coming from. I guess I also dislike how whiny some people are and how they tend to blow up really pointless things that generally don't even matter.

Q6: Are there any terms (beyond stuff like character names) that only this particular community would know/understand? An example of this would be the term "Viz-ism".

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?

It's the original and follows the manga better. Despite this I don't think Funimation is doing all that bad these days though. I think they're doing a fine job based on what I've seen in Battle of Gods and Resurrection F. I will say though that I despise kid Gohan's voice in Kai. It's far too whiny and it also doesn't sound natural to me.

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?

It depends whether or not you're talking about these days or back then during the earlier days. Back then there was mass censorship, terrible voice acting, and unfaithful scripts that deviated from the source to the point where characters were almost different characters. I think they're alright now. I mean they (Funimation) still do tend to try to 'punch up' the script, but honestly it's nothing compared to the disgusting changes done by Viz for the manga for the Boo arc of Dragon Ball(Z).
Yeah, Viz-isms for the Boo arc were pretty bad. They referred to Majin Boo as just "Jin" Boo didn't they? Vegetto became Vegerot. I don't know what happened with all of that.Very interesting that you found the Korean dub. I might check it out sometime!

Thanks for the feedback!

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by JustSaiyan34 » Wed Nov 18, 2015 11:38 pm

Q1: I enjoy basically everything the old dub fanboys hate. I love both Kikuchi and Yamamoto's work, and every single one of the Japanese voices is perfect IMO.

Q2: I first got into Dragon Ball by watching Nicktoons Kai back in 2010-2011. I fell in love with it almost immediately and I have countless fond memories from watching the series. As it turned out, one of my friends was a DBZ fan, and I soon found myself watching Funi's old dub (and for a couple of years I was a dub fanboy). I recently started watching Kai again the past year or two, and now regard it much higher than old Z (English dub at least). I didn't really start watching the series in Japanese until Resurrection F was coming out and Super started airing. I absolutely adore the Japanese cast now.

Q3: I'm male and 15, almost 16.

Q4: I love how diverse the community is, I suppose. It's always fun having civil debates and discussions with people over the franchise, because almost no two people have the exact same opinion on something.

Q5: The toxicity. It's something that the DB community has in spades, unfortunately. People angrily mash their keyboards to make sometimes barely comprehensible sentences that are riddled with insults all the time in far too many debates, even ones that hardly matter. (Just take a look in the comment section of either of ScrewAttack's Goku Vs. Superman videos)

Q6: Mostly character and attack names. Although I doubt many know the proper spelling of 'Vegetto'.

Q7: I can't say I completely prefer one over the other, to be honest. The English cast continues to improve, and the script is a lot more accurate (though I understand that the Japanese will always be the most accurate version). There are a few exceptions, but the biggest is Kaio. Schemmel's voice for him is impossible to take serious.

Q8: I'm assuming you mean Funi's old dub. In which case, I doubt I could add anything that hasn't been said before. Script changes, unfitting music, bland and sometimes terrible acting, and occasionally unfitting voices (Linda Young as Freeza, need I say more?).
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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Wezenheim » Wed Dec 02, 2015 1:12 pm

Thanks for all the feedback guys! Getting close to the end of my paper.

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by dae428 » Fri Dec 04, 2015 9:56 am

Wezenheim wrote:
Yeah, Viz-isms for the Boo arc were pretty bad. They referred to Majin Boo as just "Jin" Boo didn't they? Vegetto became Vegerot. I don't know what happened with all of that.Very interesting that you found the Korean dub. I might check it out sometime!

Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah they called him evil djinn Boo I think.

Well I didn't necessarily find the Korean dub, it was more that I was introduced to the Korean dub first before the English and Japanese dub because I would visit Korea in the summer with my family and my cousin would always borrow Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT from the video rental store. (At least to my knowledge anyways) In Korea the openings were basically just Korean dubs of the original Japanese openings unlike the American ones. I actually remember being quite fond of the GT opening in particular...

I honestly, haven't seen the Korean dub at all since those days other than random snippets here and there on Youtube and when my father actually went out to borrow a Korean Dragon Ball Z tape from the Cell arc at the local Korean video store when I was maybe in the fifth grade or so. Maybe if I ever go to Korea again I'll hunt down some old tapes...

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Cipher » Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:21 pm

Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?

- It's the original version. The acting, voices, and dialogue are still more reflective of the series' tongue-in-cheek, though sometimes dramatic, tone than any dub I've heard. That, and I don't really prioritize dubs in any other foreign media, so why would I here?

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?

- Probably in middle school when I first began getting portions of the series on DVD via FUNimation's releases (some of the Dragon Ball "saga" sets, a few Z singles, and many of the GT ones). This would have been around 2002 or 2003, I guess.

Before that, I'd purchased one bootleged disc of the first three episodes of GT, which I immediately loved for its aesthetics and the fact it was, at that time, inaccessible material. I don't remember thinking one way or the other about the fact it was in Japanese, or anything about the characters' voices.

I think it became my go-to version after getting back into the series around 2007, when I got the first Z season set. I found the replacement dub score--at that time I still had a lot of fondness for the Faulconer Productions track, and really, I still do on its own, even though I don't think it fits the series as I now understand its tone (and I enjoy the series much, much more for that tone as an adult)--unwatchable, so I was viewing each episode with the Kikuchi score regardless and at some point just went with the Japanese voice track, which seemed more fitting, and never looked back.

Q3: How old are you currently and what is your gender?

- Twenty-five. Male.

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?

- There's a wealth of meta-knowledge about the series and an overall ability to take it seriously while still keeping perspective on the fact it's a Japanese kids' series. The staff are all wonderful, and take their jobs as niche media reporters (and sometimes translators) seriously. There are grammar rules on the forum. It's all miles above anything we deserve.

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?

- This continued fascination with why people like or dislike the Japanese version of a Japanese anime. The tendency for certain things to become memetic and irritating (see, recently, Super episode 5). I think there's been a string of bad posters brought in the recent influx of new material that has led the general quality of discussion to go downhill. These are all smaller points within what is still an amazing board, though, so I don't want to harp on those too much.

Q6: Are there any terms (beyond stuff like character names) that only this particular community would know/understand? An example of this would be the term "Viz-ism".

- This is definitely about names, but you'll never see Mr. Satan referred to as "Mark" anywhere else. In fact, that's such a cutesy bit of tongue-in-cheek interview knowledge it kind of irks me.

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?

- See questions one and five. This wouldn't even be a question this community regularly sees had most of us not been introduced to FUNimation's dub first. It just doesn't seem worth spending time on.

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?

- At this point it hardly matters. It exists, it was woefully inaccurate at one point, it's gotten better. It's not the only English dub.

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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by Ajay » Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:22 pm

Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?
I'm not really sure how best to answer this. The Japanese is the original, so what I enjoy about it is essentially what I enjoy about the show; the characters, the music, the story; the whole lot. In terms of things specific to the Japanese version of the show? Entirely down to the cast and how they perform. They're all magnificent.

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?
I watched the dub when I was younger, then vanished from the franchise for many years. When I revisited it, I was at an age where I just wasn't that interested in consuming a dub. If I watch a foreign show, then I'm going to watch it as it was intended to be seen. That's pretty much what led me to the Japanese side of things. As for fond memories, I guess my latest rewatch would be the made one. I spent a great deal of the Summer of 2013 watching through the series, and then started all over again this summer. It never ends. There's always something new I notice through every rewatch.

Q3: How old are you currently and what is your gender?
22. Male.

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?
For the most part, I get to interact with fans who are also interested in the original language version of the show. I don't feel like I have to choose my words carefully at the risk of alienating the person I'm talking to. Many members here are extremely knowledgeable and have a lot to offer up in their own little niches. The administration certainly help keep things pleasant, so most of the nonsense that people get away with on other forums is just not tolerated here in the slightest.

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?
It happened with Battle of Gods, it happened to an extreme with Fukkatsu no F, and it's happening now with Super. Fans with a narrow perspective on the franchise join the forum and become verbally hostile over subjects they're not really equipped to be talking about. There's often very little interest in learning or listening; they're much more interested in screaming into the vacuum. It can be very frustrating for users who have been here a little longer and have gone through all of the phases a fan can go through, and are now sat in the comfort of apathy. Learning when to be upset and when to sigh and move on is something that takes a while to learn, I guess.

Q6: Are there any terms (beyond stuff like character names) that only this particular community would know/understand? An example of this would be the term "Viz-ism".
Haha, that's a tough one. I guess "Robo-Julian" would be a term that only podcast listeners would really get. Outside of that, it's all pretty broad stuff that could apply to any franchise ever.

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?
Never seen the (in-house) FUNi dub in its entirety. Grew up on the Ocean/Westwood cast, so I don't really have much to say regarding FUNi. Considering they pretty much had identical scripts later down the line, I think the simplest answer is that the Japanese version of the show is the show. The characterisation is accurate to what I read in the manga, so I'm not distracted by strange discrepancies.

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?
Again, there's more than one English dub, so I don't really know how to answer this. In Kai, my biggest gripe would be all of the holdovers from the old dub. For the "old dub" (encompassing them all here), it would be the awful scripts, terrible characterisation, terrible music, and pretty much everything that stopped the show from feeling like the show.
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jrdemr
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Re: Community Survey Regarding Japanese Dragon Ball

Post by jrdemr » Sat Dec 05, 2015 6:27 am

Q1: What do you enjoy about the Japanese version?
In short, it's the original. While there are magnificently produced dubs, if you want to get the purest form of the media you're consuming, you have to watch the original. There's always something the dubs will miss or change. Not to mention, the original will always put a lot more production values into its casting, especially for TV shows. Dubs tend to utilize the same actor/actress for a lot of different roles (here in Portugal, we only had 7 different actors for the entire series), but in the original, save for a few exceptions, every character gets a different actor.

Q2: How and at what point of your life did you find the original version? Do you have any fond memories of watching it?
Here in Europe, save for Budokai 2 for the PS2 and the original Budokai 3, every game always had the original Japanese voices. Since I got my first of many Dragon Ball games back in 1997, I had quite a lot of time to get accustomed to the original version. Funnily enough, I only watched the show in its original version in its entirety four years ago, and only finished three years ago - and I have yet to watch it beginning to end non-stop (I made a lot of breaks the first time around). As for fond memories... well, I do remember that, despite knowing the story like the back of my hand, I was still getting pretty excited when I watched it entirely in Japanese for the first time. To think a story could be so well made that it would still make me feel the same despite my extreme familiarity.

Q3: How old are you currently and what is your gender?
27, Male.

Q4: What do you enjoy about this community?
The Kanzenshuu community in particular? Well, they're certainly a lot more knowledgeable, thorough and polite than most other fans (*cough* YouTube comments *cough*). I know that if I want to discuss something in a enlightening, interesting and polite manner, I can just come here. The moderators also ensure that everyone is nice, polite and actually knows how to write at least acceptably.

Q5: Are there any aspects of this community that you don't like?
Sometimes the forum will get a bit flooded with topics I find meaningless and uninteresting, but the solution is simple, I just skip those and focus on the ones that do interest me. If that's my biggest problem, I can totally live with it. There are a few, minor other problems, but those are things every forum has.

Q6: Are there any terms (beyond stuff like character names) that only this particular community would know/understand? An example of this would be the term "Viz-ism".
Hmm... well, we also do have "Trish-isms" and "dub-isms", something I think is only used in our fandom (not something I would see the folks at Dragon Ball Wikia familiar with...)

Q7: Why do you enjoy the Japanese version more than the Funimation dub?
I'm Portuguese, so I never watched the FUNimation dub in its entirety (only up until Cell first appeared, I think, on Cartoon Network), but again, if you want the purest form of the media you're consuming, go for the original. I actually don't dislike Faulconer's score all that much, but Kikuchi's not only much better, it also fits the show a lot better.

Q8: What were your biggest gripes with the English dub?
The hideous changes to the script and the fact that a lot of the character's voices are extremely annoying (though some aren't actually too bad).

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