Ocean Studios' "Dragon Ball Kai" Dub Turns 14; Still Unreleased

[MR.Mark]

Which makes sense because BW had Susan Blu, a extremely competent voice director, so Beast Wars has great performances all around.

Though I'm still not sure Ian would be willing to tear his vocals to the level that Sean is willing to go, no matter the paycheck. I have yet to come across any examples anyway.

He did say in an interview that had he known about Kai, he would have considered reprising the role.

Which is great, but we don't know how far he'd be willing to scream. In fact for all we know the screams in this ocean Kai could be weak. If they are at the level of Drummond's screams I've heard as Copy Vegeta however, I'd be very happy.

I think that's because Goku is the one character he's willing to do it for and the only one that really requires it. No other character in his resume screams that much.

As for Sean, I see no reason he wouldn't be willing to scream just as hard for another character if he felt it called for it.

[8000 Saiyan]

Which makes sense because BW had Susan Blu, a extremely competent voice director, so Beast Wars has great performances all around.

Though I'm still not sure Ian would be willing to tear his vocals to the level that Sean is willing to go, no matter the paycheck. I have yet to come across any examples anyway.

He did say in an interview that had he known about Kai, he would have considered reprising the role.

Which is great, but we don't know how far he'd be willing to scream. In fact for all we know the screams in this ocean Kai could be weak. If they are at the level of Drummond's screams I've heard as Copy Vegeta however, I'd be very happy.

As for Sean, I see no reason he wouldn't be willing to scream just as hard for another character if he felt it called for it.

Well, Richard Ian Cox can scream quite well.

[MR.Mark]

Good to know, I hope he does in this Kai dub.

[8000 Saiyan]

Good to know, I hope he does in this Kai dub.

If you want to know more about this Ocean Kai dub is that Saffron is reprising Gohan and that Frieza and Cell have been replaced with new actors.

[MR.Mark]

I always liked Saffron, maybe this time I'll like her Gohan as much as Clinkerbeards.

[8000 Saiyan]

I always liked Saffron, maybe this time I'll like her Gohan as much as Clinkerbeards.

Given that she's more experienced this time around, she'll do even better.

One of the Dobsons will probably voice Cell.

[MR.Mark]

We'll see, I hope they had one solid director this time around.

[8000 Saiyan]

We'll see, I hope they had one solid director this time around.

If Karl Willems is directing, then it'll be great.

[MR.Mark]

I hope so, they got big shoes to fill with a lot of the visceral screams Funi has brought us lately.

[Scsigs]

Why would Devall need to be replaced? I dont even know him but...

Much like David Kaye, he's a full-time actor in Los Angeles now, so he'll need to be replaced.

If he likes the part, he'll make the time to record the later arc.

[Robo4900]

I find it difficult to watch the Funimation dubs, since I'm used to the Ocean cast. The scripts weren't good until Super, but I'm not a fan of Super, so for me, it's either Ocean or Japanese. These days, mostly Japanese.
That's a big part of why I'm looking forward to Ocean Kai; accurate scripts and Ocean voices. Should be nice.

Anyway, we didn't hear for sure whether or not Dale Wilson is going to be Cell this time around. IIRC, he was unsure when asked.

Oh, also, because MR. Mark probably hasn't seen the full list yet, here's what we know about the Ocean Kai cast so far...
[spoiler]Richard Ian Cox is Goku
Saffron Henderson is Kid Gohan
Brian Drummond is Vegeta
Scott McNeil is Piccolo, Jeice and Dr. Briefs
Michael Dobson is Nappa
Lee Tockar is Freeza
Cole Howard is #17
Brendan Hunter is Tenshinhan

James Beach and Trevor Devall also have roles in this dub, but we don't know which roles they're playing.

If Bulma is a returning voice, it's unlikely to be Maggie Blue O'Hara or Lalania Lindbjerg, so it'd probaby be France Peras.

If Kami is a returning voice, it's unknown if they would have chosen Ward Perry or Dale Wilson for it; Ward Perry was Kami in the movies, and the Saban dub starting from episode #17. Dale Wilson was Kami in the first 16 episodes of the Saban dub, and the entire Westwood run, so I personally would say Dale Wilson would be the one they likely auditioned for it out of the two. So, if they got a returning voice for Kami, I'd put my money on Wilson.[/spoiler]

[Scsigs]

I find it difficult to watch the Funimation dubs, since I'm used to the Ocean cast. The scripts weren't good until Super, but I'm not a fan of Super, so for me, it's either Ocean or Japanese. These days, mostly Japanese.
That's a big part of why I'm looking forward to Ocean Kai; accurate scripts and Ocean voices. Should be nice.

Anyway, we didn't hear for sure whether or not Dale Wilson is going to be Cell this time around. IIRC, he was unsure when asked.

Oh, also, because MR. Mark probably hasn't seen the full list yet, here's what we know about the Ocean Kai cast so far...
[spoiler]Richard Ian Cox is Goku
Saffron Henderson is Kid Gohan
Brian Drummond is Vegeta
Scott McNeil is Piccolo, Jeice and Dr. Briefs
Michael Dobson is Nappa
Lee Tockar is Freeza
Cole Howard is #17
Brendan Hunter is Tenshinhan

James Beach and Trevor Devall also have roles in this dub, but we don't know which roles they're playing.

If Bulma is a returning voice, it's unlikely to be Maggie Blue O'Hara or Lalania Lindbjerg, so it'd probaby be France Peras.[/spoiler]

I take issue with the "bad scripts" part. I've seen the criticism of them maybe having too many words in every sentence, which I don't agree with, & that they sometimes take liberties with the translated scripts, but the dub of Kai is accurate 95% of the time & I don't get the criticism of "bad scripts" at all.

[Robo4900]

I take issue with the "bad scripts" part. I've seen the criticism of them maybe having too many words in every sentence, which I don't agree with, & that they sometimes take liberties with the translated scripts, but the dub of Kai is accurate 95% of the time & I don't get the criticism of "bad scripts" at all.

Every time I bring this up, someone insists Funi Kai is really accurate. It isn't. Most pieces I've sampled are the old Funi scripts, reworded to flow more naturally, and with some of the excessive added lines removed.
The spirit of it is a little more accurate, but the actual dialogue is still terrible in terms of accuracy. This has been discussed at length in this very topic, and I'm kind of tired of being challenged on it.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Again, I love you dude, but If I remember correctly you compared Kai to the DBZ Redub, that's obviously a bit more accurate than true Old Skool DBZ. I think it is more accuracte than even that. But then again, I dont like Funimation much either.

[MR.Mark]

I already knew about most of the cast, Richard Ian Cox was Inuyasha right? I can see him being a really good Goku with proper direction.

As for accuracy, we'll see I guess. I'm not jumping for joy because of pronunciations like NAH-MEK though.

Overall though, I can live with libritys if most of the spirit is intact. If this ocean Kai ends up more accurate than funi Kai, but is weaker in the casting/acting department, then Funi wins.

Balance is more important than going full on extreme in either direction. Going too literal can sound awkward and stilt the acting. I have nostalgia for the Gundam Wing dub, but yeah, need balance.

Most pieces I've sampled are the old Funi scripts, reworded to flow more naturally, and with some of the excessive added lines removed.

Flat out incorrect. If your lucky maybe you could find a handful of lines that come close. However when you get to scenes like Vegeta's death or Goku's ssj speech It's very clearly re-written from the ground up. Freeza was completely redone etc, way to may examples against your claim.

[Scsigs]

Most pieces I've sampled are the old Funi scripts, reworded to flow more naturally, and with some of the excessive added lines removed.

Flat out incorrect. If your lucky maybe you could find a handful of lines that come close. However when you get to scenes like Vegeta's death or Goku's ssj speech It's very clearly re-written from the ground up. Freeza was completely redone etc, way to may examples against your claim.

Exactly! There are SOME things that may sound familiar to anyone familiar with the Z dubs, but I watched the entire series multiple times in dub form with the subtitles for the Japanese audio &, whether they sound like lines from the old dub, I can't say, since I have yet to sit down & watch the majority of Z pre-Buu Saga, mostly because the Dragon Boxes are out of print & I absolutely REFUSE to buy the season Blu-Rays because the way FUNi treats Z, the title that got them on the map, is shit & I refuse to support terrible releases of shows I like, but I can say that the dub, minus some moments like terminologies or the occasional on-off line, is fully in the way of the original Japanese in tone, scripting, & direction. Everyone was just on-point during the production of it. That's mostly why I take issue with people saying that the Kai dub's like that, or that it's still bad. It's the kind of dub I like; one that tells the story of the show/movie, but isn't afraid to have fun with it.
In fact, TFC goes out of its way to be more like the Japanese, with Goku's character remaining MORE intact with the Japanese than its ever been, until Super's dub that is. I was actually legitimately taken aback by hearing Sean Schemmel say, in his Goku voice, without a shread of salt in his voice lines like, "Your friend's a girl, isn't she?", the lines where Goku describes Bulma's boobs to Old Kai, & Goku calling Uub a "dingleberry," though I actually kind of liked the Z dub's take on the lines too in some ways when he insults Uub. I was like, "Sean's got it, FUNi's got it! They know how Goku's character is finally, 100%." The Z dub NEVER had me saying that at all. I was majorly impressed.

[MR.Mark]

Yeah, I have issues with moments in the Buu kai dub (that kai arc just can't get a break, such a mess), but for the most part there is a nice balance in the kai dub.

Any similarity to the Z dub script comes from moments where the Z dub was decently translated so in Kai there was little reason other then polishing what was already alright. For the most part though it was redone for Kai, for obvious reasons, the Z dub script was mostly terrible.

[Scsigs]

Yeah, I have issues with moments in the Buu kai dub, but for the most part there is a nice balance in the kai dub.

For me, the only problems I have with TFC is the fact that they kept the Hell scenes & the remastering itself, but that's on the staff in charge of the recut, & where they seemed to not keep some lines in the dub that were in the Japanese. Like the "I'll turn you into a hot dog!" line, which was in Z, but not Kai for some reason. Those are the only legit things I can think that people can say are bad decisions.

[MR.Mark]

That, and the half assed editing, shitty cropping, and TFS like lines here and there.(wrooooong, just saiyin etc) It's watchable, but still drags and is very messy.

[Attitudefan]

That, and the half assed editing, shitty cropping, and TFS like lines here and there.(wrooooong, just saiyin etc) It's watchable, but still drags and is very messy.

Have they really added TFS-homage lines in the actual Buu Kai dub (and Super?)?