My Experience Watching Dragon Ball Z Kai

[Kuririn Fan]

Ginyu frog filler was left in because it's too assimilated into the canon material, and taking it out would make everything weird.

Like how the gregory filler is also too assimilated into the canon material as well

Yeah, but Gregory also isnt a big deal, since he was created by Toriyama.

[Valerius Dover]

And another 4 episodes. Up to 50 now!

-Super Saiyan transformation is still awesome. The music selection gives off a suspenseful, uncertain feeling as opposed to the heroic feel the Z dub gave. It is my understanding that this was also the case with Kikuchi Z. I think it kind of works both ways, though.
-The 5 minute thing is still just as absurd as it was in Z.
-I don't really have much else to say, since most of these episodes consisted of more fighting, pretty much. I guess I'll go ahead and note that most of the shots that have been reanimated are ones that had flashy seizure-inducing effects in the original, though.
-Also, I think I've noticed the problem fans have with the music. Pretty much all the tracks actually used are first heard within the initial 20 episodes or so, and then no new tracks are introduced after that, or at least as far as Episode 50. Do they pretty much stick with the same selection all the way through 98?

[Lord Beerus]

-The 5 minute thing is still just as absurd as it was in Z.

This is what pisses me off so much about Kai (1.0). The Goku/Freeza fight had no right lasting more than ten episodes in Kai. I think at this stage Toei just stopped giving a fuck about the show and trimming the fat.

[Wezenheim]

Yeah, the fight with Freeza was paced a little better than it was in Z, but it still has a lot of extra stuff. Kai made it more bearable, but still.

I have to say, I was really giddy when I heard Goku refer to himself as "Son Goku" in the Super Saiyan speech of the Kai dub. Was that the first time Goku ever called himself Son Goku in an official Funimation dub?

[Naruto6583]

Yeah, the fight with Freeza was paced a little better than it was in Z, but it still has a lot of extra stuff. Kai made it more bearable, but still.

I have to say, I was really giddy when I heard Goku refer to himself as "Son Goku" in the Super Saiyan speech of the Kai dub. Was that the first time Goku ever called himself Son Goku in an official Funimation dub?

He referred to himself as that in Burst Limit back in 08

[TheBlackPaladin]

-Also, I think I've noticed the problem fans have with the music. Pretty much all the tracks actually used are first heard within the initial 20 episodes or so, and then no new tracks are introduced after that, or at least as far as Episode 50. Do they pretty much stick with the same selection all the way through 98?

I'm not completely certain, but I do know that Toei had a very limited selection of Kikuchi tracks to work with. I vaguely recall it having something to do with Toei only being able to use the tracks that were originally in stereo, and not mono? I'm not too sure about that, that's just something I vaguely recall and could be wrong about, but either way, yeah, you will be hearing a lot of the same tunes over and over again, unfortunately. Then again, that was also a problem when Yamamoto was still in charge of the music, although around the Cell arc a few new tracks were introduced (and an entirely new theme was composed for Gohan's SSJ2 transformation, but the CD that would have had that track was cancelled after the Music Scandal became apparent).

Interestingly enough, in the immediate aftermath of the Music Scandal, a few of the last remaining episodes of the Cell arc aired with completely different Kikuchi music selections than what would air in subsequent re-runs (and international dubs).

I have to say, I was really giddy when I heard Goku refer to himself as "Son Goku" in the Super Saiyan speech of the Kai dub. Was that the first time Goku ever called himself Son Goku in an official Funimation dub?

Weeellll....depends on how strictly you want to interpret the phrase "official FUNimation dub." In the anime, yes, that would be the first time it has been officially used. It was also used at Schemmel's suggestion...apparently the script he was given still had Goku calling himself just Goku, and he recorded a few takes that way, but he asked if he could do one take where he said "Son Goku" instead, and that's the take they picked!

However, strictly speaking, it's not the first time it has been used in an official FUNimation dub if we count the video games. In the video game Burst Limit, he called himself that during the equivalent cutscene.

[Wezenheim]

I have to say, I was really giddy when I heard Goku refer to himself as "Son Goku" in the Super Saiyan speech of the Kai dub. Was that the first time Goku ever called himself Son Goku in an official Funimation dub?

Weeellll....depends on how strictly you want to interpret the phrase "official FUNimation dub." In the anime, yes, that would be the first time it has been officially used. It was also used at Schemmel's suggestion...apparently the script he was given still had Goku calling himself just Goku, and he recorded a few takes that way, but he asked if he could do one take where he said "Son Goku" instead, and that's the take they picked!

However, strictly speaking, it's not the first time it has been used in an official FUNimation dub if we count the video games. In the video game Burst Limit, he called himself that during the equivalent cutscene.

Yeah, you're right! I thought I remembered it being used in a video game but I couldn't remember. I wish they'd use his full name more, but I'm glad they at least stuck with it for such an important scene. I believe Sean himself even described it as a "Sheriff coming to town" moment. I'll have to dig up that interview with him and Sabat where they mentioned that scene, it was pretty interesting.

[thaman91]

Then again, that was also a problem when Yamamoto was still in charge of the music, although around the Cell arc a few new tracks were introduced (and an entirely new theme was composed for Gohan's SSJ2 transformation, but the CD that would have had that track was cancelled after the Music Scandal became apparent).

That theme is so good!
I would definitely recommend watching English Kai all the way through with the Yamamoto score via the Yamamoto Revival Project. The Yamamoto score, more so than the Kikuchi score, felt like it belonged in Kai.

[TheBlackPaladin]

The Yamamoto score, more so than the Kikuchi score, felt like it belonged in Kai.

Which is rather ironic considering that it, in fact, belonged in Avatar. Among other things.

[Valerius Dover]

I totally forgot to mention the whole Son Goku thing! Yes, that line was so awesome, and props to Sean for doing that! I do wonder why even the accurate Kai dub doesn't use it on a regular basis, though.

[Wezenheim]

Ah okay, the interview I was talking about came from the Reddit AMA. Our very own Emma Winters seems to be the one who actually inquired about that scene! For anyone curious, the "Son Goku" discussion starts at around 6:10 in the video. Sabat mentions that they don't use it much because they feel as though most people are probably not extremely familiar with his full name. I wish they'd use it more as well, but at least they both agree that for important parts they may allow it. I hope that when Super is dubbed, they allow Freeza to call him "Son Goku". Feels more personal that way.

[Valerius Dover]

And now I've finished the Frieza Arc.

-Sonny Strait takes over singing the opening as of Episode 53. I gotta say, he's pretty good, too.
-I remember this hilarious line from the Z dub when the people of Namek were revived. "We've been wished back, just to die again?". I'll admit I miss this one a little, though I kind of figured it wouldn't be in there.
-Bulma slyly telling Vegeta not to flirt and his "as if" response is a lot funnier than the Z dub's Bulma calling Vegeta cute and his disgusted response.
-Almost all the shots in the final wishing sequence have been reanimated, notably.
-Really like the music placement during the final scenes.

[Ajay]

I hate their reasoning. Most of it doesn't make any sense.

Their main line of argument was that you had to say it with an accent... WHAT?!

I just don't get it. They're sat there saying the word in the most exaggerated manner for no good reason. It's not hard to say "Son" in English.

I'd understand if it were Kuririn, but c'mon.

[Wezenheim]

I hate their reasoning. Most of it doesn't make any sense.

Their main line of argument was that you had to say it with an accent... WHAT?!

I just don't get it. They're sat there saying the word in the most exaggerated manner for no good reason. It's not hard to say "Son" in English.

I'd understand if it were Kuririn, but c'mon.

Yeah, that was pretty odd. They should have just left it at "most fans dont know it". I'm not sure how true that is anymore, and I don't think it would shatter any dub fan's reality, but its better than "it'd be weird". I love the Kai dub, but its still far from perfect and it sucks that it has to suffer from the mistakes of the past. Heck, the people they were trying to cater to don't even like Kai!

[Valerius Dover]

Started the Cell Arc, and seen 6 episodes since the last update! Up through 60, to be exact.

-So, the opening animation has been updated more substantially now, showing off the Androids mostly.
-The first few episodes of the arc forgo recaps entirely, oddly enough.
-I believe I recall that the sequence of Frieza being found and turned into a cyborg was told in flashback in Z, whereas it's told in real time in Kai.
-Jason Douglas replaces Brad Jackson as King Cold. A much more fitting performance if one is supposed to take a conqueror of galaxies more seriously.
-The line "What's a Goku" from the Z dub is still there, though again less cheesy sounding, but still.
-2nd ending theme is pretty nice, but I have to wonder if this kind of song is really fitting for a Shonen series.
-Frieza actually gets a robotic voice filter as a cyborg here, unlike in Z where his voice remained unchanged.
-Eric Vale still plays Trunks....and sounds pretty much the same to me. Which is, to say, he's fine. What exactly are people complaining about?
-Kent Williams is still Dr. Gero, virtually unchanged performance-wise. No surprise, as he's one of the few VAs who has nailed his roles from the start.
-Todd Haberkorn is Android 19 here. It's still a fairly high-pitched voice, but there is a notable difference. He has a robotic filter, a sort of "tinny" voice so to speak. The Z dub had no such thing.

[TheBlackPaladin]

-2nd ending theme is pretty nice, but I have to wonder if this kind of song is really fitting for a Shonen series.

Trust me dude, you weren't the only one to wonder that.

That song is called "Kokoro no Hane," or, "Wings of the Heart." Here's the background on that song. That original Japanese version of the song was sung by a few singers from the Japanese girl-band, "AKB48," who were supposedly big Dragon Ball fans, with this particular group of AKB48 singers calling themselves "Team Dragon" for the purposes of this song.

Here's the thing....we don't know....for a fact.....that this band was brought in for the sole purpose of increasing merchandise sales and ratings for Kai in Japan, both of which were in decline at this point.................but we're pretty sure that this band was brought in for the sole purpose of increasing merchandise sales and ratings for Kai in Japan, both of which were in decline at this point.

Kai just wasn't doing quite as well as Toei hoped, and so the general consensus is that they tried to get more viewers interested in the show by bringing in a popular band. They definitely brought in the wrong band, though. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent song and all (and the English dub of it does a good job of replicating the sound/feel/tone of the original Japanese version)..it just doesn't feel like a good fit for Dragon Ball at all. Or for that matter, a Shonen series.

Still, Toei did their damndest to make something come of it. "Did their damndest" as in they put out eleven versions of the CD release. They also filmed a (staged) bit for a bonus DVD in which the members of Team Dragon observe Masako Nozawa and Ryo Horikawa "recording" for Kai, and then ask to try it themselves. It's charming, I guess, but overall, this whole song came off as a pretty desperate cash-grab for Toei.

Kanzenshuu did a more detailed report on it (along with pictures of the Kai recording session) here.

[thaman91]

-Eric Vale still plays Trunks....and sounds pretty much the same to me. Which is, to say, he's fine. What exactly are people complaining about?

I think he sounds a lot raspier than he did during his original Z dub. It becomes more noticeable towards the end of the arc rather than at the beginning. The consensus seems to be that while his performance does improve, the voice itself is worse due to the rasp.

-Todd Haberkorn is Android 19 here. It's still a fairly high-pitched voice, but there is a notable difference. He has a robotic filter, a sort of "tinny" voice so to speak. The Z dub had no such thing.

The Z dub did have a robotic voice filter for 19. Super Buu and 3rd form Freeza also had voice filters. But the Orange Brick and Blu-ray releases seem to not include them for whatever reason (perhaps a mistake).

[Valerius Dover]

Saw another 5 episodes! Now I'm really moving along. This puts me halfway through Season 3.

-It's very noticeable that the scene of Vegeta pulling 19's arms off is a lot shorter in Kai.
-So, Android 17 is still Chuck Huber. He's still good, so not much new here. He's also one of the VAs who's been great since the beginning.
-Colleen Clinkenbeard replaces Meredith McCoy as Android 18. She has a much more youthful sounding voice. Personally, I like both, but it is noticeable how vastly different they sound. I can't even really decide which one I like more.
-Considering McCoy returned in Z Movies 14 and 15, there is some uncertainty as to who they're going with for The Final Chapters and Super.
-Jeremy Inman is still Android 16, but gives a much less flat performance. A complete 180 from the Z dub.
-An interesting conversation where 17 and 18 learn that 16 was not originally human like them occurs. This was not in the Z dub at all, since they were still trying to pretend they were full-on machines until they realized their mistake later.
-Dude, Mah Truck. So, this guy survives in this version.
-The whole fight between Vegeta and 18 seems WAY shorter here. It lasted a pretty decent episode in Z, but is over within a few minutes in Kai, with no fighting on top of cars or anything.

[Kuririn Fan]

I'm glad that Kai exists because now dub fans can experience show that is MUCH closer to the original. Not entirely, but close enough, there are still mistakes from the past.
It just sucks that they didnt start from the beginning with arc 1, instead of arc 7, original Dragon Ball needs some fucking love too!
And the scenes that are shorter, are short because Kai is closer to the manga and almost all the fights are lengthened with filler, for example car section of Vegeta vs 18.

[ShaneisMC]

I'm glad that Kai exists because now dub fans can experience show that is MUCH closer to the original. Not entirely, but close enough, there are still mistakes from the past.
It just sucks that they didnt start from the beginning with arc 1, instead of arc 7, original Dragon Ball needs some fucking love too!
And the scenes that are shorter, are short because Kai is closer to the manga and almost all the fights are lengthened with filler, for example car section of Vegeta vs 18.

Pretty much everything you said. I absolutely love Kai for the dub, and the fact that it is supposed to be truer to the manga. You're absolutely right, the original Dragon Ball could seriously use the same treatment officially and its not fair we dont get it. And obviously without an official one we are stuck with the original dub voices that we do have for it. However that being said as far as the cut content goes in keeping with the Kai aspect whoever it was that made the fan cut Dragon Ball Kai seriously did a wonderful job in my opinion. Cutting the series down from 153 episodes to 82 and splicing everything together pretty much seamlessly. He deserves a lot of credit. Its definitely my go to for watching the original DB in english so I can watch the entire story in that format. If any of you havent already just ask for it and I can hook you up. I had made a thread about it a while back.