What happened when Dragon Ball was dubbed?

[MasenkoHA]

I know it wasn't perfect as far as dubbing goes it seems more effort was made in capturing the spirit of the Japanese version compared to Z and GT.


Compare this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TuFd5a_XLhc


Or this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=--VneOADbwk



To this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s6xycWwAxJA


Just seems odd that they didnt try to force it in line with their version of Z

[Footlong Shoe]

I think they realized that trying to change the tone of (what started as) a gag anime was a lost cause and figured it was best to go a more faithful route, although they did change some gags to have more realistic payoffs. It also helped that they used the original BGM.

[DrBriefsCat]

I think they wanted to do something different than the Kidmark/BLT dub and could afford to use the original BGM at the time. This was also around the time they started dubbing Yu Yu Hakusho and were experimenting with making dubs more like other anime distributors.

[sintzu]

The DB sets were released when Funimation stopped trying to change the shows they had and instead they just presented them the way they were.

The other sets though were released when Funimation was still trying to make the franchise seem more "mature", "dark" & "Edgier" than it really was.

[Danfun64]

AFAIK the script for episodes 1-13 were pretty much the same across all three extact dubs (BLT, Funi, and Blue Water), with some variations.

[MasenkoHA]

The DB sets were released when Funimation stopped trying to change the shows they had and instead they just presented them the way they were.

The other sets though were released when Funimation was still trying to make the franchise seem more "mature", "dark" & "Edgier" than it really was.

If I'm not mistaken Funi's in house dub of Dragon Ball preceded GT and their uncut redub of the first 67 episodes (which mostly just recycled the 96 dub scripts)

[sintzu]

If I'm not mistaken Funi's in house dub of Dragon Ball preceded GT and their uncut redub of the first 67 episodes .

It did but unlike those 2 they didn't try to change it too much and when it was released they didn't change the music like they did with Z and GT.

[DrBriefsCat]

The music in the original series was cheaper to license than the Kikuchi score of the later DB series at the time. They also left it alone in their in-house dub of the second DB movie, Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle, which was a test dub done before season 3 of Z.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

I do think DB dub is certainly way watchable and why I am not too terribly upset that there isn't a Kai style redub. But the DB dub was a sign of things to come!

[huzaifa_ahmed]

Long story short, if you're talking about script & preservation of the story, I'd say they'd amassed a huge audience who didnt necessarily want anime (thru their Z adaptation), but they also wanted to appease fans who'd discovered fansubs. Internet availability was rapidly improving, & there was more widespread understanding of this in 2001 than there was in 1996 - although clearly not enough to mandate true accuracy. Kyle Hebert does mention that even with DB, they were still trying to present something else. Circa 2010, near-everyone had WiFi, so they really *couldnt* do a bastardized dub without people making a massive uproar over it, as people did with 4Kids' One Piece. Their scripts are still far more liberal than Japanese-owned distributors, like Viz, Aniplex, & (RIP) Pioneer/Geneon & Bandai.

The "in-house" dub was 2001, in the sense that FUNi (which was just a merchandiser, not a house suitable for good acting production) had recording equipment in their basement & did do dub productions there. The 96 dub, I think it was Saban(?) that paid for it, although FUNi owned the distribution license - but it was not "in-house", it was done at a professional AAA studio in Vancouver, named Ocean Group. Outside of & including Dragon Ball, FUNi has never, ever opted to use them - they only did so because Saban was a big company & it was a drop in the bucket for them.

Although with that said, I think your discussion is less about the acting & more about the tonal preservation of the show, & in that regard, the later one is less offensive, the music retainment surely helps with that.

I do think DB dub is certainly way watchable and why I am not too terribly upset that there isn't a Kai style redub. But the DB dub was a sign of things to come!

I think the acting is tolerable, if not decent, but ultimately I really would've appreciated if they'd done a more...classy job under better conditions & circumstances. At this point, FUNi did have the money to conduct very high-quality productions, but as a licensor, the job is less about acting (which is mainly done in-house or in-tandem with in-house, if they care that much) & more about buying shows. FUNi used that money to buy shows & profit, rather than to really up their ante when it came to dub production. After all, the quality of the dubs didnt have a big effect on profits, so they didnt really have the incentive to improve em as much. I think FMA was a genuine attempt at getting better though. Aside from that the show "feels" English, they did bring in new names & one or two names from out-of-state. I do wish they'd've used that 200 million+ that they earned from DB franchise, to actually improve their adaptations. Not as much money'd've gone to Japan tho, although with that said, that's never really been the complaint in DB fandom, so I think it'd've been for the better if they improved their dubs.

Script-wise I would say that it's a C-. Where for most Viz dubs at the time I'd say A-B+, & the season 3 an F, Boo arc being a D+ to C+ on occasion. They actually did have good translations, but they did gravitate to suit their huge audience that their Z adaptation'd gathered.

[8000 Saiyan]

Long story short, if you're talking about script & preservation of the story, I'd say they'd amassed a huge audience who didnt necessarily want anime (thru their Z adaptation), but they also wanted to appease fans who'd discovered fansubs. Internet availability was rapidly improving, & there was more widespread understanding of this in 2001 than there was in 1996 - although clearly not enough to mandate true accuracy. Kyle Hebert does mention that even with DB, they were still trying to present something else. Circa 2010, near-everyone had WiFi, so they really *couldnt* do a bastardized dub without people making a massive uproar over it, as people did with 4Kids' One Piece. Their scripts are still far more liberal than Japanese-owned distributors, like Viz, Aniplex, & (RIP) Pioneer/Geneon & Bandai.

The "in-house" dub was 2001, in the sense that FUNi (which was just a merchandiser, not a house suitable for good acting production) had recording equipment in their basement & did do dub productions there. The 96 dub, I think it was Saban(?) that paid for it, although FUNi owned the distribution license - but it was not "in-house", it was done at a professional AAA studio in Vancouver, named Ocean Group. Outside of & including Dragon Ball, FUNi has never, ever opted to use them - they only did so because Saban was a big company & it was a drop in the bucket for them.

Although with that said, I think your discussion is less about the acting & more about the tonal preservation of the show, & in that regard, the later one is less offensive, the music retainment surely helps with that.

I do think DB dub is certainly way watchable and why I am not too terribly upset that there isn't a Kai style redub. But the DB dub was a sign of things to come!

I think the acting is tolerable, if not decent, but ultimately I really would've appreciated if they'd done a more...classy job under better conditions & circumstances. At this point, FUNi did have the money to conduct very high-quality productions, but as a licensor, the job is less about acting (which is mainly done in-house or in-tandem with in-house, if they care that much) & more about buying shows. FUNi used that money to buy shows & profit, rather than to really up their ante when it came to dub production. After all, the quality of the dubs didnt have a big effect on profits, so they didnt really have the incentive to improve em as much. I think FMA was a genuine attempt at getting better though. Aside from that the show "feels" English, they did bring in new names & one or two names from out-of-state. I do wish they'd've used that 200 million+ that they earned from DB franchise, to actually improve their adaptations. Not as much money'd've gone to Japan tho, although with that said, that's never really been the complaint in DB fandom, so I think it'd've been for the better if they improved their dubs.

Script-wise I would say that it's a C-. Where for most Viz dubs at the time I'd say A-B+, & the season 3 an F, Boo arc being a D+ to C+ on occasion. They actually did have good translations, but they did gravitate to suit their huge audience that their Z adaptation'd gathered.

They have improved their dubs, but not the way you want them to. I think BioZero216 (even though I hate the guy) said once on Twitter that budget doesn't make a good dub, passion does.

[huzaifa_ahmed]

They have improved their dubs, but not the way you want them to. I think BioZero216 (even though I hate the guy) said once on Twitter that budget doesn't make a good dub, passion does.

Good leadership & understanding of the process (scheduling/organizing talent) make a good dub. But the people involved have got to eat. Profit drives industry. & overall, this is in part about treating anime fairly & respectfully as other works of art are treated. I suppose, in a sense, expending the least possible amount on localization, means that no huge portion goes outside of the Japanese economy. But also, at that point I'm not interested. While I always appreciate VAs, at the same I want the most respectful way to watch it too. As for Bio, the guy is a decent person, he has frustration & anxiety due to some issues, like me. I would rather support people with mental health issues than bash them or make fun of them.

[8000 Saiyan]

They have improved their dubs, but not the way you want them to. I think BioZero216 (even though I hate the guy) said once on Twitter that budget doesn't make a good dub, passion does.

Good leadership & understanding of the process (scheduling/organizing talent) make a good dub. But the people involved have got to eat. Profit drives industry. & overall, this is in part about treating anime fairly & respectfully as other works of art are treated. I suppose, in a sense, expending the least possible amount on localization, means that no huge portion goes outside of the Japanese economy. But also, at that point I'm not interested. While I always appreciate VAs, at the same I want the most respectful way to watch it too. As for Bio, the guy is a decent person, he has frustration & anxiety due to some issues, like me. I would rather support people with mental health issues than bash them or make fun of them.

I get that the guy has issues, but he should know that not everyone has to like dubs. Same with you, you seem offended that people don't like the Naruto dub, and treat your opinions as facts.