What's so bad about 'Bulla?'

[Gaffer Tape]

By the way, "Bra" is a ridiculously stupid name to begin with and Funimation wasn't about to put that out on TV in 2003. I mean, come on.

Why? Well, that's a two-part why. First, why is it any more ridiculously stupid than Trunks? Or Lunch? Or Oolong? Or Brief? Or Piccolo? Or Drum? Or Tambourine? Or Blue? Nearly every name in Dragon Ball is purposely ridiculous. Why does "Bra" cross a ridiculous level that none of those do?

My second why is why is bra so offensive? Seriously. Why can that word not be in a children's cartoon? Is it because it's underwear? Because I see underwear all the time in children's cartoons. Why is women's underwear more offensive than men's underwear? Is this bad or children? Or is it only bad for boys? And what difference does it make? Do you honestly think any child doesn't know what a bra is? Is there anything inherently sexual about it? I don't think so.

Cipher said it best:

I hate this in particular, because it's such a weird way of othering women's bodies.

It's perfectly fine to refer to "underwear" in a children's show, but for some reason referencing an undergarment designed specifically for women's breasts is off limits. As if there's something inherently unnatural or naughty about that part of the body.

This is a weird case where the censorship strikes me as being radically more offensive than the censored content.

[NitroEX]

I had honestly forgotten they renamed this character. Looking back, Funimation's pronunciation of Bulla (Bull-ah) is pretty awful to hear, I much prefer the Canadian dub's pronunciation of the name which sounds like Biew-la. It's at least somewhat feminine sounding and could actually pass as a girl's name.

My second why is why is bra so offensive? Seriously. Why can that word not be in a children's cartoon? Is it because it's underwear? Because I see underwear all the time in children's cartoons. Why is women's underwear more offensive than men's underwear? Is this bad or children? Or is it only bad for boys? And what difference does it make? Do you honestly think any child doesn't know what a bra is? Is there anything inherently sexual about it? I don't think so.

Cipher said it best:

I hate this in particular, because it's such a weird way of othering women's bodies.

It's perfectly fine to refer to "underwear" in a children's show, but for some reason referencing an undergarment designed specifically for women's breasts is off limits. As if there's something inherently unnatural or naughty about that part of the body.

This is a weird case where the censorship strikes me as being radically more offensive than the censored content.

More offensive to who? Women? Because I can just as easily picture female viewers being more offended if they went with the name "Bra" to be honest. There are plenty of female puritans out there, not to mention the rabid feminist types who'll be in a hurry to cry "objectification" at a female character named after lingerie (which often has sexual connotations in both media and advertising).

[ABED]

I had honestly forgotten they renamed this character. Looking back, Funimation's pronunciation of Bulla (Bull-ah) is pretty awful to hear, I much prefer the Canadian dub's pronunciation of the name which sounds like Biew-la. It's at least somewhat feminine sounding and could actually pass as a girl's name.

My second why is why is bra so offensive? Seriously. Why can that word not be in a children's cartoon? Is it because it's underwear? Because I see underwear all the time in children's cartoons. Why is women's underwear more offensive than men's underwear? Is this bad or children? Or is it only bad for boys? And what difference does it make? Do you honestly think any child doesn't know what a bra is? Is there anything inherently sexual about it? I don't think so.

Cipher said it best:

I hate this in particular, because it's such a weird way of othering women's bodies.

It's perfectly fine to refer to "underwear" in a children's show, but for some reason referencing an undergarment designed specifically for women's breasts is off limits. As if there's something inherently unnatural or naughty about that part of the body.

This is a weird case where the censorship strikes me as being radically more offensive than the censored content.

More offensive to who? Women? Because I can just as easily picture female viewers being more offended if they went with the name "Bra" to be honest. There are plenty of female puritans out there, not to mention the rabid feminist types who'll be in a hurry to cry "objectification" at a female character named after lingerie (which often has sexual connotations in both media and advertising).

Is Biew-la pronounced like Beulah? That is in fact a real name.

I think there are a lot of double standards and inconsistencies in regard to Broadcast Standards and Practices. If a little kid or a grown man wears boxers, that's fine. Have a woman wear a bra and panties, that's inappropriate for children.

[VegettoEX]

I mean, they had to produce and dub Lanfan to some degree.

(Let's please not degenerate into "the feminists are coming for our show!" No. Really not.)

[TheGreatness25]

By the way, "Bra" is a ridiculously stupid name to begin with and Funimation wasn't about to put that out on TV in 2003. I mean, come on.

Why? Well, that's a two-part why. First, why is it any more ridiculously stupid than Trunks? Or Lunch? Or Oolong? Or Brief? Or Piccolo? Or Drum? Or Tambourine? Or Blue? Nearly every name in Dragon Ball is purposely ridiculous. Why does "Bra" cross a ridiculous level that none of those do?

My second why is why is bra so offensive? Seriously. Why can that word not be in a children's cartoon? Is it because it's underwear? Because I see underwear all the time in children's cartoons. Why is women's underwear more offensive than men's underwear? Is this bad or children? Or is it only bad for boys? And what difference does it make? Do you honestly think any child doesn't know what a bra is? Is there anything inherently sexual about it? I don't think so.

Let's be real: there was a taboo about exposing kids to the word "bra" and everyone knows it. You and I (believe me, I don't care about this, but I'm looking at it objectively) can think it's stupid all we want, but there are plenty of people who find it offensive, and they might have a point. We all know what a bra is -- associated with boobs. Boobs (unfortunately) are associated with sex. And down the strange, ridiculous spiral we go. There's more emphasis on making bras sexy than practical, which differs from something like "trunks" or "briefs." I'm sure that a character named "G-String" or "Banana Hammock" would have a difficult time past censors too.

That's just the world that we live in. What can I say? Blame the moms that try to shelter their kids until they're 30. Funimation wasn't going to deal with that nonsense, so they avoided that iceberg before it was even in sight.

By the way, if anyone wants to challenge this, just Google image them. Every time you google in "bra," you'll see sexy models showing off their curves. It's the same reason why they avoided the word "panties" in the dub.

[Sailor Haumea]

I really don't mind "Launch". Toriyama is on record as saying something along the lines of "I can't remember whether it's supposed to be Launch or Lunch anymore." Essentially, in that case, it's a valid translation.I

But "Bulla" makes no sense.

[TheGreatness25]

You're right, Bulla makes no sense, especially in reference to its original intended pun. But you know, it's not all about the pun. The casual fan... doesn't really care. And they'd much rather avoid a mob of angry moms who didn't get laid since 9 months before their kid was born. The dub was obviously for a casual fan and if that casual fan liked it enough, they'd jump on-board the dub train. I'm much more irritated by it not being an accurate translation than keeping the pun. To me, if "Krillin" sounds like they say it in the Japanese version, I don't care that his name isn't spelled "Kuririn." Yeah, Bulla sucks, but not only is she a completely minor character whose name was mentioned like three times in all of GT (and never in Z, to my knowledge), but she as a character never appealed to me. I think Funimation should have called her "Bura" and tried to slip that one past the angry mom mob.

[Zephyr]

While the "but what about the soccer mom outrage?" argument has some intuitive, at-face-value, merit, it kind of falls apart when you start to think more about it.

Here's what happens when I google "bra":
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Alright, sure, some excessively puritanical moms will probably have a hissy fit over their child seeing those images.

Here's what happens when I google "bra db":
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Any excessively puritanical mother who is going to be bothered by the above images, is going to be absolutely horrified by what they get here: look at how she's dressed! Look at the sexual cuddling she's engaging in with that boy! Look at that image that very sexually shows off the contours of her body! I'm going to complain to the business executives immediately!

Hell, let's look at "bulla db":
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Some of the same very offensive images!

My point being that no matter what they called the character, the character herself is designed in a way that is already going to bother the kinds of people who get upset over their children seeing a woman's underwear.

And for some added fun, here's what happens when I google "bulma":
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Whoo boy! An image of her poking her breasts excitedly? All of those images that show cleavage? Her having a passionate kiss with a man? Her topless being groped from behind by Whis?

If Funimation was worried about offending the soccer moms, they really shouldn't have bothered even adapting a series like Dragon Ball. As google shows us, you can say fuck all to the names of the characters, they don't have to pull up non-franchise-related explicit material, they're tied to a series that's already sexually explicit in a lot of ways. And, well, it's the fucking internet, so no matter what female character you google image search, it's not likely to take long before you pull something up that's going to shatter the fragile sensibilities of a soccer mom.

That said, I get why they censored it. They thought it was a good idea. Only, it turns out, it was futile (because sexually explicit images show up regardless), and it doesn't entail nearly the requisite level of censorship that would have been necessary to stave off the rabid soccer moms (because this is a series where Bulma exists, and Bra's character design has her dressed in a very inappropriate manner regardless of what her name is).

[VegettoEX]

And they'd much rather avoid a mob of angry moms who didn't get laid since 9 months before their kid was born.

I. What. I don't. Huh. How. What.

Please please please refrain from trying to make a point by making crazy statements about things you clearly don't know anything about.

[Gaffer Tape]

Let's be real: there was a taboo about exposing kids to the word "bra" and everyone knows it. You and I (believe me, I don't care about this, but I'm looking at it objectively) can think it's stupid all we want, but there are plenty of people who find it offensive, and they might have a point. We all know what a bra is -- associated with boobs. Boobs (unfortunately) are associated with sex. And down the strange, ridiculous spiral we go. There's more emphasis on making bras sexy than practical, which differs from something like "trunks" or "briefs." I'm sure that a character named "G-String" or "Banana Hammock" would have a difficult time past censors too.

That's just the world that we live in. What can I say? Blame the moms that try to shelter their kids until they're 30. Funimation wasn't going to deal with that nonsense, so they avoided that iceberg before it was even in sight.

By the way, if anyone wants to challenge this, just Google image them. Every time you google in "bra," you'll see sexy models showing off their curves. It's the same reason why they avoided the word "panties" in the dub.

I'm not so naive to miss that some people out there would take issue with that. But I was asking you. I mean, you're the one who said the name was straight up ridiculous, and I'm still curious as to why that is.

And, yes, I challenged this yesterday because I've been engaged in debate on the subject in my Twitter. And that's not what I saw at all. I saw pretty conservative advertisements that are no more racy than you'd see in a Sears catalogue or on a JCPenney commercial. And certainly no more revealing than what you'd see on a public beach. And if you search for "Dragon Ball Bra" (because even a kid should be smart enough to realize you need to add that if you're searching for a real word), all you will see is pictures of the DB character. And don't forget that there are SafeSearch filters to protect precious Johnny from... whatever it is we're protecting him from. I mean, again, this is such a male-centric argument. Would anybody care if little Alyssa saw a picture of a model in a bra?

[TheGreatness25]

And they'd much rather avoid a mob of angry moms who didn't get laid since 9 months before their kid was born.

I. What. I don't. Huh. How. What.

Please please please refrain from trying to make a point by making crazy statements about things you clearly don't know anything about.

What don't I know about? I was making an intentionally exaggerated statement about what Funimation was looking to avoid. I'm sorry, I'm sure you appreciate it when someone takes everying you say and sarcastically picks it apart.

[floofychan333]

Honestly, I don't care either way. "Bulla" is better because in all honesty, what person with a functioning brain knowingly names their child Bra? On the other hand, "Bra" is more accurate and I (usually) use whatever names are in the manga once I've seen them appear in the manga (I've only bought up to the Ginyu Force in the manga so I don't have a fixed name for Bulla/Bra).

[VegettoEX]

because in all honesty, what person with a functioning brain knowingly names their child Bra?

I don't understand how anyone can keep saying this when the direct lineage here is an entire family also literally named the words for underwear. In a series where the villains were musical instruments. And dairy products. And vegetables. And colors.

Why is "Bra" suddenly the outlier? What makes you stop in your tracks and go, "No sir, Bra is just too far!" Lance has asked this. I'm asking again. No-one seems to be able to answer this.

I need someone to actually answer this. Please at least try.

[Avenant]

because in all honesty, what person with a functioning brain knowingly names their child Bra?

I don't understand how anyone can keep saying this when the direct lineage here is an entire family also literally named the words for underwear. In a series where the villains were musical instruments. And dairy products. And vegetables. And colors.

Why is "Bra" suddenly the outlier? What makes you stop in your tracks and go, "No sir, Bra is just too far!" Lance has asked this. I'm asking again. No-one seems to be able to answer this.

I need someone to actually answer this. Please at least try.

I completely agree with you. There is no good answer that recognizes the nomenclature of Dragon Ball characters and still think 'Bra' is too far. In my opinion, if it's OK to keep Oolong wishing for women's underwear in, then there's no excuse to change Bra's name to 'Bulla.'

[TheGreatness25]

And yet there's a reason why Oolong wished for "a really comfortable pair of underwear" and Bulma offered Roshi to see her "belly button" instead of panties.

It's not that I disagree with you, but I am pretty sure that it has to do with a "sexual" undertone. Does it make sense? No. But let's not act like Bra's name change was the first time they tried to escape the subject of female undergarments.

[Cipher]

Personally, I won't be satisfied until all children's media makes my hypothetical pre-teen daughter feel weird and shitty about the taboo things happening to her body.

For the kids.

And yet there's a reason why Oolong wished for "a really comfortable pair of underwear" and Bulma offered Roshi to see her "belly button" instead of panties.

It's not that I disagree with you, but I am pretty sure that it has to do with a "sexual" undertone. Does it make sense? No. But let's not act like Bra's name change was the first time they tried to escape the subject of female undergarments.

Those scenes are wildly different from simply naming a character "Bra," in that they genuinely do depict sexual deviancy/predation. Kame-Sennin is asking to see Bulma undress so he can derive sexual pleasure from it. Oolong is asking for women's underwear specifically because it's a sexual fetish for him. I can totally understand wanting to paint over topics like that. Hell, they're pretty uncomfortable sources of humor even as an adult viewer, but -- time and place and culture. Those moments genuinely do involve sexualized content, and in pretty unfortunate ways.

Referencing the existence of a "bra" is nothing like that. Or it shouldn't be.

[huzaifa_ahmed]

Censorship & cultural imperialism. In this case, the pervasion of it into what was originally a very respectable product.

[ABED]

Censorship & cultural imperialism. In this case, the pervasion of it into what was originally a very respectable product.

Cultural imperialism, how do you figure?

[funrush]

Honestly, I don't care either way. "Bulla" is better because in all honesty, what person with a functioning brain knowingly names their child Bra? On the other hand, "Bra" is more accurate and I (usually) use whatever names are in the manga once I've seen them appear in the manga (I've only bought up to the Ginyu Force in the manga so I don't have a fixed name for Bulla/Bra).

The same person who would name their child "Trunks." I get why they'd change the name, cause if you're a kid watching with parents in the room, it's probably weird/awkward, but changing the name sort of breaks the pun.

Actually, the more I think about it it's not that bad. Bulma's localized name isn't "Bloomers", maybe Bra's name being slightly different is okay.

[VegettoEX]

Actually, the more I think about it it's not that bad. Bulma's localized name isn't "Bloomers", maybe Bra's name being slightly different is okay.

In her case, her name isn't the exact word it's based on: she's ブルマ (bu - ru - ma) rather than ブルマー (bu - ru - maa), the same way he's "Freeza" (フリーザ) and not "Freezer" (フリーザー).

That being said, "Bulma" is a terrible way to transliterate that if you intend to preserve the pun (as opposed to something like "Blooma") and really only stuck because Toriyama wrote it in our alphabet on her goddamn shirt right from the very beginning.

"Brief" as a name is literally the exact same word. "Trunks" as a name is literally just the exact same word. "Bra" as a name is literally just the exact same word. "Tights" as a name is literally the exact same word. No syllable modifications on any of them. "Bulma" is literally the only one in her entire family who's actually a pun and not just "the word".