Dragonball Kai (FUNimation English) Dub: General Discussion

[Velasa]

.... They're rereleasing the movies for the third or fourth time now, why would they possibly not try to milk us more with "a whole new series"? Not to mention goddamnit I would buy it < <

[Captain Awesome]

It's true. As much as dub haters don't like the dub, it's not season 3 anymore. For the most part now, the dub is very good.

It really isn't if you're looking for something accurate to the original, the dub script is an absolute mess in this regard.

[Oolong215]

I dislike the FUNimation dub immensely, but I hope it does get dubbed, so I can get it in the US and watch it in japanese.

[NeptuneKai]

It's true. As much as dub haters don't like the dub, it's not season 3 anymore. For the most part now, the dub is very good.

Eh I wouldn't say very good. I'd call the One Piece or Naruto dub "very good". There are still episodes where the Dragonball writers go "JAPANESE SCRIPT? FUCK THAT SHIT!" Then proceed to write the script from the ground up very vaguely following the original dialogue.


Then there are the name and terminology changes that remain through the entire show and the unfitting voices.

[omegacwa]

I would be interested in hearing what Chris Sabat would have done for Vegeta's voice had there not been a Brian Drummond to follow.

[Innagadadavida]

I would be interested in hearing what Chris Sabat would have done for Vegeta's voice had there not been a Brian Drummond to follow.

Check out Seasons 1, 2, & 3.

[Travis Touchdown]

What's Dragon Ball Kai?

[ShinRogafuken]

What's Dragon Ball Kai?

Are you joking?

[Oolong215]

What's Dragon Ball Kai?

http://www.daizex.com/general/tidbits/kai.shtml

This should explain it.

[Victator Supreme]

It's true. As much as dub haters don't like the dub, it's not season 3 anymore. For the most part now, the dub is very good.

It really isn't if you're looking for something accurate to the original, the dub script is an absolute mess in this regard.

I've watched most of the series dub with sub titles. At worst the accuracy is 70/30 and thats season 3. Unfortunately that 30 has some incredibly shitty lines. But since the Buu story arc its been 95/5.

the unfitting voices.

Thats a bit of a fabricated complaint. Most of he voices aren't radically different from the original. Even Linda Young's Frieza is not too different from Japanese Frieza. Japanse Frieza is a fop which Linda Young plays up more.

[Sedorna]

Thats a bit of a fabricated complaint. Most of he voices aren't radically different from the original. Even Linda Young's Freeza is not too different from Japanese Freeza. Japanse Freeza is a fop which Linda Young plays up more.

But Linda Young's Freeza *isn't* a fop. Her Freeza is, to me, at least, a chainsmoking granny. And while a chainsmoking granny voice is perfect for a character like Genkai from Yu Yu Hakusho, it doesn't really seem very good for Freeza.

The Japanese Freeza was an actor. As long as everything was going his way, he was the most polite, well-mannered person in the entire universe. He might have been a murderous scumbag, but at least he said please and thank you! But when things go wrong, the mask comes off and he's all "bleepity bleep". It would be nice if a Kai dub would keep that aspect of the character.

[Captain Awesome]

I've watched most of the series dub with sub titles. At worst the accuracy is 70/30 and thats season 3. Unfortunately that 30 has some incredibly shitty lines. But since the Buu story arc its been 95/5.

That is an exaggeration, while the later dub may get the point across, the dialogue isn't that close to the original, add that to the clusterfuck of misinformation script errors and dub terminology bring to the table and you've still got a significant departure from the original, for example you're praising the Boo arc dub (which granted was definitely a step up) yet it throws the entire God hierarchy out the window for the more kiddy friendly "vague..otherworldly..overseer.." explanation.

My point is I'm not interested in the dub getting the general gist across, I'm interested in something that is faithful not only to the script but to the tone and spirit of the original, which the FUNimation dub isn't. There is absolutely no reason FUNimation couldn't produce a Dragonball Kai dub on par with their One Piece dub.

Also, I'm sorry, but claiming that Linda Young's Freeza is similar to Ryusei Nakao's, clearly outlines to me that you haven't really compared the two, I would go on a long winded rant about the nuances of Japanese Freeza, but I would just be reiterating what Sedorna said in a much less concise manner .

[B]

Yeah, of all the characters to make a dub/original comparison in order to defend the dub, Freeza would probably be the last on my list. =/
Young and Nakao sound radically different(as y'know, one of them is female) and for the majority of Freeza's appearances, she couldn't act. The awful scripts that plague the parts of the series where Freeza is prominent does not help either.

I would say Linda Young was horrible at first, bu adequate now as of the video games. She still isn't great though.

[SaiyamanMS]

I would say Linda Young was horrible at first, but adequate now as of the video games. She still isn't great though.

Agreed. And I say this as a fan who got into the series by the dub and still enjoys it.

Linda Young was generally terrible in the series (of course, in season 3, a lot of characters weren't very good, including the rather wooden at the time Schemmel who is nowadays one of my favourite actors, not only in Dragonball but also other programs), although her acting has greatly improved over the years to a point where it's watchable, she is still horribly miscast as Freeza.

Old lady Genkai is a much more natural role for her than galactic tyrant Freeza. (... Also, I believe she's Fortuneteller Baba if I recall correctly? Also a fitting role for her.)

[B]

I think Baba has had multiple FUNimation VAs in Z, but Young plays her in the original Dragon Ball and the video games.

[Innagadadavida]

I think Baba has had multiple FUNimation VAs in Z, but Young plays her in the original Dragon Ball and the video games.

Yeah I like her VA better in the original series. The voice is more fitting (that may just be because I heard her first though). Either way, in the Season set redubs, the VA from Dragon Ball does her lines.

[MCDaveG]

I sent the FUNi reps a message on the 14th and they still haven't replied. Also, there's been no official announcement.

I don't know, they neverreplied me on anything, but if it goes about videos on youtube, they are always here to mark third party content on themes. They even marked Germany openings on which they are have't copyrights

[SSJBejittoGT]

Funimation will likely encounter Bigfoot before they will dub DBK as they already release DBZ Remastered. Who knows they want to milk our money even more and release DBK with new script.

[Kendamu]

Funimation will likely encounter Bigfoot before they will dub DBK as they already release DBZ Remastered. Who knows they want to milk our money even more and release DBK with new script.

A good point was made in the podcast: FUNimation hasn't even finished releasing all of their steelbooks and bricks yet. They're on the home stretch of doing so and to announce Kai now would just be them shooting themselves in the foot.

Another point I've been meaning to make is that they're still drawing the episodes. It's kind of hard to localize something that hasn't even aired enough episodes yet to make a DVD out of it.

[B]

Another thing that occurred to me is sales. Is DBZ really selling, and are fans attentative enough? It's almsot to a point where I'm like "They're pretty much done releasing the original series, are they going to be able to convince people to buy it cut down, and how much incentive do they have to completely redub the show as if it's new product? They obviously didn't care to do it for the Ocean episodes."