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

[sangofe]

Decided to edit this out.

[SaintEvolution]

It would be good see Brian Drummond and Scott McNeil again as Vegeta and Piccolo. They were very good in these roles.

And Richard Ian Coxx can do a good Goku too.

But unfortunatly, it's seems that this dub will be released in a very far time.

[Singh is King]

I heard Kirby Morrow was replaced on grounds of being too "cool" for Goku, correct? If that's the case, then why replace him with someone who fits too "cool" even more than Morrow does like Richard Ian Cox? It's going to be so awkward to hear Inuyasha or Ranma's voice coming out of Goku, and I can't imagine that fitting him at all-- Cox needs to do an entirely different voice from the normal range he employs, IMO, for Goku for it to work. Honestly, I wish Ocean would've rehired Corlett, Kelamis, or even Morrow for Goku-- they all sounded more fitting for Goku than Cox does, tbh.

Drummond needs to deepen his voice for Vegeta, IMO, but at the same time, maintain the sharp edge to his delivery and acting he had in the Saban/Ocean/FUNi dub back in the day-- he can do it, though-- just needs to work on it. I hope he puts more effort into changing Vegeta into a good guy later on, though, rather than sounding evil even then like in the Westwood dub-- something like his Lt. Zechs voice would be MUCH better for Vegeta than what he used for him.

McNeil is fantastic as Piccolo, enough said: he's always been better than Sabat as him, and if he can make his delivery a bit clearer, he'll be perfect.

Is Sam Vincent really Krillin? Double D? It could work, actually, but I honestly would've liked to hear Klassen get another shot at him, trying to voice Krillin without the wimpy delivery and tone he had.

Saffron Henderson was fine as Gohan, but fell flat at points: if she avoids that, she'll also be awesome.

[TheBlackPaladin]

I heard Kirby Morrow was replaced on grounds of being too "cool" for Goku, correct? If that's the case, then why replace him with someone who fits too "cool" even more than Morrow does like Richard Ian Cox? It's going to be so awkward to hear Inuyasha or Ranma's voice coming out of Goku, and I can't imagine that fitting him at all-- Cox needs to do an entirely different voice from the normal range he employs, IMO, for Goku for it to work.

Well, not necessarily. I'm OK with him using the same voice, as long as his acting captures what Goku is about. That's the most important part, after all. When the producers said that Morrow sounded "too cool," they could have been referring to his acting just as much as his voice.

[Singh is King]

I heard Kirby Morrow was replaced on grounds of being too "cool" for Goku, correct? If that's the case, then why replace him with someone who fits too "cool" even more than Morrow does like Richard Ian Cox? It's going to be so awkward to hear Inuyasha or Ranma's voice coming out of Goku, and I can't imagine that fitting him at all-- Cox needs to do an entirely different voice from the normal range he employs, IMO, for Goku for it to work.

Well, not necessarily. I'm OK with him using the same voice, as long as his acting captures what Goku is about. That's the most important part, after all. When the producers said that Morrow sounded "too cool," they could have been referring to his acting just as much as his voice.

I suppose that is true, but still, I'm honestly not really keen on the voice, unless he modifies it somewhat: Richard is a great voice actor, and I actually really like his voices for Inuyasha and Ranma, but I cannot imagine that voice on Goku. If he plays the role in a more light-hearted, man childish, and goofy way, then I suppose it could work to a degree, though I'll probably still prefer Sean Schemmel as Goku.

[NitroEX]

Based on his past work I imagine Richard is better than Morrow at sounding goofy which is probably one of the reasons he got the role. That's not to say Morrow can't pull off Goku's wackier side, I actually think he did a good job at that in the westwood dub but his voice is just naturally better at sounding heroic while Richard has that whiny quality to his voice which (I imagine) would come in handy when Goku needs to sound like a big kid.

Honestly I'm doubtful that I'll like his performance as much as Kelamis' (my personal favourite) but I'm remaining open minded to his interpretation. Having grown up with so many different English Goku's it's easier for me not to remain glued to one performance like so many of the American fanbase, I appreciate them all for different reasons.

Drummond needs to deepen his voice for Vegeta, IMO, but at the same time, maintain the sharp edge to his delivery and acting he had in the Saban/Ocean/FUNi dub back in the day-- he can do it, though-- just needs to work on it. I hope he puts more effort into changing Vegeta into a good guy later on, though, rather than sounding evil even then like in the Westwood dub-- something like his Lt. Zechs voice would be MUCH better for Vegeta than what he used for him.

Completely disagree with all of this but whatever, I've had that argument a million times already.

[Singh is King]

Based on his past work I imagine Richard is better than Morrow at sounding goofy which is probably one of the reasons he got the role. That's not to say Morrow can't pull off Goku's wackier side, I actually think he did a good job at that in the westwood dub but his voice is just naturally better at sounding heroic while Richard has that whiny quality to his voice which (I imagine) would come in handy when Goku needs to sound like a big kid.

Honestly I'm doubtful that I'll like his performance as much as Kelamis' (my personal favourite) but I'm remaining open minded to his interpretation. Having grown up with so many different English Goku's it's easier for me not to remain glued to one performance like so many of the American fanbase, I appreciate them all for different reasons.

Drummond needs to deepen his voice for Vegeta, IMO, but at the same time, maintain the sharp edge to his delivery and acting he had in the Saban/Ocean/FUNi dub back in the day-- he can do it, though-- just needs to work on it. I hope he puts more effort into changing Vegeta into a good guy later on, though, rather than sounding evil even then like in the Westwood dub-- something like his Lt. Zechs voice would be MUCH better for Vegeta than what he used for him.

Completely disagree with all of this but whatever, I've had that argument a million times already.

Could you link some of Richard's other work? I could be unfamiliar with it since all I know him from is Inuyasha and Ranma, so I only know his portrayal of serious characters-- I've never heard him as goofy characters.

Kelamis did pretty good as Goku, so I can see why: honestly, I wanted to hear him or the other Ocean Goku(s) get another crack at it, but I guess that's the breaks.

I never really liked Drummond's Vegeta much, and have always been partial to Sabat's (exception being Eps. 54-Cell Saga when Sabat was doing an awful imitation of Drummond), so that's probably why we feel differently. If he does that high-pitched voice again, then I'm not going to be all that happy about it, tbh. I actually liked his voice itself more in Westwood than in Ocean/Saban, though, but his acting was better in Ocean/Saban than in Westwood, IMO.

I can admit Sabat's Vegeta was too deep and gruff in the Remastered dub, though.

[Attitudefan]

Now this would be interesting if the Ocean dub of Kai has been delayed because a voice has been replaced and they are redubbing parts of it. Like, if Cox was replaced to get Kelamis back or whatnot. I just made this up, but a guy can hope.



It is coming out? Right?

[TheBlackPaladin]

The most likely scenario at this point is the harsh reality of anime not being as popular as it used to be. More specifically, not being as popular as it used to be with TV network execs. The Ocean dub of Kai was clearly going to be a TV-only dub (like the Westwood dub of DBZ and the Blue Water dubs of DB and GT), so I wouldn't be surprised if the hold-up is that they can't find a Canadian TV network interested in airing it. The revelation of a new series (Super) probably hasn't helped matters.

[Attitudefan]

The most likely scenario at this point is the harsh reality of anime not being as popular as it used to be. More specifically, not being as popular as it used to be with TV network execs. The Ocean dub of Kai was clearly going to be a TV-only dub (like the Westwood dub of DBZ and the Blue Water dubs of DB and GT), so I wouldn't be surprised if the hold-up is that they can't find a Canadian TV network interested in airing it. The revelation of a new series (Super) probably hasn't helped matters.

Then they should release it on home video. I bet FUNi, and Sabat, are making sure it can never be released on video.

[TheBlackPaladin]

The most likely scenario at this point is the harsh reality of anime not being as popular as it used to be. More specifically, not being as popular as it used to be with TV network execs. The Ocean dub of Kai was clearly going to be a TV-only dub (like the Westwood dub of DBZ and the Blue Water dubs of DB and GT), so I wouldn't be surprised if the hold-up is that they can't find a Canadian TV network interested in airing it. The revelation of a new series (Super) probably hasn't helped matters.

Then they should release it on home video. I bet FUNi, and Sabat, are making sure it can never be released on video.

Well Sabat would have nothing to do with that, as negotiating home video rights isn't his department. Those matters are negotiated and decided jointly by FUNimation and Toei's legal departments.

You are right that it will never be released on home video though, FUNimation secured the rights for that in Canada, where DVDs and Blu-Rays of their dub have already been on sale for almost five years now. Toei's behavior regarding the Ocean dub has also been rather suspicious. I hate to repeat stuff, but Kix, the UK TV network that airs (or, at least, aired) Kai was aware of the Ocean dub, but Toei did not give them the option to use it. Their reasoning is unknown, and man would I love to know.

[Attitudefan]

If anyone can get a hold of FUNi or a Toei representative and interview them about this, that would be fantastic. If anything, I really wish it could be a special edition that FUNi licenses or that it comes as an extra option on the audio on the home video releases. What is the harm of that? If whomever licensed Ocean Kai could always sell it to FUNi. Maybe they have, or tried to, yet either Toei, FUNi, or both made sure it can never see the light of day. I'm thinking FUNi has told Toei something to make sure Ocean Kai cannot be released. Toei had to license Ocean Kai in the first place, so that's why I am betting FUNi is playing a part to prevent that. And that is a damn shame.

But as of now, I hold FUNi accountable just as I do Toei.

[Kakacarrottop]

If anything, I really wish it could be a special edition that FUNi licenses or that it comes as an extra option on the audio on the home video releases.

Including three different audio tracks (FUNi, JPN and Ocean) would take up far too much space on the DVDs. And if they licensed the dub they would also have to pay music royalties (since this dub apparently had a replacement score done by Tom Keenlyside & John Mitchell). It would be cool if they followed up the "Rock the Dragon" box-set in some way or another, although them licensing another dub isn't a financially viable option.

[NitroEX]

Could you link some of Richard's other work? I could be unfamiliar with it since all I know him from is Inuyasha and Ranma, so I only know his portrayal of serious characters-- I've never heard him as goofy characters.

I've only seen a few episodes of both shows but I wouldn't necessarily call Inuyasha or Ranma completely serious as both have comedic and silly moments littered throughout. Just from watching those you can sort of get a feel for his funnier side, more so from Ranma (Although to my knowledge he didn't exclusively play the boy version of Ranma so you might need to check to make sure which episodes he's in).

He's played wackier, high pitched characters in cartoons like MLP, Being Ian and a few others but those roles aren't really any indication of how his Goku will sound. So far I haven't seen him use a deep voice in anything so unless he pulls something new out of the bag his Goku's going to sound very youthful which would take some getting used to (especially after seeing Schemmel's version deepen over the years).

As for Drummond, he actually did evolve his Vegeta voice throughout the series. I think most people just didn't notice it or, when they did, they criticised him for it because it wasn't exactly how they remembered it from the Saban dub. I personally hope he ignores these types of "fans" and stays true to his voice that he developed for the character. There really is no point in trying to appease people who want him to use a deeper/more heroic/more royal sounding voice as they aren't fans of his to begin with. I'm convinced most of them won't be satisfied until he's essentially doing an imitation of Sabat, and then those same people will turn around and criticize his performance for being a watered down version of Sabat's Vegeta, he can't win in that situation so he might as well just ignore them and keep doing the voice he's best at doing. Another thing is most of his critics have 10+ years of bias from exclusively listening to Sabat's Vegeta so I don't think any of them are in the best position to properly judge how an English Vegeta should sound.

I wouldn't be surprised if the hold-up is that they can't find a Canadian TV network interested in airing it. The revelation of a new series (Super) probably hasn't helped matters.

I suspect (and hope) Ocean Kai will come out after Funimation have released their version in it's entirety (Final Chapters). It wouldn't surprise me if they found out an Ocean dub was being produced and, in collusion with Toei, struck a deal giving their dub priority in English speaking countries. It could help explain why the UK channel Kix weren't given the option of the Ocean dub and why Canada hasn't aired it yet. I think Dragonball is still a big enough property to draw interest from a Canadian TV channel but maybe they're just holding out and waiting for Toei's stipulation to be removed so they can finally use the Canadian version.

[Singh is King]

Could you link some of Richard's other work? I could be unfamiliar with it since all I know him from is Inuyasha and Ranma, so I only know his portrayal of serious characters-- I've never heard him as goofy characters.

I've only seen a few episodes of both shows but I wouldn't necessarily call Inuyasha or Ranma completely serious as both have comedic and silly moments littered throughout. Just from watching those you can sort of get a feel for his funnier side, more so from Ranma (Although to my knowledge he didn't exclusively play the boy version of Ranma so you might need to check to make sure which episodes he's in).

He's played wackier, high pitched characters in cartoons like MLP, Being Ian and a few others but those roles aren't really any indication of how his Goku will sound. So far I haven't seen him use a deep voice in anything so unless he pulls something new out of the bag his Goku's going to sound very youthful which would take some getting used to (especially after seeing Schemmel's version deepen over the years).

As for Drummond, he actually did evolve his Vegeta voice throughout the series. I think most people just didn't notice it or, when they did, they criticised him for it because it wasn't exactly how they remembered it from the Saban dub. I personally hope he ignores these types of "fans" and stays true to his voice that he developed for the character. There really is no point in trying to appease people who want him to use a deeper/more heroic/more royal sounding voice as they aren't fans of his to begin with. I'm convinced most of them won't be satisfied until he's essentially doing an imitation of Sabat, and then those same people will turn around and criticize his performance for being a watered down version of Sabat's Vegeta, he can't win in that situation so he might as well just ignore them and keep doing the voice he's best at doing. Another thing is most of his critics have 10+ years of bias from exclusively listening to Sabat's Vegeta so I don't think any of them are in the best position to properly judge how an English Vegeta should sound.

They naturally do, but still hearing Richard using that voice on Goku...I have my doubts, tbh, though I will give him a chance.

Listened to them: those would work out better for Goku, IMO. Hope Richard comes up with his own unique portrayal of Goku, tbh.

Not denying that, but what I mean is I hope Brian sticks to that Westwood dub voice and does not go back to the Saban/Ocean dub voice-- I really don't get how people think Drummond got worse in terms of his pitch-- I actually liked what he did later on with his pitch more than in Saiyan/Namek. Maybe his acting was a little less emotive, but he did get better at the end of the Ocean dub when I saw some Buu Saga clips from it.

[Attitudefan]

Drummond has stated on a video on Youtube that he is using a deeper pitch than he did in 1996.

[Singh is King]

Drummond has stated on a video on Youtube that he is using a deeper pitch than he did in 1996.

Already looking forward to his new take, then.

[Bananape]

So in other news, Canada's YTV is airing some Dragon Ball tonight at 1am!

But here's the thing...



Now before you call YTV out on some trolling, consider this. What if this is their attempt at seeing if there is still interest in the Dragon Ball franchise? It's a lot less riskier on their part to just air this movie, which they can easily get their hands on, than a handful of episodes or a movie direct from FUNimation. YTV, IIRC, has never aired anime dubbed from FUNimation and has strictly worked with Viz Media up until their anime block, Bionix, dissolved. YTV is infamous for re-airing the same movies again and again but this is the first time I've seen Dragonball: Evolution being aired on it. But hey, maybe I'm looking too much into this,

[TheBlackPaladin]

Well I certainly hope they're not using Evolution (OF ALL MOVIES!) as a litmus test for Dragon Ball's popularity in Canada.

[Bananape]

Well I certainly hope they're not using Evolution (OF ALL MOVIES!) as a litmus test for Dragon Ball's popularity in Canada.

What else can they do? I highly doubt YTV wants to reach out to FUNimation for any movies since they have done little to no licensing with them in the past (The only instance that comes to mind is when YTV temporarily aired FUNimation episodes of Z for a little bit before switching back to Ocean). Plus it's certainly cheaper for YTV to buy the broadcasting rights to this particular movie, the one star in the screenshot says it all, than one of the animated movies. So yes, this sadly looks like their best attempt at a litmus test. The fact that YTV is airing it later than they normally air movies makes me wonder if they want to see if it can work in that particular time slot. I'm definitely not getting my hopes up on this but I am intrigued at the same time.

Also, here's a high quality screenshot of the schedule from their official website.



Movie Info: "Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the Earth from an endless stream of rogues bent on dominating the Universe and controlling the mystical objects."