Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

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Metalwario64
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Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Metalwario64 » Thu May 25, 2017 1:15 am

I almost always see people saying that they only care about Kai for its dub, and I mostly agree with that sentiment, and I watch Z for my fix of the Japanese cast (especially since it's a much better put together product, acting aside), but sometimes I'll watch some Kai in Japanese because I like Simmons' improved subtitles, and I do think a few of the performances rival Z's, like Horikawa's more intense Vegeta.

Does anyone else here care about Kai in Japanese? Are there any sub fans that prefer it for the pacing, but still don't care for the dub and don't mind the other shortcomings? I'm just curious.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by OmegaRockman » Thu May 25, 2017 2:03 am

I do. I love the original Japanese cast but I also love Kai's pacing, so I like to watch Japanese Kai just as much as English Kai. While some of the performances aren't quite as good as in Z, I still think the cast knocks it out of the park. I should also mention that I was first exposed to the Japanese version of the show through Kai's initial Japanese run (before then it was only through the video games that I heard the Japanese cast), so I have a bit of nostalgia for it. Granted, I only watched up until the middle of the Freeza arc before I accidentally ruined my aunt's computer with a virus, which was my only means of downloading the episodes. Yeah, I was a stupid teenager who didn't know how to stay away from unsafe websites and my own computer at the time had no internet access. But still, it encouraged me to seek out the original DB in Japanese and to pick up every Kai set once Funimation started releasing them. Once I got my Dragon Boxes I watched them exclusively for a while, not really paying Kai any mind. However, these days I'm back to primarily watching Kai, switching back and forth between English and Japanese depending on my mood. I do watch with the Kikuchi score for episodes 1-98 because despite its imperfections, it feels more like DB to me than Yamamoto's score (not to say that Yamamoto's bad, but I still prefer Kikuchi even in Kai).
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Saikyo no Senshi » Thu May 25, 2017 2:37 am

I dropped the show in the middle, but I did watch a decent amount of episodes. I watch all shows in their original format and have zero interest in dubs.

Anyways, yeah Kai was garbage compared to Z and even in it's own the performances were pretty sub-par. But, Kai was so poorly made as a product that even if there were good performances, it still wouldn't make it a good product.

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by szopman » Thu May 25, 2017 3:06 am

I can't image watching DBKai (or any other DB series) with dub ;o ( Especially with english dub ! )
I always watch Kai in japanese with subtitles. I prefer watching Kai (with some Z fillers episodes that I really like) because the story is more straight, and of course I don't have to watch many boring stuff like false-Namek etc. But when it comes to watching Buu Saga, I prefer Z. It's only 20 (?) episodes longer + Kai's music in Buu saga is just horrible ;/

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Metalwario64 » Thu May 25, 2017 3:22 am

Your post made me realize how isolated my original post was, because I was only thinking of my own country. I know there's lots of varied quality among Kai's dub in other countries, so I guess my question also extends to them. I can't recall off the top of my head which dubs of Kai are considered improvements and which ones are considered unnecessary or worse, but I'd like to know if people from those other countries also prefer, or at least watch Kai in Japanese for whatever reason that may be. :thumbup:
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Dragon Ball Ireland » Thu May 25, 2017 6:30 am

I've watched a couple episodes here and there, but the dub is my preferred way of watching Kai. Unlike Z, in Kai the performances from the Funi cast are better.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by 8000 Saiyan » Thu May 25, 2017 8:05 am

I have watched the 98 episodes of Kai in Japanese, but I prefer to watch in English. Probably one of the few times I prefer dub over sub.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by LettuceJUMP » Fri May 26, 2017 5:47 pm

Thanks for topic. I find this interesting.

Most people boil down to the way they were originally introduced to Dragon ball.
I'm a pretty big anime fan (one piece, bleach, naruto, fullmetal, death note, trigun, etc) and in all of those situations i listen to japanese with subs exclusively. When I've watched even a clip of dub it was painful.

But dragon ball is my exception. I started with the english voices and in my head, that is who the characters are. There are things i like better about Z over kai and visaversa but in my older age the quicker pace of Kai with the refreshing improved dub is my go to. Can't wait to buy the last kai blu-ray next month.

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Jinzoningen MULE » Fri May 26, 2017 6:59 pm

Japanese Kai is actually the first version of DB I watched straight through. Though I don't revisit it anymore, since I lost interest in Kai once I watched through and properly evaluated Z, it was my first, so I have a special kind of nostalgia for it.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Lord Beerus » Sat May 27, 2017 9:42 am

I watched all of Kai in Japanese from start to finish. But it just lacked the "oomph" that the original anime provided. I think it had something to do with the lack of the Kikuchi's score and Japanese dub performances, while be quite serviceable, they just weren't as good as to what we go in the original DBZ anime.

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by theoriginalbilis » Sun May 28, 2017 4:38 pm

Back when it was airing weekly (before the BluRays came out), I would watch it. I think the perfomances are great overall. It lacks some of the OOMPH of original DBZ, when the seiyuu were in their prime; but it's pretty awesome to hear that cast in nice clear stereo. The music wasn't as crazy catchy good as Kikuchi's in Z and the yells lacked that bassy Oozaru roar effect (which was something I never noticed until years later, but appreciate now.)

Horikawa's death speech in the Freeza arc actually got to me way more in the Kai version due to his perfomance there, so kudos to him.

Nowadays, I don't have the time to watch a lot of DB stuff besides the latest Super eps, but I'm glad the majority of the voice cast is still around and giving it their all.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Baggie_Saiyan » Sun May 28, 2017 7:45 pm

Lord Beerus wrote:I watched all of Kai in Japanese from start to finish. But it just lacked the "oomph" that the original anime provided. I think it had something to do with the lack of the Kikuchi's score and Japanese dub performances, while be quite serviceable, they just weren't as good as to what we go in the original DBZ anime.
My Japanese watching of DB pre-Super is incredibly spotty but even I can notice, I would switch over tracks occasionally in Kai and you can tell some of the cast really phoned it in, one scene Nakao was just so cringey and I was like hard to believe this guy was the same one that put in a phenomenal performance in Resurrection "F".

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by 8000 Saiyan » Sun May 28, 2017 8:10 pm

Baggie_Saiyan wrote:
Lord Beerus wrote:I watched all of Kai in Japanese from start to finish. But it just lacked the "oomph" that the original anime provided. I think it had something to do with the lack of the Kikuchi's score and Japanese dub performances, while be quite serviceable, they just weren't as good as to what we go in the original DBZ anime.
My Japanese watching of DB pre-Super is incredibly spotty but even I can notice, I would switch over tracks occasionally in Kai and you can tell some of the cast really phoned it in, one scene Nakao was just so cringey and I was like hard to believe this guy was the same one that put in a phenomenal performance in Resurrection "F".
Since Kai was simply Z but without the filler, Nakao probably thought that it wasn't worth putting effort in his performance.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Baggie_Saiyan » Sun May 28, 2017 8:29 pm

8000 Saiyan wrote:
Baggie_Saiyan wrote:
Lord Beerus wrote:I watched all of Kai in Japanese from start to finish. But it just lacked the "oomph" that the original anime provided. I think it had something to do with the lack of the Kikuchi's score and Japanese dub performances, while be quite serviceable, they just weren't as good as to what we go in the original DBZ anime.
My Japanese watching of DB pre-Super is incredibly spotty but even I can notice, I would switch over tracks occasionally in Kai and you can tell some of the cast really phoned it in, one scene Nakao was just so cringey and I was like hard to believe this guy was the same one that put in a phenomenal performance in Resurrection "F".
Since Kai was simply Z but without the filler, Nakao probably thought that it wasn't worth putting effort in his performance.
Oh I definitely understand why some of them phoned it in, totally understandable, Toei didn't even re-animate Kai had they the cast may have been more up for it.

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by ShaneisMC » Tue May 30, 2017 10:17 am

I have seen it all in Japanese. Was it alright? Yeah sure it was fine. But as far as I'm concerned the two best ways to watch the show are English Kai, and Original Japanese. Both are fantastic.

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by JulieYBM » Tue May 30, 2017 10:19 am

Whenever I watch Dragon Ball Kai I only watch it in Japanese...because otherwise I wouldn't be watching it. It's a terrible piece of shit, but it's a terrible piece of shit that is it's own thing made by it's own set of cast and crew and they deserve the most basic respect of having their work viewed and criticized for being the piece of shit it is.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by ShaneisMC » Tue May 30, 2017 12:27 pm

JulieYBM wrote:Whenever I watch Dragon Ball Kai I only watch it in Japanese...because otherwise I wouldn't be watching it. It's a terrible piece of shit, but it's a terrible piece of shit that is it's own thing made by it's own set of cast and crew and they deserve the most basic respect of having their work viewed and criticized for being the piece of shit it is.
Large removal of filler, and a VASTLY improved english dub would care for a word. As I had said earlier personally if you want to watch the show in Japanese you're best off just watching the original show. Kai more or less was just a great chance for other countries to get to redo their dub. Hell The Final Chapters literally only was made due to international demand if I'm not mistaken. Idk it seems like a pretty easy enough thing to me. OG Japanese or English Kai are both the best ways to watch the series. If you aren't a dub watcher or care about it then yeah I completely understand not really bothering with Kai. But if you're a fan of both I think what I said is the best way to go.

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by JulieYBM » Tue May 30, 2017 12:39 pm

ShaneisMC wrote: Large removal of filler, and a VASTLY improved english dub would care for a word. As I had said earlier personally if you want to watch the show in Japanese you're best off just watching the original show. Kai more or less was just a great chance for other countries to get to redo their dub. Hell The Final Chapters literally only was made due to international demand if I'm not mistaken. Idk it seems like a pretty easy enough thing to me. OG Japanese or English Kai are both the best ways to watch the series. If you aren't a dub watcher or care about it then yeah I completely understand not really bothering with Kai. But if you're a fan of both I think what I said is the best way to go.
Neither of those things make Dragon Ball Kai good television. Dragon Ball Kai is poorly stitched together from a twenty year old cartoon that has poor music placement, poor voice performances and no planning placed into its production. Whoever was leading the project on a creative level was so ashamed that they wouldn't even use their real name. Not including a few scenes from Dragon Ball Z or having a dub from a foreign licensee that a handful of people on the internet like better than their dub of Dragon Ball Z doesn't make Dragon Ball Kai good, it makes Dragon Ball Kai sound like a work nobody placed any soul into.
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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by Super Saiyan Swagger » Tue May 30, 2017 11:44 pm

I really do not see all the the angry hate towards Kai. I guess it's probably because I've only watched it in the English dub, but it can't make that much of a difference from its Japanese counterpart, can it?

I like Kenji Yamamoto's soundtrack (plagiarism aside) and I never felt that the soundtrack was out of place. Kai 2014 is a totally different story. I watched that all in Japanese and it suffered from poor music placement, choppy editing and that really awful green tint. It did have its moments though.

Kai from the Saiyan arc to the Cell arc was actually great in my opinion, I definitely prefer it over the original show. I hated a lot of the filler in Z and Kai got rid of it (except for frog Ginyu and Bulma). Some of the redrawn scenes did seem jarring but it was nothing too offensive. I can't say much about the original Japanese version because I watched all of it in the English dub.

To me, Kai is still Dragon Ball Z, but a more accessible version of it. It's way more welcoming to newcomers of the series. No one wants to watch Goku run on Snake Way for several episodes. I've had so many friends that wanted to get into Dragon Ball Z but dropped it halfway through the Saiyan arc because the filler was that exhausting. On the other hand, when I recommend Kai to my friends, that was never a problem and they watched the entire series with zero complaints.

I guess the original Japanese Dragon Ball Z is such a beloved series that the alterations that Kai made along with the (supposedly) weaker Japanese performances did not go so well with the fans. But as someone who has only watched the dub, it really does seem like a stretch to so angrily hate on the series just for those changes.

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Re: Does anyone here watch Kai in Japanese?

Post by ShaneisMC » Wed May 31, 2017 7:49 pm

JulieYBM wrote:
ShaneisMC wrote: Large removal of filler, and a VASTLY improved english dub would care for a word. As I had said earlier personally if you want to watch the show in Japanese you're best off just watching the original show. Kai more or less was just a great chance for other countries to get to redo their dub. Hell The Final Chapters literally only was made due to international demand if I'm not mistaken. Idk it seems like a pretty easy enough thing to me. OG Japanese or English Kai are both the best ways to watch the series. If you aren't a dub watcher or care about it then yeah I completely understand not really bothering with Kai. But if you're a fan of both I think what I said is the best way to go.
Neither of those things make Dragon Ball Kai good television. Dragon Ball Kai is poorly stitched together from a twenty year old cartoon that has poor music placement, poor voice performances and no planning placed into its production. Whoever was leading the project on a creative level was so ashamed that they wouldn't even use their real name. Not including a few scenes from Dragon Ball Z or having a dub from a foreign licensee that a handful of people on the internet like better than their dub of Dragon Ball Z doesn't make Dragon Ball Kai good, it makes Dragon Ball Kai sound like a work nobody placed any soul into.
I don't particularly find it poorly stitched together. I think they did a fine job removing filler. Poor music placement is relatively subjective. Do I wish they had all of Kikuchi for the most part? Yeah. But I liked Yamamotos work, and was ok for the most part with the replacement Kikuchi score for the Androids and Cell arcs. Sumitomo definitely has the weakest tracks of the three imo. Some of them genuinely are just not good and do kinda fuck up the intended emotional context of some scenes but I do believe he has gotten better. Poor voice performances is just straight up utterly wrong. At least from the main point I was coming from which is that of an english dub watcher. It is vastly superior. Period. As for the Japanese however yeah I agree they did better back in the original which is another reason why I recommend just watching the original if you want to watch in Japanese. Like I said they both have positives and negatives about them depending on the angle you approach them from. Again just in my opinion if you want to watch Japanese you are better off just watching the original. But if you want to watch it in english then Kai destroys the original dub.

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