Unpopular DB opinions

[Scsigs]

My go-to when I just want to have something playing in the background is GT. I don't know why; maybe it's the colour pallet or the music(Personally GT's Japanese music is my favourite DB score. GT's US music is my least favourite).

This. I can't believe how FUNimation managed to turn the best soundtrack in franchise to the worst soundtrack in franchise.
I love Faulconer's tracks in DBZ, but Mark Menza's score ruined entire series.

This is why I prefer to watch dubs with the original scores. They're usually consistent in quality & fit the shows they belong to.

[Hulk10]

I've been thinking that it shouldn't matter which dub is better or closer to the original manga. Things always change when franchises go through different media.

[Shaddy]

That change should actually be from the people in charge of the work though, not outside licencors changing random things for no reason, especially when they literally conflict with the narrative. Bad translations are bad translations.

[Hulk10]

Translations can be bad but how do we define no reason at all? The original english dub was dubbed that way so it could help viewers in the U.S. relate better. That is hardly 'no reason at all'.

[ABED]

How did it help US audiences related better when it was using slang that was 10 years out of date even then?

[Hulk10]

It may not have turned out helpful but it was intended to be helpful.

[WittyUsername]

I’m kind of surprised how much Faulconer fans hate Menza’s score. They sound fairly similar to me.

I don’t know if I’d call myself a Faulconer fan, but as far as the movies are concerned, I actually think Mark Menza has composed some pretty decent tracks. I’m not saying all his music is good, but I do like stuff like his Super Saiyan theme. It probably helps that, unlike with the show, the music wasn’t constantly blaring in the background of every given scene. I also think his DBZ theme is enjoyable enough in its own right.

As for his score for GT, I don’t know if I’d say it sounds similar to the Faulconer score. They both have a problem when it comes to repetition, but I would argue that the Faulconer score has more of a personality to it. Whether you like the score or can’t stand it, it does have a sort of 80s/90s video game vibe to it, which does make it somewhat easy to remember. The Menza score for GT, on the other hand, is pretty damn forgettable. Of course, I don’t blame Mark Menza for that, since FUNimation were apparently the ones who insisted that the music sound “cool” and “edgy”.

[MasenkoHA]

Translations can be bad but how do we define no reason at all? The original english dub was dubbed that way so it could help viewers in the U.S. relate better. That is hardly 'no reason at all'.

Look I think American kids are as dumb as the next guy but I can’t fathom how a bunch of lame unfunny jokes being shoved in and overtly preachy moralizing dialog being forced in Goku’s mouth made the show more relatable to US viewers?

I can’t relate to Goku wanting to fight strong guys but telling kids to eat vegetables and to help others and fighting isn’t the answer is mondo cool!

[Hulk10]

Translations can be bad but how do we define no reason at all? The original english dub was dubbed that way so it could help viewers in the U.S. relate better. That is hardly 'no reason at all'.

Look I think American kids are as dumb as the next guy but I can’t fathom how a bunch of lame unfunny jokes being shoved in and overtly preachy moralizing dialog being forced in Goku’s mouth made the show more relatable to US viewers?

I can’t relate to Goku wanting to fight strong guys but telling kids to eat vegetables and to help others and fighting isn’t the answer is mondo cool!

Seeing as I'm American I take offense to the idea that American kids are dumb......... Also funny is in the eye of the beholder and for another thing I am simply stating what I heard about the rationale behind the dub change..............

On the other hand I think I've just proven that I just happened on a pretty unpopular opinion.

[ABED]

It seems like FUNi tried to amp up the "cool factor" of DBZ. I get it, I think most kids go through a "grimdark is cool" phase. However, I got over it and came to realize rarely is the best action just "cool".

[Hulk10]

DBZ was cool enough without the 'amped up' dialogue.

[SSJGAffleck]

My go-to when I just want to have something playing in the background is GT. I don't know why; maybe it's the colour pallet or the music(Personally GT's Japanese music is my favourite DB score. GT's US music is my least favourite).

This. I can't believe how FUNimation managed to turn the best soundtrack in franchise to the worst soundtrack in franchise.
I love Faulconer's tracks in DBZ, but Mark Menza's score ruined entire series.

This is why I prefer to watch dubs with the original scores. They're usually consistent in quality & fit the shows they belong to.

If you've only seen the GT ending in dub form, I highly recommend watching the sub at least for that final episode as Funimation took many liberties with the translation, as they always do (Looking at you Super dub...). Pan's reaction to seeing Goku again in the future is completely different and the Japanese version heavily implies that Goku is dying (at least that's how I took it, "Goku... are you..." or "Kakarot... are you...").

[MasenkoHA]

It seems like FUNi tried to amp up the "cool factor" of DBZ. I get it, I think most kids go through a "grimdark is cool" phase. However, I got over it and came to realize rarely is the best action just "cool".

Honestly the try hard music seem at odds with the show’s bad one liners every 5 seconds dialog

[Brodes]

DBZ was cool enough without the 'amped up' dialogue.

I'm not even sure where you stand on this issue anymore.

It seems like you understand and agree that the changes were pointless, unhelpful and nonsensical and were not needed. Dragon Ball was popular in plenty of places for many, many years without those changes.

[WittyUsername]

Didn’t Dale Kelly mention in an interview that the thought process behind the dub music for DBZ was to emulate garbage like Batman Beyond?

[ABED]

Didn’t Dale Kelly mention in an interview that the thought process behind the dub music for DBZ was to emulate garbage like Batman Beyond?

Did he say Batman Beyond was garbage or are you editorializing? Beyond's electronic and hard rock guitars fit the young and futuristic aesthetic they were going for.

[Hulk10]

DBZ was cool enough without the 'amped up' dialogue.

I'm not even sure where you stand on this issue anymore.

It seems like you understand and agree that the changes were pointless, unhelpful and nonsensical and were not needed. Dragon Ball was popular in plenty of places for many, many years without those changes.

I don't really have a stance on that issue.

[MasenkoHA]

Didn’t Dale Kelly mention in an interview that the thought process behind the dub music for DBZ was to emulate garbage like Batman Beyond?

He told the higher ups they should do the soundtrack like Batman Beyond because he thought Batman Beyond had cutting edge music and evidently Batman Beyond was kicking Dragon Ball Z’s butt in the ratings.


I don’t know how fast the turn around time was for Funimation to cobble episodes together but Beyond was only on the air for 3 months before the first set of season 3 episodes were released on home video with the Faulconer score.


Though if that’s the case it seemed a pretty poor understanding on Kelly’s part. If Batman Beyond was outperforming DBZ in the ratings it would have been because 1. Batman Beyond aired on a network on the same programming block that showed Pokemon no less and DBZ aired on cable 2. Batman Beyond would have been new and DBZ would have been rerunning the Ocean cast episodes on Toonami for the second time not counting all those time those episodes had reruns in syndication.

[ABED]

He was a DJ years prior, which I think explains why he puts so much emphasis on the music. No doubt music is important to any film or TV show, but it has to be part of a whole, and DBZ's dub music was so disconnected from the series.

[WittyUsername]

Didn’t Dale Kelly mention in an interview that the thought process behind the dub music for DBZ was to emulate garbage like Batman Beyond?

Did he say Batman Beyond was garbage or are you editorializing? Beyond's electronic and hard rock guitars fit the young and futuristic aesthetic they were going for.

I was editorializing. I hate Batman Beyond and I can’t help but make that known when I bring it up.