I'd like to know when and how you guys initially reacted to Masako Nozawa as Goku.
For me, it was back when I first played Budokai 1... The EU version I have has the JPN voices instead of ENG. Thank goodness for that. (If it wasn't for Budokai 1, I wouldn't have grown up with the JPN voices alongside the ENG voices.) I remember saying "Why does Goku sound like a girl?" and it took me quite a while to get accustomed to that voice.
How about you guys?
Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff
-
TheUltimateVegito
- Advanced Regular
- Posts: 1000
- Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:37 am
- Location: Buu's Nightmares
Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
Last edited by TheUltimateVegito on Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
YouTube account:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperVegitoSSJ2
PSN: Songojames
My Reddit account is also Songojames
https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperVegitoSSJ2
PSN: Songojames
My Reddit account is also Songojames
-
El Diabeetus
- I Live Here
- Posts: 2138
- Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2007 7:07 pm
- Location: Ohio
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
'Huh? Sounds a lot different than the English one' was about my reaction when I popped in the Super Saiyan transformation DVD, around when I was 9. I also remember liking Kikuchi's score more based on my first reaction compared to the replacement score.
Last edited by El Diabeetus on Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
DarkPrince_92
- I Live Here
- Posts: 3444
- Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:09 pm
- Location: Glendale, CA
- Contact:
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Was my first reaction. I was young and I saw a clip of Movie 10 in japanese with the family Kamehameha. Heard Goten, thought it was okay, heard Gohan and was like "wut" then Goku and I lost my mind. Then I went on a field day looking up japanese DBZ clips and cringing at Goku's voice. I also discovered the Kikuchi score was the original score for DBZ, for whatever reason I thought that kind of sound was only in Dragon Ball.
The voices grew on me after a while though. Same with the music.
The voices grew on me after a while though. Same with the music.
-
DBZGTKOSDH
- Namekian Warrior
- Posts: 12401
- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:45 pm
- Location: Greece
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
I heard it for the first time through Supersonic Warriors, and I was like "Why the hell does he sound like that?! 
". I had only watched the series in Greek at that point, and then I watched in through the FUNi dub, and the only things that I had seen in Japanese at that point were Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans & JSAT, because they weren't dubbed. Then Dragon Ball Kai begun, which was when I became interested in the Japanese version. I watched everything in Japanese after that, and now, Nozawa's voice is the only voice of Goku for me.
". I had only watched the series in Greek at that point, and then I watched in through the FUNi dub, and the only things that I had seen in Japanese at that point were Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans & JSAT, because they weren't dubbed. Then Dragon Ball Kai begun, which was when I became interested in the Japanese version. I watched everything in Japanese after that, and now, Nozawa's voice is the only voice of Goku for me.James Teal (Animerica 1996) wrote:When you think about it, there are a number of similarities between the Chinese-inspired Son Goku and that most American of superhero icons, Superman. Both are aliens sent to Earth shortly after birth to escape the destruction of their homeworlds; both possess super-strength, flight, super-speed, heightened senses and the ability to cast energy blasts. But the crucial difference between them lies not only in how they view the world, but in how the world views them.
Superman is, and always has been, a symbol for truth, justice, and upstanding moral fortitude–a role model and leader as much as a fighter. The more down-to-earth Goku has no illusions about being responsible for maintaining social order, or for setting some kind of moral example for the entire world. Goku is simply a martial artist who’s devoted his life toward perfecting his fighting skills and other abilities. Though never shy about risking his life to save either one person or the entire world, he just doesn’t believe that the balance of the world rests in any way on his shoulders, and he has no need to shape any part of it in his image. Goku is an idealist, and believes that there is some good in everyone, but he is unconcerned with the big picture of the world…unless it has to do with some kind of fight. Politics, society, law and order don’t have much bearing on his life, but he’s a man who knows right from wrong.
-
garnetjester
- Beyond Newbie
- Posts: 289
- Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:42 am
- Location: Colombia
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
It was back when I was a kid playing Final Bout. "Huh?" was all I thought back then. But then I watched subbed GT and it sounded fine, I felt that it fit Goku perfectly.
"Giving up is something we can do anytime, so let's head on, even if it's just a little bit!"
-
Gyt Kaliba
- Kicks it Old-School
- Posts: 8861
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:38 am
- Location: Arkansas
- Contact:
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
I grew up firmly enveloped in a bubble that was pretty purely the dub. Unless I perhaps saw a clip online or something (not likely before the advent of Youtube), I don't really think I heard much of the Japanese version of the show until I had access to my first DVDs for the series. So looking into it that way...I'm fairly certain the first time I ever heard Nozawa as Goku was in movie 7.
I want to say I had already heard about him being played by a woman in Japanese, so I was somewhat prepared, but I do still remember going 'Huh, it really is a woman. That's different.' It was pretty jarring, and it would be a good many years before I'd go back to check out much more than another movie or one-off episode in Japanese, but I never had the knee-jerk reaction that some dub fans unfortunately have.
And ditto what Furanki said, for the most part. I also remember going 'Ooh, this music is different too. It's kinda cool.' even back then too, and that initially became my sole reason to check out more Japanese clips later on.
I want to say I had already heard about him being played by a woman in Japanese, so I was somewhat prepared, but I do still remember going 'Huh, it really is a woman. That's different.' It was pretty jarring, and it would be a good many years before I'd go back to check out much more than another movie or one-off episode in Japanese, but I never had the knee-jerk reaction that some dub fans unfortunately have.
And ditto what Furanki said, for the most part. I also remember going 'Ooh, this music is different too. It's kinda cool.' even back then too, and that initially became my sole reason to check out more Japanese clips later on.
AniManga Travelogue - Currently Reviewing: Dragon Ball (Z)
Twitter
Switch Friend Code: SW-0745-6427-7791 (let's play some Dragon Ball: The Breakers!)
Switch Friend Code: SW-0745-6427-7791 (let's play some Dragon Ball: The Breakers!)
-
Kendamu
- Born 'n Bred Here
- Posts: 6983
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 10:31 am
- Location: The Martial Arts World
- Contact:
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
I think it was during a Toonami commerical for The World's Strongest. It had bytes from the Japanese version in it. That, or it was during one of the Super Famicom games. Probably the first time I heard them at length, though, was during a playthrough of Dragonball Z: Idainaru Dragonball Densetsu on PlayStation. The first instance was cool simply because it was the Japanese track. I didn't know who was talking or anything, but it was just neat to hear especially as, from how I interpreted what I read on DBZ Uncensored back in the day, the Japanese version was pretty much the coolest thing that ever happened to Japan. Ever. The second didn't really faze me at all. It was just neat to be playing DBZ games.
The first time I really sat and watched a Japanese episode of DBZ, though, was probably when someone let me borrow an uncut FUNimation DBZ DVD. They had the Japanese track on it and I had always wanted to hear it. The voices themselves didn't really affect me that much at the time. I was more interested in the more accurate script and the music than I was the voices. I think I just took to them right away because it was the original version and that's just how they were supposed to sound. Everything else was just another country's adaption of the material.
That, and the Ocean Group cast of DBZ had long since stopped being a thing on US television. They were "my" cast from "my" DBZ. With "my" DBZ not really having existed past three movies, I was pretty much open to anything that wasn't "those asshole amateurs who replaced the voices I liked." What better replacement than the actual original cast?
The first time I really sat and watched a Japanese episode of DBZ, though, was probably when someone let me borrow an uncut FUNimation DBZ DVD. They had the Japanese track on it and I had always wanted to hear it. The voices themselves didn't really affect me that much at the time. I was more interested in the more accurate script and the music than I was the voices. I think I just took to them right away because it was the original version and that's just how they were supposed to sound. Everything else was just another country's adaption of the material.
That, and the Ocean Group cast of DBZ had long since stopped being a thing on US television. They were "my" cast from "my" DBZ. With "my" DBZ not really having existed past three movies, I was pretty much open to anything that wasn't "those asshole amateurs who replaced the voices I liked." What better replacement than the actual original cast?
Last edited by Kendamu on Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
Absolute disgust! But that doesn't mean that I don't respect her as a person.
Spoiler:
-
TheBlackPaladin
- I Live Here
- Posts: 3772
- Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:05 pm
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
I should preface this with something first....
When "voice acting" is discussed, I've seen the words "voice" and "acting" used interchangeably. I don't use them interchangeably and classify them as such:
-VOICE: I judge a voice based on whether or not it fits the character and looks like a voice that would belong to that character.
-ACTING: I judge acting based on how convinced I am, as a viewer, that the character is experiencing the emotions that the actor is displaying (or vocalizing) on screen.
With that out of the way...
I first heard Nozawa's Goku from a clip posted on YouTube in 2006, when Goku does a X3 Kaioken to power up against Vegeta. My initial reaction--and the initial reaction of all my friends when I showed them--was one giant utterance of, "WHAT. THE. F***!? Why in the hell did they get a woman to play someone who is obviously an adult man!?" Keep in mind, every international dub cast an adult male voice actor for adult Goku, so this wasn't just my reaction alone. My issue wasn't that it wasn't super-manly, but rather, my issue was that it so obviously wasn't a male voice, attached to a character whose appearance was so obviously male. I would cite Peter Kelamis--or, even in Japanese, Kappei Yamaguchi--as an example of a voice that is not manly, but still identifiably male. That's what I expected to hear when I first pulled up the clip, and I was shocked that it wasn't what I thought it'd be.
My initial reaction had nothing to do with it being in Japanese. Actually, my first exposure to Kikuchi's score was with the 5.1 English dub track (with Kikuchi music) on the orange bricks, and I fell in love with it from the first note, not to mention the moments of silence. It just took me a long time to accept Nozawa's performance because I felt that, while her acting was perfectly fine, the voice in and of itself did not sound like it could come out of that body at all.
And, honestly? I still don't think the voice fits (adult) Goku at all. However--rather ironically--I've come to love it for that very reason.
Goku is a very strange, quirky guy. So in a way, Nozawa's voice fits adult Goku in the sense that it sounds very, very, very quirky and strange. The voice doesn't sound like it would come out of that body, which in this case serves to enhance Goku's more quirky nature. Sort of like...it fits because it doesn't fit. Combine that with spectacular acting on Nozawa's part that totally nailed all of the aspects of the character, and I totally get why Toriyama picked her. I don't want to think about who will replace her when the time comes, they'll have huge shoes to fill.
My only misgiving is that I wish only Goku had kept his original Japanese voice actor into adulthood. It would have made the strangeness of his voice stand out all the more, in effect making the character more memorable. All the other characters who kept their original voice actors into adulthood (or childhood, in the case of Trunks) aren't strange--or rather, aren't nearly as strange--as Goku, so I don't know that it was a decision that made sense across the board. In terms of acting, though, the Japanese cast all delivered great performances, so that compensates for it.
When "voice acting" is discussed, I've seen the words "voice" and "acting" used interchangeably. I don't use them interchangeably and classify them as such:
-VOICE: I judge a voice based on whether or not it fits the character and looks like a voice that would belong to that character.
-ACTING: I judge acting based on how convinced I am, as a viewer, that the character is experiencing the emotions that the actor is displaying (or vocalizing) on screen.
With that out of the way...
I first heard Nozawa's Goku from a clip posted on YouTube in 2006, when Goku does a X3 Kaioken to power up against Vegeta. My initial reaction--and the initial reaction of all my friends when I showed them--was one giant utterance of, "WHAT. THE. F***!? Why in the hell did they get a woman to play someone who is obviously an adult man!?" Keep in mind, every international dub cast an adult male voice actor for adult Goku, so this wasn't just my reaction alone. My issue wasn't that it wasn't super-manly, but rather, my issue was that it so obviously wasn't a male voice, attached to a character whose appearance was so obviously male. I would cite Peter Kelamis--or, even in Japanese, Kappei Yamaguchi--as an example of a voice that is not manly, but still identifiably male. That's what I expected to hear when I first pulled up the clip, and I was shocked that it wasn't what I thought it'd be.
My initial reaction had nothing to do with it being in Japanese. Actually, my first exposure to Kikuchi's score was with the 5.1 English dub track (with Kikuchi music) on the orange bricks, and I fell in love with it from the first note, not to mention the moments of silence. It just took me a long time to accept Nozawa's performance because I felt that, while her acting was perfectly fine, the voice in and of itself did not sound like it could come out of that body at all.
And, honestly? I still don't think the voice fits (adult) Goku at all. However--rather ironically--I've come to love it for that very reason.
Goku is a very strange, quirky guy. So in a way, Nozawa's voice fits adult Goku in the sense that it sounds very, very, very quirky and strange. The voice doesn't sound like it would come out of that body, which in this case serves to enhance Goku's more quirky nature. Sort of like...it fits because it doesn't fit. Combine that with spectacular acting on Nozawa's part that totally nailed all of the aspects of the character, and I totally get why Toriyama picked her. I don't want to think about who will replace her when the time comes, they'll have huge shoes to fill.
My only misgiving is that I wish only Goku had kept his original Japanese voice actor into adulthood. It would have made the strangeness of his voice stand out all the more, in effect making the character more memorable. All the other characters who kept their original voice actors into adulthood (or childhood, in the case of Trunks) aren't strange--or rather, aren't nearly as strange--as Goku, so I don't know that it was a decision that made sense across the board. In terms of acting, though, the Japanese cast all delivered great performances, so that compensates for it.
Last edited by TheBlackPaladin on Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
A "rather haggard" translation of a line from Future Gohan in DBZ, provided to FUNimation by Toei:
"To think of fighting that is this fun...so, it was pleasant fight, as many as, therefore is a feeling which is good the fight where."
"To think of fighting that is this fun...so, it was pleasant fight, as many as, therefore is a feeling which is good the fight where."
-
Captain Sauza
- Beyond Newbie
- Posts: 129
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:05 pm
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
I know some Japan dub purists hate Sean Schemmel, but I thought he did the best dub of Goku. I don't think I'll ever get used to Goku's voice in the JP dub.
"We are Cooler's Armored Squadron!" *performs Sauza fighting pose*
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
The movies were my first experience with the Japanese cast. The initial reaction was positive as many of the movies start with goofy Goku which is certainly one of the places Nozawa excels. As I got into battle scenes and heard her screams, I won't lie, I was a bit taken aback and found it somewhat grating.
Over time, as I watched the entire series in Japanese, the apprehension and grating seemed to just melt away. Her voice became synonymous with the character and now I find it almost impossible to watch Dragon Ball in English unless I'm hearing Kelamis at his best...and his best, to me, is when he's imitating Nozawa.
Schemmel does a relatively decent job in Kai but I can't stand him as a person so that gets in the way.
Over time, as I watched the entire series in Japanese, the apprehension and grating seemed to just melt away. Her voice became synonymous with the character and now I find it almost impossible to watch Dragon Ball in English unless I'm hearing Kelamis at his best...and his best, to me, is when he's imitating Nozawa.
Schemmel does a relatively decent job in Kai but I can't stand him as a person so that gets in the way.
Follow me on Twitter for countless shitposts.
Deadtuber.
Deadtuber.
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
Yes, he was definitely awesome as Goku but he made him sound a little smarter than he should have been. But that's not completely Schemmel's fault. The translator is also responsible.Captain Sauza wrote:I know some Japan dub purists hate Sean Schemmel, but I thought he did the best dub of Goku. I don't think I'll ever get used to Goku's voice in the JP dub.
Spoiler:
-
TheBlackPaladin
- I Live Here
- Posts: 3772
- Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:05 pm
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
Well, when talking about Schemmel's performance, it almost requires that we identify what time period we're talking about. The character that he played when he first took over the role in "Season 3," and the character that he's playing now both have the name Goku, but that's about the only similarity. As far as I'm concerned, now he's playing Goku. In "Season 3," he was playing.......someone else. Which has a lot to do with the fact that he was directed to play someone else, and the scripts he was given were dialogue from someone else. Not Goku.Captain Sauza wrote:I know some Japan dub purists hate Sean Schemmel, but I thought he did the best dub of Goku. I don't think I'll ever get used to Goku's voice in the JP dub.
A "rather haggard" translation of a line from Future Gohan in DBZ, provided to FUNimation by Toei:
"To think of fighting that is this fun...so, it was pleasant fight, as many as, therefore is a feeling which is good the fight where."
"To think of fighting that is this fun...so, it was pleasant fight, as many as, therefore is a feeling which is good the fight where."
-
Gyt Kaliba
- Kicks it Old-School
- Posts: 8861
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:38 am
- Location: Arkansas
- Contact:
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
It really can be hard to separate distaste for someone as a person from their performance, can't it? I still have a bit of a twinge when I hear Crispin Freeman sometimes, and what caused my slight dislike for him was something extremely minor that I got over pretty quickly too.AjayLikesGaming wrote:Schemmel does a relatively decent job in Kai but I can't stand him as a person so that gets in the way.
AniManga Travelogue - Currently Reviewing: Dragon Ball (Z)
Twitter
Switch Friend Code: SW-0745-6427-7791 (let's play some Dragon Ball: The Breakers!)
Switch Friend Code: SW-0745-6427-7791 (let's play some Dragon Ball: The Breakers!)
-
Ryu-Ken Bakuhatsu
- Beyond Newbie
- Posts: 121
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:40 pm
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
My introduction to Masako Nozawa was playing Final Bout in 2000.
My reaction was very postive - "Of course! That's how Goku sounds in Japanese, cool!".
But now the line goes "Of course! That's how Goku sounds [full stop]".
I loved her vocal range between forms, and how damn cool she made Super Saiyan 4 Goku sound.
If you're a Nozawa fan, regardless of whatever you think of SSj4 or GT in general surely you've gotta admit the voice is just. so. cool.
A particularly vivid memory is the time that I first heard the Budokai 1 redition of "クリリンのことか" (Are you talking about Kuririn!?). This goes for all reditions of that line, for that matter, it just happens the Budokai 1 version was the 1st version I experienced. Just the pure raw emotion Nozawa displays, she must have truly felt that loss as much as Goku did, the two best friends having been together for so long and Nozawa having had voiced Goku since day one truly allows her to be invested into the character, his friends, and his fiercest rivals in ways that others can't. I get chills everytime.
For many years, what could be perhaps described as "the Goku in me", I was incapable of recognising that it was a woman - let alone an old lady like Masako Nozawa. I can hear her Goku's reaction right now - "EH!? IT'S A WOMAN!?".
My reaction was very postive - "Of course! That's how Goku sounds in Japanese, cool!".
But now the line goes "Of course! That's how Goku sounds [full stop]".
I loved her vocal range between forms, and how damn cool she made Super Saiyan 4 Goku sound.
If you're a Nozawa fan, regardless of whatever you think of SSj4 or GT in general surely you've gotta admit the voice is just. so. cool.
A particularly vivid memory is the time that I first heard the Budokai 1 redition of "クリリンのことか" (Are you talking about Kuririn!?). This goes for all reditions of that line, for that matter, it just happens the Budokai 1 version was the 1st version I experienced. Just the pure raw emotion Nozawa displays, she must have truly felt that loss as much as Goku did, the two best friends having been together for so long and Nozawa having had voiced Goku since day one truly allows her to be invested into the character, his friends, and his fiercest rivals in ways that others can't. I get chills everytime.
For many years, what could be perhaps described as "the Goku in me", I was incapable of recognising that it was a woman - let alone an old lady like Masako Nozawa. I can hear her Goku's reaction right now - "EH!? IT'S A WOMAN!?".
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
What did he do? This is a serious question.AjayLikesGaming wrote:
Schemmel does a relatively decent job in Kai but I can't stand him as a person so that gets in the way.
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
I really liked it the moment I heard her voice. I have to admit, she fits very well, and I always have thought that, even after being used to Schemmel's Goku, which also isn't any bad. The fact that he was voiced by a woman didn't matter to me.. For one thing, I liked Schemmel's lighter side of goku. So well, a voice that is naturally chipper and cute sounding is great. I really like her serious moments too though.. Keeping the light tone of goku's voice, but also being very angry and emotional.. It's great :p
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
I saw half an episode of GT on the International Channel, and was weirded out, but I think that was more the entire atmosphere of the Japanese version being different than "step into da graaaand tour", probably me hearing Japanese at all for the first time, Goku's penis in the OP; I was young. I don't even remember if GT had been localized yet, so maybe I had double-no-idea what was going on.
When I sat down and made a point to actively watch the show as it was made, I couldn't have cared less. That was the voice and I accepted it. Grew to love it. Even without that emotional attachment, I don't hear what is "disgusting" about it. It... is a voice.
When I sat down and made a point to actively watch the show as it was made, I couldn't have cared less. That was the voice and I accepted it. Grew to love it. Even without that emotional attachment, I don't hear what is "disgusting" about it. It... is a voice.
Keen Observation of Dragon Ball Z Movie 4's Climax wrote:Slug shits to see the genki
-
dbboxkaifan
- Banned
- Posts: 8906
- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:32 pm
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
From the early 2000's I downloaded episodes of DBZ with the Japanese audio uncut and from the get go it grew on me so I just wanted more but being that the fansub was AHQ and kind of hard I gave up for a while (half way it was dubbed in English then back to Japanese). Masako's performance is flawless, minus in Kai as she's aged.
Now I own the entire Z & GT series, TV-Specials and films (still need to get 3 DVDs of the 13 films to complete it -- DB is complete). No need to get anything illegally any more.
By the way, it was through YouTube that I encountered my ideal English Goku, i.e, Peter Kelamis (I loathe Schemmel's Goku).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuViG2-w_To
Now I own the entire Z & GT series, TV-Specials and films (still need to get 3 DVDs of the 13 films to complete it -- DB is complete). No need to get anything illegally any more.
By the way, it was through YouTube that I encountered my ideal English Goku, i.e, Peter Kelamis (I loathe Schemmel's Goku).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuViG2-w_ToFUNimation 2015 Releases I want:
- Kai 2.0 on Blu-ray
- Kai 2.0 on Blu-ray
Re: Initial Reaction to Nozawa as Goku
This was also my reaction, albeit with the Orange Brick DVDs(yes I know). I admit, it took a little bit to get used to, and while Schemmel is still the first voice I think of when I think of Goku, Nozawa is still great as Goku.SSJ4 Furanki wrote:'Huh? Sounds a lot different than the English one', was about my reaction when I popped in the Super Saiyan transformation DVD. I also remember liking Kikuchi's score more based on my first reaction compared to the replacement score.
Zephyr wrote:Toriyama's not breaking into everyone's homes and editing your copy of the manga with a pen to include Goku's mom and this "blasphemous" information about her.