"Getting Used To" The Original Version

[Gyt Kaliba]

Hmm...let's see here.

Hardest: Watching something that long subtitled in the first place. I'm not going to lie, at the time I watched through the franchise subbed, I was primarily a 'Dubbie'. Hell, I'm still kind of primarily a 'Dubbie'. Unless a dub is just literally god-awfully bad (or if I grew up with it and thus can kind of wade my way through it better than I might otherwise be able to do, IE the old dub...for the most part...), or if the material has a constantly changing English cast, then I tend to watch dubs of something more often than I watch subs. It's nothing against the original versions, by any means - I just tend to prefer watching dubs. It's a lot easier to multi-task while watching them. Now, for things that don't have dubs or the dubs are in one of those categories I mentioned before, I have no problem watching something subtitled. There are also cases where I love something so much that I've just gotta check out at multiple versions of it, or at the very least the original Japanese as well as the dub, even if the dub is fine to me. Cases like that exist for me in titles like Digimon, Lupin the 3rd (though I'm probably about as close to sub-only as I'll ever be on anything, there), pretty much all of Masakazu Katsura's works, and of course, Dragon Ball.

At the time that I first started watching the series through subbed though? I had probably watched maybe four or five things subtitled, and they were all smaller incidental things, like the JSAT, the first Broly movie, and an episode here or there. So actually going through with watching a franchise that, at that time anyway, consisted of 508 episodes, 17 films, and a myriad of other smaller little productions, in subtitled format, was quite a trial by fire. In doing so I had to take a break pretty much in-between each 'Season' (as I was working with the Season Sets, outside of Boxes 1 and 5 anyway), while watching movies/specials along the way based on where they would seemingly take place to some degree. Again, not because I wasn't liking what I was seeing and hearing at long last, but just because watching that much subtitled material in a row can just tire me out really quickly for some reason (and I love to read!). There's a reason I'm still burning through Fist of the North Star at a pretty slow pace.

Easiest: The score and Mayumi Tanaka's Kuririn. This is kind of harder for me to pick something out for, since really it all came pretty easily to me as I went along (I do agree wholeheartedly with the notion that Nozawa's Goku becomes a lot easier to take at face value when he's an adult if you've first heard it grow throughout Dragon Ball, tough), so I've kind of went with the two things that have stuck with me the most coming out of watching it all. I was already familiar with the different Japanese score from clips online and my few forays into watching certain things subbed, and I think on some level I was also aware from years before that Dragon Ball had never gotten a dub score at all. I already knew I kind of liked what I heard (and it was, among other things, one of the reasons I wanted to check it all out in the first place), but it wasn't until hearing it all the time that I really fell in love with it. That said though, I still enjoy the Falcouner score or at least pieces of it, even if I never really watch it with that score anymore, and extending to vocal songs, I don't quite have the same level of love for Kageyama that most do. I'm also fine with us getting newer composers over time, like we hav - er, had - with Kai, and now have with the newest films and Super. That's a whole other ball game in of itself though... The main thing with the score that really aided me though was it became much easier to treat the entire franchise as essentially one long narrative rather than separate series. I mean, DB always lead into Z and Z into GT, but with the same (or at least far more similar) scores in each of them, it became a lot easier for me to shift naturally from one story arc in-between series to another, while just thinking of it as Dragon Ball, period.

Tanaka's Kuririn though, is possibly the most major thing that made me fall in love with the character anew. I think I had always kind of liked the character, and I still absolutely love Steele and Strait's performances as well (not so crazy about Klassen admittedly though), and I'm sure just watching everything in order helped a lot as well, but I can't deny that hearing her characterization played a big part in why the lil' bald guy quickly became my favorite character, and the one that I find it easiest to identify with in the entire franchise. It's just that good.

[Lord Beerus]

Hardest part: Goku's JPN voice. Okay, at first it was quite a jarring experience because I had gotten kinda used to Schemmel's Goku but after about 10 episodes or so Nozawa's Goku really started to grow on me.

Easiest part: Kikuchi, hands down. His Dragon Ball and for Dragon Ball Z is just phenomenal.

[Zephyr]

Looking back on my oldest post here pertaining to this broad topic of different versions, from when I was a dubbie, it seems that the voices were my primary concern. So I'd say that's what I had the most trouble getting used to.

[TheGreatness25]

I don't want to sound like "that guy," but I'll be honest - I didn't have any difficulty "getting used to" the Japanese version. I knew that it was from Japan because back in 1998 or so, it was crazy popular and kids would have folders full of pictures and summaries and whatnot of DB stuff that they got off the internet. Because of that, we kind of knew that it continued past the part where Goku lands on Namek back in its home land of Japan. So I knew it was Japanese.

My first exposure to the Japanese voices was in 1999 when my parents bought me Dragon Ball Final Bout and Z Legends for the PS1. Both were imports that they found in China Town and knew I'd like them, so they got those games for me. I was so excited that I was getting exposure to the "original" DB and felt so cool, almost as if I was experiencing a part of the show that most of my peers weren't. And so I really took to it and was excited over it. Even then in 1999, when I was 11 years old, I separated the DB franchise into Japanese and American.

[B]

TheGreatness25's experience drastically resembles my own; just replace Final Bout with Ultimate Battle 22. It never occurred to me to think, for a single second out of the hours I spent playing that game, "Why are there no English voices?" or "Why do they sound like this?" I can't say for certain that I remember knowing if it was from Japan or not, but I had virtually no "learning curve" when it came to "accepting" the Japanese version.

Another good example was when I got my hands FUNimation's release of the GT TV Special. I watched it dubbed first, then played around in the settings looking for any special features, found the Japanese with subtitles option, and watched the movie again. My only recurring thought was "Wow, the music is different and the words are super-different." It didn't bother me so much as it confused me why that was so, and I didn't have any real opinion on the voices. (I know that special features Goku Jr., and most dub fans are probably indifferent when Masako Nozawa's voice comes out of a tiny Goku, but still. I wasn't fazed at all at the end when the GhoOoOoOost(?) of Classic Goku pops up and Nozawa starts talking)

[Thouser]

I'll admit that I do think it sounds like 60's/70's martial arts movie music, or "Godzilla music" as I called it as a kid, but that's what DragonBall is: a bombastic over-the-top martial arts series. So it fits perfectly.

Fun fact: Kikuchi actually did the soundtrack for several of the Gamera movies, which was basically cheap Godzilla with a giant turtle instead of a dinosaur. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1lz_oZvgJic)

As for the idea of "getting used to" the Japanese version, that didn't really happen with me. Long before I actually watched Dragon Ball in Japanese, I knew that the dub was heavily altered. When I finally watched it in Japanese, I of course noticed the differences, but I never felt like the Japanese version was "wrong." It seems like a lot of people have to get used to Nozawa after being raised on Sean Schemmel, but when I heard Nozawa as Goku for the first time, all I thought was "Wow, they really changed Goku in the dub."

[Black_Anime_Fan]

My first exposure to Dragon Ball as a whole was my dad buying me Ultimate Battle 22 for the PS1. This was 2003, literally right after the Toonami broadcast of DBZ ended, and I was maybe about 5 or 6 at the time. Ultimate Battle 22 had all Japanese voices and as a 6 year old, who cares right? That game was terrible but again, 6 years old, played that game thoroughly and the music was amazing. Then sooner or later that year they started airing Dragon Ball on Toonami and the rest is history. I will say this, going back and watching the entire series subbed was a piece of cake for me, and I think it has to do with UB22.

Hardest: The soundtrack, a lot of the music was waaaay overused.

Easiest: The soundtrack again. I know what you're thinking, and yeah a lot of songs were a bit overused, but they were gooood. Never bothered me that Bruce Faulconer music didn't play, I started off watching the series with Dragon Ball anyway.

[s841]

Hardest: Masako Nozawa as adult Goku. Just was kinda weird to hear a woman Goku but I got kinda used to it now.

Easiest: The opening and closing credits.

[Son Edo]

I never watch the dub anymore. From about 2011 to now, I only watch it in Japanese.

[Son Gohan 1995]

Hardest: Goku's voice, but this didn't take very long, once I started listening to it with an open mind I was hooked.

Easiest: everything else really. I was already familiar somewhat with the japanese version, as we had a collection of clips on our computer in the early. The scene that got me hooked permanently was Son Gohan's ssj2 transformation.

[baneofdemon22]

At first it was tough to accept Goku's voice while watching Dragon Ball Z, but I appreciated the acting. As I kept watching, I accepted it, and it made it impossible to think anyone else could be Goku besides Masako Nozawa. When I went back and watched Dragon Ball, and worked by way up to Dragon Ball Z, I saw how naturally the voice evolved, and I found no awkwardness in my transition to Z. I really appreciated getting the same actress playing the same character from infancy to adulthood. I am truly thankful to Masako Nozawa for her dedication. Thanks to her Goku, is my favorite fictional character.

I had no problem adjusting to anything else. It was and is perfect. I feel blessed to find a show with such beautiful voice acting, music, and animation.

[Soppa Saia People]

Basically I read the manga first and then watch the dub, and I hated the fact that it was diffent so I switch the voices and I loved it.
Easiest : the music as I already knew about and loved it
Hardest : reading and watching

[Ree]

Easiest: i guess the music? although its not my favorite.
Hardest: voices but namely Goku, still dont like it.

[Gaffer Tape]

I watched all 444 episodes and all movies in 2 months, it was that good. Masako Nozawa required a little bit of getting used to but everything else was perfect. It was all thanks to you and your dissection series that i became a purist and experienced the true version of the series. I am grateful to you for the rest of my life.

Thank you. That really means a lot to me. I am very glad I've had some kind of an impact on your fandom.

But just to clarify, I'm not expressing my surprise at watching the whole series in a short amount of time because I think there's something about the series that makes it unenjoyable to watch. I just don't see how anybody has the time! One, I'm lucky if I have time to watch one or two episodes in a single day. I have work, I have rehearsal, I have videos to make, I have some miniscule attempts at a social life. Two, even if I did have time, I just can't really marathon things. I can rarely watch more than one or two episodes of anything before I just feel compelled to do something else. And three, even when I spend a month or two watching one or two episodes of something every day, I lose interest. That's nothing against the material. I just feel compelled to do something else. I'll be in a Dragon Ball mood for a month or two, and then I'll go, "Hey, how about I watch some Star Trek?" And then I'll be in a Trek mood for a little while. And then I'll move on to something else. And then eventually I'll come back to Dragon Ball and be really into that for a little while. So, yeah, for those reasons, I find 444 episodes of anything in two months to be an impossible task!

[ABED]

I just don't see how anybody has the time!

It's easy if you get up at 4 in the morning. I usually get up around 4, watch TV until 8, then get ready for work and leave a little after 8:30.

[Draconic]

The language is the hardest part for me because watching shows in English, during more boring parts I can pump up the volume and go grab something to eat, take a piss, stuff lke that, without missing much from what is happening. Here, though, I really hold back from that until an episode is done, in fear of not losing anything. I just finished Dragon Ball, watching it in two weeks (+the 4 movies) and except the filler episodes, like Goku traveling before the 22nd TB or Goku and Chi Chi looking for the Basho Fan, I rarely looked away. It helps however that one episode is short.

Easiest part: It's Dragon Ball.

[Man-Child]

Man, I'd have to agree with the OP. Nozawa definitely took some getting used to. Growing up with the "hardcore" American DBZ , and hearing Goku dubbed by men, I mistakenly thought the Japanese voice was going to be even manlier sounding. Boy was I completely wrong, and shocked to find that Goku sounded like an elderly woman. I tried to convince myself that maybe his V.A. was just a young boy, but reading up on it, I discovered that it was indeed a woman. What helped me accept Nozawa and her voice was looking up the actual personality of the character, and finally seeing the sub of Dragon Ball. I fell in love with her kid Goku and realized that they simply kept one of the best actors on the show for him as an adult. After that, it was much easier to watch. I'd definitely recommend the same to newcomers of the Japanese version of the franchise. Always start with Dragon Ball.

As for the easiest thing to accept? What else but the cursing, violence, and general adult material! It was a blast to see DB and Z uncut as a kid. Blew my mind and made me want to watch much much more. As most kids would, I guess.

[sangofe]

Well, I have to admit, it was Goku's adult voice that was the hardest for me. It's quite different than this voice I grew up for Goku: https://youtu.be/iHM5FLK-SpM?t=516

[voltlunok]

The easiest part for me has to be Nozawa, it just took a little getting used to the voice, after that I was fine.

The hardest thing is kinda tied to the score but not entirely the scores fault...All the damn quiet! Don't get me wrong, I like quiet scenes but sometimes the quiet just over stays its welcome and I'm begging for something to start playing!

The part I couldn't get used to and kinda just tolerated. The score. It's just that Kikuchi's music didn't appeal to my musical palate. I get why some would like it but maaaan that music is not my cup of tea. Though I do have a fondness for certain tracks, I will admit that.

[Ajay]

Nozawa didn't actually take particularly long once I bothered to sit down and watch the series in Japanese. Any "issue" I had with her was simply me parroting nonsense I'd read elsewhere online. That pretty much vanished once I stopped being a stubborn idiot. Her screams were probably the toughest, I guess. They grate on me occasionally these days due to her age, but even those didn't take hugely long. She's been on fire for the last few episodes of Super. It's a night and day difference to her Boo Kai performance, that's for sure.

Honestly, the toughest was Yajirobe of all people. His voice was so bizarre sounding that I felt so uncomfortable every time he spoke. Got used to it after a while, but I'll never forget how much it freaked me out the first time around.

I guess the only other one was Piccolo. There was nothing wrong with it, but I was very used to McNeil's take on the character. Hearing a vastly difference take totally threw me off. I had the same issue when I first heard Sabat's Piccolo in Kai.