But seriously, how did the Falcouner soundtrack even make it to air?

[Bullza]

I always hear people going on about it, especially on YouTube. I saw no end of comments from people mentioning the possibility of Faulconers score being used to replace the Dragon Ball Super Japanese soundtrack.

Whenever I see clips of the dubbed Verizon of Kai there's usually always a top comment somewhere about how it isn't as good without the Faulconer score. I've seen a lot of people say they prefer Z to Kai just because of the music.

These Faulconer tracks have several hundred thousand (or millions for some) views.

It has nothing to do with nostalgia for me because I never saw the show on TV back then, when I first started watching the show it didn't even have the Faulconer score, there was some other American score on it.

The Kikuchi sounds really, really dated. For what is a 90's show it sounds like something that came out in the 70's. It's an action packed, intense and exciting show and the Japanese music makes it just plain boring because the music is dreary and repetitive as hell. All the most exciting moments like Vegeta turning Super Saiyan, him using the Final Flash, Goku turning Super Saiyan 3 etc are ruined with that music, it kills all the excitement in the scene.

Dragon Ball Supers soundtrack probably sounds more like the Faulconer one than the Kikuchi one as well.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I always hear people going on about it, especially on YouTube. I saw no end of comments from people mentioning the possibility of Faulconers score being used to replace the Dragon Ball Super Japanese soundtrack.

Whenever I see clips of the dubbed Verizon of Kai there's usually always a top comment somewhere about how it isn't as good without the Faulconer score. I've seen a lot of people say they prefer Z to Kai just because of the music.

Youtube is not representative of the entire western Dragon Ball fanbase. Even within the Youtube viewership a lot don't go near the comments. The fans who say Faulconer made the show what it is are simply a vocal minority that purposely invade the comments section lazily without a single way to back up their arguments. It takes much less time and effort to post on a new video saying "DBZ Kai sux cuz no Faulconer" than to write a well thought out constructive post that can lead to good conversations.

These Faulconer tracks have several hundred thousand (or millions for some) views.

Those videos have thousands of views because of brand name recognition, Dragon Ball sells regardless of music. Resurrection F was more successful than any Dragon Ball movie to date (including those with Faulconer productions replacement scores) and the lack of Faulconer didn't seem to have any impact.

The Kikuchi sounds really, really dated. For what is a 90's show it sounds like something that came out in the 70's. It's an action packed, intense and exciting show and the Japanese music makes it just plain boring because the music is dreary and repetitive as hell. All the most exciting moments like Vegeta turning Super Saiyan, him using the Final Flash, Goku turning Super Saiyan 3 etc are ruined with that music, it kills all the excitement in the scene.

It's meant to sound dated. Dragon Ball was based off a Chinese legend. Why shouldn't the score have a mythical vibe to it? It's not like some 90s show in an urban setting (which synth music would be more fitting for). I also don't see a problem with the score being repetitive. I prefer a score that is repetitive and uses motifs to remind us of the type of world the series is set in. John Williams uses repetition in his scores, but everyone loves his Star Wars score because the feel of the series is enriched by the unity of the score. In fact Kikuchi is not much different from Williams as both use similar instruments and create uniquely folktale-like atmospheres with their choice of instruments.

Dragon Ball Supers soundtrack probably sounds more like the Faulconer one than the Kikuchi one as well.

The Sumitomo score may sound more like Faulconer, but his dramatic pieces capture the epic fantasy tale overtone far better than Faulconer ever did. It is also more playful at times, which is also fitting for a series that started as a gag manga and is meant to be a fun story overall. Super also would have still been successful even if a more Kikuchi-like composer was hired because its a new Dragon Ball series, something many of us had been begging well over a decade for.

[PsionicWarrior]

IMHO watching the series without the original Kikuchi score is losing 50% of the ambiance the show provides. I never understood this need for production to change soundtracks depending on where you live, it denatures the show to me.
Kai ruined it too, unable to watch it because even in Japanese they changed the scores.

[Lord Beerus]

Faulconer has produced a few tolerable tracks such as the SSJ Theme, Vegeta's SSJ Theme, Gohan Power's Up and the SSJ3 Ascension Theme. But it's overall quality is greatly marred by a plateau of awful, droning, unfitting music that never knew when to shut the fuck up.

Kikuchi's score, on the other hand, fits Dragon Ball/Z perfectly. His score provides that grand and epic wuxia nature that Dragon Ball encompasses as a whole. It's rich, diverse and even if you're not into Dragon Ball/Z, it's just great music to listen to on its own. His musical contributions to Dragon Ball were immense and what made Dragon Ball/Z such a interactive experience. It goes without saying he is a fantastic composer, that captures the true essence of Dragon Ball through every track he has composed. From the comedic moments, to the heartwarming moments, to the sad moments and the intense/awesome moments. Nobody has been able to reach his level since he bowed out after Z ended. The only real fault I have with Kikuchi is that his tracks get a bit repetitive in the Majin Boo arc.

But out of curiosity since I'm no music expert, what makes the Faulconer's score more suitable than Kikuchi's?

Nothing at all. Nothing about Faulconer's score is any way more suitable than Kikuchi''s score. This comment isn't directed at you at all Boo Machine but I find it laughable when people would consider the Faulconer score more suitable than Kikuchi''s score.

Despite what people may believe, Dragon Ball (Z) isn't just all about the action. There are quite a few modest, poignant, and calm-before-the-storm moments, and the proper music can help highlight those kinds of scenarios. Kikuchi''s score manages to does that and Faulconer's score doesn't. Kikuchi''s score provides the ambiance, delicacy and proper tone that helps elevates moments like Gohan training with Piccolo for the arrival of the Saiyans, Goku arriving and saving Gohan from being killed by Nappa, Goku gathering energy for the Genki Dama (in any scenario), Goku becoming a Super Saiyan for the first time, Vegeta sacrificing himself to kill Majin Boo and Goku killing Kid Boo with the Genki Dama.

Faulconer's score constantly goes for the big and bombastic direction with every track, and as such, any sort of proper harmony with the tone of the scene is lost and backgorund music consequentially also just feels like noise that just happens to playing while there is a scene going on. This is especially jarring, and personally quite grating, for moments where there doesn't need to be any music. Faulconer's score, and it's implementation of it, singlehandedly ruins one of the most powerful moments in the show with Gohan becoming a SSJ2. It's blaring and droning music destroys the ambiance of the scene. Making it less of a calm-before-the-storm moment that suddenly erupts into something powerful and triumphant, but instead feels like "screaming/action scene #52" with generic the music infused into it.

The Faulconer score doesn't do anything to elevate any moment in the show and make it stand out. Kikuchi''s score bring more out of the scene, with the music not just being great music on its own, but being very fitting for the context of the scene it was used in. As I stated before, Kikuchi''s score is diverse, which helped by the fact it was done by a live orchestra, so the tracks don't blend with each-other like Faulconer score does. Kikuchi''s score is the perfect mold for the kind of show Dragon Ball Z is. Faulconer's score would honestl fit more with a Transformers TV show from the 80s than marital arts wuxia influenced TV show like Dragon Ball Z.

[dario03]

I don't know. I find it a little hard to believe that the Faulconer score is one of the major factors that made DBZ popular in the states. It's just never one of the things I hear when people talk about how much they like the show here.

I hate to play the nostalgia card, but how many of the people who like the score now, like it because they grew up with it? I hear all the time that people who grew up with it eventually loving the original score better, but I rarely, if ever, hear people who mainly watched the show with the original Japanese score say they like Faulconers tracks.

Friends who grew up with me watching the show, barely even remember the music, aside from Vegetas piano theme, or sometimes Cells theme. And my cousin who wanted to get into the series when he was 9 didn't have a single issue with the the Kikuchi score and in fact pointed out that he loved this particular track - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFGY-PciwFU .
So I feel like the show would have been just as popular with it.

But out of curiosity since I'm no music expert, what makes the Faulconers score more suitable than Kikuchi's?

I watched DBZ dubbed and subbed at around the same time so I actually saw quite a bit of the Japanese version before anything with Faulconer. I like both, some scenes I like the original more, some Faulconer but overall I would say I like Faulconers more. Actually my biggest issue with Faulconers was the constant playing though I also feel that the Japanese is a bit to quiet at times.

[8000 Saiyan]

Faulconer has produced a few tolerable tracks such as the SSJ Theme, Vegeta's SSJ Theme, Gohan Power's Up and the SSJ3 Ascension Theme. But it's overall quality is greatly marred by a plateau of awful, droning, unfitting music that never knew when to shut the fuck up.

Kikuchi's score, on the other hand, fits Dragon Ball/Z perfectly. His score provides that grand and epic wuxia nature that Dragon Ball encompasses as a whole. It's rich, diverse and even if you're not into Dragon Ball/Z, it's just great music to listen to on its own. His musical contributions to Dragon Ball were immense and what made Dragon Ball/Z such a interactive experience. It goes without saying he is a fantastic composer, that captures the true essence of Dragon Ball through every track he has composed. From the comedic moments, to the heartwarming moments, to the sad moments and the intense/awesome moments. Nobody has been able to reach his level since he bowed out after Z ended. The only real fault I have with Kikuchi is that his tracks get a bit repetitive in the Majin Boo arc.

But out of curiosity since I'm no music expert, what makes the Faulconer's score more suitable than Kikuchi's?

Nothing at all. Nothing about Faulconer's score is any way more suitable than Kikuchi''s score. This comment isn't directed at you at all Boo Machine but I find it laughable when people would consider the Faulconer score more suitable than Kikuchi''s score.

Despite what people may believe, Dragon Ball (Z) isn't just all about the action. There are quite a few modest, poignant, and calm-before-the-storm moments, and the proper music can help highlight those kinds of scenarios. Kikuchi''s score manages to does that and Faulconer's score doesn't. Kikuchi''s score provides the ambiance, delicacy and proper tone that helps elevates moments like Gohan training with Piccolo for the arrival of the Saiyans, Goku arriving and saving Gohan from being killed by Nappa, Goku gathering energy for the Genki Dama (in any scenario), Goku becoming a Super Saiyan for the first time, Vegeta sacrificing himself to kill Majin Boo and Goku killing Kid Boo with the Genki Dama.

Faulconer's score constantly goes for the big and bombastic direction with every track, and as such, any sort of proper harmony with the tone of the scene is lost and backgorund music consequentially also just feels like noise that just happens to playing while there is a scene going on. This is especially jarring, and personally quite grating, for moments where there doesn't need to be any music. Faulconer's score, and it's implementation of it, singlehandedly ruins one of the most powerful moments in the show with Gohan becoming a SSJ2. It's blaring and droning music destroys the ambiance of the scene. Making it less of a calm-before-the-storm moment that suddenly erupts into something powerful and triumphant, but instead feels like "screaming/action scene #52" with generic the music infused into it.

The Faulconer score doesn't do anything to elevate any moment in the show and make it stand out. Kikuchi''s score bring more out of the scene, with the music not just being great music on its own, but being very fitting for the context of the scene it was used in. As I stated before, Kikuchi''s score is diverse, which helped by the fact it was done by a live orchestra, so the tracks don't blend with each-other like Faulconer score does. Kikuchi''s score is the perfect mold for the kind of show Dragon Ball Z is. Faulconer's score would honestl fit more with a Transformers TV show from the 80s than marital arts wuxia influenced TV show like Dragon Ball Z.

The Faulconer score would be too hardcore for the 80's Transformers cartoon.

[Lord Beerus]

Faulconer has produced a few tolerable tracks such as the SSJ Theme, Vegeta's SSJ Theme, Gohan Power's Up and the SSJ3 Ascension Theme. But it's overall quality is greatly marred by a plateau of awful, droning, unfitting music that never knew when to shut the fuck up.

Kikuchi's score, on the other hand, fits Dragon Ball/Z perfectly. His score provides that grand and epic wuxia nature that Dragon Ball encompasses as a whole. It's rich, diverse and even if you're not into Dragon Ball/Z, it's just great music to listen to on its own. His musical contributions to Dragon Ball were immense and what made Dragon Ball/Z such a interactive experience. It goes without saying he is a fantastic composer, that captures the true essence of Dragon Ball through every track he has composed. From the comedic moments, to the heartwarming moments, to the sad moments and the intense/awesome moments. Nobody has been able to reach his level since he bowed out after Z ended. The only real fault I have with Kikuchi is that his tracks get a bit repetitive in the Majin Boo arc.

But out of curiosity since I'm no music expert, what makes the Faulconer's score more suitable than Kikuchi's?

Nothing at all. Nothing about Faulconer's score is any way more suitable than Kikuchi''s score. This comment isn't directed at you at all Boo Machine but I find it laughable when people would consider the Faulconer score more suitable than Kikuchi''s score.

Despite what people may believe, Dragon Ball (Z) isn't just all about the action. There are quite a few modest, poignant, and calm-before-the-storm moments, and the proper music can help highlight those kinds of scenarios. Kikuchi''s score manages to does that and Faulconer's score doesn't. Kikuchi''s score provides the ambiance, delicacy and proper tone that helps elevates moments like Gohan training with Piccolo for the arrival of the Saiyans, Goku arriving and saving Gohan from being killed by Nappa, Goku gathering energy for the Genki Dama (in any scenario), Goku becoming a Super Saiyan for the first time, Vegeta sacrificing himself to kill Majin Boo and Goku killing Kid Boo with the Genki Dama.

Faulconer's score constantly goes for the big and bombastic direction with every track, and as such, any sort of proper harmony with the tone of the scene is lost and backgorund music consequentially also just feels like noise that just happens to playing while there is a scene going on. This is especially jarring, and personally quite grating, for moments where there doesn't need to be any music. Faulconer's score, and it's implementation of it, singlehandedly ruins one of the most powerful moments in the show with Gohan becoming a SSJ2. It's blaring and droning music destroys the ambiance of the scene. Making it less of a calm-before-the-storm moment that suddenly erupts into something powerful and triumphant, but instead feels like "screaming/action scene #52" with generic the music infused into it.

The Faulconer score doesn't do anything to elevate any moment in the show and make it stand out. Kikuchi''s score bring more out of the scene, with the music not just being great music on its own, but being very fitting for the context of the scene it was used in. As I stated before, Kikuchi''s score is diverse, which helped by the fact it was done by a live orchestra, so the tracks don't blend with each-other like Faulconer score does. Kikuchi''s score is the perfect mold for the kind of show Dragon Ball Z is. Faulconer's score would honestly fit more with a Transformers TV show from the 80s than marital arts wuxia influenced TV show like Dragon Ball Z.

The Faulconer score would be too hardcore for the 80's Transformers cartoon.

I'm not sure about that. The overabundance of electric guitars and synthesizers would fit 80s animated Transformers perfectly, in my opinion.

[NitroEX]

I've noticed this for quite a few years now and it's part of the reason I struggle to enjoy many Z episodes of the Funi dub (which are only compounded by other issues such as poor mixing, amateur voiceover/directing, script issues or questionable casting).

While I was still in my mid-teens I had a slightly higher opinion of Faulconer score, I remembered it more fondly from playing Legacy of Goku 2 and Buu's Fury rather than the actual show itself (since I predominantly had Ocean dubs for Z on TV), but now that I'm in my 20 and I have a more refined taste in music overall (as well as having heard plenty of anime and cartoon scores), it's become blatantly apparent just how poor the production quality of Faulconer's music actually was in the show. As previously mentioned, while there are some good compositions in there it's all mostly cheap sounding midi. A lot of the instruments sound obnoxiously electronic or synthesized like they were produced on some sort of electronic keyboard, Perfect Cell's theme and Pikkon's theme are perfect examples of this cheap and tacky sound, it genuinely feels more appropriate for a video game of that era or something you'd have found on Newgrounds by an amateur musician rather than a professional score for an Asian martial arts anime like DBZ. Granted, some of Ron Wasserman's score for the first 53 episodes also sounded like they had some midi going on but in that case, he at least seemed to be aware of his limitations and knew how to compensate for his lack of musical budget, he wisely stayed away from electronic noises and instead favoured drumbeats and dark ethereal sounds. That score was also not meant to be the focus of attention for most scenes in the show, Faulconer's score, on the other hand, seemed to constantly compete for audience attention and distract from the performance either by inserting obnoxious character themes or erratic musical cues as a half-hearted attempt at mickey-mousing. There are many scenes that would benefit from the music shutting up for a second or taking a back seat but instead, it changes erratically almost as if to say "look at me, I'm doing a thing!". It just demonstrates a lack of restraint and comes off as annoying half the time.

For all of Menza's faults like his dull repetitive scores in GT, his music at least sounded like it was professionally produced and of a much higher standard of quality than Faulconer, it also had more restraint overall and knew when to simmer down, at least for the movies that I remember. The same can be said of the various musicians who made the tracks that were used throughout the Westwood dub, they all had a professional high-quality sound, none of the guitar tracks contained any cheap/fake-sounding guitar riffs or any other instruments for that matter, they all sounded genuine, even the odd jazzy track. The repetitive use of that music was not ideal but at no point did I find those tracks unfitting for the anime they were used in, in fact, I think they suit the early-mid 90s anime aesthetic quite well.

[ABED]

Honestly it's funny that you call his statement hyperbole; yours can easily be said to be hyperbole as well.

Feel free to elaborate.

The Kikuchi sounds really, really dated. For what is a 90's show it sounds like something that came out in the 70's. It's an action packed, intense and exciting show and the Japanese music makes it just plain boring because the music is dreary and repetitive as hell. All the most exciting moments like Vegeta turning Super Saiyan, him using the Final Flash, Goku turning Super Saiyan 3 etc are ruined with that music, it kills all the excitement in the scene.

And the Faulconer score sounded dated in 1999. DB is not just a product of its era, it's also heavily influenced by old Kung Fu movies. That sort of score fits the aesthetic. What's with this obsession to make everything look/sound new even when it's clearly not? The music just needs to fit the mood of the scenes. Faulconer's score doesn't do that. All it seems to be able to do is accentuate the action, and was more often than not unmemorable. There are a few tracks I can remember simply due to the number of times I've seen the dub, but overall, it runs together. Nowhere is the shortcomings of his score more evident than Goku turning Super Saiyan for the first time. The original score is atmospheric and foreboding. I can't even remember what the hell played during a watershed moment for the series.

[GreatSaiyaJeff]

I admit it's partial nostalgia but overall the Faulconer score is enjoyable. Like all soundtracks there are hits and misses. Pikon's theme and Trunk's Story hit an emotional core of what the series can be. I do agree some of the Freeza score is kind of a miss, but by the time of the Trunks saga, it hit it's stride.

I'll agree here. Early Freeza stuff has a few gems but it's mostly filler. By Trunks it's definitely hit a stride and by Buu it's near flawless save for the constant playing.

Honestly the only memorable theme from the Freeza saga was the ginyu theme. The rest was kind of forgettable.

[Hellspawn28]

I think kids can enjoy anything if they find it entertaining. As a kid, I even enjoy the music from Akira Ifukube in the old Showa Godzilla movies and it didn't bother me as a kid if the music was dated by 90's standers at the time. I feel like kids watching Dragon Ball would be no different if the dub had music from Shunsuke Kikuchi. Kai did well on Nick Toons and that had Shunsuke Kikuchi's music in it too IIRC.

[Bullza]

Youtube is not representative of the entire western Dragon Ball fanbase.

Well nothing would be a representation of the entire western fanbase. I said it's what I have seen and heard myself. Not an overall consensus. Just because they're people writing a 30 second comment on a YouTube video instead of an over long analysis on here doesn't make any difference.

Those videos have thousands of views because of brand name recognition

They also have significantly more views than music from the other soundtracks which share that same brand recognition. More people go out of their way to look the Faulconer tracks than any other alternative.

It's meant to sound dated. Dragon Ball was based off a Chinese legend. Why shouldn't the score have a mythical vibe to it?

That's Dragon Ball, the music fits with better with Dragon Ball where it was based on an old Chinese story, Journey to the West and involved Martial Arts Tournaments.

That is not Dragon Ball Z, that show does not have that mythical vibe. It's a Sci-Fi action series with super powered fighting aliens and robots. It shouldn't sound like what it sounds like. It's not what Dragon Ball Kai or Dragon Ball Super sound like either.

Battle of Gods and Resurrection F also have a soundtrack that is much more like Faulconers score than Kikuchi's.

[ABED]

DBZ IS Dragon Ball. This ridiculous bifurcation of DB and DBZ is irritating. DBZ doesn't play off of Journey to the West, but the roots of the show are still present. Given how close in style and tone the end of DB and the beginning of DBZ are, there is no good reason to give the shows two different scores.

It's a Sci-Fi action series with super powered fighting aliens and robots.

That doesn't imply a need for a cheap techno score. Those super powered aliens still fight using concepts like ki, not to mention DB always had sci-fi elements.

[Zephyr]

That's Dragon Ball, the music fits with better with Dragon Ball where it was based on an old Chinese story, Journey to the West and involved Martial Arts Tournaments.

That is not Dragon Ball Z, that show does not have that mythical vibe. It's a Sci-Fi action series with super powered fighting aliens and robots. It shouldn't sound like what it sounds like. It's not what Dragon Ball Kai or Dragon Ball Super sound like either.

Only Dragon Ball's first arc is based on Journey to the West. And Z had martial arts tournaments as well.

This is a purely circular argument. It hinges on the premise that "Z is totally different!", when in fact the very idea stems from the fact that Funimation needlessly made their adaptation of Z totally different. Z feels less mystical because they actively censored as many of the mystical undertones they could. Z feels less mystical because they actively replaced the music that helps send home the point that it's still a mystical Chinese-styled kung fu story. Using mystical chi attacks learned from ancient gods, sometimes residing in the afterlife, on robots and aliens doesn't somehow negate the fact that they are in fact mystical chi attacks learned from ancient gods, sometimes residing in the afterlife.

[Bullza]

DBZ IS Dragon Ball. This ridiculous bifurcation of DB and DBZ is irritating. DBZ doesn't play off of Journey to the West, but the roots of the show are still present. Given how close in style and tone the end of DB and the beginning of DBZ are, there is no good reason to give the shows two different scores.

Dragon Ball Z is Dragon Ball Z. The 70's sounding mythical dreary score does not suit a 90's Sci-Fi action show.

Of course it being a different show will mean it has a different score. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden have different scores. Super doesn't have the same score as the others either.

Z feels less mystical because they actively replaced the music that helps send home the point that it's still a mystical Chinese-styled kung fu story. Using mystical chi attacks learned from ancient gods, sometimes residing in the afterlife, on robots and aliens doesn't somehow negate the fact that they are in fact mystical chi attacks learned from ancient gods, sometimes residing in the afterlife.

It's just a energy blast, let's not go too deep with it. Dragon Ball Z was not a Chinese styled Kung Fu Story. There's not much in the actual way of Kung Fu in the show in the first place, doesn't have really have anything to do with Kung Fu. It's all about power levels.

They are aliens and robots that transform, have planet shattering power and fire beams of light. There's intergalactic travel and time travel. Theres Gohan going to high school and dressing up as a superhero. That's not a mythical Chinese story. That is more akin to what Westerns comics have been doing for decades.

[Zephyr]

Dragon Ball Z is Dragon Ball Z. The 70's sounding mythical dreary score does not suit a 90's Sci-Fi action show.

Of course it being a different show will mean it has a different score.

Sci-fi elements were perfectly consistently present everywhere before Z, and it was an action show before Z. There's nothing inherent about the decade that warrants that a mystical kung fu story stop sounding like a mystical kung fu story.

The anime was only re-branded into a new show because of behind the scenes production issues, nothing to do with the tone, themes, genre, or decade. Every defense you're giving for this position of yours is steeped in misconception and misinformation. That Naruto later copied the business decision with no understanding of the reasoning behind it doesn't amount to anything.

It's just a energy blast, let's not go too deep with it. Dragon Ball Z was not a Chinese styled Kung Fu Story. There's not much in the actual way of Kung Fu in the show in the first place, doesn't have really have anything to do with Kung Fu. It's all about power levels.

They are aliens and robots that transform, have planet shattering power and fire beams of light. There's intergalactic travel and time travel. Theres Gohan going to high school and dressing up as a superhero. That's not a mythical Chinese story. That is more akin to what Westerns comics have been doing for decades.

I can't say I'm surprised that you haven't read this thread, but you should really fix that. You're confusing the window dressing for the actual meat of what the story is.

These beams of light are established in Dragon Ball to be chi. Tacking another letter onto the end of the series' name doesn't suddenly transform the very nature of already existing attacks and characters.

Martial artists traveling through time and space are still martial artists. Martial artists fighting robots and aliens are still martial artists. Raditz landing doesn't suddenly erase the first 150-odd episodes from existence.

[Hellspawn28]

The music is meant to sound like a old classic kung fu movie and I think most DB fans don't get that. It seems like most kids that watch Dragon Ball never seen any type of martial arts movies or any type of stuff related too it. It seems like the typical kid that watch Dragon Ball Z on Toonami only watch whatever was on CN and other kids networks like Nick, Fox Kids and KidsWB!. The matrial arts movies that inspired Dragon Ball have been on TV and home video for ages. It surprise that most kids didn't want to go out and check out the stuff that inspired Dragon Ball.

When I was 10-12, I check out some Wuxia movies that was mention to inspired Dragon Ball or felt similar to it like Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain. Heck the early-mid 2000's had mainstream Wuxia movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I guess 90% of the kids was only allow to watch Disney movies .

[Bullza]

Sci-fi elements were perfectly consistently present everywhere before Z, and it was an action show before Z.

Not nearly to the extent that Z was. Dragon Ball still had the Chinese feel because it was much more focused on martial arts and martial arts tournaments. Something very popular in Chinese movies at the time.

The music in those Chinese martial arts movies were actually pretty similar to the music you heard in Dragon Ball.

By the time they started traveling to different planets, introducing alien species, started time traveling and having epic battles where planets were getting destroyed it stopped being anything like a mythical Chinese story and a lot like something you'd be far more likely to read in a DC or Marvel comic. It was now less like Enter the Dragon and more like Terminator.

These beams of light are established in Dragon Ball to be chi.

I know what they are. It doesn't matter. Goku firing a large blue beam of energy that can eradicate a planet does not make it feel like the whole thing is some mythical Chinese story. It's not any different from the many other energy beams you see in Western comics just because it comes from a fictional Chi.

Martial artists traveling through time and space are still martial artists.

They were no longer martial artists by that time. They were martial artists back in Dragon Ball when fights were decided on skill, intelligence, experience and technique.

By Dragon Ball Z they were merely super powered fighters. Skill, intelligence, experience and technique no longer mattered. Now it was all about shouting and transforming so that the one with the high power level number would win. Again no longer anything like what you'd see in a mythical Chinese story.

[MajinMan]

They were no longer martial artists by that time. They were martial artists back in Dragon Ball when fights were decided on skill, intelligence, experience and technique.

By Dragon Ball Z they were merely super powered fighters. Skill, intelligence, experience and technique no longer mattered. Now it was all about shouting and transforming so that the one with the high power level number would win. Again no longer anything like what you'd see in a mythical Chinese story.

I honestly can't tell if you're trolling right now. Do you truly believe the things you're saying? Pretty much everythting you've said about this topic sounds like something some troll on youtube would say to piss people off.

[GreatSaiyaJeff]

So what I have been getting from this thread is the fans of the original score think faulconer fans are nostolgic kids that don't have taste in music and faulconer fans think original score fans are uptight snobs.

I say music is subjective, if you like it then that's great, if not then that's great. I think we can all agree that either way it helps bring us together for a series we all truly love.