Ocean Studios' "Dragon Ball Kai" Dub Turns 14; Still Unreleased

[Cure Dragon 255]

That would actually kill Ocean Kai as Ocean Kai is a kids dub and it probably wouldnt fit Toonami Canada.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Didn't Drummond indicate last time he was asked about Kai they don't shy of using words like "hell"? We also know uncut was considered, so who knows. I'd actually be all for an uncut Ocean Kai.

[Robo4900]

If Toonami Canada ends up a serious, real thing, then that is our next shot, and we should absolutely take it.
And note that if it's on a Toonami Canada, and if Toonami Canada does well enough, then this might create the possibility of Ocean being asked to do further dubbing of Dragon Ball to follow on from Kai. It's not anything close to a guarantee, but we should pursue this hard.

The article linked says:
"both DeMarco and Gill encouraged fans to tell Corus that they want Toonami on the channel – adding that the company has access to all of the branding produced for the U.S. block."
So, we should get to writing emails! Tell Corus we want Toonami, and we specifically want Ocean's DBZ Kai dub on there too! Just like before, friends! Let's do it again!
Only this time, not with a possible future TV channel from an unproven startup...

That would actually kill Ocean Kai as Ocean Kai is a kids dub and it probably wouldnt fit Toonami Canada.

It's not "A kids dub", it's an edited-for-TV dub. That is, no swearing or sexual harassment, and some of the gore has been toned down a little.

Plus... We don't actually know what Toonami Canada would be exactly. But I imagine it would at least be something designed with an interest in kids watching, even if they're not the sole primary audience. This is Corus, after all. Though even if the primary audience is teens/young adults, then Ocean Kai would be the better dub to pick, since that's the cast they'd remember from the old days.

Long as we, the fans, push back against any ridiculous "hot takes" about this that might threaten to turn some fans against this, I think it'll be fine.
Besides, if we don't go for it, it's possible they'd get Funi's Kai dub instead, which likely would kill Ocean Kai, in Canada. So, we need to get on this, like now.

Didn't Drummond indicate last time he was asked about Kai they don't shy of using words like "hell"? We also know uncut was considered, so who knows. I'd actually be all for an uncut Ocean Kai.

They were allowed to say "Hell", yes. It's also known that early on there were discussions of it having both a cut and an uncut version, though so far there's no indication either way as to whether they produced an uncut version. We know for sure they have an edited version, and we know they recorded some alternate lines when doing their dubbing (at the very least, we know Brian Drummond recorded both "Over 8000!!" and "Over 9000!!" so the director and producers could decide which to use), so it's entirely possible they did it like the Pioneer movie dubs, where the dialogue isn't laden with swearing, so it's pretty much safe for TV once certain cuts have been made, but it also serves as a solid uncut version too.
But we don't actually know either way.

-

Either way, if a Toonami Canada is being considered, we should push for it. I think it'd be a great platform for it. Let's not argue about whether people would complain about "muh censored!!", 'cause some people will always complain about that -- it's Kai. Let's focus on the fact that Canadians who would be in the target audience here would remember the old cast, and this is the unreleased dub that fans -- particularly in the UK and Canada -- have been trying to get on air for ten years, and it's a Canadian thing, which is good for Canadian TV networks.

[Robo4900]

Adult Swim Canada's site: https://www.adultswim.ca/
Their contact email: adultswimcanada@corusent.com

Everyone still interested in this dub airing, please send an email asking for a Canadian Toonami, and for them to air Ocean's DBZ Kai on it. Of course, emphasise that you want Toonami, but at the same time, strongly emphasise that you really want the Canadian Ocean Productions dub of DBZ Kai to air on it.

Points you should hit:
- Ask for a Canadian Toonami
- Ask for Ocean's DBZ Kai to air
- Note that Ocean's DBZ Kai is a Canadian dub, using the cast Canadians will remember from the original 500-episode run of DB+Z+GT from 1995-2008 that Canadian fans loved so much -- ratings were very strong for the entire 13-year span that Dragon Ball was airing in Canada, I'm pretty sure. Changing that cast would be massively disrespectful to both the fans and the cast behind those 13 years of Canadian Dragon Ball broadcasting, many of whom originated these roles in English.
- The Ocean Kai dub covers all 98 original episodes of DBZ Kai
- Ocean's DBZ Kai is a perfect introduction for new fans, and -- with the beloved Ocean cast behind it -- it's a perfect nostalgia trip for fans who grew up on the original run.
- Fans have been crying out for the Ocean cast to return to TV for years, particularly via their Kai dub, which is complete.
- Maybe also note that if they're going to air Kai, they should reach out to IPP/Ocean or Toei; Funimation has interfered in channels interested in airing this dub in the past, so it's best that they contact Toei directly, or through IPP/Ocean.
- If you like, say some good stuff about specific cast members; Richard Ian Cox of InuYasha fame, Scott McNeil (half the cast of Transformers Beast Wars, the original Piccolo, etc), Brian Drummond, Lee Tockar, etc.

(Pre-emptive sidenote: Even though the voice acting moved to Calgary for the 2003-2005 stretch of new episodes (GT then DB), Ocean Kai pulls from both Calgary and Vancouver, so it uses castings from the entire run. And reruns of Dragon Ball were still happening in Canada up to 2008. Possibly even later?... And BLT's OG DB was syndicated to Canada as well as the USA, so while I'm not sure if Z was airing as early as its original USA premiere in '96, I'm fairly sure DB began in '95, so it's completely accurate to say Canadian fans enjoyed the Ocean cast in the 13-year run from 1995 to 2008)

[TheBlackPaladin]

Even I, the one who has become this thread's resident naysayer (albeit unintentionally and apologetically!) think that this would be a completely proper way to reach out to Adult Swim in the hopes of getting the Ocean Kai dub on the air. I say go for it!

[TheBlackPaladin]

PS: Where is there a link to that place where it's shown that the Ocean dub was certified as Canadian Content? Figured that might be another nice point to throw in there.

[Robo4900]

PS: Where is there a link to that place where it's shown that the Ocean dub was certified as Canadian Content? Figured that might be another nice point to throw in there.

Right here: https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/CanrecL ... 4-01&C=07E

[TheBlackPaladin]

PS: Where is there a link to that place where it's shown that the Ocean dub was certified as Canadian Content? Figured that might be another nice point to throw in there.

Right here: https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/CanrecL ... 4-01&C=07E

You're a good man.

[TheGreatness25]

Isn't it about more than just fans making it known what they want? I feel like the force behind the dub hasn't been very active in trying to sell the series to any content provider nor distributer. I doubt that the people behind Toonami Canada would start seeking out this dub to try to put it on the air. It's usually the content creator's/owner's job to try to sell their project, not sit around waiting for networks to come to them because fans wrote about how much they want it.

I would really love for this to happen -- I can't stress that enough -- but I just see zero initiative on anyone's part except for the fans. Sorry, but it's not our job to sell the series to a network.

[Robo4900]

Isn't it about more than just fans making it known what they want? I feel like the force behind the dub hasn't been very active in trying to sell the series to any content provider nor distributer.

They have been. This is known. They've probably given up on actively shopping it around to everywhere they see, because it's been seven goddamn years since this dub was finished, but they pushed it as much as they could while it was still the new, hot thing.
Thing is, even with the effort we've put in, the various outlets we've tried have all failed. And almost certainly, the producers of this dub had the same problem.

First, whatever deal this dub was produced for fell through. We don't know what that deal was, but this dub was produced knowing it was going to air, most likely on Canadian and/or British TV, and it didn't. We don't know why this fell through, though the easy explanation is just usual, boring, showbiz "It fell through" stuff. It happens all too often.
Second, it was going to air on Kix. We know now that Funimation interfered in this, and pulled strings to prevent Ocean's dub from airing. The plan had been for it to be Ocean's, but Funimation arranged for Kix to not be offered it.
Third, we fans and the producers of the dub tried various outlets who weren't interested... Most UK channels just aren't interested in action shows in general, much less anime. Canada isn't much better. We kinda know the producers shopped it around, and we kinda know there's just been no interest at all from the relevant outlets.

Okay, then we can timeskip to more recent efforts.

Wow TV showed interest, Ocean were pleased to hear about this interested, and gave Wow Toei's details. Wow negotiated, but the channel didn't launch. Usual showbiz stuff -- they tried a thing and it didn't get off the ground. It happens all too often.
Toon-A-Vision in Canada showed interest, but they refused to reach out to Toei or Ocean to get it. This was last year, by which point it's reasonable for IPP/Ocean to have stopped actively shopping it around to everyone they can. (They finished production on this dub in 2013)
Netflix showed a little interest, but it's very much a "Send in requests and we might try negotiating for it maybe. We'll see." And our social media posts only got like a hundred likes, if that.

Now, there's Toonami Canada.
Toonami US was pushed into existence by fan demand, and these kinds of outlets often will try to pick up older shows if hounded to do so. So, if we send emails and get behind this just like we did for Wow TV, then we have a decent shot. Maybe it won't pan out, maybe it will. We can only try.

I doubt that the people behind Toonami Canada would start seeking out this dub to try to put it on the air. It's usually the content creator's/owner's job to try to sell their project, not sit around waiting for networks to come to them because fans wrote about how much they want it.

When we're talking about something produced nearly a decade ago... No.

And it's completley typical for a channel or other outlet to approach a content creator and start up negotiation for a specific thing they want; it happens all the time, especially for a property as popular as Dragon Ball.

I would really love for this to happen -- I can't stress that enough -- but I just see zero initiative on anyone's part except for the fans. Sorry, but it's not our job to sell the series to a network.

A. The existence of Toonami Canada will depend on the fans, this was outright said by the guys behind Adult Swim Canada. Corus/AS don't know whether there's enough demand, and a bunch of fans emailing in will convince them that there is.

B. We know for a fact that when Ken Morrison was contacted by Marni Shulman, he was quite enthusiastic about it, and directed her to exactly who she needed to talk to to get it on air. So, we know for a fact that when the relevant people are aware of an opportunity, they're enthusiastic to pursue it. They're just not actively pursuing every platform that might air some thing they did ten years ago that no one's ever seen. Because of course they aren't. Of course the fans are far more eagerly pursuing opportunities. Especially now, when DBZ Kai isn't even the third-most-recent entry in the Dragon Ball franchise.
Think about it from the perspective of the producers of this dub -- if we expect them to still be shopping this thing around nearly ten years later... Honestly, that would make us some pretty entitled fans. This is a thing that no network has shown interest in, aside from one or two that either never got off the ground, or were instead given another version because Funimation engaged in some behind-the-scenes skulduggery. It's not their job to keep shopping around some thing they did ten years ago that never went anywhere, it's their job to chase profit. And chances are, this dub is not seen as worthwhile to shop around actively anymore, because probably they spent a lot of time (and therefore money) shopping it around when it was new, to no results.

C. Congratulations, you've summed up the exact reason why the Netflix push was lacklustre, and also successfully shifted all blame onto the company behind it.
It's very easy to just go "It's not on us to try to get our favourite thing on the air again."
But, the reality is, whether or not it should be our job, this dub is about a decade old, and still hasn't been bought for airing even once. So, what, do you expect IPP/Ocean/whoever to keep shopping it around actively, seeking out every chance they can to air something that's a DECADE old... Or do they move on and shop around more current things instead?
Granted, if Toonami Canada had a good chance of getting on air, probably they would be interested in reaching out to them, but your attitude here is ridiculous... Star Trek stayed on air for one last season in the '60s because fans sent in letters. Toonami US got on air because fans asked for it... Yes, in an ideal world, we wouldn't have to try to get our favourite thing on the air.

But if you actually care about this thing airing, it'll take you literally a minute of effort to send an email asking for Toonami Canada to be a thing, and for them to pick up Ocean's Kai dub.
If you can't even spare the minute of effort it would take you to write an email... Well, do you even care enough to watch it if it came out?

So get off your "it's not happening so we should stop trying" attitude, and write an email. It'll take you barely a minute, and then your role in this will be done.

--

I've repeated myself a bit here, but I'm just typing up what I think. I don't really have time to properly edit my thoughts right now. Though I'd like to add that while I am most certainly frustrated that you would have such a weirdly negative, "I don't want to do anything to help this thing out" attitude, I don't intend any aggression or anger towards you. I'm just trying to help you understand my take on this all. Apologies if I come off angry. Got a big uni thing due soon, and I haven't been sleeping great.

Sorry that this post is so long. If you want a TL;DR: This thing is about ten years old, so Ocean/IPP will have stopped actively shopping it around quite some time ago, in favour of new things, so if we care at all about this thing airing, then we have to ask for it to be aired. Then the relevant platform can look into it, reach out to the guys who made this old thing that some fans are asking for, and see if its feasible to air it. Just like Wow TV tried, etc. So write your emails!!

[TheGreatness25]

Hey, I didn't say that I wouldn't shoot them an email. I'm just saying this is just dragging on and on.

To bring some levity -- imagine it finally happens, we eagerly get ready to sit down and watch this thing... and it's terrible? Lol That would just be horrible.

[Cure Dragon 255]

If that is levity to you I dont want to see you in a funeral.

[Robo4900]

Hey, I didn't say that I wouldn't shoot them an email. I'm just saying this is just dragging on and on.

Understood.

Again, sorry if I came off harsh in my last post.

To bring some levity -- imagine it finally happens, we eagerly get ready to sit down and watch this thing... and it's terrible? Lol That would just be horrible.

lol. I don't think it'll be terrible.
Probably it'll be better than Funi's edited Kai dub, but comparing it to the uncut will be difficult. Ultimately, I imagine it'll come down to personal preference about which performances are better, though most will still say Funi's version is the go-to, since it's uncut. But I imagine Ocean Kai will be solid, overall. If you want a version of Dragon Ball Kai to show your kids, Ocean Kai will do great, and if you want to see more Ocean cast, it'll be great.

[TheGreatness25]

I mean, it has to be better than the Westwood dub because theoretically, their directors would've been better lol

Generally, I like the majority of the Ocean cast more (though I've gotten so used to Funimation's that I'm okay with either). I am curious how the new Goku would be. I'm not Schemmel's biggest fan, so I'm interested to see that. Just not into Schemmel's natural nasaly performance and find his performance since the Boo arc (where her turned up the pitch a little to make Goku sound more "innocent" I guess) to sound pretty disingenuous. I think that I like Kirby Morrow's performance more because at least he didn't sound like he was making a funny voice. Don't know. Curious to see Cox's take on the character.

My favorite actor for English Goku will always be Ian James Corlett, but I know he'd never reprise his role. I've turned the corner on Kelamis' performance. I think he has the potential to turn in a good Goku performance even though I don't like what he actually did in the role (aside from maybe the movies).

As for the other actors, yeah I like Drummond, McNeil, Klassen, etc. more, but at this point I'm okay with Funimation.

[Super Sayian Prime]

A. The existence of Toonami Canada will depend on the fans, this was outright said by the guys behind Adult Swim Canada. Corus/AS don't know whether there's enough demand, and a bunch of fans emailing in will convince them that there is.

I want to point out that no one who works for Corus has said that. The statement that spurred this recent push from you guys came from employees of WarnerMedia in the United States. They're so removed from the situation in Canada that they encouraged fans to spam the AS Canada social media accounts. The problem? There aren't any.

I don't want to rain on the parade, but it's important to remember that Corus, the company that owns and operates Adult Swim Canada, is the same company that owns Teletoon and YTV. Meaning they've turned down Dragon Ball since GT ended on YTV 15 years ago. I'm also not sure why Toonami would exist in Canada when the brand hasn't been revived in Australia or the UK - markets that actually have a history with it. Canada has none.

[Robo4900]

A. The existence of Toonami Canada will depend on the fans, this was outright said by the guys behind Adult Swim Canada. Corus/AS don't know whether there's enough demand, and a bunch of fans emailing in will convince them that there is.

I want to point out that no one who works for Corus has said that. The statement that spurred this recent push from you guys came from employees of WarnerMedia in the United States. They're so removed from the situation in Canada that they encouraged fans to spam the AS Canada social media accounts. The problem? There aren't any.

I don't want to rain on the parade, but it's important to remember that Corus, the company that owns and operates Adult Swim Canada, is the same company that owns Teletoon and YTV. Meaning they've turned down Dragon Ball since GT ended on YTV 15 years ago. I'm also not sure why Toonami would exist in Canada when the brand hasn't been revived in Australia or the UK - markets that actually have a history with it. Canada has none.

lol. I see. That's a shame.

Still, I do think it's worth pursuing... Though perhaps we might have a better shot if we send emails to Turner UK too?...

Maybe also Toon-A-Vision in Canada?

Spoiler:

I mean, it has to be better than the Westwood dub because theoretically, their directors would've been better lol

Generally, I like the majority of the Ocean cast more (though I've gotten so used to Funimation's that I'm okay with either). I am curious how the new Goku would be. I'm not Schemmel's biggest fan, so I'm interested to see that. Just not into Schemmel's natural nasaly performance and find his performance since the Boo arc (where her turned up the pitch a little to make Goku sound more "innocent" I guess) to sound pretty disingenuous. I think that I like Kirby Morrow's performance more because at least he didn't sound like he was making a funny voice. Don't know. Curious to see Cox's take on the character.

My favorite actor for English Goku will always be Ian James Corlett, but I know he'd never reprise his role. I've turned the corner on Kelamis' performance. I think he has the potential to turn in a good Goku performance even though I don't like what he actually did in the role (aside from maybe the movies).

As for the other actors, yeah I like Drummond, McNeil, Klassen, etc. more, but at this point I'm okay with Funimation.

lol. Fair.

Personally, aside from a handful of decent Funi castings, a few of whom I think are only the best by default (Mike McFarland's Roshi is okay, but I don't think English dubs have ever got Roshi right), I find the Funi cast kinda offputting. My cast remains the Ocean cast, so hearing a cast that was always trying to sound like the "Familiar" take, which usually means trying to sound like what their Ocean counterpart was doing, just doesn't do it for me... And then the ones where the take is just vastly different, I find the Ocean casting just... Better.

I'm sure Kyle Hebert is a great dude (by all accounts, he's a sweetheart at conventions and the like), but his Gohan sounds like a 30-year-old. Brad Swaile's sounds much more age appropriate, and he has a lot more of the nervous energy that I feel Gohan should have. Maybe I'm just biased, IDK.

Also, to me, no one other than Scott McNeil is Piccolo. It's like James Earl Jones as Darth Vader to me; any other actor doing that character is just wrong.

As for Gokus... I'm of the opinion that all the main adult Gokus (Corlett, Kelamis, Morrow, Schemmel) are good, but I am really excited to hear a new take.

[Arian]

A. The existence of Toonami Canada will depend on the fans, this was outright said by the guys behind Adult Swim Canada. Corus/AS don't know whether there's enough demand, and a bunch of fans emailing in will convince them that there is.

I want to point out that no one who works for Corus has said that. The statement that spurred this recent push from you guys came from employees of WarnerMedia in the United States. They're so removed from the situation in Canada that they encouraged fans to spam the AS Canada social media accounts. The problem? There aren't any.

I don't want to rain on the parade, but it's important to remember that Corus, the company that owns and operates Adult Swim Canada, is the same company that owns Teletoon and YTV. Meaning they've turned down Dragon Ball since GT ended on YTV 15 years ago. I'm also not sure why Toonami would exist in Canada when the brand hasn't been revived in Australia or the UK - markets that actually have a history with it. Canada has none.

While I agree with what you're saying for the most part, I do have to re-iterate what Robo had said earlier about how sending an email to these parties, even for the hell of it, couldn't hurt in the slightest.

Now, while the people at Time Warner/WarnerMedia do not have a clue about Canadian TV politics and how much more of a monopoly it is here than it is down south, I do want to counter your comparison between [adult swim] and YTV/Teletoon. YTV and Teletoon are Corus' own properties, and perhaps they're not putting anime on those networks any longer because for whatever reason they don't think it's appropriate or of interest to kids, that's totally in the realm of possibility.

With [adult swim], that's a Time Warner property that has been established for having comedy, animation, and Japanese animation at its forefront. Corus honouring that tradition can only work in their favour. It's also geared towards older teens and adults, throwing the possibility of "protecting the children" out the window. Also, in the minds of Corus executives, this can possibly work, and as Robo may or may not have said here (we do pow-wow a lot together), after the initial 98 episodes of Kai have aired, Corus can from there commission fully uncut dubs of the franchise from Ocean then on.

So I think the best thing we can do right now is test the waters with this. It's better than mourning what could have been.

Also, to make one last point, I don't think it matters that Toonami's never existed in Canada before. 24/7 [adult swim] never existed anywhere, but Canada broke that mold. And for what it's worth, we did have a Toonami knock-off block that was highly successful, so like I said before, doing this can only yield positive results.

[Planetnamek]

I shot them an email and got back a pretty generic response but hopefully it'll do some good.

[Arian]

Maybe also Toon-A-Vision in Canada?

Here's the thing about Toon-A-Vision, it's a very low-rent, rickety type of channel. They don't even have Closed Captioning which they are required by law to have, so I don't know how that whole operation is going to turn out, but I'd rather look towards the super power in Corus. That's how bad Toon-A-Vision has shown itself to be so far in my eyes.

Now, before we knew that Corus could launch Toonami at any time, I might've had more confidence in the former, but now, it just really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since they expect Toei to approach them about it.

[Robo4900]

Fair enough.

Tell ya what, though... We've got a little momentum behind this Canadian Toonami emailing campaign now...

I'd like to ask y'all to start sending emails to CN UK too, for a potential Toonami UK.

Whether or not the Canadian Toonami pans out, sending some demand out for a Toonami UK won't go amiss.

Here's the address to use: contact@cartoonnetwork.co.uk

Share it around wherever you can.
And hey, try Tweeting too. Use the hashtag #ToonamiUK. Maybe retweet and like this too. Let's see what we can accomplish. I think a UK Toonami would honestly do really well, and as long as we make it clear we want Ocean Kai on there, I think this could work beautifully.