How Did You Start Watching the Japanese Audio?

FistOfTheSun · Post by **FistOfTheSun** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:24 pm

If you hadn't been watching the series in Japanese to begin with, what made you start watching it in this way? A random "I'll give it a crack" type of thought, or something more elaborate.

I myself only started watching the series with it's originally intended audio around 6 months ago. At the time I had a load of Orange Bricks, which I only bought for nostalgia sake.

Then one Saturday night, bored shitless I had myself some... oregano. I was fairly relaxed and just thought I'd give the Japanese track a go.

It was the best thing I'd ever seen!!!! But then again, at that time so was the music visualiser on my 360...

Regardless I've been hooked on the original audio work since.

Yourselves?

RyujiOtogi · Post by **RyujiOtogi** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:32 pm

I had often changed to the Japanese audio every once in a while when watching the uncut DVDs just to see what it was like, but I didn't really get into the Japanese version until I read everything the fans said about it online. I didn't get to it immediately, but I kept seeing people praise the Japanese version so much and talk about all the changes that were made. So I basically started watching it out of interest and curiosity. It grew on me, and now I can't even watch the dub. The script and music are just much better, as many people will agree.

Commander_Red · Post by **Commander_Red** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:32 pm

From watching random clips off the internet I really liked the background music. History of Trunks was the first dvd I bought, watched it with both tracks after the other and noticed the script differences.
Unfortunately over here the Cell saga dvds just had the english track on them, which disappointed me greatly. So I only bought the movies after that.
I got the occasional Buu saga dvd when they started coming out and after a while I just stopped watching the english track.

Chuquita · Post by **Chuquita** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:33 pm

Someone lent me a copy of the "Goku and Vegeta's adventures inside Buu" episodes in Japanese a long while back (I don't want to check how long; the way time flies I'd only scare myself).
*Checks anyway*

Oh God, 7 years ago.

Anyway, I had the complete opposite reaction many have to Goku's Japanese voice; I thought it sounded adorable, and I really liked how deep and smooth Vegeta's voice was--he sounded way more like royalty than how his dub voice sounded at the time. The music had its own unique sound to it and while I don't remember if I preferred it at the time, it was definitely a recognizable type.

Nowadays I prefer the Japanese version; I hesitate to say I grew out of the dub (because I still watch Funi's TV channel and that's all dubs) I guess its more like I've grown away from the dub? It's not on TV anymore so when I do need to go check some things or feel like watching the show, I tend to go for the Japanese version.

If the dub WAS still on TV though, I'd tune in for it.
That said, please get DB/Z on your TV channel, Funi! I'd like to be able to tune in for some db/z reruns some time. X3
(Also, Saiyaman in the dub makes me laugh at his special superhero-imitation voice).

SaiyamanMS · Post by **SaiyamanMS** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:34 pm

My very first encounter with the Japanese voices wasn't actually the show, it was Budokai 1 for the PS2 with the dodgy "Oh you aunt Sallies!" subtitles. For the series though, I just started watching it in Japanese as I started getting the DVDs. The fantastic score in particular which wasn't available for the dub at the time had me particularly roped to it.

I still love the English voice cast of the show though and remember the Faulconer score fondly despite it not being the definitive music for the series. (The Menza and Johnson music though... I honestly can't stomach that stuff at all.)

Metalwario64 · Post by **Metalwario64** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:35 pm

On the Dragon Box. I've got all of them.

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:36 pm

Low-quality clips from the internet, baby.

I had been drawn into the show through the Buu-saga dub on Cartoon Network. But since I realized I was watching the trail end of the series, I took to the intertubes to learn more about the rest of it. I stumbled across DBZ Uncensored and various other similar fansites, watched a ton of clips, and was intrigued by the original Japanese version. Before long, I was renting DVDs and watching them in Japanese with curious wonder, and I've hardly looked back since.

Since it seems to be somewhat of an assumed 'sub-topci,' I had no problem adjusting to Goku's original voice. I totally understood that it was supposed to represent his 'inner child,' and that he'd had the same voice since the character WAS a child, and it was totally fly with me.

Ultimate_DB_Fan · Post by **Ultimate_DB_Fan** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:39 pm

I would occasionally switch back and forth between audio tracks when I first started getting the orange bricks. A part of me wanted to see why the original material was so praised and kept in high regard. Now, when I watch the series, I cannot watch it in the Funi dub anymore, whatsoever.
I'm of the firm belief that the Funimation va's were good, but it'll always be the script changes that slightly or completely tarnished their performances.

Metalwario64 · Post by **Metalwario64** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:40 pm

SSj Kaboom wrote:Low-quality clips from the internet, baby.

Same here. I actually loved the music and voices every but as much as the English counterparts back in the day. I always looked forward to the dub to see how it was handled script-wise and music-wise.

I don't know what it is, but since I watched Season One all the way through with the Japanese score, I just cannot watch the dub with Falcon's music any longer. I occasionally turn it to the "Broadcast Audio" track for a good laugh now and then, but my current preferred audio option is the 5.1 tracks on FUNimation's Season Sets.

I also have some preferences to the FUNimation cast over the Japanese originals, although I do have great respect for the latter.

Some mixed up fan I am huh?

Velasa · Post by **Velasa** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:42 pm

I started watching the show on TV and shifted over after Freezer ended to 'uncut' VHS << Somewhere after phasing off the tapes I found my first DVD- Trunks: Prelude to Terror ^^ I still have that disk. Watched it at my friend Beth's house and haven't really looked back since. I picked up various Freezer disks and movies during the... years it took FUNi to finish the Cell saga on DVD.

I started watching it in Japanese because I realized my 'uncut' tapes weren't worth the money at all- the visuals were different but everything else was the same. I'd started to get introduced to subtitles with other releases and I was curious to see what my favorite show would be like this way ^^

MajinVejitaXV · Post by **MajinVejitaXV** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:44 pm

Back in 1999 or so, I believe I first saw it via short, short clips online. MPEG-1, long to download, craptacular looking clips. Then, I moved up a notch to RealMedia downloads and crappy VHS fansubs that were like 30th generation (but they came from original Japanese film masters...*rimshot*).

-Corey

Ultimate_DB_Fan · Post by **Ultimate_DB_Fan** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:48 pm

Metalwario64 wrote:
Some mixed up fan I am, huh?

You're a fan, period. That's what matters.

Adamant · Post by **Adamant** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:58 pm

Because it became available to me, more or less. The only reason I actually watched the American (or any other) dub at all was because the only Dragonball anime-related items I had were a couple dub-only DVDs (that I didn't know were dub-only when I bought them, for that matter). Once I got access to the original, there was no question about how it should be watched.

penguintruth · Post by **penguintruth** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:06 am

Those second/third generation VHS fansubs that fans used to sell for ten dollars on the internet.

My initial thought was, "Why does Goku sound like a woman? A tough guy like that should sound manly, like he does in the American [Canadian] version!"

Boy was I naive back then.

Luckily, thanks to my cousins' massive collection of fansub tapes and clips on the internet, I weaned myself off of "Just wait until my arm grows back!" and took big, meaty bites of, "I am no longer Kami-sama, nor Piccolo. Only a Namek-seijin who has long forgotten his name."

Of course, I also got bits of Vegeta calling people "c***suckers" and "candy-ass fa***ts". Such colorful fansubs back then.

Over time, I began to realize how better the Japanese cast was. Though Funimation's awful cast and crappy techno music pushed it along.

Eddie · Post by **Eddie** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:16 am

My first exposure to the original version was with my first DBZ DVD, movie 8. I watched the dub track first, but I was interested in seeing the original. It was great! Ever since then, I've been one of those rare fans that loves both versions.

SonGokuGT · Post by **SonGokuGT** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:19 am

I started watching them when I bought the Trunks and Bardock Specials on DVD!

Metalwario64 · Post by **Metalwario64** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:20 am

Eddie wrote:My first exposure to the original version was with my first DBZ DVD, movie 8. I watched the dub track first, but I was interested in seeing the original. It was great! Ever since then, I've been one of those rare fans that loves both versions.

Well, you know what they say:"A day early, a dollar many."

It's good that you like the Japanese version more than the dub. I do too, and I have never even seen the dub!

MajinVejitaXV · Post by **MajinVejitaXV** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:28 am

Metalwario64 wrote: It's good that you like the Japanese version more than the dub. I do too, and I have never even seen the dub!

[offtopic]Your avatar scares me. Probably because I know what it's from. Yay /b/. [/offtopic]

-Corey

Metalwario64 · Post by **Metalwario64** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:31 am

MajinVejitaXV wrote:
Metalwario64 wrote: It's good that you like the Japanese version more than the dub. I do too, and I have never even seen the dub!
[offtopic]Your avatar scares me. Probably because I know what it's from. Yay /b/. [/offtopic]

-Corey

I hope you mean the meme, because I drew that image.

(Also, I refuse to set foot in 4chan... at all. I learned of this meme(among others) from all of my years of intarwebbing.)

Smooth Criminal · Post by **Smooth Criminal** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:35 am

(Shitty)RealMedia clips on DBZ fansites during the late '90's. Mostly of the movies.

I thought the music was cool and retro. It had an edge to it that the US version did not.