FUNimation Announces "Kai" License ("DBZ Kai")

[Undercooked Sausage]

Not a doubt I'll be sticking with the japanese voices as that is what I've come to know as the definitive voice actors for the show, but I'm still going to watch Kai dubbed out of curiosity to see how they've fixed things.

For me it's "too little, too late." A DBkai dub I'm not that interested in because I'm not that interested in Kai in the first place. Dragonball Z is what I'm going to be watching ten years now or with my children in the future. Kai itself is something I'll probably watch and then have it sit on my shelf never to be watched again.

The only way I see a usefulness of Dragonball Kai is if they do a recut "refresh" of the original Dragonball. Otherwise, I don't see the point of only having a recut of half the story. The inconsistency of the music and voice acting between the two series would make it a surreal experience to watch the original Dragonball and DBKai back to back. Also the fact that Mr. Horikawa and Mr. Furukawa just sound so damn old or different now.

Also, fuck the name change, but it's not like it really matters. It's not like FUNi changing Mr. Satan's name made any difference to me as I still call him Mr. Satan, just as I'll still be calling this Dragonball Kai until I'm an old motherfucker sitting at a retirement home yelling at kids about aspect ratio.

[Mewzard]

Is calling it Dragon Ball Z Kai such a big deal? One letter and a slightly modified title going to be that much of a hassle? Heck, if anything, Funimation's change makes the title more honest for those who don't know about what it is. It's a modified version of Z, not of DB, and doubtfully not of GT.

As for a new dub, I relish this moment. I've watched the series far more in English than Japanese, but will be using the Dragon Boxes to improve that ratio. To me, the Dragon Boxes are a chance to see the original series in as best a quality as I can in its native language, while Kai is my chance at a desired, more accurate dub. I hoped it would come with the Dragon Boxes, but I won't complain if I finally get it.

English or Japanese, though, Dragon Ball as a series, whether manga, anime, or game, is something special to me since those youthful days of innocence, before College, High School, Middle School. Of course, back then, the math was simpler (multiplication and division, before Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Differential Equations, etc). It's still incredible how much has changed in my knowledge, life, and the anime industry since Toonami first started airing the series back in the late 90s.

Anyone else hoping for a good dubbed Dragon Soul/Yeah! Break! Care! Break! ? Would be nice for the English track, I feel.

Curiously, have any of the voice actors come out yet and talked about work on the dub?

[JulieYBM]

I asked Kyle Hebert on his live Stickam stream last night if he would be in Kai and he confirmed he would be, but he could not confirm in what role.

[Mountain]

Is calling it Dragon Ball Z Kai such a big deal? One letter and a slightly modified title going to be that much of a hassle? Heck, if anything, Funimation's change makes the title more honest for those who don't know about what it is. It's a modified version of Z, not of DB, and doubtfully not of GT.

What anyone else calls it, including FUNimation, is of no concern to me, but there's no chance that I'll be calling it anything other than Dragon Ball Kai.

[jjgp1112]

I really don't see why people are hoping that Fri­eza gets recast. I highly doubt that any of the major (and thus more recognizable) characters will be recast. FUNi is still a business, and I highly doubt that they'll change a highly recognizable and identifiable voice just because a few people don't like it.

[penguintruth]

I really don't see why people are hoping that Fri­eza gets recast. I highly doubt that any of the major (and thus more recognizable) characters will be recast. FUNi is still a business, and I highly doubt that they'll change a highly recognizable and identifiable voice just because a few people don't like it.

There's nothing iconic about incompetence.

[Kaboom]

We can sure still hope and dream, however unlikely it may be.

[SparkyPantsMcGee]

I really don't see why people are hoping that Fri­eza gets recast. I highly doubt that any of the major (and thus more recognizable) characters will be recast. FUNi is still a business, and I highly doubt that they'll change a highly recognizable and identifiable voice just because a few people don't like it.

I for the life of me couldn't think of a possible replacement that would be better than Linda Young at the moment. Out of the entire Funimation team(that I can think of) her voice is the closest thing to Ryūsei Nakao. I honestly, wouldn't want her replaced but I know I'm part of a small group of people on this site he think the same way I do.

What I want to know is, If the script is good and all the other elements are up to par with the Japanese version would people still be unhappy with her being Freeza?

[jjgp1112]

I really don't see why people are hoping that Fri­eza gets recast. I highly doubt that any of the major (and thus more recognizable) characters will be recast. FUNi is still a business, and I highly doubt that they'll change a highly recognizable and identifiable voice just because a few people don't like it.

There's nothing iconic about incompetence.

I'm glad to know that you think your opinion is representative of every American DBZ fan's.

[Xyex]

IE: Dubbie: "THAT'S NOT FRIEZA! THEY CHANGED HER VOICE! SHE SOUNDS LIKE A GUY NOW!"

Dub Freeza has always sounded like a guy to me. I've never understood all the bitching.

I actually don't have a problem with most of the voices,

Same. In fact, the only voice I can think of that could be in Kai that I would change is Puar.

Sorry, I know you like the cast, but I know a LOT of people who hate Dub Freeza, so to say only "5 or 10 people" would be happy with that is just wrong.

Yeah, a better way of putting it would be "I'm glad that Funi's keeping the full cast. It'd be stupid for them to desert the majority of the fanbase for people who wont even bother to watch more than two or three dubbed episodes."

What I want to know is, If the script is good and all the other elements are up to par with the Japanese version would people still be unhappy with her being Freeza?

This is anime fandom. What's more, it's Dragonball fandom. People would still be unhappy if the original JP cast were to suddenly become fully fluent in English and dub the series.

[B]

I for the life of me couldn't think of a possible replacement that would be better than Linda Young at the moment.

If you have FUNi's DBOX 1, go watch the filler space orphan episode when Bulma, Gohan, and Kuririn head for Namek. The "main" guy on the ship. That mo'fo.

[penguintruth]

I really don't see why people are hoping that Fri­eza gets recast. I highly doubt that any of the major (and thus more recognizable) characters will be recast. FUNi is still a business, and I highly doubt that they'll change a highly recognizable and identifiable voice just because a few people don't like it.

There's nothing iconic about incompetence.

I'm glad to know that you think your opinion is representative of every American DBZ fan's.

And you think your opinion is. Maybe you should wander around somewhere outside your little bubble.

I think the continued liking of the dub by a minority of the fans is nothing but Stockholm Sydrome. You've fallen in love with your captors.

[jjgp1112]

And you think your opinion is. Maybe you should wander around somewhere outside your little bubble.

I think the continued liking of the dub by some of the fans is nothing but Stockholm Sydrome. You've fallen in love with your captors.

There are way more Dragon Ball Z fans outside of the online forums. I think you've been on forums so long that you think the analytical fans who are more tilted towards the Japanese version are the majority, but in reality, the dub fans FAR outweigh sub fans. You're the one stuck in a bubble. We're not even talking about anime fans. Just fans of Dragon Ball in general. And I've noticed that in the actual real world, most of the Dragon Ball don't seem to be fans of most other anime.

This is all reminding me of Wrestling's so-called smart fans and how they also think they're the majority when it comes to wrestling

[penguintruth]

the dub fans FAR outweigh sub fans.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

[UristtheGreat]

I don't think they're gonna change the music for Kai. It sounds "Hip and funky fresh" enough for us youngsters, word. Plus it would be idiotic to change music if they're going for a more accurate dub.

[jjgp1112]

the dub fans FAR outweigh sub fans.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Again, I'm talking about the real world, not the online community. Sub fans are still a huge minority when it comes to DBZ's American audience. Actually look past what you see on forums, because they're in the minority as well.

That'd be like me saying that people who dislike Lil Wayne and think he's untalented trash are the majority because that's the consensus on all of the Hip-Hop forums, but it's clearly not the case in real life.

[nathantheguitarist]

I have to agree with the whole "More Dub fans in America than Sub fans" thing. I've met about 15-20 people who all say they liked DBZ in the past, and some even had a few of the DVD or vhs singles. Not a single one watched it in anything other than English though.

I've never met anyone who watches it in Japanese, outside of forums.

My brother had the privilege of meeting two people at his school who watch Naruto in Japanese though.

[jjgp1112]

I have to agree with the whole "More Dub fans in America than Sub fans" thing. I've met about 15-20 people who all say they liked DBZ in the past, and some even had a few of the DVD or vhs singles. Not a single one watched it in anything other than English though.

I've never met anyone who watches it in Japanese, outside of forums.

My brother had the privilege of meeting two people at his school who watch Naruto in Japanese though.

Yeah, at my school, whenever DBZ comes up during the reoccurring conversation about awesome shows from our childhood, the only real acknowledgment that the Japanese version gets is when someone mentions that they bought a subbed VHS tape and that it was full of swearing.

Now, I'd say that sub fans actually do make up a good amount of Naruto's fanbase, but that's mainly because of the way the anime market is these days and how available fansubs are.

[Gozar]

the dub fans FAR outweigh sub fans.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

I'm not sure what's worse. If you actually believe what you're saying. Or if you feel you have the need to keep up some silly facade just for pride's sake.

Take a look around YouTube. That's a more reallistic comparison. Sadly the majority of the DragonBall Fannbase is the people who leave comments saying

"Goku sounds like a fucking faggot with his balls cut off"

It's a shame. But it's those people who give all Dub Fans a bad name.

[penguintruth]

Well, things must've changed then, because back when it was first airing on CN, you couldn't find two people who liked the DBZ dub. Must be the new people in the fandom who enjoy it. I would have thought standards went up instead of down. I've been out of the fandom for a while, and just returned to it when Kai started airing.

Also, I find just as many people who hate the dub on YouTube.