Originally fan of the dub now a fan of the japanese version.

[SonEric84]

haha I agree with you that the script sucked in that version, but I actually didn't mind his voice. The Japanese version is always awesome though, good to see you're enjoying it.

[Garlic]

Ha. I'm watching the episode where Goku lands in Hell. Nozawa is friggin' hilarious in this episode, like a 5 year old kid who can't find his way. Gohan's great too. Bulma is great. Hiromi Tsuru makes her sound very womanlike and captures her personality to a T.

[Garlic]

HA HA! GOZ AND MEZ END ALL THEIR SENTANCES WITH `ONI`! FRIGGIN HILARIOUS!ONI!

[TheGreatness25]

Lucky for me, I became a Japanese fan early on and it was like an internal conflict for years. When Cartoon Network would air it's "Saiyan Conflict" and "Namek Saga" over and over again, I knew (thanks to the wonderful world of the world wide web) that this was a Japanese series and it basically ran its entirety in Japan by the time the US was only about a fifth into the series. So in 1999, my parents got me the best gift I could ask for (and it wasn't even a special occasion, they just saw them and bought them) and I got a PS1 mod chip along with the Japanese version of Dragon Ball: Final Bout and Dragon Ball Z: Greatest Legends. Basically those games got me into the Japanese version. At first it was weird, but I quickly got into it and enjoyed the Japanese version. Then I was convinced that the Japanese version had like totally different dialog and it was all different... and better! Then when I started collecting the series on DVD circa 2003 I'd keep it with dub audio but Japanese subtitles, but when I saw that the dialog was "close enough", I decided to just watch the dub. Going back and rewatching the whole thing in Japanese did wonders for me though. Now I can't watch the dub seriously with all the cartoony aspects to their voices and the goofy and silly lines they throw in sometimes.

[Garlic]

Currently I`m watching the episode where Goku meets Kaio-sama. Yojh Hanimi brings so much character to Kaio-Sama in an intelligent and wise like performance.Bravo.

[penguintruth]

I love Kaio in Japanese. He has this sort of wise-sounding voice, which makes it even funnier when he's spouting off lame puns, but you can also take him seriously when he has something serious to say.

[Garlic]

I love Kaio in Japanese. He has this sort of wise-sounding voice, which makes it even funnier when he's spouting off lame puns, but you can also take him seriously when he has something serious to say.

It`s a shame that he never got a decent english voice.But there`s always the Ocean dub of Kai to hope he`ll get one.

[Lord Exor]

I don't foresee my "enlightenment" any time soon; but hey, miracles can happen.

[Garlic]

I don't foresee my "enlightenment" any time soon; but hey, miracles can happen.

lord Exor I Challange you to watch the japanese version.Trust me you won`t immediatley like it at first but with a few episodes I swear you will love it.

[verto]

I don't foresee my "enlightenment" any time soon; but hey, miracles can happen.

lord Exor I Challange you to watch the japanese version.Trust me you won`t immediatley like it at first but with a few episodes I swear you will love it.

And if we've already taken this challenge and not been converted? I have nothing against the sub, I like both, I'm just saying.

I just wanted to say that this entire thread made me chuckle, felt like I was reading the script to an infomercial. "I used to watch the dub, but then I bought _______, tried the Japanese track and now I can't stand the dub".
Thank you for brightening up my exam studying time with a laugh DaizEX.

[Lord Exor]

I don't foresee my "enlightenment" any time soon; but hey, miracles can happen.

lord Exor I Challange you to watch the japanese version.Trust me you won`t immediatley like it at first but with a few episodes I swear you will love it.

I have watched the Japanese version, but I'm afraid I cannot abide the Japanese voice acting, nor can I tolerate the campy Kung-Fu flick soundtrack. For a cast of characters so diverse and unique, one would think leitmotifs would be imperative--at least FUNimation and Faulconer's crew thought so.

[penguintruth]

Yeah, DBZ is much better with voices by random people they pulled off the street of Fort Worth and music that monster truck rally commercials rejected.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Yeah, DBZ is much better with voices by random people they pulled off the street of Fort Worth and music that monster truck rally commercials rejected.

It was an open casting call. You say it like they employed hobos.

[penguintruth]

They sure sounded like it.

Actually, hobos would put more geniune emotion in their performances.

[Lord Exor]

Yeah, DBZ is much better with voices by random people they pulled off the street of Fort Worth and music that monster truck rally commercials rejected.

Why are you so adverse to the Faulconer soundtrack exactly? Because it's not orchestral? That's rather myopic; the compositions themselves are oftentimes complex and fully developed as far as music goes. I would also go so far as to say that the Faulconer soundtrack did a better job running the emotional gamut, as it had far more variety in both genre and style.

[penguintruth]

First off, it's not the intended music for the show. The show was never intended to have that music, so it doesn't belong. It should never have existed in the first place, and I'm glad it's been phased out. To replace the original music with other music is deeply disrespectful to the source material. It's like spitting in the face of the people who made the show.

Second, it's not nearly as powerful and paints the show in a way that only highlights the action and not the emotion. It makes it seem like some straight forward 90s action cartoon instead of hinting at the martial arts/wuxia elements, and orchestral music always makes the show seem more natural, as if the music itself is moving with the power of the characters, like a force of nature that responds to the narrative, instead of just some throwaway action set piece. Very often, the replacement music misses the point of a scene, trying too hard to highlight "badassery" rather than the raw power of the scene. It just sits on top of the scene rather than becoming part of it.

For example, Goku's first transformation into a Super Saiyan. What does the Japanese music say to me? It says that this is a horrible, terrifying transformation that is changing our pure-hearted hero, the awakening of the Legendary Super Saiyan that may mean the doom of all. This is something that causes the entire universe to shudder. What does the dub music say? "Hey, look how badass Goku's becoming, kids! He's really going to be awesome now!" As a viewer, the first time you see Super Saiyan Goku, you should be worried, maybe even a little afraid. You should realize that this is not normal. This isn't just him receiving some power up. He's the horrible Super Saiyan that destroyed an entire planet. You shouldn't be thinking, "Dude, I wish I was a Super Saiyan!"

In other words, the replacement music is shallow and hallow. It sounds like every 90s action movie background music. There's none of that heady shonen spirit in it.

[Lord Exor]

I respect your points, but a lot of the Faulconer score is comprised of New Age music, which doesn't seem to fit your description of "generic 90's action music". In fact, I can't seem to recall too many scores that utilized New Age. You're right in that it doesn't encapsulate the "heady shonen spirit", but I'd much prefer music that makes use of memorable leitmotifs germane to each character and situation. Dr. Gero received a screeching, industrial piece to evoke his sinister technology; Cell's theme music evolved with his change in form, shifting from gritty synth to a cleaner techno rhythm (and the usage of synth is very pertinent, considering that Cell is a synthetic life-form after all); Pan received a theme that used a pan flute as the lead; etc etc.

And the SSJ Transformation music in the dub seems to possess more of a mystical quality, rather than portraying something "hardcore". Furthermore, none of Kukichi's music strikes me as particularly dark or oppressive--especially in the sense that Goku's transformation may be an event to fear.

[Rocketman]

To replace the original music with other music is deeply disrespectful to the source material. It's like spitting in the face of the people who made the show.

They made Five Minutes, Bulma and the Crab, Garlic Jr...they deserve it.

[Ex-Dubbie369]

Lord Exor, leitmotifs are meant to be developed and changed in the music. I can only think of two motifs that were used in that style in the Faulconer score, that being Cell's and Buu's. And I will definitely agree that they were used to very good effect there. Are there other examples where a theme was written and then developed and altered (which is what a leitmotif is supposed to do), or do they simply play the same track again? Its been a while since I've seen the dub, so my memories of the music are a bit fuzzy.

Kikuchi does actually utilize several distinct motifs that are developed and used in different situations. I think that this is part of the reason why some of Kikuchi's critics claim to "hear the same thing over again" because he's using the same themes in different ways.

Here's three examples of a Kikuchi leitmotif. They use the same theme, but each one is used for a different effect.

So, basically, they're both cool composers, with their own quirks. I happen to prefer Kikuchi's, as it feels more unique.

[Taku128]

To replace the original music with other music is deeply disrespectful to the source material. It's like spitting in the face of the people who made the show.

They made Five Minutes, Bulma and the Crab, Garlic Jr...they deserve it.

I've got to agree with this. Toei didn't do a good job adapting the comic into a show, so I don't see why FUNimation gets so much flak for doing a bad job adapting that adaptation, when Toei did a horrible job as well.