Dub-Bashing

[Great Saiyaman]

Acctually, you're not alone, I am a hardcore dubbie, I love the VA's, the Music, & I buy the Dub on VHS. Infact I love pretty much evergy aspect of the Dub better than the Japeneese Version.

But to answer your question, people don't like it because first off they change the characters voices a lot, such as in the Dub, Goku, Gohan, & Goten all sound different, also Goku & Gohan (grown men) don't sound like they got got kicked in the balls. Even though this just simply does not sound like a man should sound, these guys like it because it's the "original". But the thing is, the Manga is the true original, I feel whichever voice simply better suits the character is better, not which came first......I mean just because you were the first born child doesn't mean you're the better child.

Now as far as Music gpes, the reason I don't like the Jap music is because it doesn't sound like theme music, plus a lot of it sounds rather odd such as the opening to DB I think, which I hear every week on the Podcast....I personally feel that this music doesn;t suit a lot of the scenes, but the reason these guys like it is simply because again, it's the "original".

I feel the best reason to truly dislike a dub is poor diolauge, which given, FUNi does change stuff, but for the most part a lot of the quotes are bassically the same thing, I mean sure we have crap like Kid Buu is the strongest which is bad, but mainly, it's pretty good.

[Victator Supreme]

Honestly the only thing I dislike about the dub is Faulconer's music. Everything else I enjoy. Though compared to the GT soundtrack it is heavenly.

I actually think Ron Wassermen produced the best dub soundtrack.

Are you sure you're not on the wrong forum? He didn't do any dub DBZ soundtracks.

No he did the first season. He talked about it recently at another forum.

[Adnan]

But to answer your question, people don't like it because first off they change the characters voices a lot, such as in the Dub, Goku, Gohan, & Goten all sound different, also Goku & Gohan (grown men) don't sound like they got got kicked in the balls. Even though this just simply does not sound like a man should sound, these guys like it because it's the "original".

False. Listen to JP Goku doing a Kamehame Ha or when he does one of those extreme loud screams of his and you'll know why we like the "kicked in the balls" voices.

Now as far as Music gpes, the reason I don't like the Jap music is because it doesn't sound like theme music, plus a lot of it sounds rather odd such as the opening to DB I think, which I hear every week on the Podcast....I personally feel that this music doesn;t suit a lot of the scenes, but the reason these guys like it is simply because again, it's the "original".

False again. First of all, the music is not the opening for DB nor DBZ. That music plays during the sequence before the episode starts showing what happened in the previous episode.

Second of all, you're dead wrong about the music not suiting the scenes. Check out episodes 120 (Trunks confronting Frieza), 184 (Gohan turns SSJ2) and 185 (Gohan whooping ass) in BOTH jp and the dub and come back to me on that!

[Adnan]

I would love it if we can initiate a discussion about the point Mike raised.... It's more like jp original bashing these days. Reasons why? Anybody?

[laserkid]

Its really the same reason people bashed the dub. People take their personal preffrences to such a high regard that they just can't take an ego hit that someone MIGHT disagree, so they try to discredit them.

[Bejiita]

Goku's high pitched voice just goes well.

When I heard Grand Kai's voice in Japanese I was shocked, it's high pitched, even more than Goku's, and it doesn't sound good, funny, but not good...

I guess he's voice is one that goes better in the dub I'd say, the one and only voice that's better!

[lost in thought]

Just to add my two cents...

I was introduced to the dub around 1997- airing on some strange little channel I had on my non-cable hook-up when I lived in the "boonies"; of course at this time it was the ill fated Saban/Funimation dub. But even after losing it, and being re-acquainted with it some years later (1999,) there was still one thing I took away from that dub that was superior to anything around now.
And that is that Ian Corlett, and Scott McNeil are the definitive dub VA's for Goku, and Piccolo respectively.

Now to continue, I have a special place for the dub, especially the episodes in which the two mentioned above lend their voice talents; and I still to this day will watch the dub episodes if it strikes my fancy, however as someone who was introduced to the original version of this program late in the game, I've grown a new fondness for that version, with every universally definitive seiyuu that comes right with it.
I love DragonBall, no question about it; but quality performance wise, I can't keep a streight face trying to consider the dub 'good', as it is rather poor on most scales. But despite that, I have and continue to enjoy both versions without hesitation.

[Note: I am being rather blunt, and streight forward, because sometimes you have to face facts and realize not every dub is a masterpiece no matter how much you want it to be. All that matters, is if you like it.

As well, I am not bashing it, and will not. I am just being honest.]

[Saiyan]

But to answer your question, people don't like it because first off they change the characters voices a lot, such as in the Dub, Goku, Gohan, & Goten all sound different, also Goku & Gohan (grown men) don't sound like they got got kicked in the balls. Even though this just simply does not sound like a man should sound, these guys like it because it's the "original".

False. Listen to JP Goku doing a Kamehame Ha or when he does one of those extreme loud screams of his and you'll know why we like the "kicked in the balls" voices.

Now as far as Music gpes, the reason I don't like the Jap music is because it doesn't sound like theme music, plus a lot of it sounds rather odd such as the opening to DB I think, which I hear every week on the Podcast....I personally feel that this music doesn;t suit a lot of the scenes, but the reason these guys like it is simply because again, it's the "original".

False again. First of all, the music is not the opening for DB nor DBZ. That music plays during the sequence before the episode starts showing what happened in the previous episode.

Second of all, you're dead wrong about the music not suiting the scenes. Check out episodes 120 (Trunks confronting Freeza), 184 (Gohan turns SSJ2) and 185 (Gohan whooping ass) in BOTH jp and the dub and come back to me on that!

Hmm...Well, you trying to dissuade him of his personal opinion is pretty stupid. I mean, him judging the way we prefer things is sorta bad too, but trying to change his opinions is almost like a dictatorship.

Anyway...

I was introduced to DBZ with the Chinese dub, actually. Then came the American cast and then the Japanese cast. I'm a fan of both the Japanese voices and the Funimation dub cast, but I prefer the Japanese voices. The emotions projected in the voices stand out more to me, whether it's serious or comedic...and sometimes, it gets lost in the translation (well, not really the translation, but the recording..you know what I mean).

One of my favorite scenes is in movie 10, where Goku says something before appearing Gohan and Goten (I forget what he says), and that sound effect and the music comes on..It gives me chills, it's so good.

Although, Funimation does a pretty good job with the emotions. They pull off a good job, especially from what I see in Budokai 3. There are some screams in there that I love to hear, like Vegetto's scream when he goes into Dragon Rush mode. It's just one of those things that sound so cool. I felt that the Buu saga dub was done well, and was far superior to the Freeza saga.

The music in DBZ redub is pretty good. Most of the music fits the scenes, from what I remember. The dub music for the Buu saga and some of the music for the Cell saga was done well too. My favorites would be the SSj3 transformation song and the song that plays where Vegeta does the Final Flash against Cell. Although, 99% of the time, I prefer the Japanese music. It's something about the music thats for fitting, and matches.

Well, those are my two shillings

[Socar15]

Like many, I too was first introduced to DBZ by way of the dub. And to be quite honest, I didn't like it. Luckily I found the story interesting enough that it made me go and explore it further, thus my introduction to the Japanese version (which is eventually what I "fell in love with"). Now all these years later I look back at the dub, and well, I still don't like it. While the redub was definitely an improvement in my opinion, the dub as a whole could have been so much better. But I also realize that many people like it, and after a while I began to see why (I just simply disagree). For a while I was kind of pissed at Funimation, but pretty soon I simply stopped caring, because I realized it was much easier for me simply to ignore something then to spend my time getting all worked up about something I had no control of. Anyway, that's all I feeling like typing on the matter. It's time to move on.

[Super Sonic]

Now that I think about it, do they add an echo sound effect to Ms. Nozawa's voice whenever one of characters does the Kamehameha? Something I've noticed that happens in the Japanese version.

[Duo]

The original was a much..."bigger" production, if you will.

Toei, for one, had to Animate the series, and thus it was built around the Voice Actors vocals, thus allowing them to fit the mouth movements perfect, and allowing Toei to kind of "Modify" the Visual to bring it out to it's best.

Also, Toei had fully orchestral music and also hired some of the biggest names in music at the time in their country. They put their all into the production in general and it really shows. There was nothing cheap about it, but it came out fantastic.

Funimation, upon the start of season three, hired local and somewhat rookie voice actors and the cheapest area music "composer" and went from there. I got the chance to speak to Kyle Hebert myself on his fan AIM address a while back (Don't believe me? http://www.kylehebert.com/contact.php ) and he pretty much said the VA's are indeed paid crap, so you can assume the same for Funi, meaning we have-

-Low paid, off the street Voice Actors
-Cheapest possible music

And no dubbie can argue in favor of Season 3, but let's move on.

I'll give the dub credit, there were times that the VA's really, really did great (Mainly Videogames) but they never, in my opinion, out perform the amazing Japanese Vocal cast.

In general, FUNI didn't go all out like Toei did. They were trying to make a profitable dub, not a masterpiece production. Hey, that's what worked for them. Good for them. As long as they keep the Japanese Audio Track on every DVD along with Steven J. Simmons Fantastic Subtitles, I'll be happy. And to be honest, eye catchers and episode previews don't mean squat to me. I always hated "Last times!" and "Next times!" if it was done EVERY episode in a given series.

But anyways, like it or not, the Japanese VA's were picked out specifically for their respective roles and are the definitive, actual voices of the characters. They are endorsed and accepted by Toriyama-Sensei so they are the voices.

Although, I'll still submit that it is a matter of opinion from person to person. If you like the English, lower paid VA's, cool. Doesn't bother me, just don't get on my case about prefering otherwise. Live and let go, I say.

On a side note - I would like to agree with all those who said Ian Corlett and Scott McNeil are amazing. Far as I'm concerned, Ian was as close and the most we could ever expect from an English Goku. He even matches the general pace and tone in which Makano spoke in many scenes. He was fantastic.

And although I believe the original Piccolo should be looked at as the definitive, I honestly think Scott brought more out of the character. That's probably the only voice I can say that for.

[Super Sonic]

A thing I have to say about Sabat's Piccolo and Vegeta, though it may have to do with he did them later, they sound better when they're evil than when they're good guys. Anyone else think this?

[the_abberration]

Like most here, I started with the dub. The problem I had was that in watching the series dubbed I felt as though I was missing something.

Sometimes, what the character would say would not match their exspression...The added phrases when they were not necessary.

Or when they danced around General Blue's character in Dragonball (being gay) yet they practically shoved it down your throat with Freeza when he clearly wasn't (he may have been slightly enfeminate but he wasn't gay).

The music was not necessarily bad, but it tended to drown out the vocals at times. And when the time required softer music such as death scenes of when someone was badly hurt instead of silence or the "I'm gonna die music" you get the hard rock music.

A prime example is when Gohan gets his neck broken by Reccome. In Japanese there silence and that look on his face. I do believe they also did this in the dub re-release however.

The dub has it moments. In fact my sig has one of them to me.

There was also Goku's "Sorry, I saw an opening that seemed to scream attack. So I did. and Gohan's "Fight you. No. I'm going to kill you." which were done very well by the VA's.

In wacthing the subs, a lot of issues were cleared up in what was said for the character to react with the expressions and such. Also, the music added to the overall feel to the show.

I for one would suggest to everyone here (who hasn't done it) to watch the series in English then in Japanese. It's like watching two different shows.

[Sun_Wukong]

I really don't have a preference. There are things I like about the dub more than the original, and vice versa.

I'm the same way. I was introduced to the show via the dub back in '98. I didnt see any of the original Japanese untill 2001. I dont really see anything special about any of the versions.

[Victator Supreme]

A thing I have to say about Sabat's Piccolo and Vegeta, though it may have to do with he did them later, they sound better when they're evil than when they're good guys. Anyone else think this?

I agree. Sabat's Demon King Piccolo was great.

[Great Saiyaman]

I've heard Goku's Jap Kamehameha, I hate, it's annoying

As far as music goes, I've heard those songs from those episodes, I still prefer the dub, to be honest I cannot stand the music when Gohan goes SSJ2, too soft. I can't help it though, I don't think it's suiting.

[B-kun]

I have one question. Why do people constantly base Goku's entire Japanese voice off of ONE attack? x_x It's a horrible thing to base him off of. You may as well base Naruto off of the "Hyuu, hyuu~" he does when he used Sexy no Jutsu.

Odd thing to rant about, but it really bugs me when I see "Have you ever heard him say "Kamehameha" in the original? His Japanese voice is so stupid!".

[VegettoEX]

I've heard Goku's Jap Kamehameha, I hate, it's annoying

Please do not use the racial slur. Instead, use either "JP" (the commonly accepted abbreviation) or write out "Japanese".

[Great Saiyaman]

Oh, ok. Sorry, I wasn't using it as a slur/insult just so you know, just an abbreviation.

[Hao_Kaiser]

I remember switching my movie 6 DVD into the original, just to check it out, and then giggling and saying "They talk *giggle* so foony!!11."

Then, when I ... stopped being mentally retarded, I actually watched it, and grew to love it. I don't mind DB or Z so much dubbed, but after watching some of GT in Japanese, I relise why I hated it so much, I had watched the dub. Oh... and I played Budokai today... heard "Rock the Dragon." Yeah.

So, anyways, while I would rather watch the dub than, say... One Peice's, I'd much rather get to watch it the way it's meant to be. And, really, I don't mind the "Kamehameha" in the original. They sound just as bad, if not worse in the dub.