For those who like the original better...

[Pain]

I think it's mostly that people focus on the bad sides of the dub why you'd have the feeling that people like the original simply because it's original. As for me, I indeed like the original better on average, because of its better music and voices. Especially the Funi Freeza saga is a lot worse in the dub.

However, I grew up with the Pioneer dub, so I like that one as much as the original Saiyan and Namek sagas. Their voices and music was good, too, and it got me into DB. And by the time the Funi dub reached the Cell sagas, they really gained anough experience to make it good in my book.

Lastly, and I think what I have to say here is probably gonna sound controversial because of the reason I described above, I actually like the Funi dub better than the original during the whole Buu arc. The Japanese version changes music in the Buu arc, which I like less, while the Funi dub got better throughout the whole series. I think Funi's music in the Buu arc is better than the Japanese music.
Another reason why I like Funi Buu better than the Japanese arc is that in the Japanese version, Buu has just one, bland sounding voice. Funi created a new voice for each of his (major) forms, which fits perfectly with the different characters of Buu. Also, they added phase-shifting to his voices which make them sound eerily artificial. This is one thing I love very much about Majin Buu in the Funi dub: he sounds like an ominous, impossible being.

You...are AWESOME.

[Captain Awesome]

I'll put it this way.

I never became truly obsessed until I watched the original Japanese version.

@Terra-jin;

I actually loved the change in music for the Boo arc, I was burnt out on background variations of Head Cha La by then, the new music made watching the less than stellar Boo arc that much easier.

And I can't understand how anyone could ever like Fat Boo's FUNimation voice, the rest of his forms they did a decent job with, but Fat Boo's voice is just so utterly stupid that I experience physical pain when I'm subjected to it, so much so that I actually check to see if blood is coming out of my ears.

I can't understand how they fucked up so badly, especially when Dameon Clarke did such a great job with Cell (not counting second form)

[Terra-jin]

Well, it just fits his child-like nature. He sounds cute, naive and indeed stupid, which is why I think his voice is spot on. Kid Buu has the same voice actor, but he sounds maniacal, evil and... stupid. Again, this fits perfectly with the character

[Pain]

Well this is one thing that I'll give the FUNi dub credit for that the original doesn't seem to do often: Changing the voice of a villain or hero after they go through a major transformation. You know, like Freeza, Cell, and Boo. In the original, the voices stayed the same or didn't change much. That is one of the of things that I didn't love about the original.

[Captain Awesome]

Well this is one thing that I'll give the FUNi dub credit for that the original doesn't seem to do often: Changing the voice of a villain or hero after they go through a major transformation. You know, like Freeza, Cell, and Boo.

You really haven't listened properly to Norio Wakamoto, there was even a podcast topic on the evolution of his Cell voice, the man is a God.

Ryusei Nakao's Freeza had more of a character evolution, his haughty "civilized" tone disintigrates as he gets more and more humilated by Super Saiya-jin Goku.

I really couldn't disagree more, the dub cast didn't really go anywhere with their roles, they have always felt like voices to me, and nothing more.

[kusakun004]

I like the original better because it was on I-channel and I found the I-channel's bumpers and commercials interesting. So I kind of got attached to the original even though I had no idea what they were saying.

[Chrono Trigger]

I am a fan of both versions. Sometimes I wish I could just mix them both together. I feel that there are some things the original does much better than the dub and that there are things the dub does better than the original. Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan and Gohan going Super Saiyan 2 are two moments that Funimation has disgraced and will never be comparable to the Japanese version. However on the other hand Vegeta going Super Saiyan for the First time and The Super Saiyan 3 transformation were scenes that were done better in the dub. At least that's how I feel. I don't mind watching the original version but there are certain things I'd rather watch in English just because I felt it was done better. I also feel that the English actor for Cell is on the same level as the original. His Imperfect Cell voice is flawless. This you guys can't deny.

[Adamant]

I'm watching Dragonball, not some random foreign licensee's idea of what characters should sound like and say, and what music should be replaced for whatever reason.

It's the same way I'll watch English Animaniacs, German Kommisar Rex and Swedish Pippi Longstocking (yeah, had to dig a bit to find examples of non-English/Japanese series). Why settle for inferior voiceovers and editting when you can get the original the way the creators actually intended for it to be?

[Kunzait_83]

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[Rocketman]

Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan ... moment that Funimation has disgraced and will never be comparable to the Japanese version.

Aight, I'm gonna ask. How so?

[Kaboom]

So, for you, is it an issue of the integrity of the original or is it an issue of actually liking one more than the other.

This, really. I do like most of the dub voices, and like you said, when I pick up the manga, often times it's them I hear in my head as I read. I got into the series by watching the dub on TV.

But with the Season Sets, I've been making it a habit to watch the new 5.1 English track, but with the subs for the Japanese version on, and I'm really getting put off by how terrible the script is. Add to that my knowledge of how a lot of the little things make big differences, and the whole thing just kind of ends up leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and I find myself switching back to Japanese in the end.

So a good, accurate script, or rather the lack of one, is my main beef. I don't mind a majority of the voices themselves. Heck, the Remastered Movies 1&2 pack use the good old Pioneer script, and the voice acting is recent and pretty well-done. So now that it has the option for the original music, I can easily watch those in either language.

Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan ... moment that Funimation has disgraced and will never be comparable to the Japanese version.

Aight, I'm gonna ask. How so?

Freeza: "Pop goes the weasel!"

As for Gohan's transformation, needless inner monologues suck, especially when they weren't there to begin with. That's one of the dub's worst repeated flaws, and having it ruin such an otherwise AWESOME moment just makes it all the worse.

[Zuhalter2000]

I grew up watching the Funi dub, thats why I prefer it; but when I watch One Piece I only watch the original (with sub of course ).

[Metalwario64]

While I like the Japanese version a whole lot more, I tend to find myself watching the dub more often with the Season Sets. This especially is because it has the original music now, and I hate reading subtitles. But when I want to watch it in it's original glory, I switch over to the original version.

I can't stand the Garlic Jr. Saga dub however, because it is even worse than their Frieza Saga dub.

In general I think the dub actors improved and became "good" during the end of the Android saga (with the exception of Sabat's Vegeta, which isn't good until the Buu saga) and far exceeds the Ocean cast IMO (but that is another topic for another day).

[Rocketman]

Freeza: "Pop goes the weasel!"

Villains twisting an otherwise innocent saying or children's rhyme is a classic.

As for Gohan's transformation, needless inner monologues suck, especially when they weren't there to begin with. That's one of the dub's worst repeated flaws, and having it ruin such an otherwise AWESOME moment just makes it all the worse.

And I never cared about Gohan enough to bother. I say, though, that his transformation takes a really fucking long time for something that's supposed to be a sudden snap (and two panels in the manga).

Which, incidentally, is why I don't mind most of the dub monologues. If the characters would stop standing around all the time...

[Chrono Trigger]

Captian Awesome said: I really couldn't disagree more, the dub cast didn't really go anywhere with their roles, they have always felt like voices to me, and nothing more.

So Imperfect Cell did nothing for you !? His voice actor is easily one of the best in the dub. In my opinion of course but I can't believe NOBODY is impressed with him.

Rocketman said: Aight, I'm gonna ask. How so?

Ok maybe "disgraced" is too strong of a word but honestly I wasn't really impressed with either version of Goku's transformation. The English actor seemed like he was over acting and he just didn't sell it. On the other hand the original actor sounded really good. I mean I couldn't understand what she was saying but it sounded more natural. However I like the music better in the English dub than in the sub. The music they used for the original just doesn't fit the scene to me. I think they would have been better off not using music at all for that scene. At least in the sub, in the dub it actually helps it out.

[Salagir2]

For films, I can only prefer the original. That's just the good voice for the good actor.

For anime, in some cases I can prefer the dub. This goes for a very few of them. In fact, only for the ones they actually put budget, and consideration, in the dubbing.
That is NOT the case of DB and DBZ in france

It is the case for recent Ghibli films, for The Simpsons, and I also like the french version of Excel Saga.

In my own nostalgia, I love the voices of the french version of DBZ, for sure, but when I hear it again... the text is so, so bad, and the recording conditions so horrible, that it hides the fact some actors were really good.

[JulieYBM]

Give me an the FUNi cast using proper terms and names and dialogue along with the original score and OP/ED and dang it to heck I'm set. I'm conditioned to them and really, I'm entangled.

But the Japanese cast is fun too. All of them were professional actors from the start while the FUNimation cast...not so much, but that's changed as better directors and actors have been pulled into the mix.

EDIT:

I grew up watching the Funi dub, thats why I prefer it; but when I watch One Piece I only watch the original (with sub of course ).

The FUNimation version wants your attention, it does.

[MyVisionity]

For me, besides liking the content itself, I am a fan of the original in part because it is the original. I think stories should always be viewed in their intended format, regardless of any language barriers. However, that's not to say I can't appreciate a good dub. I agree that if we had gotten the entire series dubbed like those first three movies from ten years ago, it would have been great.

That being said, while I'm not a fan, I'm not sure if I would call the FUNimation dub inferior. While they started out lamely, I'd say it improved as time went on. While they did do things like make the martial artists sound like pro-wrestlers, you have to remember the target audience. The same goes for the lack of talk about Ki and so forth. What's more popular with American children, old school martial arts flicks or hardcore superhero action? While I don't think children should have their intelligence insulted and do think that they should be exposed to foreign concepts, I have to appreciate the effort by FUNi.

To a greater extent, I do really appreciate the script rewrites. I like that FUNi tried to distance themselves from the original by adding off the wall humor that you might not expect outside of the US. I also like the added dialogue that expands upon the original and gives the characters new and different motivations. Although it can be a little unwarranted and cheesy at times.

One of the biggest treats for me is the music. While it may be cheaply produced and not too complicated to perform, I believe Bruce Faulconer really injected a good dose of creativity into the series with his scores. Some of his stuff can really take you places if you listen to it. I've compared it to the likes of the soundtrack in Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' series, in the way that it can transcend beyond any particular scene. Sure, a lot of it may seem superficial, but I do appreciate Faulconer changing things up with each new saga, and giving the characters their own custom themes.

As for the voices, well, they may not be the most talented bunch, but I think FUNi's cast got much better as time went on. I enjoy hearing the actors give new life to old characters, with unique personality quirks and so forth, essentially making the roles their own.

So while I love the original, I think that FUNi did a decent job at creating something new and different that can stand apart on its own.

[Rocketman]

For me, besides liking the content itself, I am a fan of the original in part because it is the original. I think stories should always be viewed in their intended format, regardless of any language barriers.

So, just hypothetically, mind...the only way the Iliad should be presented is by someone committing the entire 24-book, 16,000-line text to memory and singing it in Greek?

[Pain]

Well this is one thing that I'll give the FUNi dub credit for that the original doesn't seem to do often: Changing the voice of a villain or hero after they go through a major transformation. You know, like Freeza, Cell, and Boo.

You really haven't listened properly to Norio Wakamoto, there was even a podcast topic on the evolution of his Cell voice, the man is a God.

Ryusei Nakao's Freeza had more of a character evolution, his haughty "civilized" tone disintigrates as he gets more and more humilated by Super Saiya-jin Goku.

I really couldn't disagree more, the dub cast didn't really go anywhere with their roles, they have always felt like voices to me, and nothing more.

Nakao's voice changing from civilized to angry has nothing to do with this. And I've heard Norio's Cell voice. It's just that the voices don't change too much. I also believe that the dub DID have SOME voices that at least you'd like.