An observation on Dragon Ball's English-speaking fanbases.

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.
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SSJ2bardock
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Post by SSJ2bardock » Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:39 pm

Kunzait_83 wrote:
XanatosVanBadass wrote:
Don't get me wrong... I REALLY liked Gundam Wing a lot… but it’s by NO means my favorite entry in the series by any stretch…
I agree fully (my fav Gundam anything would have to be Char's Counterattack). However, you can not deny that anime fans who got into anime via the 1999-2000 toonami run will think of Gundam Wing when they hear Gundam. Much like people think of DBZ as the only Dragon Ball series of note.
I wasn’t denying that, but I’m definitely NOT in that same boat at all. I’ve been an avid anime fan since almost a good solid decade before the above described first wave of Toonami anime, and MY first Gundam series and the one that I instinctively think of when I hear the word is Victory Gundam… which of course we don’t have licensed here and likely never will. :sad:
Am I the only one who thinks G Gundam when they hear the word Gundam? Damn you Chibodee Crockett, why do you always fail your country!?

edit- his Gundam was such a blatant stereotype, it was hilarious. :lol:
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Post by Kid Trunks » Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:44 pm

XanatosVanBadass wrote:Ah, but here is the thing. The US is the only country that has changed the music for their dub of Dragon Ball.
I don't see how thats relevant. We're talking about the English music in and of itself. Not how or why it came to be.
XanatosVanBadass wrote:As bad as the Big Green and Saiya-People dubs are, they at least kept the original music. My question to you is, why was our country the only one that needed the change?
It didn't need the change. The Japanese music is good. Whats your point?
XanatosVanBadass wrote:Dragon Ball is popular all over the world despite changing very little. Is the new music REALLY what made the show successful?
Your asking me if Faulconers music is what made Dragonball popular in the US? I don't know. But from what I've heard, its the fighting that people like.
XanatosVanBadass wrote:Do you love Foulcner's music because it is trully excellant, or because it was music to a show that you happened to love?
If I think it sucked, I wouldn't like it.

Sorry to split your post up like that. But I didn't want to mix all my answers into one big messy paragraph.

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Post by XanatosVanBadass » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:35 pm

SSJ2bardock wrote:
Kunzait_83 wrote:
XanatosVanBadass wrote: I agree fully (my fav Gundam anything would have to be Char's Counterattack). However, you can not deny that anime fans who got into anime via the 1999-2000 toonami run will think of Gundam Wing when they hear Gundam. Much like people think of DBZ as the only Dragon Ball series of note.
I wasn’t denying that, but I’m definitely NOT in that same boat at all. I’ve been an avid anime fan since almost a good solid decade before the above described first wave of Toonami anime, and MY first Gundam series and the one that I instinctively think of when I hear the word is Victory Gundam… which of course we don’t have licensed here and likely never will. :sad:
Am I the only one who thinks G Gundam when they hear the word Gundam? Damn you Chibodee Crockett, why do you always fail your country!?

edit- his Gundam was such a blatant stereotype, it was hilarious. :lol:
haha, all of them were pretty much! To be fair, I do remember that G-Gundam was pretty popular too. It seems like Gundam shows on CN that failed were either too old or too short to make money off of
I don't see how thats relevant. We're talking about the English music in and of itself. Not how or why it came to be.
I feel that its relevant as the music wasn't changed anywhere else in the world, but its apparantly not good enough for American sensibilities? What makes us so special/speshul?
It didn't need the change. The Japanese music is good. Whats your point?
Good, I agree with you on that. However, someone thought it did or else we wouldn't have gotten the Fulcner music. Which brings me to my next point.
Your asking me if Faulconers music is what made Dragonball popular in the US? I don't know. But from what I've heard, its the fighting that people like.
Well, ok maybe I shouldn't have worded it like that. My question is, how do you feel that the US music IMPROVED the Dragon Ball Z anime as far as mood or whatever? What about Bruce's score makes it noteworthy and better for American audiences in your opinion? Basically, why do you like it better from a technical aspect?

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Post by jjgp1112 » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:41 pm

XanatosVanBadass wrote:
Well, ok maybe I shouldn't have worded it like that. My question is, how do you feel that the US music IMPROVED the Dragon Ball Z anime as far as mood or whatever? What about Bruce's score makes it noteworthy and better for American audiences in your opinion? Basically, why do you like it better from a technical aspect?
For the love of God.

He's not saying it's better, he's just saying he likes it.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
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Vekurotto
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Post by Vekurotto » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:45 pm

jjgp1112 wrote:
XanatosVanBadass wrote:
Well, ok maybe I shouldn't have worded it like that. My question is, how do you feel that the US music IMPROVED the Dragon Ball Z anime as far as mood or whatever? What about Bruce's score makes it noteworthy and better for American audiences in your opinion? Basically, why do you like it better from a technical aspect?
For the love of God.

He's not saying it's better, he's just saying he likes it.
And there's nothing wrong with that but, like with aspects of the dub, to say that it's actually somewhere that people that should be praising and looking to is laughable at the least.
Be grateful the filler in Dragon Ball doesn't suck like the 3rd arc of Rurouni Kenshin.

[size=59][quote="Onikage725"]Anakin: I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating…hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me…what can I do? I will do anything you ask. If you are suffering as much as I am, please, tell me.

Me: YES! Please shut the fuck up!![/quote][/size]

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Post by jjgp1112 » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:47 pm

Vekurotto wrote:
jjgp1112 wrote:
XanatosVanBadass wrote:
Well, ok maybe I shouldn't have worded it like that. My question is, how do you feel that the US music IMPROVED the Dragon Ball Z anime as far as mood or whatever? What about Bruce's score makes it noteworthy and better for American audiences in your opinion? Basically, why do you like it better from a technical aspect?
For the love of God.

He's not saying it's better, he's just saying he likes it.
And there's nothing wrong with that but, like with aspects of the dub, to say that it's actually somewhere that people that should be praising and looking to is laughable at the least.
Why is it laughable to say so?

We all have different opinions on what makes good music, so you shouldn't state things as if they're facts.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

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Post by XanatosVanBadass » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:49 pm

Alright then. I apologize for making an assumption, but my question still stands, though I'll be fair and modify it a little.

What do you like about the dub music as far as mood goes. Do you think the dub music invokes everything that the Japanese one does?

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Post by Vekurotto » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:51 pm

jjgp1112 wrote:
Vekurotto wrote:
jjgp1112 wrote: For the love of God.

He's not saying it's better, he's just saying he likes it.
And there's nothing wrong with that but, like with aspects of the dub, to say that it's actually somewhere that people that should be praising and looking to is laughable at the least.
Why is it laughable to say so?

We all have different opinions on what makes good music, so you shouldn't state things as if they're facts.
Not saying that. I am saying though that if you do try to sell Faulconer's music to anybody but a Funi Dragon Ball Z fan then you just aren't going to see too much of a positive reaction.
Be grateful the filler in Dragon Ball doesn't suck like the 3rd arc of Rurouni Kenshin.

[size=59][quote="Onikage725"]Anakin: I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating…hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me…what can I do? I will do anything you ask. If you are suffering as much as I am, please, tell me.

Me: YES! Please shut the fuck up!![/quote][/size]

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Post by Captain Awesome » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:53 pm

XanatosVanBadass wrote: What do you like about the dub music as far as mood goes. Do you think the dub music invokes everything that the Japanese one does?
You're still essentially asking "Do you think it's as good as the Japanese version?", you're not going to prove anything, or convince anyone of anything, so it's best you just leave it.

I loathe Faulconer's score, but I don't hassle people that do like it with loaded questions.
Last edited by Captain Awesome on Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Vekurotto » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:57 pm

Captain Awesome wrote:You're still essentially asking "Do you think it's as good as the Japanese version?", you're not going to prove anything, or convince anyone of anything, so it's best you just leave it.

I loathe Faulconer's score, but I don't hassle people that do like it with loaded questions.
I never said anything about the original music for one. I'm just generally saying that it'll be hard to find people outside of Dragon Ball Z that'll give Faulconer's music credit.

EDIT: Oh You're talking to the Noob :P
Last edited by Vekurotto on Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Be grateful the filler in Dragon Ball doesn't suck like the 3rd arc of Rurouni Kenshin.

[size=59][quote="Onikage725"]Anakin: I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating…hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me…what can I do? I will do anything you ask. If you are suffering as much as I am, please, tell me.

Me: YES! Please shut the fuck up!![/quote][/size]

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Post by jjgp1112 » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:57 pm

Vekurotto wrote:
Captain Awesome wrote:You're still essentially asking "Do you think it's as good as the Japanese version?", you're not going to prove anything, or convince anyone of anything, so it's best you just leave it.

I loathe Faulconer's score, but I don't hassle people that do like it with loaded questions.
I never said anything about the original music for one. I'm just generally saying that it'll be hard to find people outside of Dragon Ball Z that'll give Faulconer's music credit.
That's because-

Oh, fuck it.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

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Post by Captain Awesome » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:00 pm

Vekurotto wrote: EDIT: Oh You're talking to the Noob :P
Yeah, sorry dude, I was too lazy to use quotes at the time!, it's fixed now :)

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Post by Kid Trunks » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:11 pm

jjgp1112 wrote:
XanatosVanBadass wrote:
Well, ok maybe I shouldn't have worded it like that. My question is, how do you feel that the US music IMPROVED the Dragon Ball Z anime as far as mood or whatever? What about Bruce's score makes it noteworthy and better for American audiences in your opinion? Basically, why do you like it better from a technical aspect?
For the love of God.

He's not saying it's better, he's just saying he likes it.
Exactly. Besides, thats such a loaded question. I answer that, and I'll have a whole hell of a lot of explaining to do.
Vekurotto wrote:And there's nothing wrong with that but, like with aspects of the dub, to say that it's actually somewhere that people that should be praising and looking to is laughable at the least.
Why do you guys always finish your posts like that? I say "We like Faulconers music because we think its good. The same way sub fans like the Japanese music because they think its good". And then someone basically replies "Thats cool...just so long as you know the dub is bullshit, and any reason you "like" its can't go beyond nostalgic value".

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Post by MyVisionity » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:15 pm

XanatosVanBadass wrote:Do you think the dub music invokes everything that the Japanese one does?
I think it invokes something entirely different. I personally enjoy seeing what kind of mood Faulconer creates with his music, as it is often times much different from the original. In my opinion, many of his pieces will really work the imagination; it's one of the major draws into FUNi's DBZ. I can't think of many other American cartoon shows that were able to create the kind of atmosphere that Faulconer did at the time.

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Post by jjgp1112 » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:20 pm

MyVisionity wrote:
XanatosVanBadass wrote:Do you think the dub music invokes everything that the Japanese one does?
I think it invokes something entirely different. I personally enjoy seeing what kind of mood Faulconer creates with his music, as it is often times much different from the original. In my opinion, many of his pieces will really work the imagination; it's one of the major draws into FUNi's DBZ. I can't think of many other American cartoon shows that were able to create the kind of atmosphere that Faulconer did at the time.
Personally, my favorite theme of his is the "Dragon theme":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PunmoCVoEiY

It makes the themes so much more dramatic. The two scenes in the dub that I think are superior to the Japanese version are Vegeta's Final Flash and Cell vs. Gohan Kamehameha struggle. They were so much more dramatic thanks to that theme.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

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Post by Vekurotto » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:29 pm

Kid Trunks wrote:Why do you guys always finish your posts like that? I say "We like Faulconers music because we think its good.
But that's exactly what I said though. What so wrong with me saying that it'll be hard for you to convince anybody not familiar with him though?
Kid Trunks wrote:And then someone basically replies "Thats cool...just so long as you know the dub is bullshit, and any reason you "like" its can't go beyond nostalgic value".
Because we've basically got people in the English speaking fandom, saying that the Funi dub is far superior to the original or any other form of Dragon Ball Z that's walked the face of the planet even though it does things that the most standard of standard Narutards would have a corneal seizure over all because they hate that Goku has a girly voice and that the original music sounds like it's from the 1600s and there's no guitars or synths.

What's so wrong with admitting that the dub changes lines for no apparent reason, that the music is different (and received with highly mixed reception), and that some of the characters, main and secondary, are either not fully realized or that they are changed? It's all there for anybody to see and hear. It's not like people make it up.
Be grateful the filler in Dragon Ball doesn't suck like the 3rd arc of Rurouni Kenshin.

[size=59][quote="Onikage725"]Anakin: I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating…hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me…what can I do? I will do anything you ask. If you are suffering as much as I am, please, tell me.

Me: YES! Please shut the fuck up!![/quote][/size]

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Post by XanatosVanBadass » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:39 pm

jjgp1112 wrote:
MyVisionity wrote:
XanatosVanBadass wrote:Do you think the dub music invokes everything that the Japanese one does?
I think it invokes something entirely different. I personally enjoy seeing what kind of mood Faulconer creates with his music, as it is often times much different from the original. In my opinion, many of his pieces will really work the imagination; it's one of the major draws into FUNi's DBZ. I can't think of many other American cartoon shows that were able to create the kind of atmosphere that Faulconer did at the time.
Personally, my favorite theme of his is the "Dragon theme":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PunmoCVoEiY

It makes the themes so much more dramatic. The two scenes in the dub that I think are superior to the Japanese version are Vegeta's Final Flash and Cell vs. Gohan Kamehameha struggle. They were so much more dramatic thanks to that theme.
Ok, I listened to the entire track in the link you gave me and tried to give it an outsiders take on it. Not thinking of DBZ, just as a piece of music. To be perfectly clear, I don't HATE Bruce Faulconer's music, in fact, there is little I do hate in this world (Well, there are Narutards, but I digress :wink: )

Honestly, I don't think there is anything outright AWEFUL in the music you presented, but I disagree that it is more dramatic than say, Shen-Long's music in Movie 3 or even Movie 1. In a nutshell, the FUNi-music isn't bad and certainly evokes a mystical atmosphere, but to me anyway, it seems so . . . generic. Almost like I've heard it on like 5 cartoons in the 90s.

Sadly, I can't find it at the moment for comparison, but the Japanese music tends to evoke a much more . . . epic quality to me when Shen-Long appears. Epic and oldfashioned, like something out of an old hong-kong/Jackie Chan movie.

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Post by Kunzait_83 » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:47 pm

b
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Kunzait's Wuxia Thread
Journey to the West, chapter 26 wrote:The strong man will meet someone stronger still:
Come to naught at last he surely will!
Zephyr wrote:And that's to say nothing of how pretty much impossible it is to capture what made the original run of the series so great. I'm in the generation of fans that started with Toonami, so I totally empathize with the feeling of having "missed the party", experiencing disappointment, and wanting to experience it myself. But I can't, that's how life is. Time is a bitch. The party is over. Kageyama, Kikuchi, and Maeda are off the sauce now; Yanami almost OD'd; Yamamoto got arrested; Toriyama's not going to light trash cans on fire and hang from the chandelier anymore. We can't get the band back together, and even if we could, everyone's either old, in poor health, or calmed way the fuck down. Best we're going to get, and are getting, is a party that's almost entirely devoid of the magic that made the original one so awesome that we even want more.
Kamiccolo9 wrote:It grinds my gears that people get "outraged" over any of this stuff. It's a fucking cartoon. If you are that determined to be angry about something, get off the internet and make a stand for something that actually matters.
Rocketman wrote:"Shonen" basically means "stupid sentimental shit" anyway, so it's ok to be anti-shonen.

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Post by Kid Trunks » Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:00 pm

Vekurotto wrote:
Kid Trunks wrote:Why do you guys always finish your posts like that? I say "We like Faulconers music because we think its good.
But that's exactly what I said though. What so wrong with me saying that it'll be hard for you to convince anybody not familiar with him though?
Theres nothing wrong with that? I don't know what your talking about to be honest. I'm just saying that whenever I just say "we like Faulconer", you guys always have to get a little dig in. Some like "Thats cool...BUT just so long as you know the dub is bullshit, and any reason you "like" its can't go beyond nostalgic value" or something lie that.
Vekurotto wrote:
Kid Trunks wrote:And then someone basically replies "Thats cool...just so long as you know the dub is bullshit, and any reason you "like" its can't go beyond nostalgic value".
Because we've basically got people in the English speaking fandom, saying that the Funi dub is far superior to the original or any other form of Dragon Ball Z that's walked the face of the planet even though it does things that the most standard of standard Narutards would have a corneal seizure over all because they hate that Goku has a girly voice and that the original music sounds like it's from the 1600s and there's no guitars or synths.
Well by all means tell them that if you want. But if you've read any of the posts here (my own, jjgp1112 for example) you'd see that we aren't saying that. You acknowledge that we can like Faulconer if we want and all... but then we always get that condescending little "but you can't seriously like it can you? Its bullshit" line at the end. Save that line for the people who do come in here touting Faulconers music as better than the original.
Vekurotto wrote:What's so wrong with admitting that the dub changes lines for no apparent reason, that the music is different (and received with highly mixed reception), and that some of the characters, main and secondary, are either not fully realized or that they are changed? It's all there for anybody to see and hear. It's not like people make it up.
Um? Nothing? I'll gladly admit that. But I thought we were talking about the music? Not the lines.

Having said all that, I've taken so with this reply I've read Kunzait_83's post, and I get where you guys are coming from.

Edit: Well, atleast where Kunzait_83 is coming from anyway.

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Post by Raki » Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:38 am

jjgp1112 wrote:
Vekurotto wrote:
Captain Awesome wrote:You're still essentially asking "Do you think it's as good as the Japanese version?", you're not going to prove anything, or convince anyone of anything, so it's best you just leave it.

I loathe Faulconer's score, but I don't hassle people that do like it with loaded questions.
I never said anything about the original music for one. I'm just generally saying that it'll be hard to find people outside of Dragon Ball Z that'll give Faulconer's music credit.
That's because-

Oh, fuck it.
Halway decent scores can stand on their own without the visuals. Can Falcouner's DBZ score do that in your opinion?
The series doesn't start with the arrival of Raditz. Stop being lazy and watch Dragonball.

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