Would you have liked to see Pioneer dub the franchise?

[Vorige Waffe]

Well first off, it's important to note that Pioneer never dubbed anything.

They were a licensor and distributor. They never dubbed anything in-house like Funimation does. Bandai and Viz were/are the same way. Rather they outsourced their anime to different dubbing studios. In Pioneer/Geneon's case, they usually settled on ADR studios like Animaze, Studiopolis, or the lesser Bang Zoom, all of which are in California.This is where you get your Steven Blums, Johnny Young Bosches, Mary McGlynns, Richard Epcars, and so forth. And sometimes, they'd outsource to Ocean Group in Canada. Ocean Group is/was of course divided into two different studios: The more notable Westwood Studio in Vancouver (which of course dubbed the first 50 or so episodes for Funimation and then later the Android arc onward for partial Canadian broadcast and for pretty much all English speaking regions in Europe)--this is of course where you got your Brian Drummonds, Scott McNeils, Saffron Henderson, etc.-- and also Blue Water Studios in Alberta, which of course made their own dub for GT and Dragon Ball for Canadian and European broadcast. I'm not sure if any anime licensed by Pioneer/Geneon was dubbed by Blue Water, but Bandai Entertainment hired them on a few titles (namely Zeta Gundam and G Gundam).

Secondly, Pioneer never had anything to do with Dragon Ball outside of doing home video distribution for Funimation's Ocean dubbed catalogue of episodes and movies on VHS and DVD produced between 1997 and 1999. Funimation has owned the American license for Dragon Ball since 1994.

So I'm guessing what everyone is being mistaken about is what would the franchise be like if Ocean Group dubbed it, I guess? Well, we already know how that turned out when AB Group had them dub the Android arc to the end of Z in the early 2000s, and it was lackluster. Now you can partially blame that on a rushed production and the copying of Funi's inaccurate script in lieu of doing a more accurate rewrite. I'm sure under Funimation's schedule of releasing the episodes dubbed for home video first (albeit released out of order), and then later broadcast, it's possible it could have been better. After all, it was actor Ward Perry from Ocean Group that handled the ADR script along with direction from Karl Willems for original dubs of the first three movies, and those dubs are still fondly remembered. Again, maybe under relaxed conditions with Funimation they could have pulled it off, but at the same time it might be a hassle having to juggle production between Texas and Canada, and that's not even taking YTV in Canada or Cartoon Network in Atlanta, Georgia. If I'm correct this is what propelled Funimation to move their production in-house and cut Ocean, Pioneer and, Saban out of the equation from the Freeza arc onward.

Now if they say... moved to dubbing to a California studio like Animaze... that might be interesting. Though that did kinda happen once, in none other than the English voice track for DBGT: Final Bout on the PS1. Though I'm sure that was being bankrolled by Bandai and they clearly didn't allow for time in doing a decent voice track for a mediocre fighting game based on a franchise that was still a couple years away from hitting its stride on TV. I'm sure if Funimation had a more active role in localizing that game, the voices would've been a bit less wooden. Hell, maybe they could've wound up using those fan beloved LA dub actors for the show proper--a funny thought considering they actually have in recent years (like Richard Epcar in Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine).

[Cure Dragon 255]

Why cant newbie posts be like more the one above mine? They always are "POWER LEVEL MATH" Bullshit.

[NitroEX]

Again, maybe under relaxed conditions with Funimation they could have pulled it off, but at the same time it might be a hassle having to juggle production between Texas and Canada, and that's not even taking YTV in Canada or Cartoon Network in Atlanta, Georgia. If I'm correct this is what propelled Funimation to move their production in-house and cut Ocean, Pioneer and, Saban out of the equation from the Freeza arc onward.

I don't think you have your facts right here, Funimation couldn't afford the services of Ocean any longer which is why they began using in-house actors with little to no experience. They were the ones "cut" by Saban (along with their funding), not the other way around.

[Bansho64]

I thought Pioneer helped produce the movies after Ocean after they got cut? There's gotta be something that Pioneer did to help them. Otherwise we would have had a great dub for the rest of Z. It doesn't make much sense for them to do so well after Funimation let them go and then pretty much plummet in terms of acting for the rest of the series.

[PsionicWarrior]

I don't like dub. Original is how it should be watched, voice acting is a huge part of the ambience.

[Dbzfan94]

I don't like dub. Original is how it should be watched, voice acting is a huge part of the ambience.

Dismissing all dubs ever is being pretty close minded, don't you think?

[PsionicWarrior]

Oh I watched them

[ABED]

Oh I watched them

I've watched them as well and the Kai dub is better than the JPN version.

[Danfun64]

One of the advantages of hearing audio in a language you understand compared to hearing the original version of something in a language you don't understand combined with subtitles you do understand...

You can appreciate the subtleties of voice acting, where hearing something in another language you can only guess the extremes in the quality of acting.

[Super Sonic]

And sometimes certain things aren't always better in the original. The Japanese versions of "Gotham Knight" and the X-Men anime sound kinda weird.

[PsionicWarrior]

Of course it all depends on personal taste. In my opinion, DB and DBZ original voice acting is largely unbeaten.

[Kakacarrottop]

Pioneer never had anything to do with Dragon Ball outside of doing home video distribution for Funimation's Ocean dubbed catalogue of episodes and movies on VHS and DVD produced between 1997 and 1999.

The credits for the 3 movies seem to suggest otherwise

[Hellspawn28]

I think a DBZ dub with a Animaze voice cast from the 90's would probably look like this. GT: Final Bout use the same type of voice actors that work with Animaze.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r97xXROf7k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiEqVUD03Yc

[Vorige Waffe]

Pioneer never had anything to do with Dragon Ball outside of doing home video distribution for Funimation's Ocean dubbed catalogue of episodes and movies on VHS and DVD produced between 1997 and 1999.

The credits for the 3 movies seem to suggest otherwise

They probably bankrolled it then. Pioneer/Geneon still never *dubbed* anything, as in hiring their own actors in their own recording studio (like Funimation), and that's a fact. Every one of their anime licenses was outsourced to another recording group/facility, usually using either Ocean Group, Animaze, or Bang Zoom.

[NitroEX]

It's hard for me to believe that 1998 FUnimation were forward thinking enough to use the Japanese BGM in these movies or even come up with a faithful script. These creative decisions seem more likely to have been directed by Pioneer rather than Funimation. I mean all you have to do is look at the direction Funimation took with the next set of movies in the following years, they clearly weren't fond of the Japanese BGM or faithful scripts.

I think it's a mistake to say Pioneer only dealt with video distribution and nothing else, they clearly had a creative hand in these dubs.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Yeah, and if you say it like that Viz Media never dubbed anything either, they commision dubs to Studiopolis, Bang Zoom,Ocean and even Blue Water at one point. Only Funimation can be said to "Dub" in house.

[Vorige Waffe]

Only Funimation can be said to "Dub" in house.

ADV Films dubbed things themselves--insofar as translating, doing rewrites for ADR scripts, hiring actors and crew members--though they usually went to an outside recording studio, usually either at Industrial Smoke & Mirrors in Houston, TX or Monster Island studios in Austin. Both recording facilities eventually merged into ADV Studios in 2005. Streamline Pictures worked the same way, with translation, ADR scripts, and hiring crew done by Streamline/Carl Macek with the actual dub recording done at a separate facility. Manga Entertainment's UK dubs were also done this way, with the recording done at a studio in London. Later on they outsourced those UK dubs to a much less reputable production company in Cardiff, Wales. Their American dubs (Macross Plus, Street Fighter the Animated Movie, Ghost in the Shell) were usually translated, written, dubbed by Animaze and recorded at Magnitude 8 in Los Angeles.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I know, I know! Jeez, I knew I shouldnt have let my guard down in that aspect.

[Quantum-Kakarrotto]

I would have loved to see Pioneer do a complete English Dub of Z and Dragon Ball. I sometimes wish I could go to another dimension where Pioneer did do the full series and buy all the DVD's they have for it.

[MetaMoss]

I would have loved to see Pioneer do a complete English Dub of Z and Dragon Ball. I sometimes wish I could go to another dimension where Pioneer did do the full series and buy all the DVD's they have for it.

Did you not read that long post that Vorige Waffe made about how Pioneer never did any dubbing? I'm a bit baffled that people seemed to be ignorant of how the "Pioneer Movies" were still Funimation's productions.