Original Japanese or American version?

Timo · Post by **Timo** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 7:09 pm

Ash wrote:
Huh? Chinese theme song? Whatcha' mean? I probably haven't heard of it. But if you're asking if the theme song is different for the Chinese version, it's not. They just use the same opening and ending song which is in Japanese.
No no...when it was broadcast on TV, there WAS a Cantonese version of Cha-La Head-Cha-La, sung by 2 brothers of whom I don't know anything. Still have some borrowed TV-taped episodes of DBZ around here somewhere... The movies, done by another company or something [they used other VA's and names] did have the original opening en endings.

The version used as the opening theme on TV for the series wasn't 'techno-remixed' though, just a normal version. Don't know whether a normal version floats around on the internet....

Really?! I just have the Remix but I thought this one can't be the 'real' chinese OP.
Do you have any idea where I can get this TV Version?

koden · Post by **koden** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 9:49 am

I would've replied earlier, but I've just come back to this place... so I'm sorry for the bump!

I need to come here more...
---
I love the manga best, but of the dub or sub, I like the sub way better. I'd actually gotten into DBZ by the dub and didn't manage to see the Japanese version until 5+ years had passed, but I ended up being completely converted after watching just a couple episodes. ><

Not that I'd wanted to, as I'd been with the dub so long and had so much nostalgia... but I guess I was just destined to like the sub better, 'cuz DB means a lot more to me now when I'm watching it in Japanese.

I've just really come to love the seiyuu. XD I practically worship them (especially Ryo Horikawa, Masako Nozawa, and Mayumi Tanaka ^^)... And I love the original music as well (although some of it is just damn annoying).

dat bowt it = P

Jord · Post by **Jord** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:01 pm

I must say I like the original better but must admit that the dub got a whole lot better later in th series. The ssj3 theme in the Buu saga was a wonderfull addition and made the ssj3 scene with Goku and later the Genki Dama scene a lot better. I also must say that the American VA's have grown on me. When I boor up Budokai 3 it's nice to hear the American Goku talk. The actor who does his voice does a tremendous job and really captures the character. I do like the Japanese voice better, but the Amercan voice is acceptable. Most US voices are acceptable except for the horror that is Majin Buu's voice.

Rocketman · Post by **Rocketman** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:17 pm

Jord wrote:Most US voices are acceptable except for the horror that is Majin Buu's voice.

Just makes it more satisfying when the fat pink bastard gets Goku's and Vegeta's foot in his face.

Michi · Post by **Michi** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 8:09 am

LaRésistance wrote:The Japanese actors are good but I don't like the fact that Goku, Gohan, Goten and Bardock all have the same voice which doesn't change, even once they've become adults. Other than that I don't really have something bad to say about the Japanese voices.

o_o Um, do you mean the actor doesn't change or the voice itself doesn't change? Because Gohan at 4 years old when he first appears sounds nothing like Gohan as, for example, Great Saiyaman. o___o Masako Nozawa is very talented in the way she voices all of her characters in the DB series, as Jerseymilk covered very well. ^^

B-kun wrote:Yeah, Nozawa-san has ALWAYS voiced Goku.

That woman amazes me. She was 49 when Dragon Ball started back in '86, and turned 61 right before the end of GT. o_o; She turns 69 this year and is still active in voice acting! My boyfriend calls her the coolest old lady ever. XD

number18 wrote:As for my Japanese favorites, Vegeta is definitely one of them. His voice is low and proud and has that smug, smirking cadence in it all the time. That's a horrible explanation, but those who have heard him surely know what I'm talking about. ;-;

Oh, definitely. I gave Vegeta's Japanese voice special notice in my post earlier in this thread. Know something funny? In the opening for the Canadian broadcast of Dragon Ball Z, which is a really pathetic song paired with mostly clips from the movies (durr??), there's a part where you see Vegeta powering up into super saiyan form and you hear him yell under the music. But this yell is Ryo Horikawa, the Japanese Vegeta, and not a dub actor. Very interesting indeed. ^_~

DBW · Post by **DBW** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:21 am

Rocketman wrote:Except Goku, who sounds like he's been kicked in the crotch...

*Sigh* Time for the Simpsons anecdote.

Ok, everybody watches The Simpsons, right? And as we all know, Bart is voiced by a woman and has a very high pitched voice (which is suitable for a young boy). Now, remember those two episodes where they look into the futute? You see Bart as a full grown man, yet he still has the same incredibly high-pitched voice! The thing is, even though he is now a man, you don't notice anything wrong with the voice. After watching the show for so long, the voice is automatically associated with the character. That is the one and only voice of Bart Simpson, no matter what! It just seems normal.

You have to remember that Dragonball started at episode 1 in Japan, not whatever episode you first happened to watch in Japanese. Goku was a child for about 130 episodes, to change the voice would be insane. Masako Nozawa is the voice of Goku in Japan and it is just as normal as Bart's high-pitched voice is normal to us (even when shown as an adult).

There is also the opposite effect. Characters who are first introduced as adults get male voice actors, and the men's voices are kept for any flashbacks or otherwies (Vegeta in the Bardock special, Chibi Trunks, etc.).

Xyex · Post by **Xyex** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:33 am

Actually, DBW, I've seen similar things with other shows. And no, it does NOT seem normal to me. I don't expect to hear the same voice out of an older/younger version of a character. I just don't. And to hear that is just wrong and lazy IMO.

Pedro The Hutt · Post by **Pedro The Hutt** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 7:03 am

Well... some characters are still best of being voiced by a woman. Such as Kenshin, to state an example outside of DB. It suits his gentle nature perfectly, and well, no man can make "Oro" sound so cute as a woman can. XD

Although ironically, in the OVA they did hire another woman to voice him when he was a mere kid. >.>;;

But anyway, it is generally the case in Japan that you stick to your character as a voice actor no matter what happens to him/her. Which often leads to the seiyuu having to do the image song for his/her character even if he or she can't sing at all. XD

Michi · Post by **Michi** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 7:51 am

Xyex wrote:Actually, DBW, I've seen similar things with other shows. And no, it does NOT seem normal to me. I don't expect to hear the same voice out of an older/younger version of a character. I just don't. And to hear that is just wrong and lazy IMO.

But Masako Nozawa doesn't sound exactly the same when she's young Goku and adult Goku. =/ I really like her ability to have a range with the characters, even if it's not as obvious to some. @_@;

Rocketman · Post by **Rocketman** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:37 pm

DBW wrote:
Rocketman wrote:Except Goku, who sounds like he's been kicked in the crotch...
*Sigh* Time for the Simpsons anecdote.

Ok, everybody watches The Simpsons, right? And as we all know, Bart is voiced by a woman and has a very high pitched voice (which is suitable for a young boy). Now, remember those two episodes where they look into the futute? You see Bart as a full grown man, yet he still has the same incredibly high-pitched voice! The thing is, even though he is now a man, you don't notice anything wrong with the voice. After watching the show for so long, the voice is automatically associated with the character. That is the one and only voice of Bart Simpson, no matter what! It just seems normal.

You have to remember that Dragonball started at episode 1 in Japan, not whatever episode you first happened to watch in Japanese. Goku was a child for about 130 episodes, to change the voice would be insane. Masako Nozawa is the voice of Goku in Japan and it is just as normal as Bart's high-pitched voice is normal to us (even when shown as an adult).

The thing is, I don't associate a high-pitched voice with Goku, I associate it with Kid Goku. I dunno, maybe it's because I got started on DBZ with the American version, but I expect a grown man to sound like a grown man.

There is also the opposite effect. Characters who are first introduced as adults get male voice actors, and the men's voices are kept for any flashbacks or otherwies (Vegeta in the Bardock special, Chibi Trunks, etc.).

So, 8-year-old Trunks sounds like a 20-year-old while 25+ year-old Goku sounds like a 12-year-old? O...k...

[/u]

Post by **VegettoEX** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:42 pm

No, Takeshi Kusao uses a different version of the Trunks voice for Chibi Trunks. In fact, you wouldn't even be able to tell is the same voice actor, really.

And Horikawa's Chibi Vegeta is the greatest thing EVAR.

Totally in agreement with the adult-Bart notes. Perfect example to tie it all together with.

Kid Buu · Post by **Kid Buu** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:39 pm

I've never seen the Japanese Version so I'll go with the Dub.

DBW · Post by **DBW** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:41 pm

Rocketman wrote:The thing is, I don't associate a high-pitched voice with Goku, I associate it with Kid Goku. I dunno, maybe it's because I got started on DBZ with the American version, but I expect a grown man to sound like a grown man.

Oh, I completely understand and respect that. Lots of people don't like Goku's Japanese voice. It's just that it's insulting to simply say that he sounds like he was kicked in the crotch. There is a reason why his voice is like that, they didn't just give him a girly voice on a whim. It's ok to not like Masako Nozawa, I just wanted you to understand why Goku as a man would have such a weird Japanese voice.

Post by **TripleRach** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 1:19 pm

Even though I started out with the dub, I never had much of a problem getting used to Nozawa. The first thing in the series I ever saw in Japanese was the Bardock special, and Bardock was a character whose voice I'd never heard before. I didn't even think of it as a woman's voice; it was just Bardock's voice to me. Following that, I saw a lot more Japanese DB than DBZ, and I loved her Chibi Gokuu voice so much that it all just made sense. I couldn't imagine anyone else following her up as Gokuu, male or female. Like Bardock, I just started thinking of it as Gokuu's voice, and not as "high-pitched" or as a woman's voice. And it's just so perfect for his character, IMO.

I kind of feel the same way about Mayumi Tanaka. I just think of the voice(s) as Kuririn's or Yajirobe's, and not as a woman's.

Super Sonic · Post by **Super Sonic** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 5:53 pm

DBW wrote:
Rocketman wrote:Except Goku, who sounds like he's been kicked in the crotch...
*Sigh* Time for the Simpsons anecdote.

Ok, everybody watches The Simpsons, right? And as we all know, Bart is voiced by a woman and has a very high pitched voice (which is suitable for a young boy). Now, remember those two episodes where they look into the futute? You see Bart as a full grown man, yet he still has the same incredibly high-pitched voice! The thing is, even though he is now a man, you don't notice anything wrong with the voice. After watching the show for so long, the voice is automatically associated with the character. That is the one and only voice of Bart Simpson, no matter what! It just seems normal.

You have to remember that Dragonball started at episode 1 in Japan, not whatever episode you first happened to watch in Japanese. Goku was a child for about 130 episodes, to change the voice would be insane. Masako Nozawa is the voice of Goku in Japan and it is just as normal as Bart's high-pitched voice is normal to us (even when shown as an adult).

There is also the opposite effect. Characters who are first introduced as adults get male voice actors, and the men's voices are kept for any flashbacks or otherwies (Vegeta in the Bardock special, Chibi Trunks, etc.).

I have a question concerning what you said. Had we gotten all of DB before DBZ, would you prefer for the adult Goku to be voiced by Stephanie Nadolny instead? The same thing for Teenage/Adult Gohan.

Kabijin · Post by **Kabijin** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:32 pm

I just realized something that made me like the Japanese much more than the American. Again, it's back to the music, but I was watching some Funimation DBZ DVDs where you can switch back and forth between the dubbed and original versions, and I noticed that the American version always has music in every scene (or at least almost) while the Japanese has silence in some scenes that make it THAT MUCH MORE dramatic and compelling.... this is why I love the Japanese music and will forever love it!

DBW · Post by **DBW** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:18 pm

Super Sonic wrote:Had we gotten all of DB before DBZ, would you prefer for the adult Goku to be voiced by Stephanie Nadolny instead? The same thing for Teenage/Adult Gohan.

Perhaps... it's hard to say. I never actually got into the American voices for young Goku, so it's hard to say whether or not I'd prefer actors I never really cared for to continue voicing the character. However, even though I don't care for the acting, I think they could have pulled it off and it would have been pretty decent. Stephanie Nadoly already does a very "boyish" young Goku compared to Masako Nozawa's, so I think it would have been a pretty smooth transition.

Also, if this was the case (DB before Z), I guarantee you wouldn't be hearing any "Goku should sound like a man!" complaints, because the American audience would already be used to Stephanie's voice and would think nothing of it (much like the Japanese fans with Nozawa). Remember, it's not like Goku was 5 in one episode, and then 30 the next. The transition was quite smooth (it went 12-15-18/19-24-29-37-47), so if gradual changes were made to the voice at each arc, I'm sure American fans would grow to accept and even expect Stephanie to continue doing the voice.

Ditto on Gohan.

tarsonis · Post by **tarsonis** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:03 am

Kabijin wrote:I just realized something that made me like the Japanese much more than the American. Again, it's back to the music, but I was watching some Funimation DBZ DVDs where you can switch back and forth between the dubbed and original versions, and I noticed that the American version always has music in every scene (or at least almost) while the Japanese has silence in some scenes that make it THAT MUCH MORE dramatic and compelling.... this is why I love the Japanese music and will forever love it!

I agree, I'm not sure why they think it's necessary to have music playing during the *entire* episode. Sometimes no sound is actually better, depending on the mood of the scene.

Another thing I wish they'd do is match the tone of the music from the Japanese version. It's one thing if they can't use the original music, but for any particular scene, it'd be nice if they could at least use music that has a similar feel to what was there originally.

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:14 am

Michi wrote:
Xyex wrote:Actually, DBW, I've seen similar things with other shows. And no, it does NOT seem normal to me. I don't expect to hear the same voice out of an older/younger version of a character. I just don't. And to hear that is just wrong and lazy IMO.
But Masako Nozawa doesn't sound exactly the same when she's young Goku and adult Goku. =/ I really like her ability to have a range with the characters, even if it's not as obvious to some. @_@;

Forget it Michi. You'll never convince him otherwise. He just doesn't like the sound of Japanese voices.

It's quite ironic that a Subbie like me would end up with a Dubbie, but hey I guess it'll be a mixed marriage.

Anyway, I also think that the differing views on the genders playing opposite roles is also a cultural thing. It's been around in Japanese society for a long time. With Kabuki theatre, all the roles are played by men, and as a matter of fact, the actors of a company specialize in either female roles or male roles. And the "female" actors are held in very high regard.

There is also a company known as The Takarazuka Revue. It is a troupe that puts on original musical shows and all of the members are female. And like in Kabuki, there are certain actresses that specialize in the male roles. They are trained in voicing and movement to make sure that they come across as convincing "men" in their shows. I've watched them in their TV specials, and they are very good. Also similar to Kabuki, they are very respected and gain quite the following. An interesting coincidence to Pedro the Hutt's Kenshin comment. Mayo Suzukaze, Kenshin's seiyuu is a former member of the Takarazuka Revue.

Pedro The Hutt · Post by **Pedro The Hutt** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:59 am

Well well, I learn something new every day. =D Never knew that about her. XD