DBZ Abridged > Kai

[Smochi]

I think they're both fantastic for what they are, and both of them really make me smile. One is a reboot of a show I love. Another is a parody of a show I love. To pit them against each other is sort of comparing apples and oranges. And while you can't really say that an apple makes a better orange than an orange, you can definitely say that you like apples better than oranges!

If DBZA makes you smile more than DBZ Kai does, that's awesome, and it's better for you because it makes you happier. But to say that's flat-out better than DBZ Kai may be off because it's a completely different type of entertainment.

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

TBH, I lost intrest in TFS when their jokes became less about the shows they were making fun of and more about jokes centered around what they thought was funny even if it was unrelated to the show itself entirely. It killed the later episodes of Yugioh Abridged, Hellsing Abridged (which was just mindless cussing to me) and DBZ in its later episodes.

[bkev]

Funny, I thought the opposite happened to Z Abridged. Hit the nail on the head about YGO, though.

As for my thoughts? You might say Smochi... Nail-ed it. Couldn't have put it better myself.

[Smochi]

Funny, I thought the opposite happened to Z Abridged. Hit the nail on the head about YGO, though.

As for my thoughts? You might say Smochi... Nail-ed it. Couldn't have put it better myself.

Thinking about life in terms of food makes everything better.

[B]

TBH, I lost intrest in TFS when their jokes became less about the shows they were making fun of and more about jokes centered around what they thought was funny even if it was unrelated to the show itself entirely.

Really? The annoying thing about the majority of these "abridged" series is how they all make poor jokes you've seen on a message board. I wouldn't see the point in TFS if they were making the same Drag-On Ballz power levelz jokes you see everywhere(they've dabbled in it, of course; not a lot of leeway not to).

The funniest thing they've ever done was take the crab that attaches itself to Vegeta and give it a Jamaican accent. It comes out of nowhere and is absolutely beautiful.

[dbboxkaifan]

Again, Z was also repetitive. They played the same cues over and over again as well. Maybe a few more than Kai, but you can hear the same pieces in almost every episode.

The placement is fine. You guys make it sound like the music is god awful. Again, mountains out of molehills.

The Z score was nowhere near as repetitive as you're claiming it to be, it had a huge variety and many of the BGMs are still unreleased to this day. So no, the placement ain't fine at all.

One is a reboot of a show I love.

Dragon Ball Kai isn't a reboot, it's a remake. That's like saying Robocop 2014 is a reboot when it's really just a remake of the original.

[Gaffer Tape]

Dragon Ball Kai isn't a reboot, it's a remake. That's like saying Robocop 2014 is a reboot when it's really just a remake of the original.

Eh. I think that's being a bit pedantic... maybe. Granted, I have read lots of professional reviews that have indeed referred to the new RoboCob as a reboot. But while I agree it's not the best use of the term, I think it could be considered applicable.

Don't forget that reboot is a rather recent term when it comes to narratives. As far as I can remember, it really only dates back to Batman Begins, and it seems to be a term to describe a remake where remake doesn't quite fit. It really adheres more closely to adaptational works where an entire franchise is being remade rather than a single movie, and there is no singular work that is being adapted. Since Batman Begins obviously wasn't flat-out remaking the 1989 Batman film, they needed a new word. But since that's become so popular, you could almost say that reboot is superseding remake. And I agree, RoboCop is a remake, but if they are franchising it, and the sequels go in different directions, I could see reboot being applicable.

But why am I even talking about this when I agree with you? Well, one reason is because I'm not entirely awake yet, so I'm slightly babbling. But also is that I would argue that neither word really adheres to Dragon Ball Kai. I wouldn't say reboot since nothing's really starting over from scratch or carrying over into a new interpretation of a new series. And it's not a remake since... well, nearly all of the footage in it is from its predecessor. Kai is a wholly different beast that is largely unique enough to not be classified.

[Flame Dragon]

Dragon Ball Kai isn't a reboot, it's a remake. That's like saying Robocop 2014 is a reboot when it's really just a remake of the original.

But why am I even talking about this when I agree with you? Well, one reason is because I'm not entirely awake yet, so I'm slightly babbling. But also is that I would argue that neither word really adheres to Dragon Ball Kai. I wouldn't say reboot since nothing's really starting over from scratch or carrying over into a new interpretation of a new series. And it's not a remake since... well, nearly all of the footage in it is from its predecessor. Kai is a wholly different beast that is largely unique enough to not be classified.

Director's Cut?

[Gaffer Tape]

Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Kai have different series directors, though.

[B]

Hasn't Toei/Japan called Kai a "refreshment?" It's not a reboot in the sense that they've made something new, which they didn't, but it is a reboot in the sense that the goal of Kai was to reinvigorate the franchise, which it didn't do. My head hurts writing that.

Easier to follow: Kai was designed to do all the things a reboot is supposed to do without actually crafting new material. A star-bearer of laziness, one could say.

[Smochi]

One is a reboot of a show I love.

Dragon Ball Kai isn't a reboot, it's a remake. That's like saying Robocop 2014 is a reboot when it's really just a remake of the original.

My bad. I always mix those two up. I was going for something new, but not neccesarily completely redone. Would remastering be better?

[KaiserNeko]

TBH, I lost intrest in TFS when their jokes became less about the shows they were making fun of and more about jokes centered around what they thought was funny even if it was unrelated to the show itself entirely. It killed the later episodes of Yugioh Abridged, Hellsing Abridged (which was just mindless cussing to me) and DBZ in its later episodes.

Actually, we make a lot of jokes about the show. We just try to be subtle about them most of the time and not plug away at the obvious. This show has a tramendous amount of episodes to work with. It can't all be pure deconstruction and lambasting of the source material. Sometimes you just play with it and build up to the bigger moments. Also, while I'll acknowledge the increase in swearing, they're rarely in place of jokes and, when they are, it's all about playing with the language. Not just cursing for the sake of cursing. And usually, it's from characters who call for it. I.E. Vegeta.

As far as Hellsing goes, I actually take offense to that. Hellsing does get incredibly vulgar, but there's always, ALWAYS more going on than "just cursing". I find myself believing you just don't personally enjoy or appreciate salty language and that makes you miss the actual jokes.

[RandomGuy96]

The only TFS actors I could see doing well in a serious role for the characters they voice here would be LittleKuriboh as Freeza and GeneralIvan as Cooler and Gero.

[dbboxkaifan]

My bad. I always mix those two up. I was going for something new, but not neccesarily completely redone. Would remastering be better?

Yeah.

Although even with FUNimation's over saturations (it's not too much) on the Level BDs I'd still have to say FUNi's remastering looks better than Kai in HD, but for modern-look? Neither are fitting though the Kai Japanese broadcasts in 16x9 (with Yamamoto's score + Kikuchi for 96, 97) were enjoyable to watch.

FUNimation could avoid saturating the footage but they still do it perhaps because there'll be people saying "this looks better" and so detail is lost.

[ABED]

The Z score was nowhere near as repetitive as you're claiming it to be, it had a huge variety and many of the BGMs are still unreleased to this day. So no, the placement ain't fine at all.

I'm not claiming it's super repetitive, but it's not different cues all the time, and unless you have a chart to show me how frequently certain songs are used in Kai and Z, I can't detect the difference. You use "huge" I think you are speaking in hyperbole. There are cues that are played in nearly every episode of Z.

I also fail to see how Z having more means the placement isn't fine in Kai.

Hasn't Toei/Japan called Kai a "refreshment?" It's not a reboot in the sense that they've made something new, which they didn't, but it is a reboot in the sense that the goal of Kai was to reinvigorate the franchise, which it didn't do. My head hurts writing that.

Then it's not a reboot. A reboot is when a previous continuity is discarded and a new one is begun. Kai is just the same story recut.

[dbboxkaifan]

More BGMs means less repetitive tracks and more variety within an episode which is what Kaikuchi lacks from.

TOEI should've just used up all BGMs of DBZ regardless whether they were mono or stereo because no one likes hearing the same BGMs constantly in just one episode, much less in 98 episodes.

[Fionordequester]

You know, about that link to MasakoX doing serious Goku...he was definitely really rough around the edges on most cases, but when he was just talking calmly (rather than yelling or raising his voice), he actually sounded pretty good I thought. He needs to work on those screams (especially that AWFUL roar when he finally went SSJ), but other than that, I could see him working!

Also...is it just me, or did Younger Toguro suddenly, and unexpectedly possess Piccolo during that time he was talking about the tragedy of Planet Namek ? Also, neat Gohan!

[KaiserNeko]

You know, about that link to MasakoX doing serious Goku...he was definitely really rough around the edges on most cases, but when he was just talking calmly (rather than yelling or raising his voice), he actually sounded pretty good I thought. He needs to work on those screams (especially that AWFUL roar when he finally went SSJ), but other than that, I could see him working!

Also...is it just me, or did Younger Toguro suddenly, and unexpectedly possess Piccolo during that time he was talking about the tragedy of Planet Namek ? Also, neat Gohan!

If you want to hear some great screams from him, you merely need watch our series. Which proves my point: Give him to the right director and you can get what you need.

[ABED]

More BGMs means less repetitive tracks and more variety within an episode which is what Kaikuchi lacks from.

TOEI should've just used up all BGMs of DBZ regardless whether they were mono or stereo because no one likes hearing the same BGMs constantly in just one episode, much less in 98 episodes.

Gee thanks for explaining that more tracks means less repeats. I get that but I didn't notice it. Z's score is still repetitive. That's not a knock against either show, I like hearing the same cues.

[Kid Buu]

TBH, I lost intrest in TFS when their jokes became less about the shows they were making fun of and more about jokes centered around what they thought was funny even if it was unrelated to the show itself entirely. It killed the later episodes of Yugioh Abridged, Hellsing Abridged (which was just mindless cussing to me) and DBZ in its later episodes.

Yeah, Abridged series getting stale after a while.

That being said, I do agree the crab in the Freeza fight is the best part.