DBZ - FUNI and Japanese Episode Comparisons and Opinions

[Fionordequester]

Yo, I'm Fionordequester, and welcome to my thread. It is here that I want to find my awnser to an old debate that has always raged in these boards. Where was the FUNI dialouge better than the original dialouge and where did it stink? Where did the FUNI voice actors improved the experience, and where did they defraud it, and where did Team Faulconer gave the show a greater feel than Shunsuke Kikuchi and where did their music boat anchor the show? I've never watched that much of the Japanese version, so this'll definetly be a new experience for me.

By the way, I say TEAM Faulconer because it seems that uncredited musicians helped Bruce Faulconer out. Scott Morgan and Mike Smith are amoung these musicians.

Now, here's the way I've set up the structure of these so far. Firstly, I've taken various scenes from the Episodes I've done so far and uploaded them to Viddler.com, both in their FUNI and Japanese versions. I do this because, like other reviewers, I am biased. I'm rather scared of falling into the same rut that Chris Psaro did, mainly that he, by his own admission even, became too angry and jaded to give a fair, unbiased comparison. There were a lot of instances, for example, where I totally disagreed with him on his opinion of Team Faulconer's music. And yet, the only reason I was able to disagree with him was because I had actually seen the scenes in question. Had I not had that reference point, I wouldn't have had any way to disagree with him, so I want to give my readers that same opportunity...

Now, that being said, I obviously cannot upload full Episodes for that purpose, so I have to pick and choose which scenes I want. So, my temporary system is this. I'll ask you guys what scenes you want uploaded, then, I'll go through, look at scenes that have difference that are really intriguing to me, and upload them. For example, in my log of Episode 68, I uploaded that one scene of Goku punching Jeice when his guard was down on request, then I uploaded every segment from Goku defeating Burter up to the end of Ginyu's conversation with Jeice, because of three things. First, the dialogue Goku, Vegeta, Kuririn, and Gohan have, as well as Ginyu's conversation with Jeice, are both radically different between the two versions. Secondly, I liked what FUNI had done musically with Goku beating Burter and the aforementioned conversation between the Z Warriors, so I wanted to show that. And third, I wanted you guys to listen to as much of Ginyu's voice acting as I could squeeze in, both because of how brief his appearance is, and because of how much it sucks....

And yes, I realize the Goku punching Jeice thing was in Episode 67, but FUNI Episode 54 comprises both the tail-end of Episode 67 and all of Episode 68, so it still counted as one Episode to me.

Secondly, for all the scenes that do not make the cut, I provide dialogue transcripts for them instead, so you guys will still be able to judge them. Now, since I'm purely interested in FUNI vs. Japanese, I'm starting at Episode 67 (or 54 in the FUNI version). This is when Goku takes on Jeice and Burter. And since I've done Episode 68 as well, I'm including that in these opening posts. Keep in mind though that Episode 67 isn't as detailed as 68 is, because it wasn't until then that I had worked this stuff out. So anyhow, here we go....

I suppose I oughta start with the two intro songs. Now, I'm not sure whether Bruce Faulconer had hired any musicians yet when he started the first Episode, so, I'll refer to any pieces FUNI has in this Episode as one he created. So...

Guys, I'm going to be completely honest. I've never liked the Cha-la-head-cha-la theme as an intro for Dragon Ball Z. And that's not because it's a bad song in and of itself. But I just always thought it emphasized the wrong aspect of Dragon Ball Z. Almost the entire intro is just about the cast flying around, having a gay old time, going out on crrrrraaaazzzzzzyyyyy adventures, flashing lights, and all of that. Basically, just one fun magical time on a grand adventure.

The English intro however is a thrilling guitar song full of images of epic fights between good and evil, the good guys just busting their asses, the happy expressions of the ones the Z Fighters love, bad guys throwing vicious assualts, and all of that. And that's just so much more true to the spirit of the show! Because, even though there are indeed colorful lights and fun times that the Japanese intro highlights, when it comes right down to it, the story of Dragon Ball Z is a story of good overpowering evil, love overpowering hate, the importance of family and friends, and an refusal to ever give up until you win the day.

Now, "Head-Cha-La" does somewhat emphasize the message of achieving victory in your days. But while "Head-Cha-La" seems to advocate chasing your goals by opening your mind, having dreams, and believing in the magic of the world and all of that, the Faulconer intro shows our heroes achieving those victories through sheer grit and the willingness to fight through pain. And that's so much more of an inspiration to me. Whenever I'm feeling a bit down, I can hum the English DBZ intro to myself and remember that even though things seem painful now, I have to just fight through it...

I do actually really like the music the Japanese use for the recap though. It actually kind of makes me think of life in journey, or a really long adventure. And it does this without coming across as cheesy or overly wishy washy, unlike "Head-Cha-La" and that one song about...popcorn...showers....

I like the recap theme for the FUNI version to, for it's immediacy and feeling of danger. It's actually sort of tough figuring out which one I prefer. Despite how pleasant the Japanese recap music is, it's radically out of place for say, Kuririn getting stabbed through the chest by Frieza, or 17 and 18 getting absorbed by Cell, but on the same token, the FUNI recap theme is out of place for any recap that's not depicting anything remotely threatening, like Goku taking driving lessons. So, both of them tie for me.

Of course, what one must realize is that, according to Scott Morgan (he sometimes frequents the TeamFourStar forums, and his account on Youtube is MOorganStudios), even though Bruce Faulconer had composed the FUNI theme song sometime in the middle of the Frieza Saga, it didn't actually start being used until as late as the Garlic Jr. saga, so they were still using "Rock the Dragon" at this point in the dubbing, basically just an action intro that, while catchy, has basically no emotional depth to it.

So now, one thing to know is that due to the way Ocean handled the editing and cutting up the Episodes up until FUNI took over, the actual FUNI Episode doesn't actually start until about 9 minutes into the Japanese Episode, so I'll be focusing exclusively on the Japanese version until the FUNI version arrives.

The Episode starts off, and despite anything I've ever said about the Japanese version in the past, I'm actually rather impressed by the music in this Episode. There's a nice tension raising mainly involving violens, some percussion, and some other instrument that I don't recognize. I don't know, it sounds a bit like a piano, but how it's applied is as the song is playing, that instrument will go RRRROOOOOWWWWWRRRRR for about 1 or 2 seconds then disappear. I like the ending of the song to, with a sudden drumroll right before Jeice and Burter hop into the air, while the music goes silent. I'm really sad that I can't find it on Youtube, because it was great.

It then starts up again after Jeice and Burter's silly poses, and there's yet another great choice of music that suits the moment PERFECTLY. It's yet another violen piece, but this time much lower, and every so often, savage drum beats will play as Jeice and Burter are circling Goku. The whole thing makes me think of a band of hawks circling their prey, waiting for the perfect moment to attack, and that's exactly what's going on here.

So now is when the FUNI Episode kicks in, right when Jeice and Burter land next to Goku. And, to begin with, I really wish Faulconer had used a different sort of tune for the Ginyu Force. It energetic, but it sounds far too heroic to be an appropriate them for them. Perhaps the heroic feeling is because Faulconer recognized them as a parody of the Power Rangers, but, it still doesn't really work. Afterwards, after Goku pushes the two away, the music changes to something else, but it doesn't work quite as well as the silence that the Japanese version has throughout.

I like the dialouge changes to Jeice and Burter though. Compare and contrast this...

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Japanese:
______________________________________________

Jeice: You can't go on mocking us forever!

(Goku punches Jeice)

Jeice: W-why you!
Goku: Whatever you say. But are you sure you ain't leaving yourself open too much?
Jeice: (grunts for a little) WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

FUNI:
______________________________________________

Jeice: We've had enough of this you coward! Now make a move!

(Goku punches Jeice)

Burter: Jeice! Are you alright? Is it bleeding? Be careful Jeice, or you'll stain your gloves!
Jeice: Burter...just, shut up! You...cheap shot!
Goku: Hmph, you said to make a move. I thought that meant you were ready to go at it!
Jeice: No...yes...you....SHOW HIM BURTEEEEEERRRRRRRR!!

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The whole thing about Jeice's gloves was a little stupid, but other than that, I thought the dialouge was funnier, which was good in this case, since this was obviously meant to be a short, comedic scene.

One change I also like is the Frieza Theme that plays when Frieza's flying around. The Japanese Frieza Theme, while still good, sounds just like a typical run of the mill villain theme. It does what a typical villain theme does, namely, emphasizing how scary he is. Faulconer's take on it however, gives off a powerful feeling of desolation and emptiness. Every time you hear it, you can just imagine the death and destruction Frieza leaves in his wake, the cold-hearted wicked thoughts that define his character, and the sheer terror and despair he inspires in others...

FUNI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxArTsdr2f0

EDIT: I'll try to find the Japanese Frieza's theme later, but right now, I'm on a computer that literally slows down if I watch more than an hours worth of Youtube videos. And the FUNI Frieza is much easier to find than the Japanese Frieza theme. I'll edit this post sometime later once I've finally found the song in question.

After that, we get a scene on the Elder's Lookout which I like in the FUNI version, and absolutely DESPISE in the Japanese version. In the Japanese version, all we get in a panning shot of the lookout, Dende looking around, Guru looking stressed, and Dende looking out a window. That's it. There is absolutely no dialouge, or anything of any importance happening. The music is pretty dramatic, but that's not much comfort when the whole entire scene is just a complete waste of time.

The FUNI version however took that scene and added a conversation between Guru and Dende, in which Dende wonders what he can do to help Guru, only for Guru to tell him that there's nothing to do but accept that his time is almost up, and that Dende musn't worry. Dende concedes, and wishes that Nail would return, for they both need him. I love the music as well, the Guru theme Faulconer uses for him. It's a song that makes me think of love and wisdom, which goes along well with most of Guru's interactions with the characters, in which he either tries to comfort them, expresses grief for his people, or tries to help in some way.

FUNI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdLRyS3c9Gs

The FUNI version just straight into the Jeice and Burter battle after this, however in the Japanese version, we're treated to a scene of Ginyu trying to train new recruits. The reason for the FUNI version not having this is that for some reason, Ocean took that scene, moved it back an Episode earlier so that it would happened before Recoome was defeated, and mangled it spectacularly. I kind of wish the scene had some music to enhance the moment, but other than that, it really is a great scene.

So anyways, Jeice and Burter. Again, I don't really like Faulconer's choice, because the two songs he uses are somewhat generic compared to the three pieces use by Shunsuke throughout the scene, the first being a song composed of horns with occasional violens to add some dread before the duo's attack, the second being a fast paced and exciting piece that plays on the duo's first attempt on Goku, and another piece I don't know how to describe when Kuririn and Gohan talk to each other.

The dialouge changes kind of get to me here. Gohan and Kuririn aren't sure what to make of Goku, Jeice and Burter still believe Goku's power to be only 5000 and are bewildered by their failure, and Vegeta simply figures out for himself what Goku's doing. In the FUNI version though, everyone just immediately figures out what's happening, and Vegeta goes on and on about how awesome and invincible Goku is.

Bulma's first scene happens after this. Faulconer actually has a very similar take on the music to Shunsuke, however, I like Faulconer for his music being more in tune with the scene itself. The dialouge edit FUNI has here is actually pretty funny....

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Japanese:
____________________________________________

Bulma: What could they all be doing, abandoning a fragile lady here like this?! That goes for Goku to! Just saying he fell behind schedule isn't good enough! As soon as he gets here, I'll have to ask him to take me straight home! If I have to stay here too long, my skin will be damaged, and my good looks will be ruined! I want to go home to Earth.

(Meteor hits and knocks Bulma over)

Bulma: What in the world is this?!

FUNI:
____________________________________________
Bulma: Ugh! I can't even watch a soap opera..........(one extremely long period of awkward silence later).....I'd rather be fighting Vegeta than be stuck down here in this abominable crevice! I'm lonely....

(Meteor hits and knocks Bulma over)

Bulma: THAT DOES IT! I'VE HAD ENOOUUGGHH!!

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Basically, FUNI just decides to shut her up, probably one of the only instances I know of where FUNI ever took dialouge out of a scene. I know, crazy right? Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, that's for you to decide.

Now, the part where Jeice and Burter devise their plan. I believe a piece called "Goku vs. Vegeta" plays here in the Japanese version, and it works pretty well here, especially as the Episode is closing with Goku behind him, and you just think "oh man, looks like Burter's going to get it now!" (Burter doesn't yet, but the ending implies that he will).

Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEb83QKnt50

Faulconer on the other hand...you know the theme that always plays whenever an Episode is finishing up in the FUNI version? Well, they actually play bits and pieces of that here, and at first, I was kind of digging it, but the whole thing was kind of sunk when I realized this problem...

The transitions are terrible. Basically, Faulconer, or whoever edited the sound selected a part of the track, then when that part of it ended, they pasted that part of the song again so that it would loop the song, and the guitar part wouldn't start until Jeice threw his fireball. But they do absolute no edits to the song to make it so that the transitions are smooth, and as a result, the mood is completely ruined by the jarring changes in tempo and sound.

Now, while the Japanese version ends here, the FUNI version actually goes on for 20 more minutes, however, I'm going to end it with the Japanese version because it's going to be sheer hell if I spend every comparison telling about all the content of both Episodes.

As for what I though, I think the Japanese version is the pretty clear winner here. Even though the script writers and Bruce Faulconer did pretty good for their first time, it's pretty clear that they're just getting used to their jobs, especially when you consider the terrible transitions I mentioned two paragraphs above. I'm not going to give my opinions on the voice actors yet, for it hasn't been long enough. So....

Verdict: Japanese wins.

[Fionordequester]

So we're back to Dragon Ball Z, Episode 68 in the Japanese version, and the 2nd half of Episode 54 in the FUNI version. Here's some scene comparisons I put on Youtube, which I'll be telling you to head to later in the log...

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Fionorde ... /videos/1/

So basically, we start off the Episode with Burter and Jeice's disbelief at how fast Goku is, and another futile attempt at landing a blow on Goku right before Goku defeats Burter. Nothing much to note about the dialouge....

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Japanese:
________________________

Burter: Where did he go?
Jeice: Behind you Burter!
Burter: What?!
Goku: Yo.
Burter: H-How did you get behind me?! Behind me, who prides himself on being the fastest in the universe!
Goku: Then maybe you're the second fastest in the universe, ain't you?
Jeice: (H-how can this be?! Not only did he repel my Crusher Ball, he managed to slip behind Burter! It's as if I'm having a bad dream!)
Burter: Who are you?
Goku: I'm a saiyan who was raised on Earth....I guess.
Burter: Don't be ridiculous! How can a saiyan have that kind of speed?!
Goku: How should I know? It must be from my having trained so hard!
Burter: Still, you can't win on speed alone! Not if all you're doing is running away!
Goku: (Amused smirk)
Burter: Once you've worn yourself out running away, you'll lose those sharp reflexes, and then you'll die! YAAAAAHHHH!!

Funi:
__________________________

Burter: Nobodies faster than me! (grunts)
Jeice: Burter! Behind you!
Burter: What?
Goku: Hey.
Burter: You! Who in the heck are you? How in the world did you get behind me? Nobody's that fast!
Goku: Well apparently I am!
Jeice: (Man, I've never seen anybody get to Burter like this before! And he deflected my Fire Crusher Ball like it was a beach ball! This isn't good, I don't like it one bit!)
Burter: Errgghhh....who are you?
Goku: My name is Goku and I'm a saiyan...from Earth!
Burter: ERRRGGHHH! Liar! I've beaten hundreds of saiyans, and none of them are faster than me!
Goku: It must be my diet. I eat really wholesome foods!
Burter: You scum...your diet huh? WELL, YOU'LL BE EATING MY FIST NEXT!
Goku: (Amused smirk)
Burter: Alright then, play it cool big guy, yeah, that's fine! YAAAAHHH!

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So yeah, pretty faithful translation, until that stupid bit about "really wholesome foods", but that's not so bad. And honestly, if you're one of those guys who just HATES even the smallest bits of editing to the original dialouge....this is about as accurate as the translation is ever going to get during this season of the FUNI dub. The translation is generally pretty loose even at the best of times so....yeah. Hate to tell you that.

Anyways, the music for this scene in the Japanese version is the first half of the piece that played in the beginning of the last Episode. Unfortunately, I can't find any video that happens to have this song, so I can't link it to you like most of the songs I mention later on. From this point on, I'm going to be calling it "Tension Before the Great Trial", because that's almost always when it seems to play. It played when Goku was standing over a defeated Recoome about to take on Burter and Jeice, it played when Vegeta was struggling with fatigue inside Frieza's spaceship, trying to prepare with his fight with him, and it also plays just before Piccolo fights Frieza later on.

Anyways, that's playing. Which is great, because so far, that's been my favorite piece of music out of the whole Japanese track so far, and it's certainly better than the badly edited "Closing Theme" arrangement of the FUNI version that keeps playing. That's this theme, in case you didn't know...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2X4asYYWQw

After that, Burter goes on the offensive...

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Japanese:
____________________________

(Burter unleashes a flurry of punches on Goku, all of which are dodged)

Burter: Go ahead, dodge me!
Kuririn: C-can you see that?
Gohan: Not at all.
Jeice: Dammit! How can members of the Ginyu Force Corp. let that runt make a fool of them?!

(Jeice joins in to try to hit Goku)

Burter: It's all you can do to evade me! I could defeat you right now!
Goku: We'll see about that.

(Goku then disappears, causing Jeice and Burter to hit each other)

FUNI:
__________________________

(Burter unleashes a flurry of punches on Goku, all of which are dodged)

Burter: Why don't you stay still and fight me like a man?!
Kuririn: Can...you see?
Gohan: No way....
Jeice: YAAAAAHHH! That's it! That's enough! No one makes a fool of the Ginyu Force!

(Jeice joins in and tries to hit Goku as well)

Burter: He can't dodge us forever Jeice! He's got to screw up sometime!

(Goku then disappears, making Jeice and Burter hit each other)

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And once that scene starts, the Japanese switches to this track that plays at 3:49...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwu1QFlX ... 59795544EB

And it fits pretty well I must say. Nice and fast paced, exciting, and syncs up really well. Nothing to complain about on the Japanese side of things.

The FUNI version on the other hand decides to just keep on going with the "Closing Theme" arrangement. And not only that, they're really weird about how they apply it. You know that guitar part that buzzes and screeches at the end of every Episode? Well, they have that part playing when Kuririn, Gohan, Vegeta, and Jeice are talking...but they have the calm part playing every time you see them actually trying to punch Goku....???

Shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't know, it's just, I usually associate guitars with actiony, fast paced things and one note droning sounds for when someone is thinking or something. Am I cracked for thinking that the fast pace of the Japanese was far more fitting? Anyways, Goku makes them hit each other and they argue....

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Japanese:
___________________________

(Jeice and Burter stare at each other angrily)

Burter: What do you think you're doing?!
Jeice: What about you?! Where were you looking?
Burter: What?! Why you...

(The two growl at each other, until Jeice calms down and holds out his hand)

Jeice: Hold on. This is no time to be fighting each other.
Burter: R-right.
Goku: Should I show you then? How there's more to me than just speed?
Burter and Jeice: W-What?

FUNI:
____________________________

(Jeice and Burter stare at each other angrily)

Burter: YOU FOOL!
Jeice: It's your fault you dope!

(The two growl at each other, until Jeice calms down and holds out his hand)

Jeice: Wait Burter, he's doing this to us.
Burter: Huh?
Jeice: Don't you get it?
Burter: He is?
Jeice: Darn right he is.
Goku: Hey guys! Yo! Well, do you wanna dance, or fight?

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The Japanese version just uses silence for this whole scene, so, nothing to note there. The FUNI version tries to play up the comedy of this scene, but, I wish it didn't sound so goofy. I think it uses some instrument called a marimba, some trumpet or horn or some variation of those instruments acting as a sort of drum sound (it sounds like something that could possibly be used in a jazz restaurant or dance club), and another one that sort of sounds like someone strapped some quarters on his fingers and is tapping each of them on a table in rapid succesion. Personally, it's a little cheesy to me, but, whatever. No big deal.

At this point is the 2nd scene shown in the Version Comparison video I posted, so I don't think there's any need for a transcript this time. Anyways, the beginning of the video, Goku beating Burter, kind of makes me mad in the FUNI version...you know why? Listen to the music...hear that? That happens to be an awesome piece of battle music called "Piccolo vs. Frieza"....

So it seems they had that available at the time they were making this Episode, or at least, I'm assuming they did...so, two questions...

1) Why the H.F.I.L. is it called the "Piccolo vs. Frieza" theme? It's playing right here, right at this very moment, right on the very first Episode FUNI ever dubbed. And, I've recently watched that fight, and I can tell you right now, that theme doesn't play ANYWHERE in that fight. Some of the FUNI tracks have some pretty odd names, but this one takes the cake.

2) Why isn't this the theme playing for Jeice and Burter trying to punch Goku? As it is now, the music in that scene pales in comparison to the Japanese music, because Shunsuke's music was fast paced and energetic while FaulconerProduction's music was...just sort of there. Had they used this music, the Japanese music would've been blown out of the water and it would've fit the scene better.

I'm sorry, I just love the tempo, the guitars, and the adrenaline rush of the Frieza vs. Piccolo theme, and the fact that they didn't use it even though they seemed to have already had it was just....well, I'm just confused, that's all. Here, let's post another comparison, just of that scene, the first one with the music FaulconerProductions used, and then that same scene with "Piccolo vs. Frieza" applied to it....

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Fionorde ... /videos/2/

Am I wrong? Am I being overly nitpicky? I don't know, maybe FaulconerProductions didn't actually record the ENTIRE song, but just the beginning of it, otherwise, I can't think of a logical reason not to use it here. I mean heck, Vegeta's theme didn't have the guitars in it until Scott Morgan came along later to add guitars to it, so maybe that's the case here.

Now, this next part is very interesting. As you can see in the FUNI version, when Goku defeats Burter, guess what? For 7 very brief seconds...there's silence. SILENCE!! So, apparently, Cartoon Network actually does allow for some miniscule amount of leeway when it comes to silence, just not very much. There are examples of this all the way to the Cell Saga, so this isn't just Cartoon Network being inconsistent as far as I can tell.

Anyways, it's nice to hear some good music now in the FUNI version. Here we have an unreleased track fandubbed "Vegeta's Death"....which is playing right after Burter is defeated....wrap your head around that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcqcOOFe894

I love the violen in here, and the way it seems to emphasize Goku's compassion, willingness to forgive, and unwillingness to cause undue harm to people, as opposed to the Japanese music which emphasizes....well, nothing actually, because there is no music here.

But, does anyone else find it strange that for this one minute, there's such good, serious, emotional music playing, only for the effect to be totally ruined by the "YOIOIOIOIOI!!" sound effect played as Jeice runs away? It's like there are two different attitudes the musicians at FaulconerProductions have. One attitude wants to do their very best and make it a serious, epic show, while the other just sees it as nothing but a cartoon for kids, and treats it as such.

Or, it could be Cartoon Network being stupid by forcing such things on FaulconerProductions. It's kind of hard to tell really. Heck, for all we know, maybe everyone just legitimately thought that this was a genius, superb idea, including Hannah Barbera sound effects in a SciFi Drama. Oh well, at least that sound effect wasn't as stupid as Japanese Goku offering Burter and Recoome Senzu Beans (!!!). It doesn't even make sense, I mean, Goku wasn't that accomadating to Nappa, despite the fact that Burter and Recoome tried to do the same thing Nappa did, so I don't know why Goku's apologetic to them when he wasn't to Nappa...

And finally, GOODNESS GRACIOUS DO I LOVE THE THEME THAT PLAYS NEXT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dsSvx0GzgY

Is it any wonder that this happens to be one of my favorite songs out of all the ones by FaulconerProductions? Dunno why it's called the "Sad Theme", as it seems like a positive upbeat tune that plays when such occasions happen. Really, it's more peaceful than sad.

Anyways, I just love the way this scene was composed, as you can just feel Goku's kindness and purity washing over you, only to have Vegeta's ruthlesness and cruelty ruin the mood as he smashes Burter's neck. You gotta love the sound effect FaulconerProductions added in to, it creates such great dissonance as you hear this jarring, horrible sound while the gentle music is still playing. Then finally, all traces of purity are replaced as Vegeta blasts Recoome away, slowly replaced by a sinister piano and trombone theme that starts in, complete with a nice little choir effect sometime into the song...

FUNI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX_zE03gksE

It is in this next scene, where the group interacts with each other that I notice a few things, First and foremost, again, the music is AWESOME...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayj7gIRNtoc (0:00-0:56)

Also, couple things about the dialouge. Namely, that it's drastically different from the original script.And yet, despite that, it fits so well both with the expressions of the characters and their mouth flaps that, other than one instance where Goku's mouth is moving with no dialouge, you'd never know that anything was changed. Not only that, but to be completely honest....I actually like the altered dialouge better than the original dialouge.

Please hear me out here, ok? The Japanese version is just Vegeta basically throwing a hissy fit about Goku's kindness then being a killjoy by telling him that he won't be able to beat Frieza. FUNI Vegeta however not only tells Goku about his mistake, but tells him WHY what he did was a mistake, and tells him all the horrible things they could do to bring Goku to his knees. He's actually concerned about Jeice and Ginyu, and rightfully so. Also, I just found Goku, Kuririn, and Gohan's conversation with each other more endearing in the FUNI version, with Goku congratulating Gohan and Kuririn about how well they did, and Kuririn's line about them being "just a couple of wild and crazy space explorers".

....Of course, now we have to talk about something else that wasn't so lovable. The voice acting. This is the very first performance of the FUNI actors....and unfortunately, it kind of shows. Sean Schemell is just awful as Goku here, delivering one of the stiffest, most one note performances I've ever heard in an anime, Gohan never really breaks out of a hoarse whisper throughout the entire Episode, and even though Chris Sabat is doing a great impression of the Ocean Vegeta, that actually ends up being a bad thing considering how ridiculous the Ocean Vegeta was. And even though his Jeice doesn't sound bad, it's still not as good as the Japanese Jeice. The only one who sounds good here is Sonny Strait as Kuririn, and even he sounds a step below how he usually sounds considering that he's still trying to imitate the Ocean Kuririn. Almost all of these voice actors will one day grow up to be brilliant actors, all of whom turn in brilliant performances in these roles, but for now, they basically suck....

The Japanese actors aren't quite as bad, though there are things about them that annoy me to. Goku is sort of a mixed bag. He is unfortunately played by a woman, so his voice is already innapproprately high to begin with. Basically, if I had to sum up the voice, based on my initial impressions from watching other videos, it's this. It doesn't sound bad at all, bordering on pretty good AS LONG AS GOKU ISN'T SPEAKING LOUDLY OR YELLING. Once Goku starts doing that, Nozawa is almost impossible to take seriously as Goku, given how screechy and high pitched her yells are. It almost makes you wonder how the villains can keep themselves from laughing at how much like an old lady Goku sounds. Vegeta is pretty good, though he doesn't really have the edge in his voice that Chris Sabat has, which unfortunately makes him a lot more boring as a result. Plus, I find that there are times where his voice is sort of lacking in emotion, so that doesn't really help the dullness factor.

Gohan's voice is really high pitched and is voiced by the same actor that voices Goku....as a matter of fact, ALL of the males in Goku's family are voiced by the same woman (yes, even Bardock). Kuririn's voice is....also innappropriately high, and also sounds like he's voiced by a woman, though I'm not quite sure on that one. Pretty much the best thing about the Japanese voice cast is the villains, and they actually sound really good. Ginyu is also pretty intimidating....which is good, because the FUNI Ginyu....

Sigh....FUNI Ginyu...what do I say about the FUNI Ginyu, voiced by Dave Kelly (who also happens to voice the narrator, just so you know)? Let's see....do you guys know Ernest? You know, Ernest P. Worrel, from the "Ernest Goes To..." series? Well just imagine Ernest cloned himself, and had an evil twin? That's pretty much exactly how FUNI Ginyu sounds to me. Every time I here him, I imagine Ernest mugging to the camera as I listen to it. It is gloriously bad. The sounds more like it should be the voice of say, Spike from the "Tom and Jerry" cartoons rather than belonging to any serious character in a drama. I mean, I know the Ginyu Force members are basically parodies of the Power Rangers, so they're already ridiculous by default, but this is just too much.

And yet, I guess I can't say Ginyu is the worst voice. At least with him, I had a good time laughing at how goofy the voice was, so at least it was entertaining, if nothing else. It's not like Frieza's voice by Linda Young, where half the time, you just want to roll your eyes. Anyways, back to the music and dialouge!

Again, I think the FUNI version outdoes the Japanese version in terms of dialouge and music in this scene. It makes a lot more sense that the scene would begin with Ginyu berating Jeice for being a spineless coward rather than having to tell him how telling Frieza about their failures would be a bad idea, as they do in the Japanese version. Because really, why the H.F.I.L. would you tell Frieza how epically you failed? He'd blow you up quicker than Recoome could fit into a slim jim. And it's also really strange that Jeice's cowardice just goes completely ignored in the Japanese version. Ginyu does nothing to call him out on it whatsoever. Plus, I just really like Jeice's lines in the FUNI version.

I like the music used for Ginyu in this theme as well, in both versions as a matter of fact. Here you go...

Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_bws_sy ... re=related (6:15-6:55)
FUNI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWLW3-A3-gk

I love how intimidating Ginyu's theme is in both versions. The Japanese theme is more up in your face with powerful trumpets and drums, while the FUNI version has this sort of creeping, watery sound, like a veil of dark clouds are settling across the landscape. In the end though, I'd say I prefer the FUNI music, as I like the darker tune that's playing as Ginyu's men are burying the Dragon Balls, as the Japanese beat is strangely upbeat....

Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Pdbcqk ... re=related (1:00-1:56)

I mean what? Really? Why does it sound happy? After this, we have a short scene with Bulma....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese:
____________________________

(We cut to Bulma alone by herself, trying to repair various things)

Bulma: I've had it with dad! How can he say that Goku should have already landed on Namek? Once Goku gets here, I should be the first one he comes and saves. I've been looking after Son Goku ever since he was little. Sigh, it's no use. These are all beyond repair. I don't care anymore!

(Bulma slams her fist on the table)

Bulma: Sigh, I wonder if Son Goku has landed yet.

FUNI:
____________________________

(We cut to Bulma alone by herself, trying to repair various things)

Bulma: My dad couldn't have been that far off on Goku's arrival time? He should've been here by now. Maybe Goku already came here in one day, and they all went back happily to Earth together and forgot about me. No, Goku wouldn't forget about me, heck, he couldn't! I've known him since he was just a little guy. Sigh...those were the days.

(Bulma slams her fist on the table)

Bulma: What's the use?! Ugghh!! Oh.....oh Goku. Sigh...you won't forget me, I know.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing really of note there, except Bulma seems more trusting of Goku in the FUNI version. I really, really love the piano and flute theme here in the Japanese version, at 7:18-9:15 in this video....

Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTvyW5mki7w (13:04-End)

The FUNI version is decent to, but it just doesn't have the beauty that the Japanese track does. I couldn't get that one to compare unfortunately, but oh well. Anyways, back to the plot, with Goku and Friends!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese:
_____________________________

(We cut back to Goku and Friends)

Kuririn: It would be great if we could get the Dragon Balls back from them somehow.
Goku: Vegeta, you know them pretty well don't you? What's the best way to go about it?
Vegeta: Weren't you planning to defeat Frieza?
Goku: I'd like to if possible, but first, we have to bring everyone whom you killed on Earth back to life. Come to think of it, King Kai told me not to fight Frieza, no matter what.
Vegeta: Even if you get such a worthless wish, it won't do any good if Frieza just comes along and wipes out all of Earth soon after, will it? Instead, let me wish myself eternally young.
Kuririn: You've got to be kidding! Letting you do that is no different from letting Frieza do it, is it?!

FUNI:
_____________________________

(We cut back to Goku and Friends)

Gohan: What do we do now dad?
Kuririn: Yeah, where do we go from here Goku?
Goku: Hey Vegeta! You know Frieza and the others a lot better than us. How do you suggest we approach the situation?
Vegeta: Finish off Frieza and it's all over, it's that simple.
Goku: You don't think I can do it, do ya? I know, King Kai warned me about Frieza as well and told me to stay away from him at all costs!
Vegeta: Good advice.
Goku: But heck, if we can get to the Dragon Balls and wish our friends back, we might have a chance!
Vegeta: I remember those guys, if you think they're gonna tip the scale in your favor then you're out of your mind! If you're going to make a wish, make it a doozy! Let me wish for immortality and we'll win for sure!
Kuririn: Yeah, just forget that! I say, if you have a bad book, throw it away, don't put a new cover on it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah...rather stupid edit, apparently, Goku actually believes that Yamcha, Tien, Chiatzu, and Piccolo would actually help...whatever. At least the way Vegeta emphasized "doozy" was kind of funny. Anyways, about the music, the first minute starts off with silence in the Japanese version, while the FUNI version kicks this off with some nice, airy tunes. And it's here that another revelation is made about the soundtrack, or at least the way it was composed for the Frieza Saga. A great majority of the tracks rely on a lot of airy sounds, the sort that makes you envision yourself in the dark, black void of space. Vegeta and Frieza's Themes are mainly composed of these airy themes for example, and I'm guessing that this is because of Faulconer's desire to have different musical styles represent different characters and seasons, as described here...

http://www.myfavoritegames.com/dragonba ... coner3.htm

In this season, all of the adventures of the Z Warriors are on a desolate planet in space, laid waste to by vile fiends, hence, many of the tunes are airy, to represent space, and fairly tracks that generally have just a single note that drones on for 10-15 seconds at a time, unsupported by many instruments the way most songs are, to represent the desolation. Sometimes, electronic sounds appear every so often to emphasize the SciFi nature of their adventures. So, here's the question....do these repetitive, airy tracks fit the scene and give the Season some beautiful, hard to describe quality of surrealness? Or, does all it do is get repetitive and annoying after awhile? My answer is, it does both of these things, at different times. It mainly depends on my mood, but I do admit that it can get annoying at times. Despite that though, I still want it, as it also appeals to emotions in a way that gives it a certain beauty that you can't find in other styles of music, and certainly not in the great amount of silence that's present at many points in the Japanese tracks.

One track that's always pretty annoying to me though is the Ginyu Force theme...

FUNI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STAQuOkfM4g

...and unfortunately, that starts playing, right around when something actually suspenseful should be playing, like what's playing in the Japanese version of this scene....

Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Pdbcqk ... re=related (3:24-4:21)

It's not that the Ginyu Force theme is bad in and of itself, but it almost never seems to be used appropriately, and really, it's a totally innappropriate theme for the Ginyu Force in general. I know they're parodies of the Power Rangers, and the song does a good job of reflecting that by using the same style of music you might hear in a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Episode, but, at the end of the day, the Ginyu Force are scum. Recoome for example was a cold hearted sadist who took pleasure in torturing Gohan, a boy who was only 6 years old, and dragging out the fight with him as long as he could. And it's already been said that their a group of ruthless killers who have destroyed countless planets on Frieza's orders. Heck, FUNI Vegeta himself put it best...

Vegeta: DON'T BE A FOOL KAKAROT!! THEY'VE KILLED MORE PEOPLE THAN YOU KNNOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!

Their theme should not sound glorious, at least not when they're staring down the heroes in an epic confrontation....

By the way, does anyone know what was up with FUNI Vegeta's "SHUT UP! I can't take it, please!"? Out of all the goofy lines in this Episode and the ones following this, that one probably mystified me the most. Is FUNI trying to imply that the mention of a father bring up painful memories for Vegeta? Or is it to imply that he has some sort of regret for killing innocent Namekians, and didn't like Gohan's question about how someone could possibly do something like that? Come to think of it, that would also sort of explain why Vegeta went to such an effort to explain the thinking of evil, vicious men to Goku after killing Burter and Recoome...

And in fact, looking at it from this perspective also ties into one very important scene with Vegeta in which FUNI took certain creative liberties, if you know what I mean?

Anyways, Ginyu and Jeice appraise Goku and Friends...sigh, you know, I really should hate FUNI Ginyu's acting, but honestly, I'm too busy laughing at it to really hate it. The voice, the lines Ginyu gets, the way he delivers them, everything about the FUNI Ginyu is comedy gold to me. It almost has a charm of it's own that way. That being said, I still prefer how much more dramatic the Japanese version is here, both with Ginyu's acting and the music. Love how it drums up shortly before the close-up of Ginyu. As the last scene in my version comparisons fades out, there's still more obviously. Just one last scene and we're finally done....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese:
_____________________________

(Goku tells the others to get away)

Goku: I'll keep them busy. You guys use the Dragon Radar to find the Dragon Balls.
Gohan: They're probably still near their spaceship.
Goku: If I'm able to defeat these guys, I'll join you shortly.
Kuririn: Don't sound so discouraging! You've got to make sure you beat them!
Goku: Right.
Kuririn: Okay, let's go! We have to hurry, before the Grand Elder gets killed.
Gohan: He may have already been...
Goku: At any rate, hurry! Vegeta, you take care of the other one. Now that you've recovered from near death, your power should be much greater. He's no longer an unbeatable opponent, right?
Vegeta: You knew about that, huh?
Kuririn: Really?
Goku: All right, get going! And be careful!
Gohan: We're off!
Kuririn: Good luck, Goku!
Jeice: They're getting away!
Ginyu: Let them go. They're small fry.
Kuririn: Damn it, let there still be time!
Gohan: Hang in there, Grand Elder!

(We cut to Guru looking sick. No dialouge whatsoever, unlike the FUNI version. Quick cut to Frieza, before returning to Goku and Vegeta)

Goku: Alright, we're up too.
Vegeta: Guess we've got no choice.

(Vegeta and Goku and Ginyu and Jeice stare at each other for a long time, before finally, Vegeta abandons Goku by flying off into the distance)

Vegeta: See you later, Kakarot! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!
Goku: Vegeta!
Ginyu: YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!

FUNI:
_____________________________

(Goku tells the others to get away)

Goku: Alright guys, it's time for you to leave. You can do it! Get the radar, and then go get the Dragon Balls.
Gohan: But what about you dad? You know there's no way we can leave you all by yourself!
Goku: I'll be fine Gohan! Just concentrate on doing your part!
Kuririn: Goku, if I'm not mistaken, you're enjoying this!
Goku: Kinda
Kuririn: Let's get out of here and let you're dad do his thing Gohan! We have to complete our mission.
Gohan: Piccolo and the others...
Goku: Now you're talking you guys!. You have a part in the plan to, if that's ok with you. I was hoping we could join forces...and work together against those guys. Well how does that sound to you Vegeta? Will you do it?
Vegeta: Yeah sure, why not?
Kuririn: You're going to trust him?
Goku: Guys, there's no time! Now let's go!
Gohan: We're on it!
Kuririn: You got it Goku!
Jeice: Hey, there they go!
Ginyu: Let em' go, big deal
Kuririn: I don't know why your dad has to trust that guy Gohan!
Gohan: I here ya! Too risky!

(We cut to Guru's house, as Dende is looking over at Guru with concern)

Guru: (Coughing)
Dende: Guru, are you ok?

(We cut back to Goku and Vegeta facing off with Jeice and Ginyu)

Goku: Well, I guess it's now or never.
Vegeta: I'm right behind you!

(Vegeta and Goku and Ginyu and Jeice stare at each other for a long time, before finally, Vegeta abandons Goku by flying off into the distance)

Vegeta: HAVE FUN KAKAROT! HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!
Goku: Man, you dirty dog!
Ginyu: YOU SUCKEEERRRRR!! HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's interesting to note that the group is much calmer and more assured in the FUNI version than they are in the Japanese version. FUNI Kuririn and Gohan aren't as concerned about Guru as they are in the Japanese version, and are also much more suspicious of Vegeta. Actually, both of them seem more intelligent in general in the FUNI version than the Japanese version, considering how quickly they figured out that Goku could alter his power at will compared to their Japanese counterparts. Goku, on the other hand seems....dumber in this version. It seems like some of the intelligent things that he had to say, like the whole bit about Vegeta's Zenkai, was edited out for some reason, not to mention the sheer stupidity of thinking that Tien, Chiatzu, Piccolo, and Yamcha could possibly help him out in anyway against the guys he was up against. Keep Goku in mind, because the way FUNI interprets his character in the saga ends up differing from the way he's portrayed in the Japanese in some ways. You'll see what I mean later.

So, anyways, what do I think of this Episode? Well, honestly, in terms of dialouge and music, the two were pretty much tied. In both cases, there were some dialouge alterations that I liked, and others I didn't care for at all. Same with the music really. Sometimes it was awesome, sometimes it seemed like it really missed the mark. As for the Japanese music, I thought it was pretty good....when there actually was music. I kind of wish the Japanese version didn't have such long stretches of silence, but oh well. That's just one little quirk one has to tolerate. So basically, it all comes down to the voice acting...and unfortunately, given how much the FUNI cast stinks at this point in their dubbing, it seems that the victor goes to the Japanese version!

Music:
Goku vs. Burter: Japanese
Burter Defeated: FUNI
Goku Confused: FUNI
Z Warriors Discuss Their Options: FUNI
Jeice Reports: FUNI
Goku and Co. Plan: Japanese
Bulma: Japanese
Faceoff: Japanese

Dialouge:
Goku vs. Burter: Japanese
Burter Defeated: Japanese
Goku Confused: FUNI
Z Warriors Discuss Their Options: FUNI
Jeice Reports: FUNI
Goku and Co. Plan: Japanese
Bulma: FUNI
Faceoff: Japanese

Voice Acting:
Every Scene: Japanese

The Winner: Japanese

[Fionordequester]

Whoops, double post of the last post, sorry bout that. The computer gave me a few issues.

[Zestanor]

A lot of your links are not working because of the ellipses ("...") inside the url. For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwu1Q...735B59795544EB.

[Fionordequester]

I see. Allow me to fix that real quickly now...

[SSVegetto]

I love the Funi's DVD5 single dialogue between Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin when Jeice fled.

If I remember correctly it was a lot cooler than the Japanese dialogue.

Let's see: English dialogue, Ep 68
___________________________________________________________________________
start 8:30

Vegeta: They don't deserve any favors. Their the worst kind of scum kakarrot.
Vegeta: They would have finished off friend and your son too. If you would have arrived ten minutes later they would have been gone now.
Vegeta: You're too soft to be a Saiyan. The man that you let go can cause your downfall.
Goku: No way not him.
Vegeta: Kakarrot, he doesn't have to be stronger to beat you, he can take your kid hostage and make you walk right into your hands like a lamb. These people are ruthless savages Kakarrot.
Vegeta: Their warriors and they will do whatever it takes to win the game. And here you are, Mr. Nice guy. They are going to chew you out and spit you out with that attitude.
Goku: Will see, I don't think having a little compassion is a disadvantage.
Vegeta: A fight with Freeza is a fight to the end. And it will be your end. Your nothing compared to Freeza, Kakarrot.

end 9:23
_______________________________________________________________________


Then the Japanese dialogue:
Vegeta: It utterly sickens me with how lenient you always are!
Vegeta: Why did you let that other one get away? With your strength now, you could have easily disposed of him!
Vegeta: It appears that you were unable to fully become a Super Saiyan after all.
Goku: Super Saiyan?
Vegeta: You seem to be proud with how overwhelmingly strong you've become,
Vegeta: but even so, there's no way you can beat Freeza. Not unless you make yourself immortal or something.
Vegeta: You have no idea how terrible Freeza is!

___________________________________________________________________________
What I liked about Funi's dialogue is that Vegeta let Goku know the reality of the situation that Krillin and Gohan probably would have died and he shouldn't have showed mercy towards Jeice. And that just because you are more powerful doesn't mean they can't use some sort of trick to do whatever it takes to win.

There is more dialogue though near the end of the episode.

But I like the part with Vegeta's crazy laugh at the end as he abandons Goku.
At the end of the episode:
Just compare the three.

Funi's DVD5 single (Vegeta) -hilariously over done.
Funi's Season set (Vegeta)
Japanese (Vegeta)

[Pokewhiz7]

I see. Allow me to fix that real quickly now...

Still not working.

[Fionordequester]

I know, I haven't quite done it yet. I believe I've fixed the links in my 2nd post, but, I haven't gotten around to the first post yet. I was going to have an edit sign to say when I was done, so watch out for that.

EDIT: There we go, everything's all fixed up and everything!

[cRookie_Monster]

Wow man awesome job with this project

I had a few things to respond to:

I suppose I oughta start with the two intro songs. Now, I'm not sure whether Bruce Faulconer had hired any musicians yet when he started the first Episode, so, I'll refer to any pieces FUNI has in this Episode as one he created. So...

Mike was there from day #1, and from months before that actually.

And finally, GOODNESS GRACIOUS DO I LOVE THE THEME THAT PLAYS NEXT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dsSvx0GzgY

Is it any wonder that this happens to be one of my favorite songs out of all the ones by FaulconerProductions? Dunno why it's called the "Sad Theme", as it seems like a positive upbeat tune that plays when such occasions happen. Really, it's more peaceful than sad.

Agreed with you on the clip in the youtube vid, though like much of the early stuff, that is just part of a long continuous piece of music written for the entire episode. I consider the beginning of it to be a bit earlier than where the youtube vid starts. That earlier section definitely sounds sad.
This bit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcqcOOFe894

Stitch those tracks together, they are one.

So now is when the FUNI Episode kicks in, right when Jeice and Burter land next to Goku. And, to begin with, I really wish Faulconer had used a different sort of tune for the Ginyu Force. It energetic, but it sounds far too heroic to be an appropriate them for them. Perhaps the heroic feeling is because Faulconer recognized them as a parody of the Power Rangers, but, it still doesn't really work.

I doubt Mike or Bruce really understood the Ginyu Force for what they were having been dumped into the middle of the saga. We saw more crazy posing later that began to get the point across, but by then it was too late (ie the first time I encountered them was when they were already dead and making trouble on King Kai's planet)

I also noticed how sometimes heroic music is used for villainous moments and tragic music can be used for heroic moments in those early Faulconer Productions episodes.

[Fionordequester]

Thank you cRookie, that's interesting to know. I can't tell you how awesome it is having someone from the actual group of the dub music and editors commenting on this. In anycase, I'm about ready to do Episode 69. This time, in this specific episode comparison, I've decided on comparing every scene from the Goku vs. Ginyu fight, and leaving out everything else, my logic being that Goku's climactic batle with the leader of the Ginyu Force would be the most important in terms of how each version handled the episode. Do you guys agree?

Also, just in case anybody didn't know, all of the links work again.

[roidrage]

I love the Funi's DVD5 single dialogue between Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin when Jeice fled.

If I remember correctly it was a lot cooler than the Japanese dialogue.

Let's see: English dialogue, Ep 68
___________________________________________________________________________
start 8:30

Vegeta: They don't deserve any favors. Their the worst kind of scum kakarrot.
Vegeta: They would have finished off friend and your son too. If you would have arrived ten minutes later they would have been gone now.
Vegeta: You're too soft to be a Saiyan. The man that you let go can cause your downfall.
Goku: No way not him.
Vegeta: Kakarrot, he doesn't have to be stronger to beat you, he can take your kid hostage and make you walk right into your hands like a lamb. These people are ruthless savages Kakarrot.
Vegeta: Their warriors and they will do whatever it takes to win the game. And here you are, Mr. Nice guy. They are going to chew you out and spit you out with that attitude.
Goku: Will see, I don't think having a little compassion is a disadvantage.
Vegeta: A fight with Freeza is a fight to the end. And it will be your end. Your nothing compared to Freeza, Kakarrot.

end 9:23
_______________________________________________________________________


Then the Japanese dialogue:
Vegeta: It utterly sickens me with how lenient you always are!
Vegeta: Why did you let that other one get away? With your strength now, you could have easily disposed of him!
Vegeta: It appears that you were unable to fully become a Super Saiyan after all.
Goku: Super Saiyan?
Vegeta: You seem to be proud with how overwhelmingly strong you've become,
Vegeta: but even so, there's no way you can beat Freeza. Not unless you make yourself immortal or something.
Vegeta: You have no idea how terrible Freeza is!

___________________________________________________________________________
What I liked about Funi's dialogue is that Vegeta let Goku know the reality of the situation that Krillin and Gohan probably would have died and he shouldn't have showed mercy towards Jeice. And that just because you are more powerful doesn't mean they can't use some sort of trick to do whatever it takes to win.

There is more dialogue though near the end of the episode.

But I like the part with Vegeta's crazy laugh at the end as he abandons Goku.
At the end of the episode:
Just compare the three.

Funi's DVD5 single (Vegeta) -hilariously over done.
Funi's Season set (Vegeta)
Japanese (Vegeta)

I honestly prefer Vegeta's original dialogue after he kills Reacoom and Butta. The problem I see with the dub is that Vegeta's being logical and explaining his actions, and I find myself agreeing with him. The idea in the Japanese version seems to be that Vegeta is still a pretty big asshole at this point, a killer who doesn't need to justify what he does to soft-hearted weaklings.

[Fionordequester]

I honestly prefer Vegeta's original dialogue after he kills Reacoom and Butta. The problem I see with the dub is that Vegeta's being logical and explaining his actions, and I find myself agreeing with him. The idea in the Japanese version seems to be that Vegeta is still a pretty big asshole at this point, a killer who doesn't need to justify what he does to soft-hearted weaklings.

I see what you mean, but I think the idea of him still being a ruthless, coldblooded killer was already pretty well established with the way he smiled and sneered as he killed Burter and Jeice. Plus, he still carries that sneer as he's talking, which makes me think he was explaining himself simply so he could mock and belittle Goku, not because he actually had any concern about Goku, Krillin, or Gohan's wellbeing.

By the way, Episode Comparison 69 is now underway! Just need a little clarification on the video comparisons before I post another batch. I was planning on putting up the entire Goku vs. Ginyu fight of both versions, however, I'm considering cutting out the speech Ginyu gives Goku about how he should power up to his absolute maximum (or as FUNI Ginyu says, "get right down to the nitty gritty!") in favor of putting in a scene of Vegeta following Krillin and Gohan. The scene isn't too spectacular by itself, EXCEPT for the fact that in the FUNI version, there's a certain...song, if you know what I mean, that makes it's epic debut here.

[Adamant]

I see what you mean, but I think the idea of him still being a ruthless, coldblooded killer was already pretty well established with the way he smiled and sneered as he killed Burter and Jeice. Plus, he still carries that sneer as he's talking, which makes me think he was explaining himself simply so he could mock and belittle Goku, not because he actually had any concern about Goku, Krillin, or Gohan's wellbeing.

Thing is, the dialogue changes his criticism from "why are you not killing people?" to "these guys are evil monsters who deserve to die, and not killing them will probably bite you in the ass later". That's not Vegeta, that's just some dub writer trying to tone down a "killing is fun, go murder people!" message into "sometimes you need to kill" moral speech. It's a bad rewrite.

[Akumaito Beam]

I actually enjoyed reading these. It’s not so much the comparison aspect but rather having a fan of the dub talk about what he did and didn’t like about that version of the show. You get into some good analysis when it comes to that. Personally the biggest compliment I can pay the dub is by itself it’s honestly not horrible but the general tone is so drastically different from the original it's off putting.

These commentaries actually had me skimming through the singles again and boy howdy it has been awhile. Looking for bits and pieces of what you found particularly good or bad adds interesting new insight into this version of the cartoon. I most certainly hope to see more.

[Fionordequester]

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Fionordequester's Dragon Ball Z Episode Comparisons. In this Episode, we will now be reviewing Episode 69 (55 in the FUNI dub), where we begin with Goku beginning his fight with Ginyu, and end with him using the Kaioken 2x. Once again, I have posted a video portraying the events...

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Fionorde ... /videos/3/

So, anyways, first of all, I like the way the FUNI version starts off the episode with the Ginyu Force theme, or at least I like it better than the Japanese version...

Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Pdbcqk ... re=related (2:41-3:15)

It's not perfect, as it lacks tension and is perhaps too focused on how "exciting" the fight will be, but at least it's energetic. The Japanese track is simply too calm for my tastes. Just some low key horns, dripping noises, and a suspended cymbal part at the end. I'm not asking for something too energetic, just something at least somewhat militiaristic or tense, like M911 or M813...

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Fionordequester/videos/7

I had to make some edits to the song, but, it worked out reasonably well I think. In any case, am I wrong? Just seemed like the music should've been a touch more dramatic.

That nitpick out of the way, I have to admit, as much as I love the dub...the Japanese version totally wiped the floor with FUNI in pretty much every single area when it comes to this fight, and it mainly comes down to the tone set by the Japanese music. First it starts off dire as Goku gets clocked by Ginyu after Vegeta ditches Goku, cuts out right as Ginyu disappears from sight, and kicks right into high gear as Ginyu reappears to knock Goku silly yet again, only to gradually get more and more tense, until by the end of the scene, it is once again desperate as Goku, having failed to land so much as a finger on Ginyu, tries once more to get him in a flurry of punches only to get knocked out of the sky for his efforts.

Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTvyW5mki7w (12:17-13:00)

The FUNI version is basically just generic action music all the way through, and rather basic action music at that. The very first one even has an organ in the background that sounds like it was ripped out of Monty Python. Sure it's not very pronounced underneath the guitars but even still, when you're trying to create any intensity in the background, it's probably not a good sign when your music reminds you of a sketch comedy group.

I guess I can't really blame them overly much though. I mean, just imagine you're a more or less successful musician who's been asked to do the music for a children's action cartoon. Walking into the booth knowing basically nothing about the show other than it's reputation, the very first Episodes you're introduced to has a big large idiot who's laying on his stomach with his uncovered butt sticking in the air, a midget without a nose, and three musclebound aliens, two of whom are wearing speedoes, fighting another musclebound man who sounds like a woman while constantly yelling, grunting, and screaming at each other for several minutes on end....

Probably not the best image to have of a show that you happen to be working on, huh? After all, Sean Schmell didn't even know who he was voicing when he first started recording lines, and he was the one voicing Goku when they started! So whose to say the guys at FaulconerProductions had the right idea of how to make music for this show. At least not at first. Of course, I'm of the opinion that they start to completely outstrip the Japanese soundtrack later on, but, that's probably gonna be a bit unfortunately...sigh...

Oh yeah, and the FUNI actors aren't exactly keeping pace with the Japanese ones. Sean Schmell sounds more like he's trying to fish his wedding ring out of a sink rather than fighting anything in this scene, and Dave Kelly's...being Dave Kelly. This fact isn't helped by the fact that Nozowa actually sounds surprisingly good here, giving off an air of a seasoned warrior and actually sounding like a man for once. I may dislike her as Goku's voice actor, but she definetly has her moments. And speaking of moments...

The FUNI version of this Episode, for how utterly inferior it is, happens to have one bright spot, but it is one doozy of a bright spot. For here is a song to end all songs. Forged in the fires of valhalla and welded from the strongest materials in the history of man, it's melody rumbles from the mouths of the worlds mightiest Dragons and Leviathans. Packing all the manliness of Guile, all raging fire of Black Sabbath, and all the emotional slurs and curves of ACDC, comes...

HHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLSSSSSSSS BEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSSS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GpeZBqKQWU

Oh yeah, taste the major ownage! Ok, but seriously, this is probably one of my favorite songs out of the entire dub, not just because it sounds awesome, but because of the overall feel of the song and how it relates to Vegeta. Every time I listen to it, I can't help but think of someone like, say, Beowulf from the 2006 remake, who became a powerful, vicious warrior whose feared and praised amoung men for his prowess, as reflected by the repeated bells and distortion guitars, but gave up his honor, empathy, and everything else that brings meaning to life, as reflected by the prolongued droning sounds after the bells and guitars climax.

I still remember watching the Episode in which he fought Fat Buu with this playing not too long ago (well, a few months ago). As Vegeta was clobbering Buu, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic over how Vegeta had developed as a character, how he's finally found a new purpose in his life outside of his selfish and ultimately fruitless quest to be the strongest. It gave me a weird sense of being both happy for Vegeta's newfound fire, yet at the same time, melancholy about the fact that he didn't have that realization until the very end of his life. Hearing this song, I thought on how tragic it was that he couldn't have lived longer to enjoy that new piece...

Of course, just as I state my opinion of "Spirit vs. Spirit" being an overrated song as well as my confusion of why so many people get such a kick out of what seems like a fairly generic J-pop song to me, I realize that I may be doing the very same thing here, being raised on the dub, as I can't help but understand how it could just come off as a generic "this is totally awesome" song to other viewers.. I haven't actually watched the Japanese version of this scene, so it'll be interesting to see how it compares when I get there....if I ever get there.

But anyways, I'm rambling, so, let's get on with the dialogue for this one, shall we?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese:
________________________

(The scene begins with namekian Leviathans rising out of the water and looking around. Seeing Vegeta arrive, they sink back into the water as Vegeta flies over them. After watching Vegeta fly for a bit, the camera switches to looking at Vegeta's face, zooming in as he talks to himself).

Vegeta: This is a nice development. From what I saw, Kakarot and Ginyu both have about the same level of ability. If I'm lucky, the two of them might just take care of each other. If that happens, I can't fail! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, heeehhh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, heeehhh! As soon as I get the password to have my wish granted out of those runts, I'll take care of them too. Then, once I make myself immortally young, I'll have a chance of beating even Frieza in battle! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

FUNI:
________________________

(The scene begins with namekian Leviathans rising out of the water and looking around. Seeing Vegeta arrive, they sink back into the water as Vegeta flies over them. After watching Vegeta fly for a bit, the camera switches to looking at Vegeta's face, zooming in as he talks to himself).

Hnh, hnh, hnh, hnh, hnh, this is just too convenient! Kakarot and Ginyu are out there clobbering each other, while the runts are up ahead finding the Dragon Balls for me! This is too good to be true, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! I'll just wait until the earthlings find out what the password is, then I'll step in and make my wish. That's right, if there's anything I've learned from this whole ordeal, it's that I'm a fricken genius, ha, ha, ha, ha!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even though I like the fact that the FUNI dialouge is a little more condensed and doesn't sound quite as much like exposition, it's a little strange hearing Vegeta saying words like "fricken" and I still find his FUNI voice grating on the ears. Plus, even though it isn't Hell's Bells, the song is still suitably dramatic enough to make the scene work, so, point goes to the Japanese version. Next, we have Krillin and Gohan talking to eah other about their plans...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese:
________________________

(We see Krillin and Gohan flying through a birds eye view, then through a side view, and finally, we switch to a shot with Gohan to the left, and Krillin to the right).

Krillin: Gohan, no matter what it takes, we have to borrow the Dragon Radar from Bulma and find the Dragon Balls before Frieza gets the password from Guru!

Gohan: Right!

(We then switch to Guru's Lookout, the camera panning up before switching to a view of Dende looking out the window.)

Guru: Sigh...HUCK, HUCK, HU-HUCK! Huugghh, huh.

FUNI:
________________________

(We see Krillin and Gohan flying through a birds eye view, then through a side view, and finally, we switch to a shot with Gohan to the left, and Krillin to the right).

Krillin: Hey, after we find the balls, we need to ditch them somewhere and find Guru, then we'll say our prayers and hope we can get to the Dragon Balls with the password before Frieza finds us!

Gohan: Right!

(We then switch to Guru's Lookout, where we see two shots of the camera panning up before switching to a view of Dende on a peak, before finally cutting to the interior of Guru's chambers.)

Guru: He's such a good boy. His only desire is to help me. I think I know a way he can. Mm, ahum, ahum! Mm, sigh.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First of all, the Krillin and Gohan scene. Besides the fact that the FUNI music is cheerful and does not match the urgency of the situation, the dubbers made a translation mistake here that, although is somewhat understandable (at least moreso than some future mistakes in this dub), still ends up being catastrophic in the next Episode, in which Krillin and Gohan basically end up doing the exact opposite of what they just said they were going to do, digging up the Dragon Balls, then immediately trying to summon Porunga. All of this is in spite of the fact that Goku flat out told them that the Namekian Dragon Balls need the Namekian password in order to work....or at least, in the FUNI dub, he did...

See, the whole thing is rather confusing, so let me quote what Goku says about the matter in both versions of the shows...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese:
________________________

(In regards to Frieza's failure to get his wish from the Dragon Balls)

Goku: T-That's it! I've got it! He doesn't know what the password is! He must think that just gathering all seven Dragon Balls together will grant him his wish.

FUNI:
________________________

(In regards to Frieza's failure to get his wish from the Dragon Balls)

Goku: Hey, I think I know why! I'll bet Frieza doesn't know the password, huh?! These balls aren't like the ones on Earth! Here you need to know a password!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it's important to note that Goku knows about the fact that the Namekians have a special password and that the Namekian Dragon Balls work differently than Earth's, none of which is said in the Japanese version. All he says is that there's a password needed to use the Dragon Balls. I can only assume that in that version, he was referring to the chant the characters always use to call out Shenron on Earth rather than the Namekian password to call out Porunga.

So, that being said, I can...kind of understand how they messed it up, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder why FUNI's changing the script in such a large way if they're not going to bother to watch even one episode ahead to make sure they're not going to make themselves look like complete idiots later on. Seriously, all they would've needed to do was to look ONE FRICKEN EPISODE ahead to figure out "hey wait a minute, Krillin and Gohan aren't doing what we thought they would. Perhaps there's a chance that we're wrong?".

I don't know, I just dislike the thought that anything about the FUNI script I like during this seasons was good more by accident than anything else. And to think, this isn't even the worst moment in this Episode...

Anyways, for what it's worth, once again, I like the fact that FUNI's at least trying to make it seem like there's actually a reason why we're cutting back to Guru. I think TeamFourStar really hit the nail on the head with the way they parody the scenes involving Nail, Dende, and Guru. Almost every time we do so in TFS's version, we get nothing but pointless banter that does nothing to advance the plot, and that's pretty much what seems to happen every time we've seen Guru even here from what I can tell. I'm still somewhat confused on what exactly FUNI Guru had in mind though...

At this point, we're back to Goku vs. Ginyu, which means we're almost done with the dialouge transcripts of the Episodes. It's really amazing to me just how much sillier they made this scene, and pretty much almost every other scene with Ginyu. And really, I guess that's basically my main problem with the way FUNI presented them as a whole. It's like they saw some of the little quirks and goofiness the Ginyu Force had, and decided to make that their defining characteristic rather than just another aspect. They took one little element and turned it up to 11.

Still, I find it hard to entirely dislike this scene. The dialouge is cheesy, but not in too much of a bad way, Ginyu still makes me laugh with his impression of Slinky from Toy Story, and I can't help but find it amusing the way the music changes to be triumphant as Ginyu starts laughing before telling Goku "you need your butt kicked, that's what you really need, friend!". I can actually see how someone might prefer it if they like watching Dragon Ball Z just for entertainment or nostalgia value.

And if even that doesn't float your boat well...hey, at least Dave Kelly's Ginyu here is better than Brice Armstrong's Ginyu, with his dull and awkward delivery of the "Remastered" dialogue. Seriously, I like Brice Armstrong's Ginyu, but his performance in the Remastered dub was HORRIBLE. It's like they did everything in one take, with no rehearsal time for him to get into character.

Well, that being said, there is one more scene that didn't make it into my scene comparison video, so I'll cover that real quickly now...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese:
________________________

(We cut to an overhead view of the mountain crevice Bulma is in. After closing in on the mountain, we switch to a side view of it's interior. Bulma starts talking as it pans down...)

Bulma: Geez! What could everyone else possibly be up to while I'm here, struggling by myself like this? How do I know they haven't completely forgotten about me and are just goofing around now? Good grief, first my spaceship gets all broken, and I can't go back to Earth. Then my transmitter gets all broken. Nothing is going right.

(Machine beeps)

Bulma: Hmm? All right, it's fixed! That certainly did take up a lot of time and effort...

(Suddenly an Earthquake rocks the place)

Bulma: Hm? YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!

(As Bulma falls on her back, the Dragon Radar falls towards her, beeping)

Bulma: Yegh, sigh...hm? Egghh, w-what was that just now? Gasp! A-All seven of them are in the same place, aren't they? I-I'll just bet they were going to leave me behind, while they went and made their wish to Shenron! All right!

(Bulma runs out of the crevice, takes out a capsule, and throws it on the ground to reveal a jetbike)

Bulma: But suppose the person who has gathered the Dragon Balls is Vegeta, instead? Not again! Gasp!

(Another earthquake startles her momentarily, causing her to gasp)

Bulma: YAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! W-What is it with this planet anyway? Whimper...gasp! I know! Even if it is Vegeta, I can just say, "Send me back to Earth" first! Heh, heh! Hey, that's simple enough, isn't it? With that settled, I'm off to the Dragon Balls!

(She then powers up the jet bike and begins riding it)

Bulma: Let's go!

(She blasts off into the horizon)

FUNI:
________________________

(We cut to an overhead view of the mountain crevice Bulma is in. After closing in on the mountain, we switch to a side view of it's interior. Bulma starts talking as it pans down...)

Bulma: If I wasn't such a genius, and I didn't have such a positive, energetic attitude, this situation really would be unbearable. Mmmmm! Man, here I am, slaaaving away, and for who? For friends who forgot I exist! It's a darn shame, yep, those guys are taking me for granted! Hey yo diary!

Robot: Diary loaded...

Bulma: C,mon!

Robot: Please record.

Bulma: Just a reminder to kill Krillin and Gohan when I see them, and kick Goku in the shin. I guess that's it...

(Machine beeps)

Bulma: Huh? Aaaahhh! Wow, great! Gosh Bulma, you're just too much!

(Suddenly an Earthquake rocks the place)

Bulma: Hm? Aaaahhh!

(As Bulma falls on her back, the Dragon Radar falls towards her, beeping)

Bulma: Ugggghmmmm. Well, at least it's not broken. Gasp! The Dragon Balls are all gathered together! Yikes, this could mean serious trouble! On the other hand...this could be great! What a brilliant opportunity to cash in on someone elses hard work!

(Bulma runs out of the crevice, takes out a capsule, and throws it on the ground to reveal a jetbike)

Bulma: Gasp! What if the guys come back for me, and I'm gone, so they leave?

(Another earthquake startles her momentarily, causing her to gasp)

Bulma: Uuuuuaaaaahhh! Ugggghhh, ooooohhhh...Gasp! Hey, I know! I'll just wish myself back! Heck yeah! Super! I'll ask the dragon to send me back to Earth I'm so brilliant! Ok, let's go, giddeyup!

(She then powers up the jet bike and begins riding it)

Bulma: (No dialouge)

(She blasts off into the horizon)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Besides the fact that I can't help but wonder why FUNI decided to make Bulma seem like even more of a jerk than she already made herself out to be in this scene, I really don't count this scene in my comparison, because quite frankly, I don't think it belongs here.

Watching this for the first time, I was so shocked by Bulma's disloyalty and callousness that I wondered how Akira could stand writing for someone like that as a recurring side character. I know she started off as basically a dirty slut, but that was a good while ago, back when Dragon Ball first began. So, I went to check the manga, and guess what?

This scene right here? Yeah, this was never in the manga! All that happens with her originally is she just waits patiently for Krillin and Gohan to come back, then hands them the Dragon Radar once they do come back. That's it. Here in the anime, for reasons I cannot fathom, they changed it so that she rides off, forcing Krillin and Gohan to go on a wild goose chase trying to find her. Not only is this completely unnecessary, but it makes her look like an ungrateful stain on life, so why do this at all? Therefore, I just sort of pretend it didn't happen. Let's move on.

Sigh...so, just when you think it can't get any worse, here comes probably one of the dumbest moments in the entire FUNImation dub, the opening of our third scene with Goku vs. Ginyu. You know what, cheesy dialogue? Stiff voice acting? Generic music? I can handle all of this stuff. But then there's stuff like this, the way they changed the beginning of this, that just makes me want to hurl.

First of all, I suppose I should describe the Japanese version of this scene. The way it opens up, the explosion is shown in all it's destructive fury, the whole area is covered in smoke and debris, and a huge gaping crater is shown where Goku once was. Then, there is silence, with nothing but the savage drum beats of M911 sounding in the scene. Ginyu is standing triumphantly, and we can't help but wonder, "what has happened to Goku"? I mean sure, he probably wasn't killed, but he still could've been hurt badly for all we know. It goes on like this, and then...

BAM! Goku appears from out of nowhere, and throws a bevy of blows, finally putting Ginyu on the defensive as climactic, high energy action kicks. The two are finally putting their all into this, both of them are done playing around, this time will be their last joust! Besides the fact that Ginyu's arms should've been pulverized, blocking two full power kicks the way he did, I have basically zero complaints about this scene in the Japanese version. It just works really well...

So obviously, the smart thing to do is to play the first part of the Ginyu Force theme once again, and then completely butcher whatever was left of that tension with a fourth wall breaking joke so cartoonish, you'd think it would've been lifted out of a Loony Tunes show. Seriously, I cannot imagine what the localizers were thinking with this scene. It's one thing to add the occasional joke here and there, that's no problem. I mean heck, from what I've heard, the Yu Yu Hakusho dub was full of stealth puns for both Japanese and English viewers, and that was a really good dub, better than the original in my opinion. But killing all tension for something this stupid...ugh...

This scene is just incredible to me in so many ways, not only for the jaw dropping stupidity of it all, but for the fact that this has somehow managed to go under the radar of so many of this shows critics, even Chris Psaro. Seriously, he gets all hot and bothered about Krillin and Gohan being "just a couple of wild and crazy space explorers", but somehow THIS went by with no comment?! It's like obsessing over the stickers in someones toe while somehow missing the plank that's in their eye. To top it all off, for whatever insane reason, this scene IS STILL IN HERE, EVEN IN THE REMASTERED VERSION!! WHAT THE H.F.I.L.?!

Anyways, after that debacle, the FUNI music is actually pretty similar to the Japanese music, not to mention the best fight up to this point BY FAR. Even so, the Japanese music is so much more effective simply because this moment was actually built up to in the Japanese version. The music for most of the fight goes through extreme highs and lows, but never quites lets go of the tension, holding it until until finally letting it all out with a bang in this moment. In the FUNI version, it's just more high energy, exciting action music like all the other fight music. The only thing I liked better in this version is the sound effect that's played when Ginyu grabs Goku, but that's it.

So, now for the very last scene of the Episode, and before I dig into this, I'd like to adress something here. A lot of people complain about the line Goku says here, "You know, you don't have to hurt other people for amusement. Helping people can be fun to!", citing it as a good example of some of the dub's worst moments. But honestly, I really don't think it's that bad of a line, or at least not the way it was used. I mean, yes, writing it out and not looking at the animation or listening to how it was delivered, it does look ridiculous. But the way Goku was smirking, and the way he delivered the line, it didn't seem to me like he was being naive so much as he was making one last attempt to reason with Ginyu and not have to hurt him. He knew it probably wouldn't work, but it didn't hurt to try regardless, so why not?

Of course, that logic sort of fails when you realize Goku makes another plea the next episode, but hey, it doesn't seem like FUNI was watching more than one Episode ahead when doing this season so...make of it what you will I guess.

That being said, FUNI Jeice's laugh makes him sound like a hillbilly, the writing is still as silly as it ever was (UGH, STRONG POWER! CAN'T SHAKE IT!), but other than that, FUNI is at least reasonably good here, mostly because again, the music is really good and actually fits the scene for once. I honestly don't know why THIS couldn't have been the music to start the Episode off with, maybe something like this...

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Fionorde ... /videos/6/

And then the power up scene comes, and once again, I am blown away by how dramatic the Japanese music is. It gives the impression that Goku is tapping into a seemingly bottomless pit of strength, and really captures the horror of Ginyu and Jeice. The two are in deep, DEEP trouble, and they're only now starting to realize how screwed they are. Thank you Shunsuke for this great piece, it is now my favorite outside of M1012. As for what plays in the FUNI version?

The Ginyu Force theme. Yeah. They play that theme again, for the fifth in only two Episodes. It's decent here, because there IS actually something exciting and heroic happening, but again, I can't help but wish they did something to make it at least somewhat more dramatic. As it is, it's just sort of...there.

I guess that pretty much sums up my feelings on the FUNI version of this Episode. Aside from the three great songs that play in it, it's completely unexceptional at it's best, and atrociously bad at it's worst. And to be fair, the music actually does a good job of what it set out to do, creating a sort of Saturday morning cartoon feel, but it only serves to make it more forgettable.

Don't walk away from this with the wrong impression. I'm still a dub fan, and I'm not doing this just to bash FUNI, but I'm just saying, this Episode was pretty mediocre. The dialogue was hammy, the music consisted almost entirely of generic action music with Cajon's, Cabasa's, Guitars, and Trombones, and the voice actors still haven't quite hit their groove yet. So, what's the score?

Music:
Goku vs. Ginyu Part 1: Japanese
Vegeta's Monologue: FUNI
Our Other Heroes Converse: Japanese
Goku vs. Ginyu Part 2: Japanese
Goku vs. Ginyu Part 3: Japanese
Ginyu has Goku Trapped: FUNI
Goku's Kaioken 2x: Japanese

Dialouge:
Every Scene: Japanese

Voice Acting:
Every Scene: Japanese

The Winner: Japanese

[Gonstead]

So far I'm loving these comparisons your doing. Keep it up!

[Li'l Lemmy]

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Fionordequester's Dragon Ball Z Episode Comparisons...

I was a bit thrown off by seeing a thread in which someone who was outright banned earlier this year was somehow managing to post in something I thought was a new and current topic. Then I checked the dates and realized that... it's not current, and that the thread actually died five months ago.

fionordequester, it might be better for you to simply make a new thread after that long of an absence. A mod can certainly argue differently or otherwise clarify if my opinion is wrong, but I think that option would have worked out better for discussion's sake. o_O


~Da Lemmy

[Fionordequester]

Sorry about that, but, what do you mean by "banned"? I don't remember ever being banned. Or are you talking about someone else?

EDIT: Wait, nevermind, I believe you were talking about SSVegeto? Well, in any case, I'm sorry about that. But, I just kind of wonder, what's the point of making a new thread? I mean, necroposting is only bad when you didn't use that post for anything worthwhile, right? The only thing that'd really be different is that I'd provide a link to the previous thread in the opening post.

[Perfect]

I'd just like to point out that while Ocean Studios was the voice talent for the series, FUNimation was just as involved as they were. Reading your initial post, you might want to edit where you say, "FUNimation took over", to "When FUNimation hired their own in-house voice actors".

[TripleRach]

Necroposting is generally discouraged, mostly because it can confuse people (as it obviously did this time). But we tend to let it slide if the bump was really worthwhile, as opposed to a little ten word comment or something. We also tend to let it slide for threads that are built around the idea of adding more later, like fan projects. And this thread kind of falls into both categories, so I don't think there's any need to make a stink about it.