Is the "Never Say Die" thing truly needed?

[matt0044]

Anyone who has saw the Nicktoons version of Dragon Ball Z Kai clearly knows that the version they broadcast doesn't contain mentions of death, despite implying it or even showing it. I know it's a given that stuff like blood, cursing, lewdness and excessive violence are removed without disrupting the story most of the time but if death is going to be shown in a less than graphic way, then why not just say the words?

The worst part is that the DBZ movies and GT aired on Nicktoons with death mentions left intact. Hell, promo for Kai says that Goku has died and is dead after Cell blew up. Why couldn't they be consistent in whether or not they could reference death directly? I just doesn't make sense.

So really, was the removal of direct death reference actually needed for the Nicktoons version? It was step above Toonami for sure but why couldn't it say "death" and synonymous words too? It's a burning question that I need to ask.

[VegettoEX]

There's no real answer to this. It's all up to the whims of what particular people want at a particular time.

How safe do they want to feel about what they broadcast? How many risks are they willing to take? Who above and below them is requesting what?

There's no "need" to do much with any animated version of DB when bringing it elsewhere (like, no-one's going to go into cardiac arrest if they watch it as-is).

[dbboxkaifan]

The US does censor a lot of anime/animated series unnecessarily, while other countries not so much.

One Piece in Portugal is uncut, Spain's Shin-chan uses the original Japanese episodes not with Spanish cards and the script is sometimes a bit offensive to some parts of the audience.

Nicktoons' editing isn't anywhere as bad as 4Kids, pretty acceptable.

[Eire]

4Kids just have an urge to change everything that's possible- see WINX Club.

I guess that double standard may be a result of different people working on it. Censoring just named things long, sacred tradition of censors (more visibly in cases of political criticism). It's easy to pretend that unnamed things didn't happened- in mentioned WINX Club even preschool kids understood what happened when one character "had fallen into eternal sleep". I guess that TV producers want to avoid problems with hysterical parents who try to get rid of every possibly difficult thing their innocent (meh) babies could face.

[matt0044]

Isn't Nicktoons meant for kids around 8 or 10 and above? Even back then, I knew about death, given that I watched Disney movies then. Come to think of it, why do movies kids can watch usually get away with death like with Disney?

Plus, a lot of cartoons on NT and CN reference death directly. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy featured DEATH itself as a main character and showed HELL even if it was called the "Underworld."

[ohaimynameiserik]

Mentions of death are removed probably so that they could have just one version of the show that could air both on Nicktoons and the CW without further recording and editing to be done. However, this was unsuccessful anyway.

See "Spirit Blast" or "Gallic Blast".

[Eire]

Not kids, but parents pay for cable TV.
The vocal minority of them demands easy solutions- visible signs, proper vocabulary, and no visible blood, wanting someone other to make clear standards that will take all the responsibility from them. They want to leave kids by TV being sure that no questions will be raised.

Disney and Pixar are huge trademarks, they can risk with one movie for the sake of checking the borders(although I can't image something like Prince of Egypt or Hunchback of Notre Dame being made today).

If we are talking about that I remember that in my childhood nudity was much more offensive than violence. Nobody minded DBZ fights but naked Goku in GT opening caused lots of bans for TV. (My parents didn't mind few seconds of cartoon penis and look what they have raised.) When I was working in media store (I was young and naive) I sometimes asked parents if the things they buy are appropriate for theirs' children age (like GTA for 8 years old). Usual question- "Is there nudity?". As a wise RPG gamer said-"You must be 18 to see naked breast, but only 12 to see how said breast is brutally torn away from chest".

[dbboxkaifan]

See "Spirit Blast" or "Gallic Blast".

To me, Spirit Blast and Galic Blast make more sense than Spirit Bomb or Galic Gun.

[matt0044]

Mentions of death are removed probably so that they could have just one version of the show that could air both on Nicktoons and the CW without further recording and editing to be done. However, this was unsuccessful anyway.

See "Spirit Blast" or "Gallic Blast".

I though the decision to air DBZK on CW4kids was made a month or two after it started on Nicktoons.

[Son Satan]

To me, Spirit Blast and Galic Blast make more sense than Spirit Bomb or Galic Gun.

How? Doesn't the "ho" in "gyarikku-ho" literally mean gun or cannon? Also, I think Genki Dama translates to something like "Good Spirit Ball", so... neither one works here.

[dbboxkaifan]

"bomb" or "gun" didn't ever felt right on those attacks for me, if FUNi also called it from the very beginning as "Spirit Blast" and "Gallic Blast" probably the dub fans wouldn't complain now.

[KaiserNeko]

"bomb" or "gun" didn't ever felt right on those attacks for me, if FUNi also called it from the very beginning as "Spirit Blast" and "Gallic Blast" probably the dub fans wouldn't complain now.

But... but Gun IS right for Gallic Gun. Blast also makes positively no sense for an attack like the Genki Dama. Spirit Bomb is actually more accurate in terms of it being an accurate description of the technique and closer to the original Japanese, even if it's only closer than "Blast". It's not a blast, it's a giant fucking ball of energy that gets thrown or dropped. Like a bomb.

[matt0044]

I just want to know what the point is in removing direct death mentions when it's clear to even kids that people DIE in Dragon Ball Z Kai's NT version. Do they just don't want kids to say death threats to people like their parents or teachers? Well, if they know better, they won't.

Plus, why does 4kids add grunts for death characters like Yamcha? It's pretty Fridge Horrible since it seems like they died in agony when really 4kids wasn't trying to.

[VegettoEX]

You're looking for logic where there isn't any.

I wish we had a better answer for you, but we just don't.

[Piccolo Daimao]

"bomb" or "gun" didn't ever felt right on those attacks for me, if FUNi also called it from the very beginning as "Spirit Blast" and "Gallic Blast" probably the dub fans wouldn't complain now.

But... but Gun IS right for Gallic Gun. Blast also makes positively no sense for an attack like the Genki Dama. Spirit Bomb is actually more accurate in terms of it being an accurate description of the technique and closer to the original Japanese, even if it's only closer than "Blast". It's not a blast, it's a giant fucking ball of energy that gets thrown or dropped. Like a bomb.

Yeah, both "Galick Gun" and "Galick Cannon" are acceptable translations of Vegeta's "Gyarikku-ho". IIRC, "Genki-Dama" was named "Spirit Ball" in Viz, which was the name of Yamcha's Soukidan (Spinning Ki Bullet) in FUNimation's English dub.

Either way, censorship is completely inconsistent. As matt0044 said, Cartoon Network airs The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, featuring Death itself as a main character.

And I still find it hilarious that many Western parents care more about the level of nudity in a show than violence. I thought the human body was supposed to be a work of art and that sex was a wonderful expression of love between two people, parents?

I think a lot of parents just underestimate how much kids know about the world and how little they are affected by it. I saw Terminator 2 when I was, like, 8, yet it didn't give me nightmares nor was I inspired to go into school the next day and stab everyone with a knife.

[dbboxkaifan]

Yeah, both "Galick Gun" and "Galick Cannon" are acceptable translations of Vegeta's "Gyarikku-ho". IIRC, "Genki-Dama" was named "Spirit Ball" in Viz, which was the name of Yamcha's Soukidan (Spinning Ki Bullet) in FUNimation's English dub.

Spirit Ball is my #1 favourite English attack name for Genki-Dama, #2 Spirit Blast and #3's Spirit Bomb.

"bomb" or "gun" sound unnecessary to me.

[Pokewhiz7]

Gun and bomb are more accurate though. It doesn't really matter what you think is unnecessary.

[matt0044]

Not to mention that when they get upset, they always blame others like the TV station and never themselves. As if to say that it's never their fault. Shouldn't they talk to their kids about these things? Maybe not explicitly as they wouldn't understand at that age but still...

[dbboxkaifan]

Gun and bomb are more accurate though.

Fair enough, thanks.

[matt0044]

Also, things like "Survive" and such are taken out in the NT version. Plus, they change #17's line of "It's your funeral" even though I knew that phrase when I was a kid.