Watching Dragon Ball For The First Time In Japanese

[DB_Fan1991]

I have been a fan of Dragon Ball for about 5 years now (I'm 22 now, but knew about it during the Toonami run as a kid, but never watched.) I only knew the English dub, and every other year I watch the whole series (DB, Z, GT & all movies), but this year I decided to do something different and watch it all the way in Japanese. So far I'm up to Episode 8 of Dragon Ball, and I must say that so far it feels like a totally different show in Japanese. The visuals are all the same yes, but the dialogue is almost entirely different. The voices for the most part are better. Here's my verdict on voices of all characters heard thus far:

Kid Goku: As much as I like Stephanie Nadolny's take I'm going to have to give it to Masako Nozawa as she makes him sound more childlike. Nadolny does good, but god that laugh is fake. Colleen Clinkenbeard is fine in the Movie 1 redub, but she didn't have much to work with sadly.
Bulma: Definitely Hiromi Tsuru, Tiffany Vollmer sounds like a total valley girl, and that's not what Bulma should sound like. Monica Rial is much better in Kai's dub & Movie 1's redub though.
Umigame: Daisuke Gouri for sure, Chris Sabat makes him sound "special" for lack of better word.
Kame-Sennin/Muten Roshi: This one is a tie to me. Kouhei Miyauchi & Mike McFarland get him right especially in the pervy scenes, and who can forget McFarland's awesome laugh.
Oolong: Naoki Tatsuta for the win, I mean Brad Jackson is OK, but he makes him sound like a pig which he is, but Tatsuta makes him sound more natural. Bryan Massey is a better version of Jackson's Oolong.
Yamcha: I like Tohru Furuya & Chris Sabat equally.
Puar: I like Naoko Watanabe & Monika Antonelli equally, but Brina Palencia is the best English Puar.
Gyumao: Daisuke Gouri again for the win. Kyle Hebert makes him sound again for lack of better word "special".
Kid Chi-Chi: I like Mayumi Sho & Laura Bailey equally.
Pilaf: Shigeru Chiba wins due to the fact that he sounds funnier than Chuck Huber, but Huber was good too.
Shu & Mai: I like their voices in both versions equally.
Narrator: I like Jouji Yanami & Brice Armstrong equally as well. John Swassey in Movie 1's redub was just OK.

[samuraix123]

Out of curiosity, Not trying to butt in on your topic but ''How are you watching the series''? On the Dragonball Dragon-boxes? and How do you like the Japanese intro for Dragonball compared to English version? I love the intro's in Japanese myself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7kZVH849Eo

[DB_Fan1991]

Out of curiosity, Not trying to butt in on your topic but ''How are you watching the series''? On the Dragonball Dragon-boxes? and How do you like the Japanese intro for Dragonball compared to English version? I love the intro's in Japanese myself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7kZVH849Eo

You're not butting in at all, but I'm watching it via what I own which for the first series is the Blue Bricks, and I find it very annoying to have the English title cards & credits when I'm watching it in Japanese. For the songs I like both versions equally.

[Chuquita]

In a similar boat.
The hulu thread from a while back got me into watching the first arc for the first time in Japanese on their site; I watch Z in Japanese, but hadn't seen the original DB in it yet. I'm on episode 7 of the 12 that are currently on the site (I've got some Piccolo and Piccolo Jr arc dvd's if there isn't an update by the time I finish and if I still feel I want to watch more of the show subbed).

It is so surreal (and entertaining) to hear Turtle sharing a voice with Mr. Satan. I didn't know Turtle was also Daisuke Gouri.

Also, I'm really liking the Funi subs arguably more than the Viz translation; I haven't seen enough eps to really make a final call.

Last bit of note; Goku and Bulma play off each other in such a fun way that it makes me wish there was more of that in Z.

[DB_Fan1991]

In a similar boat.
Last bit of note; Goku and Bulma play off each other in such a fun way that it makes me wish there was more of that in Z.

Yeah, their dialogue together sounds funnier than in the dub. It sort of reminds me of Sheldon & Penny from The Big Bang Theory.

[Ryuji-Otogi]

Nice to see an open minded dub fan. It really does feel like a different show even though the English version is uncut. I blame a lot of that on the script. If you've read the manga (yes, even the VIZ translations), then the sub will feel more familiar. But if you feel that way about Dragon Ball, just wait until you watch DBZ. The difference between the two versions is even more pronounced in DBZ, especially if you're used to the dub music and have never read the manga. The changed script aside, you also have to adjust to various different character names (Kuririn), attack titles (Makankosappo), and terminology discrepancies along with a few notably different characterizations (like Nozawa vs. Schemmel Goku). Between the three series, I actually think Dragon Ball has the most faithful dub.

[DB_Fan1991]

Nice to see an open minded dub fan. It really does feel like a different show even though the English version is uncut. I blame a lot of that on the script. If you've read the manga (yes, even the VIZ translations), then the sub will feel more familiar. But if you feel that way about Dragon Ball, just wait until you watch DBZ. The difference between the two versions is even more pronounced in DBZ, especially if you're used to the dub music and have never read the manga. The changed script aside, you also have to adjust to various different character names (Kuririn), attack titles (Makankosappo), and terminology discrepancies along with a few notably different characterizations (like Nozawa vs. Schemmel Goku). Between the three series, I actually think Dragon Ball has the most faithful dub.

Music wise I only know the Japanese music as when I had the Orange Bricks I watched the dub with Kikuchi's score. Of course now I have the US Dragon Boxes and got rid of the bricks. I know Makankosappo because of the Kai dub. Kuririn because of me being here for 5 years. There's just something about Schemmel (especially in Kai) that I really love.

[ABED]

It is Sheldon and Penny! Thanks for the parallel.

I like McFarland as Roshi in the humorous scenes but he doesn't have the gravity during the serious ones.
Antonelli's and even Brina's Puar are too squeaky for my taste.

[Vice]

I finished all of Dragon Ball and I'm up to Goku vs. Vegeta round 1 in Japanese thus far.

[DonZ]

I finished all of Dragon Ball and I'm up to Goku vs. Vegeta round 1 in Japanese thus far.

First time ever ?

[Ryuji-Otogi]

Nice to see an open minded dub fan. It really does feel like a different show even though the English version is uncut. I blame a lot of that on the script. If you've read the manga (yes, even the VIZ translations), then the sub will feel more familiar. But if you feel that way about Dragon Ball, just wait until you watch DBZ. The difference between the two versions is even more pronounced in DBZ, especially if you're used to the dub music and have never read the manga. The changed script aside, you also have to adjust to various different character names (Kuririn), attack titles (Makankosappo), and terminology discrepancies along with a few notably different characterizations (like Nozawa vs. Schemmel Goku). Between the three series, I actually think Dragon Ball has the most faithful dub.

Music wise I only know the Japanese music as when I had the Orange Bricks I watched the dub with Kikuchi's score. Of course now I have the US Dragon Boxes and got rid of the bricks. I know Makankosappo because of the Kai dub. Kuririn because of me being here for 5 years. There's just something about Schemmel (especially in Kai) that I really love.

Word. Figured you'd seen the original music by this point. Just naming a couple examples really. I got a soft spot for Schemmel's Goku myself, and he did pretty well in the Kai dub. Even so, the two different takes on the character can be pretty jarring. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

[Vice]

I finished all of Dragon Ball and I'm up to Goku vs. Vegeta round 1 in Japanese thus far.

First time ever ?

For Dragon Ball, yeah, but I've seen a lot of DBZ in Japanese already.

[Zenkai]

If I spoke fluent Japanese, then I may watch it in Japanese. But for now, I will watch it in a language I actually understand. I'd rather not read subtitles. If I wanted to read, then I would read the manga.

[DB_Fan1991]

Up to Episode 12 now, and Shen Long's voice is more mysterious sounding than Chris Sabat's version.

[ABED]

If I spoke fluent Japanese, then I may watch it in Japanese. But for now, I will watch it in a language I actually understand. I'd rather not read subtitles. If I wanted to read, then I would read the manga.

That logic holds if you don't care that you are missing SO much of the flavor of the show. Kai's dub is great but Dragon Ball and GT are sorely lacking so you miss much of the humor, the dialog and the acting that makes Dragon Ball so much fun.

[Zenkai]

If I spoke fluent Japanese, then I may watch it in Japanese. But for now, I will watch it in a language I actually understand. I'd rather not read subtitles. If I wanted to read, then I would read the manga.

That logic holds if you don't care that you are missing SO much of the flavor of the show. Kai's dub is great but Dragon Ball and GT are sorely lacking so you miss much of the humor, the dialog and the acting that makes Dragon Ball so much fun.

I actually like the dub, but perhaps I'll watch the show in Japanese someday.

And perhaps the dub is better?

[Bussani]

And perhaps the dub is better?

I suppose better is subjective, so some people might feel that way. But it's definitely not better at being accurate to the original story, which can be pretty important to some people.

[TheBlackPaladin]

If I spoke fluent Japanese, then I may watch it in Japanese. But for now, I will watch it in a language I actually understand. I'd rather not read subtitles. If I wanted to read, then I would read the manga.

That logic holds if you don't care that you are missing SO much of the flavor of the show. Kai's dub is great but Dragon Ball and GT are sorely lacking so you miss much of the humor, the dialog and the acting that makes Dragon Ball so much fun.

I actually like the dub, but perhaps I'll watch the show in Japanese someday.

And perhaps the dub is better?

It depends on what you mean by "better." If you mean more emotionally evocative, more engaging, or more enjoyable acting, then that's purely opinion-based and up to you as the viewer. If you mean "better" as in more accurate to the intentions of the original creator(s)...then no. It's not better, and that's not really opinion-based.

Before I say anything more, let me clarify that I don't have an anti-dub agenda, not in the slightest. I'm actually quite fond of the dub (some parts more than others)!

However, let's put it this way. One of the biggest reasons Kanzenshuu mostly covers the original Japanese version as opposed to other dubs is because it is the version that the creators were most directly involved in. The characters and story were conceived by Akira Toriyama, and in the case of the anime, realized in animation by Toei. Akira Toriyama even helped to cast some of the actors on the Japanese end. They are the creators. It's a story that was made by Japanese people, whereas FUNimation was merely the company put in charge of translating and distributing this Japanese story to English-speaking audiences. Opinions on how good a job they did will vary depending on who you ask. Personally, I think in some cases they did an absolutely beautiful job, and in other cases, they blatantly re-versioned the story to suit their own agenda. Even in the Kai dub, the English dub scripts are not 100% identical to the original Japanese scripts.

Which version you find more enjoyable is totally up to you. I think there's a lot of merit to wanting to watch a show rather than read it!

Which version is more accurate, though? That's not a question. It's the original Japanese version. In that sense (and again, I say this as somebody who mostly prefers the English dub cast), the dub will never be "better" than the original Japanese version.

[rereboy]

If I spoke fluent Japanese, then I may watch it in Japanese. But for now, I will watch it in a language I actually understand. I'd rather not read subtitles. If I wanted to read, then I would read the manga.

Its just a matter of habit. There are countries out there, like mine, who mostly just put subtitles in foreign stuff and almost never dub it. Therefore, we are used to watching many subtitled shows as well as non-subtitled shows (in our language), and it doesn't bother us at all.

[ABED]

I wasn't implying that the dub was better or worse, my point was it's not as accurate to the source material. One of these days, I highly suggest watching every episode, movie and TV special in Japanese. At the very least, you should watch the show in English but with the Japanese subtitles so you can see the difference.