Would you watch a new English dub?

Kula · Post by **Kula** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:49 am

This question is mostly directed towards Mike and people who hate the FUNI dub.

If a new alternative to FUNI's English dub was produced, would you watch it?
I'm thinking of something along the following lines...

Talented voice actors
High quality acting
Voices that are carefully cast for each character, that are appropriate when compared to the original Japanese VAs
One VA per character or at least cast VAs that can do distinctive voices for more than one character
Accurate script
No pointless adlibs
No unnecessary noises coming from characters when there should be silence
Original JP music

SuperSaiyan3Goku · Post by **SuperSaiyan3Goku** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:09 am

If they make a new dub, I think I would miss the old dub. I've been watching it my whole life, and why would they make a new dub anyway when they already have one? The current one is just fine!

Godo · Post by **Godo** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:29 am

Umm, think of Goku's japanese actor's voice and think of it in english. That loud voice and the english language...no thank you.

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:26 am

It's not gonna happen, but yeah, I'd watch it. I too have developed a fondness for FUNi's voice actors though. Their voices, not the scripting.

Taku128 · Post by **Taku128** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:33 am

I'd at least watch one episode of it, and if it was acurate enough I'd stick with it, but sadly it isn't going to happen.

Casual Matt · Post by **Casual Matt** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:53 am

It's probably too late for me to care, the same way it's too late for me to care about the dub on the new boxsets.

Kula · Post by **Kula** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:27 pm

SuperSaiyan3Goku wrote:If they make a new dub, I think I would miss the old dub. I've been watching it my whole life, and why would they make a new dub anyway when they already have one? The current one is just fine!

What I've heard of the current dub is acceptable. A lot of the character voices are very generic and forced. The acting is OK for the most part, but I find myself cringing at how awful it can sound. Cowboy Bebop is an example of what I consider a competent English dub. The voices suit the characters and the acting is very good.

Godo wrote:Umm, think of Goku's japanese actor's voice and think of it in english. That loud voice and the english language...no thank you.

I wouldn't literally want a high pitched female to voice Goku in an English dub. I would want a male VA that could portray Goku as an adult, but also as gentle and naive at times.

Freeza being very well spoken and regal, I could imagine having a 'Queen's English' accent, which degenerates into less proper speech and slang when he gets angry.

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:34 pm

Probably not. DBZ is a show that seems to resist the english language.

Or vice versa.

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:39 pm

Of course! And we know it can be well done, because we've seen glimpses of the potential from the Ocean Cast for the uncut editions of the first three movies. Ian Corlett is also proof that an English Voice Actor can portray Goku extremely well without being high pitched and shrieky.

And it wouldn't be that hard to do if the people doing it just had some patience and were picky about the actors, directing, and script. Even Yuyu Hakusho did a really good job, and that was the same people that did DBZ, when they...try.

theoriginalbilis · Post by **theoriginalbilis** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:24 pm

I'm pretty much cool with either the FUNi cast or the Ocean cast. I like the majority of the voices chosen. The only things that'd need improvement are:

- More accurate scripts
- ALL of the original music
- Complete OP/ED credits (English & Japanese staff)
- No damned grunting during every single line or attack!!
- Kaio's voice changed to someone with a deeper voice/more grandfatherly. (The Ocean/FUNi dub voices for Kaio just don't cut it.) And Freeza's voice being voiced by an actual male, having that deep, suave, but slightly effeminite tone.

Funny thing, Ocean did almost all of these things right when they dubbed DBZ Movies 1-3. Too bad we never saw that for the TV series.

- Bilis

Dayspring · Post by **Dayspring** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:06 pm

Hank Azeria, FTW. I'm sorry, but if FUNi's VAs are still amateurish after all these years, then personally I think they've lost the right to do the dub. If celebrities can get it right for cartoon-movie-of-the-season with noprior voice acting experience, then professional VAs should be amazing.

Super Sonic · Post by **Super Sonic** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 7:05 pm

No, I like the dub as it is. Wouldn't want a rechange a la the two Gatchaman dubs. Also remember the second one of that was truer to the original but hated by many fans of the original dub. Heard someone say it was because it was before the internet and knowledge of the show being from Japan, but still...

Post by **VegettoEX** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:02 pm

I am way, way, way, way, waaaaaaay past the point of caring about watching a proper English dub of the series.

I'm not sure how other people from "my era" (which sounds really odd, because I'm not exactly an old man) feel, but to me... "my" dub of DBZ was Seasons 1 & 2 as produced from 1996-1998. Watching FUNimation's in-house continuation dub is... for me... like watching a dub from another country. It wasn't meant for me. It will *never* be meant for me. At that point (1999), I was already down the road of not caring about a proper English dub (since FUNimation made it perfectly clear they would never do one), and every bit of sentimentality that I possessed was stripped away by an all-new voice cast, an all-new musical score, etc. Anyone that lived through that era as a fan will probably tell you that the before and after are two completely separate products, and exist in completely different worlds in our heads.

Especially if it were to be re-dubbed right now, right here, today... I definitely wouldn't care. It's a point I've heard brought up on other podcasts, I've been saying myself for a while, and I totally agree with it... every single dub today sounds exactly the same. Honestly, they do. It doesn't help that the actors/actresses are crossing-over into other voice groups (ADV and FUNimation should just get it over with and merge; the Naruto dub has someone from everywhere; etc.). If you've been following the American anime industry for as long as some of us have (and even longer with stuff out of the 80s), you can totally see this point... every god damn show sounds exactly the same. They're pumping out so many things at such a rapid pace, they've got their dubbing process down to a science. Every dub is just... "OK". There have been a couple stand-out dubs in recent years (Cowboy Bebop), but even shows like that set the stage for how "today's dubs" are supposed to "sound"... and do they ever. None of them are particularly bad, but none of them are particularly outstanding, either. They're all simply "tolerable"... enough to satisfy the generic Adult Swim/dub-watching otaku (it's not too Speed Racer, and it's not too Japanese-sounding).

I can be in a different room, not see the TV, hear a sound sample, and probably tell you what era the dub is from (80s, early 90s, late 90s / early 2000s, late 2000s). They're all so distinct... and not in a good way.

I've been a fan of the series for over a decade. The vast, vast majority of that has been spent as a fan of the original Japanese version, with plenty of exposure to alternate versions (FUNimation 1, FUNimation 2, Mexican, Cantonese, Alternate UK Ocean, French... the list goes on and on... I can't even remember how many languages of DBZ I own). Not really sure where this point is going, but the short of it is that I've seen enough to know what I like and know what I'm looking for... and I already have it in the Japanese version. I don't need the thing re-invented yet another time to try and match what I already have and like.

Were it to be brought out around "that time" (when it was first brought over), I may have a different opinion, but the phrase "too little, too late" is something I can't stress enough.

Tanooki Kuribo · Post by **Tanooki Kuribo** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:18 pm

...Anyone that lived through that era as a fan will probably tell you that the before and after are two completely separate products, and exist in completely different worlds in our heads...

Yea, what comes to mind almost instantly is Vegeta. I have finally gotten used to hearing Chris Sabat as Vegeta, it took a while but when Vegeta opened his mouth it was assumed Chris Sabats voice would come out. But when FUNimation re-dubbed seasons 1 and 2, I had a really really hard time hearing Chris Sabat as Vegeta. I had watched the Pioneer\FUNimation dub so much (like a lot of us at the time) that I knew almost line for line what was changed in the episodes. Every time Vegeta opened his mouth (this time around) I wasn't expecting to hear Chris Sabat.

Edit: Everything after the Pioneer\FUNimation dub though, I have no problem with Sabat. Its just those particular episodes.

Uh, what were we talking about? Oh right. My answer: I wouldn't care for another DBZ dub. I would probley check it out but not embrace it. Wow that sounded odd... you know what I mean.

bkev · Post by **bkev** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:50 pm

DB and GT could use revisions, but I think Z is going to stay as-is - for better or worse.

Tanooki Kuribo · Post by **Tanooki Kuribo** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:52 pm

GT could use revisions

They have the whole series done with the FUNimation cast. They don't need a revision... Um, no sarcastic joke intended there by the way.

Conan the SSJ · Post by **Conan the SSJ** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:27 pm

bkev wrote:DB and GT could use revisions.

Why DB? FUNi's dub of it keeps the original music track, is written and voice-acted fairly well, and has a very consistent cast. I really see no reason for it to have a reversioning. Now GT, I'd like to see a reversioning of some of its episodes (particularly episode 64) and the maintaining of the Japanese music.

bkev · Post by **bkev** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:32 pm

Well, I have nothing against their DB dub of current in particular; I just think that their uncut dub isn't un-cut enough; it's not the theme songs tho. It's just how if you see the sub compared to the dub line, some dirty jokes are left out. That's being VERY picky on my part though.

I find the voices so-so to be honest though; something about them...

fps_anth · Post by **fps_anth** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:43 pm

*looks at VegettoEX's post*

What he said.

I don't care for English language dubs. Even the upcoming One Piece dub, that is promised to be the saviour of One Piece in North America, doesn't really effect me. The Japanese version is the best IMO, and nothing will ever beat it.

Mayuri Furiza Kurotsuchi · Post by **Mayuri Furiza Kurotsuchi** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:57 pm

All I want, is the current voice actors, with a better voice director and script writer.

Kanzenshuu

Would you watch a new English dub?

Would you watch a new English dub?

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