Dragon Ball Dub Censoring?

[Tweaker]

I've seen talk of FUNimation's plans to release season sets for the original Dragon Ball in 2010 or so. I'm assuming the main "advantage" to this would be the widescreen (lol), original Japanese audio + subs, among other things. However, I also read in a post somewhere around here that they wanted to "see certain scenes uncensored."

My question is, what exactly was censored in the FUNimation dub of Dragon Ball? I don't recall anything missing in particular, but I've also never seen the original Japanese footage and I could be missing something, admittedly. It's not like the music was changed at all (save for some inserts), so it's not like that was something cut from the dub.

I'd appreciate it if someone could answer this. It's been stumping me for quite some time. And I hope this isn't something that's supposed to be common knowledge and I'm just out of the loop--that would be rather embarassing!

Thanks.

[Yi Xing Long]

I've seen talk of FUNimation's plans to release season sets for the original Dragon Ball in 2010 or so. I'm assuming the main "advantage" to this would be the widescreen (lol), original Japanese audio + subs, among other things. However, I also read in a post somewhere around here that they wanted to "see certain scenes uncensored."

My question is, what exactly was censored in the FUNimation dub of Dragon Ball? I don't recall anything missing in particular, but I've also never seen the original Japanese footage and I could be missing something, admittedly. It's not like the music was changed at all (save for some inserts), so it's not like that was something cut from the dub.

I'd appreciate it if someone could answer this. It's been stumping me for quite some time. And I hope this isn't something that's supposed to be common knowledge and I'm just out of the loop--that would be rather embarassing!

Thanks.

Well, in the first 13 episodes they had all kinds of digital censorship, such as a wad of dollar bills painted over top of Bulma's panties and the joke changed to "using money to lure in Oolong" instead of exploiting his perverted side. When Goku is fishing with his tail, they digitally painted underwear on him. Just stupid stuff like that.

[Super Sonic]

The tv versions cut some violence. Also it cut out a scene of Suno pointing a rifle at King Piccolo (kids and guns, ya know).

[Vekurotto]

The tv versions cut some violence. Also it cut out a scene of Suno pointing a rifle at King Piccolo (kids and guns, ya know).

But aren't those irrelevant anyway since they were released uncut on DVD in the first place?

[Horgus]

Oh all kinds of retarded shit, and even then, it wasn't so much about censorship as it was Funi trying to steer the dub away from some of the more 'mature' themes of the original.

Like death (NEXT DIMENSION), Three-Eyed Cowboys (it's ok! I can see their parachutes!), and random biblical references (Piccolo mentioning David and Goliath.....).

It really has to be seen after thoroughly watching the original so as to appreciate some of the stupid bullshit they tried to get away with.

[Super Sonic]

The tv versions cut some violence. Also it cut out a scene of Suno pointing a rifle at King Piccolo (kids and guns, ya know).

But aren't those irrelevant anyway since they were released uncut on DVD in the first place?

He asked what was censored, so I replied. He didn't say what eps in general.

Oh all kinds of retarded shit, and even then, it wasn't so much about censorship as it was Funi trying to steer the dub away from some of the more 'mature' themes of the original.

Like death (NEXT DIMENSION), Three-Eyed Cowboys (it's ok! I can see their parachutes!), and random biblical references (Piccolo mentioning David and Goliath.....).

He asked about DB, not DBZ. And the above moments you mentioned were more about Saban wanting to avoid controversy they had when adapted a live action property from Toei.

[Tweaker]

I'm aware of the cuts on the first 15 episodes in the original dub, but from what I recall the version I watched must have redubbed those episodes, as they all had the voices of the latest FUNi voice cast and visible Goku penis (=P). Hell, it even had the "NO BALLS" scene in it, which made me wonder what was so bad that they decided to censor if they left something like that in it. It also makes me wonder what significant point there is, therefore, in releasing a "remastered" season set.

But if there's anything outside of that, I would definitely be glad to be made aware. I know of the slight edits to the Viz manga, but not to the anime itself.

[Raki]

Oh, that must be the Madman release of the first 13 episodes. Only way you can see them uncut outside the R2 releases. Funi did a lot of other edits, but those were TV only. There were a few censored VHS releases of Dragonball but those never got done. The only reason I see Funi doing a seaon set release for Dragonball is the high demand for some parts of the series.

[Vekurotto]

The tv versions cut some violence. Also it cut out a scene of Suno pointing a rifle at King Piccolo (kids and guns, ya know).

But aren't those irrelevant anyway since they were released uncut on DVD in the first place?

He asked what was censored, so I replied. He didn't say what eps in general.

Ah I see. I thought that he was referring to the first 13 or so episodes that Funi has not released outside of the US which kinda make me look at your comment funny.

[Adamant]

Yeah, the entire series is already available uncut on DVD, and the english voice track has always had Japanese music, so most of their selling points for the DBZ orange box sets aren't going to be valid here. Add in the fact that the series already got a relatively cheap release of all the episodes, apart from the 13 first, and you'd wonder what the point of this is. Why not just keep the old sets in print and release a set of the 13 first episodes when they get the license?

[Vekurotto]

Yeah, the entire series is already available uncut on DVD, and the english voice track has always had Japanese music, so most of their selling points for the DBZ orange box sets aren't going to be valid here. Add in the fact that the series already got a relatively cheap release of all the episodes, apart from the 13 first, and you'd wonder what the point of this is.

I'm assuming so that they can release the series with all of the episodes as dumb as that may sound. And I'm thinking that they might not remaster it actually and just release them how YYH's season sets are going. One can only wonder but that is true about how Dragon Ball's dub selling points would not be anything like Z, and GT's are.

Why not just keep the old sets in print and release a set of the 13 first episodes when they get the license?

I wonder that too. But like I said earlier they probably just want to release all of the episodes instead of most of them. I mean, that still doesn't disregard the fact that Funi intentionally OOP'd the original sets and that was just plain stupid on their end.

[Raki]

I guess they want to build up a fake demand for them. I don't know or care cause soon all I'll have all of DB.

[Maphisto86]

The tv versions cut some violence. Also it cut out a scene of Suno pointing a rifle at King Piccolo (kids and guns, ya know).

That's pretty funny since I grew up watching shows like "Batman:The Animated Series" and that had plenty of guns . . . then came the Spider-Man animated series with laser guns .

Anyway, I hope to see an uncensored, season collection of Dragonball someday. Hopefully without the "widescreen" bull. Releasing the series from start to GT on Blueray may be a way to give us what we want. I wonder if the foolish execs at Funimation have heard of the Dragonbox by now!?

[Raki]

The tv versions cut some violence. Also it cut out a scene of Suno pointing a rifle at King Piccolo (kids and guns, ya know).

That's pretty funny since I grew up watching shows like "Batman:The Animated Series" and that had plenty of guns . . . then came the Spider-Man animated series with laser guns .

Anyway, I hope to see an uncensored, season collection of Dragonball someday. Hopefully without the "widescreen" bull. Releasing the series from start to GT on Blueray may be a way to give us what we want. I wonder if the foolish execs at Funimation have heard of the Dragonbox by now!?

They have the Dragonboxes at Funimation HQ.

[Super Sonic]

The tv versions cut some violence. Also it cut out a scene of Suno pointing a rifle at King Piccolo (kids and guns, ya know).

That's pretty funny since I grew up watching shows like "Batman:The Animated Series" and that had plenty of guns . . . then came the Spider-Man animated series with laser guns .

The way I heard it, was that Fox's censors got really anal because of some backlash over violence on Power Rangers and that really hampered Spider-Man so they weren't able to do things that Batman and X-Men got away with.

[caejones]

X-men used "energy weapons" in season 2 (I'm thinking in season1, as well, though I recall what I thought was a normal gun in the first episode... ).

Honestly, I think Power Rangers had less to do with violence than it did immitable violence.
DB, though? ... I am baffled by the "death doesn't exist" thing. And this "children's action: action that's exciting, but without lasting consequences" idea... Ur, sounds like it'd perpetuate the problem (Well, GI Jo blew up the planes and we saw their parachutes! Let's throw fireworks at that cropduster!").
... Replace GI Jo with Nappa.
And Tenshinhan with Luke Skywalker. (Wait, Tenshinhan with a robot arm? Hmm...).
(And sweet sassymalasi, Darth Tao~! XD )

... I'd think that DB isn't particularly immitable in a dangerous way... except for the part where experience says otherwise. ^^.
... And yet. . . *looks at the [*cough*] Japanese backlash to Sentai violence*...