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- Japanese Version: Initial Thoughts and Opinions
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| Japanese Version: Initial Thoughts and Opinions | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 28 2011, 06:32 PM (727 Views) | |
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Aug 28 2011, 06:32 PM Post #1 |
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Well, I just finished re-watching the first few episodes of DBZ in Japanese, and I must say I'm impressed. I thought I should go ahead and share my initial thoughts with you. Maybe I'll manage to convince a few of you to try watching at least the first few episodes in Japanese. If you decide to follow me up on that and watch them, then post your initial thoughts here as well for us to see. If you haven't seen the first few episodes in Japanese, then please don't post any hateful comments like “that version sucks! The voices are terrible!” or “It sucks because Goku sounds like a girl!” because you obviously don't know what you're talking about. Now, here we go...  If you don't want to read about me and my lame old self, skip to the section labeled “The Voices.”My DBZ Background: I should probably explain my background with DBZ before I really get the ball rolling, because I don't want you guys to think that I don't like the dub and that I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to the dub. First of all, I grew up with the Funimation dub. I used to watch it when I was a little kid whenever it came on on Cartoon Network (or Toonami, whatever you wanna call it). After it had been running for a while I sort of got out of it and stopped watching. I still loved it, but my interests changed and I no longer had time to watch DBZ. I didn't watch it for several years, until just recently (about a year or two ago). I think it was when I first saw the commercials for DBZ Kai that I remembered the show, and I thought to myself “Hey, I used to like that show. Why don't I try watching it again?” I re-watched the entire show from start to finish on the internet (every single episode) of the Funimation dub and loved it. I even became obsessed with it. Heh-heh. That was when my interest in anime really started. I started watching Bleach, Naruto, Death Note, and other animes after that, and I even picked up a few manga books. (My interest in manga is only just beginning). It was about that time that I realized that DBZ was the only anime that I watched in English, and I had a hard time converting to the Japanese subbed version. I saw a few clips from it and thought “Wow, that is so not DBZ. Goku sounds like a girl, and none of the voices match their characters. I think I'll stick with the Funi dub.” So basically, I refused to watch the original Japanese version because the voices weren't what I was used to, and I'd only seen a few random clips from the show. I was content with watching DBZ in English until I started hearing more about how good the Japanese version really was. I started to respect the original, and I knew that it was a great version, but I still didn't watch it from the beginning because I was afraid that my opinion of DBZ would be changed forever. When I finally did buck up and decide to re-watch the series in Japanese, my opinion of the show was changed... but it was in a good way. The Voices: My first thought when re-watching the series was that the voices were so incredibly different, and I immediately realized that they fit the characters a heck of a lot better than the Funimation dub voices ever did. Goku does have a high-pitched voice, there's no denying that, but it fits his character so well. Who is Goku? When watching the dub, I saw Goku as your average super-powered fighter. He was brave, he was tough, he was... so cliché. But when watching the Japanese version, I saw him for what he really is – an innocent little kid in a grown-up body. That's who Goku is. Yes, he's an amazingly talented warrior. Yes, he's brave. Yes, he's the protector of the universe. But his main character traits are his youthfulness, his silliness, and his child-like persona. The voice fit him perfectly. The reason why I never thought that Goku's Japanese voice fit him in the past was because I had only seen random clips of the show. It's very strange to hear the voice coming from a SSJ Goku, or a SSJ3 Goku, but not at all when coming from the scrawny, cute Goku at the beginning of the show. In the first few episodes, the voice fit his body so perfectly. Later on down the line it does get a little strange coming from his muscled up body, but I'm sure it will be much easier to handle once I get used to the voice and once it starts to really grow on me. Since I spent so long talking about Goku, I'll briefly go over the other voices I've heard so far. Gohan voice change was one of my favorites. In the English dub, his voice was too grown up for his little body. It sounded strange. Even though I watch and love the Funi dub, I've always thought that. But hearing him in the Japanese version is so perfect. He's a little bitty kid, and he sounds it. The voice makes him so much more cute and adorable, and less annoying. It's the perfect voice for him. Piccolo's voice is another good one. I like it so much better in the Japanese version because I feel that it fits him better. That's about all I can say about that one. I didn't pay much attention to Raditz because I felt that both voices were fine for him. The Overall Feel: The entire feel of the show is so drastically different from the dub to the sub, and if you've seen both, then you obviously know what I'm talking about. The Funi dub feels more like a super-powered fighting show (which it is, in a way). It feels tough and aggressive, like a typical Saturday morning boys cartoon. I don't mean this in a bad way. It's still good, but in a different way. The music sounds more heavy and powerful, and the overall feel of the show is just... so different. In the Japanese version, everything feels so magical and carefree. So mysterious. It kind of blew me away, honestly, because it was so drastically different. And that's really saying something, since I'm not even that far into the show yet. It feels like way more than some fighting show. It feels like it actually has layers for once. Yeah, I know, I'm probably thinking too deep into this, but still.  The Opening and Closing Songs: Another thing that really stood out to me were the opening and closing themes for the show. They were so hilarious and cute! You need to listen to them, and read the subtitles. They make absolutely no sense, but they completely fit the show! In a weird way... Closing Thoughts: That's all I really have to say about the version so far. I encourage you to watch it again from the beginning in Japanese so you'll know what the heck I'm talking about. At least give it a try before posting a negative comment. I don't want to hear your arguments as to why the Funi dub is better if you've never even given the show a try from the beginning. Honestly, I like both the dub and the sub, but I think that in the long run I'm going to learn to love the sub just as much, if not more, than the dub. That's just how I see it. Pros and Cons to Both: I tried to be as honest and keep it as even as possible. Funimation Dub: Pros: 1. It's in English, so you don't have to bother with reading the subtitles. You can enjoy the artwork a bit more. 2. Some of the voices may be to your liking, especially if you're not a big anime fan. Sometimes Japanese voices sound strange to English-speaking people if they aren't used to them. 3. Stereo sound, not mono, so it's more pleasing to the ears. 4. The music is more modernized. Cons: 1. The story constantly veers off of the manga and what Toriyama intended. 2. The music and feel of the show was changed to suit your typical “American audiences.” 3. Some of the acting is bad. 4. A lot of the names were changed, the music was changed, and much of the script was changed, so it is not the way DBZ was meant to be seen. This isn't a problem for all people. Original Japanese: Pros: 1. Better voice acting. 2. Follows the manga more closely and is more true to Toriyama's actual work. 3. The music is more original, if you're a fan of it. 4. Some (I hate to say all) voices fit their character better. 5. The overall feel of the show is more what Toriyama intended. Cons: 1. It's in mono, so it's a little hard on the ears and a bit hard to understand at times. 2. The music is older. It could be a turn off to some people. 3. The voices are drastically different. This isn't a bad thing, but it could be another turn off. 4. You have to read the subtitles. This could be a problem for some people. Well, that about wraps it up. Remember, not hate comments or criticism unless you've seen the Japanese version from the beginning. I welcome comments and opinions, I just don't want to hear an uneducated opinion. Thanks for reading!  P.S: I may do a full-blown Japanese vs. English dicussion later on down the line. |
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| Ani-Nation | Aug 28 2011, 06:44 PM Post #2 |
 
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I think the first time I saw DBZ in Japanese was the Plan To Eradicate The Super Saiyans Special. I thought the voices were great. I have watched a few Japanese episodes on my Dragon Box 1 and Kai but not that much. Actually I think I'll watch the first few episodes now
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| + Pelador | Aug 28 2011, 06:48 PM Post #3 |
Crazy Awesome Legend
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I hate watching any anime in English. I'm a snob like that. Japanese is the way it is meant to be heard. You get the purest experience of what everything's really about when watching it in it's native form. |
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| + Clearin | Aug 28 2011, 06:51 PM Post #4 |
 
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I like both, but I watch English more mostly because it's more common and some of my favourite scenes are due to the music in the Funi dub, and I like to watch certain scenes a lot. |
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| SonAshley | Aug 28 2011, 06:57 PM Post #5 |
 
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I like the Japanese version, but I watch the English dub because I personally like it better. The only times I ever saw the Japanese sub was when I watched Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans and Yo! Son Goku and his Friends Return. |
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| Pookie | Aug 28 2011, 08:26 PM Post #6 |
Pookie Powa!
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I can see what you are saying. The original is always the best. I tried watching the Japanese version, but I didn't take it too seriously. It was hard keeping up with everything because I had to read the subtitles. I wanted to see all the fight scenes and everything. It kinda takes the fun away from the experience. I grew up watching the Spanish dub so I heard all the great Japanese music while being able to understand the whole thing. I think that was the best way to go for me. I think the Spanish dub is probably not as original as it can be, but it comes close to it. It comes a lot closer than the Funimation version. |
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| SirParagon | Aug 28 2011, 11:32 PM Post #7 |
Sparking!
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CHA-LA, HEAD CHA-LA! Nani ga okite mo kibun wa heno-heno kappa! You made some great comparisons, I agree with everything. The only reason I don't watch anime in Japanese as often as dubbed is because find it harder to relate to characters speaking a language I barely understand. Granted I'll take Japanese over a bad dub any day. You do get used to reading subs after a while, but there is always a slight element of distraction. Edited by SirParagon, Aug 28 2011, 11:34 PM.
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New Account: Spirit Metaphor Voluntarism? | |
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Aug 29 2011, 12:46 AM Post #8 |
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Thanks for the comments, everyone! I wasn't expecting so many, since my post was so uber-long. I'm glad to see that you took the time to read through it all. Ani: I'm watching my Dragon Box 1 right now. I love it so much. My Dragon Boxes are my prize possessions. And did you ever end up watching the episodes? If so, let me know what you thought! Pelador: I completely agree. Now that I've watched so many animes in Japanese, I hate most dubs. I can't stand the Bleach and Naruto dubs, and even though I still love the Funimation dub, I'm willing to admit that it's cheesy and not true to the original. I don't plan on watching a dubbed anime ever again. Teen: I agree that the music in the Funi dub is good; it just gives DBZ a totally different atmosphere. I like both. SonAshley: I've actually never seen those two. Are they any good? I'll probably end up watching them soon. Pookie: I can see what you mean about the subtitles sometimes being distracting. It's that way for any anime, though. I'm pretty much used to it now after watching Fruits Basket subbed. It was so fast-paced, it really trained me to read subtitles fast and still manage to take everything in. lol. If you watch subtitles enough you tend to get used to them eventually. It could take a while depending on how fast you read, though. And if the Spanish dub is what you like best, go for it. I've heard it's a great dub - a heck of a lot more true to the original than the Funi dub. I've seen bits and pieces of it and it seems really good. SirParagon: Haha! Love that song! Even though it's a bit silly... I totally agree with the fact that subtitles can be distracting, but I'm used to them by now (for the most part). It's true that you can't relate as much to characters speaking in Japanese. I just like the language, and I think it's really pretty and interesting to hear, so I don't really have a big problem with that. I've learned to relate to the characters just as much as I would if they were speaking in English. And I like listening to them speak and trying to pin-point words and phrases. I know some simple words and phrases now after watching anime.
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| Ani-Nation | Aug 29 2011, 12:57 AM Post #9 |
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I watched about 1 1/2 episodes then I went back to One Piece. I think the Japanese Gohan voice really fits especially when he's wandering around the forest. The Goku voice didn't bother me at all. Also Raditz sounds menacing in the Japanese version :P Edited by Ani-Nation, Aug 29 2011, 12:59 AM.
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Aug 29 2011, 01:14 AM Post #10 |
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I know! I think the Gohan voice is adorable. It fits him so much better than the old voice Funimation gave him. And Goku's voice doesn't really bother me either. The only thing that kind of bugs me is that when Goku screams or cries out in pain, he kind of sounds like Gohan crying, but it doesn't really bother me that much. It makes sense. I like his voice in Japanese I also like Raditz's. He does sound more menacing in the Japanese version. In the dub, he sounds kind of silly. |
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| SonAshley | Aug 29 2011, 03:35 PM Post #11 |
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Well, Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't watch it a second time. I liked Yo! Son Goku and his Friends Return, it was funny, but I never took the villains seriously they were just awful. |
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| ATP-Studios Productions | Aug 30 2011, 05:19 PM Post #12 |
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I have watched it in Japanese but I still would prefer to watch it in English, the only thing that really sucks though is after when it swtiches back to the old dub the acting is so bad sometimes it makes me cringe and almost totally loose interest in the show, I remember years ago when I got the orange bricked set I only got the first two and when I got to the point when it switched back to the old dub I just lost interest and gave up lol thats how bad the old dub really is, but yeah I prefer to watch ANY anime in english as long as the dub isnt cheesy, just because I prefer hearing over reading and hate how sometimes you miss things and I like to eat while watching tv so it sucks to watch something subbed when your eating, for instance the only shows that I prefer in Japanease are so far One Piece just because I cannot stand Luffys english voice the same actor who does young trunks in dbz I just hate that voice and I really find that the Japanease voices are so much better for all the characters, but other than that I have watched Death Note subbed, Monster subbed and probably a few others but thats only because thats how I downloaded them If the english dub was good for those shows then I would for sure just rather watch them in english, back to DBZ though, I like the Japanease music better than the american music and I know the dub will change and ruin some scenes but thats something im willing to sacrifice for hearing it in english, and besides I agree with gokus kid voice for the Japanese making him a little kid in a grown body but I still find that even Sean does a good job of making Goku seem like a kid still and serious when he needs to be |
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