Revisiting: Dragon Ball Z

[Kaji Motomiya]

So I got bored one day and decided, "I need to watch something different. Precure, Kamen Rider, Persona's fun and all. But I have the need for something different." In the past, I've revisited some subbed versions of my childhood anime, such as Digimon Seasons 1 and 2, and now and then Pokemon. I'm even watching Yu Yu Hakusho on the Funimation channel for shits and giggles, because I grew up with that during grade school.

But what anime have I started that takes me WAY back? Back when all the guys at school talked about it?

Dragon Ball Z, yo. It started when I caught the Lord Slug and Cooler Movies on Nicktoons, because they tend to show DBZ movies. Right now, as I type this, they're running through an entire marathon of movies (currently on Broly - Second Coming). So back in December, before my computer made it harder to watch or do anything media-related now, I started watching the DBZ eps from way back, but remastered and redubbed Funimation style (when Chris Sabat voice Vegeta, and the current Goku voice did Goku from way back). It's crazy when I watch it, that there was a HUGE difference in art style from then and now. Like how Piccolo's eyes were more round than the sharp square eyes everyone is so used to.

And then I recalled that Dragon Ball was a martial arts-style anime with some fantasy mixed in. So with my more recent memories of DBZ, it's weird to see that the old DBZ incorporated some sort of martial arts style then the standard kicking and punching.

Last I left off, I finished the battle of Raditz, and I didn't know that Piccolo killed Raditz after he told them about Vegeta and Nappa. I actually never knew what happened to Raditz until then. I also never knew that the Vegeta saga (Saiyan Saga back then) was cut down by a few episodes, because the VERY first episode of DBZ was mainly removed, as it was more Gohan-centric and represented the peace Goku brought to Earth after beating Piccolo.

I'm hoping to try and finish this. I wanna hear what "OVER 9000!!!" sounds like here...

 

[Arkvoodle]

Are you watching the original version or Kai?

 

[Kaji Motomiya]

The Funimation Dragon Ball Z, where it's been redubbed with the chosen voice actors during Funimation's run of the Ginyu Saga and up, like Vegeta's Chris Sabat and Goku's...I keep fucking forgetting his name. It's...okay. The Vegeta Saga (aka Saiyan Saga in the original Ocean Dub, when Scott McNeil voiced Piccolo) brought back episodes now shown in the Ocean Dub. And they have blood. Like, when Goku held Raditz from behind to keep him from escaping, until took a Special Beam Cannon to the stomach (lol Skyrim ref). Blood. Out of the hole in both Goku's and Raditz' stomach...and mouth.

Also puddle of blood. Glorious. Un-edited glory. I didn't know what to say about Justin Cook (Yu Yu Hakusho's Yusuke Urameshi) being Raditz. But I like how Funimation voice actors in DBZ try to keep it to the seriousness of the show. I've listened to Kai, and it was gag-me-with-a-spoon corny. It's like DBZ from 4Kids...

 

[Red Ranger]

I've listened to Kai, and it was gag-me-with-a-spoon corny. It's like DBZ from 4Kids...

:eyebrow: The Kai dub is a much more accurate dub than the crap Z dub. Give an example.

 

[Kaji Motomiya]

Well, I can't say how accurate it is because I've never watched DBZ in Japanese or subbed. I've only watched the dubs. But there are times when I listen to some Kai episodes that are on, and then I compare it to the Remastered Funimation episodes (before the Ginyu saga). Some of the dubbing in Kai didn't sit well with me compared to the original DBZ's (I don't mean Ocean Dub at this point).

One thing that didn't sit well with me was Gohan's voice. It was....weird. Like, I can't get used to it as much as the reused young Goku voice used for Gohan (or was it the other way around. lol).

The Freeza voice, however, I LIKE. Better than that annoying raspy voice.

 

[ParaParaJMo]

Ocean had great actors but terrible writing like I'm gonna send you to the next dimension lameness

And Scott McNeil was a great piccolo

 

[chronoxiong]

I love Dragon Ball Z and will always love it. I've seen all the episodes and will never ever watch all 291 episodes again. Lol...But seeing it back in Kai was pretty cool. I liked the cleaned up animation and the voice acting was still top notch. Sucks to hear about the background music though as I read that it was copyrighted. My favorite sagas would be the Fusion Saga and Cell Games Saga. But one of my favorite moments would be seeing Vegeta become Majin Vegeta. Anyways, the show that I need to finish is GT. I got halfway and stopped watching because of the slow pace of the Baby Vegeta Saga.

 

[Kaji Motomiya]

One of the reasons I'm rewatching DBZ is simple:

The Freeza saga. By far, one of my most favorite sagas in DBZ, and I'm going to rewatch it in Japanese just to listen to Nakao Ryuusei (Freeza). I seriously love that guy half to death. I also can't find a remastered version of the series where Vegeta tries to take on Freeza's final form and claims he's a super saiyan. IIRC, in a video of the Vegeta vs Shadow the Hedgehog battle (can't remember the name of the segment, just YouTube it), I heard Vegeta say somethings along the line in an official dub, probably remastered, "I AM A SUPER-SAIYAN!! *charges Galick Gun* AND YOU CAN BURN IN HELL!!" I can't find the stupid fight (again, the second remastered, since he said "hell") on YouTube, though.

 

[luffy4]

:eyebrow: The Kai dub is a much more accurate dub than the crap Z dub. Give an example.

i think he is talking about the TV version of Kai, 4kids was in charge of it and some of the voice actors were replaced with bad actors for it (and MR.popo is blue not black) 18 being a prime example of bad voice

 

[Painted_Outlaw]

Correction, Funimation dubbed Dragonball Kai and most of the voice actors were the same (Think the only voice changes were: 18 and Gohan got shifted to Colleen Clinkenbeard, Bulma got shifted to Monica Rial & Freeza got shifted to Chris Ayres (which no offense to Linda Young (her Genkai voice is great) but I think this was an amazing choice)

4kids only had airing rights though I can only theorize on how dubbing out "gun" and "bomb", changing Mr. Popo's color and messing up halo's was beneficial when kids could just change the channel and see the untouched version, anyways.