Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
It's actually something that's on my bucket list...watching the entirety of Dragon Ball Z. As a kid, I wasn't allowed to watch Dragon Ball Z, and it wasn't till I was an early teenager that I snuck in DBZ during the late-night hours, starting with the Saiyaman Saga which I really enjoyed. Most of my DBZ-knowledge comes from outside the actual manga and show, such as through the video-games, specifically the Budokai series which I loved, and all the parodies and references to it in pop-culture.
I also wanted to watch the original Japanese-version, something I've never seen bar the Yo! Son Goku and Friends Return! special a few years back. Mainly, I don't really have an interest in anime dubs anymore. I mean, I don't have a thriving hatred for them, but with new episodes of most anime being simulcast the day they air subbed via Hulu and other sites, I just don't see a point in waiting for a show to be dubbed with decent to sub-par voice acting anymore. The only point of dubs in my opinion still is for video-games, since in that situations subtitles don't work as well when you're trying to concentrate on the action as opposed to being a passive viewer.
Furthermore, at first I was thinking of going with Kai for a quicker watch-through, but then I decided that I wanted the original experience, fillers included. As I mentioned before, my childhood memories of the show were mainly from the Saiyaman Saga, which was comprised of a lot of filler that I recall rather enjoying. I didn't want to miss out on that, plus reading around the 'net it seems like a few people rather dislike the way Kai is recut. So, yeah, I'm watching the original 200~ original series, fully uncut. It's a pretty massive undertaking, and I admit, I might get bored and drop it before getting through, but I hope to have accomplished watching it by the end of 2015.
Anyway, I'm about 14 episodes in already (just from watching two nights, if I keep up the pace of about 7 episodes at night after work, it shouldn't take too long), and here are my thoughts:
* The Japanese voices REALLY change the feeling of the show for me. I know a lot of people don't like Goku's JP voice, being a girl and all, but I actually rather enjoy it. I know in the recent specials, though, the voice actress is a lot older so her voice comes across as really scratchy, but back when it first aired, she has a really nice voice to the ears. Although I haven't got to the part of the series where Goku really starts to get serious and bulk up, so maybe the voice will be more distracting at times like that.
Vegeta's original voice is probably the biggest difference in how I perceive the character. The dub voice is so deep and grovelly that, combined with his receding hairline, makes Vegeta feel like a grumpy old man. The Japanese voice, on the other hand, is a lot more youthful, and I think it gets across the fact that Vegeta is basically just a violent, spoiled brat who doesn't know anything but fighting.
* I really like the original, classical-Chinese sounding score of the original as opposed to the synth-music the dub used. It's another thing that changes how I perceive the show, making it feel fun, whereas the dub music had the intent of trying to make everything extreme. I guess it's just part of how the show was marketed for the US, over how it was marketed for Japan. I hear they changed the score in Kai, right? If so, then I'm glad I'm watching the original version because I really like it.
* The show has a really glacial pace, but I sort of think the show is pretty good at building up tension, especially in the first five episodes when Raditz arrives. I'm also surprisingly enjoying all the little fillers in-between, like the part where Goku falls to Hell (I remember loving that scene as a kid, and was surprised to learn it was added to the anime), and that one episode where Gohan meets the robot, which was surprisingly touching. The only filler so far that really sticks out is that episode with the insect aliens, because at this point, aliens was a new thing for DBZ, so having a casual episode where they visit an alien planet feels really off. Also, I don't think Vegeta, at this point, should be able to destroy an entire planet with one blast, correct?
I imagine that the biggest problem with fillers won't be so much filler episodes, but when the story fights are padded out and stretched due to charge-up moments, and reaction shots, like during the Frieza fight. I actually enjoy the filler elements that are expanded episodes giving other characters a moment in the spotlight, or fleshing out Gohan's training.
* I really like how it looks. Yeah, it's cheaply produced, but I think modern anime, because of advances in technology, tends to also be more noticeable whenever it has cheap animation, but in DBZ, being so old, you expect that, so the show looking pretty decent is pleasant enough. I really like how the wildness Gohan trains in looks, Toriyama and/or the anime staff can craft some pretty quirky, but pleasing looking backgrounds. The wacky humor in a lot of the early episodes of Z is also appreciated and helps the show flow better, and I hope it doesn't disappear too much when the show begins to get more fight-intensive.
So, I'll try to post regular updates on how I feel about certain episodes, arcs, and characters. Hopefully I can stick with this, as I'm a bit fickle when I try to marathon things, although I've done a few successfully like Heisei Kamen Rider, and Legend of Galactic Heroes. Anyone else ever watch the entirety of DBZ?
I also wanted to watch the original Japanese-version, something I've never seen bar the Yo! Son Goku and Friends Return! special a few years back. Mainly, I don't really have an interest in anime dubs anymore. I mean, I don't have a thriving hatred for them, but with new episodes of most anime being simulcast the day they air subbed via Hulu and other sites, I just don't see a point in waiting for a show to be dubbed with decent to sub-par voice acting anymore. The only point of dubs in my opinion still is for video-games, since in that situations subtitles don't work as well when you're trying to concentrate on the action as opposed to being a passive viewer.
Furthermore, at first I was thinking of going with Kai for a quicker watch-through, but then I decided that I wanted the original experience, fillers included. As I mentioned before, my childhood memories of the show were mainly from the Saiyaman Saga, which was comprised of a lot of filler that I recall rather enjoying. I didn't want to miss out on that, plus reading around the 'net it seems like a few people rather dislike the way Kai is recut. So, yeah, I'm watching the original 200~ original series, fully uncut. It's a pretty massive undertaking, and I admit, I might get bored and drop it before getting through, but I hope to have accomplished watching it by the end of 2015.
Anyway, I'm about 14 episodes in already (just from watching two nights, if I keep up the pace of about 7 episodes at night after work, it shouldn't take too long), and here are my thoughts:
* The Japanese voices REALLY change the feeling of the show for me. I know a lot of people don't like Goku's JP voice, being a girl and all, but I actually rather enjoy it. I know in the recent specials, though, the voice actress is a lot older so her voice comes across as really scratchy, but back when it first aired, she has a really nice voice to the ears. Although I haven't got to the part of the series where Goku really starts to get serious and bulk up, so maybe the voice will be more distracting at times like that.
Vegeta's original voice is probably the biggest difference in how I perceive the character. The dub voice is so deep and grovelly that, combined with his receding hairline, makes Vegeta feel like a grumpy old man. The Japanese voice, on the other hand, is a lot more youthful, and I think it gets across the fact that Vegeta is basically just a violent, spoiled brat who doesn't know anything but fighting.
* I really like the original, classical-Chinese sounding score of the original as opposed to the synth-music the dub used. It's another thing that changes how I perceive the show, making it feel fun, whereas the dub music had the intent of trying to make everything extreme. I guess it's just part of how the show was marketed for the US, over how it was marketed for Japan. I hear they changed the score in Kai, right? If so, then I'm glad I'm watching the original version because I really like it.
* The show has a really glacial pace, but I sort of think the show is pretty good at building up tension, especially in the first five episodes when Raditz arrives. I'm also surprisingly enjoying all the little fillers in-between, like the part where Goku falls to Hell (I remember loving that scene as a kid, and was surprised to learn it was added to the anime), and that one episode where Gohan meets the robot, which was surprisingly touching. The only filler so far that really sticks out is that episode with the insect aliens, because at this point, aliens was a new thing for DBZ, so having a casual episode where they visit an alien planet feels really off. Also, I don't think Vegeta, at this point, should be able to destroy an entire planet with one blast, correct?
I imagine that the biggest problem with fillers won't be so much filler episodes, but when the story fights are padded out and stretched due to charge-up moments, and reaction shots, like during the Frieza fight. I actually enjoy the filler elements that are expanded episodes giving other characters a moment in the spotlight, or fleshing out Gohan's training.
* I really like how it looks. Yeah, it's cheaply produced, but I think modern anime, because of advances in technology, tends to also be more noticeable whenever it has cheap animation, but in DBZ, being so old, you expect that, so the show looking pretty decent is pleasant enough. I really like how the wildness Gohan trains in looks, Toriyama and/or the anime staff can craft some pretty quirky, but pleasing looking backgrounds. The wacky humor in a lot of the early episodes of Z is also appreciated and helps the show flow better, and I hope it doesn't disappear too much when the show begins to get more fight-intensive.
So, I'll try to post regular updates on how I feel about certain episodes, arcs, and characters. Hopefully I can stick with this, as I'm a bit fickle when I try to marathon things, although I've done a few successfully like Heisei Kamen Rider, and Legend of Galactic Heroes. Anyone else ever watch the entirety of DBZ?
