DBZ anime vs Kai

[SSJ2]

I'm sure we've had this thread before but I'd like some opinions. I've seen the entirety of Kai subbed but never the original anime. Is it worth it to watch the original and just skip through the filler? I've heard the soundtrack is used a lot better in the OG.

 

[Classic Adamas]

Assuming you're talking about also watching the OG subbed, I have no idea. Kai for all it's differences has a better dub than Z, but I'm not sure about the subbed versions.

 

[Southern Gothic]

I watched the original anime and hadn't read the manga, so filler versus non filler never really stuck out to me, although now I can kind of pick it out based off logic and flow, so it never really bothered me. I think it actually helps with the pacing to have some of that filler, but there's nothing there that's worth really going back and experiencing that adds anything special.

Like Mystic said, the Kai dub is much better but a lot of the things they fixed and changed weren't present in the original sub in the first place, only the English's translations.

 

[Boo Brand Milk]

I'm sure we've had this thread before but I'd like some opinions. I've seen the entirety of Kai subbed but never the original anime. Is it worth it to watch the original and just skip through the filler? I've heard the soundtrack is used a lot better in the OG.

Only worth it if you watch the rock the dragon episodes. Original DBZ beats kai. I prefer watching the originals because some of the best non fight content was filler. That and the bad filler is a great time to get up and do housework and you don't miss anything.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

Did DB-Kai have this? Plagiarised or not. This is epic.

Spoiler

 

[Warmmedown]

For the soundtrack are you talking about how Yamamoto got caught plagiarising and they had to switch out all of his stuff for Kikuchi's, but didn't have access to all the Kikuchi music so had to overuse some tracks? On streaming sites this only becomes relevant post-Namek at some point from what I've seen - on disc I guess it'll depend on when the discs were burned (early copies will have Yamamoto for at least Namek and I think Android/Cell, later ones will be fully replaced with Kikuchi). Like watching Kai on streaming sites, it uses Kikuchi's music for Trunks vs Freeza, but without the unique Trunks music, since they didn't have access to it I guess - I honestly don't mind the Kikuchi music they've put in for him attacking Freeza, although it does stop awkwardly. I don't remember finding Kai's Kikuchi music bad when I watched up to Trunks vs Cell.

I think the Japanese VAing in some bits is a bit better in the OG. Like I do prefer Nozawa's kkx4 in the OG over the Kai one (happened to watch both two days ago). Kai's SSJ1 transformation doesn't do the deep voice. Krillin's VA when dying is a tiny bit more harrowing in OG I think too. But I might prefer Nozawa in Kai for Gohan's reaction to Piccolo getting Freeza-beamed (for the VAing itself, but also OG does some washed out effect on the voice when Gohan is crying out).

Comparing Yamamoto to the OG's Kikuchi, I'm not sure which is better. I think Kai is a bit more dramatic for Freeza returning and beaming Piccolo and Kaio's reaction (no music in the OG. Also lol, in OG there's a 2 second still frame of Yamcha etc staring at Kaio at the end. I thought the video had frozen). And better for Vegeta vs Recoome. In Kai it starts to feel like the fight is on straight away after Piccolo gets beamed, while OG feels like an intermission period, for better or worse. Krillin getting killed probs prefer OG very slightly. Going SSJ1 it's the OG hands down, this one is not even close lol. The second half (post-adverts) of Gohan beating up Freeza gets my adrenaline going more in the OG. Kai generally seems to use dark pieces less, like for that scene and for SSJ1.

Honestly the OG is just too fucking long lol. Like how can a one minute scene turn into five minutes? Move over NASA, turns out Japan invented time travel in the 80s.

 

[SSJ2]

For the soundtrack are you talking about how Yamamoto got caught plagiarising and they had to switch out all of his stuff for Kikuchi's, but didn't have access to all the Kikuchi music so had to overuse some tracks? On streaming sites this only becomes relevant post-Namek at some point from what I've seen - on disc I guess it'll depend on when the discs were burned (early copies will have Yamamoto for at least Namek and I think Android/Cell, later ones will be fully replaced with Kikuchi). Like watching Kai on streaming sites, it uses Kikuchi's music for Trunks vs Freeza, but without the unique Trunks music, since they didn't have access to it I guess - I honestly don't mind the Kikuchi music they've put in for him attacking Freeza, although it does stop awkwardly. I don't remember finding Kai's Kikuchi music bad when I watched up to Trunks vs Cell.

I think the Japanese VAing in some bits is a bit better in the OG. Like I do prefer Nozawa's kkx4 in the OG over the Kai one (happened to watch both two days ago). Kai's SSJ1 transformation doesn't do the deep voice. Krillin's VA when dying is a tiny bit more harrowing in OG I think too. But I might prefer Nozawa in Kai for Gohan's reaction to Piccolo getting Freeza-beamed (for the VAing itself, but also OG does some washed out effect on the voice when Gohan is crying out).

Comparing Yamamoto to the OG's Kikuchi, I'm not sure which is better. I think Kai is a bit more dramatic for Freeza returning and beaming Piccolo and Kaio's reaction (no music in the OG. Also lol, in OG there's a 2 second still frame of Yamcha etc staring at Kaio at the end. I thought the video had frozen). And better for Vegeta vs Recoome. In Kai it starts to feel like the fight is on straight away after Piccolo gets beamed, while OG feels like an intermission period, for better or worse. Krillin getting killed probs prefer OG very slightly. Going SSJ1 it's the OG hands down, this one is not even close lol. The second half (post-adverts) of Gohan beating up Freeza gets my adrenaline going more in the OG. Kai generally seems to use dark pieces less, like for that scene and for SSJ1.

Honestly the OG is just too fucking long lol. Like how can a one minute scene turn into five minutes? Move over NASA, turns out Japan invented time travel in the 80s.

That's exactly what I'm referring to. I have the Kai Blu rays and they use the Kikuchi score which is supposedly not the same as the original. I can't for the life of me understand why they wouldn't port over the original soundtrack.

I don't have access to the Yamamoto score, so it's between watching Kai with the inaccurate Kikuchi score, or watching the orange bricks and dealing with lower resolution, skipping filler, but the true soundtrack and voice acting.

 

[Warmmedown]

I always read they didn't have rights for some, like maybe the movie tracks or ones with vocals? And they didn't have some tracks in stereo and didn't want to make it sound weird by putting mono ones amongst stereo. And that some tracks were only on tape and not digitised onto CD or similar. That's what people claim, never found a great source of information though.

I've seen someone's done a "Kikuchi revival" (putting the original Kikuchi music onto the Kai episodes) and someone's done similar with the Yamamoto score (putting the broadcast Yamamoto score onto Kai).

DBZ releases are such a mess. I can't imagine any other series fucked it up so much lol. Sailor Moon is equally old and made by Toei and that doesn't seem to have as many complications, from what I'm reading (although they still didn't make enough copies, at least for its continued level of popularity. Maybe the same will happen to all the current anime too, if they stay popular for 20+ years).

 

[Fantastische Hure]

I mean the Trunks one was plagiarised so there's that.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

Ripped-off from this master-piece.

Spoiler

 

[Warmmedown]

I mean the Trunks one was plagiarised so there's that.

Battle Point Unlimited was? "Battle Point Unlimited is a song composed by Kenji Yamamoto in 1991"....oh. Yeh I checked and it's blatant lol.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

From a German band. OHHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEEEEAH!!!

 

[Warmmedown]

German bands I know: Eskimo Callboy, Rammstein, Kraftwerk, Scooter, Cascada (ok, I didn't know she's German)

Is that the right song? I think it's another one. I found it yesterday but I can't be bothered rn.

 

[SSJ2]

I started watching the original sub last night. The audio quality is pretty dated but it's not that bad. I might stick with it as I already noticed the soundtrack being used differently.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

German bands I know: Eskimo Callboy, Rammstein, Kraftwerk, Scooter, Cascada (ok, I didn't know she's German)

Is that the right song? I think it's another one. I found it yesterday but I can't be bothered rn.

Apparently he mixed 3 songs together from them, but that’s the main-one.

I knew (or at-least as-in heard-of) Rammstein, Scooter & Cascada. Legit watched a show just a few days ago (like top dance hits or some-thing & Cascada was a guest there). For some-reason I think I always thought Scooter was only that one person I think.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

German bands I know: Eskimo Callboy, Rammstein, Kraftwerk, Scooter, Cascada (ok, I didn't know she's German)

Is that the right song? I think it's another one. I found it yesterday but I can't be bothered rn.

You don’t know Tokio-Hotel?

 

[Warmmedown]

Apparently he mixed 3 songs together from them, but that’s the main-one.

I knew (or at-least as-in heard-of) Rammstein, Scooter & Cascada. Legit watched a show just a few days ago (like top dance hits or some-thing & Cascada was a guest there). For some-reason I think I always thought Scooter was only that one person I think.

Yeh I checked again and it's four songs apparently, including the one you posted (is that actually a popular song?)

I thought Scooter was one guy too, until just now. He's the only one I really like from those I listed, although Eskimo Callboy have a couple fun songs (not your thing though lol).

Never in my life heard of Tokio Hotel, no. Thought you don't like heavy music anyway (although it's not that heavy. Still seems emo asf).

I started watching the original sub last night. The audio quality is pretty dated but it's not that bad. I might stick with it as I already noticed the soundtrack being used differently.

Did you always watch the remastered (orange bricks) version with the Falcouner music in the past?
Watch without subtitles. You've seen it enough times to know what they're saying by now.

 

[SSJ2]

No I didn’t own the anime when I used to watch it, but I would watch the English dub. This was probably 13-16 years ago.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

Never in my life heard of Tokio Hotel, no. Thought you don't like heavy music anyway (although it's not that heavy. Still seems emo asf).

I don’t, even-though there’s some nostalgia nowadays. They were just really popular, so I thought you might have heard of them.

 

[Yoshi]

Kai is even better in English than it is in Japanese. It’s also objectively better than Z up until the Boo Saga, which is a disappointment but still subjective when it comes to being better or worse than the Boo Saga in Z.