The Old School Otaku Lounge

In September and November, we're getting some classic Dragon Ball Z in theaters! First will be Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, then in November we'll get a double feature of The Bardock Special and Fusion Reborn! https://www.fathomevents.com/collections/dragon-ball-z

Both films will be screened dub-only, though, but I think it's cool they're doing more older anime films in theaters on a wider release! I guess Funi figured since the Sailor Moon films were doing well, why not Dragon Ball huh?

Watching Dragonball Z Movie 8 in a theater makes a dream of 15-year-old me come true but the dub-only showings are a turn off. I guess chalk it up how different Dragonball fans are, on average, compared to other anime fans.

Drew_Sutton wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 5:15 pm Watching Dragonball Z Movie 8 in a theater makes a dream of 15-year-old me come true but the dub-only showings are a turn off. I guess chalk it up how different Dragonball fans are, on average, compared to other anime fans.

Yeah, I was kinda bummed about that too. Makes me wonder if it was cheaper for them to get screening permission with just the dub?

That could be, usamimi, but FUNimation's done other Fathom Events presentations with subbed versions, haven't they? I feel like they have. Maybe I am getting too deep inside my own head on this but I still think this has to do with how different Dragonball Z fans are compared to other anime fans.

Drew_Sutton wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:27 pm That could be, usamimi, but FUNimation's done other Fathom Events presentations with subbed versions, haven't they? I feel like they have. Maybe I am getting too deep inside my own head on this but I still think this has to do with how different Dragonball Z fans are compared to other anime fans.

Sure, but not all of them have been with Funimation, and Toei might want more money for permission for using original Japanese tracks for Dragon Ball screenings since it's easily Funimation's best seller. But if Funi uses their own dub, they might not have to pay extra royalties!

Of course, this is just a guess. Who knows? Maybe it's something else entirely.

Drew_Sutton wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:27 pm That could be, usamimi, but FUNimation's done other Fathom Events presentations with subbed versions, haven't they? I feel like they have. Maybe I am getting too deep inside my own head on this but I still think this has to do with how different Dragonball Z fans are compared to other anime fans.

Sorry for the double post but maybe I should elaborate since I've twice alluded to 'Dragonball Z fans are different than other anime fans':

Dragonball Z was unimaginably popular in the late 1990s. FUNimation pushed it's dub very hard and, in fact, when releasing on home video, they ignored a fanbase that wanted to see subtitled DBZ. As the show ran consistently in syndication and then on Cartoon Network's Toonami, it's fanbase grew and grew into the early 2000s. But all the while, FUNimation was still pushing their edited dub.

This lead to a splintered DBZ fandom - fans who cared about the Japanese version (myself, our own Kamesennin, Mike "VegettoEX" LaBrie and Meri "Temple O' Trunks" LaBrie, and others) and a comparative ton of fans who only know - and care about - the dubbed and edited version from FUNimation. It like it's own Robotech fandom: there are fans of Robotech who don't care about the Japanese versions of Macross, Southern Cross or Mospaeda but only care about what Harmony Gold shills to them. There are plenty of DBZ fans who only care about that dubbed & edited version that FUNimation sold them.

That is what I mean by "DBZ fans being different than other anime fans."

usamimi wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:31 pm

Drew_Sutton wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:27 pm That could be, usamimi, but FUNimation's done other Fathom Events presentations with subbed versions, haven't they? I feel like they have. Maybe I am getting too deep inside my own head on this but I still think this has to do with how different Dragonball Z fans are compared to other anime fans.

Sure, but not all of them have been with Funimation, and Toei might want more money for permission for using original Japanese tracks for Dragon Ball screenings since it's easily Funimation's best seller. But if Funi uses their own dub, they might not have to pay extra royalties!

Of course, this is just a guess. Who knows? Maybe it's something else entirely.

No - completely agree. I think FUNimation has done other, multilingual releases through Fathom and I think that it's possible Toei could want more. We're both speculating here.

Yeah I know there's plenty of Dragon Ball fans who only care about the dub, it's similar to Sailor Moon or Star Blazers or anything that was shown on American tv, like you said. That can also be a factor, too, most definitely. If thousands are watching it dubbed week to week on tv, why pay more to show it subbed as well when so many only know it that way?? It's understandable. I get it. Still kind of a bummer tho, for sure.....I'd have preordered tickets in a SECOND for a subbed screening lol.

It's pretty awesome that this is happening. Not really a fan of the Broly or Fusion DBZ movies (I preferred the earlier ones), but this will still be worth checking out. Personally, I favor the dubbed versions. I remember having to get subbed copies of the later DBZ movies back in the day, and could never get into the Japanese voices, particularly Goku's. As was mentioned in an earlier post, when these shows air on American TV for so long, one version becomes so cemented in the minds of audiences, it's difficult to not "hear" the characters speak in those familiar voices. This holds true for me with Robotech--I tried watching the original versions of Macross, Southern Cross & Mospaeda, but I'll gladly take Carl Macek's amalgamation over them any day of the week.

I preordered tickets for these! While it would be great to see the both subbed and dubbed options, this does save me a little money...truth be told, I'd have wanted to attend both versions!