The Subbed, The Dubbed, The Inquisitve, and the Weak
A Multi-Faceted DBZ Opinion Essay by Jaime M.

March 03, 2000---
    The revelation began. One of my pals, an incredible dub/sub DBZ fan,
wanted me to tape FUNi's DBZ for her, 'cause she couldn't watch it. My
reply? "THAT SHOW IS FREAKIN' STUPID AND I HATE IT *man, I regret that. . *,
But I'll tape it just for you." So I did, and the next thing I know, I'm in
love with the show and have fourteen tapes of the FUNimated version of DBZ
(and am hoping to replace those with some subbed stuff at present).

Now before you arrogant so-called "elite" fans start chewing me out for
watching the dub and calling me "a hopeless newbie and a small child who
knows nothing" (I am fourteen years old), I need to spell things out for
you.

1. Not all of us are filthy rich, with credit cards and hyper-good
computers to download and/or buy subbed stuff, so we are forced to take what
we are given: FUNimated DBZ.

2. Not all of us have sattelite TV with Cartoon Network, enabling us to see
subbed epis at twelve midnight, so ONCE MORE, we are forced to take what we
are given: FUNimated DBZ.

3. Not all of us are so arrogant to put down someone who even watches WHAT
THEY ARE FORCED TO TAKE, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN!!!!! FUNi-f***ing-mated
DBZ!! *please excuse my language*

Now, if you were able to read all that and put your elitist predjudices
aside, I'm going to quickly tell you what I wish to cover in this essay: 1)
FUNi-watchers shouldn't be bashed 2) Even though I watch the dub, I think
Gen Fukunaga is the devil. His slaughter of the Saiyan and Frieza sagas
(note: I use FUNi spellings when I am not sure of the spelling or
prononciation of the original. So, you elites can just shut your mouths and
keep reading) are just starting to wane now. 3) FUNi watchers often help
themsleves by using that great tool called the INTERNET to amasse more
information about this great series and oftentimes, SURPASS the arrogant
elites of the DBZ Web World. I WATCH THE DUB BECAUSE IT'S ALL I CAN GET!!!
4) Subs suck too, sometimes. 5) Webmasters who become dissatisfied with DBZ
and blame FUNimation for it have problems.

So, here I go.
1) I've seen so many people downplay the budding DBZ fans who watch the dub,
and I am forced to ask, WHY? Sure there are a lot of stupid idiots out there
who belong to the "Fukunaga is Our Lord" cult and still rate "Special Beam
Cannon" over "Makankosappo", but WHY the broad generalizations? As far as
I'm concerned, the only place that dubbie bashing belongs is on a site that
displays essays/editorials that go about it constructively. Sure, a lot of
dubbies act pig headed and write those "u suck" messages that we all hate,
but if you're going to place "Dubbies Suck" everywhere then you're just
sinking to their level. So Dubbie-bash if you want, just do it
empiratically. In laymen's terms: Present it as an OPINION!

2) I watch FUNi's dub. SO? It was FUNi that got me into it in the first
place, and it's all I can get, so why not? (Arrogant Elites: Shout your
reason at the computer screen and hop to topic number three, cool down, and
come back to finish this one.)
Want to know my opinion? FUNimation should sell their rights to Sunrise or
Clover Way, as far as I'm concerned. To a good place that retains the
episode length, refuse to cut (except possibly bad language, but DBZ has
little anyway) anything out, and retains original music. GEN FUKUNAGA IS
THE DEVIL. I'm sorry, all those "Fukunaga Is Our Lord" people who thought
this essay would turn their way. If anyone but him was exceutive producer,
I honestly think the dub would be better. He's just a typical US Capitalist
out to make billions of bucks on something that has more cuts than a
masochist with a razor blade. I realize that the typical American view is
that if it's animated, it's a kid's thing. You'd think that FUNi would be
more like Sunrise and realize that DBZ WAS NEVER EVER A CHILDREN'S SHOW, and
less like pig-headed sloths who won't take a chance on marketing an anime to
teens or adults and leaving small children to watch it at their parents'
discretion. That's why Gundam Wing, Escaflowne, and the non-DIC Sailor Moon
are succeeding tremendously here in NA and are being watched by the RIGHT
demographic!! But FUNi is capitalist and Fukunaga is after money.
    The situation with FUNimation is disgusting. The first two saga of the
series were of the kind of horrid, badly edited pieces of SHIT that I
usually accredit to the now-defunct DiC. But, you know, it gave me the
basic idea, and see topic three for more. The only high point were most of
the voices, most of whom worked for the Ocean Group (a CANADIAN
company!!!!). Now even though the dialogue was horrid, the voices were of an
extremely high calibre and were well suited to the characters. I'm not sure
what happened to let (or make) the Ocean Group voice cast quit working with
FUNi, but it was FUNi's greatest loss. Personally I think that the Ocean
people had some sort of beef about the dialogue and the money they were
being paid (from what I've heard: BEANS!!), and FUNi SCREWED THEM, BECAUSE
FUNi SUCKS!! But later on, say Trunks to Cell saga (which is as far as they
are), I found the editing being lessened, that is, I saw it become more
violent and visually graphic than before, there is less corny dialogue, but
the voices suck. (Piccolo has THROAT CANCER if you judge from his voice!!)
So basically, FUNimation is SLOWLY getting better but the damage is already
done and irreversible as long as FUNi has those DAMN rights to the series!!!

3) Upon becoming an otaku (yeah, I know what that means, shut up arrogant
elites), I wanted to find out more about the DBZ series. So what did I do?
That's right, I used the Internet. I even visited some sites that had a
"dubbies suck" theme, but read it anyway. Thanks to Planet Namek (a great
site but run too professionally if you ask me), the Temple O' Trunks (Meri,
you RULE!!!!), and countless other sites out there, I've learned just about
as much about DBZ--in less than a year--as most of the elites do. Which is
well, considering that written info is extremely hard to come by, but the
two aforementioned sites do very well, their webmasters/webmistresses should
be commended for their hard work, and they are a priceless rescource to all
budding fans out there who realize FUNi's stupid mistakes. (Yes, arrogant
elites, we're not all stupid.) The DBZ Web community will never die, as far
as I'm concerned. With 170+ countries in the world, and only a fraction of
'em getting DBZ now, the future of the show is good for at least another ten
years, that is, on a global scale. The Web is priceless for DBZ fans. Keep
up the good work and ENCOURAGE people to build their own websites. That
way, it'll always be around.
    And us so called dubbies CAN help ourselves too. We hit YOUR sites,
Arrogant Elites, don't we?

4) Subtitled episodes. Subtitled movies. Often considered the best
alternatives to FUNimated DBZ, it is now gaining a reputation for being
sloppily done or incomplete. Since I have not seen any subbed DBZ, but
still have experience with fansubs and have read other people's reviews of
subbed material, I have few things to say about this topic. Fansubs are
often sleazy. I read one review of a DBZ tape that said the subtitles had
all the characters swearing like drunken sailors. The reviewer--fluent in
Japanese--said that from what he HEARD, there was NO swearing of ANY KIND in
the tape. Things like that, just emphasize my main point on this topic:
Subs suck too, sometimes. So. . .let's go to the LAST topic.

5) In the Temple O' Trunks "Enlightened Ones" section *where I'm sending
this. . o_O;;*, I read an editorial in which the writer said that he lost
interest in DBZ and blamed it on FUNimated stuff and the influx of "dubbies"
making websites with FUNi-style info (picking fights with them too, believe
me, I know. . .even as a semi-dubbie I get that). PUH-LEEZE. Look, I
realize that there are a lot of snotty dubbies out there who may constantly
harass you, but that's no reason to put them to blame when you stop liking
the series. It's not FUNi's fault, not the Dubbies, not the web community,
but YOURS. Have the balls to admit that you don't like DBZ anymore, stop
trying to blame these people, many of whom you don't even know personally.
Come on, it's the Internet, it's not like you can't just turn off your
computer and forget about it. Don't be so weak, and let a bunch of stupid
people you don't know dictate your taste. When you got made fun of by non
anime-watchers who said "YOU ACTUALLY WATCH A STUPID CARTOON?", did you lose
interest? Did you stop watching because you were ridiculed? Like HELL you
DID! If anything else, you loved DBZ more! But you're gonna let a buncha
"Fukunaga is Our Lord" snotbally children with FUNimized opinions stop you?
You put up with the non-anime-watchers' harassment, and I would think you
"elites" would be able to put these FUNi-kids in their place, even if it
took lots of work! Stand up for what you all believe in. What I believe in
too: that hopefully, with an expansion of the Web Community and a sharing of
correct info, that we will stop FUNimation's evil rule over the great show
called DragonBall-Z. Because it's only when the elites give out on the
elites-to-be that the community will die. . . that the original prestige of
DBZ will die with it.

Don't get me wrong, though, I sit on the fence on most of these issues. So
feel free to send me ***CONSTRUCTIVE*** emails if you disagree. I love a
good debate.

Thanks,
Jaime M.