Music Royalties?!! Fuck you FUNImation!!!
the_gay...@my-deja.com
Thanks to Steve's interview we now know why that CEO asshole does the
things he does. Want to know why the original music isn't used. It's
not because FUNimation doesn't have the rights as they've claimed
before, it's because those assholes make money off the royalties of
their shit music everytime we here it on TV. That's right kiddos.
FUNimation charges Cartoon Network and local stations a little money
everytime their piece of shit they call music is broadcast over the
airwaves.
Want proof go here:
http://members.xoom.com/dbinterviews/gen.html
Here's the asshole's statement in his own words.
Steve: Was the replacement of the soundtrack in the first two seasons a
Saban decision?
Gen: The replacing of the music, was a FUNimation desicsion. With our
own soundtrack, we could charge royalties for every second it's heard.
The smug jerk. He's actually proud of the way he's fucked up DBZ.
With that said, you can forget about ever hearing the real thing on TV
with of course the exception of Dead Zone and World's Strongest.
The most interesting thing is, why don't they use the original music in
the so-called "uncut" version. Let's face it. It's not like it's going
to air on TV. They aren't going to make any money off of it (other than
our hard earned cash with tape sales).
It basically comes down to this. FUNimation is a fucking piece of shit.
They don't give a fuck about fans. All they care about is the diaper
wearing elementary and middle school kids who eat this shit FUNimation
makes.
Hey FUNimation. when you get to HFIL, tell SATAN that The-Gay-Saiyan
says hi!!!
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
VegettoEX
little money everytime their piece of shit they call music is broadcast over
the
airwaves.>>
Glad to see you took the time to read more of the interview, which more or less
comes right out and explains why they've been in need of these royalties...
The fact that the seven year old boys watching the show don't want to hear the
original Japanese score also played a large roll in their choice of music, my
son.
When you were a kid watching Voltron, did you complain about the voices or the
music? I know I didn't. Or are you still too young to have watched it when it
was first aired?
I estimate you between the age of 11 and 15, because of a few things: you're
too lazy to read the entire interview, you speak out of your ass, and I just
think I'm right.
"DragonBall may be over, but it will continue to live on in the hearts of its
fans forever."
---- VegettoEX
http://members.aol.com/VegettoEX
Super Cell
you have no understanding -whatsoever- how Economic America works.
I've read all the posts from those who feel Funimation "sucks ass" and
what-not, I simply CAN NOT listen to this bull shit anymore. I was hoping
the interview mentioned would generate some positive discussions (centering
around Funimation's plans on releasing a subtitled DVD version). Boy, was I
wrong.
Do you, "the_gay_saiyan", happen to be Funimation's accountant? No? Figures.
Funimation uses their own bgm to bring in royalties. We can assume that they
need the revenue to stay afloat, just as easily as we can assume they are
greedy bastards. Money is the life blood of any business. Money to a
business is like oxygen to a human. Understand?
You can not make claims, and you can not act like you know what you are
talking about, when in fact, you know absolutely nothing of Funimations
financial status, or what Funimation plans to do.
You think Gen (no idea how to spell last name) is a jerk? Take a good hard
look at yourself.
God, there isn't one negative ounce of information in that interview (save
the probable non-release of subtitled VHS tapes). I am stunned that someone
could find something in that interview and bitch and moan to the degree that
you have. Simply amazing. Gen announced that subtitled DVDs are PLANNED! Am
I the only one who is absolutely ecstatic? Please, I realize nothing has
been "solidified". I also realize nothing is ever a sure thing in the
business world until the product is on the shelves. Nonetheless, I AM
FREAKING EXCITED. I've waited years for commercially released subtitled
episodes, AND THE CEO OF FUNIMATION ANNOUNCES THAT THEY <finally!> ARE
PLANNING TO DO JUST THAT!
You need to calm down, and perhaps read the interview once more, but PLEASE,
take into consideration that your personal frame of reference isn't
necessarily the rest of the world's.
<the_gay...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:7su06d$nml$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> Gen Fucken-nalga (Nalga means ass in Spanish) is a bonified asshole.
> Thanks to Steve's interview we now know why that CEO asshole does the
> things he does. Want to know why the original music isn't used. It's
> not because FUNimation doesn't have the rights as they've claimed
> before, it's because those assholes make money off the royalties of
> their shit music everytime we here it on TV. That's right kiddos.
> FUNimation charges Cartoon Network and local stations a little money
> everytime their piece of shit they call music is broadcast over the
> airwaves.
>
BlazeEagle
>FREAKING EXCITED. I've waited years for commercially released subtitled
>episodes, AND THE CEO OF FUNIMATION ANNOUNCES THAT THEY <finally!> ARE
>PLANNING TO DO JUST THAT!
I totally agree. I've been waiting for a reason to get a DVD player and this is
it, if it really happens.
BlazeEagle
Vegita95
Ahh. Yes. I read the Gen Fukunaga interview too. The prospect of a commercially
subtitled DBZ on DVD excites me as well. I heard the subtitled DVD may include
the dubbed eps as well.
"the_gay_saiyan"? This individual also posted a message of similar content (full
of F-words) in the FUNimation DBZ Fan forum. He sure is trying to let his
opinions be known. Or is he trying to get attention?
Super Cell wrote:
> Absolute rubbish. I don't know how old you are, but it's painfully obvious
> you have no understanding -whatsoever- how Economic America works.
>
> I've read all the posts from those who feel Funimation "sucks ass" and
> what-not, I simply CAN NOT listen to this bull shit anymore. I was hoping
> the interview mentioned would generate some positive discussions (centering
> around Funimation's plans on releasing a subtitled DVD version). Boy, was I
> wrong.
>
> Do you, "the_gay_saiyan", happen to be Funimation's accountant? No? Figures.
> Funimation uses their own bgm to bring in royalties. We can assume that they
> need the revenue to stay afloat, just as easily as we can assume they are
> greedy bastards. Money is the life blood of any business. Money to a
> business is like oxygen to a human. Understand?
>
> You can not make claims, and you can not act like you know what you are
> talking about, when in fact, you know absolutely nothing of Funimations
> financial status, or what Funimation plans to do.
>
> You think Gen (no idea how to spell last name) is a jerk? Take a good hard
> look at yourself.
>
> God, there isn't one negative ounce of information in that interview (save
> the probable non-release of subtitled VHS tapes). I am stunned that someone
> could find something in that interview and bitch and moan to the degree that
> you have. Simply amazing. Gen announced that subtitled DVDs are PLANNED! Am
> I the only one who is absolutely ecstatic? Please, I realize nothing has
> been "solidified". I also realize nothing is ever a sure thing in the
> business world until the product is on the shelves. Nonetheless, I AM
> FREAKING EXCITED. I've waited years for commercially released subtitled
> episodes, AND THE CEO OF FUNIMATION ANNOUNCES THAT THEY <finally!> ARE
> PLANNING TO DO JUST THAT!
>
the_gay...@my-deja.com
> Glad to see you took the time to read more of the interview, which
> more or less comes right out and explains why they've been in need of
> these royalties...
No It doesn't you stupid fuck!!! He mearly explains about their
consultants (who are also a bunch of fucks who wouldn't know their
assholes from a hole in the ground) who suggested to Gen
that "American" audiences wouldn't enjoy the original music. So there
you stupid fuck "Vegettoex(tra Gay)". I read the whole damn thing which
is more than I can say for you.
> The fact that the seven year old boys watching the show don't want to
> hear the original Japanese score also played a large roll in their
> choice of music, my son.
No d-uh Einstein!!! Did your Mom help you with that one.
My biggest complaint was with the so-called "uncut". Gen can say all
the shit he wants, but expalin this to me fucker, is he getting music
royalties for the "uncut". No!!! Therefore there's no reason to make
the "uncut" as bad as the "cut" version. The truth is they're the same
shit basically. Other than a little extra blood the "uncut" is that
same as the "cut" version.
> When you were a kid watching Voltron, did you complain about the
> voices or the music?
Fuck Voltron. I complained because it was lame. I'd rather watch
Carebears, Rainbow Brite, or Strawberry Shortcake than that piece of
shit.
> I know I didn't.
Of course not. You're an idiot. That's already been determined. Only a
dumb fuck like you who watched a shitty dub version of Voltron would
enjoy a shitty dub version of DBZ.
> I estimate you between the age of 11 and 15,
I estimate your I.Q. between 10-20, but then that would insult my dog
who's at least a 30.
> because of a few things: you're too lazy to read the entire
> interview, you speak out of your ass, and I just think I'm right.
Your too stupid to even read it. I'm sure someone just gave you a
summary of it. Blow it out your ass you fuck!!! If you're right, I'd
rather be wrong. Because you being right is about as right as Dan
Quayle spelling "potatoe".
> "DragonBall may be over, but it will continue to live on in the
> hearts of its fans forever."
Not if FUNimation keeps ass fucking it the way they have been since
1995.
The Gay Saiyan
"Damn Vegeta looks sexy. I love the way the spandex hugs his crotch!"
--Gokuh
the_gay...@my-deja.com
> Absolute rubbish. I don't know how old you are, but it's painfully
obvious
> you have no understanding -whatsoever- how Economic America works.
Sure I do. I understand why they had to change the music for the TV
version. They wanted to make money. But explain this to me...why change
it for the so-called "uncut". They can't charge for music royalties
with a video version only. It's simple. FUNimation sucks!!! They are
full of shit. The truth is they are to lazy and don't give a fuck about
the people who buy their shit. If they did, with the "uncut" version
all backgound music would stay intact. "Cha-la, Head Cha-la" would have
been sung in english. The writing and dialogue would be kept as close
to the original version and not kiddified ("My my, looks like its time
for you to go the way of the dodo." or idiotified "Heh, heh now I can
take my two weeks paid vacation." or "Talk about a great 401K plan.")
If anything FUNimation's writers are pure "rubbish". Even Gen supports
their shit.
Steve: Now, on to some general questions about the series. About the
rewrites, how do you do decide on what and what not to include?
Gen: I don't know if there's a real strategy, per se, other than that
we tell our writers to stick to the original story by Akira Toriyama, I
mean, you can't deviate from that. Besides that, though, we just want
it to get "hipped up" a little bit, you know, keep it from getting
stale. But that's just sort of a subjective creativity thing that we
leave up to our writers. We pretty much cut them loose on that sort of
thing.
"Hipped up"?
I guess that's Gen's way of saying "we feel it's best if we let our
writers, when ever possible, to fuck up as much of the original; so
that while it has the name Dragon Ball Z, it really isn't. It's more of
a FUNimation Ball Z".
And you're going to trust them to release an accurate subtitled
version. Fuck that!!! If anything, they'll just use that same script
they used in their horrible dubs.
The Gay Saiyan
FF797
>> more or less comes right out and explains why they've been in need of
>> these royalties...
>
>No It doesn't you stupid fuck!!! He mearly explains about their
>consultants (who are also a bunch of fucks who wouldn't know their
>assholes from a hole in the ground) who suggested to Gen
>that "American" audiences wouldn't enjoy the original music. So there
>you stupid fuck "Vegettoex(tra Gay)". I read the whole damn thing which
>is more than I can say for you.
Ummm...i suppose it's okay to disagree, but is the language and name calling
really all that necessary? You'd probably make a better argument and get more
people to support you if you didn't use that so much.
Haohmaru
dragonball, And I assure you he doesn't...
Haohmaru
Everything your saying is true, They could NOT be trusted to do a subbed
version. If only Viz or pioneer got to DBZ first... ""sigh""... Well at least I
got an excellent manga DBZ translation from viz... As for the show.... Thank
god for fansub's...
Leader of The Bungalow Force
dragonball, And I assure you he doesn't...>>
I know right. It's not like he has a really well-respected website about
Dragonball Z. ....
-_-
Gurudo...
Jisuu...
Bata...
Rikum..
Ginyu...
TOKUSENTAI!!!!!
Haohmaru
5 year's is pretty much a dbz god, He visit's japan 2wice a year and own's
pretty much everything dbz releated.... He doesn't have a site, You know not
everyone has a site that's an anime fan, I in no way want to educate Dubbie
head's that have never seen nor never will see the origional's. We tend to make
fun of those people for their lack of style...
MajinBret
> vege...@aol.comnospam (VegettoEX) wrote:
>> Glad to see you took the time to read more of the interview, which
>> more or less comes right out and explains why they've been in need of
>> these royalties...
>
>No It doesn't you stupid fuck!!! He mearly explains about their
>consultants (who are also a bunch of fucks who wouldn't know their
>assholes from a hole in the ground) who suggested to Gen
>that "American" audiences wouldn't enjoy the original music. So there
>you stupid fuck "Vegettoex(tra Gay)". I read the whole damn thing which
>is more than I can say for you.
You are a complete ass. Can't you back yourself up without cursing like a
whiny little child. Vegetto is right, you are probably like 2 years old. Why
don't you grow up?
Leader of The Bungalow Force
That's really close-minded. I mean... some people want to see the originals,
but can't. All they have is the dubbing. It's not the greatest thing, but
it's something. I doubt they lack style. I first got into DBZ by watching the
dub and took the time to find out information about the original. And like you
said... having a DBZ website doesn't mean you know everything just like having
every single piece of DBZ merchandise means you know everything. As long at
both are really fans of the show, I doubt it means anything on what they have
or don't have.
Mad Carlotta
illiterate fools such as yourself that all americans are assumed to be
testosterone-pumpin' wrestlin'-lovin' morons who think that "gay" is
the wittiest bon mot ever coined by man. come on, if we were all
restrained and cultured (or at least polite) we might dispel the ugly
american, and then maybe companies like FUNimation might respect us
more and give us the real thing instead of the cliffs' notes.
just my two cents. keep in mind i'm a college lady, so calling me gay
isn't going to be as funny as you think it is. sigh.
--
That is not what I meant, at all. That is not it, at all.--T.S. Eliot
Carrier of the All Holy Spork
>consultants (who are also a bunch of fucks who wouldn't know their
>assholes from a hole in the ground) who suggested to Gen
>that "American" audiences wouldn't enjoy the original music. So there
>you stupid fuck "Vegettoex(tra Gay)". I read the whole damn thing which is
more >than I can say for you.
Hm. . let's see, excessive cursing, unreasonable sentences, paranioa. . .
either a case of newbies, trolling, spamming, read Regulators too long, or just
an idiot who's go no life whatsoever and doesn't know that cursing is not
necessary.
I have no need to quote the rest of your post as apparently you think that
everything in life must revolve around cursing. FUNimation is NOT a giant
company like Saban or CN and they need lots of money if they plan on doing a
good job. They are currently starting over right now, so you can't expect them
to automatically know. You, however, jump at everything and refuses to believe
the real world.
I don't know why I bother explaining this to you, knowing that you won't
listen, but frankly, I don't care then. What can I expect from the total
cretin like you?
Juuchan (aka Ms Kuchan ^^)
Sure, you may hate me for some reason I
wish not to identify, but I have my reasons.
"I'm gonna rip your lungs out with a [SPORK!]"
--both MCTFF Ultra AND the lunch
time at school
Hooper X
>really all that necessary? You'd probably make a better argument and get more
>people to support you if you didn't use that so much.
No, it's necessary, because Mister Homosexual Native of Vegita feels that he
best expounds upon his magnanamous theory that "FUNimation sux, dood" with four
letter words.
Not to mention that his power level is below that or Roshi's turtle...
Hooper_X, hey gang.
"If Kenny & Waspinator were on the Titanic, who would die first?" -Me
To contact me, take off that stupid looking hat you wear.
MST# 9997 (I kid you not.)
Tazer
Excuse me for wakin' up, but on Wed, 29 Sep 1999 21:26:52 GMT
>Hey FUNimation. when you get to HFIL, tell SATAN that The-Gay-Saiyan
>says hi!!!
whoa....now THAT'S a scary thought. a horny Veg is prolly bad enuff
(I feel sorry for Bluma,) but imagine a horny, homosexual one?
guys....WATCH OUT!!!
!)
Tazer- ICQ# 28913025
_Ozimandas_ on "EverQuest"
"Great spirits have always encountered violent
opposition from mediocre minds." -Albert Einstein
Tazer
Excuse me for wakin' up, but on 29 Sep 1999 23:46:12 GMT
>When you were a kid watching Voltron, did you complain about the voices or the
>music? I know I didn't. Or are you still too young to have watched it when it
>was first aired?
not really meaning to play devil's advocate here but I always though
the music for _Voltron_ kinda *tanked*.
I STILL wish I could get a copy of the original footage......*sigh!*
Tazer- ICQ# 28913025
_Ozimandas_ on "EverQuest"
"Ewwww...I hope that was a candy bar that floated by...." -Freakazoid
Tazer
Excuse me for wakin' up, but on Thu, 30 Sep 1999 17:54:48 GMT
>> "DragonBall may be over, but it will continue to live on in the
>> hearts of its fans forever."
>
>Not if FUNimation keeps ass fucking it the way they have been since
>1995.
>
>The Gay Saiyan
I know a few gay males, and NONE of them talk about anal sex as much
as U do....Im guessing that U dont get enuff?
come on now...was all of that REALLY necessary?
samurai bill
how to use outlook express and left the funimaiton forum.
good for him. i hope he learns to logically reason things out before he
contiues posting however.
also, i hope he doesnt flame every insightful counter arguement with a bunch
of useless insults.
ildon
<the_gay...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:7t0850$c6l$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> vege...@aol.comnospam (VegettoEX) wrote:
> > Glad to see you took the time to read more of the interview, which
> > more or less comes right out and explains why they've been in need of
> > these royalties...
>
> No It doesn't you stupid fuck!!! He mearly explains about their
> consultants (who are also a bunch of fucks who wouldn't know their
> assholes from a hole in the ground) who suggested to Gen
> that "American" audiences wouldn't enjoy the original music. So there
> you stupid fuck "Vegettoex(tra Gay)". I read the whole damn thing which
> is more than I can say for you.
>
> > The fact that the seven year old boys watching the show don't want to
> > hear the original Japanese score also played a large roll in their
> > choice of music, my son.
>
> No d-uh Einstein!!! Did your Mom help you with that one.
>
> My biggest complaint was with the so-called "uncut". Gen can say all
> the shit he wants, but expalin this to me fucker, is he getting music
> royalties for the "uncut". No!!! Therefore there's no reason to make
> the "uncut" as bad as the "cut" version. The truth is they're the same
> shit basically. Other than a little extra blood the "uncut" is that
> same as the "cut" version.
>
> > When you were a kid watching Voltron, did you complain about the
> > voices or the music?
>
> Fuck Voltron. I complained because it was lame. I'd rather watch
> Carebears, Rainbow Brite, or Strawberry Shortcake than that piece of
> shit.
>
> > I know I didn't.
>
> Of course not. You're an idiot. That's already been determined. Only a
> dumb fuck like you who watched a shitty dub version of Voltron would
> enjoy a shitty dub version of DBZ.
>
> > I estimate you between the age of 11 and 15,
>
> I estimate your I.Q. between 10-20, but then that would insult my dog
> who's at least a 30.
>
> > because of a few things: you're too lazy to read the entire
> > interview, you speak out of your ass, and I just think I'm right.
>
> Your too stupid to even read it. I'm sure someone just gave you a
> summary of it. Blow it out your ass you fuck!!! If you're right, I'd
> rather be wrong. Because you being right is about as right as Dan
> Quayle spelling "potatoe".
>
> > "DragonBall may be over, but it will continue to live on in the
> > hearts of its fans forever."
>
> Not if FUNimation keeps ass fucking it the way they have been since
> 1995.
>
> The Gay Saiyan
>
> "Damn Vegeta looks sexy. I love the way the spandex hugs his crotch!"
> --Gokuh
>
>
Joey and his Akane hammer
> vege...@aol.comnospam (VegettoEX) wrote:
>> Glad to see you took the time to read more of the interview, which
>> more or less comes right out and explains why they've been in need of
>> these royalties...
>
>No It doesn't you stupid fuck!!! He mearly explains about their
>consultants (who are also a bunch of fucks who wouldn't know their
>assholes from a hole in the ground) who suggested to Gen
>that "American" audiences wouldn't enjoy the original music. So there
>you stupid fuck "Vegettoex(tra Gay)". I read the whole damn thing which
>is more than I can say for you.
>
::laughs:: You entertain me. It seems so many of today's youth can't grasp the
concept of adjectives beyond f*ck, sh*t, etc., and you've taken that to a whole
new level! I'm sure VegettoEX knows what he is talking about a spot more than
you do.
>
>> The fact that the seven year old boys watching the show don't want to
>> hear the original Japanese score also played a large roll in their
>> choice of music, my son.
>
>No d-uh Einstein!!! Did your Mom help you with that one.
>
Eh.. you really aren't coming off as rather intelligent yourself. I wouldn't
estimate him as between 11-15, he might be older. In fact, as most of today's
high school aged kids go, he probably is~_~
>
>My biggest complaint was with the so-called "uncut". Gen can say all
>the shit he wants, but expalin this to me fucker, is he getting music
>royalties for the "uncut". No!!! Therefore there's no reason to make
>the "uncut" as bad as the "cut" version. The truth is they're the same
>shit basically. Other than a little extra blood the "uncut" is that
>same as the "cut" version.
>
Oh, shut up. FUNimation is not a rich company, as oh so many of you seem to
think. They aren't catering to fans like you. They IGNORE fans like you. If the
little kids who watch the show aren't going to care about the music, why
shouldn't they change it so they can make more money off of it? More money
means a better dub.
>
>> When you were a kid watching Voltron, did you complain about the
>> voices or the music?
>
>Fuck Voltron. I complained because it was lame. I'd rather watch
>Carebears, Rainbow Brite, or Strawberry Shortcake than that piece of
>shit.
Eh.. that was out of the blue..
>
>
>> I know I didn't.
>
>Of course not. You're an idiot. That's already been determined. Only a
>dumb fuck like you who watched a shitty dub version of Voltron would
>enjoy a shitty dub version of DBZ.
>
>
::chuckles lightly:: For some reason, it doesn't seem you'd be the one
determining who's who and what's what..
>
>> I estimate you between the age of 11 and 15,
>
>I estimate your I.Q. between 10-20, but then that would insult my dog
>who's at least a 30.
>
Hm. At least VegettoEX can write a decent argument, doesn't need to insult
everything and everyone he can find in every sentence OF his argument, and can
get beyond the use of swear words to get his point across.
>
>> because of a few things: you're too lazy to read the entire
>> interview, you speak out of your ass, and I just think I'm right.
>
>Your too stupid to even read it. I'm sure someone just gave you a
>summary of it. Blow it out your ass you fuck!!! If you're right, I'd
>rather be wrong. Because you being right is about as right as Dan
>Quayle spelling "potatoe".
>
*heh* I think he's with Anime Labs. Of course, he'd need to be smart enough to
understand and learn another language..
>
>> "DragonBall may be over, but it will continue to live on in the
>> hearts of its fans forever."
>
>Not if FUNimation keeps ass fucking it the way they have been since
>1995.
>
>The Gay Saiyan
>
>"Damn Vegeta looks sexy. I love the way the spandex hugs his crotch!"
>--Gokuh
I estimate that you've seen.. none of the original Dragonball/Z/GT, and are
going by what you've downloaded off of the internet, summaries, and wavs you've
heard.
-Joey, who had an EXCELLENT time at Gasho of Japan. I loved seeing my food
cooked in front of me
"With trust, a thief can gain wings and fly!"-Lupin, Cagliostro No Shiro. It's
sooooo good. Too bad, Valerie took the best quote
Joey and his Akane hammer
>> Absolute rubbish. I don't know how old you are, but it's painfully
>obvious
>> you have no understanding -whatsoever- how Economic America works.
>
>version. They wanted to make money. But explain this to me...why change
>it for the so-called "uncut". They can't charge for music royalties
>with a video version only. It's simple. FUNimation sucks!!! They are
>full of shit. The truth is they are to lazy and don't give a fuck about
>the people who buy their shit. If they did, with the "uncut" version
>all backgound music would stay intact. "Cha-la, Head Cha-la" would have
>been sung in english. The writing and dialogue would be kept as close
>to the original version and not kiddified ("My my, looks like its time
>for you to go the way of the dodo." or idiotified "Heh, heh now I can
>take my two weeks paid vacation." or "Talk about a great 401K plan.")
>
>
Ok. Go to the mirror. Stare in it a few moments. Repeat, over and over, that's
right now, "FUNimation is not doing this for me, FUNimation is not doing this
for me, FUNimation is not doing this for me.."
The people who buy the uncut versions will be the teenaged fans and adults who
liked the show and don't know anything about the original. Sit down and think
about it and it will all come to you.
>
>If anything FUNimation's writers are pure "rubbish". Even Gen supports
>their shit.
>
>Steve: Now, on to some general questions about the series. About the
>rewrites, how do you do decide on what and what not to include?
>
>Gen: I don't know if there's a real strategy, per se, other than that
>we tell our writers to stick to the original story by Akira Toriyama, I
>mean, you can't deviate from that. Besides that, though, we just want
>it to get "hipped up" a little bit, you know, keep it from getting
>stale. But that's just sort of a subjective creativity thing that we
>leave up to our writers. We pretty much cut them loose on that sort of
>thing.
They're trying to throw in American slang, to give it a different feel.
Obviously, that doesn't work.
>
>"Hipped up"?
>
>I guess that's Gen's way of saying "we feel it's best if we let our
>writers, when ever possible, to fuck up as much of the original; so
>that while it has the name Dragon Ball Z, it really isn't. It's more of
>a FUNimation Ball Z".
>
>And you're going to trust them to release an accurate subtitled
>version. Fuck that!!! If anything, they'll just use that same script
>they used in their horrible dubs.
>
>The Gay Saiyan
-Joey, who had an EXCELLENT time at Gasho of Japan. I loved seeing my food
Matthew Gallant
Hooper X <emar...@aol.comsillyhat> wrote in message
news:19990930210648...@ng-fz1.aol.com...
> To contact me, take off that stupid looking hat you wear.
gor...@my-deja.com
(not that I wouldn't like too, I just don't know where to get them),
and I actually sort of like the crappy dialogue. It's so bad it's good.
the_gay...@my-deja.com
> Ummm...i suppose it's okay to disagree, but is the language and name
calling
> really all that necessary? You'd probably make a better argument and
get more
> people to support you if you didn't use that so much.
You're right. from now on I will only use curse words when complaining
about FUNimation and the associates of FUNimation. And of course to
blast that neaderthal VegettoEx.
The Gay Saiyan
PS
By-the-way, the first message was just a FUNimation hate venting
session. Apparently, some people can't stomach them. To those people
I'm sorry. My second curse venting was toward VegettoExtra Gay who
thinks he's a "mister know it all" when in fact he's a moron. Besides,
for some inexplicable reason he feels it's his duty to defend a
corporation by initiating personal attacks toward me. Only in response
to his statement that I "talk out of my ass" did I respond to him.
the_gay...@my-deja.com
Mad Carlotta <mad_ca...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> hey, gaysaiyan, a little respect please. it's because of insensitive,
> illiterate fools such as yourself that all americans are assumed to be
> testosterone-pumpin' wrestlin'-lovin' morons who think that "gay" is
> the wittiest bon mot ever coined by man.
Straight from Webster's Dictionary:
Main Entry: gay
Pronunciation: 'gA
Function: adjective, noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French gai
Date: 14th century
1 a : happily excited : MERRY b : keenly alive and exuberant : having
or inducing high spirits <abandoned a sober traditional style for one
more timely and gay>
2 a : BRIGHT, LIVELY <gay sunny meadows> b : brilliant in color
3 : given to social pleasures; also : LICENTIOUS
4 a : HOMOSEXUAL b : of, relating to, or used by homosexuals <the gay
rights movement> <a gay bar>
synonym see LIVELY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmmm. "Synonym...lively"? Hey that's me. Notice that homosexual is only
the fourth definition.
> come on, if we were all
> restrained and cultured (or at least polite) we might dispel the ugly
> american, and then maybe companies like FUNimation might respect us
> more and give us the real thing instead of the cliffs' notes.
I doubt it. I've been a very polite person with FUNimation in the past.
But after 4 years of let downs, I can't take it anymore. Perhaps being
a jerk who uses profanity and rants doesn't get things done, but from
personal experience with them, being a polite gentleman doesn't get
many results either. It only gave me more false promises than I could
take. I was just fed up with their lies.
The truth is, I feel so much better now. I was tired of being nice to
them.
> just my two cents. keep in mind i'm a college lady, so calling me gay
> isn't going to be as funny as you think it is. sigh.
How about calling you a lesbian? Want to go out sometime?
The Bi-Sexual Saiyan
the_gay...@my-deja.com
emar...@aol.comsillyhat (Hooper X) wrote:
> >Ummm...i suppose it's okay to disagree, but is the language and name
calling
> >really all that necessary? You'd probably make a better argument and
get more
> >people to support you if you didn't use that so much.
>
that he
> best expounds upon his magnanamous theory that "FUNimation sux, dood"
with four
> letter words.
Yay!!!
> Not to mention that his power level is below that or Roshi's turtle...
That or Roshi's Turtle? Just who is this That. I think I'll have to
introduce myself to That. Is he sexy?
> "If Kenny & Waspinator were on the Titanic, who would die first?"
Neither. They're both cartoon type characters.
The Gay Saiyan
the_gay...@my-deja.com
haoh...@aol.com (Haohmaru) wrote:
> LoL. I know that vegeto EX guy act's like he know's everything about
> dragonball, And I assure you he doesn't...
You are so wise.
the_gay...@my-deja.com
> That's really close-minded. I mean... some people want to see the
> originals, but can't.
Thanks to FUNimation.
> All they have is the dubbing. It's not the greatest thing, but
> it's something.
Right. Having the DBZ dub reminds me of a person stranded in the middle
of an ocean. They need water to survive and it's all around them, but
unfortunately it's salt water which humans cannot consume. Therefore
you have something (salt water), but in the same sense you have nothing
since you can't use it.
> I first got into DBZ by watching the dub and took the time to find
> out information about the original.
Good for you. I'd proud of you. I want other newbies to follow your
example. If more people did what you did, then we'd have less moronic
and redundant questions.
the_gay...@my-deja.com
> You are a complete ass.
Thank you. I was afraid that I might only be half an ass.
> Can't you back yourself up without cursing like a whiny little
> child.
Sure I can, but then VegettoExtra Gay wouldn't understand me. The fact
is I had to lower my writing standard to get my point accross. If I
didn't I'm afraid VegettoExtra Gay would't have been able to read why I
wrote.
> Vegetto is right, you are probably like 2 years old.
Like I stated before. VegettoExtra Gay being right, is like Dan Quayle
being right about spelling "potatoe". Therefore, VegettoExtra Gay can
never be right.
> Why don't you grow up?
I am all growed up. My mommy said so.
The Gay Saiyan
The Gay Saiyan
> Hm. . let's see, excessive cursing, unreasonable sentences,
> paranioa. . . either a case of newbies, trolling, spamming, read
> Regulators too long, or just an idiot who's go no life whatsoever and
> doesn't know that cursing is not necessary.
You're right. It's not necessary, but it is fun.
> I have no need to quote the rest of your post as apparently you think
> that everything in life must revolve around cursing. FUNimation is
> NOT a giant company like Saban or CN and they need lots of money
So do I, but you don't see me screwing people. If people were like
FUNimation, then we'd have more used cars salesmen, more lawyers, more
politicians...aw hell just more con-artists in general.
> if they plan on doing a good job.
Yeah right. They never will. They should have just continued to milk as
much as they could with their lousy dub, and in as far as subs are
concerned, they should have turned those rights over to a qualified
anime company like Software Sculptors or Pioneer or Manga or anybody
else.
> They are currently starting over right now, so you can't expect them
> to automatically know.
Oh they knew. Don't blindly believe everything they say. DragonBall and
DragonBall Z as far as FUNimation was concerned was not going to be an
anime, but a cartoon for kids. It was always their plan and goal to
merely have it shown on TV no matter how bad it was.
> You, however, jump at everything and refuses to believe the real
> world.
Of course I do. That show never was that good.
> I don't know why I bother explaining this to you, knowing that you
> won't listen, but frankly, I don't care then.
If you don't care, why did you respond in the first place?
> What can I expect from the total cretin like you?
Hey!!! How did you know I was from Crete?
The Gay Saiyan
The Gay Saiyan
> ::laughs:: You entertain me. It seems so many of today's youth can't
> grasp the concept of adjectives beyond f*ck, sh*t, etc., and you've
> taken that to a whole new level! I'm sure VegettoEX knows what he is
> talking about a spot more than you do.
Uh...No! Trust me, he doesn't know more than I.
> Oh, shut up. FUNimation is not a rich company, as oh so many of you
> seem to think.
I know. But thanks to all the fools who buy their garbage, they soon
will.
> They aren't catering to fans like you.
Nor are they catering to you.
> They IGNORE fans like you.
They IGNORE most fans in general. The only fans they listen to are the
diaper wearing, Cartoon Network watching, breast-feeding newbies.
> Hm. At least VegettoEX can write a decent argument, doesn't need to
> insult everything and everyone he can find in every sentence OF his
> argument, and can get beyond the use of swear words to get his point
> across.
Except he likes the word "ass".
Hooper X
.
>> To contact me, take off that stupid looking hat you wear.
>I'm gonna die if you touch me one more time.
>>
Hooper_X, says forget it, we'll just get John and John to write all new BGM for
the show.
"If Kenny & Waspinator were on the Titanic, who would die first?" -Me
To contact me, take off that stupid looking hat you wear.
MST# 9997 (I kid you not.)
Leader of The Bungalow Force
That sure sounds Extra Happy!!!
It must be great to be Extra Merry!!!
..... I hope that didn't come out Extra Gay.......
Leader of The Bungalow Force
example. If more people did what you did, then we'd have less moronic
and redundant questions.>>
Just because they don't have the right information doesn't make them complete
fools. They just need someone to teach them and point them in the right
direction. Not someone to just make fun of them.
Jedi Trunks
you're
>too lazy to read the entire interview, you speak out of your ass, and I
just
>think I'm right.
>
haven't done anything recently to put me in the category of 'moronic'.
"I lived to destroy the Jinzouningen. I lived to destroy
Cell. Life will soon present to me a new purpose..."
--Jedi Trunks
Jedi_...@yahoo.com
http://members.tripod.com/Jedi_Trunks
Jedi Trunks
OK, now THAT'S funny. Are you, by any chance, new to this NG? I don't have
you filtered yet.
Jedi Trunks
>dragonball, And I assure you he doesn't...
*pfft* Much more than you, I'm sure.
Aren't you the guy who sends thirty posts a day to AFSF2 trying to sell your
beat-up JAMMA crap?
Mad Carlotta
whom it's possible to have an intelligent conversation. at the next
you're a blithering idiot. we all loathe FUNimation as much as you
do. why transfer your anger to vegettoex (who's really done nothing to
you except have an opinion not quite like yours)? that is all i was
wondering about.
by the way, i am not a lesbian, but thanks ever so for asking.
--
That is not what I meant, at all. That is not it, at all.
(:::>:D)
Joey and his Akane hammer
> frod...@aol.comnoplush (Joey and his Akane hammer) wrote:
>> ::laughs:: You entertain me. It seems so many of today's youth can't
>> grasp the concept of adjectives beyond f*ck, sh*t, etc., and you've
>> taken that to a whole new level! I'm sure VegettoEX knows what he is
>> talking about a spot more than you do.
>
>Uh...No! Trust me, he doesn't know more than I.
Umm... sure, you keep telling yourself that.
>
>> Oh, shut up. FUNimation is not a rich company, as oh so many of you
>> seem to think.
>
>I know. But thanks to all the fools who buy their garbage, they soon
>will.
~_~ No commento.
>
>> They aren't catering to fans like you.
>
>Nor are they catering to you.
>
Once more, No commento
>
>> They IGNORE fans like you.
>
>They IGNORE most fans in general. The only fans they listen to are the
>diaper wearing, Cartoon Network watching, breast-feeding newbies.
>
No, they don't. We wouldn't have uncensored episodes if it weren't for all the
whining we do. We wouldn't be seeing them AIRED if it weren't for all the
whining we do. We'd still be hearing wrong attacks and "the next
dimension"(though we DO get that sometimes) if it weren't for all the whining
we did. They don't listen to our financial suggestions, because most of them
suck..
>
>> Hm. At least VegettoEX can write a decent argument, doesn't need to
>> insult everything and everyone he can find in every sentence OF his
>> argument, and can get beyond the use of swear words to get his point
>> across.
>
>Except he likes the word "ass".
>
>
>
Yes, that was inapropriate(spelled wrong, can't remember how to spell this word
at the moment..).
Carrier of the All Holy Spork
>haven't done anything recently to put me in the category of 'moronic'.
>
True, but I would place this dipshit in the category of mind maturity as six
for even the second graders at my school are more sensible.
And oh yeah, Jedi_Trunks is right. I'm 12 and I seriously am NOT moronic
(perhaps a little bit obessive and marked for death recently, but not moronic).
Juuchan (aka Ms Kuchan ^^)
Sure, you may hate me for some reason I
wish not to identify, but I have my reasons.
"I'm gonna rip your lungs out with a [SPORK!]"
--both MCTFF Ultra AND the lunch
time at school
Rooster
> "Super Cell" <supe...@adelphia.net> wrote:
>> Absolute rubbish. I don't know how old you are, but it's painfully
>obvious
>> you have no understanding -whatsoever- how Economic America works.
>
>Sure I do. I understand why they had to change the music for the TV
>version. They wanted to make money. But explain this to me...why change
>it for the so-called "uncut". They can't charge for music royalties
>with a video version only. It's simple. FUNimation sucks!!! They are
>full of shit. The truth is they are to lazy and don't give a fuck about
>the people who buy their shit. If they did, with the "uncut" version
>all backgound music would stay intact. "Cha-la, Head Cha-la" would have
>been sung in english. The writing and dialogue would be kept as close
>to the original version and not kiddified ("My my, looks like its time
>for you to go the way of the dodo." or idiotified "Heh, heh now I can
>take my two weeks paid vacation." or "Talk about a great 401K plan.")
>
Economically, it would not be feasable to target the age group you're
thinking about for them, so they have to kiddify it. And besides, if
anything's to blame it's the current state of anime in america - it's
not even fully mainstream yet. Maybe if they released it primetime
then they could do everything you're thinking about, but then you run
into the cultural differences, the money to do that, etc.
Um, I don't know if the Cha-la could be sung in English
successfully...
As for music, even though it is better than the American version, it
is somewhat dated...maybe if they had real composer do some real music
there might have been an improvement (Christopher Franke? Heh...)
>If anything FUNimation's writers are pure "rubbish". Even Gen supports
>their shit.
>
>Steve: Now, on to some general questions about the series. About the
>rewrites, how do you do decide on what and what not to include?
>
>Gen: I don't know if there's a real strategy, per se, other than that
>we tell our writers to stick to the original story by Akira Toriyama, I
>mean, you can't deviate from that. Besides that, though, we just want
>it to get "hipped up" a little bit, you know, keep it from getting
>stale. But that's just sort of a subjective creativity thing that we
>leave up to our writers. We pretty much cut them loose on that sort of
>thing.
>
>"Hipped up"?
>
>I guess that's Gen's way of saying "we feel it's best if we let our
>writers, when ever possible, to fuck up as much of the original; so
>that while it has the name Dragon Ball Z, it really isn't. It's more of
>a FUNimation Ball Z".
>
>And you're going to trust them to release an accurate subtitled
>version. Fuck that!!! If anything, they'll just use that same script
>they used in their horrible dubs.
>
>The Gay Saiyan
I can say that the Chinese dubs I have seen retain probably most of
the meaning and the voices are closely matched. But then again, it's
easier to translate between asian languages, plus it's more accepted
over there. English just doesn't quite send the message
sometimes...=)
Carrier of the All Holy Spork
>the meaning and the voices are closely matched. But then again, it's
>easier to translate between asian languages, plus it's more accepted
>over there. English just doesn't quite send the message
>sometimes...=)
Ditto. I loved the Chinese VA for the Blue Shogun! The Chinese dub is great!
Music is retained, literally nothing censored (though I doubt they have the
money and technology to censor), and overall definite good job. Just one
thing, China has always hated Japan.
Chris Sobieniak
is somewhat dated...maybe if they had real composer do some real music
there might have been an improvement (Christopher Franke? Heh...)>>
Hey don't knock Shunsuke Kikuchi! He'd composed a lot of these
background scores for Toei Animation's other films for about two
decades.
The Gay Saiyan
Mad Carlotta <mad_ca...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> saiyan, i don't understand you. at one moment you are someone with
> whom it's possible to have an intelligent conversation. at the next
> you're a blithering idiot.
I'm sorry. Out of respect to a lady, I'll refrain from being
a "blithering idiot" to you and to other intelligent Dragon Ball fans.
But I promise you this, the "idiot factor" will return when it involves
FUNimation or the associates of FUNimation (i.e. FUNimation ass-
kissers).
> we all loathe FUNimation as much as you do.
Thank you. I know the smart ones do.
> why transfer your anger to vegettoex (who's really done nothing to
> you except have an opinion not quite like yours)? that is all i was
> wondering about.
It really comes down to this. I mearly stated my hatred for FUNimation,
but apparently, "VegettoExtra Stupid" feels it is his duty as a
FUNimation ass-kisser to defend that company at any expense, even if it
means to insult me for stating an opinion about FUNImation.
My initial post said nothing about "VegettoExtra Stupid". Yet, in his
response to my post, (instead of writing a defense for "Why FUNimation
is Great") he felt he could get his point accross better by personally
attacking me. So to be fair, I just turned it up a notch and retaliated
with my own attacks toward him.
Pretty infantile, don't you think?
> by the way, i am not a lesbian, but thanks ever so for asking.
Sorry about that. It was uncalled for. Can you forgive me? I was mearly
making a pun on that fact that you said "calling you gay" would mean
nothing to you. I was just playing around when I mentioned the option
of "lesbian".
Thorne
>response to my post, (instead of writing a defense for "Why >FUNimation
>is Great") he felt he could get his point accross better by personally
>attacking me. So to be fair, I just turned it up a notch and retaliated
>with my own attacks toward him.
>Pretty infantile, don't you think?
"VegettoExtraStupid"
Well..yes.
It is.
Sigh..poor EX if this is what he has to deal with...
--
-=Thorne=-
ICQ# 30432599
IM: Thorne2112
Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were sure was real? What if you
were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference
between the dream world and the real world?
"All this computer hacking is making me thirsty. I think I'll order a Tab."
- Homer Simpson
Sucka, what's wrong with you?! Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ain't street!
Jedi Trunks
>but apparently, "VegettoExtra Stupid" feels it is his duty as a
>FUNimation ass-kisser to defend that company at any expense, even if it
>means to insult me for stating an opinion about FUNImation.
>
site also has an editorial section? He writes into it often, and I suggest
you check it out. See how much of a "FUNimation ass-kisser" he really is.
Or maybe you're just too closed-minded to check the site out and risk being
wrong.
Kami-Vegeta
I
>>haven't done anything recently to put me in the category of 'moronic'.
>>
>
>True, but I would place this dipshit in the category of mind maturity as
six
>for even the second graders at my school are more sensible.
>
>And oh yeah, Jedi_Trunks is right. I'm 12 and I seriously am NOT moronic
>(perhaps a little bit obessive and marked for death recently, but not
moronic).
>
>
Vegetto was just saying that that particular gay saiya-jin was an 11-15
year-old moron. He didn't say or imply that ALL 11-15 year-olds are like
that. But I know from personal experience that pre-teens and young teens
like to swear adamently and sound smart-assy. ALL the kids in my Junior
High swore constantly and couldn't finish a sentence without f***. I'm a
senior in high school now and I hardly hear any swearing, and what I do
hear is in...... *ahem* tense or comical situations, and not in normal
everyday conversations.
~Kami-Vegeta
"I'm so beautiful, it's scary." ~Vegeta. . . no, wait. . .I mean Hotohori
(Bah, Nuriko rocks
And Veggie RULES!!!)
"Oooutt !! And don't you come back, unteel you take a shower!!"
{Door slam} ~Ren & Stimpy.....or Bulma to Vegeta ^_^
Gawsh...... I loved your sig Alex !! :-(
^
^
`x-=Vegeta=-x`
The Gay Saiyan
> umm... Didja know that among tons of other extra DBZ goodies,
> Vegetto-san's site also has an editorial section? He writes into it
> often, and I suggest you check it out. See how much of a "FUNimation
> ass-kisser" he really is.
I did. Thanks for letting me know how much of a "FUNimation ass-kisser"
he is. His crappy site proves it. How can he support their shut down of
fansubbers. What an "ass" he is.
--
The Gay Saiyan
"When you get to HFIL, tell them The Gay Saiyan sent you!!!"
ShrineNite
>he is. His crappy site proves it. How can he support their shut down of
>fansubbers. What an "ass" he is.
Crappy site? Bwahahahahaha!!
>The Gay Saiyan
Well that explains it all..
"Hey look! I see parachutes! They're okay!" -- Tenshinhan
Vegita95
<snippity, snippity, snip>
That's old news. We already saw that on a website called The Vault: DBZ Interviews
(http://members.xoom.com/dbinterviews/gen.html). Seems you cut 'n pasted the
interview verbatim from the website.
Richard Hudson
I know you're probably wondering about the format of this interview, as opposed
to the others, but the explanation is a simple one: it was just too damn big.
It's over thirty questions, and Gen's answers can get a little long at times,
so I just decided to present it like this. Anyhow, on with the interview!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Steve: I'd like to ask you about the fansubs, first of all. Why exactly did
FUNimation wait until now to persue some course of action? Why didn't you begin
closing them down when you brought the series over?
Gen: Well, at the time, it wasn't quite as proliferent as it is now. We just
didn't have the kind of resources neccesary to go after such a small group of
people. We felt the damages were minor. But as the show became more popular, we
decided to at least investigate the people who weren't just fans, but who were
selling Dragon Ball tapes solely for profit and not for any fan-oriented
reasons or use.
Steve: But what about the fansubbers and traders? You shut a couple of them
down.
Gen: We tended to go after the larger operations, that were, you know, just
cranking out tapes and starting there own video business of selling our
property for personal profit...margins and all. As far as the trading
operations, I don't think that we're going after fans that are just trading
amongst themselves, because, theoretically (sic), they are just people
exchanging their own property. Now, if someone is illegally importing lots of
goods from, lets say overseas, or black markets, and trying to making a
business of this trading, with the intention of making a large profit by
importing lots and lots of stuff, or even creating their own stuff here, that
would be an infringement of our trademark.
Steve: Have you been forced to take any actual legal action, or have most of
the groups you've contacted willfully cooperated?
Gen: Well, many people have cooperated. We also tell people selling DB stuff
who are lincencess are. So if you want to get any DB product, you can get it
legally, you know? We have taken legal action against many importers, that are
trying to, as I said, import lots of stuff.
Steve: So you've actually pressed charges against these people?
Gen: Yes, there have been several court cases. I believe that we've won in at
least three or four of them. I believe that one of the companies we brought
charges against was also sued by Warner Brothers, because they had been
illegally selling a lot of Warner Brothers merchandise as well as DB products
We mostly go after the bootleggers. You just can't go after everybody, I mean,
no one has enough money to pay for that.
Steve: Are you aiming to completely shut down the fansub, um, community with
this drive?
Gen: No, our main intentions are to keep the mega operations who are there only
to make a profit, and are thus cutting into our market share. I'm not sure if
you're aware are not, but there are people out there selling "Dragoon Ball"
action figures. That hurts the whole liscense, because then, some mother of a
younger fan unwittingly buys one, an arm breaks off, her kid eats it or
something, and all of a sudden we've got a law suit on our hands. We simply
can't have cheap crud out there that doesn't represent the property.
Steve: Moving to the series itself, let's talk about the first two seasons. For
starters, why were they censored to such an extreme degree?
Gen: That was a requirement of our distributer, Saban. We had a lot of
arguments with them, saying they were going way to far with the censorship, but
they would refuse to air it unless it was cut to their liking. In fact, I
recall one show that we censored a little less than usual, and they just
refused to air it.
Steve: Was that the infamous "orphans" episode?
Gen: Yes, that's it.
Steve: Was that the only instance inwhich you felt they went over board?
Gen: That was the only actual episode that didn't make it to the airwaves, but
there were a lot of other instances in which we felt they crossed the line.
Steve: What about some of the more glaringly obvious edits? Like a dialogue
insert in which, upon the destruction of a press helicopter, one of the
characters is heard to say, "It's okay, I can see their parachutes!" Of course,
there are obviously no survivors of the explosion.
Gen: That was one of many instances where Saban said, "Cut it, cut that whole
scene." So we suggested that alternative, the insert as you call it, and they
eventually accepted our proposal.
Steve: Was the replacement of the soundtrack in the first two seasons a Saban
decision?
Gen: The replacing of the music, was a FUNimation desicsion. With our own
soundtrack, we could charge royalties for every second it's heard.
Steve: But the music itself? Who's responsible?
Gen: Oh, that was Saban. After we opted to go with our own music, we left the
decision of how it was done to them.
Steve: Speaking of the soundtrack, why did you replace the Japanese opening
with "Rock the Dragon?"
Gen:Well, one thing is, it's way too long. There are specific standards out
there, and the simple fact is is that it just runs too long. When we chopped it
up, it was very hard to get it into a fast paced opening that would catch the
target audience's attention. The people we're trying to reach, American
children, have a very short attention span. They flip through the channels
pretty quick, and if you're show isn't flashy enough, then he's not going to
stop and watch it. We felt we had to do something there to catch people's
attention, so they'd watch the whole thing (the show), and see how good it is.
Steve: Is that the same reason the background music was replaced?
Gen: For the most part. In the US, audiences tend to like a more continuous BGM
on animated series. It's kind of a rule of thumb to fill in gaps in the action
with constant music to pace the action a little better. A big complaint a lot
of people had with the Japanese music was that it took too many pauses. We used
the judgement of our consultants, to make the show conform better to American
music.
Steve: Were you pleased with the way Saban handled the BGM?
Gen: Well, as I said, we were strategically pleased with the replacement, but
we had to change the "composer." We were not very pleased with the music for
the first two seasons.
Steve: About the old voice actors (VAs), why did you decide to use the Ocean
Group?
Gen: Well, we talked to various studios all over the place. I don't remember
the actual selection process, but it was mainly a mixture of cost, talent, and
relationships. There are a lot of variables in a decision like that, and Ocean
was where we eventually ended up.
Steve: It's interesting to me the way the voices were handled. Some, like
Piccollo and Bulma, were kept fairly faithful to the Japanese voices, but some,
like Goku and Vegeta, were changed dramatically. Why?
Gen:Well, we had to change Goku's voice because test audiences thought his
Japanese voice was wayy to high. They thought he was too...not macho enough. We
had to conform to our cultural biases there. What happened with Vegeta was we
started running into a problem: audiences couldn't distinguish one male
fighting voice from another male fighting voice, and you get so many male
fighting voices at one time, so people get confused. So we had to give him a
little accent, you know, a way to distinguish him from the others.
Steve: Moving along to the new season, why did FUNimation decide to offer
"uncut" videos along with the episodes that air on TV? Was it some sort of
concession to the hard-core fans?
Gen: Yes, we wanted the fans to get the uncut version. We really feel that
there's a good market there, so, it was always a part of our plan that whenever
we got control of the home video release from Pioneer, that we would release
the uncuts along with the uncuts. And it looks like the strategy's working.
Steve: But why weren't the original (Japanese) music and dialogue left in?
Isn't that what the hard-core niche wants?
Gen: Well, I mean, the niche breaks into many, smaller niches. The niche that
wants the pure, unaltered show is so small that there would be virtually no
market for completely Japanese tapes. There's no way that retailers on a mass
basis would take something like that. So, we had to come up with a sort of
happy medium where we at least get the visuals in there, but we just leave the
music from the cut alone. Plans at least for now, but not solidified, are that
the DVD version will have a pure Japanese, subtitled version.
Steve: What kind of feed-back has season three gotten so far?
Gen: It's been pretty positive. I think people like the music better, which is
good. With the voices, we tried the best we could to match them with the voices
from seasons one and two, because we liked those. We tried the best we could
with the best actors we could find, and the only one we just could not match
was Krillin. I'm really disappointed that we couldn't get a decent match with
the talent pool we have here, even after many, many auditions. Of course, we
could have got people that couldn't act, but that's not good enough for us.
Steve: Why exactly was there a music change, from the first two seasons to the
third?
Gen: We're much happier with this new composer, we just feel that the newer
music is much better. The second reason is that we wanted to have more control
over the music. Previously, we had almost no control. Saban wouldn't deliver
the music on time, and we couldn't have it adjusted the way we wanted. Now,
with it being done locally, we've been given a lot more control.
Steve: Now, about the voice actors... Why the change for season three?
Gen: Again, we moved all our studios here, and that required a change of
actors, since all the old ones were in Vancouver; we needed a local talent
pool. That's the only way we could record as many shows as we're doing. Without
the locals, we'd have a real scheduling nightmare on our hands.
Steve: Were the new actors selected through open auditions?
Gen: Mostly. We also took references, you know, friends of friends and every
other way we could get a body in here.
Steve: Are the new VAs professional voice actors, as the previous ones were?
Gen: Yes, I believe so. I'm not really sure of there backgrounds, but I think
they are. At least, from an acting point of view, we're quite happy with their
performances thus far. I don't think the VAs have caused an issue for us, with
the fans that is, yet.
Steve: Would you compare the new VAs favorably to the last set?
Gen: Oh yeah, absolutely, I think the acting is really good. I wish we could
have a better match for a few of the characters, but the acting is sound.
Steve: Now, onto your relationship with Cartoon Network. First of all, how did
you guys get hooked up?
Gen: Well, Bob Brennen had started a relationship with them a few years ago,
so, when it looked like the show was going to be available again for broadcast,
we immediatly contacted them, indicating it's availability. One thing led to
another, and we eventually settled on our current arrangement.
Steve: Was the transition of your property from Saban to a cable network good?
Gen: Absolutely, it was great. One is that the syndication market has sort of
fallen apart, as you might know, and we couldn't get good timeslots in all
markets, in addition to the fact that some markets wouldn't show it at all. On
Cartoon Network, we have better coverage, more airing, better timeslots, better
promotion (as done by Cartoon Network.) It's just a much better market, from
the distribution side of things.
Steve: Did Cartoon Network buy the show with intentions of airing season three,
when it came out?
Gen: Originally, they bought the first set with no real long term commitment.
In other words, even though the show had already been somehwhat proven, they
wanted to test it out a little. So they only picked up the first set, and they
would try to approach us later on if everything went well.
Steve: How does the future look for DBZ at Cartoon Network?
Gen: I'm almost certain that it's one, if not the top rated show on CN right
now. We're both very happy with the way things are going, and I hope the
relationship will continue long into the future.
Steve: Have there been any signs at this point in time that CN will pick up the
next batch of episodes you do?
Gen: Yes, they've already optioned the entire rest of the series?
Steve: Do you know if it'll stay in it's current time slot?
Gen: That's a totally...Cartoon Network doesn't even know exactly how they're
gonna program from year to year. Um, I'm sure, however, that if it stays
successful, Cartoon Network probably won't mess with it too much. At least, I
certainly hope it stays there, because that's the best place for it. Well, that
or prime-time.
Steve: How would you compare your relationship with CN to your relationship to
Saban?
Gen: The relationship with CN is much better. They understand the product a lot
better than Saban did, and treat it in a much more professional manor than
Saban as well.
Steve: Now, on to some general questions about the series. About the rewrites,
how do you do decide on what and what not to include?
Gen: I don't know if there's a real strategy, per se, other than that we tell
our writers to stick to the original story by Akira Toriyama, I mean, you can't
deviate from that. Besides that, though, we just want it to get "hipped up" a
little bit, you know, keep it from getting stale. But that's just sort of a
subjective creativity thing that we leave up to our writers. We pretty much cut
them loose on that sort of thing.
Steve: Let's talk about the future, now. Commercially sub-titled DBZ is
probably the most widely held hope the dedicated-fanbase community. Did you
originally intend to market it in a subbed form in the US?
Gen: We have been debating that issue since the very beginning, but when DVD
started to arise that we saw the great oppurtunity to do it there. It's
primarily a big business descision because the cost of putting out another VHS
just with the sub-titles compared with the possible sales makes for a tough
call. But with DVD, we could put both versions on one disc. This works because
some of the people that want to buy it in English will never watch the Japanese
version, but it's there for the hard-core. Plus, Toei wouldn't allow us to do a
VHS version so we got them to concede to the DVD plan.
Steve: So there's no chance of seeing commercially subbed DBZ on VHS?
Gen: I would say that it's...highly unlikely.
Steve: What about the possibility of a video-game release here in the US? Would
FUNimation liscence the property to game developer/publisher?
Gen: Yes, we've already had several offers, and we're currently trying to
decide which one to go with. Nobody was really interested until the show
reached it's current level of popularity, but now they're really jumping at the
oppurtunity.
Steve: So, would it be a translation of a Japanese game, or something totally
original?
Gen: Totally new.
Steve: Any idea what platform the game would be on?
Gen: We're looking at all the majors, Nintendo and Sony certainly, as well as
possibly Sega.
Steve: Are you guys trying to get DBGT and the rest of DB?
Gen: Yes, we are discussing these things. The biggest issue is, of course, "How
many Dragonballs can you have at one time?" We gotta handle it carefully,
because in the US Market espescially, things can begin to oversaturate and tend
to lose popularity very quickly.
Steve: So you're aiming for perpetuity?
Gen: Well, yeah, because it's such a great series, so it's how carefully we
treat both DB and DBGT and how we time their respective releases that's going
to be crucial. But we are talking with some people about how to get it on TV,
and maybe just going direct to video with it.
Steve: Can we expect anymore movies to be released?
Gen: We are desperatly trying to get those out of Japan. We have the exclusive
use of the Dragonball TM in this territory, but the contract says that we have
to negotiated them one at a time. There are a lot of issues that are starting
to arise, stemming from the sheer amount of financial backers that all the
movies after three had. Lots of other parties were involved, so it creates a
real rights nightmare. Trying to get everyone's consent has thus far been a
very slow process, but rest assured that efforts are being made.
Steve: The next thing I'd like to cover is DB/Z's sizable presensce on the
internet. How aware are you of the series' proliference?
Gen: Oh yeah, we're quite aware. I believe that in the top fifty topics
searched for by the Lycos search engine, we (meaning DBZ) were the fourth most
searched for topic, behind Hurrican Floyd, Pokemon, and Britney [editor's note:
ha! I spelled her name right!] Spears. We realize that we're very hot on the
web. We've been doing everything possible to beef up our web-site, and have our
web store try to get as much DB stuff as possible. In October, we've got two
people joining the staff that are going to help with creating a better fan-base
for the website, streamlining the email a little bit, and updating our page
more frequently than we are currently able to do. But the web is definetly a
high priority for us, although it's still a ways behind our TV and video
business. The former only generates a fraction of the revenue that the latter
brings in.
Steve: What about the multitude of non-official/commercial fansites out there?
Gen: I have checked out a few of the many sites out there, and I've even used
some to find out what happens later in the series, because I sometimes need a
little refresher...in that area.
Steve: Finally, does FUNimation care about the hard-core fans? Our are we just
a negligible group.
Gen: We care, but our primary objective is to meet the mass market, or else
this'll all fizzle. Without the mass market, we'd never be able to get all the
episodes into the US. But that [editor's note: I'm not sure who he's referring
to here, so I apologize ahead for any confusion.] just serves as the fuel for
the fire, and then we can satisfy all the hardcore guys, you know, because now
we have the fuel for the engine. So we can use the cash from the mass market on
the DVD version, which will satisfy the really dedicated guys.
Ian Motter
Vegita95 wrote:
<snip>
> Seems you cut 'n pasted the
> interview verbatim from the website.
And I rather enjoyed reading it, since I haven't been to
that particular website.