The first anime that I really got into was Dragonball. I originally caught the first dub of Dragonball by Funimation back when I was twelve, when Funi only dubbed the first 13 episodes. About a year later, I rediscovered Dragonball being aired on spanish television and was hooked ever since.
And we got the entire series WAY before the U.S. did. I remember one time, reading someone's reaction, they were barely out of the Sayajin Saga when he learned that the series had ended two years ago in Mexico. Like he expected for the U.S. to ALWAYS get things first.
We had a WAY better dub in Mexico for the longest time, too. Funimation was forced to dumb it down for broadcast, but we got it mostly uncut and unedited. If I had to guess why, it's probably because Funi was so small then, and their voice actors weren't as seasoned. On the other hand, in Mexico EVERYTHING is dubbed, so there was a bigger talent pool to pick from.
You know that terribly Dragonball Evolution movie? (I'll post about that eventually) They got most of the Voice Actors from the series when they dubbed it into Spanish.
I should point out that as good as the Spanish dub was, it wasn't perfect. For starters they DID cut somethings and edited where they needed it. They mainly cut the nudity, either cut it down or completely when they could. And they never kept Roshi's "pat-pat" stuff. He was still a lecherous old man, but they either completely changed or toned down what he said. When Goku brings a Mermaid to Kame House, Roshi asked for her shoe instead of her panties. And when he's revived at the end of the Picoro Saga, he asks "Si me cosinas un huachinango de este tamano."
"Cook me a Red Snapper this big."
I guess you can read into what he means by "Red Snapper." You didn't know what he said, but you knew what he was saying.
The other problem with the Latin American dub was that some of the voices repeat, especially in the incidental voices. José Luis Castañeda's unmistakable raspy robotic tone popped up every saga. Sometimes voices would change from one episode to another. Like King Cold who was first voiced by Humberto Solórzano, then replaced by José Luis Castañeda. Once, Picoro's regular voice actor was replaced for one episode and his voice changed to José Luis Castañeda. I've developed a personal running gag about José Luis Castañeda. You could have a drinking game if Dragonball wasn't so long.
"Te amo, Krilin."
I guess the purpose of this post is to get my special type of Nostalgia on record. Dragonball is one of my childhood favorites, but I don't like the same "brand" of Dragonball that everyone around me seems to like. Without going on Spanish websites, it's hard to find someone who watched the series. (Duh. I know) Later on, I'll be rewatching/ reviewing the series, and I want to have it down from what perspective I'm approaching it from. The series has garnered a reputation on the internet; often called the "Greatest Anime of All Time" and just as often cited as the dumbest, most overrated anime of all time. My never-ending struggle to maintain an unbiased opinion compels me to give my most nostalgic series a complete once-over and finally pin down the series strengths and weaknesses.
Oh, and "Rock the Dragon" sucked.
