So, you like Dragonball Z, huh? Yeah!
Well, there’s a new DBZ film out in Japan right now and the gears of promotion
are spinning ever more rapidly with every free toy that comes with the utterly unrelated
product that you actually didn’t want in the first place but bought anyway. That means this is the perfect time for this
next post, which is actually the first in a series of posts I intend to write exclusively
about DBZ. Subsequent posts in the
series will cover the differences in Goku’s character, his relationship with
Vegeta and a little secret about Krillin that you won’t find in the American virgin,
uh, I mean version! Version. Yes, you are a version.
This being somewhat an introductory post, I’ll touch on some of the obvious differences between Japanese and English versions, and something
that wasn’t changed at all. These
differences might seem superficial at first, but they point to some of the
potential sticking points that can be encountered with localization projects
for very large, mixed audiences. I’m
going to assume that readers are somewhat familiar with the characters from the
DBZ universe so I won’t be giving much by way of explanation as to who they are
or their backgrounds. If you’re reading
this, it’s probably safe to assume you also practice your kamehamehas in front of the mirror or in the living room. Or the park.
Or the supermarket. Or during board meetings.
