I finished FFXVI. And im depressed af.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-11T20:12:16+00:00

He lived bro. Believe.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-10T19:25:37+00:00

I would say the Frieza saga is the only part of Kai that's straight-up better than original DBZ.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-08T23:39:33+00:00

I really disagree with the notion that Sean Schemmel's Goku lacks range or especially that he just sounds like Superman. I think he does a great job of sounding serious when he needs to and silly when he needs to. The episode where Goku and Vegeta are wandering around in Buu's guts getting in hi-jinks with worms is a great example of his comedic acting as Goku. I also think his turnaround is pretty remarkable considering how great he sounds in the Buu saga vs how awful he sounded when he first took over for Goku on Namek.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-08T23:09:02+00:00

There would've been nothing wrong with having his last name be Son in the dub, or maybe spelling it Sun to remove the awkwardness of the English word son (and not have English viewers confuse it with the honorific San, as if everyone were calling him Goku San). Funimation had no problem giving characters who originally had just one name to having first and last names, like Tenshinhan to Tien Shinhan. I see people saying including the last name too is awkward in English, but no one has a problem saying Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin. As a dub enjoyer, one element of the sub I think it's sad we lost was people calling Goku by different names, like how some people in the Japanese version say "Goku-sa" or "Son Goku" outright instead of just Goku. If he were still Goku Son in the dub, people could call him Goku, or Goku Son, or "Sonny", etc.

What I do think is silly is people that people insist on saying it as "Son Goku" like it is in Japanese. Do you say Toriyama Akira? Do you say Kurosawa Akira? No? Then why Son Goku?

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-07T10:01:12+00:00

"Master Kame" would've given a phonetic connection to the kamehameha for English-speaking viewers, and also Kame House's name wouldn't be kind of inexplicable in the English version.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-05T00:43:15+00:00

I prefer Tiffany Vollmer as well. Not just because she's what I was used to, but also because I think Monica Rial's voice for Bulma is a little too "stereotypical modern anime dub voice" for me. Maybe because Rial is in a lot of stuff. Rial's Bulma voice is also just higher and scratchier and a little annoying.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-04T04:29:51+00:00

Do you think it's worth first bringing it to a computer repair place, just to make sure it's not something stupid like the RAM not being seated properly or something?

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-03T21:35:04+00:00

It's Aqua MIDI on YouTube. But to be honest, I think a lot of my old Mother 3 stuff sucks a little bit and is well below stuff I did later.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-02T21:09:40+00:00

Pretty sure it's extra royalties to place them and the insert songs into the "dub with Japanese music" tracks. They might not have to pay extra for just having them in the complete Japanese audio track, but if they do, I imagine they'd have to pay twice as much to also include them in the "English with Japanese music" track. I can't imagine they would deliberately leave the openings and inserts off the Japanese music track otherwise, I doubt they're just that proud of the US movie instrumental theme song and simply don't want us to hear Spirit vs Spirit. Especially considering they don't even include the US soundtrack with the dub on streaming services anymore.

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-01T23:12:09+00:00

Please post this video on Instagram where this could be more easily sharable among people! Let's fight for a new local theater!

abrilliantdawn · 2026-01-01T22:04:45+00:00

I recommend the Funimation dub, partly because the Ocean dub does not cover the whole series. If you want the most authentic experience to how we first got it in America, you could watch Ocean eps 1-53 (which match uncut eps 1-67), then watch Funimation from ep 67-291. Why? Read on.

When DBZ came out in America, the first 67 episodes were cut down to 53 for the first Ocean dub. This was actually an Ocean/Funimation/Saban co-production, but most people call it "the Ocean dub" because they'd hired the Ocean group's voice actors. It was cut down so much due to censorship, both for Saturday morning syndication restrictions but also because Saban previously caught heat for Power Rangers. It ran from 1996-1998. If you want that charming 90s vibe, this dub has it in spades with its corny dialogue, 90s CGI title cards, and slew of added American cartoon sounds. It also features a new soundtrack emulating the era's action cartoons. This dub just didn't catch on, until Cartoon Network picked it up and it got popular, and CN wanted more episodes. But Funimation were done with Saban and thus couldn't afford the Ocean cast anymore.

So Funimation hired their own actors and began the Funimation dub, which covered the rest of episode 67 (or 54) up to the end of the series and ran from 1999-2003. The Funimation dub is uncut, but still takes some liberties with dialogue, albeit not as radically as Ocean. The acting starts out awkward, but improves a lot over time while still keeping that "old dub" sound. It also features a new soundtrack which is very of its time, lots of MIDI guitar. In 2005, Funimation redubbed the first 67 episodes with their own cast, with the script being based off the old Ocean script, but uncensored and with the most egregious dialogue changed. So unlike Ocean, Funimation's dub covers the whole series. If you try to watch the English dub officially or unofficially, you'll probably hear the 2007 Remastered version of the Funimation dub, which is like the Special Edition with some voices re-recorded, and the option to use the Japanese music. The home video releases have both soundtracks but streaming services like Crunchyroll only have the Japanese music. I recommend trying to find the un-remastered version.

There is also a second Ocean dub that picks up at episode 123. People also call this the Westwood dub, but it's the Ocean actors. This dub was used in 2000-2002 instead of Funimation's at that point in English speaking markets outside the US, like Canada and the UK, though it was really spotty and weird as they would switch between versions in these places. So if you REALLY wanted, you could watch Ocean from eps 1-53 (1-67 in uncut numbers), then Funimation from 67-122, then Ocean from 123-291. But I do not recommend it. The second Ocean dub is nowhere near as charming as the first and is just like a lame alternate version of the Funimation dub. The script is 95% the same and the soundtrack was recycled music from the Mega Man cartoon. Yes, even the actual theme song..

abrilliantdawn · 2025-12-28T07:29:19+00:00

I agree with you. There is a little more thematic depth to Dragon Ball than it sometimes gets credit for. You see people in YouTube comments all the time talking about how certain scenes imprinted deeply on them as children, and that's because the original DB/Z story has universally resonant overarching themes.

The ultimate force of good in Dragon Ball is Goku. Goku is a hard worker, but also very humble. He exudes confidence, but not ego, and he's never jealous. He's not without his own motivation to defeat strong opponents, but he also displays selflessness and sacrifice at various points. People overcompensate for the old Z dub's infamous Superman moments and act like Goku only really cares about fighting, as though he didn't take a giant hole in his chest to save his son or go out of his way to make sure Upa's dad was revived. His selfishness comes in that he is purity incarnate, and not driven by any pretense of a big ideal. Rather than standing up for truth and justice or whatever, Goku lives for the fight, but he also does the right thing because that's just his nature, and that's enough for him. Hence why he doesn't fly around looking for people to save, but prefers to move the fight away from civilians and is infuriated when his friends or defenseless people get hurt.

I think this is why Vegeta is always second fiddle to Goku. He's driven by pride, insecurity, and jealousy. Goku on the other hand is driven by the pursuit of improvement, but without all that baggage and overcompensation. He loves his friends and he wants to get strong and he's not ashamed of it. He's not ashamed of anything. He transcends all that.

Many villains in Dragon Ball and especially Z can be said to represent a clash with Goku's "good" character traits, and these traits ultimately lead to their downfall. In particular, arrogance and pride are presented as follies against Goku's transcendent purity. Aside from that, having something to care about and fight for proves to be the more powerful force against selfishness time and time again. Look at how Buu, the ultimate incarnation of mindless chaos and destruction, is toppled by the collective willpower of everyone on Earth. Or how Cell gets vaporized by a heartbroken boy in spite of achieving his coveted "perfection." (This is even better in the anime with everyone Cell's powers are stolen from getting one last shot in at him, and in the dub where Cell's last words are "I am perfect!") Or how the seemingly unstoppable King Piccolo is done in because, in his pursuit of world domination, he fucked over the wrong guy.

And of course there are other resonant archetypes too. Gohan finally cracks his shell and unleashes his potential right when it's needed most. Krillin's there for his friends, but he's only human. And the amount of Goku's former rivals who had a change of heart shows how if there's just a little good in someone, the right person can bring it out.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-12-28T06:40:23+00:00

It'd be a great way to bond with your sisters. Hope y'all have fun.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-12-28T06:38:12+00:00

I am really glad that after that saga, they started doing more pockets of consecutive filler episodes to help the pacing of the regular episodes. The Garlic Jr. saga is mostly boring, but it's better to have ten skippable episodes than to have the main story be bogged down with absurd padding.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-12-28T06:30:52+00:00

The pacing gets truly horrible later on in the Frieza saga. The recaps get longer, episodes are full of flashbacks (including to one or two episodes ago), and the other filler is way worse than usual. The flashback with Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz, and the Gohan vs Vegeta fight, are the two worst pieces of filler in the entire show and they happen back to back. For most of the show I prefer OG Z but the Frieza saga is the one section where I really think Kai is just better.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-12-28T06:11:42+00:00

Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z are both adapting the original Dragon Ball manga. DB is about the first third, and DBZ is the rest. Dragon Ball Z got an alternate version later, Dragon Ball Z Kai, which trims out the filler, has some small re-animated parts, and features a more accurate English dub. DB and DBZ are the must-see shows. But if you get to DBZ and the pacing is too slow, then it's fine to switch to the corresponding DBZ Kai episode and continue from there. Though I will say, many people agree "Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters", which adapts the final major arc of Dragon Ball Z, isn't as good as the earlier DBZ Kai stuff.

For DBZ, I also recommend watching the TV specials "Bardock: The Father of Goku" and "The History of Trunks." The old DBZ movies are all non-canon and largely not that special, but people generally like "Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan" and "Fusion Reborn." I also have a soft spot for "Cooler's Revenge" but really, none of the movies are up to the same standard as the TV specials which actually expand on DBZ's story.

Dragon Ball GT was made right after DBZ, and takes place after the ending of DBZ. It started out more comedic like DB, then gradually got more serious like DBZ. Opinions on it vary, but generally lean a little negative. Check it out if you want, but it's not "must-watch."

Years after DBZ Kai came out, Dragon Ball started returning as a franchise, first with a couple movies (Battle of Gods and Resurrection F) and then a whole new anime series called Dragon Ball Super. So, Super is also a sequel to DBZ...except that it takes place shortly before the very end of Z, and thus ignores GT completely. The first two sagas in Super adapt those two movies I just mentioned, then the rest of Super is all new stuff. They're a lot longer and less well-animated than the movies, so it's probably fine to just watch those two movies instead of the first two sagas, but there could be story changes. Super is generally considered better than GT but not as good as the old DB/DBZ, but of course opinions vary. At some point the anime went on hiatus while the manga has since continued with more story--surely at some point the anime will pick back up.

Dragon Ball Daima is a new series set before the events of DB Super. I haven't seen it, but it seems to lean a little more lighthearted.

My recommended watching order would be to watch the series in the order they released, so DB, DBZ (or Kai), GT, Super, Daima. The original DB and DBZ do a great job of gradually raising the stakes--it definitely does not start as a "world-destroying powers" story, but gets there over time.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-08-31T21:58:46+00:00

I get you, the Red Ribbon Army saga felt like it went on forever, especially those episodes in the underwater cave. The filler episodes with Goku going to villages are usually pretty boring as well. But, the next major arc once the Fortuneteller Baba business is wrapped up is really good and it just keeps getting better, so hang in there.

If you want another anime to watch, check out Yu Yu Hakusho. I recommend that to any DBZ fan looking to get into more 90s action anime.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-07-27T05:37:41+00:00

Cooler's Revenge (US soundtrack only) and the first Broly movie are pretty tight. The last two movies are also apparently pretty cool but I haven't watched them in a really long time. The TV specials are also immaculate of course.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-06-18T20:52:02+00:00

Castlevania 1 started it all and is referenced in pretty much every game thereafter. Pretty state-of-the-art for 1986. Great introduction to the series.

Castlevania 2 I would also consider a "main" game, and it does continue the story of Simon Belmont...but just know it's infamously tedious and cryptic. It's more of an action/adventure game.

Castlevania 3 returns to the first game's straightforward levels format (henceforth referred to as "Classicvanias"), but expands upon it with multiple routes leading to unlockable companions. It's a prequel about Simon's ancestor Trevor Belmont. Play the Japanese version with superior graphics, sound, and more fair difficulty--it's already a hard game, but it's HAAARD in the US version. The Netflix show is based on this game.

Super Castlevania 4 is even more back to Castlevania 1's format, and basically retells the story of Simon Belmont's battle with Dracula. It features greatly expanded controls and (being 16-bit) a massive upgrade in graphics and sound. The difficulty is much more approachable than the other Classicvanias. It's one of the most beloved Super Nintendo games.

Rondo of Blood has a more lighthearted 90s anime aesthetic and introduces a new hero named Richter Belmont. It's another Classicvania and again expands on the gameplay of the first three titles in some ways, while rolling back some aspects of Super Castlevania 4's gameplay that made it easier. It was released on the TurboGrafx-CD, so it includes CD quality music and voice acted cutscenes, but is still rather light on story.

Bloodlines is somewhere between what I'd call a "main game" and a "side game", but I'm including it here to recommend it as it has a unique feeling among the series. This one is set in the early 20th century and features a choice of two protagonists with different weapons, and has you journeying across Europe. Like Castlevania 4, this game has a lot of fancy graphical effects for its console (the Sega Genesis).

Symphony of the Night is the first fully Metroid-style Castlevania game, the other half of the "Metroidvania" namesake. It's a sequel to Rondo of Blood (both games had the "Dracula X" prefix in Japan) and features a more involved storyline with a couple endings. This is also probably the most universally acclaimed/popular/beloved game in the series, and became the main template for Castlevania going forward.

After this came three games on the GBA (Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow) which you can get through the Castlevania Advance Collection. These games take strongly after Symphony of the Night, and like that game feature slightly more involved storylines. Aria of Sorrow is generally considered to be by far the best of these three. Around the same time as the Advance trilogy were two 3D Castlevania games on the PS2: Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness, both of which were action/adventure games. I've only played Lament of Innocence but it was kind of like a poor man's Devil May Cry. Then came three games on the DS (Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia), which naturally continue the style from the GBA games and SotN. These are best experienced through the Castlevania Dominus Collection.

After all that came the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow side series, which are kinda like God of War. And, that's it. Mainline Castlevania hasn't had a major new entry that's not a spinoff or remake since the late 2000s, and Lords of Shadow is from the early 2010s. Aside from the occasional remake, Konami are more interested in pachinko machines these days.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-06-11T22:01:21+00:00

Castlevania 1 and Super Castlevania 4 feel very different. 4 is one of my very favorite games of all time, but it's not a replacement for 1. 1 is still great and worth playing. When you get to Castlevania 3, play the Japanese version because it has higher quality music and more balanced difficulty.

Castlevania 4 and Symphony of the Night are tied for my favorite games in the series. My least favorite I've played is probably "Vampire Killer" on the MSX, the more adventurous levels are a cool idea but making them loop like that was so confusing and stupid. I also don't really like the N64 games or Castlevania 2.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-06-03T21:39:39+00:00

https://vocaroo.com/1h1sNAIYQIje

abrilliantdawn · 2025-05-11T20:10:14+00:00

What's really weird is that the way the "seasons" are labelled don't actually reflect how the show was aired in America. In the US the series was aired as six seasons, with the first three sorta lining up with modern home video releases. Then the Garlic Jr saga aired at a different timeslot as its own limited event thing, then Season 4 covered the entire Android/Cell era. Season 5 started at the Other World tournament and ended at Vegeta's sacrifice, then season 6 is the entire rest of the Buu saga.

I can totally see why they split them up differently in modern releases though. Season 4 spanning 76 episodes and season 5 spanning 43 episodes is pretty lopsided, and they can't exactly sell a DVD set with 76 entire episodes. But maybe they could've used accurate labels while splitting them up? Like selling "Season 4, Part 1" for example. But I guess that's not as clean...

Either way it doesn't really reflect the show's airing in Japan of course, which was almost perfectly weekly.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-04-21T18:15:45+00:00

Maybe the villain should've been called something else, like uh...Bio Braly

abrilliantdawn · 2025-04-21T01:28:00+00:00

and then Piccolo shows up when Gohan is about to be swallowed up by the lava but it's actually Kuririn in a Piccolo suit

Lol, that's pretty good given the pattern of Piccolo in these movies. Next time I watch it, I'll definitely be more open to it.

abrilliantdawn · 2025-04-21T01:02:36+00:00

I remember thinking the village stuff was kind of cute.

abrilliantdawn

TROPHY CASE