Dub Music

[2BeAMaster]

I have never understood why TPCI (and 4Kids, too, I guess) has decided to remove much of the original background music in the English dub of the anime and replace it with their own. Can someone explain to me why the company likes to do it?

 

[Kairyu]

Because they are retarded. Simple as that.

 

[NyaChan]

In some cases, they can't get the rights to them, but in other cases, I have no idea. Dx;

 

[Magmaster12]

That's like asking why 4kids made so many crazy edits.

 

[Rex Kamex]

The dub music is cheaper and, according to the dubbers making the music (and some other people), better.

One of the dub music makers at TPCI (although he worked with 4Kids at first) said, in an interview that was here a while back, that they do it for "commercial and artistic reasons."

Not that I'm happy that they do this. (Although I did like more of the 4Kids music than TPCI music, especially the music for the first three movies. Not that I didn't like the Japanese music in those movies. Well, the only movie, of those three, where I've heard all the Japanese BGM in it is the first one. Anyway...)

What I'm wondering is why there are episodes/movie where nearly all the Japanese BGM is intact and others barely have any of it?

Especially with what's been going on in the Galactic Battles season... TPCI is up to something, I think...

I wonder why they don't just only use dub music or that they only use Japanese music.

 

[V Faction]

$$$

Also, if this all turns into some crusade against the music, I am officially out of here.

 

[Rex Kamex]

Something else I was wondering was... why do they do things like this:

Music Edit
Just like they did in the last episode, PUSA takes a comedic scene that had really goofy music in the Japanese version and plays this ridiculously serious music in its place. This time, it's the scene where Satoshi's running away from the Spear[Beedrill- not a literal spear =) ]. It has this great piece of music playing in the Japanese version that lets us know that it's a scene being played for laughs, but the dubbed version makes it look like it's this terrible life or death struggle.

It's episodes like this one that make me wonder if the music editors even listen to the music in the original version before throwing it all away for their A.D.D.-friendly compositions.

 

[2BeAMaster]

Man, I don't like how PUSA got all worried about money in 2006. Did they hire cheaper writers that year, as well?

 

[Kazamatsuri]

To answer the question, it could be due to any of the following reasons:

A. Budget Constraints
B. Contracts
C. They just feel like it
D. All of the above

Beyond that answer, I have no idea.

But having said that, at least we're getting somewhere with some recent episodes leaving the soundtrack as is. If they can do that consistently for future episodes, we have it made.

 

[double trouble!]

When DP165 is dubbed, I'm hoping it's all Japanese music.

 

[Semidos]

I think 4Kids music was better than Japanese. PUSA should still keep this.

 

[Trainer Lisa]

I agree. The 4Kids BGM was awesome! ^^

Don't get me wrong, I like the Japanese BGM too (well, I don't watch the Japanese version, but I do like the BGM tracks that have been kept in the dub). But, I absolutely loved the 4Kids BGM! With the series BGM, it really added something special to each of the scenes, in my opinion.

Anyway, it's a shame that the music composer isn't making his music the same way he did in the 4Kids dub (apparently, it's still the same guy, according to that interview).

Man, I don't like how PUSA got all worried about money in 2006. Did they hire cheaper writers that year, as well?

Yeah, same here. I thought they hired new writers too...

But I recently found out that Pokemon still has the same writer that it's always had, since 2003 or something. o.o

I know, it's weird. I was surprised when I found this out too, cause the writing does seem like it's different in the Pokemon USA dub.

 

[Dogasu]

C. They just feel like it

That's pretty much it. Sometimes the simplest answer ends up being the correct one.

Though I will say that TPCI is doing a lot better, music-wise, than 4Kids ever did. After about the third 4Kids season, you'd be lucky to have four pieces of music left intact.

 

[Lord_Mewtwo]

That's pretty much it. Sometimes the simplest answer ends up being the correct one.

Though I will say that TPCI is doing a lot better, music-wise, than 4Kids ever did. After about the third 4Kids season, you'd be lucky to have four pieces of music left intact.

What I feel is this. 4Kids/TPCI just rescore the show because they think the Japanese score is just not good enough just like what Norman Grossfeld said about the rescoring of the first movie about it being what kids would respond to which I think is crazy because the original score for the first movie was much better than the dub music (not that I hate it I just prefer the original music better). I do agree with Dogasu with the whole after season 3 the music replacement got worse. As I'm viewing the later Johto episodes (or Master Quest to dub fans) I really notice that and I think it's awful. I noticed some episodes kept over 4 pieces of music, but sometimes when they keep a piece they'll only use like half of it or a quater of it, and it's really tacky. In episode 240 4Kids replaced the Kanto Champion music (which is one of my favorites) which is stupid because we've heard it before in the dub. I haven't gotten to 275 yet, but I do remember the music in that episode's dub was bad like in the part where Satoshi/Ash is crying as he's running if I remember correctly Namida Nochi Hare played in the Japanese version, but replaced in the dub it's like why? dub fans have heard it before. I do like that lately TPCI has been keeping all of the music in some episodes like DP 142 or 146, but then after they air, the following week it's back to their usual standards of replacing music like in today's episodes DP 147 only 4 pieces were kept. I'd honestly prefer a dub with all of the music kept, but it doesn't look like it will happen unless we the fans do something about it as I remember that a few Dragon Ball Z fans did a petition to have FUNimation restore the original music to the series then when the season sets came out they finally restored the original music to the dub which is what finally got me to finally watch it as I heard some of its dub music while flipping channels and I couldn't stand it, so if fans could do it for DBZ we can do it for Pokemon.

 

[2BeAMaster]

I recently found out that Pokemon still has the same writer that it's always had, since 2003 or something. o.o

I know, it's weird. I was surprised when I found this out too, cause the writing does seem like it's different in the Pokemon USA dub.

Are you sure? Team Rocket used to be pretty hilarious in my opinion, but now their jokes seem quite corny. It doesn't seem like the same person is writing the jokes.

 

[snowmint]

You think with PUSA/ TPCI being so cheap that they should fire the dub composer in general .

 

[Rex Kamex]

I haven't gotten to 275 yet, but I do remember the music in that episode's dub was bad like in the part where Satoshi/Ash is crying as he's running if I remember correctly Namida Nochi Hare played in the Japanese version, but replaced in the dub it's like why? dub fans have heard it before.

One reason that one was replaced was probably because it continued through the eyecatch.

 

[Dogasu]

The music did that in "Dressed for Jess Success," but they still left it in. The music kind of abruptly cut off in the dub, yeah, but they still kept it.

Speaking of 4Kids music...one music replacement I was particularly unhappy with was Bulbasaur's farewell montage.

 

[Yoshi1001]

Also, bear in mind that the dub tends to use more background music than the original (audience expectations). Also, how much it bothers people tends to depend on which version you see first. If you saw the original first, you'd probably be more likely to criticize the dub, whereas if you saw them the other way around, you'd probably be less bothered.

 

[Lord_Mewtwo]

The music did that in "Dressed for Jess Success," but they still left it in. The music kind of abruptly cut off in the dub, yeah, but they still kept it.

Speaking of 4Kids music...one music replacement I was particularly unhappy with was Bulbasaur's farewell montage.

Again another instance where Namida Nochi Hare played. I was rather ticked about it as well.

You think with PUSA/ TPCI being so cheap that they should fire the dub composer in general .

Yes the dub composers need to be fired and use all of the original music like most other Anime dubs do.