Super Official Anime Discussion Thread

[Farsala]

Shadow1980 said:

I just realized that a week from tomorrow will be 20 years to the day when "Season 3" of Dragon Ball Z premiered on Toonami. DBZ had spent the previous year running on Toonami after reruns debuted on the block in August 1998, developing a huge following after failing to gain traction in syndication in 1996-97. Cartoon Network hyped the new episodes massively:

When "Z Day" finally hit on September 13, 1999, initial responses to the new episodes were... mixed. As someone who was highly active in the DBZ fanbase at the time, I remember very well how everyone reacted to it. The general consensus at the time was that, while the reduction in the amount of edits was universally praised, most viewers did not like Funimation's decision to recast everyone with untested non-union voice actors instead of continuing to work with Ocean Studios, which was an experienced dubbing group that was generally considered better than the then-new Funimation cast in every way. Also, while Shuki Levy's music that replaced the original Japanese score wasn't exactly praised, it was at the time considered better than Bruce Faulconer's new score. While the Funimation cast is now very well-established and looked at fondly through the lens of nostalgia, especially for younger DB fans, back in September 1999 it was a very controversial and unpopular change.

*sigh* It's amazing how fast 20 years can go by. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this little blast from the past. Toonami was definitely one of the highlights of my early adulthood, which was also part of the early years of my being a fan of anime. I had discovered anime back around 1995 or 1996 through the Sci-Fi Channel's "Saturday Anime" block on Saturday mornings, and that's what got me into it, but it was my discovery of Toonami and especially DBZ back in 1998 that truly cemented my status as an anime fan, and I rapidly expanded my search for new anime after that point.

Toonami definitely started my liking of anime, and Adult Swim solidified it. They were my favorite shows to watch closely followed by Hannah Barbera shows. I miss 90s shows eh.