Anime Remember when 4Kids tried Uncut dubs?

[Tree99]

Around the mid-2000s, 4Kids and Funimation released a few volumes of uncut English versions (and the Japanese versions) of Yu-Gi-Oh (3 volumes and 9 episodes) and Shaman King (2 volumes and 6 episodes).

I have seen a few clips of each (since they weren't released here in the UK) and 4Kids' inexperience in making more faithful dubs is a huge problem here.

While the casts in each show do their best, they are let down by the dialogue (which 4Kids were normally more loose about) being way too literal, making the acting at times come off as really stiff as they try to match the lip-flaps.

The music being the same as the Japanese versions is the best part of these dubs (hearing Dan Green's Pharaoh voice combined with the JP score of Yu-Gi-Oh is a treat), as well as the censorship from the TV versions being removed.

Have you guys seen the uncut dubs, and if so, what did you think of the attempt?

 

[DigitalGen6]

I have. Hearing Amy Birnbaum’s Tea voice say the original line from the JP version (you know, the episode where they were on the boat to the Duelist Kingdom) felt out of place and cursed.
That’s the last time I watch the uncut dubs.

 

[Tree99]

I have. Hearing Amy Birnbaum’s Tea voice say the original line from the JP version (you know, the episode where they were on the boat to the Duelist Kingdom) felt out of place and cursed.
That’s the last time I watch the uncut dubs.

It was a silly edit in the first place, it's not like American-made kids shows never made toilet jokes.

 

[DigitalGen6]

It was a silly edit in the first place, it's not like American-made kids shows never made toilet jokes.

Yeah. However, this one seemed so out of place (especially since Tristan basically told Tea to pee like a boy does, which it ridiculous and probably sexist ngl and plus a girl needs her privacy)

What else was in its uncut dub?

 

[Tree99]

Mainly what you'd expect from a dub nowadays, the same story Japan got, just suitably translated to be understandable to an English speaker.

Just done really, really stiff.

 

[DigitalGen6]

Yeah.

 

[Daenerys]

Never actually saw any clips of the uncut Yu-Gi-Oh dub, but I know that it existed. I remember some folks being upset that 4kids only released a few episodes, but it was totally predictable that the gimmick would flop since very few people cared about the uncut version of the show to begin with.

 

[HylianBelmont]

I remember it. (At least Duel Monsters, never really saw much of Shaman King's.)

Can't say I was too thrilled with the overly literal dialogue, however. I get the point was to be "more faithful" and all, but that doesn't mean you have to go the completely opposite direction.

I also thought stuff like Joey's "I'm shakin'! Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards?" line to Kaiba had way more personality compared to the stilted delivery of "it sounds like you're talkin' just to hear the sound of your own voice!" line in the uncut dub, for example. But that's just me.

 

[DigitalGen6]

I also thought stuff like Joey's "I'm shakin'! Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards?" line to Kaiba had way more personality compared to the stilted delivery of "it sounds like you're talkin' just to hear the sound of your own voice!" line in the uncut dub, for example. But that's just me.

I also like it better. Haven’t heard the other one yet though

 

[AgedVeteranofShow]

I wish 4Kids had continued them: if they had put out dubs like that instead, maybe they would've held onto the Pokemon license due to adapting to the times in popularity thus Veronica Taylor would've retained her role as Ash, etc. (Al Kahn claimed they didn't sell well, I don't buy it though, he seemed to be the BIGGEST problem with the company) & 4Kids could've become a serious New York competitor to Crunchyroll LLC (what FUNimation goes by now) or Ocean Group etc in the dubbing market. NYAV Post fills that role instead of either them or TPCi, but the problem is, they dub almost nothing save obscure Anime so? It's not a true contest.

It's a shame, it shows what potential the company DID have (I think they could've been far better than TPCi has proven to be at dubs the last 17 years, as have they thus far been under Konami since 2011, seeing this and the Shaman King Uncut short-lived releases), but simply refused to reach at the end of the day. It's a nice "what if 4Kids/4KMedia adapted to the times, what if they grew with us, and what if these very talented VAs got a chance to shine like their TX and LA counterparts?" thing for me.

I will say though, Dan Green's Yami sucked in the Uncut dub compared to the censored/edited one, it was by this point he kept getting overly gruff and deep in general in the role and lost me sounding almost 40 years old in the role when voicing a teenager (Eric Stuart's Kaiba too, but he actually grated on me less than the former as the voice seemed to at least fit the age here: the problem there was more the shouting all the time for some reason in delivery).

They both sounded better in Dark Side of Dimensions dubbed (Eric Stuart especially redeemed himself as Kaiba in the English run, best the character ever sounded to me: even better than Seasons 1-2, I normally HATE deeper voices but he kept it smooth/non-gruff, no shouting, and it worked well as an equivalent to Kenjiro Tsuda's pitch wise), but 4Kids/4KMedia still treats Yu-Gi-Oh much worse to this day when compared to how they handled Pokémon...and couldn't even keep the OST for that Movie in the year 2017-- when they DID keep it for Pokemon 4Ever, Pokemon Heroes, Jirachi Wish Maker, Destiny Deoxys, PLUS Lucario and the Mystery of Mew from 2002 to 2006 before they let the license lapse and/or TPCi decided to mass purge everything when they over in September of that year to cut costs & save money on producing things back then at the time.

The only complaint I have is the stiffer dialogue, but compared to what they came up with most of the time? It was very faithful and true to the text, it just needed some tweaking to work.

 

[Palamon]

To be honest, I wasn't around when 4kids tried uncut dubs. All I know about is their attempt at the Yu Gi Oh one and getting sued for it so they had to pull it. Had no idea they tried doing uncut dubs of other series as well, tbh. By the time I watched 4kids it was in its dying era (2008-2013(?) so they had already moved on from the "uncut era" or whatever. It is a shame they never finished any, though.

...I wonder if the Uncut Yu Gi Oh dub is lost media?

 

[AgedVeteranofShow]

To be honest, I wasn't around when 4kids tried uncut dubs. All I know about is their attempt at the Yu Gi Oh one and getting sued for it so they had to pull it. Had no idea they tried doing uncut dubs of other series as well, tbh. By the time I watched 4kids it was in its dying era (2008-2013(?) so they had already moved on from the "uncut era" or whatever. It is a shame they never finished any, though.

...I wonder if the Uncut Yu Gi Oh dub is lost media?

It's got 9 episodes available somewhere on YouTube IIRC: the tradeoff is basically you get the only YGO dub in English with the NYC cast that keeps the OST, 1:1 script translation, and is uncensored, but a lot of the vocal direction is more stiff and shout-y in comparison to the edited/censored cut 2001 English Version as a tradeoff & some of the dialogue is redundant.

Kaiowut99! If you look him up has saved all of them, won’t post the direct link but it’s archived and accessible thanks to him (just type in that name and Yu-Gi-Oh Uncut and you’ll find them).

Frustrating what potential 4Kids had at one point based on these releases as well
how they handled Pokémon relative to TPCi in VA work, writing of legitimately funny jokes there, as well as music handling especially, and how they squandered it all: once they lost their beloved Pokémon and refused to change course on Yu-Gi-Oh outside of the VA work in 5D’s, it was the beginning of the end for them, basically.

 

[Tree99]

I'd have no problem with Konami Cross Media (as they're called now) doing a re-dub of DM (as well as re-doing the incomplete GX and 5Ds) if they're interested in doing those, just don't repeat the mistakes of 2004/05.

 

[DigitalGen6]

To be honest, I wasn't around when 4kids tried uncut dubs. All I know about is their attempt at the Yu Gi Oh one and getting sued for it so they had to pull it. Had no idea they tried doing uncut dubs of other series as well, tbh. By the time I watched 4kids it was in its dying era (2008-2013(?) so they had already moved on from the "uncut era" or whatever. It is a shame they never finished any, though.

I wasn’t around when they tried uncut dubs either. That’s probably a good thing because I DO NOT like the uncut dub and it just sounds weird.

...I wonder if the Uncut Yu Gi Oh dub is lost media?

Could be.

I'd have no problem with Konami Cross Media (as they're called now) doing a re-dub of DM (as well as re-doing the incomplete GX and 5Ds) if they're interested in doing those, just don't repeat the mistakes of 2004/05.

I was about to say, “Wait, they did that? Link it. I can see it and have an aneurysm.” But, now that I’ve reread your message, I won’t say that (I just did but…).

 

[AgedVeteranofShow]

I wasn’t around when they tried uncut dubs either. That’s probably a good thing because I DO NOT like the uncut dub and it just sounds weird.

Could be.

I was about to say, “Wait, they did that? Link it. I can see it and have an aneurysm.” But, now that I’ve reread your message, I won’t say that (I just did but…).

I like it because it shows them trying a faithful adaptation rather than their usual practices (I think Pokémon was surprisingly in better hands with them in general, wish they didn’t let their rights lapse but it is what it is), but I wish the vocal direction was better as I thought that was in the edited/censored dub surprisingly, at least for the first 2 and last seasons (really didn’t like the shouting and overacting in S3-4 and here at times— especially Dan Green’s Yami, 4Kids forgot somewhere along the line he’s voicing a teenager with only slightly more confidence than Yugi, not a gruff man who women find handsome as they played up the ancient pharaoh aspect a bit too much). Green was better in Dark Side of Dimensions in the role, though, so there’s that?