Yu-Gi-Oh! Japanese Original VS English Dub

[darkauthor26]

I started off the day watching the Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged Series, and out of nostalga, I went and found some cool Yu-Gi-Oh! icons. Yu-Gi-Oh! was my first ever fandom. I wasn't really involved with forums and such, but I wrote fanfic, some finished, some not. Then, at some point halfway through Battle City, I found some subbed episodes and realized that 4kids really fucked Yu-Gi-Oh! over. All this to say that I some how found my way onto youtube and found videos of the 4kids edits, scenes that were either changed for no real discernable reason or SCENES THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO PLOT AND CHARACTER AND GOT CHANGED TO STUPID CRAP.

Like in this video, for example.

The last edit has to be the stupidest one since it comes up again and again later. In the original, the promise they made to each other is part of what drove them to win the tournament.

This edit has to be most irritating since it takes a great episode and strips it of its depth and meaning, and the original is beautiful and heartwrenching and then 4kids slaughtered it. :C

It's just...it's like watching two different shows. It's horrible. And...fuck. :(

Comments

[angelchan-2004.livejournal.com]

The Yu-Gi-Oh edits never made sense to me. ;.; I remember my sister finally breaking down and buying the subbed boxsets when she found them online. SO MUCH BETTER.

[darkauthor26.livejournal.com]

Yes. ;_; I mean, all the changes just seemed so horrible. The show dealt with so many things and messages and they all just...died. Murdered horribly by 4kids.

I wish I had the money to afford the subbed boxsets. :( I have one from Battle City, but that's it. Do you know of anywhere to watch subbed episodes online?

[elphies-galinda.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I just hopped over here from blueowl's LJ.... I used to think that the 4Kids Yu-Gi-Oh! was a really good series. Thank you for proving me wrong. They pretty much butchered it when they editted. :P

(Aaaaaand I'll go back to my respective world. I just wanted to take a look-see, and then I HAD to comment on this post, lol....)

[darkauthor26.livejournal.com]

Haha, no need to apologize. :)

Well, I think the 4Kids version is a good series for what it is which is geared at children. But when it's compared to the original which was geared for a teenage audience it just pales in comparison, in my opinion, because the 4kids version lacks the depth of the original. In the original anime, during Battle City, one of Yugi and Atem's driving motivations is the promise between him and Jonouchi to duel in the final round as well as saving the world. In the dub it's just all about saving the world all the way through the series. Your thoughts? :)

Also, there's just the fact that since the original is directed at an older audience, themes and messages aren't beaten into you quite the same way as in the dub. XD

Sorry, went on a bit of tangent there. I don't have a lot of people to discuss these kinds of things with, LOL.

[elphies-galinda.livejournal.com]

It's okay. I ramble, too, when it comes to things I feel strongly about. 'Tis perfectly human. ^_^

I don't know much about the uneditted version of Yu-Gi-Oh!.... Only the editted one. But your comments really has me thinking. The Japanese version (the original) definitely has more of a plot than the American version. And it definitely has a bit more varity, so that the same plot isn't repeated over and over like in the American Pokemon (seriously, when is he EVER going to be the Pokemon Master???).

Sometimes I wish that anime would be saved for just the teenage+ demographic.... But then what else will introduce us to the style? :P