In the late 1990s, Funimation produced the famous "Ocean Dub" (co-produced with the now-defunct Ocean Productions in Vancouver) for syndication. By 1999, Funimation moved production in-house to Texas, recasting most roles with their own talent (Sean Schemmel, Chris Sabat, etc.). However, licensing rights in were a mess.
Blue Water dubbed all 153 episodes of the original series. This run was broadcast on networks like YTV in Canada and CNX/Toonami in the UK.
: This studio did dub Dragon Ball Z . Instead, the "Westwood dub" (using Ocean Group actors) typically aired alongside the Blue Water dubs of the other two series in the same regions. Notable Differences & Features Dragon Ball Episodes -Blue Water Dub-
Consequently, while Funimation was pushing the boundaries of what could be shown on TV with their red-blooded portrayal of Z , Blue Water was tasked with sanitizing the original Dragon Ball and GT for a younger, broader audience. This fundamental difference in approach set the stage for a dub that would drastically alter the tone of Akira Toriyama’s work.
To understand the Blue Water Dub, one must understand the complicated web of Dragon Ball licensing in North America during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the late 1990s, Funimation produced the famous
When European broadcasters (like AB Groupe in France) and Canadian networks wanted to air Dragon Ball , they faced a problem. Funimation’s dub was licensed for the US, but not necessarily for international English markets. Furthermore, the original Dragon Ball (pre-Z) had never received a full, uncut English dub for international syndication.
The most famous Blue Water work is , because many fans first heard that dub on UK TV (e.g., CNX, Toonami UK) or Australian TV. Blue Water dubbed all 153 episodes of the original series
The scriptwriting in the Blue Water Dragon Ball is often cited as one of its weaker points. The dialogue could be stilted, and the localization often stripped away the Japanese cultural nuances. The "Next Dimension" dialogue was rampant, and the music—while sometimes retained from the original Japanese score—was often mixed poorly or replaced with generic synthesized tracks that failed to match the emotional beats of the scenes.
The Blue Water dub follows the same plot as the original Japanese GT , but with a different English script and voice cast.
Covers all 153 episodes . While the first 13 episodes had a previous Vancouver-based dub, Blue Water re-dubbed the entire run. Dragon Ball GT