Sonic X - How a bad dub can ruin a good show!
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- Опубликовано: 2 фев 2023
- #SonicX #SonicAnime #4kids #SonicAnimation #SonicTheHedgehog #DiscotekMedia
In this video, we're going to look back at the Sonic anime series 'Sonic X', which was released in Japan and the West in 2003. We'll start by looking at the original Japanese release (and why it was a big deal at the time) before moving on to the 4kids dub and the Western release.
As far as Sonic shows go, I have always found Sonic X to be one of the best if not THE best adaptations of the series. IF it's the Japanese version, that is. Unfortunately, the English language version of the show is one of the worst dubs I've ever seen, and I'll go into why that is here. (And a heads-up: It's definitely NOT because of the excellent voice cast.)
This isn't a full review of Sonic X, but that will be coming to the channel soon, as Discotek Media is finally releasing a Blu-Ray of the original Japanese version of Sonic X, in the highest possible picture quality and uncensored in April 2023. As soon as that drops, I'll crack straight on with a full review of the series for this channel.
By the way, if you're new here, consider subscribing for frequent, high-quality Sonic and SEGA videos. And if you enjoyed this video, be sure to this the like button and leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Thank you for watching!
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What did you think of Sonic X? Do you agree with me or did you actually prefer the US dub? Let me know if the comments (I read all of them!) and if you enjoyed the video please hit that like button, share the video, subscribe etc. Cheers!
I dont "prefer" it but i am super nostalgic for it! Yeah it sucks that it had to be dummied down, but the voice acting is great and it doesnt ruin the story, so while its inferior, its still great!
@@roxywp15 Agreed.
Sonic X was an amazing show in sub and honestly its really sad how its only haters are those who only watched the dub, they will never know what they've missed
This anime is what introduced me into Sonic and honestly its one of my favs If not my fav
@@knuckson8304 What are you saying?
Are you seriously calling me a "hater" because I've only seen the dub?
Dude I'd be more than willing to watch the sub if it's that much better.
@@theendisthebeginningistheend I dont even know who you are lol, nor did I reply to you so idk where you got that idea. Im just saying how the majority is, most If not all Sonic X haters have only watched the dub and think thats how the anime is and completely ignore what 4kids does to shows, If you dont believe me literally check any sonic x review ☠
I also have a soft spot for the sonic x dub since so many iconic voice actors started from there
Hearing Sonic say "shit" is the number one reason why I'd recommend the Japanese dub
Lol
I'll be a bit more classy and say hearing Live and Learn during the Biolizard battle over WhateverTF 4Kids thought was music during the scene was MY main reason.
That is such a stupid reason…
@@EWOODJ it was probably copyright reasons
@@electricshield2184 Wait... copyright infringement?? From SEGA's OWN produced material?? How the hell does THAT work? Unless 4kids might have had to pay SEGA extra for the JPN music score, but.. that just means they went extra with their own music. 😂😂 I don't get it!
Fun fact, the Japanese intro theme is actually done by the same people who did Cha-La-Head-Cha-La for Dragon Ball Z.
The same vocalist anyway.
Hironobu Kageyama
Blessed knowledge
And that just adds more relatability to the DBZ and Sonic franchise
Wow that’s crazy. This the first time I ever heard that
Think of how great Sonic X would've been if it were picked up by Cartoon Network and aired on Toonami. No crappy soundtrack, no censorship, just a great dub.
I would live for that! Especially with them using some actual Sonic related music from the games.
Which era of Toonami are you referring to? DBZ had Bruce Falconer’s music in the 2000’s
Downside no Jason Griffith and the other 4Kids VAs
so a bad dub?
@@rapparappa2006 There might be a VA that's better than Jason, but that's up to thought.
Rouge: *does anything*
Saxophone: that's my cue
Literally
Just like meta knight in right back at ya!
I think that’s supposed to audibly convey her personality. The saxophone line is there to depict her as sexualized.
Not always.
I thought it was hilarious
Dude yes, that problem with the music STILL plagues anime like pokemon to this day
What. The. Fuck??!?
Pokemon is just way better in japanese. I can't switch back even though I do enjoy Jesse, James, and Meowth's voices
When I watch the Sun/Moon adventures for the first time throughout it's run dubbed, It was okay. I liked mostly everyone's voice and the intro/outro music is meh... And then I heard "Notebook of the heart" when the last season of Sun/Moon was being aired. That song alone evaporated the US OST of Sun/Moon anime without even trying. I will say it is THE BEST outro song and VERY HIGH for the best Pokemon anime song that has ever been made so far. It is that good. Too fucking good! If you never heard of it then get the fuck out of here and IMMEDIATELY start listening to it. Trust me, you won't be dissatisfied.
@Smash 123 modern pokemon anime definitley replaces game music
Pokemon dub was definitely better back then, then it is now
I know. The fact that Mike Pollock is still Dr. Eggman to this day is astounding, while everyone else had to go.
i watched sonic x as a kid with a dub that was based on the 4kids version... since i didn't have a point of reference none of the censoring or bad music bothered me. But now i agree the og version is basically the only way to watch this series properly
This was rated TV-Y7 in Japan, too.
Completely agree with you on the music. It’s so obnoxious! Good God, can we please have some time to just take in the story/characters/atmosphere without having music that Teletubbies would call childish blasted at us?
Words cannot describe how excited I am for the Japanese version blu ray release. Loved this show back in the day and I always found it funny how Sonic Chronicles uses the Sonic X art.
Sonic Chronicles feels like a shitty flash game that became official.
@PiranhaLettuce Alot of gba series were like that tbh. Especially the first games.
@@goldman77700 yah but it was a DS game
@@destinymace Yep now you know I never played the game haha.
While I do think the constant music in the eng dub is annoying. I think the panic sounding music in the scene with Sonic in the pool was (maybe unintentionally) a smart idea as it has some remnants of the drowning music from the original 2D games which acts like a throwback.
That same music played when Tails was running towards the gang to report that Chris has returned
I'm not defending 4Kids, but Eric Stuart said that 4Kids would submit every show, script, and visual to both FoxBox and WB, and they would come back with a list of things they needed to change. So basically, 4Kids had no say in the censoring of their shows. Blame the networks, not the production company. The music replacement boils down to licensing.
Digimon might have a word with you!
But this is only a US-TV problem. Many 4Kids Dubs was published in other countries to that didn't have this strict TV Rules. Maybe 4Kids forced TV Networks in other countries to dub the 4Kids Version.
A German publisher tried to dub the missing episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX und 5D's that 4Kids never dubbed, to dubbed in German directly from the japanese original version. But weren't allowed because all German Dub Yu-Gi-Oh! Episodes from all Series MUST based of the US Version.
Altrough all Yu-Gi-Oh! series could be aired on German TV uncut, maybe even in Children TV.
The German Dub of the Digimon Series (1-5) based on the original japanese version with the same backround music and the same opening dubbed in german and aired uncut in TV.
Even One Piece which aired on German TV since 2003 (one year before the 4Kids Dub aired) was completely untouched and was barely cencored in the children TV.
Because of this, I really hate then a US company licenced a anime series even in europe an forced to dub the changed US version to other countries
I wouldn’t say it was ruined. A lot of people liked the English dub.
Whenever I think of this show, all that I can think of is Jason Griffith’s Sonic screaming “COME BAAAACK!!!!!” as the helicopter leaves him stranded on the cruise ship in the middle of the water. Such a hilarious moment
12:06 Actually, isn't this part cool because it plays a version of the Sonic drowning theme? And this is a scene where Sonic is underwater.
I thought that was pretty neat.
Same
12:25 GOD DANG this music even though un-needed, is FIRE. Knuckles just straight up says "later, furries" and GETS A BADASS TUNE WHILE FALLING.
Well if you ask me this was the 4kids dub's first time voicing Sonic characters so for Sonic X it's fine by me, they do a lot better starting with Shadow the Hedgehog. I mean Jason Griffith's Sonic got better over time at least. And for being the only one to stick around as of currently, Mike Polluck's Dr. Eggman was honestly great at first but then got really better.
I despise 4kids for obvious reasons but you have to give them respect for giving us these amazing shows and introducing us to alot of franchises
Also 4kids had many amazing vocal tracks for their shows at least that's what I think
The best thing to come from 4kids was Jason Griffith and Mike Pollock being cast for the games
As someone who grew up with the dub, not gonna lie, the silence of the sub seems kinda awkward. Like seeing those scenes without music felt kinda empty.
It probably totally changes the vibe of the show. I could see how if you're used to one, the other would be jarring.
@ocarinist_drew bruh thats Actually really bad for someone who only grew with dub verison and giving the example that four kids was talking about srry but no offense but the points you made are really dumb even if its subjective which fine but the scenes without the music doesn't make awkward or empty its just adds to the atmosphere in each scene thats gives it a chill vibe to there is music in the sub verison my dude but its not constant to the point were it gets annoying and completely unnecessary the best example you give right now is samurai jack that show has really quiet moments but as to the atmosphere and give it more a relaxation from the action and the music is there in the series when its needed for certain moments not in every seem to extend where it gets annoying and tedious i highly recommend watching the sub version to give you more contexts on it works 😗
I like scenes without music sometimes, they feel more natural and help you focus on the characters more
The fact the dub was used to justify firing Ryan Drummond when he wished to be part of it is a real kick the dog moment if you ask me.
It’s funny that Jason Griffith became a really good actor
As a person that can speak different languages, i see this as an absolute win.
The dub for this show is NOT bad, there are two big examples of 4kids dropping the ball but if the voice actors had been able to do the proper scenes I believe they would’ve nailed it. Overall though it’s still a good watch and their a big reason why.
Well then where’s live n learn when sonic and shadows fight the ARC. It’s there in the Jp version
What are you even talking about?
Just because they COULD do a better job doesn't mean they did.
@@Brabbs
... what are _you_ talking about? Your comment does not relate to OP's comment at all. OP did not even talk about what the voice actors could have done.
@@adcgdsin9320 if the voice actors had been able to do the proper scenes I believe they would’ve nailed it.
assuming he meant to say "If the voice actors had been *able to do the scenes proper* "
i had NO idea that sonic X was getting a new blu-ray release, i'm so glad i saw this video. i grew up with the 4kids dub so i personally don't have a problem with it and actually still like it to this day but i've always wanted to watch the original japanese version with english subtitles. super excited!
If the voice actors are horrible, then why do people still love them to this day?!
I generally liked sonic X’s English dub. 50% of the cast was from the games.
I'm so surprised you didn't mention in the English dub where One Girl died and instead Shadow mentions that he hopes she's doing well and they deleted the grave
I wached Sonic X in the russian dub and well... it's kinda cool. Seriously, Mikhail Tihonov is still one of the best Russian Sonic voices. You should listen to this at least once
I had this exact same experience with Digimon. The music changes and bombastic noise really killed the dub despite some great VAs.
It's good to hear that Sonic X is being re-released in Japanese. I did really like the show as a kid, but I also struggle watching it dubbed :(
The music for digimon is done by Stu Levy.
I LOVED the Japanese version because it added so much more layer through the music. The episode 26/52 songs from the OFF COURSE group where absolute on point with the emotions.
I'll allow the dub because it gave us the voice cast and Rouge's saxophone jingle.
Great vid man. I agree the music can be very egregious and obtrusive, but I think there's a charm to it. Every character has their own little motif that plays when they're on screen, it kind of reminds me of how everyone kinda had their own genre of music in the adventure games. It could be played a lot less frequently though for sure. It's been a long time since I've seen it but I remember when rouge is on screen they always play a jazzy sax and it did a good job separating the tone from the other scenes.
Yeah I couldn’t stand the whimsical goofy sounding music that played to every little thing when going back to rewatch, but one of the characters music I did really like was rouges 💕 right up her alley and didn’t annoy me
Sonics little repetitive 7 note jingle though 😭 that’s the stuff of nightmares it’s the reason I can’t rewatch this show in full. It plays SO much. If they wanted to make music that major or frequent of a thing in this version, I think it would’ve been worth it to invest into having more different music so it doesn’t get annoying after a while
There was one episode I was watching with team chaotic where the music got especially annoying. There was a scene where they played like 5 different annoying whimsical music sounding things all packed into like 15seconds of dialogue 😭I was like “g-guys… did he really need a different sound effects and jingle for each sentence or each portion of sentence he spoke?”
😭 I feel sooooo bad for whenever was tasked with inserting and having to hear all those sounds every few seconds in this show 🪦
Like where are you now and are you okay bro? 😭
The most annoying part of this version of the show is every 5 seconds you hear the one song say bah bah bahbe bahba ba bah or how ever it goes.
I know exactly the piece of music you are referring to haha
prefer the voices in the dub, prefer the lack of censorship in the sub
Juni'chi Kanemaru is legendary bro
@@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois I can't say I disagree. He's right up there with Jason Griffith for me
Nah bruh Japanese dub wins
@@Howardpower679 Not in the slightest. I'd say the same about fma's dub
When I was a child I watched Sonic X in Spanish dub (4kids ver) and enjoyed it. Someday I found out that there was another version of the series, the original Japanese version. When I watched that one, I LOVED the series. It was like watching a completely different show, a better one. I loved the original soundtrack so much, and how each character had their own songs. 4kids soundtrack is just so basic and repetitive compared to japanese one, where you can feel the true vibe of the scene. No need to say that the censorship just made the anime tell another story than the original (specially during metarex saga).
I love Sonic X! I remember watching the series everyday on RUclips when I was 15(same age as Sonic.) I'm 17 btw. I love your channel, voice, and the background music you use, you should really list what you are using in the description so I could listen to it please. Glad I've found you and have a sub!
I watched it when I was younger in the Latin American Spanish dub. I gave it a try watching it again on Netflix. I watched an episode and decided I wanted it to be a nice memory rather than ruin it with what I want out of a show now xD
13:47 that's not entirely true, the country where Sonic X was the most popular was France, the french dub of the show was based on the original japanese version, it had the japanese soundtrack, a french cover of Sonic drive, etc... The french VAs did a good job for the french dub of an anime (because yeah, usually french anime dubs suck and some of them were based on the 4kids version like Pokémon, Kirby or Yugi-oh) and most of them are still voicing the characters today, it didn't have the censorship of the 4kids version (I mean, it did have censorship but not as much as the 4kids version), and it is even on the french Netflix (yes I am french hello).
Sounds like the French dub is good then? Thank you for the information. I knew it was popular in France but didn't realise it was THAT popular. That's awesome. Now I'm going to go and look up the French cover of Sonic Drive. Cheers!
@Hill Top Terebi To to be honest, I tried to watch the 4kids version on RUclips, and... after watching like 11 minutes of the 1st episode, I was like "No. I cannot take it anymore, I give up, THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR ME !" and then, I went back on the french dub.
@@yorioyolo What exactly is changed in the French Dub? Is it just dialogue related changes or is anything actually cut from it?
@That One Gnome the only thing that they cut in the french dub is the eye-catch (which is replaced by a 2 seconds black screen but it's okay since there is the eye-catch on the french/japanese Netflix version) and the only dialogues that they changed (as far as I know) are :
- Sonic saying sh*t in episode 2
- Rouge mocking Topaze in episode 11
- Sonic that is NOT muted in episode 52
And a few letters disappeared on signs, etc a bit like the japanese version on hulu.
Also Eggman is just called "Robotnik" in the french dub.
@@yorioyolo What did they change Rouge's line to?
I grew up on the American Dub, and I still love it to this day, but the missing scenes in particular are very fair criticism. Great video!
Once upon a time in the sprawling cityscape of New York, a cosmic rift brought together an unlikely alliance. Sonic the Hedgehog found himself hurtling through an interdimensional portal, emerging into a world filled with heroes and machines unlike anything he'd ever seen.
The moment Sonic's feet hit the ground, his presence was immediately noticed by Iron Man, who was patrolling the skies. Tony Stark's HUD lit up with alerts as he zoomed in on the fast-moving blue blur. "Jarvis, what am I looking at?" Tony murmured, intrigued.
"An unknown lifeform exhibiting extraordinary speed," Jarvis responded.
As Sonic sped through the city, taking in the sights, he skidded to a halt at the base of the Stark Tower. Iron Man landed gracefully beside him, his helmet retracting to reveal Tony's curious expression. "Hey there, speedy. You new in town?"
Before Sonic could answer, the ground trembled. From the shadows, Batman emerged, his dark cape billowing. "I've been tracking disturbances in the multiverse," he said, his voice a low growl. "This is the epicenter."
Just then, a thunderous roar echoed through the city as massive robotic forms emerged. Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, transformed from their vehicle states, towering over the landscape. "We received a signal of a dimensional breach," Optimus Prime announced. "We must investigate."
As Sonic, Iron Man, Batman, and the Autobots assessed the situation, a new figure descended from the sky, lightning crackling around him. Thor landed with a thud, Mjolnir in hand. "By Odin's beard, what is this strange assembly?"
The heroes quickly realized that the rift in dimensions had brought them together for a reason. From the shadows, a new threat emerged: a coalition of villains from each of their worlds. Dr. Robotnik, Loki, Lex Luthor, and Megatron had joined forces, aiming to conquer the merged universe.
"We need to combine our strengths," Sonic said, his usual cocky grin replaced by a determined look. "Fast."
Iron Man nodded, tapping into his suit's interface. "I've got tech that can help us track the rift's source."
Batman, ever the strategist, began coordinating a plan. "Optimus, you and your Autobots can provide the heavy artillery. Thor, Sonic, and I will handle ground assaults."
As the heroes united, they faced waves of robotic minions, mischievous magic, and cunning traps laid by their adversaries. Sonic's speed was crucial in outmaneuvering Robotnik's machines, while Iron Man's technology disrupted Lex Luthor's schemes. Thor's lightning clashed with Loki's magic, and Batman's tactical genius thwarted Megatron's assaults.
The climactic battle took place at the heart of the dimensional rift, where the combined villains had set up their stronghold. As the heroes fought valiantly, it became clear that they needed to close the rift to prevent further chaos.
Optimus Prime, wielding the Matrix of Leadership, stepped forward. "This will require all our strengths combined."
In a final, united effort, Sonic's speed, Iron Man's technology, Batman's strategy, Thor's power, and Optimus Prime's leadership converged. The energy surge closed the rift, sending shockwaves through the city.
As the dust settled, the heroes stood victorious. The villains had been defeated, and the dimensions began to separate once more. Sonic looked at his new friends with a smile. "That was one wild ride. But I have a feeling this isn't the last time we'll see each other."
Iron Man chuckled, "Here's to hoping the multiverse stays in one piece."
With a final nod, Sonic dashed back through the portal, returning to his world with a newfound appreciation for teamwork and friendship. The heroes of Marvel, DC, and the Transformers returned to their respective realms, ready to defend against any future threats.
And so, the legend of the greatest crossover ever told became a tale of unity and heroism, reminding everyone that even the most unlikely of allies can come together to save the day.
Here’s one thing that I’m surprised no one brought up, I watched one RUclipsr that reviewed this show without nostalgia bias, and while they did recommend the Japanese version, he pointed out something that no one else even mentioned.
He mentions how there are some critiques from people how the show is “racist” in some way, and while usually we chalk them out as usually people that don’t know how to critique and what not (he didn’t notice it up until seeing it before reviewing it), he points out how in the English dub, he notices that whenever the aunt shows up, a specific music plays and…. I’m just gonna say you guys should hear it yourselves. Also I will note, it’s not the VA’s fault as they are a good person, it’s just the people that did the score did NOT need to use that for whenever the aunt appears.
I love the English dub. I know it got censored to oblivion had some bad voice acting but I grew up with it which means it will be the only version I will ever watch and still love.
“But the Japanese version is so much better sonic swears!” Yeah when has sonic ever….done that. The hedgehog who said he wouldn’t be caught dead using a gun just swearing casually? It’s just too weird for me and messes up the character in an even weird way than any of the censorship stuff to me.
I prefer the US dub, but I'll respect your opinion.
Even if 4Kids butcher Anime I still like the Sonic X dub
This channel is SUPER underrated and super cool! Love your content man, keep it up!
Thank you! I massively appreciated the comment! Hopefully I can grow the audience over time. Thank you for watching!
Say what you want about *Sonic X* but I will forever defend *Kirby: Right back at Ya!*
Kirby was actually one of the only times 4kids got it right for the most part. It probably won’t say much, but it has less issues with censorship. Even Kirby fans, agree with this. It probably because Kirby was a children’s anime, it’s no wonder why 4kids was less strict on that one. Sonic X’s voice acting is very memorable, but it’s too bad the censorship sucks, I mean 4kids did butchered the final season of it. I kinda enjoyed sonic X dub for what it is. But it’s a shame, the censorship was just stupid.
@@santanajohns5816 yeah.
6:54
This sub is so shitty lmao. This is some "Your base are belong to us" level of insanity.
I would love to see an uncut, unedited english redub of this series!
Honestly I like the Jettix song since that was the song I grew up with.
Netflix Should've Done A Neon Genesis Evangelion To This Show
And Re-Dubbed It
Geez How In The HELL DID I NOT KNOW OF THE JAPANESE OPENING AND SONG TILL NOW!?
I LOVE Hironobu Kageyama's Music!
I Loved Him In Dragon Ball Z!
And His Song For Sonic X Is So GOOD!
11:58
I like the English example better as it sounds like the drowning theme from the games.
A common trend with 4kids’s incompetence to every anime they Butchered:
1. The soundtrack other than one song (usually the opening theme) is terrible.
2. The motivations of the cast of the shows make no goddamn sense, and has no logic backing up those statements.
3. It has bad forced in puns that even make the children of their targeted demographic cringe.
4. And the Visual changes SOMEHOW gets worse as the show continues.
I grew up watching the dub of the show. I found out as I got older that they changed a bunch of stuff when it was picked up dubbing; some of which i felt was unecessary and/or stupid, but I loved the 4KIDS opening and the voice cast. Anyway, this was an overall great video!💖
The part when Rouge gets handcuffed by Topaz made me rewatch the entire show up to that point subbed
video games shows are trash comic Marvel Dc Shows are better!
@@Warning-34079 🤖🤖🤖
@@tanook4751 Sonic the Hedgehog is total trash. He's nothing but a rip-off of the great Mickey Mouse, and his video games suck. Marvel and DC, on the other hand, are the real legends. Their stories, characters, and worlds are on a whole different level from Sonic and his lame little universe. So yeah, forget about Sonic the Hedgehog. Marvel and DC are where it's really at.
@@Warning-34079 says Blaze the Cat, last time I checked she’s a Sonic character
6:17 Diluss was also the name used for Tails on English subs for a bootleg Sonic OVA DVD, someone once ripped and uploaded it to RUclips around 2011, but it unfortunately got blocked for copyright back around 2020 and I didn't download before that. But I also remember Eggman was called "Machine King" and during the second act Sonic calls Knuckles a certain word that starts with f and ends with g, I wonder if these Sonic X DVDs were made by the same bootleggers.
Sonic x was a big part of my childhood I always looked forward to watching it whenever the show would be airing to this day it's still one of my favorite animated incarnations of sonic the last time that I watched it in more recent times was during when I was in school during the anime club that was hosted there I don't remember what epsdoie it was that we watched during the club but either way it definitely was good to revisit the show again and it also gave me a huge blast of nostalgia
Love this video! I had a very similar experience, I have also always liked Japanese sonic, and used to watch unsubbed RAWs of the show since it was all I could find. When the 4Kids dub aired, I was repulsed due to the censorship, needless cuts and horrible music added! I continued watching in Japanese with no subs lol. It helped me learn much of the language! I also had those bootleg DVDs with the bad subs! Haha nice to see another English speaking fan of Japanese Sonic!
video games shows are trash comic Marvel Dc Shows are better!
I think 4kids was notorious for their Americanization (is that even a word?) Of shows and butchering them with dubbing and censorship (such as the Pokemon series - need I reference Brock and his "nothing beats jelly filled donuts" line...).
When I first saw this, I was like, that's not sonic? Because my teenage mind couldnt understand why Jaleel Whites voice wasnt present lol. I was also still too much of a original sonic design fanboy, and at the time, couldnt get into the newer "adventure" style sonic that this show based itself around. Though it has grown on me. I mean, hey, this dub is bad, but gotta be better than the 90's OVA (Sonic the movie) dub right? Right?? I howl with laughter now at the "Shut up tails!" Meme that spawned. I still own the VHS of the Sonic the hedgehog the movie, and to be fair, I do love the animation in that, and I kinda like the Sara character as comic relief. She needs a return of some sorts haha! If only we got an animated series based on Fleetway... Great video as always Hilltop!
Ps: Discotek media is such a life saver for older media, with then publishing things that would be considered "lost media". For example I have an anime on vhs called A Journey Through Fairyland from the late 70's? It never had another release anywhere until Discotek media re released it in 2017. Much respect to them!
Haha that OVA dub was really bad. Well... Robotnik was fairly good. But everything else...? Not so much. In case you didn't see, Discotek pre-orders for SX are now live on Amazon USA btw!
An animated Fleetway series would be very cool. I just wish they would release all the comics in some sort of massive hardback books tbh! I'd take that.
Thank you as always for watching! 🙂
A bit off-topic but I gotta give 4kids credit with their versions of the Pokémon themes. They became addictive and timeless!! "Gotta catch em all" "Pokémon World" and "Pokemon Johto" didn't need to go SO HARD for back in the day!!🤣🤣
I loved sonic x back when it was on. The only thing I couldn't stand about it was I too couldn't stand the loud ass music either. I actually have a memory of my father waking up not long after the show started and it woke him up. He actually purposely changed the channel because he couldn't stand the constant music. I hated my father for that, but then again I didn't blame him. Who wants to hear, "Gotta go fast" at 5 am on a Saturday.
You know a dub’s bad if the background music wakes the parents up.
Thank you. Some one had to say this. There were some moments in the show that were important to build on characters that 4kids either butchered or took out completely and it's so stupid to assume kids can;t handle mature themes. Like, the stuff they censored wasn't that bad imo.
Censorship is bad, but the show's still good IMO.
The show is great. As it was meant to be seen, that is
Considering US Sonic X is the only Sonic cartoon that has Jason Griffith. (My favorite Sonic voice ever) I kinda have no choice but to watch the American version.
14:45 Did that unsensored Discotek Blu-ray ever actually come out? I can't find any evidence of it online.
It did! US only and only through the Discotek website perhaps, but I got it imported from them to the UK and am currently making my way through it 👍
I believe the constant playing of music in the background with no pause was some weird rule established by streaming companies back in the early 90s and 2000s.
Even DBZ suffered from the same problem. However Bruce faulconer's(the original music provider for the English dub of DBZ) created a workaround by making background music that was so quiet that you could barely hear it so it would pass the rule. But sometimes it also had problems because they kept changing the music every 5 seconds in every scene.
video games shows are trash comic Marvel Dc Shows are better! and hollywood is better
Not all of the changes 4kids made were bad.... I mean I heard that in original Sonic X Knuckles ends up in a strip club in one scene... cutting that scene probably made sense
Man this show was my childhood! I first learned of the Sonic franchise at 4 years old, back when my family had a GameCube and owned Sonic Heroes. But I guess toddler me forgot about the hedgehog...that is until at the age of 8-9 I learned of Sonic X through the CW22 channel during the 4kids block. I started at episode 15 (because that was the episode airing at the time) and got hooked on it ever since! (Also I wouldn't learn about the subject of anime and dubs/subs in general until I was 15). When I got older, I saw the JP sub and I'll admit it it's the superior version due to main key events of plot since the ENG dub made cuts and edits here and there. While I think the JP version is better and would recommend others to watch that version, the english dub will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first Sonic-centered cartoon I watched. And if it wasn't for 4kids Sonic X, I wouldn't have rediscovered the franchise like I did and stuck with it.
Question: How did you watch the US dub of the show when it first came out? Did you have Sky or Virgin at the time and watched it on Jetix?
The french version is the second best cuz it's direct localization of the japanese version, with the translated opening, the ending in instrumental and they keeped everything !!!
11:25 The music is what I have a problem with this dub too. I don’t have any problems with the dub music of the 4kids dubs of Pokemon, Mew Mew Power, and Yugioh.
I like Sonic X 4Kids Dub but I respect your opinion
Ngl, after I got used to the American version, scenes having no music seem very dead to me
I completely agree with your tinnitus joke 🤣 I would love to hear you do a deep dive in Sonic x down the road
Sonic the Hedgehog is total trash. He's nothing but a rip-off of the great Mickey Mouse, and his video games suck. Marvel and DC, on the other hand, are the real legends. Their stories, characters, and worlds are on a whole different level from Sonic and his lame little universe. So yeah, forget about Sonic the Hedgehog. Marvel and DC are where it's really at.
I never minded the music, honestly I gotten use to it I was able to tune it out. Plus how can you hate the music that's how we got the infamous saxophone guy who seems to follow rouge🤣👌
😂👍
LOL
Thank you for bringing up the music! It's an often overlooked problem, but may actually be the number one reason I can't stand to watch the dub. It just never shuts up.
"Western dub" is only partly true, as the French dub was done directly from the Japanese version.
They just forgot to readd some text on blank signs, as I'm pretty sure TMS provided them blank so different countries could easily replace the text. Too bad not a single one understood it.
Also, for whatever reason, when the opening started to use different footage, the French dub switched to the Jetix one, including the end credits.
And unfortunately, they butchered it, as you can still hear the Japanese credits starting in the last seconds of the episodes, only to have a hard cut to the Jetix one.
Other than that, that's still the most faithful dub you can find.
And just like the 4Kids cast, our cast became the official game cast when they started to dub the games since Sonic Generations.
I grew up with the the 4kids dub version and honestly I never noticed the background music till now. Yes I agree that the dub has issues. In fact I may go ahead and watch the Japanese version just to see the major differences that you mentioned. It is always better watch the show in its original form.
12:15 that one is better in the US because it references the suspenseful drowning music in the games. There are much better examples of your point you kinda shot yourself in the foot with that one.
If only they could re-dub Sonic X in a better way than 4Kids did, well that and the anime Kirby of the Stars (Kirby right back at ya), I mean there have been many shows that were re-dubbed by different studios before, so why not Sonic X?
Icl I prefer the English version. I just like my sonic voice. I’m biased 💀
I did watch the entirety of Sonic X in English. I mean, I was in my early or pre-teens and didn't exactly understand the concept of localisation.
Actually quite recently, I went to watch a few episodes of X, but in Japanese - namely some of the Metarex Saga episodes - and I made audible 'woah's when a new scene I never saw came up.
Pardon my French but... GET REAL BUSTER. The 4KidsTV is renowned for leading and one still proceeds to voice Dr. Eggman till this day. You're not bitching because Sonic X the dub is bad, you're upset about how the script writing was handled by 4KidsTV along with the majority of the music composition. Because I guarantee that if the entire Sonic X English cast did a redub in the exact light as the original, you'd probably appreciate it better.
The only good thing about the Sonic X dub was that it brought Jason Griffith and Mike Pollock to voice Sonic and Eggman in the games, leading to some peak voice acting for the series (only Unleashed and Black Knight had Jason at his finest tho)
It's maybe late to say that since the videos is out for several month now, but if you don't understand at all japanese but you understand french, go watch the French version of sonic x. It's one of the best version by far, because it's the only version out of Japan which is not made by 4kids.
It's probably because I live in the US and the US 4Kids version is all I know, but with you putting in examples of the Japanese version it just seemed too quite and awkward. I think the background music was added to emphasize the action going on for dramatic effect or to emphasize a happy/victorious moment or as emphasis to anything really.
You don't need to emphasize every little scene like that, when everything is emphasized like that, nothing is really.
I'll argue that silence is a form of emphasizing something but in a different way.
I grew up with the Swedish dub that is based on the 4Kids dub. But I think some of the footage was from Germany so the bar was still a bar in our version.
Anyway the music did´t bother me to much BUT the choice of not having Live and Learn when Shadow and Sonic fights the Ultimate Life form is one example where the dub should have keept that.
But comparing I prefer the Japanese type of music and paching. A show can be silent and the music kick in when something happens.
Yep. I feel EXACTLY the same way haha. The Japanese dubs music makes the shows tone feel so much more real, it’s like they respect the viewers
2:36
Fun fact: Originally, the ova was supposed to be a pilot for a Sonic Anime before being quickly cancelled.
You make good points, except for the music
I think that the music thing wasn't to keep kids hooked, but because some scenes just sound empty without it
Of the 4 scenes you showed, 3 may be a bit boring without music (the girls scene being the odd one out)
Living in the Netherlands, I too grew up with the Jetix version, so that version's intro was ingrained in my mind from an early age. I guess it's nostalgia talking, but I'd definitely put it above "Gotta Go Fast", but nothing can top "Sonic Drive".
I never got to finish watching it in my own language, so I found a way to watch the Japanese version years later. I'm glad the original version is much better than the dubs.
I'm unable to hate the dub just for how fond I am of the cast. Of course, it has it's downgrades in the music, translation choices, and cut content, but I will never not feel joy hearing Jason's Sonic and the rest of them.
Finally someone who talks about this.
When i was little, i watched the 4Kids versions, 8 year old me liked it. But i heard about the Japanese version years later, and i watched it, it was awesome, i even rewatched 2 times. Now i can't even touch the 4Kids version, it's that bad.
No it's not.
@@theendisthebeginningistheend Ok you can tell your opnion here, but you are saying that everywhere in the comments. This is just someone who wants attention.
4kids version is okay, but it's just the censorship is the problem
I like some of the 4kids VA's including Sonic's VA
@@Oneforus21111 I agree.
Glad that I found this channel! You bring up interesting points and I can agree with you. So didn't you watch the whole anime in Japanese? I'm glad that you will watch it thanks to Discotek Media. As for my experience with the series, I remember watching some episodes when I was a kid (Italian dub, that means 4kids obviously). I liked it, but a few years ago I decided to revisit the whole series in Japanese, knowing about the censorship, and I fell in love with it. Its plots are not always perfect but its characters, their relationships and the tone balancing are incredible for a kids' cartoon. And I find that the American score totally altered the original tone of the series. I'm currently rewatching it and I'm going to buy the blu-ray too. Hope you will like it and sorry for the boring long comment :)
Thank you for your comment - it's not boring at all! I don't think I did see all of Sonic X so I am very excited to watch the whole thing uncensored, in order, in Japanese! (Pre-orders are now live for the Blu-Ray btw - hooray!)
I definitely saw the last couple of episodes and the SA1 and 2 adaptations at some point over the years, but I definitely haven't see the whole series. Exciting times. From what I have seen of the Japanese show though, I agree with your comments 100%. Thank you for watching this video btw! 🙂
@@HillTopTerebi You're welcome!
The story makes a lot of sense(for the most part) and Chris is kinda likeable in the Japanese dub.
But Amy is still Bad
NO he wasnt he was WORSE
Honestly the music in the dub wasnt really that awful, compared to the japanese soundtrack sure it stands no chance but the dub also made some good songs, like sonic's theme for example
I do agree the sound whenever sonic does something becomes annoying
its kinda difficult for me to watch japanese dub with english sub because it takes me out of the experience a bit
having to watch the subtitles in order to understand is a little annoying
Same, but it's even worse for me.
I'm a slow reader, so I have to pause it every single time.
@@theendisthebeginningistheend same tbh
When I used to watch it I was thinking the same thing about the music never stops. At times it could get extremely loud pitched.
Yeeeeah that applies to a few things for me through 4kids. I typically watch my anime dubbed. From this show, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Shaman King…I just can’t watch the dubs anymore despite wanting to watch the shows again. The main thing for me aside from the censoring and acting, one of the biggest problems for me is the MUSIC. Due to how 4kids changes things with its edits to such drastic levels, and maybe even tech limitations and legal reasons, they can’t keep the original music in these shows and replace it with their own music. Aside from the music often being lower quality…..it also….never…shuts…up. It’s constant noise. We miss out on genuinely beautiful music in these shows, but also have a replacement ost that is constantly going and headache inducing. 4kids even started doing uncut uncensored dubs of Yugioh and Shaman king that fixed this problem amongst others…but they abandoned those dubs very soon.
I grew up with Sonic X 4Kids dub, so I can look past most of its flaws. I would even say some (very little) of its censorship is for the best at some times. But the rampant censorship of season 3’s heavy hitting moments, specifically the death of that girl (I believe her name was molly) was abhorrent, and whilst I can watch season 1-2 in dub, I always watch season 3 in sub whenever I do a rewatch. Good video!
If you are referring to the girl in Shadows backstory, her name is Maria
@@nmaredark3214 I meant season 3, in the original she’s killed by the metarex.
@@TheUnknownGruntProductions oh uh Cosmo?
@@nmaredark3214 ruclips.net/video/RCBqqCnqNMY/видео.html The girl from this scene, Molly
The Japanese does a lot better capturing the emotions of characters, and is all around better
The jetix opening was used on Sonic X re-runs in Italy .
I had (and still have) the full sonic x series in dvd and boy, am I glad the french version followed 100% the original material
I watched the 4kids Sonic x and back then I didn't think about the original version because I thought US made it like Yu-Gi-Oh I had no idea it was anime and when I seen it I was so surprised