Kirby Anime: The 4Kids dub VS. the Japanese Original.

That blog about Waddle Dee's mouth made me realize it was a good idea to blog about the differences between each episode of Hoshi no Kaabii and Kirby Right Back At Ya! because that's what I'm watching. I actually just started watching them back to back yesterday. I watched the dub first, but I realized I wasn't getting the full Kirby experience back in the day. I figured it was time to fix that.

Even though it says VS in the title, the blog isn't really about which is better than which. I will give my opinion on what I like better, but it's not some objective rating or anything.

So my first impression is that the Japanese opening is incredibly charming. It's very fitting for a show like Kirby, I think. However, it's far too long. The 4Kids version of the theme song on the other hand... COMPLETELY SLAPS! I'm sorry to all the purists out there, but the 4Kids version of the theme song's amazing! It's incredibly catchy, memorable, and energetic. Does it fit the tone of the show? Kinda, but also kinda don't. I love the dub's opening, and seeing the Japanese version doesn't change that.

That said, the main reason I wanted to watch the Japanese version is that I heard the show actually uses music from the games unlike the 4Kids dub. Not gonna lie, the music in the dub is too intense sometimes, and it does have a few good themes (Dedede's theme is always memorable), but I want the full Kirby experience. I didn't really hear any recognizable themes in the first episode though. The track that plays when Kirby wakes up in space and wrapped to Pupupuland (Dreamland) is beautiful. It's also interesting that the 4Kids version changed the sequence of some scenes. In the original, you start off seeing Kirby wrapping to Pupupuland. The 4Kids version starts with the monster octopus attack on the sheep. Doesn't really affect anything, but still an interesting edit no less.

The other thing I heard about is that the 4Kids version censored the show. What the hell is there to censor in an adorable show like Kirby!?! Alcohol. So in the original, the dinner scene includes the mayor giving a toast to Kirby before Kirby inhales everything, including the wine in their glass. Basically, Kirby just inhaled wine. Stupid thing to censor, considering 4Kids was also airing TMNT 2003, and that show really pushed the boundaries for a Saturday Morning Cartoon.

The rest of the episode follows the original pretty closely with some altered lines here and there. The one thing that really stuck out to me is Dedede's "tank" in the original. The original had this really garish looking camouflage paint job. I honestly think the 4Kids change looks better. The original looks so out of place. Not to mention the textures are extremely low resolution. Everything is clean and fits better with the aesthetic of Dedede more in the dumb. My guess is 4Kids changed it because they don't want any realistic looking arsenal in the show. One more weird change was that during the scene where Dedede wacks Kirby all over the castle, 4Kids decided to remove the cartoony sound effect and replaced it with a Kirby grunt when he's getting hit. It actually sounds more brutal than the Japanese version. Not sure why they did that.

As for the voices, I like the 4Kids dub a lot! More than some of the original Anime voices. I know, sacrilege, but hear me out.

Tiff - Both English and Japanese voices were spot on. If you were to tell me it was done by the same actress, just in a different language, I'd believe it.

Tuff - Tuff is clearly voiced by a girl pretending to be a boy in the Anime. The 4Kids dub sounds more like a bratty overly active kid.

Dedede - Oh my god! The English version is soooooo good. I don't dislike the Japanese version, but I just love his voice in the 4Kids version. He sounds like a mixed between Foghorn Leghorn and Wario or something. It just works for the character in the show.

Escargoon - Both voices sound pretty similar, but not to the extent of Tiff. Since I don't speak Japanese, I do think the English dub has an extra bit of sleaziness to him that I like. Also, he's referred to as Doctor in the original. Weird.

Meta Knight - He sounds so damn generic in the Japanese original. He just sounds like the typical brave hero archetype voice that you hear in anime. In the 4Kids dub, he has a Spanish accent and sound mysterious. The latter is especially important when you're watching for the first time. You don't know Meta Knight's motives. He was always a bad guy up until this point. Hell, I'd go so far as to say the anime influenced a shift in Meta Knight's character in the games too. Oh and the Spanish accent, even in the Japanese original, Meta Knight is accompanied by a Spanish sounding guitar theme. The 4Kids dub changed the theme, but it's still very Spanish sounding track and has my punch to it. So everything about the English dub of Meta Knight is superior.

Overall, the first episode is all about establishing the story and setting. We're introduced to Kirby, Pupupuland, and Holy Nightmare Enterprise. Since Kirby isn't allowed to speak -- this is a decreed by Masahiro Sakurai -- the show had to come up with secondary characters with Tiff and Tuff. These two characters are received with mixed feelings from the fandom. I'm pretty ambivalent towards them. The writers had no choice. While a lot of people will tell you there's no overarching story and nothing really changes between each episode, I kind of disagree. Yes, every episode is your monster of the week episode, but I think there is subtle story development throughout the series. I'll get to them when they appear. Episode 1 is all about introductions. Octopus monster is eating all the sheep, and the people suspect King Dedede is behind it. Dedede denies this and tries to blame it on the new alien arrival, Kirby. Kirby proves himself as the hero at the end of the episode showing off his copy ability and his fighting skills. We also see that Meta Knight seems to know more about Kirby than he's letting on.

Be back tomorrow to blog about episode 2. Cause I'm going to blog about every episode.