Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest was one of my favorite movies as a child. Me and my siblings used to always re-watch that three movie special that aired on Toonami, after recording it onto a VHS tape. (Ah, the good ol days.)
Recently, when I was looking around for a screenshot of the moment after Goku blasts Dr. Wheelo into the atmosphere, I kept finding the "Ocean ENGLISH Dub version on YouTube?" Okay, I don't want to knock Goku's more popular voice actor Sean Schemmel, he's prominently found in every DBZ video game, all of the modern movies, episodes, etc., but did they really have to redo a classic movie like that?
Don't get me wrong. I am all for re-mastering movies and music to give them cleaner looks, sounds, and add additional features/footage. But as I'm watching this re-mastered version, of one of my favorite movies as a child growing up. I'm realizing that there's actually less footage in the newer version than there is in the old version?
If you're a picky Otaku such as myself, this would really grind your gears like it does mine. What exactly is the point of making a new edition of something if all you're doing is taking away some of the best features found in the original? Like for instance, does anyone remember the original Dark Chao Garden in the Sega Dreamcast version, of Sonic Adventure 2, before they came out with Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on the Nintendo GameCube?
Yes, in the ORIGINAL Dreamcast version there was a cave, a hill with a walkway you go up to and look down at the garden below, and a cool little cage that you could jump in, overall bringing the theme of the underworld together exquisitely. The SA2B version dad none of those features! Just a zone with a pool and a platform at the end? Now I understand that there are spacing limits which the game developers had to follow, but if you were a Chao maniac back in the day like I was. This probably pissed you off.
So why exactly did Ocean feel the need to redo a classic DBZ movie like the world's strongest? And then take away one of the most iconic scenes as Goku is greeted with praise by his best friend Krillin, and he looks up into the sky and says: "I know he's still alive." With a confident smile on his face embodying the immortal spirit of the Goku we all learned to love so much?
Nope, they just had him blindly toss a Spirit Bomb up there like a raging monkey.
Well, I guess that's capitalism. What do you guys think? Are game and movie developers taking things a step to far when they reinvent some of our most classic video games, movies, and music? Or do you applaud their efforts in keeping the classics alive, and keeping people (like myself) talking about them for decades to come?
Let me know in the comments. And while you're at it, have a great Sunday!! 😁✌🏽