Chapter 10
CONCLUSION
Throughout this paper, the Dragonball series has been shown to be edited, and in some cases butchered, to fit a demographic to which it is not actually intended.
Despite the animation, the series should be aimed at an older demographic. There are, of course, cultural differences between Japan and America. They become apparent in this series. In Japan, a younger audience is prepared to deal with the issues Dragonball brings. A young American audience is most likely not prepared for the violence or issues raised by this series. But most young adults should be.
To save the series from what should be an inevitable uprising of parent groups, simply change the time the show is aired. Currently, the Dragonball series is aired on Cartoon Network from 5 to 6 PM EST. This is 4 to 5 CST, or when most school aged children come home (Cartoon Network, 2002).
Airing the series during prime time, between 8 and 10 PM EST, should put to rest the fears of parents who may object to the series.
This should also quell the protests of the editing of the series. If the series is aired at a later time, the series should not have to be censored and / or edited. It takes time and money to remove the violence from the series (Psaros-b, 2002). It, most likely, also takes more time to rewrite the original scripts than it would to translate it directly.
If the series is put into a later time slot, as mentioned, it could also increase the sales of merchandise.
Adults generally have more money than children. Adults are also more likely to be interested in some of the more "high end" merchandise such as the character busts. The busts have little "play" value and a hefty price tag ($47.95 MSRP , fig.7. ZStore.com, 2002).
The logical conclusion would be to move the series to a later, preferably prime-time, time slot. If it saves money while simultaneously increasing sales, there is no reason to continue the translating travesty.
Funimation should have left the series art and dialogue alone. It would have saved them money… and fans the heartache of seeing their series dismembered.
PREVIOUS
HOME
CONTENT ANALYSIS