4K!DS TV Talkback: Dinosaur King [December] (Spoilers)

[D Dubbs]

http://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/4kids.jpghttp://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/dinosaurking.jpg

New episodes every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.!

Saturday, December 1st: Episode 14
English Title: "Child's Play"
Japanese Title: "Rome and the Secret Dinosaur"

Saturday, December 8th: Episode 15
English Title: "Volcanic Panic"
Japanese Title: "Shaking! A Dinosaur Hotspring!"

Saturday, December 15th: Episode 16
English Title: "All Fired Up!"
Japanese Title: "Fiery Acrocanthosaurus!"


NOTE: Missed an episode of Dinosaur King? Want to watch your favorite episodes again? Don't worry, 4K!ds TV is giving Dinosaur King an encore run at 8:30 a.m. so you can watch all the Triassic battles all over again.

SPOILERS: Yeah, like anyone has watched this before...

Enjoy.

[bigddan11]

It looks like the crystal ball absorbs light from the sun and causes this dino to go crazy. Dr. Z may not seem that evil at first, but it's moves like this that show how insane he is.

I loved the multiple "old lady" references though, and I loved how Ursula got her revenge by stealing the bike only to have the card stolen from her when Dr. Z landed on her back and knocked it free.

If yuo've missed an episode, not only can you catch the rerun Saturday mornings, but they have the episodes up at www.4kidstv.com (http://www.4kidstv.com)

The newest episodes of every series on 4K!dsTV, minus Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, are added every Monday. They also add an episode of Cubix and Fighting Foodons each monday.

[New Noise]

Today's episode was alright. I was kind of disappointed because last week's episode actually had some things that were plot-relative, but today's didn't have that. I liked the dinosaur that the D-Team got, though. I guess that's a positive. :p

[Light Lucario]

I really liked this week's episode. The way the kids were standing in line for pudding made me think of a line from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged series and if I remembered the exact line, I would type out what I thought.

Anyway, the commercials made it look like Dr. Z actually cared about the dinosaur, but it turned out that he really only wanted its power. I felt so bad for the dinosaur because combining it with a move card like that obviously had negative sideeffects on it. After seeing how cruel Dr. Z and the Alpha Gang were to it, I was so glad that Max was able to grap it. It seems like such a powerful dinosaur, but I think it would be too hot to handle for either team. The ending with the pudding again was kind of funny. It was also funny how everyone on the D-Team called Ursula an old lady and when she was riding on Max's bike. It was a nice funny episode to get after seeing the intense two-part episode. It also showed how Dr. Z is more dangerous than he was in past episodes.

[D Dubbs]

Today's episode was alright. I was kind of disappointed because last week's episode actually had some things that were plot-relative, but today's didn't have that.

Although it didn't seem much beyond your typical episode, there were a couple important things to note. We learned that a dinosaur can be fused with a move card, it was the first time that Dr. Z went along with the Alpha Gang on their mission, and we also got to see a little deeper into Dr. Z's character, as Light Lucario pointed out.

I also thought they made good use of the Italian setting. I burst out laughing when the Pachycephalosaurus straightened out the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Mouth of Truth bit wasn't bad either.

COMPARISON (Child's Play)

http://aycu23.webshots.com/image/34102/2003655140080227031_rs.jpg

1. This roughly three-second shot of the poster for pudding is taken out. I can't imagine that it would be very hard to change to English, but whatever.

2. Remember this dialogue?

Zoe: What about helmets?
Max: We left them at home.

That was terribly awkward (and dub-only if you couldn't tell). But 4Kids adds it in during a time of silence in the original, so they're able to add that without changing around the rest of the dialogue.

3. In the original version, the bit where Dr. Z tells the Pachycephalosaurus to attack the D-Team is played twice (once right before the commercial break, and once right after). In the dub, it's played once (before the commercial break).


http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/36486/2003679828674557828_rs.jpg http://aycu33.webshots.com/image/37432/2003635905163967957_rs.jpg


http://aycu12.webshots.com/image/35851/2003630309458724574_rs.jpg http://aycu36.webshots.com/image/34435/2003621177967576135_rs.jpg

4. Whenever there's text on this one building, 4Kids changes it to random scribbles. I think in most cases the original text is "Passo Aer" (don't ask me what that is), although it's kind of hard to make out in some scenes.

http://aycu19.webshots.com/image/34778/2003669505585430080_rs.jpg

5. This close-up shot of Dr. Z kicking Ed is removed, although the rest of the kicking sequence is left in.

http://aycu36.webshots.com/image/34755/2003648359225048757_rs.jpg

6. This shot is inserted into the dub after the last commercial break. In the original, they just transitioned immediately from Rome to the inside of the D-Lab.

Background music: :( Not good. Once again, most of the music is replaced with 4Kids' generic instrumental stuff.


Heh...next week is the hotspring episode. I'd be very surprised if the episode got through unaltered by 4Kids...

[Undrave]

Heh...next week is the hotspring episode. I'd be very surprised if the episode got through unaltered by 4Kids...

Can you say 'fanservice!!' XD

[Shift]

Sheesh, there was already a Pokemon episode called Volcanic Panic, and now Veronic Taylor's gotta read it out again for this show. Crazy stuff, huh?...

[Undrave]

I wonder where Max got that new move?! Was it in the folio cards they got back from Dr. Z? I must say that slash sequence was energetic.

Still they aren't using the other Dinosaurs...

I wonder if Dr. Z made other special dinosaurs like the pachycephalosaurus.

On a non-story related note I want to point out that I loved the way Ursula was shaded and colored when she was card slashing in this episode. She was cool looking. Nice effects.

[D Dubbs]

Sheesh, there was already a Pokemon episode called Volcanic Panic, and now Veronic Taylor's gotta read it out again for this show. Crazy stuff, huh?...

Eh, they used that title around a decade ago, so I don't think it was intentional.


I wonder where Max got that new move?! Was it in the folio cards they got back from Dr. Z? I must say that slash sequence was energetic.

Probably. It looked like they took around eight move cards in the raid.


Still they aren't using the other Dinosaurs...Yeah...looks like they'll only use other dinosaurs when Chomp, Paris and Ace are all defeated/captured.

[D Dubbs]

Not bad. Aside from the digital bathing suits, this episode was pretty well dubbed. Nice to see that 4Kids is actually willing to translate Japanese text.

The episode itself was pretty good as well. Lots of funny moments, a pretty entertaining dinosaur battle (with a Matrix moment :p), and we learn more a little bit more about dinosaur battlefields. It'll be interesting to see Dr. Z's invention next week.

[New Noise]

Yeah, I didn't think this episode was too bad, either. It was very enjoyable and I'm liking how the D-Team isn't always winning the cards. In this one, I was pretty certain that the D-Team was going to get the dinosaur, but the Alpha Gang got it in the end. I'm usually good at predicting the episodes, but this episode was an exception.

[Ian]

This might be my favorite episode, aside from the Zeta point two-parter. Lots of highlights: dynamic fights (usually the most boring part of an episode); Prof. Taylor getting his Jigglypuff on with the brush; a victory for the Alpha Team; the triumphant return of the Alpha Droids (loved their monotone "oh-ohs"); and rhymin' Ed on the bongos--what else could one want (aside from breasts in all their bared glory)?

One thing of note: it seems that the designation of the prize money in Game-Show Showdown as "dollars" was not a fluke; the bellboy also makes reference to dollars here. While I suppose it was unrealistic to expect otherwise--this is still 4Kids, after all--it still feels weird, given that the setting is obviously supposed to be Japan. Still, if Phoenix Wright can get away with having an L.A. with lunch-box serving girls and temples, then Dinosaur King can have an Japan that uses dollars as currency.

[Light Lucario]

This was a funny episode. It was really funny when Dr. Taylor would make those strange marks on everyone's faces for mentioning dinosaurs or research. I didn't think of how it was like Jigglypuff until I came here. I could tell that they added swim suits on, but I didn't really care because of how I can't see that as something worthy of any kind of complaining. Anyway, it was interesting how the dinosaur, which name I can't spell at all, seemed to recognize the island and the fossils of its family. I also liked how Ace and Chomp seemed to be able to feel the volcanic activity. It showed how they are connected to nature like other animals are.

The battle itself was cool and it was fun to see the Alpha Droids again. I had a feeling that the Alpha Gang would win just because the D-Team had gotten a lot of cards lately so I guess it was time for them to have some kind of victory. That and how Dr. Z needed it for an invention and how that might be useful for the plot in a future episode. Their victory dance was pretty funny, as was Ed rhyming on bongos. I was touched with how Max vowed to get the dinosaur back one day. It was funny how Dr. Taylor didn't know that the volcano wasn't going to erupt any time soon, considering the knowledge he has. Anyway, it will be interesting how that invention plays out in the future. Maybe it has something to do with how the dinosaur in the promo was setting everything on fire. Overall, another enjoyable episode of Dinosaur King. Hopefully next week's episode will be great to watch too.

[Undrave]

Reese's bed hair was hilarious :p she got lots of hair hehehehe.

[Blackstar]

Is Max's mother an agraphobe? I know that she's not a member of the D-Team and all, but seeing as how the gang was supposed to be on vacation and not there on business, it seemed kind of odd that she wouldn't have gone with them. Did she have something better to do? Or is life outside of the kitchen just too scary for her? The idea of Dad and the kids running around having tons of adventures while Mom stays home baking cookies somehow strikes me as being even more offensive than the total absence of women from the program. Even if Max's mom were relegated to being a source of comic relief like Chi-Chi on DBZ, that would be better than nothing.

[D Dubbs]

Is Max's mother an agraphobe? I know that she's not a member of the D-Team and all, but seeing as how the gang was supposed to be on vacation and not there on business, it seemed kind of odd that she wouldn't have gone with them. Did she have something better to do? Or is life outside of the kitchen just too scary for her? The idea of Dad and the kids running around having tons of adventures while Mom stays home baking cookies somehow strikes me as being even more offensive than the total absence of women from the program. Even if Max's mom were relegated to being a source of comic relief like Chi-Chi on DBZ, that would be better than nothing.

Heh, I thought you stopped watching after four episodes. ;)

You do raise a good point. I can't deny that more needs to be done with Max's mother. However, it's not like the show is neglecting the female gender entirely. Zoe is a member of the D-Team obviously, and Reese has proven to be a fairly competent character. She's portrayed as the most intelligent member of the show, as well as a kind-hearted sister. Plus, she's seemingly an excellent pilot. :D

Also, I do intend to do a comparison for this episode, although I'm pretty busy at the moment, so it might be another few days before I get that done.

Oh, and in case you haven't heard, DK is going on hiatus after this week's episode...

[Blackstar]

Heh, I thought you stopped watching after four episodes. ;)

I watched "Volcanic Panic" out of curiosity after I saw the promo for it. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the possibility of seeing Max's mom in a bathing suit peaked my interest. :sweat:


Oh, and in case you haven't heard, DK is going on hiatus after this week's episode...I did hear that, right here at Toon Zone, in fact. So basically for the next few weeks, 4Kids TV will be all reruns except for The Adrenaline Project(which I still haven't seen).

[FidoMcCokefiend]

what the? I thought 4kids abandoned anime?

[Silverstar]

what the? I thought 4kids abandoned anime?

On the contrary. From what I understand, Dinosaur King is doing quite well on 4Kids (all mom issues aside-*winks at Blackstar*;)), and they've got Yu-Gi-Oh GX as well, though I don't know how well that's doing ratings-wise.

[Undrave]

I'm guessing the writers didn't include Max's mom simply to simplify the storyline and not have to come up with excuses to give her. Maybe they'll have her reveal she knew everything all along in a later episode XD

Dinosaur King is often either the best rated show on the block or the second one. Off course the fact that it's not a rerun must have helped. GX is doing better now that it's up to 11:30 instead of earlier.

Adrenaline Project has ABYSMAL ratings. Being at 8 AM sure isn't helping it.

[PC!]

Interestingly, it appears this Saturday's episode is already up at 4kids.tv, whereas last week's is nowhere to be seen.

[D Dubbs]

Thanks for the info, PC2. I've already got some notes down for this week's comparison, and thankfully it looks it won't be nearly as long as this one.

COMPARISON (Volcanic Panic)

1. It appears that the location of this episode has been changed. 4Kids has it take place on (or close to) Devon Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Island), which is actually a real island in the Canadian arctic. Now, the island in the show has some sort of similarities with Devon Island, such as those Paleozoic shales we saw. But for the most part, having the episode take place on Devon Island makes little sense, especially since the real Devon Island is not in a tropical setting, it consists of over 20,000 square miles, and there's no volcano. I'm not 100% sure, but the volcano in the show is probably supposed to originally be Sakurajima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakurajima).

http://aycu40.webshots.com/image/36559/2001697950051799213_rs.jpg http://aycu20.webshots.com/image/35099/2001640926348689030_rs.jpg
2. This upward pan shot of the hotel that occurs after the title screen is taken out, along with some dialogue that Max has. (Don't worry, all he says is something along the likes of "I'm so excited!") This is presumably a time edit, since there's no really reason to cut it out.

3. As I've mentioned previously, Gabu (aka Chomp) says his name when he speaks in the original, while Chomp just makes dinosaur noises. So when Dr. Taylor draws on Gabu in the original, it's because he says his own name, while in the dub, it appears that Dr. Taylor draws on Chomp just for the hell of it.

http://aycu36.webshots.com/image/35995/2001665786517781788_rs.jpg http://aycu21.webshots.com/image/36180/2001695251145384872_rs.jpg

http://aycu32.webshots.com/image/34991/2001650155856386600_rs.jpg http://aycu36.webshots.com/image/38475/2002818719464178521_rs.jpg

http://aycu29.webshots.com/image/35708/2000021906063144391_rs.jpg http://aycu29.webshots.com/image/35708/2000003804135980845_rs.jpg

http://aycu33.webshots.com/image/37072/2000018603212617853_rs.jpg http://aycu24.webshots.com/image/34463/2000026610096618625_rs.jpg
4. Well it's pretty obvious what the edit is. Though it's kind of weird, cause in the original version there are some posters that have the kanji removed, too. For example:

http://aycu13.webshots.com/image/36332/2001607679819466102_rs.jpg
So...yeah. That's kinda strange. Though, I'm surprised 4Kids didn't alter the cleavage (in the posters or the actual performance).

http://aycu30.webshots.com/image/35469/2000014757508570257_rs.jpg
5. This short scene with the Acrocanthosaurus raging around is moved to about twenty seconds later in the dub, presumably to make a more dramatic cliffhanger before the commercial break.

http://aycu18.webshots.com/image/36857/2001661608298755821_rs.jpg http://aycu30.webshots.com/image/36629/2001621351329334292_rs.jpg

http://aycu08.webshots.com/image/35687/2000628853878785113_rs.jpg http://aycu08.webshots.com/image/35687/2000626514010226318_rs.jpg

http://aycu24.webshots.com/image/36183/2002021691550181203_rs.jpg http://aycu04.webshots.com/image/38803/2002065770161807992_rs.jpg
6. Yay! 4Kids is translating text! Though...some of it is a bit weird. In the first set of pictures, you have to wonder where 4Kids came up with "Temperature up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius)" bit. I thought 4Kids was suppose to dumb things down, not complicate matters. Also, if you look closely at the second set of pictures, you'll see that all of the kanji is erased, even though it's barely noticeable.

http://aycu36.webshots.com/image/36155/2000006530713451417_rs.jpg http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/35506/2000010996510226778_rs.jpg

http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/35506/2000042907021596663_rs.jpghttp://aycu27.webshots.com/image/35506/2000080317857537265_rs.jpg

http://aycu19.webshots.com/image/38578/2001990125529380616_rs.jpg http://aycu31.webshots.com/image/37230/2001948672768408929_rs.jpg

http://aycu32.webshots.com/image/38311/2001938025372476227_rs.jpg http://aycu32.webshots.com/image/38311/2001927956916211575_rs.jpg

http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/37366/2001906943751639995_rs.jpg http://aycu08.webshots.com/image/35207/2001916855116123862_rs.jpg

http://aycu28.webshots.com/image/35547/2001965414971287778_rs.jpg http://aycu31.webshots.com/image/35110/2001968013650461600_rs.jpg

http://aycu40.webshots.com/image/38759/2001997733626047169_rs.jpg http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/36010/2001910518973572570_rs.jpg

http://aycu32.webshots.com/image/37831/2002020865053390267_rs.jpg http://aycu13.webshots.com/image/34292/2002043583874744187_rs.jpg

http://aycu23.webshots.com/image/35822/2002026861228767175_rs.jpg http://aycu40.webshots.com/image/36599/2002093779809267522_rs.jpg

http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/38013/2002025808129646502_rs.jpg http://aycu28.webshots.com/image/36067/2002091899774564045_rs.jpg

http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/37015/2002088621695740458_rs.jpg http://aycu38.webshots.com/image/38517/2002054779101907817_rs.jpg
7. Mmm...gotta love the fanservice. 4Kids adds digital bathing suits and also cuts out a three-second scene. This edit was expected, but it still looks hilarious when the characters are using towels to cover up their swimsuits. XD

http://aycu29.webshots.com/image/35868/2000649785496090347_rs.jpg
8. After the Alpha Gang enters the locker room, the door closes behind them and this shot is removed (probably once again as a time cut).

http://aycu05.webshots.com/image/36964/2000623590668868805_rs.jpg http://aycu37.webshots.com/image/36756/2000670279821322657_rs.jpg
9. More kanji removal...

Side Note: You know what's weird about the kanji removals? 4Kids doesn't remove all of it:
http://aycu15.webshots.com/image/37814/2000604506262936975_rs.jpg
But I guess 4Kids will be 4Kids...

Background Music: Whoo! 4Kids actually kept some this time! Only two pieces, but it's a nice change from the last batch of episodes that didn't keep any.

[PC!]

That screenshot of naked Rex running with Ace is wrong on so many levels.

[D Dubbs]

It was an alright episode. The camping scene at the beginning was fun to see, but it could've lasted longer. The rest of the episode was pretty much one gigantic battle, which wasn't terribly exciting until the last part when Rex showed up. So, I wonder if Ace is over his fear of water now...

Although, this episode did feel like it had a darker tone to it. A gas station got blown up, the battle occurred at night (as opposed to usually taking place during the day) and it felt like the supercharged Acrocanthosaurus was the most powerful dinosaur the D-Team has had to face yet.

Not a terrible episode before DK leaves on hiatus, but nothing too special either.

[New Noise]

Today's episode was pretty good, but I'm still really disappointed that there's still not a true plot. If the series basically continues like this until the very end, then I'll probably stop watching some time within the near-future.

According to the little commercial that aired after the episode was over, they're going to play the first episode next week. Does anyone know if this is at 8:30AM or 10:30AM? Does that mean that there's not going to be a new episode?

By the way, for those who didn't know already, I believe the final episode of Dinosaur King airs tomorrow in Japan.

[D Dubbs]

Today's episode was pretty good, but I'm still really disappointed that there's still not a true plot. If the series basically continues like this until the very end, then I'll probably stop watching some time within the near-future.

From the look of things, it'll pretty much stay the same for awhile. Dinosaur-of-the-day style episodes, with hints of a bigger plot building up within those episodes.


According to the little commercial that aired after the episode was over, they're going to play the first episode next week. Does anyone know if this is at 8:30AM or 10:30AM? Does that mean that there's not going to be a new episode?Both are reruns. No one's sure when the next new episode of Dinosaur King will air.


By the way, for those who didn't know already, I believe the final episode of Dinosaur King airs tomorrow in Japan.Hmm, I thought there were still five episodes left...

[Light Lucario]

That screenshot of naked Rex running with Ace is wrong on so many levels.

My thoughts exactly. When it comes to scenes like that, it is understandable why it was edited out and even with the added bathing suits on, it would have looked so wrong.

Anyway, the new episode was fun and enjoyable. It was nice to see the Alpha Gang's dinosaurs playing around for once. The camping scene was fun and it was funny how it was so short. I also noticed Max's mother not being there for another outing. It was really interesting how Dr. Z's machince not only gave the Acrocanthosaurus stronger fire power, but allowed it to be controlled so easily. When they released it from the card, the changing sequence actually reminded me of Digimon when they digiovle into the Ulitamate level. I've probably been thinking too much about Digimon lately, especially with looking foreword to the new Data Squad episode.

I was surprised at how hot the Acrocanthosaurus was with leaving steaming hot footprints behind it even. This episode did have a darker feel to it, especially with the gas station blowing up like that. While many of the dinosaurs the D-Team faced before were strong and some were a threat, I think this Acrocanthosaurus was much more of a threat than any other dinosaur they've faced yet. I'm glad that Ace and Rex were the ones to defeat it since not only are they my favorite characters in the show, but it was nice to have Ace face his fear of water. Besides that, I just think that Ace is a cute little blue dinosaur. It was nice how Max was able to fulfill his promise and get the Acrocanthosaurus back from the Alpha Gang.

I think this was a good episode to have before Dinosaur King goes on hiatus for awhile. I'm guessing that 4Kids wants to focus on dubbing more episodes so that they can have a lot more to air once Dinosaur King comes back from the break.

[D Dubbs]

Comparison (All Fired Up!)

http://aycu19.webshots.com/image/37298/2003672904420360979_rs.jpg http://aycu06.webshots.com/image/38685/2003632869183598369_rs.jpg

1. Err...so this time 4Kids actually adds footage onto the episode - a whopping 35 seconds! That whole prologue is all made up with scenes from the episode and a voice over from the newscaster. The worst part is that is doesn't even make sense. "Three-for-all, free-for-all"? Sure that may sound cool, but in the episode, there are only one-on-one battles with the Acrocanthosaurus. And as you can see, 4Kids painted on "Six Hours Earlier..." to the first actual scene of the episode, which is also completely made up.

I'm not quite sure what to think of this. Megaman Star Force would do the same thing on Jetstream with prologues nearly two minutes in length. It's rather pointless (4Kids probably created it to have a more dramatic opening sequence) but it didn't have any effect on the rest of the episode at all, so I guess it's fine.

2. Every time "Sanjo" comes up in the script, 4Kids changes it to "city" or "town." This probably happens a good ten times. 4Kids already said that the setting is in Sanjo back in "A Game Show Showdown," so I don't really see why they didn't just translate directly...but I suppose it's pretty harmless overall.

http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/39433/2003696596105044850_rs.jpg http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/37415/2003652402080057952_rs.jpg

Side Note: Remember how the D-Team symbol was a different color back in "Escape From Zeta Point"? Well, looks like it was supposed to be blue all along, so I guess 4Kids is innocent. It was Sunrise doing the editing.

Background Music: None is kept. Though...I do kind of like what 4Kids is doing. The Japanese BGM is actually getting pretty tiresome at this point, but 4Kids is still making new stuff. For example, when the Zander made his Alpha Slash for the Acrocanthosaurus, the Japanese music just plays Terry's transformation theme music, while 4Kids gives us a new, epic sounding piece that seems much more fitting, IMO.

________________________________________________

Ah...finally done with comparisons for a while. Time to relax. :anime: