SONIC X

[rid1ey]

I'm pretty ignorant to this show but having done some research i'm under the impression that...

There were 3 Seasons made, 2 were released and dubbed/edited outside of Japan for a Western + audience. The 3rd being Japan-only. 

 

Is it better to watch the Japanese version with English subtitles?

What got changed in the 4KIDS version?

Did it wind up concluded or up in the air?

What's the best version on Youtube? 

 

I don't hear much about it in the Sonic community ...is it not popular? All information welcome. Thanks!

 

 

[Polkadi~☆]

Sonic X has 3 seasons and 78 episodes in total. The 3rd season is not Japan only, nor was it ever aired in Japan (and only ever came to them through streaming services). You can find the entire series in English and in Japanese all in HD quality on YouTube.

Many fans will tell you that the Japanese version is better, when compared to the censorship of the 4Kids English dub. The original soundtrack of the series is still intact, and many scenes are unedited and uncensored (of which these edits were for the most inane reasons anyways, like removing text from scenes and getting rid of Live and Learn in an episode).

Sonic X, unlike other story-based Sonic TV shows (Sonic SatAM, Sonic Underground), actually has a complete ending. The series is done, complete, finished.

It isn't unpopular, just not spoken about much anymore. Everything about the show has already been said, and everyone ultimately moved on.

[Sega DogTagz]

2 hours ago, rid1ey said:

Is it better to watch the Japanese version with English subtitles?
 

Its also worth noting that the show features last generations VA's for each of the characters, so they all sound a bit different and have a different direction to them then the VA's that are in the series today. 

Its a complete personal preference. If you are cool with the voice talent, then there is nothing wrong with the English tracks. If that era of voice-overs is too much to wrap your head around - then skip it and go Japanese. 

[rid1ey]

thanks for all that information.

 

The voice overs themselves will not be an issue for me and I would prefer not to read subtitles if I loose nothing from the experience.

[Kellodrawsalot]

English dub is terrible not Sailor Moon Dic dub terrible but Still bad.

 

[Polkadi~☆]

41 minutes ago, rid1ey said:

thanks for all that information.

 

The voice overs themselves will not be an issue for me and I would prefer not to read subtitles if I loose nothing from the experience.

You would lose a few things, considering 4kids even censors a lot of plot points in season 3, and it's very unfortunate. I wouldn't say what they are, as so not to spoil, but it does take away some things from the experience.

[JezMM]

The main issue with the 4kids dub is that anything resembling a mature theme is sliced out.  As an example, in the Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation, they gloss over the idea that Maria was killed in the raids on the Space Colony ARK completely.  Sonic X is one of the few pieces of Sonic media that attempted to have a few more emotional scenes (whether they were successful or not depends on the viewer's own feelings).  Most of these elements were VERY sucked out in the english dub.  Scenes that originally used no music for emotional effect are wrecked by the English dub's insistence on NEVER having the show be silent.  The music is constant and often obnoxious, with individual characters having recurring musical riffs almost every time they speak.  It's maddening, but I am particularly fond of the Japanese soundtrack so I am slightly biased.

But yeah, I use that Maria example because I assume you've played the games and that doesn't spoil anything for you, BUT there is much more of that sort of thing elsewhere in the series.  In the final season, which often dabbles in slightly darker storylines (for Sonic, at least) they actually cut out a character's death completely.  It was a major emotional point of the original Japanese version, but in the English dub, they splice together scenes cut from earlier in the episode and change the script to make it so that character survives just fine.  If that sounds like something that bothers you, I'd recommend the Japanese version. 

There are a few small nitpicks too that resulted from the English scriptwriters not being familiar with the games.  In the first episode, a chaos control occurs - a concept we're quite familiar with from Sonic Adventure 2.  Knuckles names the phenomenon as such when it occurs, but unfortunately the scriptwriters didn't have that context, so they misinterpreted it as Knuckles saying Chaos Control was the name of Eggman's base (which is... what was chaos-controlling at the time).  Stuff like that isn't common, but it happens.

Other than that, everyone else pretty much covered the broad points of the series.  Worth mentioning that, if you get that far, originally Episode 52 was the last one, and THEN they went and made the third season, so episode 52 feels a little more finale-ish for that reason.

I'll also mention that between episodes 5-23 or so, most of the storylines are self-contained, episodic adventures.  If you prefer connected stories that span multiple episodes, stick with it, because from episode 24 onwards, there's not much in the way of standalone adventures - the series begins several arcs of multi-episode storylines until the end from there.

[rid1ey]

sounds like the Japanese one is the one to watch then - thanks for everyones  input!

[Eurisko]

Every episode is on YouTube 

 

[batson]

Fun fact: I started watching the series back in 2004 with the intention to watch the whole show... and I STILL have episodes left. Over the years I've sometimes gone months without watching a single episode and then suddenly started watching it again when i feel like it. So yeah, this show has been on my constant to-do list for 15 straight years. When I started my journey with it I was a teenager and now I'm a 32 year old man. The day I finally watch the last episode of it is actually going to be a bit sad, since it will feel like a really really long chapter of my life is finally ended.

[King Scoopa Koopa]

If I remember correctly, the show was on the air for like 15 years, so I don't think popularity is an issue.

[Sonikku2k]

To answer the OP.
I recommend the unedited... Japanese version and here's why:

* Fully unedited, and includes the occasional sexual innuendo and four letter words which will then ensure the continuity remains intact
* Continuity, and oh, did I say, continuity?
* The voice acting work is far better than the dubs as we all know (same holds true for more mainstream anime)

The videos on Youtube are often ones recorded from live TV (especially if the time is shown on the screen).
I have the DVD set, and what I have done is to rip all of that to mkv and add subtitles so I can watch it on mobile or on the TV without having to load discs into a machine.
In all its 78 episodes, some of which were never shown in Japan due to failing ratings.

[SBR2]

I think in both languages the show is alright. The dub makes some silly changes and adds a ton of bad puns but I don't think it's nearly as offensive as some make it out to be. Having said that I do honestly wish that they'd do a redub with the current cast. Just a little more accurate to the Japanese version.

[Sonikku2k]

Well yes, my son hasn't got complaints about the English dub... However now that he's learning Japanese he is watching the Japanese version

[Perkilator]

Gotta love Sonic Boom and its tiny jabs.

[MetalSkulkBane]

6 hours ago, Perkilator said:

Gotta love Sonic Boom and its tiny jabs.

You mean really awkwardly forced statement with no comedic value beyond being a pop culture reference, one that has no context for Megaman fans unfamiliar with the show and on it's own is ironic considering that Boom lasted only two seasons, despite having extra publicity, such as this whole event, which coincidentally also didn't do so well?

I know I'm taking a little joke too seriously , but personally  I preferred when she freaked out that dancing means music is controlling them, a comedy based on her paranoia, rather that randomness and loose 4th wall.