Digimon Frontier S01E15
Funky Beast Evolution, Calmaramon!(JP)
Beastie Girl (EN)
Original Writer:
Dub Writer: Terri-Lei O’Malley
Original Airdates:
July 21, 2002 (JP)
November 19, 2002 (EN)
I’m having a little difficulty with the title…actually the Japanese one this time. Two different translations put it at either Funky or Cool. Although the former fits the episode better (considering Calmaramon’s appearance and the kids’ reactions to it), since I don’t speak Japanese, I can’t really say. Beastie Girl is such a silly title, I shouldn’t even have to mention it.
Oh, and by the way…when I number the Toucanmon, (Toucanmon 1, 2, etc.) those numbers won’t refer to the same one throughout the episode. I’m not too good at differentiating them.
There’s a few differences in the opening scene between the two versions:
Ranamon and Mercuremon start by insulting Grottomon for being defeated by the Chosen Children. Ranamon then states that she doesn’t have time in her busy schedule to take down the children, and Mercuremon accuses her of making up excuses because she hasn’t located her Beast Spirit yet.
In the English, Ranamon and Mercurymon were talking in a more sympathetic tone about Grumblemon’s defeat, though the two of them were trading insults at the same time. (ex. “shiny twit” and “Queen of Puddles.”) Ranamon instructs Mercurymon to locate Arbormon because she didn’t have time for his nonsense. Then Mercurymon, in his confusing Shakesperean dialect, says that Ranamon’s lack of a Beast Spirit is plaguing her mind (a topic that seemed to come out of the blue, really.)
Ranamon: Maybe if I find my Beast Spirit, that won’t be the case.
Ranamon: I might as well be a silly lawn sprinkler for what little damage I can do without my Beast Spirit!
Well, you got the “silly” part down pretty well…
Ranamon: That’s right! I haven’t been there in a while!
Ranamon: Perfect! Those boys would trade their tail feathers for a wink!
That sounds like a really bum deal to me.
Silence
Ranamon: Oh, how I adore being adored! It’s so much nicer than working!
Too many American celebrities this resembles…
Kouji: He’ll be okay?
Takuya: Yeah, somehow.
Koji: Well, there he goes.
Takuya: Nice of you to point out the obvious.
Izumi: No more problems now!
Junpei: That’s right! That’s right!
Izumi: No more excuses now, everyone! Now we can lend a hand!
Zoe: Let’s hear it for J.P., the Princely Beast of Thunder!
J.P.: And Zoe, Princess of the Summer Breeze!
Takuya: And Takuya, King of I’m Gonna be Sick!
LOL
Toucanmon 1: That’s a Beast Spirit?
Toucanmon 2: No doubt about it!
Toucanmon 1: Did you guys hear that?
Toucanmon 2: We’re standing right next to you, Geek Boy, of course we heard it!
There are few things in this world worse that a Digimon episode dub trying to be funny.
Two of the dub voice actors for the Toucanmon sound to be R. Martin Klein (who voiced Gomamon in Adventure) and Brad MacDonald (who voiced Kazu in Tamers). I can’t identify the other two on my own, but a little research goes a long way. The third Toucanmon was voiced by Mona Marshall, most known for voicing Izzy Izumi in Adventure. The final VA is Jerry Gelb, who has voiced no other character in Digimon, but has a small resume of Anime titles in general. They all sound irritating as all heck, but that was the intention, I’m sure, since Toucanmon are irritating little Digimon. There’s not too much difference between these voices and their Japanese counterparts.
During the scene when the Toucanmon were imagining Ranamon’s visit, they kept mostly silent in the original. In the dub however, they took turns babbling narration to the point where it was getting rather irritating.
Izumi: (holding a starfish) Starfish!
Zoe: Shell Hunting!
Starfish don’t have shells!
The dub repeats a shot of Takuya tickling Koji with his elbow for no apparent reason.
Tommy: You’re being Poo-ey!
There’s a sign over the beach house. I don’t read Japanese, and the fansub I’m using didn’t caption it, so I don’t know what it says. Sorry! In English, it reads “Toucan Paradise.”
[Updated 3 February 2010] Macho Duck: garmmon knows what’s what! “The sign over the beach house in the original reads ‘Seaside Cottage; Toucan Paradise’.” Thanks, garmmon!(Narrator) Toucanmon: They’re outspoken but very cowardly Digimon. They like performances but have no special attacks.
(Bokomon) Oh, goody, it’s the Toucanmon. Gawdy-looking creatures, but very timid. Their attack is “Crazy Crest.” Sounds rather silly, doesn’t it?
Huh. I wonder why the dub gave them an attack. Either way, their name was retained. Scratch that last comment. According to the Digimon Wiki, they do have attacks in Japan. They were either omitted from the anime, or developed afterwards. “Crazy Crest” is actually called Crest Cutter. This information was likely derived from the card game.
Trivia! Hawkmon armor digivolves to Toucanmon with the Digi-Egg of Kindness. Didn’t see that one coming, didja?
Diehard Digi-fans take note: the conundrum about Digital Currency has yet to end! It seems the Digital World has a million different types of currency, from American bills in Adventure to Bits in the original video game. And now, the dub introduces a whole new kind of money: Digi-Shekels!
A shekel is a form of currency once used by the Babylonians and the Hebrews, and a modern currency amount in Israel. Didn’t think you’d learn any history from a Digimon Comparison, did you?
Toucanmon: Now for 100,000 Digi-bucks per person!
Bokomon: Expensive!
Toucanmon: As it just so happens, everything today is on the house! (By which I mean free, not served on the roof.)
Bokomon: We know what it means.
Toucanmon 1: Sorry! So sorry! It was just a small joke, very small!
Tommy: It’s okay…
Toucanmon 2: No, no, no! We are humiliated!
Takuya: I must be dreaming! It’s been so long since I had a good bowl of Ramen!
Izumi: This pilaf is to die for!
Kouji: You guys can’t compliment a little quieter?
Junpei: Since we came to the Digital World, we haven’t had anything this good to eat!
Takuya: Besides this ocean house of course! (?) This is just the best!
Junpei and Izumi: Bono bono!
Takuya: Seconds!
Bokomon: Me too, I’ll have seconds!
Takuya: Oh, maaaan! I am so enjoying these overcooked Ramen noodles with rubbery egg!
Zoe: This is the best lumpy curry I’ve ever had!
Koji: You’re weird. Is that supposed to be a compliment?
J.P.: Dude, don’t you get it? It’s real food, like home, not some kind of crazy meat-tasting rabbit food!
Takuya: Every bit of it looks exactly like what it is, lumps and all! Besides, this is a beach house, buuuuddy! The food could have sand and bugs and stuff all over it, and nobody would care!
Zoe and JP: Bring on the bugs!
Neemon: And sand! Hoo hoo!
Bokomon: And stuff! Bring on the stuff!
Where was this cheery attitude at that restaurant outside the Forest Terminal?
Takuya: Man, I’m full!
Takuya: My tummy…feels like a MELON!
It was already a bad line, but the delivery just makes it cringe-worthy.
Takuya: What’s with you? We can’t eat any more.
Takuya: Thanks, but we’re stuffed as ticks.
Ew.
The dub added in extra shots of Takuya and the Toucanmon talking. Also, by the looks of things, the voice actors keep getting switched out for the Toucanmon they voice, so there really isn’t any way to differentiate.
Does anyone else wonder where the Toucanmon got all those appropriately sized and styled human swimming clothes on such short notice?
(Kids screaming in joy)
All: Banzai!!!
Every season of Digimon has one notorious cut from the Japanese version. In Adventure, it was the bathtub scene. In Zero-Two, it was the hangman’s noose. Tamers had the shot of Gargomon aiming his machine gun at Ruki’s head, and Data Squad had the Citramon debacle (though that was more of a massive censor than a cut). Frontier has…the Sexy Dynamite Cut! Yes, the shortest out of all these cuts, the Sexy Dynamite Cut features a young girl in an incredibly skimpy outfit!
The rest of the scene is intact with all the other outfits, with Zoe briefly picking up the outfit and saying “Not much there” before discarding it.
And seriously, Toei:
When Takuya and Junpei rush in and catch Izumi… um… compromised… Junpei gets a nosebleed. This is removed from J.P. in the English version.
A close-up of Junpei and Takuya’s battered and beat-up faces is cut from the dub.
A 3-second shot of Bokomon talking is added into the dub, presumably to convey this line:
Bokomon: Then by the process of elimination, it was no one?
Takuya: But the Toucanmon would have seen or heard them!
Takuya: Of course not, JP, it’s obvious we’re not alone here.
Number one: you’re not even looking at JP while you’re saying this. It’s rude not to make eye contact. Number two: of COURSE you’re not alone, you nitwit, the Toucanmon have been there since the beginning of the episode!
Kouji: Hurry, after them!
Koji: Stop it, they tricked all of us!
Immediately after, Takuya and Junpei get undressed right in front of Zoe. The Japanese line indicates that they were in a hurry and forgot Zoe was in the room. The English line indicates that they’re just dumb since she’s still part of the conversation.
I had been wondering this for some time, and now it has become clear at this point in the episode. The Toucanmon in the original had stolen the Digivices because they wanted to disable the kids for Ranamon. In the dub, Ranamon apparently sent them a message to look for her Beast Spirit, but when they heard J.P. mention he’d gotten his Beast Spirit, they believed that the kids had her’s.
Ranamon’s unnamed attack has become Whippin’ Waves. Calmaramon, the Beast Spirit of Water, is retained. Titanic Charge has become Titanic Tempest.
Final Verdict
Total Footage Kept: 99%
Comic relief is fine, but it feels like the dub adds comic relief where none needs to be, and exacerbates existing comic relief to the point of it just not being funny anymore.