Plot: The group heads to 16th century Japan to find the gun-toting bubble-making Tanegun, who has befriended Oda Nobunaga.
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Title Change: Ruling the Country with Tanegun is changed to Bubblegum
Also,
Name Change: Tanegun is changed to Bubblegum.
Tokio asks Sora if her complaining means she just might leave him there to clean up alone and she responds with “Maybe.” Then we get the closer shot of Genshi sweeping. In the dub, they cut the shot of Flint sweeping between when Tony would have asked the question and Sarah responded. Because that adds so much to this scene, apparently. Also, they changed the line to Tony asking how long they have to stay and Sarah saying “Until it’s done.” Also also, they keep the shot of Flint sweeping afterwards, so it just seems like a repeat shot. Good job.
Before we cut to the research facility, we get a group shot of TP Lady, Dyna and Mite in their regular outfits. This is cut from the dub.
Tanegun’s name plate is removed.
Subbed: 
Dubbed: 
I am really quite shocked that they left in not only Tanegun’s guns visually, but also all of the dialogue involving guns, including that Tanegun’s guns can become actual firearms and that they resemble matchlock guns – the first firearms to become widely used in Japan.
Saban inserted a shot before the shot of Flint holding up the card. It’s a clip of the group with Dr. Goodman scratching his head with a blush, and I’m not sure where they obtained that clip from.
They also insert a speaking shot of Dr. Goodman after the original’s shot of Flint holding up the card. They do this to convey the information about Bubblegum being spotted at Azuchi Castle around Oda Nobunaga. This is unnecessary because the original conveyed this information just fine without it.
Finally, they add a front shot of the group on Ridon before Flint inserts the card.
After the time warp, they insert a shot of the kids arriving in 1582.
Putera originally said that this castle was where Oda Nobunaga made free trade possible in Japan. In the dub, Pterry says the village is filled with merchants and craftsman who make supplies for Oda Nobunaga.
Love-Love just says its name as it normally does, because that’s all it can say. In the dub, it points out all the bubbles.
I really have to wonder how 4Kids would’ve handled this thing. I mean, not only does it wield guns but it has a gun for a hat and its main shape is a musketball.
They reverse and replay Nobunaga putting his telescope up to his eye to watch Bubblegum immediately after he already did that. It’s a weird edit not just due to repetition but also because he goes from laughing to having a very serious face.
Right before the commercial in the dub they replay the shot of Nobunaga laughing, and, again, it’s very weird, especially because it seems like he’s laughing at Flint for falling out of the air.
Soooo…..Saban decided to gender-flip Nobunaga’s accompanying samurai, Ranmaru, from a male to a female because he looked feminine. Gotta say, at first glance, I thought he was a woman too, but Saban has no excuse for doing this. Ranmaru is a largely male name almost never used with women, and he’s not wearing a dress or anything – he just has a pony tail and wears an extremely light pink kimono.
Not only that, but it’s very likely this Ranmaru is based on a real person – Mori Ranmaru. He was a military commander and an extremely loyal attendant to Nobunaga, to the point where he committed seppuku after Nobunaga did the same during the Honno-ji Incident. He was well-known for his beauty and, as a result, he is frequently given a very feminine appearance when portrayed in media.
The two were incredibly close, and it’s been noted, though, as far as I researched, not entirely confirmed, that he and Nobunaga had a very intimate and sexual relationship, following the nanshoku traditions of the time.
Changing him to a woman just on the basis of him looking pretty just seems a bit disrespectful of this real person, is all.
Originally, Genshi asks if a retainer is tasty (because Nobunaga requested Genshi become a retainer.) He laughs and says they are. In the dub, Flint asks if they have pizza, and Nobunaga responds that they have the best pizza in the land…..which is highly improbable because pizza won’t have been invented for a couple hundred years at this point, and it won’t be commonplace in Japan for another hundred or more years after that.
Ranmaru tells Nobunaga that he believes Tanegun is pulling too many pranks. In the dub, she asks Nobunaga if he really feels he can trust the kids.
For speaking out against him, Nobunaga punishes Ranmaru by telling him to care for the horses from now on. In the dub, he just tells her to apologize to their guests.
This next change is confusing. Tokio originally asks Ranmaru why he stays with Nobunaga. In the dub, Tony asks why she stays with him since he took away her samurai title. Thing is, in the dub, he didn’t. It’s implied he kinda did in the original since he told Ranmaru to take care of the horses from now on, but in the dub he only told Ranmaru to apologize to the kids.
I just want to take the time to point out that Nobunaga’s dub voice is real bad. That is all.
They remove two shots where there’s a bunch of repeated overlays animated in a waterfall fashion as Nobunaga tries to pester Genshi to give him Ototan. I don’t mind this because the shot is very strange.
There’s a shot between the two ‘waterfall’ shots of the two catching their breath. This is displaced from that earlier shot to right after the further shot of the two catching their breath. They also put a repeat closeup/shadowed shot of Nobunaga after this and repeat as well as reverse the earlier shot of the two with their faces pressed against each other as Nobunaga walks Genshi backwards. Finally, they insert a repeat shot of them catching their breath again before continuing where the original left off.
Dyna originally says “Cat got your tongue?” as he captures Tanegun, but the sub notes claim this is supposed to be referencing a phrase “I would like to borrow even a cat’s paw,” which indicates someone is so busy they’d even accept the help of a cat………None of that makes the slightest bit of sense to me, and in the dub they just replace this with Petra jabbering about how Bubblegum is hers now. Better off, if you ask me.
Even though the dialogue is basically the same – TP Lady/Petra Fina explaining what the mark does – they switch the original animation of her, Dyna and Mite doing this goofy dance while explaining it to what I believe is the first episode’s animation of her explaining what the mark does. They also add in another shot of all three of them together as she asks them if she’s right about her ruling Japan. Again, I don’t mind this switch because it’s a little strange in the original.
Name Change: Warugun is changed to Bubblegum-kon.
Warugun’s name plate is removed.
Subbed: 
Dubbed: 
Even though it’s technically not a far leap to have ‘Impossible!’ turn to ‘Uh oh!’ it’s really goofy, and considering this line is being said in unison by the entire squadron, it’s even more goofy.
I’m still impressed they’re keeping in all of this gun stuff, though. 4Kids would’ve had a stroke.
Originally, while first getting caught in the bubble, Nobunaga said “Insolent whelps!” In the dub, he doesn’t say anything, even though his lips are clearly moving.
Originally, when TP Lady is making this face;
she’s not making a sound. In the dub, she’s laughing, which makes the shot 100% less funny and 100% creepier.
Again, Tokio acts like the Space-Time Monster sent to help them is nothing but a nuisance. It’s not as bad as last episode, but still. Tony just tells Nobunaga not to worry and that they’ll get out this mess.
Is it going to be a constant thing that Genshi gets too hungry to fight so they need to recruit Space-Time Monsters to come help? I don’t mind seeing the other Space-Time Monsters come in for the assist, in fact I welcome it, especially when they get to super transform, but the plot device of Genshi’s hunger is already getting old.
Sora says that Cocolon is giving her the chance to run off and find Genshi some food. In the dub, she doesn’t say anything so it kinda just looks like she’s running away.
While both versions have TP Lady/Petra Fina wondering which way she should dispose of the trio, TP Lady originally wonders how she should ‘cook’ them – like oyako donburi or a well-done steak donburi. In the dub, she doesn’t make any suggestions. I actually like the dub better because Tanegun/Warugun doesn’t have fire powers, it only has a gun, so this joke doesn’t make much sense.
Originally, Sora pointed out that there were sponge cakes being served. However, sponge cakes weren’t invented until 1615, and they weren’t even really sponge cakes – they were more like crispy cookies. A sponge cake as we know it wouldn’t be invented until the 18th century. Yes, I did fact check that. No, I don’t have a life.
God. Damn. The dubbed voice acting. On. Nobunaga. It’s reached comical levels now. Ranmaru brings him his sword and he’s like “Why?….You’re not a samurai any longer.” Then when Ranmaru says her lines, he goes, “I was wrong. You are indeed a samurai!” I know in text it looks fine, but trust me, it’s so badly delivered.
I can’t find who officially voiced Nobunaga, but as far as I can deduce it was most likely Richard Epcar, who has an extremely lengthy resume in the world of voice acting ranging back all the way from 1978 to today. He tends to do a lot of voices for extras and one-off characters, but I know him most as Jigen from Lupin the Third, Etemon/Myotismon in Digimon and Batou from Ghost in the Shell. It certainly does sound like him, but geez he must have really been phoning it in that day.
They remove two shots of Cocolon very slowly crawling up the building. The first removed shot is re-inserted after the first swipe of the cat robot ship thing’s claws. The second was re-inserted during the shot where Flint is spinning the ship around. They also repeat a shot of Cocolon climbing after Flint gets dizzy. I actually like this, surprisingly, because it was very tedious watching those three shots in succession. Only thing I’d change is removing the repeat shot because it’s unnecessary.
In a very funny moment, Warugun, while watching from a hole in the wall growls the theme song to Dragnet. I’m not kidding at all. I dunno if Saban was worried about copyright or what, but they don’t do the same in the dub.
Saban kinda ruins Cocolon’s attempted sacrifice. When Cocolon jumps for Genshi, he’s trying to take the shots for him. In the dub, he yells out to Rocky Hammerhead to come save him. Ototan saves them both in the original, too, but the dub makes it seem like Coconaut wasn’t making any sort of sacrifice and was, instead, just calling for Rocky.
Name Change: Super Cocolon is changed to Coconaut Master.
Name plate removed.
Subbed: 
Dubbed: 
They add a flip transition to an exterior shot of the Land of Time before we get the scene with Toki-G/Old Timer. Like always, they add more shots of Old Timer moving stuff around to extend the scene for some reason. Again, I don’t mind this much because it’s quite jarring in the original.
What I do mind, however, is the dialogue change. In the original, he mentions how Genshi’s will to protect people has rubbed off on the Space-Time monsters, which is allowing them to transform. In the dub, he basically says “Oh no, looks like Flint and the others are in trouble. Lol, guess I’ll sit here and watch them die. I’m going to order some food and skip out on the clock convention.” Sadly, I’m only exaggerating a little. Also, a shot of the pig thing that he rides on is removed.
During the running scene, they flip the shot of Bubblegum-kon shooting at the cat ship for some reason. Or…maybe he’s just shooting behind him and the cat ship is just there. The shot is a little confusing, and flipping it for no reason doesn’t help. But let’s fix that by having the same shot, now unflipped, inserted after the running scene but right before the next shot – the exterior of the castle. Because. Reasons.
The dub makes Bubblegum-kon say “Petra fizzle” when his fuse goes out. I dunno why.
I love that their cat ship freaks out in water.
I also love that Warugun runs away from Genshi when it’s trying to give it air via mouth to mouth.
In the original, TP Lady, Dyna and Mite sing a song about TP Lady as they drift away in the bubble. In the dub, Petra just yells and rants. They also insert a shot of her repeatedly hitting Dino and Mite in the head. This is another change I’m okay with since the song is just kinda weird.
Nobunaga asks Flint if he’ll stay as a retainer in his castle. In the dub, he gives him the title of samurai.
Small note, but Ranmaru immediately accepts Nobunaga’s offer to become a samurai again and gives his gratitude. In the dub, she teases that she’ll have to think it over but then says, since he asked so nicely, she’ll accept. Pretty sure you shouldn’t disrespect his offer like that by joking about it, Ranmaru.
They reversed the shots of the sunset. Still don’t know why, especially since this means they had to cut an extremely short shot of Nobunaga at the very end. I guess this is okay because the shot of him is so short I legitimately didn’t even notice it happened on the first watch. He just barely makes it about 2/3 of the way into frame before the shot fades to black.
They change the shot of the front of the research facility to one at sunset, which makes sense.
Genshi originally just introduced Tanegun to the group of Space-Time Monsters. In the dub, he says Bubblegum was underwater for so long it might have affected his aim, so he should test out his shooting skills.
They never use the eyecatch for this episode in the dub, so I guess it’s just very inconsistent as to whether they use it or not.
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The overall story of this episode was kinda lame, especially Ranmaru’s role. He seriously got demoted from samurai to horse brusher because he expressed concern? And it’s not even really explored much. He just gets demoted then comes back later to save Nobunaga and gets his title back.
The depiction of Nobunaga here is pretty goofy. He’s very much an immature man who takes pleasure in watching people float off in the bubbles Tanegun makes and has a really childish back and forth with Genshi. He’s not made out to be a jackass, but he’s very petty.
Also, I couldn’t help but notice that they specifically went back to 1582. Nobunaga and Ranmaru both died in 1582. So, in a bit of a depressing twist, it’s quite possible that they died immediately after the kids went back to the present.
In regards to comparison, the dub could’ve been a whole lot worse considering all the guns. The major notes are pointlessly changing Ranmaru’s gender (it’s not even like he and Nobunaga were depicted as being romantically involved or anything) and the awful voice acting on Nobunaga. Saban actually did some editing work that improved upon the original footage, so good on them for that at least.
The episode did have some really funny moments, admittedly, and Cocolon has a pretty cool Super form. He even has a little mustache. I also find Warugun to be my favorite corrupted transformation so far. He has an awesome design and a cute face.
Next time, we meet Sphin, a master of riddles and fate.
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The Anime Madhouse 