Okay, caught a few episodes of
Ulysse 31, both the original and the dub. The English dub was bad... really bad. Note that I have a really high tolerance for bad dubs; there's a point that dubs are so bad that they're good (see Speed Racer or Godzilla), but this went beyond that into the nigh-unbearable. This is a real shame, since there are absolutely NO subtitles available anywhere. Not even fan-made tracks, or the original French text to help me through it. The show should be a fun little romp through The Odyssey, redone as a vintage Sci-Fi adventure... but I don't think I could sit through the English dub and stay sane. The characters don't even sound human; they overact and babble, and have all the vocal inflection of Crab People. Even the word choice and writing in the dub is borked!
French Theme:Ulysse, Ulysse,
Face au mal, face au bien,
Avec son coeur, avec ses mains.
(Ulysse) Guidé par la paix le vérité.
(Ulysse) Même les Dieux ne pourront t'arrêter.
(Ulysse) D'univers en galaxies tu erres,
Tu erres a la recherche à la Terre.Ulysses, Ulysses,
Facing wrong, a force for right, ("Facing bad, the face of good")
With all his heart, and all of his might.
(Ulysses) Guided by the truth of peace.
(Ulysses) On a quest not even Gods can cease. ("Not even gods can stand against you")
(Ulysses) Crossing galaxies you roam, ("Through the univeres and galaxies you wander")
You roam while in search of your home. ("You wander in search of Earth")
-----
Not only is the structure and internal rhyme fun and brilliant (t'arrêter/tu erres/la Terre), the words emphasize his drive to do right, his indomitability, and of course frames his journey home. Also, if I'm getting the first bit right, it's worded to mean both "He's a force for good against the forces of evil" and "He has both a good and evil face". Also, "Not even Gods can stop you" is a pretty badass sentiment, and really hits the feel of Greek mythology! Now, instead of this in English, we get...
Dubbed English Theme:Ulysses, Ulysses,
Soaring through all the galaxies
In search of Earth, flying into the night
(Ulysses) No one else can do the things you do!
(Ulysses) Like a bolt of thunder from the blue!
(Ulysses) Always fighting all the evil forces,
bringing peace and justice to all.-----
It makes his homeward-bound quest a footnote, and makes him out to be some awesome flying loner, quick to wrath and violence, who brings the American Way to everyone. That's terrible themeing, and doesn't describe the character at all. On top of this, the band sounds like they were trying to be Queen, but failing. Hard.
I might have to stick to the original French version, and just use it as a tool to help me learn the language. As good a time as any to break out Rosetta Stone again, I suppose.