Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Kai Recut [COMPLETE]

Any general discussion regarding fan-created works of the Dragon Ball franchise, including AMVs, fan-art, fan-fiction, etc.

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

User avatar
IAmTheMilkMan
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 260
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:09 pm

Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Kai Recut [COMPLETE]

Post by IAmTheMilkMan » Thu Aug 04, 2016 12:59 am

Image

A while ago, I completed an edit of Dragon Ball wherein I removed as much filler as I possibly could. It was first known as Dragon Ball RF (the RF standing for Reduced Filler) but the release of the most recent film (Resurrection 'F') all but forced me to change the title, so I chose Dragon Ball Recut instead.

About The Editing Process:

First of all, it's dual-audio. Using the Dragon Box as the source for video and Japanese audio, and the Blue Bricks as the source for the English dub and subtitles, I have gone through the entire series and edited out as much filler as I possibly could.

Priority was given to the original Japanese track. By that I mean that I edited around the Japanese track first, and then edited the English track accordingly. I did so for a couple of reasons: the first of which is that the Japanese track is in mono, making it very difficult to manipulate in any significant way, so whatever edits I made had to accommodate the Japanese track first and foremost. The second reason is that I personally don't much care for the English dub. At the beginning of this project, I paid much more attention to the dub and tried to edit it in such a way that would be more faithful to the original Japanese dialog. However, it very quickly became apparent to me that the English dub was a lost cause, so I stopped caring about it after the first few episodes or so. For that reason, there may be a line inconsistency or two found on the English track due to Funimation constantly changing the dialog entirely from what it was originally supposed to be (if they hadn't done that so frequently, it wouldn't have been an issue).

Episode lengths (and file sizes) vary, due to the nature of the editing process. I tried to keep the episodes around 24 minutes or so, but it was really a matter of finding a good ending point for each episode. For that reason, some episodes run for about 18 minutes while others can go for as long as 32 minutes. I tried not to go much longer than 30 minutes per episode, but sometimes it couldn't be helped.

Total Amount of Footage Cut:

I recently did some number crunching in order to give me a rough estimate of just how much footage I cut from the show, and here's what I came up with.
  • Disregarding the OP and ED themes, eyecatchers, title cards, and NEPs, that leaves each episode BEFORE EDITING at about 20 minutes and 26 seconds of actual show time.
  • Multiply that number by 153 episodes total, and you're left with 52 hours, 6 minutes and 18 seconds.
  • My recut of the show (again disregarding OP, ED, eyecatchers, title cards, and NEPs) comes out to about 29 hours, 5 minutes and 3 seconds
  • That leaves us with a grand total of 23 hours, 1 minute and 15 seconds worth of actual show footage cut, all of which was filler in one way or another.
You'll notice that I still included the recaps in that estimate which isn't completely fair, but the reason I did so is because some episodes towards the beginning didn't really have recaps, and I didn't always cut them anyway (it wasn't until sometime during the RRA arc that I finally decided to cut the recaps entirely). For those reasons, it would have been difficult for me to calculate. Even so, that added recap time would probably only result in about a 2 or 3 hour difference tops, which still leaves me with around 20 to 21 hours of filler cut. That saves you almost an entire day!

I know this project has been around for about a year or two now, but I've seen some people ask about it elsewhere on the forums so I decided to make a thread for it here in the hopes of making it a little bit easier to find. Also, I put a lot of time and effort into this project and, while I primarily did it for myself, I figured that it wouldn't be the worst thing to let more people know about it. Some people around here have said some very nice things about this project, and I appreciate the kind words. I am proud of the final product and I hope others are able to enjoy it as much as I do.

I can't share links to this project here because of the rules, nor do I want to explicitly tell you where you can find it because I'm not sure how acceptable that would be either. But it is relatively easy to find if you look for it (google is your friend).

And now, introducing my next works in progress...

Image

I'm currently working on a recut of Dragon Ball Kai to remove any filler that remains. You may be thinking that it's weird to choose to recut Kai as opposed to Z seeing as how Kai has most of the filler already removed anyway, but that was actually the incentive for me, at least at first. Why remove the filler from Z when Kai has already done most of the work for me? Dragon Ball Recut was very labor-intensive, so any excuse to do less work is okay with me. I figured going through Kai would just be a matter of tweaking some things here and there and that it would be a breeze. While that proved to be true at first, I am just about finished with the Freeza saga now and it has become just as exhausting an editing process as Dragon Ball was.

I'm basically going through and fixing Kai, trying to make it more of what people originally hoped it would be. That includes, among other things, removing any remaining filler that I can, uncensoring everything that I can, and correcting dialog mistakes in the English dub.

This project differs from Dragon Ball Recut in that I am giving equal priority to the English dub this time around because I quite like it.

And, because I will probably get asked this right off the bat:

UPDATE (2/12/2019): Episodes 001 to 047 are completed! I decided to release in chunks this time around. These episodes cover the Saiyan, Namek, and Freeza arcs in their entirety. See this post for more info.

UPDATE (4/12/2019): Episodes 048 to 082 have been completed! These episodes cover the Android/Cell arc in its entirety. See this post for more info.

UPDATE (9/20/2023): It's done.

Dragon Ball Z Recut

(Added on 9-7-2016)

I'm also beginning work on a recut of Dragon Ball Z while I wait for Boo Kai to show up in North America. Why recut both Z and Kai, you ask? Because I'm a damn fool, that's why! Honestly, though, I started Kai first, and then about halfway through realized that I also want to recut the original Z for the OG Japanese dub and Kikuchi music. So now I'm doing both. Yay.

UPDATE (9/20/2023): No promises at this time. I'm so tired.

I welcome any feedback and questions from all of you hardcore Dragon Ball fans. I may also post here occasionally asking for your help and opinions on things.
Last edited by IAmTheMilkMan on Wed Sep 20, 2023 4:20 am, edited 7 times in total.
aka TheMilkmanConspiracy on IFDB
aka WhereIsTheMilkman elsewhere

User avatar
ShaneisMC
Beyond-the-Beyond Newbie
Posts: 446
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:02 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by ShaneisMC » Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:01 am

...... You wouldn't happen to be the guy who made the cut go from 153 episodes down to 82 would you? If the cut of Dragon Ball that I have is the one that you put together you have much thanks from me man. Cause that cut is fantastic.

User avatar
IAmTheMilkMan
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 260
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:09 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by IAmTheMilkMan » Thu Aug 04, 2016 3:30 am

ShaneisMC wrote:...... You wouldn't happen to be the guy who made the cut go from 153 episodes down to 82 would you? If the cut of Dragon Ball that I have is the one that you put together you have much thanks from me man. Cause that cut is fantastic.
Yes, that is my cut. And thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy it.
aka TheMilkmanConspiracy on IFDB
aka WhereIsTheMilkman elsewhere

User avatar
ShaneisMC
Beyond-the-Beyond Newbie
Posts: 446
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:02 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by ShaneisMC » Thu Aug 04, 2016 5:19 am

You are an absolute editing monster. 10/10. Thank You so very, very much. Anyone reading or that have asked me about getting the cut I have stored this man deserves all the credit. He really did the series justice. None of it seems awkward or out of place. Its incredibly smooth throughout.

User avatar
simtek34
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 938
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:40 pm
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by simtek34 » Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:19 am

Where can I find Dragon Ball Recut

Newbie — 06/27/2016
Not-So-Newbie — ???
Beyond Newbie — ???
Beyond-The-Beyond-Newbie — 12/20/2016
Regular — 02/05/2017
OMG CRAZY REG — 06/14/2017

Xbox Live: PlushGerm24109
Everywhere else: simtek34

User avatar
thejeremymenace
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 124
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:58 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by thejeremymenace » Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:25 am

Mind sharing your editing process? Did you use Avisynth or some GUI non-linear editor?
デデーン
Twitter: @gravitypriest
Dragon Radar ~ Subtitles for the Dragon Box Thread | Download | Source
Dragon Ball dialogue bot @dbz_ebooks | Thread | Source

User avatar
Ajay
Moderator
Posts: 6195
Joined: Sun May 26, 2013 6:15 pm
Location: Surrey, UK
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Ajay » Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:42 pm

I've recommended it several times on this forum since I first watched it over a year ago now, but I'll do again.

Dragon Ball Recut is absolutely fantastic and has been my go-to for watching the show ever since.

I do wish you were doing Z Recut instead of Kai so that I could have Kikuchi and the original voice acting over anything else, but I can understand not wanting to go to all that effort.
Follow me on Twitter for countless shitposts.

Deadtuber.

User avatar
nite_jay
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 929
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2016 10:52 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by nite_jay » Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:18 pm

Where can I find DragonBall recut? I really want to give it a try.

User avatar
Lord Beerus
Namekian Warrior
Posts: 21389
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2014 5:20 pm
Location: A temple on a giant tree
Contact:

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Lord Beerus » Thu Aug 04, 2016 5:52 pm

I'd also like to know where I can download and watch Dragon Ball Recut.

User avatar
Xeztin
I Live Here
Posts: 2242
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2015 7:15 pm
Location: Toyotarō's Place

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Xeztin » Thu Aug 04, 2016 7:53 pm

If you need help finding it PM me, it's hard to find on google but I managed on a different search engine. :)

User avatar
Sshadow5001
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1479
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 11:02 am
Location: UK

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Sshadow5001 » Thu Aug 04, 2016 9:00 pm

This is brilliant, with this I might be able to convince my mate to watch it.
Please check out my Youtube channel GLEclipseGaming
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8otmN ... FvDYiaKt9w

Currently Playing
Gundam Breaker 3

Danfun64
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1383
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 3:29 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Danfun64 » Thu Aug 04, 2016 9:57 pm

This is great for what it does, but i would have approached such a project as a multilanguage project (not just Japanese and English) that kept filler to a minimum, but was willing to keep whatever is necessary so that things would be smooth no matter what language your watching or listening to. For example, i could be wrong, but Kid Goku doesn't "propose" to Chi-Chi where he originally does, but he does in a filler that happens before 23rd Tenchaichi Bodukai (don't kill me if that's spelled wrong). Yes, this does involve polishing turds, but it provides lots of choice. Of course, the Z section would be handled differently compared to original DB. On the English dub front, since both DBZ and DBZ Kai have lossless surround sound, i would try fitting in the Kai voice acting wherever possible, only using the original voice acting where necessary (for example, manga scenes cut in Kai for no reason, which is mainly a problem with the Saiyan and especially the Boo sagas). As for the French, Catalan, Galician dubs, the Kai audio would be used most of the time for Saiyan-Cell sagas, and almost all the time for the Boo sagas (unless cut manga scenes have no music playing...). German would use mostly Z footage, using Kai audio either for retained filler scenes or scenes kept in Kai but removed from german Z dub due to French censorship.

Of course, i wouldn't do such a project unless i had a lot of money to burn. Just on the Japanese front alone I would need all the Dragon Boxes and the movie Laserdiscs. English I would need Blue Bricks, DB movie 4-pack, Kai Blu-Ray Parts, Blu-Ray Season Sets, Blu-Ray Level Sets (for creditless OP1v1 and OP1v2, editing everything to match Dragon Box framing and colors), Funi Dragon Boxes, Pioneer Movie Laserdiscs, Double Feature Blu-Rays, perhaps a few AB Groupe "Big Green" dub dvds, both of the fandubs for the Bardock special, possibly the Harmony Gold DB Movie 1-3 double feature, possibly the Phillipine DBZ Movie 5-6 double feature, Green Bricks, DBGT Singles... just looking for the best resources for Japanese and English alone would cost a small fortune.
Last edited by Danfun64 on Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Robo4900 wrote:Mouse is BRILLIANT SCIENTIST dumb.
CAT LOVES FOOD dumb.
Jack is just kinda dumb.

User avatar
ShaneisMC
Beyond-the-Beyond Newbie
Posts: 446
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:02 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by ShaneisMC » Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:43 pm

I have them all backed up and available to share. So thats one source.

User avatar
IAmTheMilkMan
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 260
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:09 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by IAmTheMilkMan » Thu Aug 04, 2016 11:45 pm

simtek34 wrote:Where can I find Dragon Ball Recut
nite_jay wrote:Where can I find DragonBall recut? I really want to give it a try.
Lord Beerus wrote:I'd also like to know where I can download and watch Dragon Ball Recut.
Again, I'm hesitant to tell people exactly where to find it as I want to respect the rules around here as much as possible and I'm not entirely sure where the line is. If you enter the search terms "dragon ball recut" on Google (INCLUDING the quotation marks), then you should be able to find it on the first page or two (hint: it's on a relatively well known anime-related torrent site). Maybe I'm being overly cautious but feel free to censor me, mods, if you feel that I'm crossing a line.
thejeremymenace wrote:Mind sharing your editing process? Did you use Avisynth or some GUI non-linear editor?
The actual editing process was done entirely in Sony Vegas Pro. I synced the subtitles separately through VisualSubSync and then later converted them to Sub-Station Alpha through Aegisub.
Ajay wrote:I've recommended it several times on this forum since I first watched it over a year ago now, but I'll do again.

Dragon Ball Recut is absolutely fantastic and has been my go-to for watching the show ever since.

I do wish you were doing Z Recut instead of Kai so that I could have Kikuchi and the original voice acting over anything else, but I can understand not wanting to go to all that effort.
That's awesome! Thanks, Ajay!

After I finished Dragon Ball, I actually didn't want to do Z or Kai at all, but eventually warmed up to the idea of editing Kai because, like I said, it seemed like it would be much less work. I honestly assumed that I would just be fixing shots here and there and that actual editing wouldn't even be necessary. I was a fool. Now that Kai is turning into quite the editing ordeal itself, I'm beginning to think that I should have just done Z from the start. But, oh well, I've already come this far so I may as well see it through to the end.

I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I will indeed be doing Z Recut somewhere down the line since I, too, would like to have the original Japanese voice acting and Kikuchi score. I may even begin that sooner rather than later seeing as how Funimation is taking their SWEET, SWEET time releasing the Kai Buu saga, and I, apparently, am in no hurry to begin actually living my life.
Danfun64 wrote:This is great for what it does, but i would have approached such a project as a multilanguage project (not just Japanese and English) that kept filler to a minimum, but was willing to keep whatever is necessary so that things would be smooth no matter what language your watching or listening to.
I mean, that would be nice, but... it was difficult enough just working with the two audio tracks; adding any more may have killed me. I am only one man.
Danfun64 wrote:Of course, the Z section would be handled differently compared to original DB. On the English dub front, since both DBZ and DBZ Kai have lossless surround sound, i would try fitting in the Kai voice acting wherever possible, only using the original voice acting where necessary (for example, manga scenes cut in Kai for no reason, which is mainly a problem with the Saiyan and especially the Boo sagas).
That is, indeed, what I plan on doing when I inevitably recut Z.
aka TheMilkmanConspiracy on IFDB
aka WhereIsTheMilkman elsewhere

User avatar
Nejishiki
I Live Here
Posts: 2406
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 11:45 am

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Nejishiki » Fri Aug 05, 2016 1:29 am

I'll have to try experiencing this. I've always been interested in a proper Kai version of the Dragon Ball anime, even if some of the filler is enjoyable. As for choosing Kai, while I agree on principle that the work is already done for you, I'd still recommend the original Z dialogue for better Japanese performances, at least. I know the great Kai English dub is going to be the focus, but it's just something to consider.

User avatar
OmegaRockman
Patreon Supporter
Posts: 801
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 4:16 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by OmegaRockman » Fri Aug 05, 2016 2:17 am

I absolutely love this cut. I found out about it last summer I think thanks to Ajay, and I absolutely love what you did with it. I was really happy to see your cut featured on a certain fanedit database!
The self-proclaimed World's Biggest Dragon Ball Kai Fan™

My YouTube

User avatar
Rubens
Beyond-the-Beyond Newbie
Posts: 499
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Portugal

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Rubens » Fri Aug 05, 2016 6:01 am

This is amazing, I've got see if I can find it! :o

Edit: OK, I couldn't find it :( would somebody please pm me?
I'm back!

Lurking around here since 2014. Just an old fan who regained his passion for Dragon Ball since then.

User avatar
Sshadow5001
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1479
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 11:02 am
Location: UK

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Sshadow5001 » Fri Aug 05, 2016 11:52 am

Think like a 20's Gangsta "a piracy website see"
Please check out my Youtube channel GLEclipseGaming
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8otmN ... FvDYiaKt9w

Currently Playing
Gundam Breaker 3

Danfun64
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1383
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 3:29 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by Danfun64 » Fri Aug 05, 2016 1:39 pm

That's a bit *too* obvious.
Robo4900 wrote:Mouse is BRILLIANT SCIENTIST dumb.
CAT LOVES FOOD dumb.
Jack is just kinda dumb.

User avatar
IAmTheMilkMan
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 260
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:09 pm

Re: Dragon Ball Recut [COMPLETE], Dragon Ball Z Kai Recut [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Post by IAmTheMilkMan » Sat Aug 06, 2016 5:42 am

OmegaRockman wrote:I was really happy to see your cut featured on a certain fanedit database!
Yeah, it's neat to have it listed on there. It's currently up for Favorite Edit of the Month, though I think it has about zero chance of winning seeing as how there don't seem to be a lot of hardcore Dragon Ball fans over there and, let's face it, who else is going to watch it? The casual fan-editor isn't going to want to sit through a 30-hour television series that they have little to no interest in. Still, it's cool to see it featured on the site. And thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it!
aka TheMilkmanConspiracy on IFDB
aka WhereIsTheMilkman elsewhere

Post Reply