DragonBall Z Abridged

[ShadowBardock89]

Well, time to dust off this thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtMcxaw278k

Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans Abridged confirmed as the Christmas Special (The Ghost Warriors are going to be the Ghosts of Christmas Past. I'm calling it right now).

[Noah]

Interesting, but that means no actual episodes in this year, right?

[Daisetsu]

Correct; the team said not to expect any episodes until next year (back in August, I think) because they were too busy getting their new stuff off the ground.

[Kamiccolo9]

Correct; the team said not to expect any episodes until next year (back in August, I think) because they were too busy getting their new stuff off the ground.

They are also doing a 2 hourish episode 60 for the rest of the Cell Games, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm fine with Hellsing and Machinabridged in the meantime, personally.

[Lord Frieza]

I remember once in one of their older episodes they said they would go up to the Android Saga. Back then it sounded like gag "Oh we're only going that far wink wink".

But now I get the feeling that its going to be their limit. With the ever altering copyrights laws along with youtubes very unforgiving and unfair policies.....next years 2 hour special my be the final act before the curtain.

[Scsigs]

I remember once in one of their older episodes they said they would go up to the Android Saga. Back then it sounded like gag "Oh we're only going that far wink wink".

But now I get the feeling that its going to be their limit. With the ever altering copyrights laws along with youtubes very unforgiving and unfair policies.....next years 2 hour special my be the final act before the curtain.

You know that's total BS, right?
First, when the hell did they ever say they were only gonna go up to the Android Saga? If you've ever watched the series, they've never made any reference to that. In some of the TFS Gaming livestreams, Lanipator has also talked about casting decisions when some people have asked (namely the #CellGames livestream of Budokai 3 HD, where he talked about Supreme Kai's casting & a few others, I believe). They also have Justin Briner cast as Gohan for the Buu Saga (which we got a sneak preview of in the Android 13 abridged movie). The only things they've ever talked about are whether or not they're gonna do DB, GT, or Super afterwards, which we ARE sort of getting with the Super clips & Kaiser has talked about doing the arcs of DB as movies at some point in one of their TFS Gaming livestreams.
If they've stated that in podcasts, I think it's most likely a joke.
Second, copyright laws have NO bearing on the project, at least no serious bearing from what I understand. The series still falls under the "parody" portion of it, so as long as fair use still exists in America, it's not dead. And, by the way, the only way copyright laws are changing are that precedents are being set for the use of clips in a transformative way. H3H3 had the most significant breakthrough months ago when some dude tried suing them for using clips of his video in one of their videos that was totally in the realm of fair use. The only place that they'd be in any trouble is Japan, since fair use doesn't really exist there, but since they're Americans, & some Brits, creating the series in another country under that country's laws, they're safe.
Third, even if they ARE pulled off YouTube, which they're not gonna be because their shit's been tried to be taken down a few times now & has gone back up thanks to successful counterclaims, they're still gonna continue the series, unless actually told by Toei to stop, since FUNimation's not gonna do it, since they're in the legal right & like them, with a cease & desist, which I don't think they're gonna do, since it'd cause an enormous backlash from TFS fans. They also have their Vidme account & their own website. They'd find a way. As long as they don't directly monetize the episodes & movies, they're pretty good legally for the most part. I'm not a lawyer, so I'll let others correct me if I'm wrong in any way.
Why do you make shit up based on very little? This is speculation at best without any real proof. Citations needed, bud. I'd think you were a troll if this post weren't so off.

[DanielSSJ]

You know that's total BS, right?
First, when the hell did they ever say they were only gonna go up to the Android Saga? If you've ever watched the series, they've never made any reference to that. In some of the TFS Gaming livestreams, Lanipator has also talked about casting decisions when some people have asked (namely the #CellGames livestream of Budokai 3 HD, where he talked about Supreme Kai's casting & a few others, I believe). They also have Justin Briner cast as Gohan for the Buu Saga (which we got a sneak preview of in the Android 13 abridged movie). The only things they've ever talked about are whether or not they're gonna do DB, GT, or Super afterwards, which we ARE sort of getting with the Super clips & Kaiser has talked about doing the arcs of DB as movies at some point in one of their TFS Gaming livestreams.
If they've stated that in podcasts, I think it's most likely a joke.
Second, copyright laws have NO bearing on the project, at least no serious bearing from what I understand. The series still falls under the "parody" portion of it, so as long as fair use still exists in America, it's not dead. And, by the way, the only way copyright laws are changing are that precedents are being set for the use of clips in a transformative way. H3H3 had the most significant breakthrough months ago when some dude tried suing them for using clips of his video in one of their videos that was totally in the realm of fair use. The only place that they'd be in any trouble is Japan, since fair use doesn't really exist there, but since they're Americans, & some Brits, creating the series in another country under that country's laws, they're safe.
Third, even if they ARE pulled off YouTube, which they're not gonna be because their shit's been tried to be taken down a few times now & has gone back up thanks to successful counterclaims, they're still gonna continue the series, unless actually told by Toei to stop, since FUNimation's not gonna do it, since they're in the legal right & like them, with a cease & desist, which I don't think they're gonna do, since it'd cause an enormous backlash from TFS fans. They also have their Vidme account & their own website. They'd find a way. As long as they don't directly monetize the episodes & movies, they're pretty good legally for the most part. I'm not a lawyer, so I'll let others correct me if I'm wrong in any way.
Why do you make shit up based on very little? This is speculation at best without any real proof. Citations needed, bud. I'd think you were a troll if this post weren't so off.

I hate to say it, but Kaiser has said on twitter that DBZA might end with the Cell arc, and he does cite the copyright problems with Youtube, among other things. As far as I know (which isn't much), there's nothing set in stone, and I think it's a "hope for the best, plan for the worst" scenario, but there you are. It took a bit of digging, but I found a link.

[Chuquita]

I'm ok with waiting, but only because I enjoy a lot of their daily content from their gaming channels. I could see how it would be frustrating if you're only there for dbza, but I like many of their twitch streams and YouTube gaming stuff so it doesn't bother me to wait.

[Scsigs]

I hate to say it, but Kaiser has said on twitter that DBZA might end with the Cell arc, and he does cite the copyright problems with Youtube, among other things. As far as I know (which isn't much), there's nothing set in stone, and I think it's a "hope for the best, plan for the worst" scenario, but there you are. It took a bit of digging, but I found a link.

Well damn, dude. Hope that that's not the case. DBZA is an unending source of entertainment for me & helped me get back into the franchise after not being into it for many years. I'd love to see at least the Buu Saga be done, especially when there's so much that can be made fun of.
I mean, I'd get it if they did, but I think it'd be a waste of potential if they do.

[Kamiccolo9]

Fair Use is a defense, not a right. You'd think you all would get that now, with all the times Mike has had to come in here and explain it.

If Toei and/or Funimation wants them shut down....they will shut them down.

[Scsigs]

Fair Use is a defense, not a right. You'd think you all would get that now, with all the times Mike has had to come in here and explain it.

If Toei and/or Funimation wants them shut down....they will shut them down.

You're not wrong. It iS a defense, but it also helps keep the show going.
There'd also be no point in shutting them down other than to shut them down, but whatever. Considering how popular the canon & official stuff is currently, I don't really think it's hurting anyone to let them keep going as they are. In fact, it really only helps, since Z has been over & done with for years now & Super's what's the focus now.

[coola]

Fair Use is a defense, not a right. You'd think you all would get that now, with all the times Mike has had to come in here and explain it.

If Toei and/or Funimation wants them shut down....they will shut them down.

You're not wrong. It iS a defense, but it also helps keep the show going.
There'd also be no point in shutting them down other than to shut them down, but whatever. Considering how popular the canon & official stuff is currently, I don't really think it's hurting anyone to let them keep going as they are. In fact, it really only helps, since Z has been over & done with for years now & Super's what's the focus now.

Problem (for Toei/Funimation) is, DBZ Abridged became really popular, not only they can now hire popular voice actors/actresses, but plenty DB related video is filled with DBZA related comment.It's one thing if it's small parody series, but nowadays, it's very popular and some people, going against DBZA creators wish, regard it as way to rewatch DBZ today.

[Lord Frieza]

I remember once in one of their older episodes they said they would go up to the Android Saga. Back then it sounded like gag "Oh we're only going that far wink wink".

But now I get the feeling that its going to be their limit. With the ever altering copyrights laws along with youtubes very unforgiving and unfair policies.....next years 2 hour special my be the final act before the curtain.

You know that's total BS, right?
First, when the hell did they ever say they were only gonna go up to the Android Saga? If you've ever watched the series, they've never made any reference to that. In some of the TFS Gaming livestreams, Lanipator has also talked about casting decisions when some people have asked (namely the #CellGames livestream of Budokai 3 HD, where he talked about Supreme Kai's casting & a few others, I believe). They also have Justin Briner cast as Gohan for the Buu Saga (which we got a sneak preview of in the Android 13 abridged movie). The only things they've ever talked about are whether or not they're gonna do DB, GT, or Super afterwards, which we ARE sort of getting with the Super clips & Kaiser has talked about doing the arcs of DB as movies at some point in one of their TFS Gaming livestreams.
If they've stated that in podcasts, I think it's most likely a joke.
Second, copyright laws have NO bearing on the project, at least no serious bearing from what I understand. The series still falls under the "parody" portion of it, so as long as fair use still exists in America, it's not dead. And, by the way, the only way copyright laws are changing are that precedents are being set for the use of clips in a transformative way. H3H3 had the most significant breakthrough months ago when some dude tried suing them for using clips of his video in one of their videos that was totally in the realm of fair use. The only place that they'd be in any trouble is Japan, since fair use doesn't really exist there, but since they're Americans, & some Brits, creating the series in another country under that country's laws, they're safe.
Third, even if they ARE pulled off YouTube, which they're not gonna be because their shit's been tried to be taken down a few times now & has gone back up thanks to successful counterclaims, they're still gonna continue the series, unless actually told by Toei to stop, since FUNimation's not gonna do it, since they're in the legal right & like them, with a cease & desist, which I don't think they're gonna do, since it'd cause an enormous backlash from TFS fans. They also have their Vidme account & their own website. They'd find a way. As long as they don't directly monetize the episodes & movies, they're pretty good legally for the most part. I'm not a lawyer, so I'll let others correct me if I'm wrong in any way.
Why do you make shit up based on very little? This is speculation at best without any real proof. Citations needed, bud. I'd think you were a troll if this post weren't so off.

I'd comment but it would seem others have beaten me to the punch. In answer to were it was it said, its in one of there older update videos with King Kai. I'll try to track it down but it is old and with the take downs they've regularly suffered over the years I don't know if they reuploaded it. My entire point was they clearly did hope to go further but it seems that "ironically" fate will only let them get as far an old "joke" end point

So Can I at least expect a token apology for being accused of Being full of BS and a troll?

Edit: doing this off my phone so I can't set the time but it's at the end of their second "most asked" videos.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F2QceasVwvo

It's been years since I watched this and did miss remember the line. They stated that they planed thought the Cell saga. It it would not make it any less ironic if it turns out that's as far as there going to get.

I genuinely hope that's not the case but it is getting harder. This reminds me of a Godzilla fan film that was coming out, while it was small none payed it much mind but when the project grew and got so good that it was of almost professional quality Toho studios stepped in and completely hamstringed project. They could not have godzilla in the title, they could not post it online even for free, it could only be sent to backers etc. The bigger and better fan works getthe more companies will put pressure on them to stop, that's just how it goes. They done'tcare if it's a harmless parody, if they see it as a possible threat to their money train they will seek to get ride of it.

[Brikikoz]

DBZ Abridged cannot end this way. It's been one of the greatest works of comedy in this decade.

We need to come up with a way to support them without violating the various laws.

Get the fandom to buy the NON DBZA material. Generate ad revenue for non DBZA stuff. Tell Every-single-DBZA-youtube-Commentator that they need to do this for the series to survive. Email their youtube profiles. PM them. Respond to them.

Kickstart a project to ONLY support non DBZA Team Four Star Stuff. Or do that bitcoin tip jar thing. Or buy a server and stick it in like some foreign non-US interacting nation that everything can still be stored on.

Basically, the logic is : if their NON DBZA stuff makes their lives easier (which means money, and therefore time and energy and resources), they can then do their "non profit" project still.

We need the Buu Saga (and the DB saga). As DBZ fans, this has been the greatest boost to the DB fandom in the West all decade. I'm tempted to even say that it may have influenced the creation of Kai, indirectly in that it showed there's a very big audience with nostalgia.

We can't let this die.

[Scsigs]

DBZ Abridged cannot end this way. It's been one of the greatest works of comedy in this decade.

We need to come up with a way to support them without violating the various laws.

You know they have a Patreon that's already being supported pretty well, right? As well as their gaming channel getting a lot of views. As far as I can tell, just donating money to them through a 3rd party website that helps them pay the bills so they can keep doing the series doesn't infringe on any laws, or watching the videos they can monetize on a side channel they run. They also have their other projects that they're working on & their own side channels, if they bother to update them. They're fine on that end. What Kaiser apparently is frustrated with is the constant problems with Toei striking down their videos unlawfully every once in a while.
However, what I'd suggest, if they really ARE stressed from all of the stuff going on since season 3 started is maybe take a break from the series for a small amount of time. Take a page from Fall Out Boy's book & take some time off from the series, outside of the Bojack movie & maybe that Otherworld Tournament filler arc, & focus on getting other projects going & being stabilized like they have been, but without the monkey on their backs of getting the next episode of the show out. Leave us with episode 60 (which is gonna be 2 hours, as they've said), plus the next movie & the Otherworld Tournament as a special & take some time off from the series to do other things to get everything more stable. Hell, most people waited a while for the Hellsing Ultimate Abridged episodes to come out & I think we'd be ok with time off if they weren't in the middle of a season already. Plus, it would help with the timeskip in between the seasons to really add a real word element to it. Season 3 started in 2013, remember so I think they've earned a bit of a break from it. The breadth of content everyone brings up on their other channels would help alleviate the pain a bit. Not with everyone, but for those of us that like most everyone else's content.

...In answer to where it was it said, it's in one of their older update videos with King Kai. I'll try to track it down, but it is old and with the take downs they've regularly suffered over the years I don't know if they reuploaded it. My entire point was they clearly did hope to go further but it seems that "ironically" fate will only let them get as far an old "joke" end point
So Can I at least expect a token apology for being accused of being full of BS and a troll?

Edit: doing this off my phone so I can't see the time, but it's at the end of their second "most asked" videos.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F2QceasVwvo
It's been years since I watched this and did miss remember the line. They stated that they planed through the Cell saga. It it would not make it any less ironic if it turns out that's as far as there going to get.
I genuinely hope that's not the case but it is getting harder. This reminds me of a Godzilla fan film that was coming out, while it was small none payed it much mind but when the project grew and got so good that it was of almost professional quality Toho studios stepped in and completely hamstringed the project. They could not have Godzilla in the title, they could not post it online even for free, it could only be sent to backers etc. The bigger and better fan works get the more companies will put pressure on them to stop, that's just how it goes. They don't care if it's a harmless parody, if they see it as a possible threat to their money train they will seek to get ride of it.

Toei's only struck down the episodes, not the updates or crossover specials, so I don't think you have much to worry about there. Which, by the way, how many takedowns have the suffered in the last 9 years? I've only heard of 2 or 3 incidents where this has really happened.
In some ways, you're right, in some ways you're wrong. In that update, the exact words were, "I can't believe they've scheduled up through the Cell Saga," meaning that they'd already started talking about ideas for their version of the arc 3 years before officially starting production on it, or maybe it was a joke (either way, it wasn't meant too seriously). Yet everything since has put forth that they're going to do the Buu Saga, or are at least in the planning stages of it. With my suggestion that they take some time off from it before coming back, I think they could make some truly great decisions for the final arc of the series. Kaiser has also said that they have an ultimate payoff for their version of Goku's characterization. Considering that he hasn't changed much in the current arc, I can only assume that means that they're saving it for the Buu Saga. I REALLY want their characterization of Goku to have an ultimate point, rather than just something that pisses some fans off because the way they joke about his canon portrayal isn't what's actually shown in the story. I genuinely enjoy their version of the story & would want any setups to get their payoffs if they've planned for them, y'know? Especially since I see SO much potential in the adaptation of the arc. I some ways, what you said WAS BS, but it comes from your interpretation of what they said, which I don't believe was the intention at all.
In terms of fan films, it really depends on the company's stances & the laws of the country. Like a few years ago when that terrible Power/Rangers short film came out & Saban took it down for a bit before it got back up online. Saban had every right to take down something they saw as harmful to their brand & franchise, which it wasn't because you can hardly call whatever the hell that was Power Rangers, but fair use laws allowed for the person who made it to fight for it to be back up.
How about a more recent example, AM2R. A fan game remake of Metroid 2 in the style of Zero Mission that the guy spent years making, only for Nintendo to take it down. Nintendo is really stingy towards online distribution of things relating to their franchises for no real reason. They let it keep going for a few days, then sent their cease & desist letter to the guy right before he was gonna send out an update patch for it. While it's still available in places to download & play, the guy who developed it can''t do anything with it further due to that.
And to also bring this up, TFS actually got a cease & desist from FUNimation for the first ATOT Abridged episode, which is understandable, since they had just gotten the license & hadn't even gotten their dub of the series out by that point. I don't even think FUNi would've even had a problem with them doing an Abridged version of the series, as long as they'd waited a few years to do it, but since it came out at a time when the series was still new, they had no choice. It probably had to do with money most likely, since the episode adapted nearly half the frigging first season of the anime in one go & had a bit of spoilers in it for those who hadn't seen the show. DBZ, on the other hand, is a series from the late 80s to the mid-90s, where all of the dubs of it had been out for a while & the home releases were selling insanely well, at least here in the states. FUNi has no problems with them doing the series, as long as they: don't directly monetize the footage, say they own the franchise, have merch with official illustrations & designs on them (only fan ones), & maybe a few other things. Given they wholeheartedly say to support the official releases at the beginnings, & sometimes endings, of their episodes & movies & respect FUNimation, I don't think FUNi's really gonna have a problem with their version of the series, especially when they cut down on the footage significantly, leaving plenty more for people to see if they get the home releases. It's more so up to Toei. Again, I think there'd be massive backlash, since DBZA has become as much a cornerstone of the franchise as the original series has to a lot of people.
The only time they actually got a cease & desist from Toei, I believe, is when they had to take down something at one of the cons they were at months ago that Toei didn't think was proper fair use, so they complied. However, it wasn't a takedown of the series by any means. Also, like I originally said, there are many other places than YouTube to host the main series & movies. They have a Vidme channel & probably will find some other places if YouTube fails them for the series. I just don't think Toei will do it ay time soon, especially when they have bigger things to worry abut than guys who make a parody on the internet in another country. That could change, definitely, but we'll have to wait & see. Seeing as it's been almost 10 years since the series started & they've had a lot of opportunities to do so thus far, I don't think it'll happen. if it does, I'll be singing a different tune, trust me.

[DanielSSJ]

Thing is, I don't think it's the production side of things that's threatening DBZA. If it was just a monetary or time problem, I don't think that there would be talk about ending the series prematurely. It would probably go on hiatus while they focus on more profitable things, but it would probably still be planned to be completed. No, it seems to me that YouTube is the problem. Between the copyright claims, the lack of promotion by YouTube, and the demonetization of "ad-inappropriate" videos, it's getting harder and harder for creators to post their content on YouTube. Plenty of channels are getting affected by this, and TFS is no different.

I would still say that we should support TFS in any way that we can, be it Patreon, merchandise, or their monetized videos, but I wouldn't expect that support to make a huge difference in their ability to make DBZA. Though I should point out that Kaiser said that there is a possibility that DBZA might end with Cell, not a certainty. Once they get their other projects up and running and they're on more stable ground, they might be able to continue DBZA like they've always have. As I said earlier, I think they're hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. But then again, what do I know?

[Scsigs]

Thing is, I don't think it's the production side of things that's threatening DBZA. If it was just a monetary or time problem, I don't think that there would be talk about ending the series prematurely. It would probably go on hiatus while they focus on more profitable things, but it would probably still be planned to be completed. No, it seems to me that YouTube is the problem. Between the copyright claims, the lack of promotion by YouTube, and the demonetization of "ad-inappropriate" videos, it's getting harder and harder for creators to post their content on YouTube. Plenty of channels are getting affected by this, and TFS is no different.

I would still say that we should support TFS in any way that we can, be it Patreon, merchandise, or their monetized videos, but I wouldn't expect that support to make a huge difference in their ability to make DBZA. Though I should point out that Kaiser said that there is a possibility that DBZA might end with Cell, not a certainty. Once they get their other projects up and running and they're on more stable ground, they might be able to continue DBZA like they've always have. As I said earlier, I think they're hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. But then again, what do I know?

Well, for the first paragraph that WOULD be a problem, if they monetized the DBZA videos in the first place. As a preventative measure, they don't usually do that. If any ads show up, it's usually due to copyright claims. The only place where that'd really be a problem is their gaming channel, honestly. They also do crowd funding through their Patreon, so it's not like they need the adsense either. The promotion isn't such a bad thing, since they're found through searches of DBZ material & promoted by other people. YouTube's hypocritical standards for promotion & algorithms doesn't really stop them much from gaining subs & followers, especially at this point where they're really well known.
As for the second, I'd say the easiest way is watching TFS Gaming's videos. I, personally, have rewatched some of their playthroughs several times since I started watching them last year & I'll keep doing so in the future, though I prefer to binge the playthroughs after they're completed, since it makes them more entertaining. And, yeah, he said it's a possibility, but I have a feeling that's more out of frustration than anything. If YOU had to deal with the ongoing struggles of internet content creation, I bet you'd feel the same way (me talking to other people who don't understand there). Especially since he's one of the main animators & writers of the series. He puts the most effort into the show, so I get it when your creation is repeatedly taken down. Yeah, hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. Always gotta have a backup plan for something that's not always guaranteed. I still think that a brief hiatus for a bit would help in recharging the old batteries. Almost 10 years of this shit with getting episodes out monthly on top of other things. It's gotta take a toll after a while.

[Lord Frieza]

[spoiler]

that like most everyone else's content.

...In answer to where it was it said, it's in one of their older update videos with King Kai. I'll try to track it down, but it is old and with the take downs they've regularly suffered over the years I don't know if they reuploaded it. My entire point was they clearly did hope to go further but it seems that "ironically" fate will only let them get as far an old "joke" end point
So Can I at least expect a token apology for being accused of being full of BS and a troll?

Edit: doing this off my phone so I can't see the time, but it's at the end of their second "most asked" videos.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F2QceasVwvo
It's been years since I watched this and did miss remember the line. They stated that they planed through the Cell saga. It it would not make it any less ironic if it turns out that's as far as there going to get.
I genuinely hope that's not the case but it is getting harder. This reminds me of a Godzilla fan film that was coming out, while it was small none payed it much mind but when the project grew and got so good that it was of almost professional quality Toho studios stepped in and completely hamstringed the project. They could not have Godzilla in the title, they could not post it online even for free, it could only be sent to backers etc. The bigger and better fan works get the more companies will put pressure on them to stop, that's just how it goes. They don't care if it's a harmless parody, if they see it as a possible threat to their money train they will seek to get ride of it.

Toei's only struck down the episodes, not the updates or crossover specials, so I don't think you have much to worry about there. Which, by the way, how many takedowns have the suffered in the last 9 years? I've only heard of 2 or 3 incidents where this has really happened.
In some ways, you're right, in some ways you're wrong. In that update, the exact words were, "I can't believe they've scheduled up through the Cell Saga," meaning that they'd already started talking about ideas for their version of the arc 3 years before officially starting production on it, or maybe it was a joke (either way, it wasn't meant too seriously). Yet everything since has put forth that they're going to do the Buu Saga, or are at least in the planning stages of it. With my suggestion that they take some time off from it before coming back, I think they could make some truly great decisions for the final arc of the series. Kaiser has also said that they have an ultimate payoff for their version of Goku's characterization. Considering that he hasn't changed much in the current arc, I can only assume that means that they're saving it for the Buu Saga. I REALLY want their characterization of Goku to have an ultimate point, rather than just something that pisses some fans off because the way they joke about his canon portrayal isn't what's actually shown in the story. I genuinely enjoy their version of the story & would want any setups to get their payoffs if they've planned for them, y'know? Especially since I see SO much potential in the adaptation of the arc. I some ways, what you said WAS BS, but it comes from your interpretation of what they said, which I don't believe was the intention at all.
In terms of fan films, it really depends on the company's stances & the laws of the country. Like a few years ago when that terrible Power/Rangers short film came out & Saban took it down for a bit before it got back up online. Saban had every right to take down something they saw as harmful to their brand & franchise, which it wasn't because you can hardly call whatever the hell that was Power Rangers, but fair use laws allowed for the person who made it to fight for it to be back up.
How about a more recent example, AM2R. A fan game remake of Metroid 2 in the style of Zero Mission that the guy spent years making, only for Nintendo to take it down. Nintendo is really stingy towards online distribution of things relating to their franchises for no real reason. They let it keep going for a few days, then sent their cease & desist letter to the guy right before he was gonna send out an update patch for it. While it's still available in places to download & play, the guy who developed it can''t do anything with it further due to that.
And to also bring this up, TFS actually got a cease & desist from FUNimation for the first ATOT Abridged episode, which is understandable, since they had just gotten the license & hadn't even gotten their dub of the series out by that point. I don't even think FUNi would've even had a problem with them doing an Abridged version of the series, as long as they'd waited a few years to do it, but since it came out at a time when the series was still new, they had no choice. It probably had to do with money most likely, since the episode adapted nearly half the frigging first season of the anime in one go & had a bit of spoilers in it for those who hadn't seen the show. DBZ, on the other hand, is a series from the late 80s to the mid-90s, where all of the dubs of it had been out for a while & the home releases were selling insanely well, at least here in the states. FUNi has no problems with them doing the series, as long as they: don't directly monetize the footage, say they own the franchise, have merch with official illustrations & designs on them (only fan ones), & maybe a few other things. Given they wholeheartedly say to support the official releases at the beginnings, & sometimes endings, of their episodes & movies & respect FUNimation, I don't think FUNi's really gonna have a problem with their version of the series, especially when they cut down on the footage significantly, leaving plenty more for people to see if they get the home releases. It's more so up to Toei. Again, I think there'd be massive backlash, since DBZA has become as much a cornerstone of the franchise as the original series has to a lot of people.
The only time they actually got a cease & desist from Toei, I believe, is when they had to take down something at one of the cons they were at months ago that Toei didn't think was proper fair use, so they complied. However, it wasn't a takedown of the series by any means. Also, like I originally said, there are many other places than YouTube to host the main series & movies. They have a Vidme channel & probably will find some other places if YouTube fails them for the series. I just don't think Toei will do it ay time soon, especially when they have bigger things to worry abut than guys who make a parody on the internet in another country. That could change, definitely, but we'll have to wait & see. Seeing as it's been almost 10 years since the series started & they've had a lot of opportunities to do so thus far, I don't think it'll happen. if it does, I'll be singing a different tune, trust me.

[/spoiler]


All fair point and I can see what your getting at. I to don't want anything to happen to them.

There was one other issue that worried me. TFS is apparently taking on a professional dubbing job. Now on the upside that great for them, it must feel wonderful to have their work thought of so highly for them to get an official gig. But if this becomes a full time thing for them will that stop them being able to do fan stuff? I'm not all up to date on the laws and how it all works but if they become a legitimate company of sorts could that make it harder for them to do such fan work and would they want to? As they are now their an unofficial group who post free cool videos and merch online, as a "company" (if that's the right term) do they risk real financial loss, loss of potential work and so forth if they try to continue DBZA? Would Funi and Toei be as forgiving to them in that situation and would potential work be lost to them because they are, in the eyes of some, pirating official work?

This is all pure speculation mind you but someone's got to play devil's advocate so it might as well be me.

[Scsigs]

All fair points and I can see what you're getting at. I too don't want anything to happen to them.

There was one other issue that worried me. TFS is apparently taking on a professional dubbing job. Now on the upside that great for them, it must feel wonderful to have their work thought of so highly for them to get an official gig. But if this becomes a full time thing for them will that stop them being able to do fan stuff? I'm not all up to date on the laws and how it all works but if they become a legitimate company of sorts could that make it harder for them to do such fan work and would they want to? As they are now their an unofficial group who post free cool videos and merch online, as a "company" (if that's the right term) do they risk real financial loss, loss of potential work and so forth if they try to continue DBZA? Would Funi and Toei be as forgiving to them in that situation and would potential work be lost to them because they are, in the eyes of some, pirating official work?

This is all pure speculation mind you but someone's got to play devil's advocate so it might as well be me.

Well, they've been a part of dubs at FUNimation. Lani, in particular, you can here in the last pre-timeskip arc at some points. Which you can hear here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0wOIFyFCKU. He shows up pretty quick in that clip. Plus, the whole Kai debacle from earlier this year, that they can't discuss because of NDAs, and Taka being in DB Xenoverse 1 & 2. Plus, they've had a lot of other projects in the meantime. An official dub that they have creative control over isn't that different. It's just anther project. It's not like they're opening up a studio to record dubs with. Then again, it's the first of something they're doing like that, so who know what'll come their ways in the future.
If they become an official company that starts doing that kind of work, I don't know. Maybe they'll just get official permission from FUNi to do it, so it's written on paper, but I don't know how that'd go over with Toei. That's also the thing, though. They've continually produced the series for the last almost 10 years, I doubt much would change if they had a bit more on their plate. Hell, Masako could probably handle editing duties, or maybe one of their other Abridging friends, similar to what Little Kuriboh has for Yugioh Abridged nowadays, if they need to delegate stuff to other people. They\ guys who do could handle the writing & voice direction of the actors, while someone new handles the editing. Then again, that might result in a slight loss of quality on the visuals, since they make corrections to errors in the animation when needed & redo some things with it as well to make it workable, but maybe they'd be up to the challenge. This is all speculating on IF they'd need the extra help, but I don't know. Depending on if the Buu Saga is gonna be another 20 or 30 episodes, or, god forbid, 40, plus the remaining 5 movies (from Bojack on), I could see the series going on for another 5-7 years or so if they try to keep the schedule of an episode a month going, give or take a few months after getting a movie out for some off time. Since this arc has taken almost 5 years to complete since it started with 29-30 plus a few movies in between.
My philosophy on these kinds of things is don't panic unless something's confirmed to be bad. As far as I'm concerned, his tweets were the result of a lot of the undue stress of running the series from his POV. It's understandable. He just said it could happen, but he stated nothing concrete about that being the final decision on where the series is gonna end. As far as I know, they're still in the planning stages of the arc. Like I said, though, a brief hiatus, with some specials in between, would really help that, I think. Focus on other projects would help refresh the interest in doing the show. I took a break from listening all the time to Green Day, which I did consistently through high school, for a few years, to listen to other musicians, then I went back to their music & it's only helped me appreciate them more. Different things, yeah, but I don't find the differences too different for the analogy not to work. Or how about a better example. I'm pretty sure the time off from doing the manga helped Toriyama get back into writing the series, though DB Evolution also helped. Plus, it'd help gain more interest in the meantime. Though this is all what I've stated before.

[Brikikoz]

DBZ Abridged cannot end this way. It's been one of the greatest works of comedy in this decade.

We need to come up with a way to support them without violating the various laws.

You know they have a Patreon that's already being supported pretty well, right? As well as their gaming channel getting a lot of views. As far as I can tell, just donating money to them through a 3rd party website that helps them pay the bills so they can keep doing the series doesn't infringe on any laws, or watching the videos they can monetize on a side channel they run. They also have their other projects that they're working on & their own side channels, if they bother to update them. They're fine on that end. What Kaiser apparently is frustrated with is the constant problems with Toei striking down their videos unlawfully every once in a while.

Exactly. So if we want to see more content, perhaps a different medium than youtube is needed, like their own website. Which would take funding for the servers and maintenance, plus obviously advertising and marketing so people know about it. I know their site exists, so the question becomes if Toei would attack THAT site too, and if there's ways around that. Such as relocation to some obscure server overseas.