So I just bought the Blu-rays...

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

User avatar
Forte224
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1423
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2015 11:56 pm

So I just bought the Blu-rays...

Post by Forte224 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 3:57 pm

Yeah, I did it. I've been keeping an eye on the Dragon Boxes for years now. Found them on Ebay today for $600. I really sat and thought about it, as I just had a small chunk of extra money come in (like, literally just under $600 that I wasn't expecting) and I've realllllly wanted to own the DBoxes for such a long time. But honestly, it just hit me that it kind of ticks me off that they go for this much. I mean, it's essentially comparative to scalping, no?

Anyway, I need new brakes for the winter, so I decided I'd just go with the Blu Rays off Funimation's site. they're going for $160 and I had a $10 gift card so I got them for $150.00, meaning about $16 a set. Couldn't really turn it down. Still have this nagging feeling I'm settling for less...but...*sigh* can't someone just do a limited re-release of those darn boxes already?

User avatar
TheGreatness25
I Live Here
Posts: 4924
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:36 am

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by TheGreatness25 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 5:23 pm

Unfortunately they already did a limited release of the Dragon Boxes and not enough people jumped on them. Mine were coming to my door every release date from Amazon, but a lot of people sat on the opportunity. I know why, I get it. I also don't recall Funimation ever really saying that it was a limited release until Box 4 or so.

Look, if it will make you feel any better, I don't think that those Blu-rays are bad. First off all, they're a major space-saver. Second of all, I truly do think they're pleasant to look at, as the cover art is on-point. As for video quality, I think it looks pretty good in an HDTV. Yeah, I know that DB fans are sticklers for color, grain levels, etc., but I'm not a tech whiz, so for me, if it looks good, it looks good. These Blu-rays look good to me. The cropping sucks, sure. But you have to think that it's way better than the orange bricks. You also have to think if several hundreds of dollars is worth it to have a "better" release of ultimately the same thing -- even though it's still not perfect as per the Color Correction thread. I'm crazy and I bought everything that I could possibly buy, including the Japanese Dragon Boxes. Do you know how many times I watched them? I only used them for comparison screenshots. I literally spent thousands of dollars to take screenshots.

So don't feel glum. The story is still there. And those Dragon Box eBay prices are ridiculous. In the very least, you got a pretty good release that will look pretty on your TV and on yor shelf, and you didn't break the bank to do it.

Well, that's my "two cents," anyway.

User avatar
sintzu
Banned
Posts: 13583
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:41 pm

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by sintzu » Sun Dec 11, 2016 6:29 pm

If you just want to enjoy the show then it's a good release, both in terms of its quality and price.

It's not a perfect release but neither were the dragon boxes but for some reason fans make them out to be that which they aren't.

I've had 6 of the 7 Dragon Boxes for 5 years now and I haven't watched them once but instead I've turned to Kai so not everyone thinks they're the best option, especially fans who aren't obsessed with every small detail like me and probably most fans.
July 9th 2018 will be remembered as the day Broly became canon.

User avatar
Forte224
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1423
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2015 11:56 pm

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Forte224 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 7:27 pm

Well geez guys, you're making me feel better. A benefit I thought of was that, even though I'm not a Funi Faulconer fan anymore, it's still what I grew up on, so it'll be nice to have that piece of history/my childhood there in my collection.

And if sometime in the future we luck out and get another DBox release or even a Levels set resurrection I'll be ready to pounce right on it. Thanks guys!

PacificOceanDub
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:56 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by PacificOceanDub » Sun Dec 11, 2016 9:39 pm

Honestly, I love the blu rays, I was more than glad to sell my orange bricks in exchange for the blu rays. The only complaint I have about them, is that they changed the episode title font, which is honestly something pretty silly to be upset about
You shouldn’t have to (Cell.) your soul!

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

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by simtek34 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 9:41 pm

How do the Dragon Boxes look upscaled in HD? Got any screenshots?

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

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Ajay » Sun Dec 11, 2016 9:50 pm

simtek34 wrote:How do the Dragon Boxes look upscaled in HD? Got any screenshots?
They're decent enough. Very obviously an upscale, but when viewed on a TV from a reasonable distance, they're pretty nice.

[spoiler]Image
Image
Image[/spoiler]
Follow me on Twitter for countless shitposts.

Deadtuber.

User avatar
laserkid
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1457
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:37 pm
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by laserkid » Sun Dec 11, 2016 9:53 pm

If you just wanted a copy of DBZ and didn't care about the quality too much, the Blurays are probably fine, and honestly if I hadn't bought the Dragon Boxes when they were new, I don't know what I would do in your position.

My honest recommendation would be to just buy Kai since it has both a 4:3 and 16x9 video form (through Cell anyway), and the dub is actually quite good. But if you just wanted DBZ, and don't want Kai, then yeah I'd say you made out okay.
-Laserkid

User avatar
Forte224
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1423
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2015 11:56 pm

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Forte224 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:04 pm

laserkid wrote:If you just wanted a copy of DBZ and didn't care about the quality too much, the Blurays are probably fine, and honestly if I hadn't bought the Dragon Boxes when they were new, I don't know what I would do in your position.

My honest recommendation would be to just buy Kai since it has both a 4:3 and 16x9 video form (through Cell anyway), and the dub is actually quite good. But if you just wanted DBZ, and don't want Kai, then yeah I'd say you made out okay.
Oh I own Kai already. I basically will be using Kai for English and DBZ for Japanese more or less.

But yeah after more thought, I'm very happy with my purchase, no regrets. Even though I'd much prefer the 4:3 aspect ratio, it's not something I will spend an inflated price of $600 on

User avatar
laserkid
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1457
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:37 pm
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by laserkid » Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:15 pm

Yeeeeeaaaaah, I enjoy my Dragon Boxes a lot, but $600 is a bit much for that.
-Laserkid

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

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by simtek34 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:18 pm

Get the Levels, singles, and any cheap Dragon Boxes you can find. That's your best bet until you can afford it or FUNi reprints them.

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
eledoremassis02
I Live Here
Posts: 4162
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 5:40 pm

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by eledoremassis02 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:26 pm

I'm in the same boat and these blurays have grown on me. Defiantly an upgrade from the orange bricks!

User avatar
sintzu
Banned
Posts: 13583
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:41 pm

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by sintzu » Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:38 pm

Forte224 wrote:Even though I'd much prefer the 4:3 aspect ratio, it's not something I will spend an inflated price of $600 on
600$, an arm, a leg, some blood, an eye or 2, a kidney, a piece of your liver, your dog & whatever else you can give.
July 9th 2018 will be remembered as the day Broly became canon.

User avatar
Soppa Saia People
I Live Here
Posts: 3062
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:26 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Soppa Saia People » Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:59 pm

I honestly don't mind the Blu-rays. My main gripe with the Orange Bricks was the colors. They look fucking terrible. Well the Blu-Rays aren't on DBoxes level of color, they look good enough (for me).
I have borderline personality disorder, if my posts ever come off as aggressive or word vomit-y to you, please let me know.

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

User avatar
Jinzoningen MULE
I Live Here
Posts: 4405
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:33 pm
Location: Salt Mines

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Jinzoningen MULE » Mon Dec 12, 2016 12:04 am

Soppa Saia People wrote:I honestly don't mind the Blu-rays. My main gripe with the Orange Bricks was the colors. They look fucking terrible. Well the Blu-Rays aren't on DBoxes level of color, they look good enough (for me).
For the first couple of seasons, the colors are still pretty bad. In fact, there are some instances where they're even more blown out and over-saturated than the Orange Bricks. Also, the line art is pretty bad throughout as a symptom of the heavy grain removal. However, if you want a complete DBZ Blu-ray collection, the Level Sets do supplement some of the worse episodes if you can get a hold of them.

That being said, I still recommend the Season Blu-rays over any other release. The DBoxes weren't worth the price even at their lowest, and both Season Sets are perfectly watchable.
Retired.

User avatar
Soppa Saia People
I Live Here
Posts: 3062
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:26 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Soppa Saia People » Mon Dec 12, 2016 12:10 am

Jinzoningen MULE wrote:
Soppa Saia People wrote:I honestly don't mind the Blu-rays. My main gripe with the Orange Bricks was the colors. They look fucking terrible. Well the Blu-Rays aren't on DBoxes level of color, they look good enough (for me).
For the first couple of seasons, the colors are still pretty bad. In fact, there are some instances where they're even more blown out and over-saturated than the Orange Bricks. Also, the line art is pretty bad throughout as a symptom of the heavy grain removal. However, if you want a complete DBZ Blu-ray collection, the Level Sets do supplement some of the worse episodes if you can get a hold of them.

That being said, I still recommend them over any other release. The DBoxes weren't worth the price even at their lowest, and both Season Sets are perfectly watchable.
And instead of going though a bunch of hoops to watch a the best version of dumb TV show, you could just buy said series for a cheaper price, with a faster pace, better art (until the Boo saga) and a fine translation.
I have borderline personality disorder, if my posts ever come off as aggressive or word vomit-y to you, please let me know.

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

User avatar
Jinzoningen MULE
I Live Here
Posts: 4405
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:33 pm
Location: Salt Mines

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Jinzoningen MULE » Mon Dec 12, 2016 12:38 am

Kai's not really the same thing, you're missing a huge chunk of the show. But I get ya if you're in the market for that kind of thing.
Retired.

User avatar
Soppa Saia People
I Live Here
Posts: 3062
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:26 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Soppa Saia People » Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:05 am

Jinzoningen MULE wrote:Kai's not really the same thing, you're missing a huge chunk of the show. But I get ya if you're in the market for that kind of thing.
I was referring to the manga.
I have borderline personality disorder, if my posts ever come off as aggressive or word vomit-y to you, please let me know.

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

User avatar
Jinzoningen MULE
I Live Here
Posts: 4405
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:33 pm
Location: Salt Mines

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by Jinzoningen MULE » Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:11 am

Ah, don't know how I missed that. Anyway, the manga isn't really the same thing, either. A lot of people don't find the format intuitive. Although if we're strictly talking about the mechanics, it's the best way to digest Dragon Ball.
Retired.

User avatar
TheGreatness25
I Live Here
Posts: 4924
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:36 am

Re: So I just bought the Blu Rays...

Post by TheGreatness25 » Mon Dec 12, 2016 9:10 am

"Watch this, read that, go here, do that." The OP Aid that he bought the Blu-ray season sets. He's set. There's no reason to do anything, he has the series. To whoever worsted that he get the singles -- why? For 4:3? Getting each one of them just mouthy cost as much as the Dragon Box for way worse quality.

Post Reply