Happinet has unveiled the cover art for the next set of Dragon Ball Kai DVD volumes, both of which are set to be released 19 March 2010 for ¥2,940 (~$30). This is the first dual-release of DVDs, as all previous volumes were released individually. Volume #7 will contain episodes 19-21, while Volume #8 follows with the next three episodes, 22-24.
I must say that it was perfect timing to get that Yamcha episode done last week, because Kai interrupted our regularly-scheduled programming yet again…!
With an official announcement of its licensing (and Jeff sick with family coming to town), it made sense to dedicate another podcast episode to the “refreshed” version of the DBZ TV series. You may think there is not a lot to discuss just yet, but never doubt the power of talkative fans. In our three topical segments, Hujio joins us to briefly recap how this “refresh” came about and what it ended up being (along with its domestic name change), Kendamu joins us to discuss what the manga fan is looking for in a domestic release of the series, while Gozar joins us to talk about what the FUNimation dub fan is looking for. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Episode #0208! VegettoEX, Meri, and Julian discuss the latest news about “DragonBall Kai” before we bring in some friends to talk about specific aspects of the licensing news. Hujio joins us to give a recap on what “Kai” is in the first place and its domestic name change, Kendamu joins us to talk from the manga fan perspective, while Gozar joins us to talk from the dub fan perspective. We do not have a whole lot to go on just yet, but fandom seems braced for all the extra attention coming its way.
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Happinet’s official release website has been updated confirming that at least 99 episodes of Dragon Ball Kai have been planned. We are assuming this episode count is nothing concrete, just an estimation from Toei based on how much material they think they will be cutting.
It was also announced on their website that these 99 episodes will be spread across 33 DVD volumes and 8 Blu-ray boxsets. Assuming that there are no breaks in the series, this means that we can expect Dragon Ball Kai to be running up through at least the beginning of March 2011.
One of the confusing bits of information was that the fourth Blu-ray box set (which did not have a release date for the longest time, unlike the first three sets) would contain less episodes than usual, and even the 17th DVD would contain only 2 episodes, seemingly coming to an “end” at only episode 50. Various false or otherwise misleading tidbits about a return-to-television from Digimon (which previously held Kai‘s time slot) also added to the confusion. Happinet’s updates confirm, however, that Blu-ray Box #4 will now contain 15 episodes on 5 discs, as opposed to the typical 12 episodes on 4 discs as seen with prior releases. Therefore the price of the box set has been increased from ¥15,960 (~$160) to ¥19,950 (~$200), but it is still set to be released on 25 June 2010. The individual DVD releases have remained unchanged, with each volume containing 3 episodes and a price-point of ¥2,940 (~$30). However, the release dates of any volume beyond DVD Volume #18 are still unknown.
Several birdies have been talking to us about the release schedule for a while now, and it seems like Wal-Mart wants in on the conversation, too. They are listing both the DVD and Blu-ray release of Dragon Ball Kai already (the domestic license was only just announced this morning!), and coming 18 May 2010, no less. That is just over three months from “announcement” to “release”… which is pretty impressive for the domestic anime industry. Clearly it has been in the works for a while, but it is still a great trend to keep going with.
The list price on the DVD set is $49.98, while the Blu-ray set will only set you back another $5 up at $54.98. There is no word yet on episode count or aspect ratios. As a refresher, the DVD release in Japan is the cropped widescreen as aired on TV (albeit in standard definition), while the Blu-ray is a high-definition 4:3 aspect ratio.
During this morning’s Q3 Fiscal 2010 earnings conference call, Navarre Chief Executive Officer Cary Deacon announced the official license of Dragon Ball Kai to FUNimation, which is scheduled for release in the “latter part” of the upcoming fiscal year (which could run through this summer if intended as Fiscal 2010, or later if intended as Fiscal 2011):
FUNimation finalized a new Dragon Ball license agreement for Dragon Ball Kai. The first episodes of that property will be released by FUNimation in the latter part of our upcoming fiscal year.
No additional details are available just yet, such as possible home release or broadcast (television or online) options. We have reached out to FUNimation for further comment and will update if and when we receive more information.
Dragon Ball Kai is a “refreshed” version of the actual Dragon Ball Z TV series — produced in Japan in celebration of its 20th anniversary — featuring a new musical score, many of the original voice actors and actresses returning, a quickened-pace to the story, and more. It debuted 05 April 2009 on Fuji TV at 9:00 am as a part of the “Dream 9” block (followed by One Piece at 9:30 am).
UPDATE: FUNimation appears to have adjusted the title of the series for their domestic release to Dragon Ball Z Kai (adding a “Z” where they has not been one in Japan for this version of the series), as seen on their blog this afternoon:
Our buddy Kendamu let us know that records show FUNimation purchased dragonballzkai.com back in December. We look forward to receiving more information!
DBZ Volume 6 (covering tankōbon 32-34) in the “Viz Big” omnibus, 3-in-1 line was originally listed for a 19 January 2010 release date. Following the trend of prior releases, it was later delayed to 16 February 2010.
Our forum buddy xzero let us know that Amazon and other retailers now have it listed for 09 March 2010. The “Viz Big” volumes have lately been notorious for three or four delays, sometimes pushing them up to half a year late.
Volume 7 is now listed for 20 April 2010 with Volume 8 following on 20 July 2010. It is likely these dates will continue to slip.
We have joked about it for months. Several times we genuinely planned to talk about him, but something incredibly important would happen and shake up our episode schedule. With the last day of the month falling on a podcast episode release day, it was the perfect time to dive in and talk about our main man, Yamcha!
Loosely introduced as a play on the Journey to the West character Sha Wujing, Yamcha is one of the first “villains” brought into the story, and we make the argument that he is one of the first characters to be totally tossed aside by the author. Does he deserve more credit than he is traditionally given, or is he really just the bum that we tend to think of him as toward the end of the series? Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Episode #0207! VegettoEX, Meri, and Hujio discuss one of the earliest characters to be both introduced and subsequently tossed aside – Yamcha! Does he have any depth to him, and what makes him a memorable character, if at all? Your thoughts on the character, various news tidbits, February’s releases, and so much more rounds out the episode.
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After the announcement and then some track listings, we now finally have the complete information (including cover art) for the three new Koro-chan Pack Dragon Ball Kai CDs all due out 24 February 2009. Each will retail for the standard ¥1,500 and contain a small number of songs on the mini-CD, as well as a picture book. As previously noted, all of the songs included were previously released on the Dragon Ball Kai Song Collection CD except for the three karaoke tracks… so if you already own that, then you might want to pass on these and save your money.
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Koro-chan Pack #1
Dragon Ball Kai ~Goku vs Vegeta~
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Koro-chan Pack #2
Dragon Ball Kai ~Goku vs The Ginyu Special-Squad~
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Koro-chan Pack #3
Dragon Ball Kai ~Goku vs Freeza~
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The cover art for Volumes 5 and 6 of the individual DVD run, as well as the second Blu-ray box set, for Dragon Ball Kai have made their way online. Both are set to be released 19 February 2010; the DVD releases will contain episodes 013-015 and 016-018 respectively, while the Blu-ray box will contain episodes 016-027. The high definition Blu-ray release will set you back a pretty ¥15,960 (~$160), while the the standard definition DVD release is the typical price of ¥2,940 (~$30).
C21Media.net is reporting that Toei Animation has struck a deal with Megavision TV to air the Dragon Ball TV series in Chilé. No specific time frame or episode content was listed.
We know that the franchise already has a huge following down in Chilé and has aired before (as well as received tons of great merchandise), so it makes sense that this would just be a new deal to re-air the show. Just as all our Brazilian friends came out of the woodwork last November, those of you in Chilé need to drop us a line and let us know what the current situation is down there. Has it not been on the air for a while?