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3,753 Posts & 2,349 Pages Documenting Dragon Ball, since 1998. We've got you covered!
Published by 13 July 2009, 9:40 PM EDTComment

Happinet’s official Dragon Ball Kai release website has been updated. Although there is nothing too major to report, I have a feeling this may be a long post, so sit tight.

When the site first opened it had two active links, but now all seven sections are open for business. Normally we would just link to the different sections, but the way the site is set up makes that impossible — each link opens on the same page and most everything is done with images rather than simple text, which is actually kind of a pain. So instead, I will give a brief rundown of each section and what new information is listed. The “MENU” breaks down as:

  1. Introduction (イントロダクション)
  2. Product Information (商品情報)
  3. Special Information (特典情報)
  4. Videos (動画)
  5. Release Schedule (リリーススケジュール)
  6. Want to Learn More?! (もっと知りたい!)
  7. Links (リンク)

The first section we see is the “Introduction” section, which is just what you would think it is: an introduction to Dragon Ball Kai. It gives a brief synopsis and lists the main cast and staff. The “Product Information” section provides a breakdown of the three different products being released: Blu-ray sale, DVD sale, and DVD rental. However, if you live outside of Japan, there is no need to worry about the DVD rental.

The “Special Information” section gives a detailed break-down of all the special items that will come with each release (I have omitted the DVD rental details):

Blu-ray Volume #1

  • Dragon Battlers Data Card
  • DragonBall Raging Blast Promotional Video
  • Naoyoshi Yamamuro Drawn Art Box
  • Picture Label
  • Sleeve Case

DVD Volumes #1~#17

  • Dragon Battlers Data Card (Volume #1 only)
  • DragonBall Raging Blast Promotional Video (Volumes #1~#3 only)
  • Naoyoshi Yamamuro Drawn Jacket
  • Picture Label

Blu-ray Box #1~#4

  • Non-credit Opening & Ending (Box #1 only; as listed on Amazon Japan)
  • Naoyoshi Yamamuro Drawn Jacket
  • Picture Label
  • Special Booklet

The “Videos” section contains a video of the recent commercial shown during the “Dream 9” TV block on Fuji TV. The section gives a nice break-down of the known release schedule, which takes us up to episode 50. Here is a translated copy of the table:

2009 Releases
Date Blu-ray / Blu-ray Box DVD Sale / DVD Rental
September 18 Blu-ray Vol. #1 (episodes 001-003) Volume #1 (episodes 001-003)
October 23 Box #1 (episodes 004-015) Volume #2 (episodes 004-006)
November 20 Volume #3 (episodes 007-009)
December 18 Volume #4 (episodes 010-012)

 

2010 Releases
Date Blu-ray Box DVD Sale / DVD Rental
January 29 Volume #5 (episodes 013-015)
February 19 Box #2 (episodes 016-027) Volume #6 (episodes 016-018)
March 19 Volume #7 (episodes 019-021)
Volume #8 (episodes 022-024)
April 23 Box #3 (episodes 028-039) Volume #9 (episodes 025-027)
Volume #10 (episodes 028-030)
May Volume #11 (episodes 031-033)
Volume #12 (episodes 034-036)
June Box #4 (episodes 040-050) Volume #13 (episodes 037-039)
Volume #14 (episodes 040-042)
July Volume #15 (episodes 043-045)
Volume #16 (episodes 046-048)
August Volume #17 (episodes 049-050)

The “Want to Learn More?!” section is quite interesting. It gives us a short Q&A with questions most of us would probably ask, but the answers are very typical “non-answer” speak that we always seem to get from Toei — and by that, I mean we do not get a straight/straight/honest answer. The answers still leave you with just as many questions, if not more.

Q: Why are the DVDs at 16:9 while the Blu-rays are at 4:3?
This time, for the TV broadcast, we broadcast the 4:3 picture cut to 16:9. Just as everyone can watch the DVDs in 16:9 HDTV, those who want to appreciate [the show] with the cut portions included, the full 4:3 picture has been included on the Blu-rays!

Q: What’s HD remastering?
Through digital processing, the image is made vivid, removing the garbage, scratches, and noise that remained on the film until now, making a clearer picture. Incidentally, “HD” means “high definition”.

Q: Is the story the same as “Dragon Ball Z”?
This time, we’re editing it so that it follows the original story, so that you can enjoy fast-paced [story] development. Also, a new dub has been recorded, courtesy of the troop of wonderful voice actors.

Q: Why is Volume #1 the only Blu-ray Disc not included in a box?
Now that the image has been beautified through digital remastering, in order to show [this new image] to as many people as possible, we’re selling these 3 episodes at a special price! (It can be inserted into Box #1!)

I still want to know why the DVDs are in 16:9! Are they trying to force people to buy the Blu-rays or are they trying to make more money off of those that want the series in both the broadcast and full HD formats? Anyway, the final section provides other official links related to the series. So there you go, all the information we know about the Dragon Ball Kai home video release is broken down in this update. Hopefully that will get us through until September, but if anything new pops up, we will be sure to let you know!

Published by 12 July 2009, 7:21 PM EDTComment

Our forum member LeprikanGT shared a new Raging Blast scan with us on our forum:

It looks like the new PS3 & 360 game will be getting its own new theme song by none other than Hironobu Kageyama (whoo-hoo!), and it will be called “Progression”. Since Hiroki Takahashi’s new song for Tenka’ichi Dai-Bōken is getting a CD single, we are hopeful about this new song, as well.

Published by 12 July 2009, 7:20 PM EDTComment

Episode #0183 of the podcast is available for download! This week we got ourselves back on schedule and welcomed Lanipator and Takahata101 of TeamFourStar onto the show! The voices of Vegeta and Nappa from DBZ Abridged let us know what to expect for season two (along with some voice samples!), how the last year has treated them, and more. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.

SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Episode #0183! VegettoEX, Meri, and Julian interview Lanipator and Takahata101 from TeamFourStar, the voices of Vegeta and Nappa in the “DBZ Abridged” fan parody series. What do they have in store for us in the next season, and what has the reaction been to the first season, both online and offline? A mini-discussion about the pronunciation of Goku’s last name, July’s release, your fantastic e-mails, and our “Yeah! Break! Care! Break!” CD single giveaway contest round out the episode.

REFERENCED SITES:

Published by 09 July 2009, 9:29 AM EDTComment

Gamasutra has an interesting article up which (while only tangentially related to Dragon Ball) you may find of interest. Titled “Pecha-Kucha and Game Culture in Tokyo“, it is a brief recap and explanation of Pecha-Kucha, a presentation format where the individual or group has twenty slides and twenty seconds for each, totaling six-minutes-forty-seconds. In this particular event:

… Patrick W. Galbraith, author of the Otaku Encyclopedia, gives a presentation about Japanese anime, game, and geek culture.

Two hours in: the audience is getting restless. Presentations have been going on for a while now, but when Galbraith, a PhD candidate at Tokyo University, is called on stage, people take notice. He is, after all, dressed like Goku, a character from the popular manga Dragon Ball. Accompanying him is a girl dressed as a French maid, Ayakawa Yunmao. She is head of the Maid Cooperative, a professional organization for the hundreds of maids who work in Tokyo’s geek Mecca, Akihabara.

These women work at maid cafes where customers come to relax, hang out, and occasionally pay for a maid to accompany them while they shop for video games and comic books. Together, they teach the audience about Japanese Otaku (geeks) and Akihabara. This isn’t Galbraith’s first time presenting. He says he always receives feedback from his Pecha-Kucha presentations. “I use a lot of props. Give ’em the old razzle dazzle.” People respond to that.

Published by 08 July 2009, 10:54 AM EDTComment

Toei has announced new deals with Latin American distributors for merchandise based on the Dragon Ball franchise. If you are interested in magnets, backpacks, and pencil cases… this might be for you.

Toei Animation has secured a number of Latin America-based licensees for DRAGON BALL Z, ONE PIECE and SAINT SEIYA, it was announced today by Eduardo Lucio, sales manager, Latin America.

Included among the company’s prestigious roster of Latin American-based licensees are Panini for DRAGONBALL Z magnets in Mexico; Chenson for DRAGON BALL Z and SAINT SEIYA bags and backpacks in Mexico; Cordez for DRAGONBALL Z bags and backpacks in Brazil; Cardebras for ONE PIECE Notebooks in Brazil; Corp. Industrias Plasticas for DRAGON BALL Z balls and folders in Peru; Global Partners for DRAGON BALL Z binders and pencil cases in Argentina; Creative Hats for DRAGON BALL Z sunglasses in Argentina; Distribuidora Latapy for DRAGON BALL Z tricycles and skateboards in Argentina.

Now boasting 508 episodes, the DRAGON BALL phenomena follows Goku’s quest (main character in the series) to become the strongest martial artist in the universe and his search for the seven magic Dragon Balls in a saga that encompasses three parts — Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball adapts Japanese big success comics of the same title by Akira Toriyama. Since this animated series produced in 1986, this has continued broadcasted in major European countries. In France, the series currently airs on MCM, NT1, AB1 and Mangas.

There probably is not much there for the older fans, but those of you with kids (or are still kids, yourselves) might find some stuff of interest!

Published by 06 July 2009, 10:07 PM EDTComment

Episode #0182 of the podcast is available for download! It is (as announced) a day late, but it’s a whopper of an episode, so hopefully that makes up for it. This week we dove into Volume 28 of the manga, discussed a ton of different things, and even had a friendly argument over the usage of a certain Japanese word/phrase. Where do you fall with your opinions? Let us know! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.

SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Episode #0182! VegettoEX, Meri, and Jeff dive into Volume 28 in our “Manga Review of Awesomeness”. The Freeza story arc finally comes to a close, new characters are introduced, and many years pass in-universe. Is Toriyama keeping things fresh, or is he grasping at straws? Julian joins us for the rest of the episode to discuss all the late-breaking news. The song of the week, July’s releases, your e-mails, and our CD giveaway contest round out the episode.

REFERENCED SITES:

Published by 06 July 2009, 3:36 PM EDTComment

CDJapan has added a listing for a CD single of “POWER OF DREAMER”, the recently-unveiled new theme song for Tenka’ichi Dai-Bōken (being released outside Japan as Revenge of King Piccolo), performed by Hiroki Takahashi. While no track listing is available yet, the CD (LACM-4647) is due out 26 August 2009 for ¥1200. It appears that, unlike some of the other recent releases, only a single version of the CD single will be released.

Published by 05 July 2009, 12:04 PM EDTComment

A story out of Ecuador notes that The Simpsons has been pulled from its regular, prime-time slot while the government “… ponders its impact on children” (something we dealt with and moved on from in the US… oh, I dunno… twenty years ago). While it is no longer allowed to be broadcast between the hours of 6:00 am and 9:00 pm, it has at least been moved to a new 5:30 am time slot. How does this relate to DragonBall, though?

The state TV watchdog said it was concerned by the impact of “programs and messages that promote violence, racial and gender discrimination.”

The body recently pushed Japanese cartoon “Dragon Ball Z” from its normal slot.

Can any of our friends down in Ecuador shine some light on the situation? Is Dragon Ball Z still on the air at all, which dub do you have, and do you see any resolution coming soon?

Published by 05 July 2009, 12:03 PM EDTComment

While we have already noted FUNimation’s announcement of their Dragon Ball “season one” DVD set, they have also released a press release noting the same information. The press release confirms a 4:3 aspect ratio among all of the other details.

Dragon Ball Now Remastered and Digitally Restored, Available on DVD in September

Flower Mound, TX – July 4, 2009 — FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, today announces that it has remastered and digitally restored the entire Dragon Ball anime series, including the first thirteen episodes original to the series. The Dragon Ball Season Sets will be available at major retailers nationwide on September 15.

The Dragon Ball series is composed of 153 half-hour episodes which aired in Japan from 1986 -1989. It is an adaptation of the first portion of the Dragon Ball manga created by Akira Toriyama.

Dragon Ball Season Set One includes the first 31 episodes of the iconic franchise and chronicles the first adventures of Goku as a child as he meets Bulma, Master Roshi and others. Together they set out to find the seven magic Dragon Balls and make the wish that will change their lives forever.

“This is a project we have been looking forward to for a long time,” said Gen Fukunaga, president at CEO at FUNimation Entertainment. “Some of these episodes of the original series have never before been released in their uncut form in North America.”

The first Dragon Ball Season Set includes 31 episodes on 5 DVDs with more than 745 minutes of uncut action. The Season Set releases will feature an aspect ratio of 4:3, English and Japanese language options, and the original Japanese musical score in 5.1 Surround.

The Dragon Ball Season One Sets will be available at major retailers nationwide on September 15, 2009 and will have an SRP of $49.98.

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.

Published by 04 July 2009, 4:21 PM EDTComment

Confirming what was discovered nearly a month ago, FUNimation announced this weekend at their panel at Anime Expo that they will indeed be releasing the first 31 episodes of the original Dragon Ball TV series in a DVD set on 15 September 2009.

The audience was apparently also told to stay tuned for more information regarding the series within the next month, so we will be on the lookout for that.

FUNimation’s official Twitter stream has also updated with the news.