Funimation's 30th anniversary collectible home video release

[Matches Malone]

It's just a repackaged 30th anniversary set, nothing was done differently with the footage.

This. In terms of Scsigs's question, overall yes, it's an OK alternative. It's not good, but not terrible either. Outside the dragon boxes and Kai, it's the best option to own Z without dropping $1000+ on the dragon boxes. Considering its competition though (orange sets, blu-ray seasons), it's not much of an achievement.

[KBABZ]

Cool. So, this is actually an ok substitute for the DBoxes?

You can find plenty of comparisons for the 30th set to decide, most people will say it's not a good substitute.

I don't think it's a GOOD substitute, but it's certainly the most accessible one and the best fallback if the Dragon Boxes aren't an option for you.

[Scsigs]

Ah, ok. I thought that that was too good to be true. Still, till a good alternative comes, I think I'm ok with these. They took care of one of my biggest gripes (the forced cropping) & I can deal with oversaturation of colors if they're not brightened to all fuck like the 2013/14 season BRs or the orange bricks (seriously, YouTube uploads of clips of those hurt my eyes with how bright they are). Now all they need to take care of is the smearing & sharpening, which is the next biggest problem in my eyes.

Oh, btw, if anyone's wanting to get the season 1-3 steelbooks, they're currently a part of Amazon's "Buy 3 for the price of 2" sale right now, which means you'll get those for ~$40 less, which Amazon tells me is a little less than $84. This is the kind of sale I was looking for with these & I hope the rest are a part of similar sales in the future. I don't wanna pay $40 for each set for subpar video quality that are just repackages of the literal previous release. I like the steelbooks too. Looking at previews, they're really nice ones. Get them while you can at literally 1/3 off if you want them, guys.

[OmegaRockman]

Oh, btw, if anyone's wanting to get the season 1-3 steelbooks, they're currently a part of Amazon's "Buy 3 for the price of 2" sale right now, which means you'll get those for ~$40 less, which Amazon tells me is a little less than $84. This is the kind of sale I was looking for with these & I hope the rest are a part of similar sales in the future. I don't wanna pay $40 for each set for subpar video quality that are just repackages of the literal previous release. I like the steelbooks too. Looking at previews, they're really nice ones. Get them while you can at literally 1/3 off if you want them, guys.

Ah, geez. I just shelled out for these barely passable sets because of you bringing this deal to my attention. And I have the Dragon Boxes! And I mainly watch Kai! This is all your fault, Scsigs, and not my own lack of self-control. Nope. All on you, I'm afraid.

[Scsigs]

Oh, btw, if anyone's wanting to get the season 1-3 steelbooks, they're currently a part of Amazon's "Buy 3 for the price of 2" sale right now, which means you'll get those for ~$40 less, which Amazon tells me is a little less than $84. This is the kind of sale I was looking for with these & I hope the rest are a part of similar sales in the future. I don't wanna pay $40 for each set for subpar video quality that are just repackages of the literal previous release. I like the steelbooks too. Looking at previews, they're really nice ones. Get them while you can at literally 1/3 off if you want them, guys.

Ah, geez. I just shelled out for these barely passable sets because of you bringing this deal to my attention. And I have the Dragon Boxes! And I mainly watch Kai! This is all your fault, Scsigs, and not my own lack of self-control. Nope. All on you, I'm afraid.

You're welcome.

[Scsigs]

So, watching unboxing videos for the steelbooks, FUNi did a smart thing &, rather than stacking the discs on top of one another like, say, Ultraman got for its steelbooks, they're having disc trays for 2 of them in the cases.

[TheGreatness25]

I think the packaging is better than the puny paper box, even though I'm not a fan of steelbooks.

My only gripe is that it was advertised as a limited release. Only a few thousand in the world!!! I guess Funimation thought that the fans who bought it cared about that shitty paper packaging, because they apparently weren't talking about the actual video when they were promoting these things.

It's like if I come out with a weird cherry and watermelon lollipop and sell it for $60 each telling everyone that there are only 500 of them. Then, after I take in the money, I use a different wrapper and continue selling it. Yep, turns out the wrapper was limited edition; hope you really like that wrapper.

It's just dog shit advertising. And people put up with their shit for Dragon Ball. Just so Funimation is aware, people keep buying their pathetic excuse of a product to support Dragon Ball, not because we're all stupid and blindly believe their continual lies that they call "advertizing."

Stupid asshole company, I swear. Can't say "company" -- I think they're good with literally everything else besides Dragon Ball. I've had enough of their garbage, honestly.

And I'm not saying that I don't want others to experience the joys of this release () because "Ha-ha, I've got mine!" It's not about that. If they said, "Hey, here's our new release! Get it at your local Whatever-the-hell!" I'd be fine. But they made those while big deal with crowdfunding and everything under the guise of, "Order these because that's all we're making!" So, basically, they collected our money last year to fund their new Blu-ray master and re-released it (probably for cheaper) with 10x better packaging. Good shit, Funimation. Good shit. I'm glad that 6,000 (was it?) people funded your shitty half-assed project so you could make even more money down the pike. Oh, but what am I complaining about? I got a book of recycled artwork, a Goku figure that I just have standing around collecting dust, and -- ahhh! -- a certificate of authenticity proving that I'm an idiot. Oh my God, a certificate of authenticity for a product that will be mass produced. Bravo.

Again, it only really bugs me because once again, they've lied. They lie and lie and lie. And they think that people are so stupid and actually fall for their lies, but that's not the case. Everyone knew this was a less-than-ideal release; nobody bought their bullshit advertising. People just really love the product that they happened to bastardize.

I would have a shred of respect for them if they just came out and said, "Yeah, we want to release another DBZ set to make some money, but don't want to fund it, so please give us money and we'll put it through the auto-corrector thingy but won't crop it this time. And that way, we'll have something to put on shelves next year once you've paid for this new cheap-ass remaster." I'd have immensely more respect for them than I do now.

P-freaking-S: If this set has new extra features (which I doubt just because Funimation's lack of giving a shit is oozing out of every little corner) I'm going to really flip. Because that would really show that they have absolutely no loyalty to the people that made all of this possible. Because the "OMG limited edition packaging 30th anniversary Blu-ray set!" had zero new extra features. I mean, maybe for these, they could discuss about how stupid everyone was who bought their silly-ass lies last year to allow this thing to hit store shelves -- I'd be cool with that.

Oh, so I realize that my "tone" for this post comes off really angry and salty, but it's not really like that. It's more of a head-shaking observation. It's hard to convey tone online. It's not that I'm so mad and up-in-arms, but it is like, "Really?"

[eledoremassis02]

I think the packaging is better than the puny paper box, even though I'm not a fan of steelbooks.

My only gripe is that it was advertised as a limited release. Only a few thousand in the world!!! I guess Funimation thought that the fans who bought it cared about that shitty paper packaging, because they apparently weren't talking about the actual video when they were promoting these things.

It's like if I come out with a weird cherry and watermelon lollipop and sell it for $60 each telling everyone that there are only 500 of them. Then, after I take in the money, I use a different wrapper and continue selling it. Yep, turns out the wrapper was limited edition; hope you really like that wrapper.

It's just dog shit advertising. And people put up with their shit for Dragon Ball. Just so Funimation is aware, people keep buying their pathetic excuse of a product to support Dragon Ball, not because we're all stupid and blindly believe their continual lies that they call "advertizing."

Stupid asshole company, I swear. Can't say "company" -- I think they're good with literally everything else besides Dragon Ball. I've had enough of their garbage, honestly.

And I'm not saying that I don't want others to experience the joys of this release () because "Ha-ha, I've got mine!" It's not about that. If they said, "Hey, here's our new release! Get it at your local Whatever-the-hell!" I'd be fine. But they made those while big deal with crowdfunding and everything under the guise of, "Order these because that's all we're making!" So, basically, they collected our money last year to fund their new Blu-ray master and re-released it (probably for cheaper) with 10x better packaging. Good shit, Funimation. Good shit. I'm glad that 6,000 (was it?) people funded your shitty half-assed project so you could make even more money down the pike. Oh, but what am I complaining about? I got a book of recycled artwork, a Goku figure that I just have standing around collecting dust, and -- ahhh! -- a certificate of authenticity proving that I'm an idiot. Oh my God, a certificate of authenticity for a product that will be mass produced. Bravo.

Again, it only really bugs me because once again, they've lied. They lie and lie and lie. And they think that people are so stupid and actually fall for their lies, but that's not the case. Everyone knew this was a less-than-ideal release; nobody bought their bullshit advertising. People just really love the product that they happened to bastardize.

I would have a shred of respect for them if they just came out and said, "Yeah, we want to release another DBZ set to make some money, but don't want to fund it, so please give us money and we'll put it through the auto-corrector thingy but won't crop it this time. And that way, we'll have something to put on shelves next year once you've paid for this new cheap-ass remaster." I'd have immensely more respect for them than I do now.

P-freaking-S: If this set has new extra features (which I doubt just because Funimation's lack of giving a shit is oozing out of every little corner) I'm going to really flip. Because that would really show that they have absolutely no loyalty to the people that made all of this possible. Because the "OMG limited edition packaging 30th anniversary Blu-ray set!" had zero new extra features. I mean, maybe for these, they could discuss about how stupid everyone was who bought their silly-ass lies last year to allow this thing to hit store shelves -- I'd be cool with that.

Oh, so I realize that my "tone" for this post comes off really angry and salty, but it's not really like that. It's more of a head-shaking observation. It's hard to convey tone online. It's not that I'm so mad and up-in-arms, but it is like, "Really?"

The only way I'd really be mad is this release has better PQ. I'm not mad at all and glad others can get the series in 4:3. I got to watch the series once over and could have probably watched it 2 times after the fact. It's not so much different than Japan releasing Dragon Box singles and rental discs and a lot better then the Batman TAS blurays

Limited edition release: Oct 30th 2018 MSRP:$112.99
Standard ed.: Nov. 27th 2018 MSRP $79.99

So I am not upset in the least

[TheGreatness25]

I'm more upset by their advertising tactics as a whole. It's not enough that they just keep dropping the ball on the whole series, but they think they have to lie to people to get them to buy it too. Everyone knows the flaws and still gets it because it's Dragon Ball. We love Dragon Ball. We love it so much, that we'll put up with Funimation's crappy treatment of it. The fact that they feel the need to lie to us, is like salt in the wound.

I am overjoyed that people can get DBZ in 4:3! But this thing? Again, I'll maintain my position that next to the Dragon Boxes, this is the best way to watch the series, but it's such a weird gap. It's like what do you want for dessert: cake, pencil shavings, alligator piss, or horse crap? Yeah, once the cake is gone, you'd be lining up for those pencil shavings, but that doesn't make them good.

Besides... really... Let's be real. Those of us who still get these things get them for collector purposes, right? Funimation has been pissing in the well for so long, that any regular person who wants to see DBZ in 4:3 has figured out how to "get" the Dragon Box one way or another, no?

[eledoremassis02]

I'm more upset by their advertising tactics as a whole. It's not enough that they just keep dropping the ball on the whole series, but they think they have to lie to people to get them to buy it too. Everyone knows the flaws and still gets it because it's Dragon Ball. We love Dragon Ball. We love it so much, that we'll put up with Funimation's crappy treatment of it. The fact that they feel the need to lie to us, is like salt in the wound.

I am overjoyed that people can get DBZ in 4:3! But this thing? Again, I'll maintain my position that next to the Dragon Boxes, this is the best way to watch the series, but it's such a weird gap. It's like what do you want for dessert: cake, pencil shavings, alligator piss, or horse crap? Yeah, once the cake is gone, you'd be lining up for those pencil shavings, but that doesn't make them good.

Besides... really... Let's be real. Those of us who still get these things get them for collector purposes, right? Funimation has been pissing in the well for so long, that any regular person who wants to see DBZ in 4:3 has figured out how to "get" the Dragon Box one way or another, no?

Fair enough. I think you're absolutely right about the collectors only being left. A lot of casuals have their Orange Bricks and season Blu-rays and others just stream it. I just hope at some point we get something Dragon Ball now but I bet they have another fulleries release lined up (collection pack of the steel books regular case release).

[TheGreatness25]

Spoiler:

I'm more upset by their advertising tactics as a whole. It's not enough that they just keep dropping the ball on the whole series, but they think they have to lie to people to get them to buy it too. Everyone knows the flaws and still gets it because it's Dragon Ball. We love Dragon Ball. We love it so much, that we'll put up with Funimation's crappy treatment of it. The fact that they feel the need to lie to us, is like salt in the wound.

I am overjoyed that people can get DBZ in 4:3! But this thing? Again, I'll maintain my position that next to the Dragon Boxes, this is the best way to watch the series, but it's such a weird gap. It's like what do you want for dessert: cake, pencil shavings, alligator piss, or horse crap? Yeah, once the cake is gone, you'd be lining up for those pencil shavings, but that doesn't make them good.

Besides... really... Let's be real. Those of us who still get these things get them for collector purposes, right? Funimation has been pissing in the well for so long, that any regular person who wants to see DBZ in 4:3 has figured out how to "get" the Dragon Box one way or another, no?

Fair enough. I think you're absolutely right about the collectors only being left. A lot of casuals have their Orange Bricks and season Blu-rays and others just stream it. I just hope at some point we get something Dragon Ball now but I bet they have another fulleries release lined up (collection pack of the steel books regular case release).

It would be great if Dragon Ball got a Blu-ray release... but should Funimation do it? I think I'd rather they not -- I don't want to give them any more money, but my collector nature is too strong. I just love comparing the different releases -- might be a stupid reason to keep dropping money, but at least I'm honest lol

[eledoremassis02]

Spoiler:

I'm more upset by their advertising tactics as a whole. It's not enough that they just keep dropping the ball on the whole series, but they think they have to lie to people to get them to buy it too. Everyone knows the flaws and still gets it because it's Dragon Ball. We love Dragon Ball. We love it so much, that we'll put up with Funimation's crappy treatment of it. The fact that they feel the need to lie to us, is like salt in the wound.

I am overjoyed that people can get DBZ in 4:3! But this thing? Again, I'll maintain my position that next to the Dragon Boxes, this is the best way to watch the series, but it's such a weird gap. It's like what do you want for dessert: cake, pencil shavings, alligator piss, or horse crap? Yeah, once the cake is gone, you'd be lining up for those pencil shavings, but that doesn't make them good.

Besides... really... Let's be real. Those of us who still get these things get them for collector purposes, right? Funimation has been pissing in the well for so long, that any regular person who wants to see DBZ in 4:3 has figured out how to "get" the Dragon Box one way or another, no?

Fair enough. I think you're absolutely right about the collectors only being left. A lot of casuals have their Orange Bricks and season Blu-rays and others just stream it. I just hope at some point we get something Dragon Ball now but I bet they have another fulleries release lined up (collection pack of the steel books regular case release).

It would be great if Dragon Ball got a Blu-ray release... but should Funimation do it? I think I'd rather they not -- I don't want to give them any more money, but my collector nature is too strong. I just love comparing the different releases -- might be a stupid reason to keep dropping money, but at least I'm honest lol

If you enjoy it why not. I thought about getting the rest of steelbooks but it's a waste for me. I mean if it's wore than the 30th I'd pass. If (is it france) release using their film is good and region a friendly Id buy that.

[sangofe]

Spoiler:

Fair enough. I think you're absolutely right about the collectors only being left. A lot of casuals have their Orange Bricks and season Blu-rays and others just stream it. I just hope at some point we get something Dragon Ball now but I bet they have another fulleries release lined up (collection pack of the steel books regular case release).

It would be great if Dragon Ball got a Blu-ray release... but should Funimation do it? I think I'd rather they not -- I don't want to give them any more money, but my collector nature is too strong. I just love comparing the different releases -- might be a stupid reason to keep dropping money, but at least I'm honest lol

If you enjoy it why not. I thought about getting the rest of steelbooks but it's a waste for me. I mean if it's wore than the 30th I'd pass. If (is it france) release using their film is good and region a friendly Id buy that.

We don't know any details about France's (AB's) upcoming release at this point except it's getting released remastered in HD. That sadly doesn't rule out the possibility of an upscale.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Spoiler:

I think the packaging is better than the puny paper box, even though I'm not a fan of steelbooks.

My only gripe is that it was advertised as a limited release. Only a few thousand in the world!!! I guess Funimation thought that the fans who bought it cared about that shitty paper packaging, because they apparently weren't talking about the actual video when they were promoting these things.

It's like if I come out with a weird cherry and watermelon lollipop and sell it for $60 each telling everyone that there are only 500 of them. Then, after I take in the money, I use a different wrapper and continue selling it. Yep, turns out the wrapper was limited edition; hope you really like that wrapper.

It's just dog shit advertising. And people put up with their shit for Dragon Ball. Just so Funimation is aware, people keep buying their pathetic excuse of a product to support Dragon Ball, not because we're all stupid and blindly believe their continual lies that they call "advertizing."

Stupid asshole company, I swear. Can't say "company" -- I think they're good with literally everything else besides Dragon Ball. I've had enough of their garbage, honestly.

And I'm not saying that I don't want others to experience the joys of this release () because "Ha-ha, I've got mine!" It's not about that. If they said, "Hey, here's our new release! Get it at your local Whatever-the-hell!" I'd be fine. But they made those while big deal with crowdfunding and everything under the guise of, "Order these because that's all we're making!" So, basically, they collected our money last year to fund their new Blu-ray master and re-released it (probably for cheaper) with 10x better packaging. Good shit, Funimation. Good shit. I'm glad that 6,000 (was it?) people funded your shitty half-assed project so you could make even more money down the pike. Oh, but what am I complaining about? I got a book of recycled artwork, a Goku figure that I just have standing around collecting dust, and -- ahhh! -- a certificate of authenticity proving that I'm an idiot. Oh my God, a certificate of authenticity for a product that will be mass produced. Bravo.

Again, it only really bugs me because once again, they've lied. They lie and lie and lie. And they think that people are so stupid and actually fall for their lies, but that's not the case. Everyone knew this was a less-than-ideal release; nobody bought their bullshit advertising. People just really love the product that they happened to bastardize.

I would have a shred of respect for them if they just came out and said, "Yeah, we want to release another DBZ set to make some money, but don't want to fund it, so please give us money and we'll put it through the auto-corrector thingy but won't crop it this time. And that way, we'll have something to put on shelves next year once you've paid for this new cheap-ass remaster." I'd have immensely more respect for them than I do now.

P-freaking-S: If this set has new extra features (which I doubt just because Funimation's lack of giving a shit is oozing out of every little corner) I'm going to really flip. Because that would really show that they have absolutely no loyalty to the people that made all of this possible. Because the "OMG limited edition packaging 30th anniversary Blu-ray set!" had zero new extra features. I mean, maybe for these, they could discuss about how stupid everyone was who bought their silly-ass lies last year to allow this thing to hit store shelves -- I'd be cool with that.

Oh, so I realize that my "tone" for this post comes off really angry and salty, but it's not really like that. It's more of a head-shaking observation. It's hard to convey tone online. It's not that I'm so mad and up-in-arms, but it is like, "Really?"

It's quite honestly infuriating how DBZ is literally the only series in the franchise that this type of garbage is done to over and over out of all the anime properties FUNi currently has the licenses for, and it's had a bajillion releases and re releases through the past 20 some odd years give or take since they first started doing home releases themselves and of them only a select few were/are actually what i would personally call good (albeit flawed) and those can be counted on one hand. They've constantly screwed over the fans who just want the series complete in 4:3 through an easily purchasable form and not smeared or saturated to oblivion, be it silently canceling the Ultimate Uncut Editions and leaving those who were collecting the singles up to that point in time sans the rest of the Saiyan arc and first part of Namek. The whole mess about the Orange Bricks and their multitude of issues then of course the Level sets failing in late 2011 after only two of the eighteen planned volumes because they crammed them right in the middle of the other multitude of releases already out there at the time. Next up comes the season BD's a while later where they reversed course and went back to the Orange Brick style fake widescreen and DNR'ed presentation, because apparently according to them that was the more cost efficient way to go about trying DBZ on Blu-ray second time around. Now the cherry on top is the 30th anniversary set crap which went on over a year ago, where they tried to pull the wool over fans' eyes again with saying "Oh look here guys, it's 4:3 like you guys want but we need you to sends us your dollars via crowdfunding to make it happen." yet turns out to be more or less the same scans as the Season BD's albeit full screen this time though zoomed in and they weren't so easily taken. Now the same version comes out in an easier available form with steelbook cases after the former was out and further makes the whole deal with the 30th set look even more ridiculous.

Interesting and appalling situation here, isn't it? Z constantly gets the short end of the stick in terms of quality and it's the most popular one of the three original series while OG Dragon Ball, GT and the movies and the rest of the franchise in terms of the anime proper get actually decent releases for the most part. I'm really glad to have the Dragon Boxes because at this point i'm not betting on FUNi getting their act together and releasing a non DNR smear fest version of the series, and the best that can be said about this debacle is they've gone back to 4:3 and hopefully it stays there from now on.

[JEFFMAN219]

Spoiler:

I think the packaging is better than the puny paper box, even though I'm not a fan of steelbooks.

My only gripe is that it was advertised as a limited release. Only a few thousand in the world!!! I guess Funimation thought that the fans who bought it cared about that shitty paper packaging, because they apparently weren't talking about the actual video when they were promoting these things.

It's like if I come out with a weird cherry and watermelon lollipop and sell it for $60 each telling everyone that there are only 500 of them. Then, after I take in the money, I use a different wrapper and continue selling it. Yep, turns out the wrapper was limited edition; hope you really like that wrapper.

It's just dog shit advertising. And people put up with their shit for Dragon Ball. Just so Funimation is aware, people keep buying their pathetic excuse of a product to support Dragon Ball, not because we're all stupid and blindly believe their continual lies that they call "advertizing."

Stupid asshole company, I swear. Can't say "company" -- I think they're good with literally everything else besides Dragon Ball. I've had enough of their garbage, honestly.

And I'm not saying that I don't want others to experience the joys of this release () because "Ha-ha, I've got mine!" It's not about that. If they said, "Hey, here's our new release! Get it at your local Whatever-the-hell!" I'd be fine. But they made those while big deal with crowdfunding and everything under the guise of, "Order these because that's all we're making!" So, basically, they collected our money last year to fund their new Blu-ray master and re-released it (probably for cheaper) with 10x better packaging. Good shit, Funimation. Good shit. I'm glad that 6,000 (was it?) people funded your shitty half-assed project so you could make even more money down the pike. Oh, but what am I complaining about? I got a book of recycled artwork, a Goku figure that I just have standing around collecting dust, and -- ahhh! -- a certificate of authenticity proving that I'm an idiot. Oh my God, a certificate of authenticity for a product that will be mass produced. Bravo.

Again, it only really bugs me because once again, they've lied. They lie and lie and lie. And they think that people are so stupid and actually fall for their lies, but that's not the case. Everyone knew this was a less-than-ideal release; nobody bought their bullshit advertising. People just really love the product that they happened to bastardize.

I would have a shred of respect for them if they just came out and said, "Yeah, we want to release another DBZ set to make some money, but don't want to fund it, so please give us money and we'll put it through the auto-corrector thingy but won't crop it this time. And that way, we'll have something to put on shelves next year once you've paid for this new cheap-ass remaster." I'd have immensely more respect for them than I do now.

P-freaking-S: If this set has new extra features (which I doubt just because Funimation's lack of giving a shit is oozing out of every little corner) I'm going to really flip. Because that would really show that they have absolutely no loyalty to the people that made all of this possible. Because the "OMG limited edition packaging 30th anniversary Blu-ray set!" had zero new extra features. I mean, maybe for these, they could discuss about how stupid everyone was who bought their silly-ass lies last year to allow this thing to hit store shelves -- I'd be cool with that.

Oh, so I realize that my "tone" for this post comes off really angry and salty, but it's not really like that. It's more of a head-shaking observation. It's hard to convey tone online. It's not that I'm so mad and up-in-arms, but it is like, "Really?"

It's quite honestly infuriating how DBZ is literally the only series in the franchise that this type of garbage is done to over and over out of all the anime properties FUNi currently has the licenses for, and it's had a bajillion releases and re releases through the past 20 some odd years give or take since they first started doing home releases themselves and of them only a select few were/are actually what i would personally call good (albeit flawed) and those can be counted on one hand. They've constantly screwed over the fans who just want the series complete in 4:3 through an easily purchasable form and not smeared or saturated to oblivion, be it silently canceling the Ultimate Uncut Editions and leaving those who were collecting the singles up to that point in time sans the rest of the Saiyan arc and first part of Namek. The whole mess about the Orange Bricks and their multitude of issues then of course the Level sets failing in late 2011 after only two of the eighteen planned volumes because they crammed them right in the middle of the other multitude of releases already out there at the time. Next up comes the season BD's a while later where they reversed course and went back to the Orange Brick style fake widescreen and DNR'ed presentation, because apparently according to them that was the more cost efficient way to go about trying DBZ on Blu-ray second time around. Now the cherry on top is the 30th anniversary set crap which went on over a year ago, where they tried to pull the wool over fans' eyes again with saying "Oh look here guys, it's 4:3 like you guys want but we need you to sends us your dollars via crowdfunding to make it happen." yet turns out to be more or less the same scans as the Season BD's albeit full screen this time though zoomed in and they weren't so easily taken. Now the same version comes out in an easier available form with steelbook cases after the former was out and further makes the whole deal with the 30th set look even more ridiculous.

Interesting and appalling situation here, isn't it? Z constantly gets the short end of the stick in terms of quality and it's the most popular one of the three original series while OG Dragon Ball, GT and the movies and the rest of the franchise in terms of the anime proper get actually decent releases for the most part. I'm really glad to have the Dragon Boxes because at this point i'm not betting on FUNi getting their act together and releasing a non DNR smear fest version of the series, and the best that can be said about this debacle is they've gone back to 4:3 and hopefully it stays there from now on.

Funimation constantly release shitty DBZ releases because they want to milk the series to death and continue to make money from fans.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Spoiler:

I think the packaging is better than the puny paper box, even though I'm not a fan of steelbooks.

My only gripe is that it was advertised as a limited release. Only a few thousand in the world!!! I guess Funimation thought that the fans who bought it cared about that shitty paper packaging, because they apparently weren't talking about the actual video when they were promoting these things.

It's like if I come out with a weird cherry and watermelon lollipop and sell it for $60 each telling everyone that there are only 500 of them. Then, after I take in the money, I use a different wrapper and continue selling it. Yep, turns out the wrapper was limited edition; hope you really like that wrapper.

It's just dog shit advertising. And people put up with their shit for Dragon Ball. Just so Funimation is aware, people keep buying their pathetic excuse of a product to support Dragon Ball, not because we're all stupid and blindly believe their continual lies that they call "advertizing."

Stupid asshole company, I swear. Can't say "company" -- I think they're good with literally everything else besides Dragon Ball. I've had enough of their garbage, honestly.

And I'm not saying that I don't want others to experience the joys of this release () because "Ha-ha, I've got mine!" It's not about that. If they said, "Hey, here's our new release! Get it at your local Whatever-the-hell!" I'd be fine. But they made those while big deal with crowdfunding and everything under the guise of, "Order these because that's all we're making!" So, basically, they collected our money last year to fund their new Blu-ray master and re-released it (probably for cheaper) with 10x better packaging. Good shit, Funimation. Good shit. I'm glad that 6,000 (was it?) people funded your shitty half-assed project so you could make even more money down the pike. Oh, but what am I complaining about? I got a book of recycled artwork, a Goku figure that I just have standing around collecting dust, and -- ahhh! -- a certificate of authenticity proving that I'm an idiot. Oh my God, a certificate of authenticity for a product that will be mass produced. Bravo.

Again, it only really bugs me because once again, they've lied. They lie and lie and lie. And they think that people are so stupid and actually fall for their lies, but that's not the case. Everyone knew this was a less-than-ideal release; nobody bought their bullshit advertising. People just really love the product that they happened to bastardize.

I would have a shred of respect for them if they just came out and said, "Yeah, we want to release another DBZ set to make some money, but don't want to fund it, so please give us money and we'll put it through the auto-corrector thingy but won't crop it this time. And that way, we'll have something to put on shelves next year once you've paid for this new cheap-ass remaster." I'd have immensely more respect for them than I do now.

P-freaking-S: If this set has new extra features (which I doubt just because Funimation's lack of giving a shit is oozing out of every little corner) I'm going to really flip. Because that would really show that they have absolutely no loyalty to the people that made all of this possible. Because the "OMG limited edition packaging 30th anniversary Blu-ray set!" had zero new extra features. I mean, maybe for these, they could discuss about how stupid everyone was who bought their silly-ass lies last year to allow this thing to hit store shelves -- I'd be cool with that.

Oh, so I realize that my "tone" for this post comes off really angry and salty, but it's not really like that. It's more of a head-shaking observation. It's hard to convey tone online. It's not that I'm so mad and up-in-arms, but it is like, "Really?"

It's quite honestly infuriating how DBZ is literally the only series in the franchise that this type of garbage is done to over and over out of all the anime properties FUNi currently has the licenses for, and it's had a bajillion releases and re releases through the past 20 some odd years give or take since they first started doing home releases themselves and of them only a select few were/are actually what i would personally call good (albeit flawed) and those can be counted on one hand. They've constantly screwed over the fans who just want the series complete in 4:3 through an easily purchasable form and not smeared or saturated to oblivion, be it silently canceling the Ultimate Uncut Editions and leaving those who were collecting the singles up to that point in time sans the rest of the Saiyan arc and first part of Namek. The whole mess about the Orange Bricks and their multitude of issues then of course the Level sets failing in late 2011 after only two of the eighteen planned volumes because they crammed them right in the middle of the other multitude of releases already out there at the time. Next up comes the season BD's a while later where they reversed course and went back to the Orange Brick style fake widescreen and DNR'ed presentation, because apparently according to them that was the more cost efficient way to go about trying DBZ on Blu-ray second time around. Now the cherry on top is the 30th anniversary set crap which went on over a year ago, where they tried to pull the wool over fans' eyes again with saying "Oh look here guys, it's 4:3 like you guys want but we need you to sends us your dollars via crowdfunding to make it happen." yet turns out to be more or less the same scans as the Season BD's albeit full screen this time though zoomed in and they weren't so easily taken. Now the same version comes out in an easier available form with steelbook cases after the former was out and further makes the whole deal with the 30th set look even more ridiculous.

Interesting and appalling situation here, isn't it? Z constantly gets the short end of the stick in terms of quality and it's the most popular one of the three original series while OG Dragon Ball, GT and the movies and the rest of the franchise in terms of the anime proper get actually decent releases for the most part. I'm really glad to have the Dragon Boxes because at this point i'm not betting on FUNi getting their act together and releasing a non DNR smear fest version of the series, and the best that can be said about this debacle is they've gone back to 4:3 and hopefully it stays there from now on.

Funimation constantly release shitty DBZ releases because they want to milk the series to death and continue to make money from fans.

Exactly, they have the materials at their fingertips to make a good release happen which will appeal to everyone across the board but continuously decide to release crap versions and know most casual fans will buy them anyway regardless of how bad the quality therein actually is. It doesn't matter whether the product is in original 4:3 or cropped fake widescreen, DNR'ed to oblivion or not. It'll still sell regardless of the release's flaws because this is the cash cow that is DBZ we're talking here and that's been proven many times over with the Orange Bricks, Season BD's and now these newest versions.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Exactly, they have the materials at their fingertips to make a good release happen which will appeal to everyone across the board but continuously decide to release crap versions and know most casual fans will buy them anyway regardless of how bad the quality therein actually is. It doesn't matter whether the product is in original 4:3 or cropped fake widescreen, DNR'ed to oblivion or not. It'll still sell regardless of the release's flaws because this is the cash cow that is DBZ we're talking here and that's been proven many times over with the Orange Bricks, Season BD's and now these newest versions.

Not only that, I can confirm Steve Franko said via email all 291 episodes were restored in level set quality and Funimation is literally sitting on them. It just goes back to the point Robo4900 and others make that Funimation are not lazy, they are in fact putting in more work and more money whereas they could easily cut corners, put out a 4:3 Blu-Ray set on the cheap that would still sell, but they refuse to.

I have to say I understand TheGreatness25's frustration. I too have the collector's bug, and collected the orange bricks and Season Blu-Rays during their time, I also have most of the singles and have the first three Manga UK Blu-Rays pre-ordered. I like owning different releases of the series to compare, and I like supporting this franchise, especially here in Region B land. I have been telling myself for some time I need to stop, and if I buy less home releases Funimation will stop thinking fans like me will just get anything with "Dragon Ball Z" in the title. It's a struggle, especially with physical media sales declining ever so gradually from one year to the next and loyalists like me trying to keep it around as long as possible.

And of course TOEI doesn't seem to care about HD remasters, so I don't know.... Maybe we should count our lucky stars this show will (hopefully) always be available in 4:3 from now on, and that's the least we ever asked for.

Being a fan of this series and wanting the best for it is never easy.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Exactly, they have the materials at their fingertips to make a good release happen which will appeal to everyone across the board but continuously decide to release crap versions and know most casual fans will buy them anyway regardless of how bad the quality therein actually is. It doesn't matter whether the product is in original 4:3 or cropped fake widescreen, DNR'ed to oblivion or not. It'll still sell regardless of the release's flaws because this is the cash cow that is DBZ we're talking here and that's been proven many times over with the Orange Bricks, Season BD's and now these newest versions.

Not only that, I can confirm Steve Franko said via email all 291 episodes were restored in level set quality and Funimation is literally sitting on them. It just goes back to the point Robo4900 and others make that Funimation are not lazy, they are in fact putting in more work and more money whereas they could easily cut corners, put out a 4:3 Blu-Ray set on the cheap that would still sell, but they refuse to.

I have to say I understand TheGreatness25's frustration. I too have the collector's bug, and collected the orange bricks and Season Blu-Rays during their time, I also have most of the singles and have the first three Manga UK Blu-Rays pre-ordered. I like owning different releases of the series to compare, and I like supporting this franchise, especially here in Region B land. I have been telling myself for some time I need to stop, and if I buy less home releases Funimation will stop thinking fans like me will just get anything with "Dragon Ball Z" in the title. It's a struggle, especially with physical media sales declining ever so gradually from one year to the next and loyalists like me trying to keep it around as long as possible.

And of course TOEI doesn't seem to care about HD remasters, so I don't know.... Maybe we should count our lucky stars this show will (hopefully) always be available in 4:3 from now on, and that's the least we ever asked for.

Being a fan of this series and wanting the best for it is never easy.

Yes, FUNi's film materials look decent for being second/third generation prints that don't look as good as the ones Toei have in cold storage. As the Level sets showed it is definitely possible to make those look decent in HD format on Blu-ray. I'd be all for a Level-esque release using these masters in sets with the episode counts of the Orange Bricks and Season BD's and all the audio options available.

It does suck that it took several years before they came back around to 4:3 releases again after the Level sets didn't pan out, though this is a start.

[Jhanzie]

“Not only that, I can confirm Steve Franko said via email all 291 episodes were restored in level set quality and Funimation is literally sitting on them.”

Not exactly. The color grading is done, not the restoration. Funimation is not sitting on the color corrected, HD transfers. They are processing them with DNR to remove the damage and wear to the film instead of doing the tedious frame by frame digital restoration they did for the Level Sets.

These are the Blu-Ray sets. The 30th look much better than the Season sets, but still have a more crisp look due to the use of DNR. It’s not exactly what the original film itself looks like, but apparently Funimation thinks it’s good.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Those of you who frequent the blu-ray.com forums and UK Anime News Discord may be familiar with professorwho, he is a Discotek freelancer that works in quality control and he confirmed a full transfer for all 291 episodes was done. As far as the overall process goes, this means scanning and colour correction was done, but the end product of that would still be better than any release of the series Funimation has done. I trust his word because Discotek are a reputable company and I doubt they would let anyone represent them that didn't know what they were talking about.