Funimation's 30th anniversary collectible home video release

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Remember though that DBZ was favored by Funimation because the Z anime was still hot, whereas OG DB was retired almost a decade earlier. Toei treats them as two different anime, and given the choice between licensing an 80s anime and a 90s anime, should we be surprised that 90s Funimation greatly favored the 90s anime? It all seems old to us now, but at the time they weren't treating it like a legacy product: it was new and hot. OG DB was not.

It's interesting and rather funny in a way that Toei regards them as their own different individual series, when in reality it's actually one entire story that they decided to split right down the middle at the point where the manga's time skip happens with Chapter 195.

[Zestanor]

It's interesting and rather funny in a way that Toei regards them as their own different individual series, when in reality it's actually one entire story that they decided to split right down the middle at the point where the manga's time skip happens with Chapter 195.

It's not that unusual; even if Z had been the brief dramatic conclusion to DB that they were expecting, they would still consider it a separate anime because they changed the name of the IP.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

It's interesting and rather funny in a way that Toei regards them as their own different individual series, when in reality it's actually one entire story that they decided to split right down the middle at the point where the manga's time skip happens with Chapter 195.

It's not that unusual; even if Z had been the brief dramatic conclusion to DB that they were expecting, they would still consider it a separate anime because they changed the name of the IP.

That's what the people at Toei were thinking at the time in 1989 when they tacked the Z onto the name, basically splitting it off at the point where the time skip occurs even though the manga simply used the Dragon Ball name itself throughout it's entire run in the original serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump and all releases of the collected editions (at least in Japan, unlike here and other places which split it up similar to the anime) so it was more or less a rebranding of the franchise across the board even when it wasn't really clear to them when Toriyama was eventually going to conclude the series. But yeah, the source material itself is in fact one entire story beginning to end while the anime series are separated into their own distinct things.

[Robo4900]

Remember though that DBZ was favored by Funimation because the Z anime was still hot, whereas OG DB was retired almost a decade earlier. Toei treats them as two different anime, and given the choice between licensing an 80s anime and a 90s anime, should we be surprised that 90s Funimation greatly favored the 90s anime? It all seems old to us now, but at the time they weren't treating it like a legacy product: it was new and hot. OG DB was not.

Except we kinda know that Gen Fukunaga wanted Dragon Ball because he saw some episodes of Z when he lived in Japan, and thought "I want that show."

In fairness, Toei did try to force Funi to take DB first, and do it properly in order, but Funi kinda self-sabotaged to let them skip to Z.

[Zestanor]

Remember though that DBZ was favored by Funimation because the Z anime was still hot, whereas OG DB was retired almost a decade earlier. Toei treats them as two different anime, and given the choice between licensing an 80s anime and a 90s anime, should we be surprised that 90s Funimation greatly favored the 90s anime? It all seems old to us now, but at the time they weren't treating it like a legacy product: it was new and hot. OG DB was not.

Except we kinda know that Gen Fukunaga wanted Dragon Ball because he saw some episodes of Z when he lived in Japan, and thought "I want that show."

In fairness, Toei did try to force Funi to take DB first, and do it properly in order, but Funi kinda self-sabotaged to let them skip to Z.

I figure they didn’t want to roll with DB because it was pretty old at that point. Early DB has the same art style as Dr. Slump, which Toriyama started to draw in 1979. It looks “old” inasmuch as it doesn’t look like the sort of anime Gen would have seen in the 90s: sharper lines, hair highlights, advanced animation techniques and special effects. Granted, early DBZ looks identical to late DB, and the sharper more angular style most usually associated with DBZ doesn’t kick in until Namek.

[KBABZ]

Remember though that DBZ was favored by Funimation because the Z anime was still hot, whereas OG DB was retired almost a decade earlier. Toei treats them as two different anime, and given the choice between licensing an 80s anime and a 90s anime, should we be surprised that 90s Funimation greatly favored the 90s anime? It all seems old to us now, but at the time they weren't treating it like a legacy product: it was new and hot. OG DB was not.

Except we kinda know that Gen Fukunaga wanted Dragon Ball because he saw some episodes of Z when he lived in Japan, and thought "I want that show."

I think both of these posts shows that Gen Fukanaga considered DB and Z separate stories before it was cool. Plainly Toei didn't think so at the time and wanted him to start from the beginning, but today Toei only seem to celebrate Z's accomplishments and influences.

[Zestanor]

I think both of these posts shows that Gen Fukanaga considered DB and Z separate stories before it was cool. Plainly Toei didn't think so at the time and wanted him to start from the beginning, but today Toei only seem to celebrate Z's accomplishments and influences.

I know next to nothing about video games, but isn't it the case that In the SNES/PS1 era, OG DB was neglected, and after Z ended, it was always Raditz to Buu? That's only possible because Toei decided (within a month or two of Z episode 1, presumably) to change the name of the IP. If they hadn't changed the name, it would have to be Pilaf to Buu.

I'll go against the grain and say that the "new" anime wasn't uncalled for. Toei recognized changes in the industry, and determined that a re-branding would be beneficial to their product. (If they had considered it sooner, they probably would have started Z at the 23rd TB, which is a more fitting break point.) Tenshinhan/Piccolo Daimao stuff is very different from Pilaf and the 21st TB, and I'm sure it was a strain on Toei's advertising that within Dragon Ball was such a change in scope. OG DB anime is better than the Z section in its execution, but it defies one's attempts to make an elevator pitch for it. Toei gave it a clean slate, which ended up being mostly logical: Raditz through Buu is generally consistent in tone for six straight years, unlike Pilaf through Piccolo.

[KBABZ]

I know next to nothing about video games, but isn't it the case that In the SNES/PS1 era, OG DB was neglected, and after Z ended, it was always Raditz to Buu? That's only possible because Toei decided (within a month or two of Z episode 1, presumably) to change the name of the IP. If they hadn't changed the name, it would have to be Pilaf to Buu.

It made sense in the SNES era because OG-DB had already been covered in Dragon Ball 1 2 and 3, so there was no need to cover that material again. After Final Bout came out there was a bit of a gap between games until the PS2 brawlers came out, but by then times had changed. Pumping out endless mission pack sequels for fighters became the norm, and by then the original Dragon Ball had become ignored and neglected outside of including Kid Goku and Chi-Chi as fighters.

But yes there is of course the factor that DBZ was explosively popular compared to DB such that it got no love afterwards.

[coola]

I know next to nothing about video games, but isn't it the case that In the SNES/PS1 era, OG DB was neglected, and after Z ended, it was always Raditz to Buu? That's only possible because Toei decided (within a month or two of Z episode 1, presumably) to change the name of the IP. If they hadn't changed the name, it would have to be Pilaf to Buu.

It made sense in the SNES era because OG-DB had already been covered in Dragon Ball 1 2 and 3, so there was no need to cover that material again. After Final Bout came out there was a bit of a gap between games until the PS2 brawlers came out, but by then times had changed. Pumping out endless mission pack sequels for fighters became the norm, and by then the original Dragon Ball had become ignored and neglected outside of including Kid Goku and Chi-Chi as fighters.

But yes there is of course the factor that DBZ was explosively popular compared to DB such that it got no love afterwards.

What's interesting, is how many DBZ games from SNES included 23rd Budokai as part of Z, both Super Gokuden 2 and DBZ Super Butouden 1 started from that. If i remember correctly, even Attack of Saiyans for NDS started at 23rd Budokai.

[ArmenianPepsi]

Forgive me, sorry to necro the thread like this but i'm just wondering about something.

The Selecta-Vision blu ray release of Dragon Ball that came out last year, was it any good? Was it a real HD release of the series or some sort of bogus DVD upscale? I can't find a whole lot of info about it on the english-speaking side of the web. Could someone possibly fill me in on the details?

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Forgive me, sorry to necro the thread like this but i'm just wondering about something.

The Selecta-Vision blu ray release of Dragon Ball that came out last year, was it any good? Was it a real HD release of the series or some sort of bogus DVD upscale? I can't find a whole lot of info about it on the english-speaking side of the web. Could someone possibly fill me in on the details?

Selecta Vision's BD's of OG Dragon Ball are basically upscaled versions of the Dragon Box masters although DNR'ed in a similar way to FUNi's post 2007 remastered releases of Z though not quite as bad as those. They aren't true HD remasters of the original series and you can tell because the image looks more or less like the DBox aside from the removed grain.

[ArmenianPepsi]

Forgive me, sorry to necro the thread like this but i'm just wondering about something.

The Selecta-Vision blu ray release of Dragon Ball that came out last year, was it any good? Was it a real HD release of the series or some sort of bogus DVD upscale? I can't find a whole lot of info about it on the english-speaking side of the web. Could someone possibly fill me in on the details?

Selecta Vision's BD's of OG Dragon Ball are basically upscales of the Dragon Box masters although DNR'ed in a similar way to FUNi's post 2007 remastered releases of Z though not quite as bad as those. They aren't true HD remasters of the original series and you can tell because the image looks more or less like the DBox aside from the removed grain.

Ah I see now. Well that's a real bummer.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Forgive me, sorry to necro the thread like this but i'm just wondering about something.

The Selecta-Vision blu ray release of Dragon Ball that came out last year, was it any good? Was it a real HD release of the series or some sort of bogus DVD upscale? I can't find a whole lot of info about it on the english-speaking side of the web. Could someone possibly fill me in on the details?

Selecta Vision's BD's of OG Dragon Ball are basically upscales of the Dragon Box masters although DNR'ed in a similar way to FUNi's post 2007 remastered releases of Z though not quite as bad as those. They aren't true HD remasters of the original series and you can tell because the image looks more or less like the DBox aside from the removed grain.

Ah I see now. Well that's a real bummer.

Yeah, it really is a shame they didn't recieve true HD scanned versions of the series. If you compare the BD's to the Dragon Box it's obviously the exact same source footage, the only difference is that the Blu-ray version has the grain filtered out

[ArmenianPepsi]

Selecta Vision's BD's of OG Dragon Ball are basically upscales of the Dragon Box masters although DNR'ed in a similar way to FUNi's post 2007 remastered releases of Z though not quite as bad as those. They aren't true HD remasters of the original series and you can tell because the image looks more or less like the DBox aside from the removed grain.

Ah I see now. Well that's a real bummer.

Yeah, it really is a shame they didn't recieve true HD scanned versions of the series. If you compare the BD's to the Dragon Box it's obviously the exact same source footage, the only difference is that the Blu-ray version has the grain filtered out

I would say "Atleast it's another way to conveniently own the series since the Funi DB DVD's havent been in print in years" , but then I realize it only comes in a box set and cost like 300 USD or along those lines. 300 bucks for what is essentially "touched up" DVD footage in a neat looking box.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Ah I see now. Well that's a real bummer.

Yeah, it really is a shame they didn't recieve true HD scanned versions of the series. If you compare the BD's to the Dragon Box it's obviously the exact same source footage, the only difference is that the Blu-ray version has the grain filtered out

I would say "Atleast it's another way to conveniently own the series since the Funi DB DVD's havent been in print in years" , but then I realize it only comes in a box set and cost like 300 USD or along those lines. 300 bucks for what is essentially "touched up" DVD footage in a neat looking box.

Indeed, if only it were actually a proper HD remastered version with the grain intact released here by FUNi then i would most certainly buy it.

[SpiritBombTriumphant]

I figure they didn’t want to roll with DB because it was pretty old at that point. Early DB has the same art style as Dr. Slump, which Toriyama started to draw in 1979. It looks “old” inasmuch as it doesn’t look like the sort of anime Gen would have seen in the 90s: sharper lines, hair highlights, advanced animation techniques and special effects. Granted, early DBZ looks identical to late DB, and the sharper more angular style most usually associated with DBZ doesn’t kick in until Namek.

Nobody cares that it was old. The problem, I believe, was that Dragon Ball simply didn't do well in test markets. Remember that Funimation made a dub of the first 13 episodes in 1996. When it didn't perform well, they moved on to Z in a partnership with Saban.

[ArmenianPepsi]

Well while my mind is fixated on DB blu-rays, maybe I could bring up something that I find kind of odd.

As we all know, the Level Sets were killed off after 1.2 (And it will always have a spot in our hearts)

But I never knew that that 2.1 and 2.2 were far enough along in production to have entries on sites like Amazon, and the big cataloging site blu-ray.com , take a look for yourself.

- https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dragon-B ... ray/34915/
- https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dragon-B ... ray/34914/
- https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ball-Leve ... B006MWA97Y (2.1 has an Amazon page, but 2.2 doesn't)

Looks like the next 2 releases were pretty close to release before Funi called it off if they were able to get an Amazon listing. But that's just my theory.

Was the cancellation really so last second? I wonder how far into the series they got with their restoration before the project got canned. I can't remember where specifically I heard it but I heard a claim that they got as far as the Android Saga, no clue if it's true.

[KBABZ]

I would say "Atleast it's another way to conveniently own the series since the Funi DB DVD's havent been in print in years" , but then I realize it only comes in a box set and cost like 300 USD or along those lines. 300 bucks for what is essentially "touched up" DVD footage in a neat looking box.

You also missed that the languages would be Japanese and Spanish, no English dub to speak of.

Shame really, the boxart is easily the best design of any Dragon Ball home media release, at least in my opinion.

Spoiler:

One thing I noticed here is that Bulma is missing from the spine of Box 2, whereas in the Series Complete picture at the end she is present on it, resulting in slightly shifted character composition (such as Chi-Chi being moved from the left to the right edge of Box 3's spine). I do also like the detail that each of the seven boxes has a Dragon Ball on it with the appropriate number of stars.

[ArmenianPepsi]

I would say "Atleast it's another way to conveniently own the series since the Funi DB DVD's havent been in print in years" , but then I realize it only comes in a box set and cost like 300 USD or along those lines. 300 bucks for what is essentially "touched up" DVD footage in a neat looking box.

You also missed that the languages would be Japanese and Spanish, no English dub to speak of.

Shame really, the boxart is easily the best design of any Dragon Ball home media release, at least in my opinion.

Spoiler:

One thing I noticed here is that Bulma is missing from the spine of Box 2, whereas in the Series Complete picture at the end she is present on it, resulting in slightly shifted character composition (such as Chi-Chi being moved from the left to the right edge of Box 3's spine). I do also like the detail that each of the seven boxes has a Dragon Ball on it with the appropriate number of stars.

Yeah that box really is nice. Whoever was calling the shots when making it really did care about it fitting the Dragon Ball name and style. And now I can rest at night knowing that General Blue will forever be immortalized on a disc with his awesome pecks.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Well while my mind is fixated on DB blu-rays, maybe I could bring up something that I find kind of odd.

As we all know, the Level Sets were killed off after 1.2 (And it will always have a spot in our hearts)

But I never knew that that 2.1 and 2.2 were far enough along in production to have entries on sites like Amazon, and the big cataloging site blu-ray.com , take a look for yourself.

- https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dragon-B ... ray/34915/
- https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dragon-B ... ray/34914/
- https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ball-Leve ... B006MWA97Y (2.1 has an Amazon page, but 2.2 doesn't)

Looks like the next 2 releases were pretty close to release before Funi called it off if they were able to get an Amazon listing. But that's just my theory.

Was the cancellation really so last second? I wonder how far into the series they got with their restoration before the project got canned. I can't remember where specifically I heard it but I heard a claim that they got as far as the Android Saga, no clue if it's true.

Wow, the mind blowing thing about this is that it would have been the entirety of the first two seasons (the 2004/2005 UUE redub portion and Japanese) on HD in 4:3. Shame they scrapped it in favor of those garbage Season BD's much like how the Ultimate Uncuts were silently discontinued over the eventual Orange Bricks back in '06. If they had just released the Levels with the episode counts of the season sets they'd have likely had a better chance of being sold in bigger numbers.