Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

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

Kakacarrottop
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 935
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2014 11:34 pm
Location: Australia

Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by Kakacarrottop » Thu Sep 16, 2021 6:31 am

I live in a region 4 country, and people here are selling singles of the old Saban era dub for very cheap. I've recently purchased two Saban Saiyan Saga singles, one only cost $10 and the other $20.

Meanwhile, I see people in America who are selling the Saban singles for close to $100 dollars. And the things that they're selling are far less rare than what I'm getting, since Madman's region 4 singles of that dub were produced in a more limited quantity than Pioneer's singles, due to the population difference between Australasia and North America.

I think in America people take rare "nostalgic" products much more seriously, hence the price difference. Here people are likely just looking at it as a DVD that only has a few episodes of a television program.
"I will literally dress as Goku and walk around jumping up and down, pretending to fly, in public if this ever gets an official release"

- ShadowDude112 on Ocean's Kai dub

Dragon Ball Ireland
I Live Here
Posts: 3540
Joined: Thu May 21, 2015 9:09 am
Location: Sligo, Ireland

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by Dragon Ball Ireland » Thu Sep 16, 2021 6:47 am

Currently the UK Kai Season 1 and 2 Blu-Rays can be purchased on CeX for £22 and £20 respectively, though I've seen Season 1 listed as low as £15. The US equivalent of this would be the parts 1-3 Blu-Rays, which from what I've seen on eBay are typically sold for twice as much at least.

I'd say the most likely explanation for this is that most US fans who wanted to have Kai with the Yamamoto score rushed to buy those parts as soon as news of the music scandal occurred, and because the kids who watched Kai on Kix were exposed to the version with Kikuchi's score there wasn't as much of a demand for the show with the Yamamoto score as there was in the US. Likewise, Kai TFC (which unlike Kai 1.0 is still in print) can be found new considerably cheaper than the US and Australia.

The Level sets are an interesting case. At one point Madman's 1.2 was super cheap on eBay (less than $15), whereas the US version was several times that price. I've also seen listings of the US Level 1.1 for near $100 on eBay too, but Madman's release of it is considerably harder to come across (only seen once on eBay).
Do you have any info about international non-English broadcasts about the Dragon Ball anime or manga translations/editions? Please message me. Researching for a future book with Dragon Ball scholar Derek Padula :thumbup:

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6201
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by MasenkoHA » Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:07 am

Kakacarrottop wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 6:31 am
Meanwhile, I see people in America who are selling the Saban singles for close to $100 dollars. And the things that they're selling are far less rare than what I'm getting, since Madman's region 4 singles of that dub were produced in a more limited quantity than Pioneer's singles, due to the population difference between Australasia and North America.
To be fair, you can get some of those Pioneer singles for as low as $3 here in the US. I can’t imagine anyone actually paying $100 to own 3 episodes of a specific dub they can probably find for free online.

I got “The Saiyans” DVD for like $5 a few months ago at a used dvd/video game store

Kakacarrottop
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 935
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2014 11:34 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by Kakacarrottop » Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:21 am

MasenkoHA wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:07 am I can’t imagine anyone actually paying $100 to own 3 episodes of a specific dub they can probably find for free online.
Some are selling Rock the Dragon Edition (9 discs) for $360 dollars on ebay, and there's about 20 people bidding for it. Likewise, the Saiyan Conflict box, which only has 26 episodes, can go for up to $300. On the other hand, someone's selling all 9 Orange Bricks (54 discs) for just $39 dollars.

Getting anything with the Canadian cast on home video is starting to become like finding a marble at the bottom of the sea these days. Obviously, this is because Funimation have completely saturated the market with their in-house cast. The Saiyan Saga singles would have been produced in large numbers back in the early 2000s, since it was the absolute peak of DBZ mania in the English speaking world. Yet it pales in comparison to all the releases with the in-house cast.
"I will literally dress as Goku and walk around jumping up and down, pretending to fly, in public if this ever gets an official release"

- ShadowDude112 on Ocean's Kai dub

User avatar
PurestEvil
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1948
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2020 2:34 pm
Location: Constantinopolee!

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by PurestEvil » Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:35 am

MasenkoHA wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:07 am
Kakacarrottop wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 6:31 am
Meanwhile, I see people in America who are selling the Saban singles for close to $100 dollars. And the things that they're selling are far less rare than what I'm getting, since Madman's region 4 singles of that dub were produced in a more limited quantity than Pioneer's singles, due to the population difference between Australasia and North America.
To be fair, you can get some of those Pioneer singles for as low as $3 here in the US. I can’t imagine anyone actually paying $100 to own 3 episodes of a specific dub they can probably find for free online.
Might as well tell that to everyone who does NOT watch anime through illegal means
This post was brought to you by 魔族

Rest in Peace, Toriyama-san

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6201
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by MasenkoHA » Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:08 pm

PurestEvil wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:35 am
MasenkoHA wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:07 am
Kakacarrottop wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 6:31 am
Meanwhile, I see people in America who are selling the Saban singles for close to $100 dollars. And the things that they're selling are far less rare than what I'm getting, since Madman's region 4 singles of that dub were produced in a more limited quantity than Pioneer's singles, due to the population difference between Australasia and North America.
To be fair, you can get some of those Pioneer singles for as low as $3 here in the US. I can’t imagine anyone actually paying $100 to own 3 episodes of a specific dub they can probably find for free online.
Might as well tell that to everyone who does NOT watch anime through illegal means
I’m not here to tell people to pirate the show but the old dub is not commercially available. Toei/Shueisha/Funimation/Pioneer does not get your money because you bought the Saiyan and Namek boxsets for $200 from BulmasPanties6969 on Ebay

User avatar
SuperSaiyaManZ94
I Live Here
Posts: 2712
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:01 pm
Location: Alabama, USA

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by SuperSaiyaManZ94 » Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:05 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:08 pm
PurestEvil wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:35 am
MasenkoHA wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:07 am

To be fair, you can get some of those Pioneer singles for as low as $3 here in the US. I can’t imagine anyone actually paying $100 to own 3 episodes of a specific dub they can probably find for free online.
Might as well tell that to everyone who does NOT watch anime through illegal means
I’m not here to tell people to pirate the show but the old dub is not commercially available. Toei/Shueisha/Funimation/Pioneer does not get your money because you bought the Saiyan and Namek boxsets for $200 from BulmasPanties6969 on Ebay
True, i mean Pioneer's edited dub only single discs/box sets went out of print back in mid 2003 once their sublicense for Z expired (leading up to FUNi's own in house redub which was announced shortly before or around the same time) and the Rock the Dragon set is the most recent release but was hella limited and apparently not produced in large quantities given the niche that FUNi aimed for there.

There is no commercially official way to get the old FUNi/Ocean/Saban joint dub at this point.
DB collection related goals as of now:

1.) Find decent priced copy of Dragon Box Z Vol. 4 (Done)

2.) Collect rest of manga

3.) Get rest of Daizenshuu (2-7)

Kakacarrottop
OMG CRAZY REGEN
Posts: 935
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2014 11:34 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by Kakacarrottop » Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:40 pm

SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:05 pm True, i mean Pioneer's edited dub only single discs/box sets went out of print back in mid 2003 once their sublicense for Z expired (leading up to FUNi's own in house redub which was announced shortly before or around the same time) and the Rock the Dragon set is the most recent release but was hella limited and apparently not produced in large quantities given the niche that FUNi aimed for there.
Madman's version of the Pioneer singles have a 2002 copyright date on the back. The first time I ever saw the Ultimate Uncut edition of the Saiyan Saga in stores was 2007, so they might have been in print for a few extra years in Australia. It's hard to tell what sort of impact Pioneer's sublicense had on Madman's distribution of the series.
"I will literally dress as Goku and walk around jumping up and down, pretending to fly, in public if this ever gets an official release"

- ShadowDude112 on Ocean's Kai dub

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6201
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by MasenkoHA » Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:50 pm

Kakacarrottop wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:40 pm
SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:05 pm True, i mean Pioneer's edited dub only single discs/box sets went out of print back in mid 2003 once their sublicense for Z expired (leading up to FUNi's own in house redub which was announced shortly before or around the same time) and the Rock the Dragon set is the most recent release but was hella limited and apparently not produced in large quantities given the niche that FUNi aimed for there.
Madman's version of the Pioneer singles have a 2002 copyright date on the back. The first time I ever saw the Ultimate Uncut edition of the Saiyan Saga in stores was 2007, so they might have been in print for a few extra years in Australia. It's hard to tell what sort of impact Pioneer's sublicense had on Madman's distribution of the series.
Pioneer held the home video distribution rights for the first two seasons until Aug 31st, 2003 so that wouldn’t be surprising.

User avatar
SuperSaiyaManZ94
I Live Here
Posts: 2712
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:01 pm
Location: Alabama, USA

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by SuperSaiyaManZ94 » Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:21 pm

Kakacarrottop wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:40 pm
SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:05 pm True, i mean Pioneer's edited dub only single discs/box sets went out of print back in mid 2003 once their sublicense for Z expired (leading up to FUNi's own in house redub which was announced shortly before or around the same time) and the Rock the Dragon set is the most recent release but was hella limited and apparently not produced in large quantities given the niche that FUNi aimed for there.
Madman's version of the Pioneer singles have a 2002 copyright date on the back. The first time I ever saw the Ultimate Uncut edition of the Saiyan Saga in stores was 2007, so they might have been in print for a few extra years in Australia. It's hard to tell what sort of impact Pioneer's sublicense had on Madman's distribution of the series.
Interesting, so it appears down under the Madman release of the edited Saiyan and Namek episodes as released by Pioneer stayed in print and available in stores longer than our versions here did. Could be that the distribution in other regions was done.a little differently or potentially even independent to the States so they didn't all correspond to that particular sublicense's expiration date.

Also note that something similar but not quite the same also occurred regarding the first thirteen episodes of OG Dragon Ball, as in Australia there was an uncut bilingual release of the Pilaf arc (basically in the Saga set style of packaging along with the rest) which we didn't get domestically until 2009 with the Blue Bricks. It had to do with the long standing sublicense Kidmark/Trimark/Lionsgate had to the edited dub only versions of them as well as the first DB movie from back in 1995 or 1996 that FUNi did in conjunction with BLT and Dick & Roger Studios. So, they were in effect red taped along with Curse of the Blood Rubies and FUNi couldn't release properly them uncut or dual language on home releases until that sublicense expired which they held onto with an iron grip and it didn't finally lapse until well after the rest of the series had been released.
DB collection related goals as of now:

1.) Find decent priced copy of Dragon Box Z Vol. 4 (Done)

2.) Collect rest of manga

3.) Get rest of Daizenshuu (2-7)

Jord
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1474
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 8:13 am

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by Jord » Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:39 am

MasenkoHA wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:08 pm
PurestEvil wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:35 am
MasenkoHA wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:07 am

To be fair, you can get some of those Pioneer singles for as low as $3 here in the US. I can’t imagine anyone actually paying $100 to own 3 episodes of a specific dub they can probably find for free online.
Might as well tell that to everyone who does NOT watch anime through illegal means
I’m not here to tell people to pirate the show but the old dub is not commercially available. Toei/Shueisha/Funimation/Pioneer does not get your money because you bought the Saiyan and Namek boxsets for $200 from BulmasPanties6969 on Ebay
I shouldn't have laughed as hard as I did at that joke.

Brodes
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 216
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2013 4:41 am
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by Brodes » Fri Sep 17, 2021 11:58 am

SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:21 pm
Kakacarrottop wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:40 pm
SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:05 pm True, i mean Pioneer's edited dub only single discs/box sets went out of print back in mid 2003 once their sublicense for Z expired (leading up to FUNi's own in house redub which was announced shortly before or around the same time) and the Rock the Dragon set is the most recent release but was hella limited and apparently not produced in large quantities given the niche that FUNi aimed for there.
Madman's version of the Pioneer singles have a 2002 copyright date on the back. The first time I ever saw the Ultimate Uncut edition of the Saiyan Saga in stores was 2007, so they might have been in print for a few extra years in Australia. It's hard to tell what sort of impact Pioneer's sublicense had on Madman's distribution of the series.
Interesting, so it appears down under the Madman release of the edited Saiyan and Namek episodes as released by Pioneer stayed in print and available in stores longer than our versions here did. Could be that the distribution in other regions was done.a little differently or potentially even independent to the States so they didn't all correspond to that particular sublicense's expiration date.

Also note that something similar but not quite the same also occurred regarding the first thirteen episodes of OG Dragon Ball, as in Australia there was an uncut bilingual release of the Pilaf arc (basically in the Saga set style of packaging along with the rest) which we didn't get domestically until 2009 with the Blue Bricks. It had to do with the long standing sublicense Kidmark/Trimark/Lionsgate had to the edited dub only versions of them as well as the first DB movie from back in 1995 or 1996 that FUNi did in conjunction with BLT and Dick & Roger Studios. So, they were in effect red taped along with Curse of the Blood Rubies and FUNi couldn't release properly them uncut or dual language on home releases until that sublicense expired which they held onto with an iron grip and it didn't finally lapse until well after the rest of the series had been released.
From what I remember, we didn't get the Pioneer DVDs in Australia until much, much later than the US anyway. Hell, even our "Trunks saga" and "Freeza saga" DVDs were uncut dub only because Madman rushed them out early. I believe out first bilingual DVDs for the series in Australia were the Buu saga DVDs.

User avatar
NitroEX
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1690
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:21 am
Location: Not America

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by NitroEX » Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:02 pm

A few random things I noticed in my own experience over the years, mainly from a UK centric perspective.

US: Aside from the obvious broadcast and home releases, I've always noticed the subtle differences in videogame localisation prior to (roughly) 2008 or so. Japanese singing/vocal tracks were absent from US games and instead replaced with instrumental tracks. This was seemingly in an attempt to come across less foreign (most likely a Funimation influence), there was also an earlier push to dub games starting with Final Bout and Budokai 1, two games that retained Japanese voices in PAL regions. Super Dragon Ball Z and Gamecube's Budokai 2 were other examples to feature Japanese voices for PAL. Even when the later Budokai and Tenkaichi games had adopted the US voices for PAL, songs would still retain Japanese vocals while the US version would continue to omit them, with the only exceptions being the first Budokai (PAL) and I believe Super Dragon Ball Z (PAL). The first time I recall all regions getting rid of this inconsistency and keeping the Japanese song vocals intact was Burst Limit.

UK: Budokai 1 notably featuring cross-promotion from Turner/CNX on both the cover and manuals, a detail absent from other game releases and (to my knowledge) other region releases of that game.
- US-developed DB video games seemed to have a spotty track record in the UK. While most of them saw releases in major stores, Dragonball Z Sagas, Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury and Dragon Ball GT: Transformation would not receive any PAL versions and remained US exclusive.
- Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 kept its name in the UK while the US equivalent was bizarrely renamed to 'Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road'.
- (During the early 00s) The only approved merch seemed to be imports of past French/AB toy lines with limited articulation, US/Funimation licensed merch would occasionally be imported by independent comic shops and flea markets but were never officially sold in major high street chains.
- We only received a few Warner distributed home video releases (AB/Big Green) until Toei/Manga UK got full control and made their push in 2012.

Netherlands: Bridge actually made DVD releases of the Saban/Ocean/Funimation produced dub of the Saiyan saga as well as the majority of the Big Green movie dubs, something the UK never got except for TV broadcasts.

South Africa: Originally got the same Funimation home releases and DVD/VHS singles across major stores (similar to Australia and NZ but I'm not sure if it was through Funimation directly or another distributor) however, somewhere along the line that distribution appeared to stop. It seemed that the Manga UK orange bricks were eventually released there in 2014 but I'm not sure of anything else. Whether the region officially became part of Manga's distribution market or if they were simply UK imports from independent stores is unclear.

France: Generally a greater prevalence of Dragon Ball merch, as far as I remember.

Italy: I remember noticing Goku on a billboard alongside Marvel and DC characters. Took me by surprise considering how niche anime is where I lived.

User avatar
KingVegetto
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2021 3:05 pm

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by KingVegetto » Fri Oct 08, 2021 3:32 pm

I was annoyed to find out the US release of Super Broly had a green tint that wasn't present in the UK version.

Dragon Ball Ireland
I Live Here
Posts: 3540
Joined: Thu May 21, 2015 9:09 am
Location: Sligo, Ireland

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by Dragon Ball Ireland » Sat Oct 09, 2021 8:16 pm

NitroEX wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:02 pmSouth Africa: Originally got the same Funimation home releases and DVD/VHS singles across major stores (similar to Australia and NZ but I'm not sure if it was through Funimation directly or another distributor) however, somewhere along the line that distribution appeared to stop. It seemed that the Manga UK orange bricks were eventually released there in 2014 but I'm not sure of anything else. Whether the region officially became part of Manga's distribution market or if they were simply UK imports from independent stores is unclear.
Not South Africa, but with regards to the Netherlands, I was in Amsterdam in early 2013 and was sure I saw the UK orange brick first season in a store somewhere. Always regret not taking a picture to show it but I assume that was an import too.
Do you have any info about international non-English broadcasts about the Dragon Ball anime or manga translations/editions? Please message me. Researching for a future book with Dragon Ball scholar Derek Padula :thumbup:

LostTimeLord
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 10:14 pm

Re: Things you've noticed that are different from region to region

Post by LostTimeLord » Sun Oct 10, 2021 2:52 pm

NitroEX wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:02 pm - (During the early 00s) The only approved merch seemed to be imports of past French/AB toy lines with limited articulation, US/Funimation licensed merch would occasionally be imported by independent comic shops and flea markets but were never officially sold in major high street chains.
There was a brief moment in 2011/2012 where Home Bargains were stocking cheap DBZ action figures for no obvious reason. I think they must have been old stock. I notice that nowadays a lot of the merch in places like HMV and Forbidden Planet are made for the wider European market. I've also seen pre-owned American DBZ/GT "bricks" in shops before and after the release of the UK versions, even though DVD imports are generally pretty rare (and technically illegal to sell without BBFC certs on them). Of course, being a rare NA release that's R2 compatible helps.

Post Reply