UK distribution of DBZ/GT?

Kula · Post by **Kula** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:58 pm

As you may be aware, only a few DBZ DVDs have been released in the UK (the infamous 'Big Green' movie dubs).

Does FUNimation or any other company for that matter, hold distribution rights to the UK? If a UK company had enough money, would they be able to license DB from Japan to release on DVD? If DB were licensed over here it would be a great opportunity to do a full-screen release, with Japanese audio and another English dub.

My ideal dub would be to hire the Ocean cast to reprise their roles and record dialogue for the Freeza saga and any other cut footage.

landoku · Post by **landoku** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:15 pm

I think England should just stick to Harry Potter. *lol* j/k

I dont know, Funimation should be able to start a branch in England, but they would need to know if they would make profit from selling DBZ stuff over there....Maybe theres just not enough fans! I bet your the only UK DBZ fan! THATS IT!!!! *lol*

Tanooki Kuribo · Post by **Tanooki Kuribo** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:21 pm

My ideal dub would be to hire the Ocean cast to reprise their roles and record dialogue for the Freeza saga and any other cut footage

I don't know if you know this or not but they did have the Ocean cast do from the Trunks saga on in the UK. But for some reason they can't release that dub on DVD. I don't know the full story but I would imagine it would be somthing similar to our first 13 DB episode problem.

Mystery Person X · Post by **Mystery Person X** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:24 pm

It's not clear whether anyone has the home video rights to DB/Z in the UK. I'd presume someone would have licensed it already if they were available, so my guess is that AB (who have the TV broadcast rights) have the home video rights as well and are just not doing anything with them. This is pure conjecture, of course.

landoku wrote:I dont know, Funimation should be able to start a branch in England, but they would need to know if they would make profit from selling DBZ stuff over there....

FUNimation's DVDs (Fullmetal Alchemist, Yu Yu Hakusho, Samurai 7, Fruits Basket and various others) were previously released in the UK by MVM, and are now being released in the UK by Revelation Films. Since FUNimation has a business partner in the UK, it's not an issue of them not being able to release DVDs here.

I think it's safe to say that if FUNi had the UK home video rights to DBZ, it would have been released. DBZ may be past its best days in terms of popularity, and long anime series don't have a history of success on DVD... but why would FUNi and MVM choose to release Yu Yu Hakusho, which never even aired on TV here, over DBZ? It would't make sense.

Timo · Post by **Timo** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:28 pm

At least AB Groupe / AB Droits Audiovisuels has the rights for almost entire of Europe. That means that they have to give rights/license to a different company for DVD distibution (like Warner Vision International for the "Big Green Dub" DVDs).

Kula · Post by **Kula** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:08 pm

Tanooki Kuribo wrote:I don't know if you know this or not but they did have the Ocean cast do from the Trunks saga on in the UK. But for some reason they can't release that dub on DVD. I don't know the full story but I would imagine it would be somthing similar to our first 13 DB episode problem.

I was aware of it. I've got pretty much every episode of Ocean's DBZ on tape. It's just a little frustrating being a fan of the Ocean dub and only having the FUNimation dub on DVD. When I first heard the dub voices in the Budokai games I thought 'Did they hire all new VAs?'.

If DBZ ever comes back to Toonami, I'll get myself a DVD recorder and make my own DVDs. They may not be uncut, but it's the dub that I know and love.

Mystery Person X · Post by **Mystery Person X** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:31 pm

Incidentally, there was an interesting post about the Ocean DBZ dub at AoD today:
http://www.animeondvd.com/forum/showtop ... tid/16074/

Hey everyone,

I work with Ocean Group.
I just wanted to shed some light on the Dragonball Z topic you guys were talking about.

Approx. 80% of DBZ was recorded at Airwaves Studios.
However, this was because there was no time available at Ocean's production studios.
Airwaves' physical studios and their voice director were used for voice recording only

Ocean's creative staff provided project development, scripts, production, casting, talent coordination,
overall sound design, video master preparation, mixing, etc etc., all at Ocean's studios.

I can definitely see how this may have been confusing, so hopefully its all cleared up!

Always willing to help,

Corey Fischer
Ocean Productions

This clears up a few long-standing mysteries about this dub.

nwoo_2002 · Post by **nwoo_2002** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 6:25 am

There is always the possibility of whomever holds the rights, opting to take an indifferent stance to the distribution of DVDs. I mean there is no 'real' dub in the UK; we've had Funi, Ocean, Blue Water and that strange company who must have been on some bad brownies. So with that in mind, why would you even bother to release what to some people would be yet another version.

chibi_goten · Post by **chibi_goten** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:24 am

It's lame, I know, I live there and have tried to get them. I have all the "Magic Sphears" versions, heh not the best versions are they. That's the same version with ''Big Green'' if you didn't know. Anyways, a few shops I have been too had a couple of the Funimation videos, seriously like only 2 and they were at very random parts in the series. I only seen them once and haven't seen them since.

I'm not naming names, but I have seen bootlegs of them too in a few shops aswell, but in the Japanese version. All in all it's hard to get them here, but at least we have some I guess. Other places have nothing at all.

Oh and Harry Potter, I haven't seen one of them in my life...

Conan the SSJ · Post by **Conan the SSJ** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:48 am

Kula wrote:
Tanooki Kuribo wrote:I don't know if you know this or not but they did have the Ocean cast do from the Trunks saga on in the UK. But for some reason they can't release that dub on DVD. I don't know the full story but I would imagine it would be somthing similar to our first 13 DB episode problem.
I was aware of it. I've got pretty much every episode of Ocean's DBZ on tape. It's just a little frustrating being a fan of the Ocean dub and only having the FUNimation dub on DVD. When I first heard the dub voices in the Budokai games I thought 'Did they hire all new VAs?'.

If DBZ ever comes back to Toonami, I'll get myself a DVD recorder and make my own DVDs. They may not be uncut, but it's the dub that I know and love.

I'm just assuming you know, episodes 54-106 (the "Captain Ginyu" - "Trunks" sagas, properly counted episodes 68-121) in the UK consist of the FUNi edit-version dub, as it seems Ocean started back up with episode 107 (properly counted as episode 122). There's also the situation of VAs changing during the course of the series. Jillian Michaels replaced Saffron Henderson as PreTeen Gohan, Kirby Morrow replaced Peter Kelamis as Goku, Maggie Blue O'Hara replaced Lalainia Lindbjerg as Bulma, among others. Kinda confusing dub if you ask me. But shoot, I'd kill to see their version of the Piccolo/17 battle or Majin Vegeta against Buu.

nwoo_2002 · Post by **nwoo_2002** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:38 am

It could also be another case of 'sub licensing' on Funi's part.

Azure · Post by **Azure** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:38 pm

landoku wrote:I think England should just stick to Harry Potter. *lol* j/k

I dont know, Funimation should be able to start a branch in England, but they would need to know if they would make profit from selling DBZ stuff over there....Maybe theres just not enough fans! I bet your the only UK DBZ fan! THATS IT!!!! *lol*

There's a branch of Nevarre ( FUni's owner in the UK) Revelation films. All the current FUNi titles in the UK are switching to them. My guess is they don't have UK rights since PAL masters would easily be obtained from Madman in Australia.