What would be your ideal Dragon Ball home release?

[Robo4900]

Y'know, I just realised something... "Ideal Dragon Ball home release" doesn't mean "The thing you realistically think could happen in ideal circumstances", it means "What would be your perfect release"

So, y'know what, screw all ideas of realism, let's go fucking nuts.

• 4K UHD video remastered by Toei in the style of the Amazon masters of the movies (the movies are also re-transferred at 8K to go along with this; since 35mm film can hold up to roughly 6K resolution, and 16mm film basically caps out somewhere between 1080p and 4K, this would make this the last time Dragon Ball's film materials would ever need a digital transfer, and it'd be the best anyone could ever possibly get out of the material)
• Large 4:3 frame, even for the movies. (Though perhaps some of the movies would need to slightly zoom in some shots to hide animation errors)
• No DNR, solid cleanup job, no censorship or other animation adjustments
• All three TV specials remastered, and presented alongside the series.
• Completely new uncut English dub of DB, Z, GT, the specials, and the movies, done with a mixture of castings from Funimation's Texas and LA pools, as well as Ocean's Vancouver and Calgary pools. Anyone and everyone is re-auditioned with a serious eye on who is really best for the job, and a complete freedom for anyone to be dropped from the cast and a new casting to be sought out from any of the talent pools available. Director in Vancouver is Karl Willems. Either have him remotely direct the other pools, or have Chris Sabat direct the Texas recording.
• The OG Funi dub with the Faulconer score, as well as the "remastered" Funi dub with the Kikuchi score, and the "Ultimate Uncut" Funi dub with the Johnson score all included as legacy/nostalgia viewing options.
• As a complimentary release, a DVD set of the original USA TV dubs as-is gets released in the USA, and a DVD set of the original Canadian dubs (with the YTV edits of Z 54-107) is released in Canada and the UK.
• The Shunsuke Kikuchi and Akihito Tokunaga music track is entirely remastered using the original recordings, remixed into stereo and/or 5.1, for optimal sound quality. These masters form the basis of the music track used for the new dub, as well as a new music-only track included for all episodes and movies.
• A CD box set is released alongside this, containing every single piece Kikuchi and Tokunaga ever composed for Dragon Ball, in pristine quality.
• Japanese broadcast audio is used; stereo master audio is used for GT. Any surviving elements of DB&Z's original master audio (such as the CD master of DBZ episodes 229 and 237, the cassette tape master of Z episode 2, any surviving cinetape copies that may have somehow been kept by local stations in Japan, etc.) are also used.
• The original Latino Spanish dub is restored in the highest quality possible, and included.
• Steve Simmons does a full-on new pass on the subtitle track; correcting all subtitling errors, re-adapting things that he left too literal originally ("Weasel's last fart", for instance ), and being given all the time, freedom, budget, and Japanese contacts to advise on ensuring all names, references, etc. are correctly adapted. (Maybe get Clyde Mandelin on board to assist, if the workload is too much)
• New dub script is created based off of Steve Simmons' new translations, with his complete notes, with the script guys liaising with Simmons however they need/want, so as to allow the new dub to ensure the full spirit and intent of the original is considered in the new scripts; but an emphasis is put on making the dialogue natural and fun. The two translations both use the same naming conventions, with no interest or attention paid to keeping up old names/ideas out of tradition; the goal is to have an honest, and really good translation of the original, not to pander to people who would rather just watch the original dub (which would be on this release too anyway) regardless of what the characters' names or voices are for the new dub.
• The 1993 Plan To Eradicate interactive movie from the Playdia is included, remastered in HD.
• Bonus features include interviews with original cast, animators, writers, etc., and a making-of feature for the new dub.

[Planetnamek]

Funimation could do very well and with zero effort by rerunning the Z Dragon Boxes and releasing the Z DBox masters they have been sitting on. Plop the broadcast audio on there and that’s all you need.

They actually have GT Dragon Box footage: it’s the only footage they’ve ever had. No reason they can’t do a good release of that, with the stereo audio. DB OG is a mess unfortunately.

On the other side of things, though I’ve never seen the Z dubs, I think dub episodes 54-276, as originally recorded, deserve an updated release, since the old singles are mediocre and out of print. Something like the “Rock the Dragon” set. Include the Westwood dub as the second audio track, when that exists, along with the Toonami edited dialogue alternate takes.

Agreed, at this point i'd just be happy with a box-set in that style that maybe includes movies 4-13 as well.

[JustAlex1997]

. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT
. Individual complete season releases
. Individual movie releases
. General retail release with good distribution
. Worldwide release (where possible as there's probably some restrictions)
. Blu-ray
. Frame-by-frame remaster (Level Sets)
. 4:3
. English with Funimation's music, English with Japanese music, Japanese with Japanese music (same options we have now)
. Plenty of bonus features such as Toonami promos, toy commercials, and Japanese commercials

That's about everything. I'd love to have every dub out there so everyone could have the version they grew up with, but that's probably an impossibility.

[Robo4900]

. Frame-by-frame remaster (Level Sets)

That happened on the Season BDs too; they made no secret of this in the remastering documentaries, and friends of mine have spoken to people close to the people who worked on it, who confirmed it was a proper frame-by-frame restoration. People just didn't pay attention, because the awful filtering and cropping they did after the remastering effectively nullifies any good work done by the cleanup team.

The cleaned-up masters should still exist in the vaults, though. Just sitting, unreleased. Probably never-to-be-released, knowing Funi. Not without them putting that same godawful filtering over it again and making the colours worse. (30th anniversary sets)

[JustAlex1997]

. Frame-by-frame remaster (Level Sets)

That happened on the Season BDs too; they made no secret of this in the remastering documentaries, and friends of mine have spoken to people close to the people who worked on it, who confirmed it was a proper frame-by-frame restoration. People just didn't pay attention, because the awful filtering and cropping they did after the remastering effectively nullifies any good work done by the cleanup team.

The cleaned-up masters should still exist in the vaults, though. Just sitting, unreleased. Probably never-to-be-released, knowing Funi. Not without them putting that same godawful filtering over it again and making the colours worse. (30th anniversary sets)

I'm not referring to an automated remastering process that simply smears the image. I want humans to clean the image properly (like with the Level Sets) and to release those with that process alone.

[Robo4900]

I'm not referring to an automated remastering process that simply smears the image. I want humans to clean the image properly (like with the Level Sets) and to release those with that process alone.

Yes, and that rigorous process happened on the Season BDs. They just ruined it at the end with a smear/blur+sharpen filter, and a shittification of the colours, and a very time-consuming shot-by-shot reframing/cropping process.

[JustAlex1997]

I'm not referring to an automated remastering process that simply smears the image. I want humans to clean the image properly (like with the Level Sets) and to release those with that process alone.

Yes, and that rigorous process happened on the Season BDs. They just ruined it at the end with a smear/blur+sharpen filter, and a shittification of the colours, and a very time-consuming shot-by-shot reframing/cropping process.

I acknowledged that. However, as you said, that means nothing when they smear it to hell and back. I want that process without the automated smearing.

[Robo4900]

I'm not referring to an automated remastering process that simply smears the image. I want humans to clean the image properly (like with the Level Sets) and to release those with that process alone.

Yes, and that rigorous process happened on the Season BDs. They just ruined it at the end with a smear/blur+sharpen filter, and a shittification of the colours, and a very time-consuming shot-by-shot reframing/cropping process.

I acknowledged that. However, as you said, that means nothing when they smear it to hell and back. I want that process without the automated smearing.

Fair.

It would be nice. Let's hope one day, the management shakes up enough that some new people at the top get the brilliant idea of actually giving the fans what they actually fucking want for once.

[JustAlex1997]

Yes, and that rigorous process happened on the Season BDs. They just ruined it at the end with a smear/blur+sharpen filter, and a shittification of the colours, and a very time-consuming shot-by-shot reframing/cropping process.

I acknowledged that. However, as you said, that means nothing when they smear it to hell and back. I want that process without the automated smearing.

Fair.

It would be nice. Let's hope one day, the management shakes up enough that some new people at the top get the brilliant idea of actually giving the fans what they actually fucking want for once.

I was hoping that would happen with the leaks and unfair treatment of actors, but I'm not as confident that it will now.

[KBABZ]

I'll take "ideal" to mean "preferred", so here goes.

• 4:3. No ifs, ands or buts. This is the ONLY way the show is formatted. Include an option on the menu labeled"Why doesn't the picture take up all of my screen?" explaining how the anime was originally presented and telling casuals they should use the Zoom function on their TV.
• New 1080p master from a 4K scan
• Colour grading using the raw animation cells as a guide
• Japanese broadcast audio
• Bonus NEP for DB01 from Dr. Slump.
• Funi dub with a few revised lines.
• Except for Schemmel's lines as Teen Goku, those would be redone. Piccolo Jr. would be redone as well to sound like he does in Kai.
• If things like DNR and censorship MUST be done, provide an alternate angle without them.
• In fact, make the alternate angle a completely untouched scan without any cropping (yep, you'd see the curved cell corners). Only fix obvious frame damage.
• Kai only: get Colleen to redo her Kid Goku dialogue with a unique take on the character rather than just recycling the Gohan voice.
• Re-do the dub for the two TV specials.
• Re-do the GT dub narrator using the Kai narrator.
• Bonus "Specials" disc contains fun dubs for all the minor works, including the Traffic/Fire Safety Specials, that one where Goku and Gohan were in tux's for a movie premiere, Eradicate the Not-Super Saiyans, the interactive telephone game, the Jump Special, etc.
• The Bonus Disc is also where the End of Z episodes are housed. This makes it easier for chronology nuts like me to shift that stuff to AFTER Super if you want.

[Robo4900]

I was hoping that would happen with the leaks and unfair treatment of actors, but I'm not as confident that it will now.

You mean the bloopers? Those were never going to mean anything. The Vic Mignogna crowd threw a fake outrage about the outtakes, trying to equate some off-colour jokes to his sexual misconduct, and one Japanese actor who speaks English (who has no affiliation with Toei) thought it was a big deal because he found the jokes offensive. That's all. It ultimately meant nothing. All American animated shows have these kinds of blooper reels, they're often talked about at conventions, they just usually don't get out, because they usually don't want kids to find them in a google search.

I've not heard anything about unfair treatment of actors aside from their underpayment and then firing of the Ocean cast in the '90s, and the low pay of the early Texas cast in the late '90s/early '00s.

Include an option on the menu labeled"Why doesn't the picture take up all of my screen?" explaining how the anime was originally presented and telling casuals they should use the Zoom function on their TV.

Nah. Don't even acknowledge the idea that it not filling the screen might be an issue, or otherwise something worth considering.
Casuals don't give a shit, and people who give a shit won't listen to any arguments either way.

• Funi dub with a few revised lines.
• Except for Schemmel's lines as Teen Goku, those would be redone. Piccolo Jr. would be redone as well to sound like he does in Kai.
• Re-do the GT dub narrator using the Kai narrator.

A few changed lines and small adjustments here and there aren't nearly enough to fix, or even to begin to address, the shittiness present in Funi's pre-Kai dubs.

• If things like DNR and censorship MUST be done, provide an alternate angle without them.

DNR does not, has never, and will never need to be done, and having every single episode take up double space so they can include a DNR'd and non-DNR'd version just isn't a good idea, and would never be even remotely feasible. Especially since most people would just watch the default option, whichever that is.
A censored version as an alternate viewing option is an interesting idea.

[KBABZ]

A few changed lines and small adjustments here and there aren't nearly enough to fix, or even to begin to address, the shittiness present in Funi's pre-Kai dubs.

You know my opinion on this, Robo!

Oh, two more:

• Use NORMAL packaging.
• Release it as a normal release of the show, don't do any of this "we included a recycled statue and a cloth map" BS.
• If you use slip covers, put the spine art on THOSE rather than the actual box spines.

[JustAlex1997]

I was hoping that would happen with the leaks and unfair treatment of actors, but I'm not as confident that it will now.

You mean the bloopers? Those were never going to mean anything. The Vic Mignogna crowd threw a fake outrage about the outtakes, trying to equate some off-colour jokes to his sexual misconduct, and one Japanese actor who speaks English (who has no affiliation with Toei) thought it was a big deal because he found the jokes offensive. That's all. It ultimately meant nothing. All American animated shows have these kinds of blooper reels, they're often talked about at conventions, they just usually don't get out, because they usually don't want kids to find them in a google search.

I've not heard anything about unfair treatment of actors aside from their underpayment and then firing of the Ocean cast in the '90s, and the low pay of the early Texas cast in the late '90s/early '00s.

Include an option on the menu labeled"Why doesn't the picture take up all of my screen?" explaining how the anime was originally presented and telling casuals they should use the Zoom function on their TV.

Nah. Don't even acknowledge the idea that it not filling the screen might be an issue, or otherwise something worth considering.
Casuals don't give a shit, and people who give a shit won't listen to any arguments either way.

• Funi dub with a few revised lines.
• Except for Schemmel's lines as Teen Goku, those would be redone. Piccolo Jr. would be redone as well to sound like he does in Kai.
• Re-do the GT dub narrator using the Kai narrator.

A few changed lines and small adjustments here and there aren't nearly enough to fix, or even to begin to address, the shittiness present in Funi's pre-Kai dubs.

• If things like DNR and censorship MUST be done, provide an alternate angle without them.

DNR does not, has never, and will never need to be done, and having every single episode take up double space so they can include a DNR'd and non-DNR'd version just isn't a good idea, and would never be even remotely feasible. Especially since most people would just watch the default option, whichever that is.
A censored version as an alternate viewing option is an interesting idea.

Despite everything Funimation did to Vic Mignogna, they did absolutely nothing about (not even acknowledging) Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, etc. making jokes about rape and incest, using slurs, and so on in the recording booth. They protected the actors they valued more than Vic.

None of them should've been punished, but to only punish the "disposable" one is sickening.

[Robo4900]

Despite everything Funimation did to Vic Mignogna, they did absolutely nothing about (not even acknowledging) Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, etc. making jokes about rape and incest, using slurs, and so on in the recording booth. They protected the actors they valued more than Vic.

None of them should've been punished, but to only punish the "disposable" one is sickening.

They got rid of Vic Mignogna because of his sexual harassment allegations, not because of any off-colour jokes made in the recording booth 15 years ago.

If you want to debate this further, PM me if you must; I don't think this kind of stuff has a place in this thread.

[JustAlex1997]

Despite everything Funimation did to Vic Mignogna, they did absolutely nothing about (not even acknowledging) Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, etc. making jokes about rape and incest, using slurs, and so on in the recording booth. They protected the actors they valued more than Vic.

None of them should've been punished, but to only punish the "disposable" one is sickening.

They got rid of Vic Mignogna because of his sexual harassment allegations, not because of any off-colour jokes made in the recording booth 15 years ago.

If you want to debate this further, PM me if you must; I don't think this kind of stuff has a place in this thread.

I wasn't aware that we were debating anything.

[MasenkoHA]

Despite everything Funimation did to Vic Mignogna, they did absolutely nothing about (not even acknowledging) Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, etc. making jokes about rape and incest, using slurs, and so on in the recording booth. They protected the actors they valued more than Vic.

None of them should've been punished, but to only punish the "disposable" one is sickening.

I didn’t think this would need to be explained but

Dick Lasagna sexually harassing female coworkers and con goers and groping them without their consent is not the same thing as Schemmel and Sabat and the others making some off color jokes in character on their downtime to amuse themselves. And I’m concerned that you think they’re even in the same region of being the same thing.

Sabat having his fictional characters fuck each other isn’t the same thing as Mignogna’s inability to understand personal boundaries for real actual breathing human beings.

[JustAlex1997]

Despite everything Funimation did to Vic Mignogna, they did absolutely nothing about (not even acknowledging) Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, etc. making jokes about rape and incest, using slurs, and so on in the recording booth. They protected the actors they valued more than Vic.

None of them should've been punished, but to only punish the "disposable" one is sickening.

I didn’t think this would need to be explained but

Dick Lasagna sexually harassing female coworkers and con goers and groping them without their consent is not the same thing as Schemmel and Sabat and the others making some off color jokes in character on their downtime to amuse themselves. And I’m concerned that you think they’re even in the same region of being the same thing.

Sabat having his fictional characters fuck each other isn’t the same thing as Mignogna’s inability to understand personal boundaries for real actual breathing human beings.

I'm mainly referring to the jellybean/peanut/whatever thing which they acknowledged. If he is guilty of what he was accused of then screw him, but Funimation still didn't call out their more "valuable" actors' jokes.

Anyway, I've been requested to move this conversation elsewhere should it continue.

[GhostEmperorX]

I was hoping that would happen with the leaks and unfair treatment of actors, but I'm not as confident that it will now.

Don’t quite see what that has to do with anything, it’s all Toei’s fault to begin with.

[JustAlex1997]

I was hoping that would happen with the leaks and unfair treatment of actors, but I'm not as confident that it will now.

Don’t quite see what that has to do with anything, it’s all Toei’s fault to begin with.

Why would Toei be responsible for Funimation's actions?

[Metalwario64]

All I really want is a Blu-ray (and DVD since I still use that on my PC since BDs are super annoying to get working on it) with FUNimation's raw 4:3 masters, the original broadcast dub (but the Season Set redub with Sabat replacing Mignogna is fine by me for those Ultimate Uncut dub episodes), and options for the dub title cards and the Japanese ones. That's all I want.