New Blu Ray sets? Let's compare!

[Googaliemoogalie]

I've already thrown my 2 cents into the conversation but I feel like typing a bit a tonight. Now, I don't know how everyone feels about the new remasters for the Gundam blurays but man....When I watched that bluray of G Gundam on Bluray it was incredible. compared to my DVD there is a night and day difference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UjFz7C ... =nozomient

And I kept thinking, Why is it Dragonball Z. the gateway anime of my generation, Lord only knows just how many fans there are....can't get a decent release haha I mean, I stopped trying to ask why at this point. I wouldn't take a 1000 dollars for my Dragonboxes because I enjoy them and think they are the best complete release and I know I would want them back 1 day so unless I absolutely needed the money due to an emergency, they aren't for sale. I always wanted to see Trigun series get a good bluray remaster but I don't know if that'll ever happen. I still have the old Pioneer DVDs lol

I have the Pioneer Trigun and Neon Genesis Evangelion releases too. IMO They were both better that way. Badland Rumble was dubbed badly by Funimation and Neon Genesis was dubbed badly by Netflix. The visuals for the Neon Genesis HD master was done in Japan and I think that is the reason it turned out so well

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I too will be purchasing the Manga UK edition (well I have, it still hasn't arrived at my door). This set is perfectly serviceable all things considered. The framing is quite good, finer details are still destroyed by the DNR, but then again no in print release will give you that detail so for anyone who wants to support Z legally this isn't a bad way to do it. TOEI may never do a remaster that's better, and Funimation's next release will likely be only marginally better again so no point waiting a few years if you really want to own the series.

Which is the MangaUK release? Do you have a link?

These are the new Z releases, both standard Blu-Ray and steelbook options are available.

[Soppa Saia People]

no, and tbh, not to be rude to anyone who plan on it, but i do not at all see how these are "good enough" or anything like that. i honest to god do not want to give a dime funimation, they have constantly mishandled the series like crazy, it seriously bothers me when my monkey brain thinks about it. like no other anime seems to have this problem to this scale ? like obviously not every home release of every anime is perfect or even great, but most are still a perfectly fine and good way to watch the show, meanwhile almost every single Z home release is atrocious, the only ones that weren't were the level sets, which are unfinished, and the dragon boxes, which 1. are like 400 dollars a piece now, and 2. 16 years old. like it's crazy.

again, if you want these just to have another version of dragon ball and all, all the power to you, it's your money, no one can stop you, etc, but like. ugh. i wish funimation didn't have the series.

[dragonmagico]

Why is it Dragonball Z. the gateway anime of my generation, Lord only knows just how many fans there are....can't get a decent releas

A certain group of people will eat up anything funimation puts out that has the words "Dragon Ball Z" printed on it. they can literally butcher the film in new "exciting" ways time and time again and they will buy it no questions asked. then they go and get mad at people saying the reason they personally would not buy it.

[sangofe]

The new steelbox set has wrong colors, and lost details. What's there to like about them?

[Googaliemoogalie]

I too will be purchasing the Manga UK edition (well I have, it still hasn't arrived at my door). This set is perfectly serviceable all things considered. The framing is quite good, finer details are still destroyed by the DNR, but then again no in print release will give you that detail so for anyone who wants to support Z legally this isn't a bad way to do it. TOEI may never do a remaster that's better, and Funimation's next release will likely be only marginally better again so no point waiting a few years if you really want to own the series.

Which is the MangaUK release? Do you have a link?

These are the new Z releases, both standard Blu-Ray and steelbook options are available.

Thank you!

[Googaliemoogalie]

no, and tbh, not to be rude to anyone who plan on it, but i do not at all see how these are "good enough" or anything like that. i honest to god do not want to give a dime funimation, they have constantly mishandled the series like crazy, it seriously bothers me when my monkey brain thinks about it. like no other anime seems to have this problem to this scale ? like obviously not every home release of every anime is perfect or even great, but most are still a perfectly fine and good way to watch the show, meanwhile almost every single Z home release is atrocious, the only ones that weren't were the level sets, which are unfinished, and the dragon boxes, which 1. are like 400 dollars a piece now, and 2. 16 years old. like it's crazy.

again, if you want these just to have another version of dragon ball and all, all the power to you, it's your money, no one can stop you, etc, but like. ugh. i wish funimation didn't have the series.

If only VIZ had the Dragon Ball anime. Their remasters are very well done. They just did Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha and Bleach. Funimation can barley handle the last half of Dragon Ball. wtf

[eledoremassis02]

Why is it Dragonball Z. the gateway anime of my generation, Lord only knows just how many fans there are....can't get a decent releas

A certain group of people will eat up anything funimation puts out that has the words "Dragon Ball Z" printed on it. they can literally butcher the film in new "exciting" ways time and time again and they will buy it no questions asked. then they go and get mad at people saying the reason they personally would not buy it.

I don't mind people not wanting this set, and I don't mind people having issues with the release but I have an issue with terms like "Causal" and "Hardcore fans" being tossed around to separate those who buy this release. Some people might be a collector (we don't try and belittle anyone who has all the orange bricks or season Blu-ray, or both)and can be just as "hardcore" as anyone else on this forum/site. I'm sure most "casuals" are happy with their season Blu-rays after upgrading from the orange bricks and both the 30th and steelbooks are obviously catered to collectors (which another user mentioned how that could basically be the only riders left on the DBZ train). Could it better, yes! But there are many "collectors" editions of films using dated crappy re-released masters in shiny new packing...don't underestimate the power of packaging.

Kanzenshuu (already had this argument with VegetoEX and don't wish to repeat it as it's ultimately his site and he can post whatever news he wants) refuses to acknowledge both the 30th and the steelbooks but posted updates and links to the inferior and more damaging season Blu-rays. The fact that 4:3 is now considered a small upgrade when people were flipping tables after the first season Bluray trailer came out really boggles my mind. Yes, DNR is still there, Yes there is fake grain...but would it be less if they still cropped it or cropped with no DNR?

I've made peace, I hit a point where I didn't enjoy any release and couldn't watch the show. I have the 30th and Dragon Box so I'll sit here and wait for the possible better release down the line.

no, and tbh, not to be rude to anyone who plan on it, but i do not at all see how these are "good enough" or anything like that. i honest to god do not want to give a dime funimation, they have constantly mishandled the series like crazy, it seriously bothers me when my monkey brain thinks about it. like no other anime seems to have this problem to this scale ? like obviously not every home release of every anime is perfect or even great, but most are still a perfectly fine and good way to watch the show, meanwhile almost every single Z home release is atrocious, the only ones that weren't were the level sets, which are unfinished, and the dragon boxes, which 1. are like 400 dollars a piece now, and 2. 16 years old. like it's crazy.

again, if you want these just to have another version of dragon ball and all, all the power to you, it's your money, no one can stop you, etc, but like. ugh. i wish funimation didn't have the series.

If only VIZ had the Dragon Ball anime. Their remasters are very well done. They just did Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha and Bleach. Funimation can barley handle the last half of Dragon Ball. wtf

FUNimation is the Universal of anime. They do it on the cheap and go out of their way to DNR and saturation boost. In fact FUNimations cheapness, I am pretty sure, is a huge reason why they still exist.

[mute_proxy]

If only VIZ had the Dragon Ball anime. Their remasters are very well done. They just did Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha and Bleach. Funimation can barley handle the last half of Dragon Ball. wtf

They're not very well done. Bleach blurays look like slightly sharper DVDs, which they probably are.

[JEFFMAN219]

I actually really love the new cases a lot and since I have both the Dragonboxes and the 30th set, I will not be buying this. AGAIN.
I can't keep buying Z over and over and over from Funimation. I've paid more than my dues when it comes to supporting the Z portion of the series. Honestly, I feel nobody will ever be 100% satisfied with any release that is ever released ever. to them, the colors are gonna be off, too much or too less grain, it's not color corrected enough for them, etc. I'll stick with the 30th set and Dragonboxes from now on.

I'm only getting these because they're in 4:3 and look a bit better then the 2013 Blu Ray sets. But once I finish buying the rest of the seasons I will be officially done buying DBZ. I have Kai for a filler-less more accurate English dub and I will have Z for nostalgia purposes and the Japanese version.

[Sin]

No, I'm not settling for a smeared, over-sharpened, over-saturated mess of a release that added fake grain and left things uncropped in an attempt to mask their nonsense and appease "hardcore" fans. "Good enough" can fuck off. Do it right (as you've shown you can do!) or don't do it at all. It's been decades, and they're still as shitty as ever. Heck, the ancient DVD singles have more detail in the Cell arc.

It's so disheartening. I can't lie and pretend I don't care about others buying this release, I truly wish the 30th set hadn't hit its goals. When Funi acquired Manga UK I knew the dream was over, there goes any shred of autonomy. Fair enough we got DBS Broly without the green tint, which iirc was possibly down to you reaching out? But come on, we've had so few domestic releases and the nibbles we have had have been the dregs.

Not trying to make anyone feel bad for buying it, it's the show we're mostly all here for, but let's not dress it up as more than it is, serviceable at best.

[Ajay]

It's so disheartening. I can't lie and pretend I don't care about others buying this release, I truly wish the 30th set hadn't hit its goals. When Funi acquired Manga UK I knew the dream was over, there goes any shred of autonomy. Fair enough we got DBS Broly without the green tint, which iirc was possibly down to you reaching out? But come on, we've had so few domestic releases and the nibbles we have had have been the dregs.

Not trying to make anyone feel bad for buying it, it's the show we're mostly all here for, but let's not dress it up as more than it is, serviceable at best.

Ah, I can't take credit for the lack of green tint, I'm afraid! They were the ones who went their own route with the Broly release, acquiring the materials from Toei, and hiring an authoring house to put together their BD for them. The only thing I did was make sure the mistranslated Paragus line was fixed, along with alerting them to their tint-free product, leading to them using it for their marketing.

The dream's definitely not quite 100% dead, though. While Manga UK aren't set up to do their own remasters, they have the freedom to grab materials from all over the world and put subs on them so long as Toei approve them. They definitely want to do right by the fans, but that last point there is the biggest hurdle. I can give them all the advice in the world, but if Toei say no, that's the end of that.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

The dream's definitely not quite 100% dead, though. While Manga UK aren't set up to do their own remasters, they have the freedom to grab materials from all over the world and put subs on them so long as Toei approve them. They definitely want to do right by the fans, but that last point there is the biggest hurdle. I can give them all the advice in the world, but if Toei say no, that's the end of that.

Thanks Ajay, I for one am grateful to you for the efforts you make to advise Manga UK where possible, as they couldn't have anyone more knowledgeable about Dragon Ball to consult with. I love Dragon Ball home media and I like to support Manga's output as much as I can, so it's good to know that you and your contacts within the company are doing your best to ensure the best available material are released for us UK and Irish fans. Even if TOEI reject these things its the thought from yourself and Manga that counts.

[Googaliemoogalie]

I actually really love the new cases a lot and since I have both the Dragonboxes and the 30th set, I will not be buying this. AGAIN.
I can't keep buying Z over and over and over from Funimation. I've paid more than my dues when it comes to supporting the Z portion of the series. Honestly, I feel nobody will ever be 100% satisfied with any release that is ever released ever. to them, the colors are gonna be off, too much or too less grain, it's not color corrected enough for them, etc. I'll stick with the 30th set and Dragonboxes from now on.

I'm only getting these because they're in 4:3 and look a bit better then the 2013 Blu Ray sets. But once I finish buying the rest of the seasons I will be officially done buying DBZ. I have Kai for a filler-less more accurate English dub and I will have Z for nostalgia purposes and the Japanese version.

Kai is censored though. I can't get over that. And the Majin boo arc is in widescreen, if I remember correctly

[Googaliemoogalie]

No, I'm not settling for a smeared, over-sharpened, over-saturated mess of a release that added fake grain and left things uncropped in an attempt to mask their nonsense and appease "hardcore" fans. "Good enough" can fuck off. Do it right (as you've shown you can do!) or don't do it at all. It's been decades, and they're still as shitty as ever. Heck, the ancient DVD singles have more detail in the Cell arc.

It's so disheartening. I can't lie and pretend I don't care about others buying this release, I truly wish the 30th set hadn't hit its goals. When Funi acquired Manga UK I knew the dream was over, there goes any shred of autonomy. Fair enough we got DBS Broly without the green tint, which iirc was possibly down to you reaching out? But come on, we've had so few domestic releases and the nibbles we have had have been the dregs.

Not trying to make anyone feel bad for buying it, it's the show we're mostly all here for, but let's not dress it up as more than it is, serviceable at best.

I didn't know that Funimation acquired Manga UK. Does that mean Manga UK releases are just as bad now as the Funimation ones?

[Googaliemoogalie]

The dream's definitely not quite 100% dead, though. While Manga UK aren't set up to do their own remasters, they have the freedom to grab materials from all over the world and put subs on them so long as Toei approve them. They definitely want to do right by the fans, but that last point there is the biggest hurdle. I can give them all the advice in the world, but if Toei say no, that's the end of that.

Thanks Ajay, I for one am grateful to you for the efforts you make to advise Manga UK where possible, as they couldn't have anyone more knowledgeable about Dragon Ball to consult with. I love Dragon Ball home media and I like to support Manga's output as much as I can, so it's good to know that you and your contacts within the company are doing your best to ensure the best available material are released for us UK and Irish fans. Even if TOEI reject these things its the thought from yourself and Manga that counts.

I started collecting Dragon Ball (Z) decades ago since the VHS tapes were released. I have the VHS tapes, DVDs, Orange Bricks, Dragon Boxes, The 2 Level blu rays, and now the SteelBooks. Yea I got the SteelBooks out of curiosity and high hopes and have been disappointed yet again. I really hate how Funimation doesn't care on so many levels.
It's so frustrating to see that after so long, there hasn't been much change in the anime since the VHS tapes were released. I don't think they will. I don't think it's completly because of their budget, I think a lot has to do with being too stubborn to listen to the fandom. For every saturation boost and DVNR application, we get spelling Freeza with an i, lame jokes replacing silence, Tri-beams and Special beam cannons.
Funimation does not care. They will never.
I believe we have to wait for Toei to release their work and hope it's a Blu Ray version of the Dragon Boxes.

[JEFFMAN219]

I actually really love the new cases a lot and since I have both the Dragonboxes and the 30th set, I will not be buying this. AGAIN.
I can't keep buying Z over and over and over from Funimation. I've paid more than my dues when it comes to supporting the Z portion of the series. Honestly, I feel nobody will ever be 100% satisfied with any release that is ever released ever. to them, the colors are gonna be off, too much or too less grain, it's not color corrected enough for them, etc. I'll stick with the 30th set and Dragonboxes from now on.

I'm only getting these because they're in 4:3 and look a bit better then the 2013 Blu Ray sets. But once I finish buying the rest of the seasons I will be officially done buying DBZ. I have Kai for a filler-less more accurate English dub and I will have Z for nostalgia purposes and the Japanese version.

Kai is censored though. I can't get over that. And the Majin boo arc is in widescreen, if I remember correctly

Some not all parts of Kai are censored. I was also ticked off that Toei decided to crop the Boo saga of Kai into 16:9. I wish they would've kept it in 4:3 just like the first half of the series

[Googaliemoogalie]

I'm only getting these because they're in 4:3 and look a bit better then the 2013 Blu Ray sets. But once I finish buying the rest of the seasons I will be officially done buying DBZ. I have Kai for a filler-less more accurate English dub and I will have Z for nostalgia purposes and the Japanese version.

Kai is censored though. I can't get over that. And the Majin boo arc is in widescreen, if I remember correctly

Some not all parts of Kai are censored. I was also ticked off that Toei decided to crop the Boo saga of Kai into 16:9. I wish they would've kept it in 4:3 just like the first half of the series

Dunno, that's enough to put me off. My Kai collection sits on a shelf and I watch my Blue Bricks and Dragon Boxes when I rewatch the series.

[Brangeta]

Excellent screenshots Googaliemoogalie! I really enjoyed looking at these comparisons!

I've been a major DBZ fan since 1998 consistently and I have the 30th Anni Blu-Ray set (which I am guessing is identical to the new steelbooks), and I really like them, as they allowed me to replace the orange bricks in my collection. I wasn't fortunate enough to buy the Dragon Boxes before the massive value increase, so I was scared I'd be stuck with 16:9 DBZ forever as the only way for me to have the complete series, as there's no way I'd chase down old DVDs or VHS tapes and I think Kai is garbage (other than the Great Saiyaman Saga... which I think is actually better than the DBZ version on a content/dubbing level--it's more entertaining for some reason...). I'm not going to claim the 30th Anni Blu-Rays are perfect, but I sit there like

(with the biggest smile on my face possible, practically with a tear in my eye)
that I get to see my favorite series in much better quality than orange brick quality on my 43" 4K TV. Plus... I get to see all of the stuff that the 16:9 cropping took away all those years ago, which is truly the best thing about it. The 30th Anni set fixes the evil of the 16:9 cropping that made the orange DBZ bricks not match the awesome 4:3 blue DB bricks and 4:3 lime green DBGT bricks... all without having to devote multiple shelves to housing dozens of DBZ DVD single cases or $$$$ to Dragon Boxes!

While it isn't perfect, I find it a lot better to watch. Truly, I understand why many of you are disappointed and upset. I own both of the Level sets and it's great seeing DBZ looking like the most high quality, perfect 1980s/1990s cartoon ever, but for whatever reason, we can't have that. You guys know the reasons/theories why better than I do.

I also have the Rock the Dragon DVD box set, which brings me right back to 1999 and watching DBZ on Cartoon Network after school, albeit, not with a 36" CRT TV that weighed like 100 lbs thank goodness. It's my favorite way to watch Saiyan Saga and Namek Saga, and always will be, because I prefer their music, silly dubbing, and how it's 100% safe (not embarrassing) to have mixed company in the room while it's playing a scene involving Roshi.

For me, the 30th set is/was good enough, so I think a lot of people who don't already own (1) the Dragon Boxes, (2) multiple shelves of DVD singles from 20 years ago, or (3) the 30th Anni Blu-Ray set would be happy to own the new steelbooks. I'm glad that fans who missed buying the 30th Anni set (as well as missed the Dragon Boxes) can get a much more satisfying DBZ for their enjoyment than having to buy the 16:9 orange bricks or 16:9 blu-ray season sets. Those are just fine if you're watching on a laptop, desktop computer, or 23" HD TV (and if that's what you watch DBZ on... save your money! The orange bricks are alright!), but for me (and my money), the 30th Anni Blu-Rays are good enough to be the last time I ever have to buy DBZ again.

With that said... I'd buy DBZ again if everything was done identical to Level 1.1 and Level 1.2 Blu-Rays, just so the show looked like the 1980s/1990s show it is supposed to look like, but I'm really not upset that I can't get that sort of thing. Having it in 4:3 and looking good on a relatively large TV (much larger than any common 1990s CRT TV) is all that REALLY matters to me. And if the colors or brightness or any of those things bother me... it's just a few clicks on the remote control to adjust them... just like it was in the '90s and '00s watching it on a big old CRT TV on Cartoon Network.

[eledoremassis02]

Excellent screenshots Googaliemoogalie! I really enjoyed looking at these comparisons!

I've been a major DBZ fan since 1998 consistently and I have the 30th Anni Blu-Ray set (which I am guessing is identical to the new steelbooks), and I really like them, as they allowed me to replace the orange bricks in my collection. I wasn't fortunate enough to buy the Dragon Boxes before the massive value increase, so I was scared I'd be stuck with 16:9 DBZ forever as the only way for me to have the complete series, as there's no way I'd chase down old DVDs or VHS tapes and I think Kai is garbage (other than the Great Saiyaman Saga... which I think is actually better than the DBZ version on a content/dubbing level--it's more entertaining for some reason...). I'm not going to claim the 30th Anni Blu-Rays are perfect, but I sit there like

(with the biggest smile on my face possible, practically with a tear in my eye)
that I get to see my favorite series in much better quality than orange brick quality on my 43" 4K TV. Plus... I get to see all of the stuff that the 16:9 cropping took away all those years ago, which is truly the best thing about it. The 30th Anni set fixes the evil of the 16:9 cropping that made the orange DBZ bricks not match the awesome 4:3 blue DB bricks and 4:3 lime green DBGT bricks... all without having to devote multiple shelves to housing dozens of DBZ DVD single cases or $$$$ to Dragon Boxes!

While it isn't perfect, I find it a lot better to watch. Truly, I understand why many of you are disappointed and upset. I own both of the Level sets and it's great seeing DBZ looking like the most high quality, perfect 1980s/1990s cartoon ever, but for whatever reason, we can't have that. You guys know the reasons/theories why better than I do.

I also have the Rock the Dragon DVD box set, which brings me right back to 1999 and watching DBZ on Cartoon Network after school, albeit, not with a 36" CRT TV that weighed like 100 lbs thank goodness. It's my favorite way to watch Saiyan Saga and Namek Saga, and always will be, because I prefer their music, silly dubbing, and how it's 100% safe (not embarrassing) to have mixed company in the room while it's playing a scene involving Roshi.

For me, the 30th set is/was good enough, so I think a lot of people who don't already own (1) the Dragon Boxes, (2) multiple shelves of DVD singles from 20 years ago, or (3) the 30th Anni Blu-Ray set would be happy to own the new steelbooks. I'm glad that fans who missed buying the 30th Anni set (as well as missed the Dragon Boxes) can get a much more satisfying DBZ for their enjoyment than having to buy the 16:9 orange bricks or 16:9 blu-ray season sets. Those are just fine if you're watching on a laptop, desktop computer, or 23" HD TV (and if that's what you watch DBZ on... save your money! The orange bricks are alright!), but for me (and my money), the 30th Anni Blu-Rays are good enough to be the last time I ever have to buy DBZ again.

With that said... I'd buy DBZ again if everything was done identical to Level 1.1 and Level 1.2 Blu-Rays, just so the show looked like the 1980s/1990s show it is supposed to look like, but I'm really not upset that I can't get that sort of thing. Having it in 4:3 and looking good on a relatively large TV (much larger than any common 1990s CRT TV) is all that REALLY matters to me. And if the colors or brightness or any of those things bother me... it's just a few clicks on the remote control to adjust them... just like it was in the '90s and '00s watching it on a big old CRT TV on Cartoon Network.

I am 100% in agreeance with you. I've been tossing around the 30th and Japanese Dragon Boxes and (for me) all their flaws (in both releases) weigh about the same and I get no less joy watching either. I noticed the dark ghosting details in the Dragon box (as I have the DNR in the 30th) and I have just learned to accept them as there is literally nothing I can do until a better release comes along but until then I'm glad I can enjoy the series again.