Some amazing ideas on Sony's next venture of MILKING Dragon Ball Z

[Majin Man 101]

I think Funimation's 30th anniversary release of Dragon Ball Z was yet another intentional ploy of milking the fans for another release. There is absolutely no way that they were going to give us a Level set quality release of the entire series, because if they did, they would not be able to milk the fans for it again. However, they are now running out of options, and I believe that right now in their lair in Texas, they are scheming yet another plan, (or two) to milk Dragon Ball Z. The question is what are they going to do now other than finally give us level set quality release?

1.Would they consider doing a complete and total redub of the entire series as a new selling point to dub fans who would love an updated version of the original Dragon Ball Z? Or would that be too expensive?

2.Would they finally put out a level set quality release, but then crop it to 16:9 only for them to later on 5-6 years later put it out in the proper 4:3?

3.Would they put out a new dub, but slap it on 30th anniversary remaster footage, only to later put out a release of the new dub on a proper level set quality release?

4. Do a UHD 4k release, but make it look like garbage like the 30th anniversary

I firmly believe that they will continue to milk this for all that it is worth, which has seemingly endless possibilities for them to destroy our lives with these releases instead of giving us what we want.

[MCDaveG]

I am not sure about home releases.
Unless it will be some crazy, overpriced, limited and collector edition blu-ray years in future, I guess that what we'll get at this age is streaming.
The 30th anniversary sets were a spit in the eye, a nonsensical release.

We have discussed this set here to the death. I don't see any release going on in the future, except for streaming the series in whatever form.
Unless, Japan comes up with a blu-ray release that might top the Dragon Box, which I doubt.
Dragon Ball is a huge series to come up on a blu-ray in casual form in Japan, as it exceeds 100 episodes.

Not counting early 2000s releases of shitty cuts and dub edits, this is probably the only series I know, to receive such bastardized releases... on top of it, so many of them, wrong in different ways. And even the holy Dragon Box has insanely bad quality audio.

[MasenkoHA]

1.Would they consider doing a complete and total redub of the entire series as a new selling point to dub fans who would love an updated version of the original Dragon Ball Z? Or would that be too expensive?



3.Would they put out a new dub, but slap it on 30th anniversary remaster footage, only to later put out a release of the new dub on a proper level set quality release

Yes, it would be too expensive and completely unnecessary. Dub fans already like the dub and they're the majority of Funimation's consumer base.

I think it would be nice if they even did a redub of the parts in remastered season 3 they didn't bother with, like Sabat's Moron Piccolo and Schemmel's Awkard Goku. Even if it was the exact same script. But I don't see them even doing that.

to destroy our lives with these releases instead of giving us what we want.

I'm not saying the company formerly known as Funimation hasn't had shady business practices, but fans also bring it upon themselves by just buying whatever.

Like the level sets that fans will still buy even if they're totally worthless unless you're really trying to own the same 35 episodes twice.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Who knows, they've already done so many all over the map DBZ releases that i don't know where they could possibly go. It's just such a damn shame that most of them were either mediocre/decent or flat out awful. The only ones they've released in the last 20+ years that were good were the Dragon Boxes which were flawed (lackluster audio, warped colors) but overall good and the Level sets which were promising, but unfortunately died a horrible screaming death because FUNi jumped the gun by putting out yet another release in a year that was already jam packed to the max with Dragon Ball releases.

FUNi's done so many garbage releases over the years especially the last decade plus, i don't know if Sony/Crunchyroll is really going to do any better home release wise at this point. I have the Dragon Boxes so basically i'm good as far as Z goes, even though i know they're not perfect.

[WittyUsername]

There’s no point in doing a redub of DBZ. Kai already gave people a more faithful dub of that material, and redubbing a 291 episode anime that’s over 30 years old at this point would be a waste of resources, considering all the anime that Crunchyroll/FUNimation already dubs on a yearly basis.

[Stargater25]

The next thing to come out will probably be the 2014 blu-rays in a steelbook set or something. They just re-released that version in those three packs in Wal-Mart so it obviously has not been milked enough.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

A complete redub was always a pipe dream anyway. Companies don't tend to do labours of love for the fans like that. The only reason Z seasons 1-2 were fully redubbed is because they were edited and they didn't contain the cast Funimation likes to pretend was always their cast. The remastered dub included very minimal redubs and was only done because a few actors like Chris Sabat were willing and Funimation had fallen out with people like Dale Kelly, it was also cheap, which a full redub of 291 episodes would not be.

People say physical media is on the way out, but Dragon Ball is still one of those titles that sells decently. Crunchyroll wouldn't be releasing a complete Dragon Ball Super steelbook set in both the UK and the US if they didn't still see some profits in it. Dragon Ball Z will surely have another release at some point, it will probably be 4K UHD season sets though. Even Kai I could see being ignored for whatever future home releases Crunchyroll has planned and going out of print, because most fans are happy with Z's dub and don't want anything else.

[MCDaveG]

I have to re-iterate on physical media being phased out in general sense. It is just what makes sense to me money-wise and after how Funimation oversaturated the market with faulty releases.

One thing that covid shown at the beginning was, how wrong we were about e-commerce and that the market had to adapt hard, as more than 70% people were actually used to and preffered to buy stuff in physical stores than online, plus collectors will still buy physical releases, obviously. Plus for a second reason in a world that is still ruled by regional differences, different licensing deals, that clearly makes the streaming services lacking their full potential (content doesn't stay indefinitely, different straming services for different conent).

Therefore in the end, I do not believe in getting a new release any time soon, as the market is oversaturated and there is ton of retail releases and repackages of what was released before, plus some questionable "better" ones UNLESS we really get some collector's edition in the future. Like definitive Blu-ray remaster that we haven't seen before

Let's only hope... I would love to be able to have a home release of Dragon Ball the same way there is UC Gundam. But well, even if the picture was 4:3, without cropping and filters and different colors, we are still left with original audio being a deteoriated mono recording.
It really makes the show feel older than it is.
I am rewatching the series recently and the Cell arc episodes from 1993 feel ten years older to 1992 episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho because of the audio and some visual choices they did with "mastering". Heck, even Z Gundam looks on par and better and that is 10 years older series, but it is unfair to compare TOEI production quality to Sunrise and I must say, that Dragon Ball is actually pretty high in that regard as TOEI series.

[MasenkoHA]

and was only done because a few actors like Chris Sabat were willing

And even then only willing to redub Vegeta and the few characters whose actor he was replacing. Because his Piccolo and Yamcha needed a redub too. Especially Piccolo.

.

People say physical media is on the way out, but Dragon Ball is still one of those titles that sells decently.

Honestly, between Netflix pulling the shit it does (raising prices, thinking $7 a month with ads is a good deal when there are free streaming services with ads, licensing less and less good content for more shitty original content, throwing a bitch fit at password sharing) and the shit show going on at HBOMax and every company thinking it needs its own streaming service...I say it is time physical media made its comeback.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

And even then only willing to redub Vegeta and the few characters whose actor he was replacing. Because his Piccolo and Yamcha needed a redub too. Especially Piccolo.

It's a shame that Schemmel wasn't willing to redub his early stuff as Goku, because oh boy it's obvious just how much of a novice he was back in 1999. Hearing his amatuer performance in scenes with Sabat's redubbed 2007 Vegeta voice is awkward as hell.

[Majin Man 101]

and was only done because a few actors like Chris Sabat were willing

And even then only willing to redub Vegeta and the few characters whose actor he was replacing. Because his Piccolo and Yamcha needed a redub too. Especially Piccolo.

.

People say physical media is on the way out, but Dragon Ball is still one of those titles that sells decently.

Honestly, between Netflix pulling the shit it does (raising prices, thinking $7 a month with ads is a good deal when there are free streaming services with ads, licensing less and less good content for more shitty original content, throwing a bitch fit at password sharing) and the shit show going on at HBOMax and every company thinking it needs its own streaming service...I say it is time physical media made its comeback.

There will always be a place for physical media if only simply due to the fact that there will need to be big packages underneath the Christmas Tree, and presents to unwrap on birthdays. And also of course things to decorate the shelf with. I think we do not need to worry. We will get our semi perfect release one of these days with stellar video quality. Even if it’s just a good video transfer with crap audio, we know that the internet will be there to make fixes and save the day.