English Dragon Box Release

bkev · Post by **bkev** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:32 pm

On some releases it ships up to 2 weeks early. I'm guessing with the Dragon Box that won't be the case, but who knows?

dragonfist · Post by **dragonfist** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:32 pm

Not much eh?

JulieYBM · Post by **JulieYBM** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:11 pm

B wrote:How early do RightStuf pre-orders usually come in?

I think I once got a One Piece DVD a month before it's release date...

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:18 pm

bkev wrote:On some releases it ships up to 2 weeks early. I'm guessing with the Dragon Box that won't be the case, but who knows?

It will probably ship early. One of the main perks with buying from Right Stuf.

DemonRin · Post by **DemonRin** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:45 pm

JulieYBM wrote:
B wrote:How early do RightStuf pre-orders usually come in?
I think I once got a One Piece DVD a month before it's release date...

That was probably One Piece Season 1 First Voyage, that was a Fluke tho, I think Right Stuff got in trouble for that XD

Expect the DBox about a week or two early.

Gozar · Post by **Gozar** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:36 am

VegettoEX wrote:I'm not so sure about that. If the types of comments outside of our community (which is not representative of the larger fandom) actually do represent the larger group of fans... they have a wildly angry, abrasive, (and typically ignorant) lack of interest in purchasing this release.

This is actually quite shocking to hear. I mean if such a small percentage of the Fan Base will be buying this, can FUNi even hope to break even on such a greater cost re-re-re-release (Re-re-release for Episode 68 and on)?

Raki wrote:The score will still be on the season sets. Which plenty of people who enjoy the dub score were happy with them. Of course I'd like for everyone to be happy, but that just isn't going to happen. If something needs to go, the Falcouner score can be cut. It isn't some vital part of the show that we just have to have. The Falcouner score DOES NOT define Dragonball Z at all.

But I think Fans of every type deserve to be able to enjoy the top notch quality that is the Dragon Box.

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:45 am

Even if they aren't going to buy the product?

DemonRin · Post by **DemonRin** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:46 am

Gozar wrote:
VegettoEX wrote:I'm not so sure about that. If the types of comments outside of our community (which is not representative of the larger fandom) actually do represent the larger group of fans... they have a wildly angry, abrasive, (and typically ignorant) lack of interest in purchasing this release.
This is actually quite shocking to hear. I mean if such a small percentage of the Fan Base will be buying this, can FUNi even hope to break even on such a greater cost re-re-re-release (Re-re-release for Episode 68 and on)?

Raki wrote:The score will still be on the season sets. Which plenty of people who enjoy the dub score were happy with them. Of course I'd like for everyone to be happy, but that just isn't going to happen. If something needs to go, the Falcouner score can be cut. It isn't some vital part of the show that we just have to have. The Falcouner score DOES NOT define Dragonball Z at all.
But I think Fans of every type deserve to be able to enjoy the top notch quality that is the Dragon Box.

Yeah, but not every type of Fan WANTS the "Top-Notch Quality" that is the Dragon Box.
There are a lot of Fans out there, as Mike has pointed out, who either think the Season Sets are better, or they don't CARE.
And as sad as it is to say, more often than not, this category is filled with dub Fans.

Innagadadavida · Post by **Innagadadavida** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:49 am

I was surprised to hear they'd be releasing it at major retailers. My first thought was that it would be special order or online only.

Teclo · Post by **Teclo** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:50 am

I think going off the online fan base is going to lead to misunderstandings. There are loads of people that like DBZ that don't post their opinions on YouTube, GameFAQs and other various forums. In fact, out of all the people I know, only one other guy and myself use forums. Seriously, terms like "avatar" have no meaning to them (unless they know about Hinduism) and a "signature" is when you write your name all fancy, nothing else.

In fact, going off any sort of identifiable fan base is even a little misleading since many products will be bought as presents by relatives or by people just thinking "Oh, I've heard of this DBZ thing..." I mean, I've bought seasons of TV programs that I don't consider myself to be a fan of in the way I'm a fan of DBZ. I wouldn't go on their forums or talk about it to anyone apart from my friends.

bkev · Post by **bkev** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:53 am

I don't think anyone disagrees on the superior quality of the Dragon Box and how everyone should enjoy it. The question is more on the score.

This is a downright horrible analogy, but the only one I can think of right now. Star Wars Special Edition. Many hate it, others accept it. Imagine the original BGM being the Special Edition (in English, I would consider it so, despite it actually being vice-versa). It's available in rather pristine quality, on HD airings and decent quality DVDs. Now, the original was supposed to be lost forever, but is now available in laserdisc quality as "bonus features". Think of the season sets as these laserdisc rip masters for the original unaltered trilogy. They're available, but FAR worse than what could have been done. The Dragon Box, in contrast, is that shiny, higher-quality "Special Edition" box set you might have in the back of your closet somewhere.

I don't like the Faulconer score. There's no dramatic silence whatsoever the way it was applied to DragonBall. But I think, if anything, it's the dub track that deserves to be there. The original music can't improve the dub anyway if ya ask me - broken beyond fix. And... nostalgia for the people who grew up on the dub.

Gozar · Post by **Gozar** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:37 am

Raki wrote:Even if they aren't going to buy the product?

I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that. In addition, I really think that from a purely business standpoint FUNi can't lose by adding it.

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:46 am

Gozar wrote:
Raki wrote:Even if they aren't going to buy the product?
I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that. In addition, I really think that from a purely business standpoint FUNi can't lose by adding it.

What do they have to gain by buying the Dragonbox? Considering most of them already have the season sets and it has the music they enjoy, why buy another product. It makes sense to the average Daizex sub fan but I don't see them purchasing this set.

MagicBox · Post by **MagicBox** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:49 am

Raki wrote:
Gozar wrote:I really think that from a purely business standpoint FUNi can't lose by adding it.

What do they have to gain by buying the Dragonbox? Considering most of them already have the season sets and it has the music they enjoy, why buy another product.

Dragon. Box. Footage.

Again, this SAME damn argument can be viewed from both sides. The season sets have the Japanese track and we music we all enjoy. Why buy a better product?

Because it's BETTER. I really don't see why people haven't grasped this yet. The FUNiBoxes get announced. People celebrate. "Finally, we can watch the version we prefer (the Japanese version) with uncropped, truly remastered footage." Dub fans come in asking if their version will be included. More often than not, they get this reaction: "Um... who cares? You have the season sets for the dub. Stick with those."

Do people honestly forget about the reason these FUNiBoxes exist simply because the topic switches from the sub to the dub? Everybody has a perfectly fine time understanding that even though the Japanese version is on the season sets, the FUNiBoxes allow them to watch the version they prefer with better footage. So why are the season sets "good enough" for dub fans? I'm a subbie myself, but honestly, the season sets aren't "good enough" for anybody. They're pieces or crap.

Both sides of the fanbase have reasons to upgrade. Is it that hard to get?

DemonRin · Post by **DemonRin** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:00 am

MagicBox wrote:Dragon. Box. Footage.

Again, this SAME damn argument can be viewed from both sides. The season sets have the Japanese track and we music we all enjoy. Why buy a better product?

Because it's BETTER. I really don't see why people haven't grasped this yet. The FUNiBoxes get announced. People celebrate. "Finally, we can watch the version we prefer (the Japanese version) with uncropped, truly remastered footage." Dub fans come in asking if their version will be included. More often than not, they get this reaction: "Um... who cares? You have the season sets for the dub. Stick with those."

Do people honestly forget about the reason these FUNiBoxes exist simply because the topic switches from the sub to the dub? Everybody has a perfectly fine time understanding that even though the Japanese version is on the season sets, the FUNiBoxes allow them to watch the version they prefer with better footage. So why are the season sets "good enough" for dub fans? I'm a subbie myself, but honestly, the season sets aren't "good enough" for anybody. They're pieces or crap.

Both sides of the fanbase have reasons to upgrade. Is it that hard to get?

Look at not only Youtube Comments, but that Bad Review on Amazon.
Not to mention some peoples' experience with dub fans.
I have 3 Cousins, a Brother, and 5 Friends who all like Dragon Ball. All are Dub fans, that's 9 People.
Every single one of them prefers the Season sets. My cousin has offered to buy mine from me so I get get the DBoxes. One friend actually asked me what "Dragon Box Z" was because I made my Status on MSN "WHOOO , DRAGON BOX Z IN AMERICA!!"
When I told her what it was, she said "But... that's in Fullscreen... why would you even want that? they don't make TVs in Fullscreen anymore, you'll have those dumb Black Bars on the sides" I tried to explain the footage thing to her, and how the DBoxes were better, but she would hear none of that. it was Fullscreen, it wouldn't fit on her TV.

Scroll up and look at Mike's recent post on the subject, he nailed it more perfectly than I could I think.

MagicBox · Post by **MagicBox** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:20 am

I've read both your post and Mike's. Thing is, though, I don't see how people can justify saying that dub fans don't deserve the version they want in the FUNiBoxes just because some random casual fans don't understand how the Dragon Boxes are better. If it's one thing I keep seeing on many forums concerning this subject, it's a misconception that dub = casual; that's just not true. The mentality that dub fans don't care about picture quality while sub fans do, as if there's some sort of intelligence difference between the two fanbases, annoys me. And that's coming from a sub fan. We both know plenty of dubbies who hate the cropping and plenty of subbies who couldn't care less about it. That mentality doesn't work.

Yes, the dumbasses that frequent YouTube and GameFAQs probably happen to prefer the dub, but I can't help but get the impression that everybody's using that to say that all dub fans care this little. C'mon, we all know that's not true. We have plenty of smart, logical dub fans on this forum, Toon Zone's, FUNi's, and other message boards that disprove this. The real reason these people don't care is because they're CASUAL fans; the fact that they prefer the dub is irrelevant. We have casual fans of the Japanese version as well who don't care about these FUNiBoxes at all.

Wanna know the reason why so many casual fans are hating on this release? Because FUNi sucks at advertising. Instead of actually explaining why these FUNiBoxes are better, they chose to make a "lolz 9000" trailer, which is what the masses will likely see. Sure, the rep at the convention managed to do a decent job of explaining the situation, but who saw that presentation? All of a hundred people? When the trailer hits FUNi's DVDs and starts going around, that's what the masses will see, and they'll remain completely uninformed. Heck, even with that rep's explanation, we would have been completely clueless too if it weren't for the fact that some of our members have typed up guides to tell us exactly what the D-Boxes are. The reason casual fans don't see the point in this release is because they had no idea what it was before FUNi announced them and did a poor job of informing. It's their fault. And even IF these fans knew how the D-Boxes are better, some of them still wouldn't care. And again, that has nothing to do with the dub. It just makes them casual fans who honestly don't care about picture quality.

But that's beside the point. Here's what I'm saying. Dubbies are not automatically casual fans. Subbies are not automatically hardcore. Your level of fandom depends not on the language you prefer, but to the degree you're willing to go to experience the bext version of the show that you can. We all know that there are both dubbies and subbies who are willing to go to the limit and beyond for good quality, and they deserve to be rewarded by having their version on these FUNiBoxes too.

These dub fans you mentioned prefer the season sets not because they're dubbies, but because they're casual fans who aren't picture quality buffs. It has nothing to do with the language preference.

Post by **VegettoEX** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:26 am

You keep going on and on and on about these "casual" fans... but... if they're so casual, why are they bothering with this?

Let me assign some variables:

a = number of fans who prefer to watch the series in English and want to see it with the Dragon Box footage

b = number of fans who prefer to watch the series in Japanese and want to see it with the Dragon Box footage

c = number of fans who just watch DBZ like any other cartoon (dub-only, casual, no other cares or thoughts on the matter) and can't care any less about its delivery format

I have absolutely no research to go on this, but I get the feeling that a is exponentially smaller than b which, in America, is itself infinitely smaller than c.

No point in bothering with a on a financial level from FUNimation's perspective.

email2003 · Post by **email2003** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:34 am

VegettoEX wrote:You keep going on and on and on about these "casual" fans... but... if they're so casual, why are they bothering with this?

Let me assign some variables:

a = number of fans who prefer to watch the series in English and want to see it with the Dragon Box footage

b = number of fans who prefer to watch the series in Japanese and want to see it with the Dragon Box footage

c = number of fans who just watch DBZ like any other cartoon (dub-only, casual, no other cares or thoughts on the matter) and can't care any less about its delivery format

I have absolutely no research to go on this, but I get the feeling that a is exponentially smaller than b which, in America, is itself infinitely smaller than c.

No point in bothering with a on a financial level from FUNimation's perspective.

I'm going with answer b.

The Time Traveller · Post by **The Time Traveller** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:36 am

.... He wasn't asking an A, B or C question...

Super Ghost Kamikaze · Post by **Super Ghost Kamikaze** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:51 am

VegettoEX wrote:You keep going on and on and on about these "casual" fans... but... if they're so casual, why are they bothering with this?

Let me assign some variables:

a = number of fans who prefer to watch the series in English and want to see it with the Dragon Box footage

b = number of fans who prefer to watch the series in Japanese and want to see it with the Dragon Box footage

c = number of fans who just watch DBZ like any other cartoon (dub-only, casual, no other cares or thoughts on the matter) and can't care any less about its delivery format

I have absolutely no research to go on this, but I get the feeling that a is exponentially smaller than b which, in America, is itself infinitely smaller than c.

No point in bothering with a on a financial level from FUNimation's perspective.

I'm really not sure exactly what you're saying with this one, Mike. The point just seems kind of disjointed from the conversation.

We've seen Funi deal economically in smaller group b in every DVD release since dual audio options existed: they included Japanese audio with subtitles. They cast a larger net to get a larger base of consumers.

Now, if they can focus on the Japanese fanbase while also casting a large enough net to snag the knowledgeable dub fans, why shouldn't they? Theretically, because all auido tracks are already done, they'd involve less cost than subbing the series.

Of course, I could be completely off-base and not have any idea what you're talking about, because I was honestly a bit lost as to what your post was really referring to.