AB Group and history with Europe (Anyone know the details?)

[Rukura]

This spawned from me watching a re-run of Dragon Ball GT yesterday. I noticed that the GT masters used for both broadcast and distribution seem to be completely uncut (which the others were not) and even keep the Next Episode Previews BEFORE the closing animation...which for the 3rd and 4th were shown with the original japanese songs.

So, basically for Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z only the movies and TV Specials seem to be unedited. Bad scripts all around and with awful opening (that served as ending) themes. No next episode previews at all.

For Dragon Ball GT, everything was uncut, dubbed opening that served as the first two ending themes, japanese 3rd and 4th ending themes, more accurate scripts.

Did the AB Group get everything proper and then chopped it around for sub-licenses but decided to keep everything uncut with GT?
Did they not give the (japanese) audio for any Dragon Ball and Z's themes?....as well as the first 2 endings, for whatever reason?

Does anyone around here know how this all went down in the 90's over here?

[Raykugen]

There's a complete video on the internet explaining EVERYTHING, but it's in spanish :S

[TheBlackPaladin]

There's a complete video on the internet explaining EVERYTHING, but it's in spanish :S

Aww, that's......that's too bad................ummmm.................................would someone be willing to.....translate? Maybe? Please?

[dbboxkaifan]

There's a complete video on the internet explaining EVERYTHING, but it's in spanish :S

Which one?

Post the link up, please.

[Rukura]

There's a complete video on the internet explaining EVERYTHING, but it's in spanish :S

Seriously? Could you post a link?

I might be able to get the jist of it, but I'd be great if someone could translate it lol.

[AoiKageNoChikara]

My home language is spanish. I'd be glad to help if the video has good audio quality :3

[dbboxkaifan]

http://youtu.be/1K1SKQnr_Zk < This is very interesting they covered DB to Kai, and even non official related DB stuff (AF).

[Rukura]

http://youtu.be/1K1SKQnr_Zk < This is very interesting they covered DB to Kai, and even non official related DB stuff (AF).

Interesting, yes. But this is basically one of those "Here's what exists" kinda coverages that just gives a brief summary about the content.

What I'm really looking for is factual information about what the AB Group they actually got when they got the license way back in the 90's and what they did with it for themselves and for later sub-licenses (Portugal, Spain, etc)

[MCDaveG]

I dunno, but the French dub I watched back in the days was uncut and right from AB Groupe, so I think the editing in Portugal was outcome of Portuguese production.

[sangofe]

In France, Dragonball's first original run on TV was completely uncut. Then, DBZ was uncut until parents started complaining. Unfortunately, I am not exactly sure when these complaints started to surface. DBGT got released way later and was completely uncut due to the fact that it was never broad casted on anything but satellite, and later on other kind of pay-TV. Why the next episode previews never got kept I don't know.

What is interesting to know is that on the second run DB got cuts, DBZ got more cuts, and as other TV channels started to show Dragonball or Dragonball Z, it received several cut versions as each channel wanted their versions. Again, DBGT never got any cuts.

A few years later they found out they wanted to release DB and DBZ on DVD, and because AB hadn't bothered to keep the original uncut versions properly, it really was an impossible job to find all the least cut versions, so they simply put in the Japanese version where the cuts were for these DVD box sets.

[Rukura]

What is interesting to know is that on the second run DB got cuts, DBZ got more cuts, and as other TV channels started to show Dragonball or Dragonball Z, it received several cut versions as each channel wanted their versions. Again, DBGT never got any cuts.

And that's what we got here in Portugal, and I think Spain as well (although Spain might've even gotten it before us). I never new that the first french run was actually uncut, wow. Some of the Z cuts were the most lazy ones I had ever seen. You don't see Recoome's kick breaking Gohan's neck in the episode....but they leave it in on the next episode's recap

So they originally had everything, but even the Dragon Ball and Z next episode previews were cut out for broadcast? Did they have them in the box set release?

(Do they still even have the license at this point?)

[kei17]

A few years later they found out they wanted to release DB and DBZ on DVD, and because AB hadn't bothered to keep the original uncut versions properly, it really was an impossible job to find all the least cut versions, so they simply put in the Japanese version where the cuts were for these DVD box sets.

They lost the original masters? Wow, how sloppy they are. Is there anyone who's got VHS recordings of the first uncut broadcast?

[dbboxkaifan]

One of most notable DBZ cuts from the French into the Portuguese Portugal's DBZ was Freeza impale Kuririn, at one time he was fine then the next he was done.

Would've been better Nicktoons style.

The PT-PT DBZ Dub was crappy but I won't blame their source for all the mistakes as the man in charge made those changes unnecessarily (added unrelated content to the series).

I wonder if SIC still has the Portuguese DBZ footage to release on DVD, that is, if the license allows. Z Kai would be nice, a new accurate dub to erase the old one from ever existing but right now I don't think they've got it planned, plus PT dubs are kind of childish nowadays.

[Rukura]

I wonder if Prisvideo ever had the license for distribution of Z to begin with. They released the movies and GT on VHS and later the movies on DVD (not sure if even all of them or only the Z movies)

Dragon Ball came out on DVD from Salvat (I wonder if with Prisvideo), which I didn't get, (because god forbid they would advertise their shit so I could know) and ironically enough Spain came out with DVD singles for that edited censored version of Dragon Ball that had the original spanish dub and...*drum roll*...the PORTUGUESE dub.

Besides the fact that GT never came out on DVD, Z never came out. At all.

SIC can only broadcast it endlessly since they never had any kind of sub-license to distribute, Prisvideo is the one that (does?) did.

[dbboxkaifan]

If DBGT dubbed Portuguese of Portugal were to be released on DVD, I'd definitely buy the series, if they wouldn't ask too much for it.

For the sake of the great GT PT opening (which I would like to use with the new synthesized GT OP from UT Japanese), I'd buy volume one, that's for sure.

[sangofe]

What is interesting to know is that on the second run DB got cuts, DBZ got more cuts, and as other TV channels started to show Dragonball or Dragonball Z, it received several cut versions as each channel wanted their versions. Again, DBGT never got any cuts.

And that's what we got here in Portugal, and I think Spain as well (although Spain might've even gotten it before us). I never new that the first french run was actually uncut, wow. Some of the Z cuts were the most lazy ones I had ever seen. You don't see Recoome's kick breaking Gohan's neck in the episode....but they leave it in on the next episode's recap

So they originally had everything, but even the Dragon Ball and Z next episode previews were cut out for broadcast? Did they have them in the box set release?

(Do they still even have the license at this point?)

A few years later they found out they wanted to release DB and DBZ on DVD, and because AB hadn't bothered to keep the original uncut versions properly, it really was an impossible job to find all the least cut versions, so they simply put in the Japanese version where the cuts were for these DVD box sets.

They lost the original masters? Wow, how sloppy they are. Is there anyone who's got VHS recordings of the first uncut broadcast?

They didn't care about them... as they never really intended on doing more with the series than putting it on TV and selling merchandise. Doesn't that remind you of a particular company? haha.

Also, one more information: DBGT got broadcasted in Spain before France, and I think it actually got in Portugal as well. I know Spain had the next episode previews of DBGT dubbed, but that never happened in France. For DBGT they originally intended to have it put up on TF1, but for some reason that fell through, so they didn't use the DBGT opening Bernard Minet sung, which is a shame, because it was hilariously strange. "Dragonball GT, Dragonball GT, notre héros au grand coeur, il n'a pas peur de la meur~~~~~" Stupid lyrics like "DBGT, DBGT, our hero with a big heart, he's not afraid of dyin'." I'd have to re-listen to the song in order to get those lyrics right, lol.

Then, DBZ was uncut until parents started complaining.

The first run of DB, yeah, was essentially uncut, there might've been a couple of cuts here and there, but not really many. The DVDs had the previews, but not dubbed, only subbed, and for the dub they just played the preview music.

Besides the fact that GT never came out on DVD, Z never came out. At all.

I've got the (rare) release of AB video's first release of DBGT containing the japanese, french, portugese, and spanish soundtracks. It contains the first 4 episodes.

[MCDaveG]

I never understood the French cheesy theme songs in all their horribleness sung by Arriane and Minet...... Damn, there is no lower.
I must have endured the Drachon Bool Z, Z, z, z, z......... theme

In comparison, as I don't like both, but US themes were f**kin' AWESOME!!!

[Rukura]

They didn't care about them... as they never really intended on doing more with the series than putting it on TV and selling merchandise. Doesn't that remind you of a particular company? haha.

For sure lol. Except Toei ended up coming out with the Dragon Boxes and made the killing (and where's the AB Group at this point?)

Also, one more information: DBGT got broadcasted in Spain before France, and I think it actually got in Portugal as well. I know Spain had the next episode previews of DBGT dubbed, but that never happened in France. For DBGT they originally intended to have it put up on TF1, but for some reason that fell through, so they didn't use the DBGT opening Bernard Minet sung, which is a shame, because it was hilariously strange. "Dragonball GT, Dragonball GT, notre héros au grand coeur, il n'a pas peur de la meur~~~~~" Stupid lyrics like "DBGT, DBGT, our hero with a big heart, he's not afraid of dyin'." I'd have to re-listen to the song in order to get those lyrics right, lol.

That's totally weird, since we were getting the source material from over there.....or maybe that's a testament to how much these two dubs were rushed for broadcast....
Totally got dubbed GT previews on TV here as well, and before the ending animation no less. Oh...uhm...and...
"GT, Dragon Ball GT warrior,
Hero, you will always be first one
To fight away
The forces of evil, Son Gokuuuu" (At least the music itself was still "Dan Dan")

Besides the fact that GT never came out on DVD, Z never came out. At all.

I've got the (rare) release of AB video's first release of DBGT containing the japanese, french, portugese, and spanish soundtracks. It contains the first 4 episodes.

Oh, wow. I'm guessing they just release that first volume, then? And was it just in France? (despite the 2 dubs unrelated to target audience? lol)

[Eire]

USA themes were just regular while French ones were just hilarious, especially when disco rhymes were combined with bloody clips.
I didn't found anything about Polish release- Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were taken from France, but voice-over for GT was put on Japanese dub. I don't know which script was a base of the translation.

[dbboxkaifan]

I've got the (rare) release of AB video's first release of DBGT containing the japanese, french, portugese, and spanish soundtracks. It contains the first 4 episodes.

The music soundtrack is all the same to those dub versions (French, Portuguese and Spanish), so you're probably referring to their voices.

But nevertheless, it's a really interesting product since it contains the original Japanese audio and three dubs.

It's this one: http://static.cdcovers.cc/e99311bc87b9b ... -front.jpg

I'd love to get my hands on just this first volume. Sangofe, is volume one with the Portuguese dub only?

Eire @ Japanese dub?