The Chōzenshū databook thread: speculation, discussion, etc.

[SaiyaJedi]

Can we count on you Herms to translate the Chōzenshū guide books

I'm sure we can count on one of our Japanese speaking staff members to make us privy to any new info, assuming there is any.

I'll try and get to any new Toriyama-comments and/or interviews as soon as I can. The book is already on order, and my third-years will be in the midst of final exams, so I should have some extra time to fill (in addition to the other translation projects I'm working on for the site…).

Incidentally, Mike's speculated on Twitter that these books will ultimately be compressed re-releases of the Daizenshuu books (though, one would hope, with information for things that have come out since then). There were originally 7 hardcover books, plus three additional softcover releases:

1. Complete Illustrations
2. Story Guide
3. TV Animation, Part 1
4. World Guide
5. TV Animation, Part 2
6. Movies & TV Specials
7. Dragon Ball Encyclopedia

• Extra: Carddass Perfect File #1
• Extra: Carddass Perfect File #2
• Supplemental: TV Animation, Part 3

The "Story Guide" and "World Guide" volumes already appear to have been consolidated into a single book. That leaves eight volumes of the earlier series unaccounted for, which is still too many. However, if we remove the two "Carddass Perfect File" books, that brings us down to six; consolidate the three "TV Animation" volumes into a single book, and that leaves us with an even smaller four... still one too many, but getting us nearer to the mark.

I have a couple of guesses as to how things may ultimately turn out. My preferred option is this:

• Story & World Guide
• Animation Guide [covering TV, Movies, and Specials for DB, Z, GT, and Kai, including the 2008 special, Episode of Bardock, Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, and Battle of Gods]
• Dragon Ball Encyclopedia
• Complete Illustrations [including the Daizenshuu and Kanzenban covers, along with all the other DB things Toriyama has drawn since 1995]

But it could also be something like this, which wouldn't include a straight-up illustration book:

• Story & World Guide
• TV Animation [including DB, Z, GT and Kai]
• Movies & Specials [including the GT Special, Heya! Son Goku & Friends Return, Episode of Bardock, Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, and Battle of Gods]
• Dragon Ball Encyclopedia

I suppose we'll find out in the coming weeks just how wrong I am, but I figured it'd add some fuel for discussion.

[Herms]

Let's see...Daizenshuu 2 is 266 pages, not all that much shorter than Daizenshuu 7's 314. Daizenshuu 4 is the shortest of the hardcover daizenshuu, but even it clocks in at 170. So presumably there's going to be at least some modification going on; if they just stuck them together as-is it'd be 436 pages. I doubt they'd put out a book that big, so probably even if this is just a flat-out reprint of Daizenshuu 2+4, they'll be leaving something out. The most obvious candidates are the reprints of full manga chapters and color manga pages. Daizenshuu 2 contains a full reprint of the first and last chapter, coming to a total of 48 pages, and on top of that it devotes 32 pages to reprinted small-scale versions of all the full color manga pages. Daizenshuu 4 meanwhile reprints the first chapter of the DB/Dr. Slump crossover, coming to 15 pages. Remove all that and you get a total of 341 pages between the two books. Still longer than Daizenshuu 7, but maybe a bit more likely.

[Herms]

Amazon is listing Chouzenshuu 2 as "Animation Guide Part 1". So this all but confirms that these will be reprints or at least re-dos of the daizenshuu.

[Herms]

(Hooray, triple post)

As mentioned in the BoG thread, according to someone on 2ch, the latest V-Jump says that the chouzenshuu will be condensed versions of the daizenshuu, but with new information added. Each will have 2 of the daizenshuu posters.

[Gyt Kaliba]

So that you don't have to eventually quadruple post, I have a question.

How worth it would these books be to someone who can't read a lick of Japanese? I wouldn't be able to get any of the information out of them myself obviously, so...is there like artwork in them (based on it being condensed daizenshuu I mean) that is worth owning on it's own, given the cost of importation? Or is it something better to just wish an English release would happen?

[Herms]

Well, the daizenshuu all had lots of pretty pictures. Daizenshuu 1 has the most of course, but the others all have enough to probably be worth owning solely for their value as art books. Only 7 has pages that are mostly text, and even it has a section of rare Toriyama illustrations not included in Daizenshuu 1, and the timeline is awfully pretty. Plus they all come with nice double-sided foldout posters.

We've already been told the chouzenshuu will have those posters, but as for the rest...well, these are supposed to be "condensed" daizenshuu, so it's possible that they'll cut down on illustrations so they can squeeze more info into less space. At the very least, Daizenshuu 2 and 4 devote a lot of space to reprinting color manga pages, and I doubt they'll bother including those now that we have the kanzenban (not to mention an upcoming color release of the manga).

[Gyt Kaliba]

True, depending on how much 'new' information is added, there's no telling how much of the artwork may be cut out. Hmm...maybe it's a good thing that I wouldn't be able to go after them any time soon anyway, so that by the time I do, you guys will have no doubt dissected it pretty nicely here on the site and/or podcast. That way I'll know exactly whether or not it's worth me nabbing, or if it'd be better to just eventually try and track down the Daizenshuu themselves.

Thanks for the info.

[Tanooki Kuribo]

I really wanna get the books covering the anime and movies. I hope it dosen't have a big "Vol. X" on the spine, it'll just make me wanna get the other volumes.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

I hope we will get some nice new informations from these.

[the original ero-sennin]

I'm really looking forward to seeing the cover art for these books. With the release date closing in, I wonder when we can expect to see the art.

[JeffJarrett]

I have a couple of guesses as to how things may ultimately turn out. My preferred option is this:

• Story & World Guide
• Animation Guide [covering TV, Movies, and Specials for DB, Z, GT, and Kai, including the 2008 special, Episode of Bardock, Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, and Battle of Gods]
• Dragon Ball Encyclopedia
• Complete Illustrations [including the Daizenshuu and Kanzenban covers, along with all the other DB things Toriyama has drawn since 1995]

But it could also be something like this, which wouldn't include a straight-up illustration book:

• Story & World Guide
• TV Animation [including DB, Z, GT and Kai]
• Movies & Specials [including the GT Special, Heya! Son Goku & Friends Return, Episode of Bardock, Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, and Battle of Gods]
• Dragon Ball Encyclopedia

I suppose we'll find out in the coming weeks just how wrong I am, but I figured it'd add some fuel for discussion.

I think it'll be more like your second proposition. Since volume 2 is "Animation Guide Part 1", one of the two remaining volumes will be "Animation Guide Part 2". That leaves one volume with no revealed title yet. It'll probably be similar to Daizenshuu 7: Dragon Ball Encyclopedia.

[DBZfan29]

It seems like some are dreading an updated daizenshuu release, but since I don't own them, I want them anyway. I'd prefer if they went along like this...

Story and World Guide, DB and Z animation, side story animation (GT, the movies and specials up to Battle of Gods), and then the encyclopedia. I'm not too concerned with illustrations, but I'd like it if they just threw in an extra section of pictures in each volume, essentially breaking up daizenshuu 1 and the animation art book.

I really want an updated guide that not only consolidates the daizenshuu, but also includes information from the more recent guides. Would it be so difficult to stop picking one release of the manga or another and just listing info for both?

[SaiyaJedi]

So, Shueisha has updated their listing with the length of the first book: 352 pages.

If you strip out the color manga chapters and both Toriyama interviews from Daizenshuu 2 and 4, you get 351 pages, which is just barely within that range (most books are bound in multiples of 16 pages, so pushing the 352-page boundary would probably move it up to 368). Accounting for redundant title pages, tables of contents, and copyright pages gives slightly more breathing room, but my guess is that there will be some compression/abridgment in places in order to fit in new content.

[Fox666]

deleted

[JeffJarrett]

I feel a little disappointed with the Chozenshuu, but I guess the Daizenshuu are a little rare. I feel the "latest information" will be nothing but the characters from GT and Jump Special added to the Encyclopedia.

And Super Saiyan Bardock. Maybe explanation to what happened to him and the legend of the Super Saiyan, and the Plants, and the Tuffles, etc.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

The Chozenshuu seem to be exactly like I was expecting them. Recycled information from the Daizenshuu, with updated information from the recent additions to the franchise, and some new information.

I expect it to have an explanation about Gohan's Ultimate power-up being missing in GT & Battle of Gods (assuming that the movie won't explain it), since the Perfect Files didn't have to cover information about this, while the Chozenshuu will have to cover it.

[Fox666]

deleted

[coola]

That would be nice explanation, but I'm afraid it still doesn`t explain fact why he didn`t turn into Super Saiyan during fight with Gotenks Buu.

[NeoKING]

That would be nice explanation, but I'm afraid it still doesn`t explain fact why he didn`t turn into Super Saiyan during fight with Gotenks Buu.

That was his point. He's saying that because these books are so vague with the info they provide, you may as well expect them to give you the run-around like what he just said.

[DragonBoxZTheMovies]

http://khbean.seesaa.net/article/312369793.html

Neat little ad thing for all the latest Dragon Ball stuff.