FUNimation and Toei announce online streaming of DBZ!

[KaiserNeko]

You know, I can't tell which is the bigger kick in the pants. The use of their worst footage available to them or them using the US broadcast music. Seriously, will we never be past this?

[Flamingwindjutsu]

This news hurts me. Hurts in the soul. And the pants. Seriously, what the hell Funi. I mean, I don't necessarily MIND them using the orange bricks for footage, although of course I'd prefer the Dragon Box, but... the Faulconer score? Seriously? Well screw it, I'm taking this opportunity to watch the series subbed anyways, so I'll be able to enjoy it as it's supposed to be enjoyed.

[NeoKING]

This isn't bad news at all. I'unno why you guys are acting as such. They're giving us the original JP version too, y'know. If you don't like it then why don't you all buy the Dragon Boxes?

[VegettoEX]

This isn't bad news at all. I'unno why you guys are acting as such. They're giving us the original JP version too, y'know.

With the video masters that most fans of the original Japanese version have zero interest in.

If you don't like it then why don't you all buy the Dragon Boxes?

Those who can are. Those who can't shouldn't have to suffer.

[KaiserNeko]

This isn't bad news at all. I'unno why you guys are acting as such. They're giving us the original JP version too, y'know. If you don't like it then why don't you all buy the Dragon Boxes?

We're not allowed to lament that fact that the dub version they're providing people is of dubious quality?

[Mewzard]

This isn't bad news at all. I'unno why you guys are acting as such. They're giving us the original JP version too, y'know. If you don't like it then why don't you all buy the Dragon Boxes?

We're not allowed to lament that fact that the dub version they're providing people is of dubious quality?

DUBious quality? Ha-ha! Wordplay...

I'm mainly not bothered because I have both the Dragon Boxes and the Kai sets. It sucks that they'll have to deal with poor video quality (though, I'm less bothered with the Faulconer music), but, it's almost not surprising. They probably want people to end up having a reason to move onto the DVD sets eventually.

[JulieYBM]

This isn't bad news at all. I'unno why you guys are acting as such. They're giving us the original JP version too, y'know. If you don't like it then why don't you all buy the Dragon Boxes?

We're not allowed to lament that fact that the dub version they're providing people is of dubious quality?

Well, even with the original score their dub sucks, but I suppose that's besides the point.

[Turtle Marked Stone]

Seeing as how I've departed from the majority of my orange bricks I actually think it's nice to have the old dub music sitting around on a streaming site. It's good to know if I ever get curious in regards to that particular ost I can always look it up legally.

[TonyTheTiger]

To be fair to FUNi here, the English dub with Japanese score is a Frankenstein of a product. It seriously clashes at times to the point where it's actually annoying to listen to on occasion. It's a nice novelty but little more at this point given the scripts were obviously tailored to the replacement score. So there's no surprise they'd use Faulconer's score for streaming. Serious question here. Is there anybody who would honestly choose to watch the dub+Japanese track over either one of the other two if all three were available?

The bigger offense is the Orange Box footage. Nobody, dub fan or sub fan, should tolerate that. They should just have gone back to the singles if they wouldn't/couldn't use Dragon Box footage with different audio options.

[Kaboom]

Well, it's not like I had any reason to watch Z or GT streaming, anyway. I own those on DVD already.

DB is getting broadcast too, isn't it? That's all I really have interest in anyway.

[Kendamu]

You get what you pay for and this is free.

[Puto]

Well, it's not like I had any reason to watch Z or GT streaming, anyway. I own those on DVD already.

DB is getting broadcast too, isn't it? That's all I really have interest in anyway.

Fortunately, DB already had the Japanese BGM to begin with, so there won't be a problem there.

Unless they went back and re-scored DB just for the streams. Wouldn't that be a kick in the balls.

[penguintruth]

I fail to see the problem.

This is free.

You want the best video quality for DBZ? Buy the Dragon Boxes. I would be offended if the streaming WAS the Dragon Box. Why should what I'm shelling out so much money for be streaming for free?

Faulconer score for the dub? Great for dub fans. Dub fans tend to prefer the dub score. Them watching the dub with the Kikuchi score isn't going to make the dub more accurate or well acted. It's still the same shit dub. It's not like they redubbed the show.

That, and they plan to stream Kai, too, don't they? If people want an accurate dub, there's the Kai dub. No replacement music.

Yeah, I would like the replacement music to be phased out forever, but whatever, this isn't a slap to the face to me the way it seems to some of you. This is free streaming. You want the good stuff? Fucking buy it.

We should be applauding Funimation for their savvyness.

[.:PoetikaL:.]

You get what you pay for and this is free.

That's exactly my mind set after finding out they are using the Orange Brick footage for streaming. If you're cheap and/or not interested in owning the Dragon Boxes or the series in general, this is the best you get from the official source.

[Soul]

I'm completely with Kendamu and PenguinTruth.
It's FREE.
F-R-E-E.
Anyone who wants DBZ in a supremely higher video and audio quality has the DBoxes or Kai.
Eh, and hey...
Having the sub there ISN'T a complete disaster since they're using the Orange Brick masters...
You gotta think of of it this way, the best way to think of it.
There's the chance people who still have never seen DBZ in Japanese or even younger kids who like watching Naruto and Bleach subbed will watch the subbed version.
So stay positive people!

[jpdbzrulz4sure]

I've posted this on FUNi's forum earlier, but I'll post it here too, just for the hell of it:

"Y'know, I've decided that this stuff means nothing to me. I have the Dragon Boxes. I have the best presentation of DBZ ever. No complaints."

[Goku100xKamehameha]

The US Dragon Boxes are limited. Why would they want to decrease the limited value (not to mention decrease their sales) of the Dragon Boxes (when their sales are already under the Season Sets') for FREE?

[Deimos]

I do not understand how this is a problem. Firstly, this is free. If you want the best video quality available, buy the Dragon Boxes. Secondly, the majority of dub fans prefer the dub score. The original Japanese score doesn't fit the dub as well as the Faulconer score. I see no reason why the dub score should be phased out. It is an option that many fans(including myself) enjoy. Just because the majority of sub fans despise it, doesn't mean it should be completely eliminated. If you don't like the dub and its score, pop in one of your Dragon Box discs.

[Gaffer Tape]

I'm of two minds about this. Generally speaking, I really don't care. I never stream things anyway, and I've been getting the DBoxes as soon as they're released. But I suppose some of the antipathy is coming from the hope that the DBoxes were FUNimation's way of seeing the light, with Kai confirming it in some way: that they'd completely abandoned the terrible mistakes they'd made with the dub and that terrible remastering process and were hopefully going to put it behind them never to revisit it. That they'd finally become ashamed of the fact that they'd ever used a replacement score, and the reason it was taken off the DBoxes was because they'd finally decided to jettison any existence of it. I guess this confirms that it wasn't a step forward for DBZ but a step to the side. But like I said, I really can't be bothered to feel very strongly about it.

[Kendamu]

I'm of two minds about this. Generally speaking, I really don't care. I never stream things anyway, and I've been getting the DBoxes as soon as they're released. But I suppose some of the antipathy is coming from the hope that the DBoxes were FUNimation's way of seeing the light, with Kai confirming it in some way: that they'd completely abandoned the terrible mistakes they'd made with the dub and that terrible remastering process and were hopefully going to put it behind them never to revisit it. That they'd finally become ashamed of the fact that they'd ever used a replacement score, and the reason it was taken off the DBoxes was because they'd finally decided to jettison any existence of it. I guess this confirms that it wasn't a step forward for DBZ but a step to the side. But like I said, I really can't be bothered to feel very strongly about it.

Looks like the DBox was the step to the side and Kai was the step forward.

What I'm wondering now is if we're going to see cut TV versions of DB, Kai, and GT or if we'll be seeing the uncut stuff. Z is going to be shown uncut so I'd think that everything else would be, too, but (as someone said earlier) all bets are off when it comes to FUNimation and Dragonball.