Funimation's 30th anniversary collectible home video release

[Scsigs]

Everyone does not have the DBZ Boxes. I am an old fan of the series (I even own some of the old DVD singles and a couple VHS) but unfortunately for me I left the fandom for awhile and moved on and wasn't really paying attention when the DBZ Boxes were released. It was Super that got me back into the fandom.

Yes I guess technically it is my fault that I didn’t buy it back then. But I didn’t know I would want it back then.

But you would think with a series as popular as Dragon Ball is right now we can have a proper release of the series. And those are still DVDs so it’s the best release we got but not the best the release can be and the best release we got is OOP.

Same, though I got back into the franchise with Kai due to knowing that it was the only release FUNi had in 4:3 of Z & the dub was better than Z's. Plus, the majority of the filler was reduced to bring it closer to the manga's version of events & pacing. Luckily, I got wind from MistareFusion's reviews on them & bought the last 3 Dragon Boxes. Didn't buy the others since I didn't have a lot of money at the time & they just went out of print, but I got them.

[rs_chaosmaster]

I’m sorry but I am also 30 I plan on watching and supporting Dragonball for many years to come. It still excites me as much as it did when I was an 8 year old. You are never too old for anime .

I think his point was that if he has to wait ten years for DBZ to get a respectible home media release, he'll be 40 years old. To put it another way, by that point DBZ will have been available on DVD for 30 years and STILL wouldn't have gotten an acceptable release by that point.

So you don’t think the Dragon Box Z is a respectable release?

[Akamay]

Dear lord what a mess this became.
While I am quite disappointed with what has been shown so far, it makes a bit more sense why I always saw the newer releases as looking a bit off from what I remember growing up with.

Still, it is very sad how poorly this whole pack was put together.
The art overall is ok, but it really doesn't stand out from the other releases.
The figure is fine, but it's just a Goku figure, nothing really says "30th anniversary."
The artbook would have been fine if it showed more of the original production stuff instead of the home release stuff.

Generally speaking, there's is nothing incredibly wrong with what they added to the release, but it is clearly not something a hardcore fan would be looking for.

Also, not having the movies, specials and other extras included while calling this a "Collector's Edition" makes the whole thing feel half-assed.

Give me a proper release without unnecessary stuff. It would be seriously way easier than putting this much effort into something that people never wanted in the first place.

[KBABZ]

So you don’t think the Dragon Box Z is a respectable release?

Well... yes, but there are two important caveats to it. First is that I don't really count it as one of Funimation's releases because it's just a port of Q-Tec and Toei's work on Dragon Box Z, similarly to Z Kai. Everything else (meaning the Pioneers, UUEs, OBs, Levels, Blu Seasons and the Black Bricks) were produced by Funimation using their internal master of the show.

Second, the "respectable" part of the Dragon Box Z US release is voided when you remember that Funimation made no indication that they were a limited release, which has screwed over not just fans who couldn't afford it right away and were saving up, but also fans coming in later who might want to pick a release that caters to them. You can buy as many Orange Bricks and Blu Seasons as you like, but if you want a non-smeared version of the show where you can see the full frame, you better have a spare thousand bucks handy to drop.

---

I do take issue however with the idea that the art book using production art is a bad thing. By that logic, none of the chapter covers should have been in Daizenshuu #1, right?

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

So you don’t think the Dragon Box Z is a respectable release?

Well... yes, but there are two important caveats to it. First is that I don't really count it as one of Funimation's releases because it's just a port of Q-Tec and Toei's work on Dragon Box Z, similarly to Z Kai. Everything else (meaning the Pioneers, UUEs, OBs, Levels, Blu Seasons and the Black Bricks) were produced by Funimation using their internal master of the show.

Second, the "respectable" part of the Dragon Box Z US release is voided when you remember that Funimation made no indication that they were a limited release, which has screwed over not just fans who couldn't afford it right away and were saving up, but also fans coming in later who might want to pick a release that caters to them. You can buy as many Orange Bricks and Blu Seasons as you like, but if you want a non-smeared version of the show where you can see the full frame, you better have a spare thousand bucks handy to drop.

---

I do take issue however with the idea that the art book using production art is a bad thing. By that logic, none of the chapter covers should have been in Daizenshuu #1, right?

I've at least gotten insanely lucky with hunting down the Dragon Boxes and found most of them on eBay for less than $100, heck i got Dragon Box 1 for a crazy cheap price of $20 give or take at a local DVD store of all places a few years ago. What an amazing and quite frankly miraculous bargain that was, so yeah you can indeed find good deals here and there it's just a matter of being diligent and looking extra hard amidst all the ridiculously overpriced auctions.

Also, it was actually Pony Canyon who partnered with Toei on remastering the series for the Dragon Box sets. Q-TEC is the remastering people behind Kai 1.0.

[KBABZ]

I've at least gotten insanely lucky with hunting down the Dragon Boxes and found most of them on eBay for less than $100, heck i got Dragon Box 1 for a crazy cheap price of $20 give or take at a local DVD store of all places a few years ago. What an amazing bargain that was, so yeah you can indeed find good deals here and there it's just a matter of being diligent and looking extra hard amidst all the ridiculously overpriced auctions.

Yeah. I'm sure you'd agree though that it is certainly not the optimum way to buy the series. It baffles me that Funimation didn't keep the two side-by-side: the Orange Bricks as the cheap McDonald's option, and Dragon Box Z as the Michelin Star collectible option (sort of the Black Brick of its day, but actually good). Even if the latter was only a "all in one go" purchase it would have put us in a MUCH better position by now.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

I've at least gotten insanely lucky with hunting down the Dragon Boxes and found most of them on eBay for less than $100, heck i got Dragon Box 1 for a crazy cheap price of $20 give or take at a local DVD store of all places a few years ago. What an amazing bargain that was, so yeah you can indeed find good deals here and there it's just a matter of being diligent and looking extra hard amidst all the ridiculously overpriced auctions.

Yeah. I'm sure you'd agree though that it is certainly not the optimum way to buy the series. It baffles me that Funimation didn't keep the two side-by-side: the Orange Bricks as the cheap McDonald's option, and Dragon Box Z as the Michelin Star collectible option (sort of the Black Brick of its day, but actually good). Even if the latter was only a "all in one go" purchase it would have put us in a MUCH better position by now.

True, though i really didn't have any other choice as far as getting the series in the correct 4:3 aspect ratio with actually acceptable picture quality goes. Now if the Level sets had not gone belly up back in 2012 and been seen through to completion i'd have no question bought them all and been content but of course that didn't happen, and being that i'm one of those fans who actually genuinely cares enough about these things like the proper intended presentation and such the Dragon Boxes were really the only (albeit pricey) option to get that very thing. Yes, it's unfortunate i had to take that unconventional route but FUNi really hasn't left us too many alternatives with their own god awful excuses for "remastered" releases i.e. the Orange Bricks and Season BD's, and now again with this new 30th anniversary set apparently which i am not about to give them a single red cent for. While i wish i'd been able to get the Dragon Boxes when they were first coming out at least now i've been having this kind of luck in buying them without breaking the bank too much.

[Mr.Poot]

Sorry haven't been keeping up with this what is going on besides it getting a trailer?

[sintzu]

Sorry haven't been keeping up with this what is going on besides it getting a trailer?

It's essentially the season Blu-Rays in 4:3.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Sorry haven't been keeping up with this what is going on besides it getting a trailer?

It's essentially the season Blu-Rays in 4:3.

Yup so no sale for me, though i had hoped for a time it was going to be good the clips on that trailer really killed my expectations and hype for the set. What a shame.

Still, at least i have my Dragon Boxes so i ain't missing out on anything by not buying this.

[Forte224]

Hey SuperSaiyaManZ94, do you perchance still have your Dragon Boxes? I'm not 100% sure.

Spoiler:

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Hey SuperSaiyaManZ94, do you perchance still have your Dragon Boxes? I'm not 100% sure.

Spoiler:

Duh man of course i do, and i'm sure as hell holding onto them since it appears that this set is a piece of crap.

[Mr.Poot]

Sorry haven't been keeping up with this what is going on besides it getting a trailer?

It's essentially the season Blu-Rays in 4:3.

That sucks either I'll have to start hunting down the Dragon Box z set or I'll wait till some fan makes their own release.

[KBABZ]

Sorry haven't been keeping up with this what is going on besides it getting a trailer?

Well the trailer revealed that the footage is the uncropped footage from the Blu-Ray Seasons with a zoom applied, but to add confusion the clips from the show's opening are of Level set quality. The statue of Goku is the same as a pre-existing statue with a different head and arms.

In positive news, the packaging design looks nice.

[sintzu]

Sorry haven't been keeping up with this what is going on besides it getting a trailer?

It's essentially the season Blu-Rays in 4:3.

That sucks either I'll have to start hunting down the Dragon Box z set or I'll wait till some fan makes their own release.

You could wait for manga uk to get them. I don't know how likely it is but it's better than paying 200+ for each.

[KBABZ]

You could wait for manga uk to get them. I don't know how likely it is but it's better than paying 200+ for each.

What would make Manga UK getting them to be a positive? (genuine question)

[Chilly]

You could wait for manga uk to get them. I don't know how likely it is but it's better than paying 200+ for each.

What would make Manga UK getting them to be a positive? (genuine question)

I think he's saying that it would be easier to find the Dragon Boxes (importing them from the UK) rather than shelling out 200 plus for them.

[Mr.Poot]

It's essentially the season Blu-Rays in 4:3.

That sucks either I'll have to start hunting down the Dragon Box z set or I'll wait till some fan makes their own release.

You could wait for manga uk to get them. I don't know how likely it is but it's better than paying 200+ for each.

I am not familiar with them are they in the works of getting it or something?

[Chilly]

That sucks either I'll have to start hunting down the Dragon Box z set or I'll wait till some fan makes their own release.

You could wait for manga uk to get them. I don't know how likely it is but it's better than paying 200+ for each.

I am not familiar with them are they in the works of getting it or something?

To my knowledge, there is nothing of that sort in the works. It was purely a hypothetical.

[Gaffer Tape]

Something I find interesting when talking about the subject of film restoration/preservation/remastering is just how much clarification the word "old" needs. That may sound kind of silly. Everyone knows what old means. It's a very simple word. But it can easily have connotations that color the course of a conversation.

If someone says a film/TV show is old, what are they actually saying? Well, the way I see it, it can basically mean one of two things:

"This TV show is 30 years old." It was made at a time when technology was at a certain level, created for a certain format, adhered to what were popular aesthetics and methods of the time. Even if you're not familiar with a piece of media, chances are you can pretty easily identify when it came from within about a ten year window. Even if you're not sure why, you can just tell when something was made in the '50s. Or '60s. Or '80s. And that can be based on a multitude of factors, from anything to the fashions and hairstyles to lighting choices, color saturation, pacing, and grain structure. Media are products of their time.

"This TV show is 30 years old." Time has passed. This film reel has been sitting in a can for decades and has succumbed to the deterioration of age. Its colors have faded. It's scratched. The original audio is missing. Its old age has ravaged the product, and it is no longer in the condition it originally was.

As you can see, that same sentence can mean two very different, even opposing things. As a Star Wars fan, I am reminded of when the 2006 DVDs came out, where George Lucas relented just enough to put the theatrical movies on DVD as bonus content but sourced laserdisc masters from 1993. To this day, they are the best official release the original versions have gotten. But they're crap. They're non-anamorphic, the colors are desaturated, the audio mixes are from a decade later, they're smeared with noise reduction, they have severe aliasing, ghosting, etc. And yet when we complained, there was a huge subsection of fandom who sneered at us. "What are you complaining about? This is what you wanted! Of course they're not going to look as good as the remastered versions. They're old!" Clearly these were people who had no idea what they were talking about and did not remotely understand what "old" referred to in this case.

In film restoration, the intent *should* be to mitigate as much of the latter definition as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of "remasters" do their best to obscure the former as much as possible. They're treating the wrong form of "old" in other words. They're not trying to repair the ravages of time to make it look as good as it did when it was brand new. They're trying to convince you that it is brand new... and failing miserably.

Dragon Ball can be restored to look beautiful. It's not as if media was inherently ugly, scratched up, low-resolution garbage until ten years ago when everything magically became pristine. But as long as people keep trying to stuff a round peg into a square hole, it's going to look like garbage.