Manga UK Announce DBZ Battle of Gods DVD/Bluray release

[Bullza]

To be fair, those games weren't very good. Not all DBZ fans are going to blindly buy poor games, I'm a big fan but I chose not to buy them.

Even if they aren't that good they are terrible sales and it didn't stop them from selling decently in US. The Raging Blast games only look to have sold a few dozen thousand copies themselves. Naruto games sell a lot better.

X-men Evo and Justice League didn't stay on the air for anywhere near as long as DBZ did.

X-men Evolution and Justice League weren't as long as DBZ. X-men Evolution had only 52 episodes and Justice League had about 90 episodes. DBZ has almost 300 episodes.

And for years I was seeing these shows pop up on one of the main cartoon channels. When was the last time DBZ was on TV in UK?

If the show was popular in UK then DBZ Kai would not have been put on Kix, a second rate cartoon channel along with old cartoons. I just checked and I don't even have that channel. In US it was on Nicktoons and the CW, that shows it's popular.

As for the internet in 2004, DBZ had already reached its end by then and was staying on in reruns while Yu-Gi-Oh was a fad for awhile around that time.

That didn't stop DBZ from getting far more google activity everywhere else except in UK. While in US DBZ was getting 2-3x the searchs that Yu Gi Oh was. In UK Yu Gi Oh was getting more google activity from at least 2003-2006.

And as I said in the last decade Dragon Ball has hardly been searched for compared to many other countries that have had the show.

DB Evolution had already been doomed by word of mouth at that point.

But again that didn't stop it from still making over twice as much in other countries in Europe because obviously there were a much larger amount of fans there.

I know for a fact that all 3 Budokai games sold well enough to go Platinum, and that Shin Budokai on the PSP also sold very well.

There was actually no sales relation for a game going Platinum with PS2 games unlike PS1.

Now you can just as easily come back and say, "Well the UK isn't all of Europe!" but it's the UK that's leading the pack in all of this.

Which would only be because UK is the biggest market for the Games Industry in Europe by leaps and bounds.

Battle of Z sold 28,000 copies in Germany, almost twice as much as in UK despite not even selling half the amount of PS3's and Xbox's as in UK. It also sold 21,000 copies in France and again hasn't anywhere near as many consoles as in UK.

Same with Ultimate Tenkaichi too, 65,000 copies sold in France, 57,000 copies sold in Germany and 39,000 copies sold in UK.

[90sDBZ]

To be fair, those games weren't very good. Not all DBZ fans are going to blindly buy poor games, I'm a big fan but I chose not to buy them.

Even if they aren't that good they are terrible sales and it didn't stop them from selling decently in US. The Raging Blast games only look to have sold a few dozen thousand copies themselves. Naruto games sell a lot better.

X-men Evo and Justice League didn't stay on the air for anywhere near as long as DBZ did.

X-men Evolution and Justice League weren't as long as DBZ. X-men Evolution had only 52 episodes and Justice League had about 90 episodes. DBZ has almost 300 episodes.

And for years I was seeing these shows pop up on one of the main cartoon channels. When was the last time DBZ was on TV in UK?

If the show was popular in UK then DBZ Kai would not have been put on Kix, a second rate cartoon channel along with old cartoons. I just checked and I don't even have that channel. In US it was on Nicktoons and the CW, that shows it's popular.

As for the internet in 2004, DBZ had already reached its end by then and was staying on in reruns while Yu-Gi-Oh was a fad for awhile around that time.

That didn't stop DBZ from getting far more google activity everywhere else except in UK. While in US DBZ was getting 2-3x the searchs that Yu Gi Oh was. In UK Yu Gi Oh was getting more google activity from at least 2003-2006.

And as I said in the last decade Dragon Ball has hardly been searched for compared to many other countries that have had the show.

DB Evolution had already been doomed by word of mouth at that point.

But again that didn't stop it from still making over twice as much in other countries in Europe because obviously there were a much larger amount of fans there.

I know for a fact that all 3 Budokai games sold well enough to go Platinum, and that Shin Budokai on the PSP also sold very well.

There was actually no sales relation for a game going Platinum with PS2 games unlike PS1.

Now you can just as easily come back and say, "Well the UK isn't all of Europe!" but it's the UK that's leading the pack in all of this.

Which would only be because UK is the biggest market for the Games Industry in Europe by leaps and bounds.

Battle of Z sold 28,000 copies in Germany, almost twice as much as in UK despite not even selling half the amount of PS3's and Xbox's as in UK. It also sold 21,000 copies in France and again hasn't anywhere near as many consoles as in UK.

Same with Ultimate Tenkaichi too, 65,000 copies sold in France, 57,000 copies sold in Germany and 39,000 copies sold in UK.

To be fair, there was a lack of a home release for several years in the UK to keep the show fresh in people's minds. But this had nothing to do with a lack of popularity and more to do with lack of interest on AB Groupe's part. They were the company who held the distribution rights for the UK and were only interested in making a quick profit through TV ratings. Naruto on the other hand got a home release immediately to coincide with it airing on Jetix. But despite the lack of a home release for many years Manga UK realized DBZ's popularity and released it to high sales. I might also add that the Orange Bricks consistently topped the UK anime DVD sales charts, consistently beating out the likes of Naruto.

And you can't argue with the fact that DBZ remained on the air for over 2 years after it ended. And it isn't exactly the cheapest show to license either, especially with such a high episode count. Also shows like X-men and Justice League have had the benefit of having good movie adaptions that did well at the box office to boost interest enough to put them back on the air temporarily.

As far as Kix is concerned Kai has been airing on it since the start of 2013 and still remains on the air, while on Nicktoons US it got taken off for long periods. Come to think of it even DBZ got taken off sooner in the US than in the UK despite the series ending in the UK before the US. I remember people in the US complaining back in 2004 that Z was no longer on Toonami, while on Toonami UK it continued to be shown several times a day until mid 2005. DBZ was basically the crutch for the dying channel that was Toonami UK. If it hadn't been popular then why do you think they'd continue bringing on more Dragonball shows like GT, original DB and the movies?

I remember them having a text marathon shortly after it getting taken off with pretty much everyone saying "Bring back DBZ" and some even going as far as saying "Toonami is nothing without DBZ". There was even a petition to bring it back that got thousands of signatures. Naturally the channel didn't survive long without DBZ, with them even resorting to showing sitcoms and Soap Operas from the 80s before changing the channel to Cartoon Network Too.

I think you overlook the fact that a lot of those other countries have a higher population than the UK. And even PS2 Platinum games say on the back of the cases "Only the highest selling games qualify for Platinum".

Even if Yu-Gi-Oh was/is more popular it doesn't mean that DBZ isn't popular. You make it sound like the show barely has a fanbase here despite it being the number 1 show on the mainstream Cartoon Network UK for years.

[Bullza]

I'm not saying it's unpopular but not that popular either especially like it was in US, France, Spain, Australia etc let alone in all these South and Central American countries.

Now it may have had some popularity at the time but evidence shows that Yu Gi Oh was still more popular and that wasn't anymore popular here than elsewhere probably. You say it finished it's run on TV in 2005? Has it ever shown up on TV since then? With no DVD's either it would be no wonder it's not as popular.

Kai despite any problems it had was shown on a major cartoon channel and a broadcast channel in US but in UK it was shown on a second rate cartoon channel years after US got it alongside old cartoons. That is not something they would if it were a popular property.

I think you overlook the fact that a lot of those other countries have a higher population than the UK.

No that part wouldn't make a difference which is why I mentioned the amount of consoles sold. In UK they've sold around 15 million PS3's and Xbox 360's and around 9 million in France and 7 million in Germany. Yet even then these DBZ games sell a lot more in these countries.

You could actually make a crude estimate off these sales to say that Dragon Ball was 3x as popular in France and Germany as in UK.

Still in the end the biggest proof lies in the google activity, this isn't based on population, it's all relative and it shows that Dragon Ball over the past decade did get the activity that most other countries have.

[sangofe]

DBZ Battle of Gods still hasn't been shown in theaters in France yet... (and the rumors say it won't)...
And Germany? Well, they've gotten censored-only releases and absolutely no word on Battle of Gods there.

You could actually make a crude estimate off these sales to say that Dragon Ball was 3x as popular in France and Germany as in UK.

[dbboxkaifan]

DBZ Battle of Gods still hasn't been shown in theaters in France yet... (and the rumors say it won't)...
And Germany? Well, they've gotten censored-only releases and absolutely no word on Battle of Gods there.

Maybe they're still finishing the dub of Kai so that could be why?

It is indeed strange why France hasn't yet gotten their Battle of Gods' release due to being the primary country in Europe to receive Dragon Ball Kai: Final Chapters & getting to try out new DB games before the rest.

[90sDBZ]

I'm not saying it's unpopular but not that popular either especially like it was in US, France, Spain, Australia etc let alone in all these South and Central American countries.

Now it may have had some popularity at the time but evidence shows that Yu Gi Oh was still more popular and that wasn't anymore popular here than elsewhere probably. You say it finished it's run on TV in 2005? Has it ever shown up on TV since then? With no DVD's either it would be no wonder it's not as popular.

Kai despite any problems it had was shown on a major cartoon channel and a broadcast channel in US but in UK it was shown on a second rate cartoon channel years after US got it alongside old cartoons. That is not something they would if it were a popular property.

I think you overlook the fact that a lot of those other countries have a higher population than the UK.

No that part wouldn't make a difference which is why I mentioned the amount of consoles sold. In UK they've sold around 15 million PS3's and Xbox 360's and around 9 million in France and 7 million in Germany. Yet even then these DBZ games sell a lot more in these countries.

You could actually make a crude estimate off these sales to say that Dragon Ball was 3x as popular in France and Germany as in UK.

Still in the end the biggest proof lies in the google activity, this isn't based on population, it's all relative and it shows that Dragon Ball over the past decade did get the activity that most other countries have.

Well Yu-Gi-Oh had the card game going for it, so a large amount of that interest could have come from that alone and not the series. I know a lot of the kids in my school only collected the cards and played the card game but had never actually watched the show. I will say that original DB and GT were never as popular on Toonami UK as Z was, much like in the US. I think the various Yu-Gi-Oh series were more consistent in their popularity than the various Dragonball series.

You have to remember that in 2004 DBZ had been over for a year already while Yu-Gi-Oh was still getting popularity through its card game and still ongoing series. DBZ had its peak during the early 2000s during a time were many people didn't have access to the internet. Yu-Gi-Oh had its peak later when more people had the internet.

I firmly believe that the fanbase for DBZ in the UK has always existed, we just haven't had the benefit of a decent distribution company over the years. For example, AB Groupe released toys back in the day. The problem was that they were mostly of characters from the movies and the Buu saga long before they had even aired. And they didn't help matters by constantly switching dubs with increasingly low budgets. The fact that Manga UK made enough money off of the Orange Bricks to license GT, DB and BoG so many years after those old broadcasts proves the fanbase is here. Just look at how many reviews some of the seasons have on Amazon UK.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Well Yu-Gi-Oh had the card game going for it, so a large amount of that interest could have come from that alone and not the series. I know a lot of the kids in my school only collected the cards and played the card game but had never actually watched the show.

Yup that's how it was for me and my class mates too we only collected/played the cards, I didn't go out my way to watch YGO, I would watch it when it was on, unlike with DBZ where I would do my homework early after school, get up early for re-runs or to do my homework.

I do hope BoG sells well for Manga so we can get the other movies.

[Bullza]

You have to remember that in 2004 DBZ had been over for a year already while Yu-Gi-Oh was still getting popularity through its card game and still ongoing series.

The same could be said for other countries though. The show ended in 2003 in US while Yu Gi Oh still ran on through 2006 but Dragon Ball was still searched for 2-3x as much as Yu Gi Oh even by 2006. This was how it was also worldwide but not in UK.

Seeing as you said it was still on air in UK till 2005 it even had an extra advantage. Yu Gi Oh was getting more google activity from at least 2004, you can see from the chart that it would have been throughout a good part of 2003 as well.

Just look at how many reviews some of the seasons have on Amazon UK.

On Amazon Battle of Gods comes out today and is all the way down in 930th while on Amazon US it was around 200 or so the other day about a month after release.

The Naruto series boxsets are higher up the chart than the DBZ series boxsets and that came out years beforehand. Naruto Shippuden is a lot higher up.

[sangofe]

It's also strange because France is the second biggest manga market in the world and most probably the first western country where Dragonball was imported (and trust me, Dragonball is huuuuge, most people on the street would know what you're talking about if you ask them about Dragonball.)

DBZ Battle of Gods still hasn't been shown in theaters in France yet... (and the rumors say it won't)...
And Germany? Well, they've gotten censored-only releases and absolutely no word on Battle of Gods there.

Maybe they're still finishing the dub of Kai so that could be why?

It is indeed strange why France hasn't yet gotten their Battle of Gods' release due to being the primary country in Europe to receive Dragon Ball Kai: Final Chapters & getting to try out new DB games before the rest.

[Bullza]

If they could make it so that the next movie had a wider release internationally so it came out in places like France, Germany, UK etc and for it to also come out closer to the Japanese release before everyone watched it online then I think it'd allow it to rake in a lot more money than the last one.

[dbboxkaifan]

Base has increased the pric of the "Collector's Edition" from £17.99 to £20.99 eesh as if £17.99 wasn't too much for this inferior release they're now charging more. Good luck.

It's not the price that concerns me but for its value it isn't worth it.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Did anyone else's order from Base.com arrive yet? I was hoping it would arrive today considering they shipped it Thursday. But no luck.

[SSJ3_Zack]

I forgot to cancel my pre-order for Manga UK's Battle of Gods Blu-Ray. So you can imagine my surprise when it came through my letterbox today . Here is two pictures showing the difference between the Japanese Collector's Edition and Manga UK's "Collector's Edition" for anyone interested. I feel ashamed to admit that I'll probably pick up Funimation's release as well (plus it has the Japanese audio in 5.1).

Manga UK's release.


Japanese release.


Footage taken by Potatocam (Not the Kinect).

[90sDBZ]

Well I finally got to see BoG today and absolutely loved it. Great animation, awesome fight scenes and some damn funny comedy scenes too. And the dub by Funimation was absolutely on the money. Sean as Goku in particular was incredible. I think he's actually managed to outdo himself again. I'll definitely be checking out the Japanese version at some point too. Overall I had a blast watching it. Easily the best DBZ movie and I'm now looking forward to the next one.

On a side note I liked the menu screen that a few people were complaining about. When you see it shaking in motion it actually looks really cool. A simplistic effect but one that works.

[Bullza]

I just want the ordinary version for the £15. It's overpriced everywhere.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

I just want the ordinary version for the £15. It's overpriced everywhere.

Keep an eye out on Computer Exchange to see if it pops up near you store:
https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku=50 ... GETt_msX8c

[dbboxkaifan]

£15 for a used Blu-ray.. that really is a deal.

If he wants for £15 or less he could grab Amazon's link, post it on Flubit wait a couple of hours and then a supplier would have it for £14-15.

This is the link to the normal BD of Battle of Gods: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Ball-Bat ... B00MODCIOC

[SSJmole]

I got the 2-Disk collectors edtion today It was my first time seeing the movie. I loved it! Though I do have a question that might be best served as "in universe" but I thought I'd include it. How is Vegeta is stronger than SSJ3 ? though i surprised there was no SSJ3 Vegeta as it had been used heavily in stuff. But the film looked great. The art cards that come with it are beautiful too. This is easily the best DBZ film

[Baggie_Saiyan]

I got the 2-Disk collectors edtion today It was my first time seeing the movie. I loved it! Though I do have a question that might be best served as "in universe" but I thought I'd include it. How is Vegeta is stronger than SSJ3 ? though i surprised there was no SSJ3 Vegeta as it had been used heavily in stuff. But the film looked great. The art cards that come with it are beautiful too. This is easily the best DBZ film

It was a one off rage/power boost, And I don't thinking Vegeta managed to sustain it.

[Bullza]

This is the link to the normal BD of Battle of Gods

See that version keeps coming and going off Amazon. It wasn't there and then it was but then it went back off but now it's there again.

I've never heard of Flubit before though.