Best way to own or stream DBZ as originally intended

[mecha3000]

4:3! With grain! No cropping! No saturation and original colors! The stuff of fairy tale dreams, I know. In all honesty, it's DBZ's 30th anniversary and Funimation is not putting out a good enough ptoduct to celebrate. Everyone on this forum knows it. Even I know it enough now thanks to AnimeAjay's resourceful videos.

So, the question is: Is there a legal way to watch DBZ the best way possible? Ideally, I would like to own it but Funimation has made that difficult by not having a cheap enough home release to do so. I even bid on the first 3 DBZ Dragon Boxes on ebay but I doubt I'll win it and they're too costly anyway at this point. Does FuniNow or any streaming service use the Dragon Box quality?

Honestly at this point, I'll probably just recomplete my Kai collection (even with 2.0's tint and 16:9?) and accept it was the best possible way to own Z alongside my DB and GT sets, despite wanting the authentic '89-96 Z experience with Cha-La and We Gotta Power. I just can't bring myself to buy the Season Sets since apparently, everyone says they're complete and utter crap. Is that true?

I would ask if there's a not legal way to watch the DBZ Dragon Box version of the series, but I know that's a big no-no here.

[Desassina]

You can start by getting a CRT TV with either composite or S-video (in case you live in the US) and scart RGB (in Europe) to plug the good old VHS player, because they're not broadcasting it in your desired conditions, but you might just be lucky with the tapes for sale on the internet. Did you know that people are offering a good amount for Disney movies in VHS?

[mecha3000]

You can start by getting a CRT TV with either composite or S-video (in case you live in the US) and scart RGB (in Europe) to plug the good old VHS player, because they're not broadcasting it in your desired conditions, but you might just be lucky with the tapes for sale on the internet. Did you know that people are offering a good amount for Disney movies in VHS?

Damn. Well I do have a VHS player but I'm still bitter I couldn't get the Dragon Boxes. I was 12 when they came out and didn't have the money to secure them. The Funi 4:3 Blu-rays were supposed to be my chance as an adult to rectify that, but they can't even meet me half way!

I really would like to own Z, but the only good way is the never gonna be in print for a decent price Dragon Boxes, which feel like real dragon balls in how rare they are.

[Jord]

How about the streaming on Funimation's app? Is that decent? 4:3?

[TheBigBoy]

This is the only way, brother.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

This is the only way, brother.

"There's so much Dragonball Z, it oozes from our shorts."

"Come out, you candy ass faggot."

"It takes balls to come all the way to Earth, half dead in a tin suit... just to be killed."

Gotta love those old school VHS fansubs. I remember watching horrible quality clips just like these online as a kid in the early 2000's, and the crazy as hell messages placed all over the openings/eyecatches and questionable subtitle translations were just... wow.

[mecha3000]

Update: Is this a good way to own DBZ in its original aspect ratio and quality - on a budget? Someone please answer.

Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box One (1-42)
Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box Two (43-84)
Dragon Ball Z Singles (85-291)
DBZ Movies and Special DVDs

I figure if I can at least get the first 2 DBoxes for uncut Japanese DBZ, from there I can collect the singles over the years instead of at once. If this is true, I'll abandon my plan of getting the Season Set Blu-rays.

Also, lmao at the post above me.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Update: Is this a good way to own DBZ in its original aspect ratio and quality - on a budget? Someone please answer.

Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box One (1-42)
Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box Two (43-84)
Dragon Ball Z Singles (85-291)
DBZ Movies and Special DVDs

I figure if I can at least get the first 2 DBoxes for uncut Japanese DBZ, from there I can collect the singles over the years instead of at once. If this is true, I'll abandon my plan of getting the Season Set Blu-rays.

Also, lmao at the post above me.

You could definitely do that, because good deals can be found for the Dragon Boxes in the wild every now and then so volumes 1 and 2 can most likely be had for non ridiculous prices if you search enough. Then after that gradually get the singles through Amazon and eBay as those can all be found more or less at decent prices as well. The first two Dragon Boxes to cover primarily the first 67 episodes/first part of Freeza and the singles continuing onward for the rest of the series.

If you're looking to collect everything for a complete run of Z in proper 4:3 then Dragon Boxes 1 and 2 are essential, seeing as the first 67 episodes are only available uncut/bilingual and complete there which no other release of the series by FUNi has.

[mecha3000]

Update: Is this a good way to own DBZ in its original aspect ratio and quality - on a budget? Someone please answer.

Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box One (1-42)
Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box Two (43-84)
Dragon Ball Z Singles (85-291)
DBZ Movies and Special DVDs

I figure if I can at least get the first 2 DBoxes for uncut Japanese DBZ, from there I can collect the singles over the years instead of at once. If this is true, I'll abandon my plan of getting the Season Set Blu-rays.

Also, lmao at the post above me.

You could definitely do that, because good deals can be found for the Dragon Boxes in the wild every now and then so Boxes 1 and 2 can most likely be had and then gradually get the singles through Amazon and eBay as those can be found more or less at decent prices as well. The first two Dragon Boxes to cover primarily the first 67 episodes/first part of Freeza arc and the singles continuing onward for the rest of the series.

If you're looking to get everything for a complete 4:3 collection of Z then Dragon Boxes 1 and 2 are essential, seeing as the first 67 episodes are only available uncut and complete which no other release of the series by FUNi has.

Alrighty then, this is the new plan. Man, if you look thtoughout all these forums - You can see my development in terms of how I plan to get the home releases. Honestly, I'm just glad I found a way to somewhat cheat Funimation's system and gradually not instantly, build up my desired DBZ collection. Sad that DBZ fans have to resort to this sort of thinking, but whatever.

Is there any way to stream 4:3 DBZ? I highly doubt it, but does FuniNow have 4:3 DBZ? Hey, with digital becoming bigger than physical - Maybe Funimation will put DBZ Dragon Box 4:3 quality as an option on FuniNow to further sell their streaming service? Then, everyone wins (except physical media collectors like me but oh well)

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Update: Is this a good way to own DBZ in its original aspect ratio and quality - on a budget? Someone please answer.

Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box One (1-42)
Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box Two (43-84)
Dragon Ball Z Singles (85-291)
DBZ Movies and Special DVDs

I figure if I can at least get the first 2 DBoxes for uncut Japanese DBZ, from there I can collect the singles over the years instead of at once. If this is true, I'll abandon my plan of getting the Season Set Blu-rays.

Also, lmao at the post above me.

You could definitely do that, because good deals can be found for the Dragon Boxes in the wild every now and then so Boxes 1 and 2 can most likely be had and then gradually get the singles through Amazon and eBay as those can be found more or less at decent prices as well. The first two Dragon Boxes to cover primarily the first 67 episodes/first part of Freeza arc and the singles continuing onward for the rest of the series.

If you're looking to get everything for a complete 4:3 collection of Z then Dragon Boxes 1 and 2 are essential, seeing as the first 67 episodes are only available uncut and complete which no other release of the series by FUNi has.

Alrighty then, this is the new plan. Man, if you look thtoughout all these forums - You can see my development in terms of how I plan to get the home releases. Honestly, I'm just glad I found a way to somewhat cheat Funimation's system and gradually not instantly, build up my desired DBZ collection. Sad that DBZ fans have to resort to this sort of thinking, but whatever.

Is there any way to stream 4:3 DBZ? I highly doubt it, but does FuniNow have 4:3 DBZ? Hey, with digital becoming bigger than physical - Maybe Funimation will put DBZ Dragon Box 4:3 quality as an option on FuniNow to further sell their streaming service? Then, everyone wins (except physical media collectors like me but oh well)

Same here, i have been gradually buying them all over time and that's been mostly with finding good deals after much searching online with eBay auctions that aren't ridiculously overpriced. Funny enough my copy of Dragon Box 1 was just over $20 used at a movie store and that was one hell of a find if i do say so myself.

Now i have nearly all of them sans Box 4, talk about lucky but it's been a long process for sure. On your second note i'm not sure if their streaming version is the proper 4:3 or not.

[TheBigBoy]

"It takes balls to come all the way to Earth, half dead in a tin suit... just to be killed."

This is a pretty great line, ngl

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

"It takes balls to come all the way to Earth, half dead in a tin suit... just to be killed."

This is a pretty great line, ngl

I know right, those Anime Labs subtitle translations were funny as hell. My favorite one is Vegeta hurling f bombs at Hildegarn in the Movie 13 fansub.

[SSGSS Goku]

In terms of streaming, I used to have a FunimationNow subscription and when I did, I checked to see what the situation was for myself about DBZ and it seemed like a weird mix of different sources. Like some seemed like they were sourced from the Blu-rays, some from the orange bricks, some from other sources that I wasn’t sure what they were (they could’ve just been Blu-rays or Orange Bricks) and the Buu saga actually used Dragon Box masters (at least partly, if not the whole way through) but it was stretched to 16:9. Watching it there doesn’t seem like a fun way to watch the series but it’s the only (legal) way to stream it with a subscription. I think you can get some episodes on the PlayStation store though and the first 39 are sourced from the level sets (which includes some that weren’t actually released on the short lived Level Blu-rays). I assume the rest are from the orange bricks though

[LettuceJUMP]

I was in your shoes too. Hoping Kai would’ve continued 4:3. So I started a dragon box hunt. Volume 2 is by far the rarest and most expensive. It can be 300-500 on ebay depending on condition.

[mecha3000]

I was in your shoes too. Hoping Kai would’ve continued 4:3. So I started a dragon box hunt. Volume 2 is by far the rarest and most expensive. It can be 300-500 on ebay depending on condition.

Don't know if the mods will like me constantly updating my thoughts on which Z release to own so I apologize, but after losing an auction for my desired Dragon Boxes as well as looking at the insane prices - I think I'll abandon my plans of the singles and DBoxes for now when money is tight anyway and can be spent on much cheaper things. I'll still pick up some singles here and there, maybe even Z Buu Arc to have 4:3 with that and with Kai 1.0 for Saiyan to Cell Arc. It's just not a priority anymore.

My FINAL thoughts: I'll just buy the Blu-rays and aim for the collectible box version. It's much cheaper than the headache-to-obtain DBoxes and comes with the Faulconer/Kikuchi scores and I've heard the eyecatchers look pretty good and the Japanese audio has been cleaned up a bit. At the end of the day, I'm still supporting and watching Dragon Ball so it is what it is. Being a jobless kid in '09, I missed my window for the DBoxes so no point crying over spilt milk. Like I mentioned, many casuals seem to enjoy the Blu-rays so I suppose I can too, if only out of curiosity.

Besides, if and when Funimation (or maybe a new company like Viz?) come out with a faithful 4:3 version of Z - I'll buy it in a heartbeat. So, basically I'm back where I started in this thread but still more satisfied. To bring relevancy to my post, does anyone know what happened to the FYE Dragon Ball Season Set Boxed Collection?

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

I was in your shoes too. Hoping Kai would’ve continued 4:3. So I started a dragon box hunt. Volume 2 is by far the rarest and most expensive. It can be 300-500 on ebay depending on condition.

Don't know if the mods will like me constantly updating my thoughts on which Z release to own so I apologize, but after losing an auction for my desired Dragon Boxes as well as looking at the insane prices - I think I'll abandon my plans of the singles and DBoxes for now when money is tight anyway and can be spent on much cheaper things. I'll still pick up some singles here and there, maybe even Z Buu Arc to have 4:3 with that and with Kai 1.0 for Saiyan to Cell Arc. It's just not a priority anymore.

My FINAL thoughts: I'll just buy the Blu-rays and aim for the collectible box version. It's much cheaper than the headache-to-obtain DBoxes and comes with the Faulconer/Kikuchi scores and I've heard the eyecatchers look pretty good and the Japanese audio has been cleaned up a bit. At the end of the day, I'm still supporting and watching Dragon Ball so it is what it is. Being a jobless kid in '09, I missed my window for the DBoxes so no point crying over spilt milk. Like I mentioned, many casuals seem to enjoy the Blu-rays so I suppose I can too, if only out of curiosity.

Besides, if and when Funimation (or maybe a new company like Viz?) come out with a faithful 4:3 version of Z - I'll buy it in a heartbeat. So, basically I'm back where I started in this thread but still more satisfied. To bring relevancy to my post, does anyone know what happened to the FYE Dragon Ball Season Set Boxed Collection?

I feel you man, the Season BD's aren't too great or the most ideal releases either but if you can't get the Dragon Boxes then there really isn't much alternatives and honestly i've been quite lucky mostly through finding deals for them online with eBay and sometimes Amazon that aren't ridiculously overpriced by sellers. Even then the condition on some of them hasn't always been the best but it's a price i was willing to pay to get them and now i have all but Box 4 so it has indeed been quite a process, though with that said it also is a similar thing with me as i was just starting to get back into the series when the Dragon Boxes came out back in 2009 so needless to say i wasn't really to where i'd be able to get them at that point. Heck, i didn't get my first one until about a year after they'd all been released and subsequently discontinued but since then it's been fairly good hunting and hopefully i'll get Box 4 eventually to have the entire series.

Just a note that the old Z singles for the most part are fairly cheap on Amazon depending on what arc, so you could likely find the particular ones needed at good prices and maybe even find the box sets if you're lucky.

[mecha3000]

I feel you man, the Season BD's aren't too great or the most ideal releases either but if you can't get the Dragon Boxes then there really isn't much alternatives and honestly i've been quite lucky mostly through finding deals for them online with eBay and sometimes Amazon that aren't ridiculously overpriced by sellers. Even then the condition on some of them hasn't always been the best but it's a price i was willing to pay to get them and now i have all but Box 4 so it has indeed been quite a process, though with that said it also is a similar thing with me as i was just starting to get back into the series when the Dragon Boxes came out back in 2009 so needless to say i wasn't really to where i'd be able to get them at that point. Heck, i didn't get my first one until about a year after they'd all been released and subsequently discontinued but since then it's been fairly good hunting and hopefully i'll get Box 4 eventually to have the entire series.

Just a note that the old Z singles for the most part are fairly cheap on Amazon depending on what arc, so you could likely find the particular ones needed at good prices and maybe even find the box sets if you're lucky.

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, it just isn't worth it to stress over anymore. Besides, I'm not just a DB fan. I collect Marvel movies too on steelbook. Might as well use money to get those before they go rare rather than trying to already get rare DBoxes.

[SupremeSSJ]

I feel you man, the Season BD's aren't too great or the most ideal releases either but if you can't get the Dragon Boxes then there really isn't much alternatives and honestly i've been quite lucky mostly through finding deals for them online with eBay and sometimes Amazon that aren't ridiculously overpriced by sellers. Even then the condition on some of them hasn't always been the best but it's a price i was willing to pay to get them and now i have all but Box 4 so it has indeed been quite a process, though with that said it also is a similar thing with me as i was just starting to get back into the series when the Dragon Boxes came out back in 2009 so needless to say i wasn't really to where i'd be able to get them at that point. Heck, i didn't get my first one until about a year after they'd all been released and subsequently discontinued but since then it's been fairly good hunting and hopefully i'll get Box 4 eventually to have the entire series.

Just a note that the old Z singles for the most part are fairly cheap on Amazon depending on what arc, so you could likely find the particular ones needed at good prices and maybe even find the box sets if you're lucky.

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, it just isn't worth it to stress over anymore. Besides, I'm not just a DB fan. I collect Marvel movies too on steelbook. Might as well use money to get those before they go rare rather than trying to already get rare DBoxes.

You might get luck if you act quickly https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2780007929

[mecha3000]

I feel you man, the Season BD's aren't too great or the most ideal releases either but if you can't get the Dragon Boxes then there really isn't much alternatives and honestly i've been quite lucky mostly through finding deals for them online with eBay and sometimes Amazon that aren't ridiculously overpriced by sellers. Even then the condition on some of them hasn't always been the best but it's a price i was willing to pay to get them and now i have all but Box 4 so it has indeed been quite a process, though with that said it also is a similar thing with me as i was just starting to get back into the series when the Dragon Boxes came out back in 2009 so needless to say i wasn't really to where i'd be able to get them at that point. Heck, i didn't get my first one until about a year after they'd all been released and subsequently discontinued but since then it's been fairly good hunting and hopefully i'll get Box 4 eventually to have the entire series.

Just a note that the old Z singles for the most part are fairly cheap on Amazon depending on what arc, so you could likely find the particular ones needed at good prices and maybe even find the box sets if you're lucky.

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, it just isn't worth it to stress over anymore. Besides, I'm not just a DB fan. I collect Marvel movies too on steelbook. Might as well use money to get those before they go rare rather than trying to already get rare DBoxes.

You might get luck if you act quickly https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2780007929

Thanks but i knew about this already and moneys tight so i couldnt justify it even though for dragon boxes, it was fairly cheap. Sucks too because i get paid REALLY well this week along with security deposit money from my old apartment. If only that listing ended next week i couldve bought it but oh well.

Season Set Blu-rays for now until i build up enough money for the dragon boxes i want.

[Tylerman29]

Season Set Blu-rays for now until i build up enough money for the dragon boxes i want.

I'll sell you my 30th set for the low price of $1600!!! (Look on ebay...scalpers are showing no shame)