Cinema Today has posted a short new TV commercial for the upcoming Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods film, although this time it is something a little more comical than what we’ve previously seen. The commercial features amusing cameos from the infamous villains Freeza (Ryūsei Nakao) and Cell (Norio Wakamoto), who mock one another for their severe lack of involvement in the franchise’s first theatrical film in 17 years. Although Freeza boasts about his brief appearance in the film, Cell quickly reminds him that he doesn’t actually have any lines. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s definitely worth a watch!

フリーザ「17年ぶりの映画ですって!?」
Freeza: “The first movie in 17 years?!”

セル「オールスターキャストなのにオレが出てない!?」
Cell: “It’s an all-star cast, but I’m not in it?!”

フリーザ「ふふふ、フリーザ様は出演」
Freeza: “Fu-fu-fu, Freeza-sama appears [in the movie]”

セル「!!!!!!!!!!」
Cell: “!!!!!!!!!!”

悟空「『ドラゴンボールZ　神と神』！」
Goku: “Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods!”

セル「お前、声の出演はないらしいぞ!」
Cell: “Apparently, you’re in a non-speaking role!”

フリーザ「何ですって!?」
Freeza: “What’s that?!”

3.30 SAT
最強、激突。
IMAX版同時公開
[30 March (Sat.)
The Mightiest Clash.
Opens Simultaneously in IMAX]

Thanks to JacobYBM for the heads up about this!

As reported last week, a number of websites would begin streaming and making available for rent the first 17 Dragon Ball films starting 15 March 2013 in promotion of the upcoming film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. Amongst these websites was Apple’s iTunes Store, which has been updated with a section for Battle of Gods that contains various merchandise available for purchase. The first 17 theatrical films are available for rent at ¥200 a piece, the recently-released digital editions of the tankōbon are available for ¥480 (color edition) and ¥370 (black and white edition), and FLOW’s “HERO ~Song of Hope~ / CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” double A-side CD single, which was officially released yesterday (20 March 2013), is available for ¥1,500, or ¥250 for each individual track.

In addition to all of content available for purchase, the section also includes the film’s second full length trailer and a brand-new video clip containing two scenes from the film. The first scene in the clip depicts Uisu informing Birusu of Freeza’s defeat at the hands of the Super Saiyan known as Son Goku (or “Kakarrot”), and Birusu remembering his dream about the Super Saiyan God. The video clip then skips ahead in the film, over Birusu consulting with the Oracle Fish and then heading to Kaiō’s planet where Goku demonstrates the various Super Saiyan forms, to him accepting Goku’s challenge to fight.

While preview screenings have been going on for about a week now, Battle of Gods officially hits Japanese theaters in wide-release 30 March 2013. There is still no word on any type of international release, but various hints from the production and publicity staff seem to hint at one down the road.

The new film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is basically upon us at this point, but that is not stopping all of Shueisha’s magazines from tossing out a few last tidbits about and in conjunction with the movie. Today’s issue of V-Jump does just that, and — in addition to the latest chapter of Victory Mission — ties in a few items with Dragon Ball Heroes, as well.

Though last month’s issue came with a special QR code that unlocked six Super Saiyan character cards in Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission on the Nintendo 3DS, this month’s issue contains a QR code that opens up a mission with Birusu, God of Destruction, from the upcoming film. It also works together with the regular Dragon Ball Heroes arcade unit: you can choose from four mission types that work together with it, and get another QR code. If you read that with your scouter, you can get a mission against yet another super-strong enemy.

The magazine also includes a tiny character design sheet for Birusu, noting how “unexpectedly cute” he is, and that while he is a fearsome god, his cat-like gestures and his variety of facial expressions makes him not just a “bad guy”.

“Super Saiyan God” is also given a more formal-reveal: “With flames burning in his red hair and eyes, it’s the mightiest warrior in history!!!” The magazine notes, however, that you will have to see the God’s true power at the theater for yourself.

The May 2013 issue of V-Jump is available for purchase at CDJapan and Amazon Japan. This month’s issue is jam-packed with this information, the seventh chapter of Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission, the new “Akira Toriyama Special Interview“, and more.

Japanese media news site Bunka Tsūshin published an article earlier this month detailing Toei’s goals and expectations for the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods film, set to hit Japanese theaters on 30 March 2013. The article, which has been translated in its entirety below, lays out the film’s initial development, its official public announcement via the Shōnen Jump website, its established promotional campaign, and the general strategy to incorporate three generations of Dragon Ball fans.

Dragon Ball’s Goal is ¥3 Billion, Says Publicity Producer
06 March 2013

This year, Toei[‘s lineup] is once again crowded with powerful theatrical animation. Even among that lineup, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (a joint production with 20th Century Fox), which opens on 30 March (Sat.), is attracting particular attention. It has been 17 years since the last theatrical release for the Dragon Ball Z anime; by bringing in fans both old and new, its aim is a box-office gross of 3 billion yen.

The production of a new work had been previously considered, but it was not until the beginning of last year that it was officially set in motion. Building upon the success reaped in recent years by works such as One Piece with “the original creator participating in the production”, Akira Toriyama participated in creating the story for the first time. Thanks specifically to the involvement of the creator himself, it was possible to realize a structure deeply linked to the story of the original work. The advertising campaign began last July: aligned with [the beginning of] summer vacation, it was announced on the official Shōnen Jump website. Says publicity producer Masaru Tsuchiya, “The response was big. There was such a flood of accesses from overseas that we rushed to put up an English-translated version. At that point in time, we brought out Toriyama-san’s comment, so we were able to appeal to the fans that they would be seeing ‘the real Dragon Ball’.”

Males ages 20 to 40 who know the original work are seen as the focus of the excitement, but the story’s content [is something that] boys in the higher grades of primary school can also enjoy. Toei Animation’s basic stance is to produce animation aimed at children, and they will follow through on that this time, as well. The serialization of the original work ended in 1995, but even now, it boasts immense popularity among children, centered around an arcade card game; the intent this time is to bring in three generations of paying customers, including the [aforementioned] generation below the parents and children who went to the theater over a decade ago. “Children now have gotten to know Dragon Ball through games, so there is a tendency to be familiar with only the battle aspect. But the original work is firmly packed with comedy, friendship, and drama, and the movie has been finished up to get those charms across,” says Tsuchiya.

Prior to the opening, various tie-ins are set. Major items include a joint campaign between the three companies Lawson, Aeon, and Mini Stop (stamp rally, etc.), Kentucky Fried Chicken, Geo, Ace Cook, Kirin Beverage, and HMV. In addition, as a tactic to increase the desire to see the movie in theaters, limited edition game-cards and QR codes will be distributed to attendees.

The work was completed on 18 February, and is now undergoing preview-screenings for the mass media. Reviews from fans of the original comic are largely favorable as “nostalgic”, and the mix of CG and hand-drawn animation is said to be receiving high marks. After the opening on 30 March, a long [theatrical] run of six weeks is planned, promoting it at the box-office until Golden Week.

So it seems Toei has set themselves with the lofty goal of at least 3 billion yen, presumably over the six week theatrical run. In comparison, the recent film One Piece Film Z grossed just over 3 billion yen in only its first 10 days. Although to be fair, it did also set the record as the highest grossing Toei film of all time.

While there’s plenty of other great tidbits to pull from this article, fans around the world should specifically take note of just how responsive Toei was to the overwhelming international reaction. Although there’s still been no official announcement for international screenings or releases, Toei continues to stress that they are very interested in reaching these markets. So at the very least, it appears to only be a matter of time at this point.

With Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods closing in on its official public release date next week (30 March 2013), we’ve seen a flood of new magazines, merchandise, and interviews. In what is hopefully a final promotional push, a handful of new magazines will be coming out throughout the week, all with exclusive “Battle of Gods” content. In particular, the April 2013 issue of DVD & Blu-ray Vision magazine in Japan, which is currently available online from both CDJapan and Amazon Japan, contains a special 16 page “Battle of Gods” feature and is graced with a brand-new illustration from the film’s animation supervisor, Tadayoshi Yamamuro. The feature includes an introduction of the latest movie information, rare setting materials used in the movie’s production (sketches, notes, etc.), and an interview with veteran voice actress Masako Nozawa.

The “Official Movie Guide”, which is being published as a special edition of Weekly Shōnen Jump, is set to hit store shelves across Japan within the day. As listed on the guide’s cover, and also previously advertised in the latest issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, the movie’s official guide will include:

• Story & Character Descriptions
• Rough Sketches Drawn by Akira Toriyama for the Film
• A “Basic Knowledge” of Dragon Ball
• Exclusive Interview With Masako Nozawa
• Special Interview With Akira Toriyama
• Newly Illustrated Poster

You can currently purchase the B5 sized (same as the Daizenshuu) “Official Movie Guide” from CDJapan and Amazon Japan for ¥580. Look forward to a breakdown of all this exclusive content and more over the coming weeks right here on Kanzenshuu, your ultimate “Battle of Gods” news source!