The so-called “First Strike” boxset is in stores today. It includes FUNimation’s re-releases of DBZ movies 1, 2, and 3. The version of movie 1 is the same “Ultimate Uncut Edition” version they released back in May 2005. They all feature FUNimation’s cast, a re-done script, and re-done music on the dub side. More importantly, over on the Japanese side, they continue to retain the original version, now complete with Steve Simmons’ subtitles (as opposed to the only-somewhat-accurate-at-times translations present on the joint FUNimation/Pioneer releases from 1997-1998). The picture looks a little nicer, too.

If you want the set, it is a ridiculous $18.14 at DeepDiscountDVD, $19.99 at Best Buy, and $26.99 at Amazon.

This is going to be the seventh time I’m buying DBZ movie 1.

FUNimation finally made an official announcement this morning concerning the new remastered box sets. First off, they stated what most of us already knew: that they will be re-re-releasing a “season one” box set. Secondly, they have apparently digitally remastered the series in high definition (1080p…?!).

Dragon Ball Z Digitally Remastered in High Definition and Restored
FUNimation Entertainment announces the definitive Dragon Ball Z collection available February 2007 in TV on DVD season sets

Fort Worth, TX — November 13, 2006 — FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ: NAVR) and the market share leader for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States, is the U.S. company behind the success of anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z. Today, the company announced that it has digitally remastered in high definition and restored the entire Dragon Ball Z series, all 291 episodes. The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will be available at a suggested retail price (SRP) of $49.98 at major retailers nationwide on February 6, 2007.

“This is a great announcement for the Dragon Ball Z collector and the first time fan,” says Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation Entertainment. “The entire DBZ series has been transferred from the original Japanese film and digitally remastered and restored.”

FUNimation worked with Dallas-based Video Post & Transfer (VPT), a full-service post-production house that provides a complete spectrum of video & film related services, for the digital remastering and restoration. The Dragon Ball Z series was digitally transferred from the original Japanese film frame by frame at 1080p. During the process, VPT utilized state-of-the-art digital noise reduction units to remove film grain and thousands of instances of dirt, scratches and debris. The transfer was performed by nationally-recognized colorist Steve Franko and supervised by FUNimation.

“It’s a new era for Dragon Ball Z and this is a project we have been looking forward to for a long time,” continues Fukunaga. “The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will be the definitive collection for the loyal fans of the series and they are a great way to introduce the series to a new generation of Dragon Ball Z fans.”

Dragon Ball Z is the explosive sequel to Dragon Ball. The series follows the adventures of Goku and his son Gohan as they team up with their friends to battle evil forces throughout the universe to protect their beloved planet Earth.

The first Dragon Ball Z Season Set includes 39 episodes on five DVDs with over 900 minutes of action. For the first time, fans will be able to listen to the original Japanese score with either the original Japanese dialogue or the English dialogue. There is also a special “making of” section for the new high definition Dragon Ball Z masters. Other special features for the Dragon Ball Z Season Sets include revised English dialogue and a brand new 5.1 surround audio mix.

Dragon Ball Z Season Set 1 covers the Vegeta Saga and it chronicles the introduction of one of Dragon Ball Z’s main characters, Vegeta. The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will be available at major retailers nationwide on February 6, 2007 and will have an SRP of $49.98.

About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ: NAVR), is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. The company’s most recent initiative is the FUNimation Channel, a new, 24-hour digital network featuring programming from the top anime brands in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.

FUNimation also released a trailer for the new remastered box set, which you can view at their official website. Did you notice anything while watching this? They clearly state something that is not mentioned in the press release… anywhere.

That is right, the entire series will be presented in widescreen. If it is being remastered in high definition, it has to be widescreen, right? Wrong! Dragon Ball Z was not intended to be shown in widescreen, let alone high definition. The high definition is not that big of a deal, as long as it is done well. We do not want to hear “but the movies were released in widescreen”, because that is a completely different monster.

The other point that stood out was the fact that they state that they transferred the original Japanese film frame by frame, or as the trailer put it, “from the original film masters”. If what they are saying is true then that means they indeed purchase either the original film or the remastered Dragon Box film. If the latter, why would FUNimation clean up an already gorgeously cleaned up film? Are they going to saturate everything again?

The game’s official website has a couple new commercials for the game available for viewing. The game drops 23 November 2006 exclusively in Japan.

If you check out the RightStuf entry for the upcoming, hush-hush “Season 1: Vegeta Saga”, you will see a release date listed of 06 February 2007. No other retailers seem to have an updated date at the moment (for example, Amazon), but if history proves to repeat itself, RightStuf usually knows what is up.

Toei has revealed the covers for their next three DVDs of the Z Dragon Box individual disc release. Each of these discs contain six episodes, covering episodes 214 thru 231, and are set to be released 01 November 2006. You can still order any of the released discs or pre-order any of these three discs at Amazon Japan.

If anyone has been doing the math, after this release there are only 10 volumes left — hopefully we will be hearing from Toei soon about some more individual release plans.

Both Play-Asia and Amazon Japan are listing a new CD entitled “Dragon Ball Z Best New Mix 2006”. The catalog number is COCX-34074 and it is set for a 20 December 2006 release at a price point just over $20. We will definitely let you know more as we get more information!

Thanks to our good forum buddy Tsukento for the heads-up on this one.

Play-Asia is having a super awesome sale on all of the re-released Dragon Ball Z “Hit Song Collection” CDs for only $7.90 a pop! Complete your collection! Legally! The best way!

Thanks to Tanooki Kuribo for the heads-up.