Dragon Ball Z Kai differences

[zeze]

Hey, I was wondering what is the difference between the Dragon Ball Kai boxsets that are on blu-ray, the orange DVD boxsets that were released a few years ago, and the yellow DVD boxsets that are being released now. The last time I watched DBZ was on TV about 5 years ago. Also which release most closely follows the manga.

Thanks for you help in advance.

[Si1entElegy]

The orange boxsets were released in 9 boxsets with the video remastering handled by FUNimation themselves. The biggest problem with this release was the video cropping...DBZ was broadcasted in 4:3 and what FUNi did was made it "widescreen." The top and bottom parts of the video were chopped off and you would gain a small percentage of new footage on the sides. The video also suffers from excessive DNR and in the earlier sets you would see missing outlines here and there. Next episode previews are missing.

The yellow boxsets are the Japanese masters released in 7 sets, each corresponding to the 7 Dragon Balls. The video is true to the original vision though the colors seem a bit muted compared to the orange boxsets. If you want all of the episodes (fillers included!), this is the way to go. Next episode previews are included, but the audio for the English track is missing since they were never recorded in the first place. The packaging is also the selling point because you get a nice box with thick booklets.

The Kai sets is the revised version of DBZ. The video is remastered to 16:9 HD quality with rerecorded dialogue and updated sound effects. New theme songs are featured. The pacing is more faster since filler material is omitted; the episode count goes from the original 291 episodes to 99 revised episodes. This is considered to be the director's cut of the series and follows the manga more closely.

[demiscy]

Originally Posted by Si1entElegy

The orange boxsets were released in 9 boxsets with the video remastering handled by FUNimation themselves. The biggest problem with this release was the video cropping...DBZ was broadcasted in 4:3 and what FUNi did was made it "widescreen." The top and bottom parts of the video were chopped off and you would gain a small percentage of new footage on the sides. The video also suffers from excessive DNR and in the earlier sets you would see missing outlines here and there. Next episode previews are missing.

The yellow boxsets are the Japanese masters released in 7 sets, each corresponding to the 7 Dragon Balls. The video is true to the original vision though the colors seem a bit muted compared to the orange boxsets. If you want all of the episodes (fillers included!), this is the way to go. Next episode previews are included, but the audio for the English track is missing since they were never recorded in the first place. The packaging is also the selling point because you get a nice box with thick booklets.

The Kai sets is the revised version of DBZ. The video is remastered to 16:9 HD quality with rerecorded dialogue and updated sound effects. New theme songs are featured. The pacing is more faster since filler material is omitted; the episode count goes from the original 291 episodes to 99 revised episodes. This is considered to be the director's cut of the series and follows the manga more closely.

Excellent reviews

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by Si1entElegy

The orange boxsets were released in 9 boxsets with the video remastering handled by FUNimation themselves. The biggest problem with this release was the video cropping...DBZ was broadcasted in 4:3 and what FUNi did was made it "widescreen." The top and bottom parts of the video were chopped off and you would gain a small percentage of new footage on the sides. The video also suffers from excessive DNR and in the earlier sets you would see missing outlines here and there. Next episode previews are missing.

The yellow boxsets are the Japanese masters released in 7 sets, each corresponding to the 7 Dragon Balls. The video is true to the original vision though the colors seem a bit muted compared to the orange boxsets. If you want all of the episodes (fillers included!), this is the way to go. Next episode previews are included, but the audio for the English track is missing since they were never recorded in the first place. The packaging is also the selling point because you get a nice box with thick booklets.

The Kai sets is the revised version of DBZ. The video is remastered to 16:9 HD quality with rerecorded dialogue and updated sound effects. New theme songs are featured. The pacing is more faster since filler material is omitted; the episode count goes from the original 291 episodes to 99 revised episodes. This is considered to be the director's cut of the series and follows the manga more closely.

Guess you like the dragon boxes , since you left off that the yellow boxes won't give you the english audio tracks if thats what you grew up watching on cartoon network which is where allot of people here in the states started watching the show, which the orange boxes (first sets mentioned) do have.

Kai also has new voices not just rerecorded dialogue, so you should watch the episodes on Nick or online and see if you like the new voices for certain characters like gohan and frieza ... I hate them enough that I'll eventually get the sets, but not until its butt cheap.

[Lore Lord]

Originally Posted by supersix4

Guess you like the dragon boxes , since you left off that the yellow boxes won't give you the english audio tracks if thats what you grew up watching, which the orange boxes (first sets mentioned) do have.

The yellow sets actually do have the english voices, just not the english music...you do have to switch it over from the japaneses default in the options though.....

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by Lore Lord

The yellow sets actually do have the english voices, just not the english music...you do have to switch it over from the japaneses default in the options though.....

thats why I said audio and not dialogue

[Lore Lord]

Originally Posted by supersix4

thats why I said audio and not dialogue

Oh, my bad.

[J-Syxx]

Is it true that the blood was toned down for Dragon Ball Kai? And I'm talking about the Blu-Ray release, not the broadcast version.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by supersix4

watching on cartoon network which is where allot of people here in the states started watching the show

How young are you people? I first saw DBZ on WPIX (channel 11 in NY) way before there even was a Cartoon Network on cable. Same thing with the original DB, also on channel 11. By the time there was a Cartoon Network, the show had already been shown in the USA so they were all reruns for me.

[tommyboy81]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

How young are you people? I first saw DBZ on WPIX (channel 11 in NY) way before there even was a Cartoon Network on cable. Same thing with the original DB, also on channel 11. By the time there was a Cartoon Network, the show had already been shown in the USA so they were all reruns for me.

I'm 31 and started watching it in 99 or 00 on the Cartoon Network (Toonami). Last year of High School. I know the Cell Series was in 01.

NY I believe had and still has more stations than down here in Georgia.

[ultlife2013]

They're releasing the orange boxes on blu ray right? I saw 2 blu rays at best buy today with 16 episodes each I think.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

I'm 31 and started watching it in 99 or 00 on the Cartoon Network (Toonami). Last year of High School. I know the Cell Series was in 01.

NY I believe had and still has more stations than down here in Georgia.

I'm 31 as well, started watching the series in 1996 on WPIX. Before that (around 1991/1992) I watched the original DB. I watched an episode right before school, they aired around 6 or 7am.

By the time the Cell saga aired, I was watching it on Cartoon Network. Cell and Buu were the only parts I saw for the first time on CN, everything before that I saw on WPIX.


In the late 1980s and early 1990s I also watched Voltron, Tundercats, Astroboy, Merrie Melodies, Loony Toons, Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, Garfield, Fat Albert, etc. I miss those days!

[rodwoo17]

Thanks! I was wondering about this too.

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by Si1entElegy

The orange boxsets were released in 9 boxsets with the video remastering handled by FUNimation themselves. The biggest problem with this release was the video cropping...DBZ was broadcasted in 4:3 and what FUNi did was made it "widescreen." The top and bottom parts of the video were chopped off and you would gain a small percentage of new footage on the sides. The video also suffers from excessive DNR and in the earlier sets you would see missing outlines here and there. Next episode previews are missing.

The yellow boxsets are the Japanese masters released in 7 sets, each corresponding to the 7 Dragon Balls. The video is true to the original vision though the colors seem a bit muted compared to the orange boxsets. If you want all of the episodes (fillers included!), this is the way to go. Next episode previews are included, but the audio for the English track is missing since they were never recorded in the first place. The packaging is also the selling point because you get a nice box with thick booklets.

The Kai sets is the revised version of DBZ. The video is remastered to 16:9 HD quality with rerecorded dialogue and updated sound effects. New theme songs are featured. The pacing is more faster since filler material is omitted; the episode count goes from the original 291 episodes to 99 revised episodes. This is considered to be the director's cut of the series and follows the manga more closely.

Ok, I'm someone that grew up watching DBZ religiously on Cartoon Network in the late 90's. This was the first version I was exposed to. I've downloaded a bunch of japanese versions but never watched them.

As someone who would love to own the Cartoon Network version (American voices plus Falconer audio), which set would be the best to buy whether blu or DVD?

After reading all these threads, I see Kai is just a director's cut with updated music and voices. I can re-visit that another day.

I'm not a purist like most of you here, but I'm also someone that doesn't mind watching the original intended presentation. I watch Criterion's all the time with the native audio and not english subtitles.

First and foremost, I want to own the Cartoon network edition whether blu-ray or dvd (preferably blu-ray but DVD's I don't mind even upscaling). Is there a set that has BOTH the japanese and american dubs?

Picture quality isn't a dealbreaker for me, as long as I can re-live the nostalgia 85-90%, I'm ok. I know none of these sets are perfect, but I can live with it.

[Thomas Guycott]

The orange brick DVD season sets are, IIRC, the only complete release which includes the original English broadcast soundtrack, although the early Saban episodes were redubbed with the contemporary Funimation cast.

[LegacyCosts]

Watch it with the Japanese tunes, it fits the show much better tonally than Falconer ever could. It'll grow on you...plus the dragonboxes are just so much better than the orange bricks.

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by LegacyCosts

Watch it with the Japanese tunes, it fits the show much better tonally than Falconer ever could. It'll grow on you...plus the dragonboxes are just so much better than the orange bricks.

Personally, I like both in their own seperate ways. I even own the soundtrack cds featuring Faulconer's music.

[ps3bd_owner]

Almost done watching Part Five, can't wait for the last two.

supersix4 @ The Dragon Boxes are for the fans of the original series not americanized one.

Koreo @ The sets either on Blu-ray or DVD don't even cost up to $25, it's actually less, only $18 or $19.

[ps3bd_owner]

Please note that this remaster is being done by FUNimation, not Toei Animation, unfortunately.

This isn't the actual cover from the Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 Blu-ray, but the Dragon Box Z DVD BOX 1, I've just used it for 3D BD Cover presentation, because the yellow background and Son Goku look damn nice. ^_^

Now, here's the news:

Funimation Entertainment Announces Dragon Ball Z Series on Blu-Ray

Dragon Ball Z Sees November Release on High-Definition Blu-ray Disc™ Format

Flower Mound, TX (July 21, 2011) – FUNimation® Entertainment is announcing that it is bringing the first installment of the anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z to Blu-ray disc for the first time this fall.

Among the most prized in the FUNimation catalog, the studio has used the newest technology available to remaster in high-definition and digitally restore the 291 episode series. FUNimation worked with Dallas-based ANDTRANSFER for the digital film transfer. FUNimation previously worked with the post-production house to remaster the series for the season set releases on DVD. The transfer was performed by nationally-recognized colorist Steve Franko and supervised by FUNimation, which then finished the rest of the restoration process.

Today's state-of-the-art systems offer tools that allow restoration teams to make a wide range of repairs and focus on more difficult tasks which, in the end, deliver a clean product that faithfully presents the original version and measures up to the high-quality standards of HDTV and Blu-ray.

Once again, the Dragon Ball Z series was digitally transferred from the original Japanese 16mm film frame by frame at 1080p. Developments in restoration software gives mastering artists more to work with when they apply tools to even out film grain and remove fading, film cuts and other visual anomalies. As a result, the viewer will see brighter, clearer colors, less variance in quality between scenes, and a sharper image.

“Working with a very old and fragile source film presented a number of challenges for the restoration process,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and president at FUNimation Entertainment. “Our purpose was to restore the series as accurately as possible, to what it must have been like to see it when it was originally mastered, and preserve the charm of the animation. After all, it is of a particular time and place.” After debuting in 1989, Dragon Ball Z has become an iconic anime series. The franchise has sold more than 25 million DVD and Blu-ray discs in its lifetime, becoming the best-selling anime series of all time.

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 season covers the Vegeta Saga and chronicles the introduction of one of Dragon Ball Z's main characters, Vegeta.

This restored edition also features the original U.S. voice actors as well as the original FUNimation soundtrack – all in lossless Dolby® TrueHD.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 includes the first 17 episodes on two discs with over 400 minutes of action and among the extras included on this release is a feature that looks at the restoration and remastering processes.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 will be available at major retailers nationwide on November 8, 2011.

About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation 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. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit http://www.funimation.com.

Source: Link

I'll skip this release because I don't like FUNimation remasters and also, for Dragon Ball Z I have the Dragon Box Z boxes (7 Boxes = 7 Dragon Balls) which contain the original video/audio.

So, it'll be 18 parts, for those who're interest and will be buying it.

The footage they may be using will be from the orange bricks but without the cropping as they've said it was done in 1080p and blabla.

I do wonder if they'll actually manage to release the rest of the other Dragon Boxes (DB, DBGT, Films and Specials), I can only hope they will.

[TwelveMind]

Originally Posted by ps3bd_owner

Please note that this remaster is being done by FUNimation, not Toei Animation, unfortunately.

This isn't the actual cover from the Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 Blu-ray, but the Dragon Box Z DVD BOX 1, I've just used it for 3D BD Cover presentation, because the yellow background and Son Goku look damn nice. ^_^

Now, here's the news:



Source: Link

I'll skip this release because I don't like FUNimation remasters and also, for Dragon Ball Z I have the Dragon Box Z boxes (7 Boxes = 7 Dragon Balls) which contain the original video/audio.

So, it'll be 18 parts, for those who're interest and will be buying it.

The footage they may be using will be from the orange bricks but without the cropping as they've said it was done in 1080p and blabla.

I do wonder if they'll actually manage to release the rest of the other Dragon Boxes (DB, DBGT, Films and Specials), I can only hope they will.

Without the crop, doesn't this make it similar to the content of Dragon Box sans Japanese musical track?