Dragon Ball Z on Blu-ray

[eledoremassis02]

Originally Posted by mad_max2000

My thoughts exactly. The goal here seems to be to scrub the FUNimation branding from all current releases in their home video catalogue. I doubt we'll see any alterations beyond that.

Frustrating though it is, I have a feeling that if/when Kai - The Final Chapters gets re-issued the audio problem on the dub track will still be present.

That makes since because I just scrolled ebay and its flooded with used GT sets for like 20 bucks and GT is the one I still see at walmart so I guess GT is still selling?

[Gowho]

Originally Posted by mad_max2000

Frustrating though it is, I have a feeling that if/when Kai - The Final Chapters gets re-issued the audio problem on the dub track will still be present.

Indeed, from the dub mixing issues to the reused DBZ audio for the Cell Games Reenactment (which Toei was to blame for) to incorrectly crediting Alexis Tipton halfway through the dub as Kid Trunks when she only voiced his Gotenks lines for that show (same as with Xenoverse 1 & 2).

[Harvey Plissken]

It's weird, because the Singles for GT have the English versions of the episode previews. Maybe they'll make it where they isolate the voices and sync them with the JP previews along with adding the English episode names at the end. But, if it really is just a copycat of the Green Brick sets, then that sucks.

Nice that they actually kept the original JP logo this time around, instead of using that ugly metallic one.

[DoubleGulpShrimp]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

Actually, GT has always been much bigger than DB in the US. I remember someone from FUNimation saying in one of their ANNCast interviews that it always sold about as much as DBZ, and their complete series DVD boxset was still one of their top sellers years after it came out. The original DB has always been far more niche here. I haven't seen it on Wal-Mart or Target shelves in almost a decade, unlike GT, which I still see. I rarely see DB even referenced much online outside the first couple arcs. It seems to be mostly popular with the hardcore Dragon Ball/Toriyama fans.

EDIT: Even now, DBGT is #9 in anime physical media on Amazon (technically #17, but those other slots aren't anime). None of the DB seasons make the top 100, although a couple of them are OOS.

I have a hard time believing GT was ever more popular in US than Dragon Ball. Everyone I know hated it.

It shows it as Number 29 in top anime "DVDs" on Amazon US. In physical media, which would had Blu-rays and UHD, it should be much lower on the list. Thats still higher than I thought it would be in the DVD category.
Also if you look at the amount of reviews The first Two seasons of dragon ball have vs GT, its clear way more people watch Dragon Ball than GT.

[GeoffOliver]

Originally Posted by DoubleGulpShrimp

I have a hard time believing GT was ever more popular in US than Dragon Ball. Everyone I know hated it.

It shows it as Number 29 in top anime "DVDs" on Amazon US. In physical media, which would had Blu-rays and UHD, it should be much lower on the list. Thats still higher than I thought it would be in the DVD category.
Also if you look at the amount of reviews The first Two seasons of dragon ball have vs GT, its clear way more people watch Dragon Ball than GT.

There's no question DB is better-liked, but far more people here have seen GT, if anything because of its closer connection to DBZ. FUNimation was aware of GT's unpopularity among the fanbase when they first licensed it, which is why they initially skipped the first 15 episodes, for having a more comical, DB-esque tone. They deliberately played up the action elements of the show and gave it more of a surface-level "edge" in its marketing. Honestly, I think it paid off for them. That's what mainstream audiences are looking for here when they think of "Dragon Ball." It's the casual fans that have been buying GT, in addition to the extremely large dedicated fanbase that's also been buying it, if anything for completion's sake. DB had decent enough ratings on Toonami (at least enough for them to run the whole series), but it was never comparable to DBZ or GT in capturing a mainstream audience. GT was even run on Nicktoons in the early 2010s. I know plenty of massive DBZ fans that have never watched DB, and if they have, they certainly haven't watched all 153 episodes. I myself haven't gotten around to watching them all yet (I've seen about half), and I've been a fan of DBZ since I was 6.

As for the digital reviews, it's hard to say why DB has so many more reviews. It may have been there longer.

[Gowho]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

They deliberately played up the action elements of the show and gave it more of a surface-level "edge" in its marketing.

You got that right, even for DVD.

That DBGT Funimation Commercial - YouTube

[GeoffOliver]

Originally Posted by Gowho

You got that right, even for DVD.

That DBGT Funimation Commercial - YouTube

Yup, I remember that trailer from one of my early DBZ DVDs. I was already aware of GT thanks to Pojo's massive unofficial Dragon Ball fan guide, and I was also aware of its notoriety among fans (discussed at length in the book's coverage of GT). Even at the time, it was obvious what FUNi was trying to do. And I remember the DBZ fans at school eating that show up just as much.

[snowmint]

Originally Posted by Harvey Plissken

It's weird, because the Singles for GT have the English versions of the episode previews. Maybe they'll make it where they isolate the voices and sync them with the JP previews along with adding the English episode names at the end. But, if it really is just a copycat of the Green Brick sets, then that sucks.

Nice that they actually kept the original JP logo this time around, instead of using that ugly metallic one.

It never made any sense to me for them to remove the next episode previews unless Toei told them to do it for some bizarre reason.

[Gowho]

Here's a good possible answer

https://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/vie...89930#p1589930

They did keep it, though with the logo replaced with their own.

I personally suspect they removed them because they didn't have a Japanese BGM track to go with the previews (most foreign dubs that kept the previews had to halfass something in there because Toei didn't include the preview BGM track in the provided materials).

Reminds me of a couple of dubs that replaced the preview music with something else from the show or in Yu Yu Hakusho's case, FUNi's dub opening cover music on the first few DVDs.

[TThomas]

Originally Posted by BigOnAnime

Dragon Ball on Blu-ray is doubtful. Most we can expect in the near future is DVD case re-releases with the Crunchyroll branding.

But why? Crunchyroll Germany will start releasing in January, Selecta Vision Spain already did it and AB Video France will start in a few days.

[BigOnAnime]

Originally Posted by TThomas

But why? Crunchyroll Germany will start releasing in January, Selecta Vision Spain already did it and AB Video France will start in a few days.

How often have we seen the company formerly known as FUNimation use a different country's upscale not from Japan for a Blu-ray release here? Closest sort of thing we've seen is them basically reusing Madman's discs for Violet Evergarden. What goes on in like Europe and such doesn't really lead to something here with them.

Heck, where's all the One Piece movies? They own the company formerly known as Manga UK that released those on sub-only DVD almost a decade ago.

[Gowho]

Originally Posted by BigOnAnime

Heck, where's all the One Piece movies? They own the company formerly known as Manga UK that released those on sub-only DVD almost a decade ago.

When the best movie is still unlicensed in America while they (FUNi) claimed that director was "The Next Miyazaki"...

[BigOnAnime]

Originally Posted by Gowho

When the best movie is still unlicensed in America while they (FUNi) claimed that director was "The Next Miyazaki"...

FUNimation: We LOVE Mamoru Hosoda, so much so we made The Mamoru Hosoda Collection.

Also FUNimation: What's a Baron Omatsuri? What's a Mirai or BELLE?

[ps3bd_owner]

Originally Posted by Gowho

When the best movie is still unlicensed in America while they (FUNi) claimed that director was "The Next Miyazaki"...

Those movies remastered in high definition would obviously be a nice touch to release them, and even without that available, CR could publish a 480p DVD collection of it.

After all, they're doing a new DBGT DVD set (even if it's just a new cover with CR's brand).

A DVD set of Dragon Ball could be re-released on DVD in two fat boxsets. However, as for Dragon Ball Z there's really no need for a DVD re-release since there's the 30A on Blu-ray and that's serviceable at best.

Would be interesting to see them downscale the 30A to release on DVD. Maybe it'd kill off the Orange Bricks (if they're still kept in print).

[Harvey Plissken]

Hopefully if/when Crunchyroll ever decides to re-release the original Dragon Ball on DVD, maybe they can fix the outro credits sequence situation. I hear that the Blue Bricks used the same intro and outro sequences throughout the series.

[Harvey Plissken]

How expensive would it be for Crunchyroll to go back to the Blue Bricks and reinsert outro 4? I know a textless version of ending 4 exist. So really, all they have to do is to insert the English credits to it, reauthorize them onto the Blue Brick discs, and release them to the masses.

https://www.youtube.com/supported_br...tube.com/watch

[GeoffOliver]

The GT previews were probably missing to maintain consistency with DBZ's missing previews. It sounds stupid, but that's the only reason I could think of.

Originally Posted by Harvey Plissken

How expensive would it be for Crunchyroll to go back to the Blue Bricks and reinsert outro 4? I know a textless version of ending 4 exist. So really, all they have to do is to insert the English credits to it, reauthorize them onto the Blue Brick discs, and release them to the masses.

https://www.youtube.com/supported_br...tube.com/watch

They simply don't care enough to do that. The Blue Bricks used the exact same masters as the saga sets with some additional filtering, right down to the credit text being 100% identical.

I'm sure they could also make their own textless versions of endings 1 and 3 using rotoscoping and digital ink/paint like with DBGT endings 2-4. Most of their footage is the same as ending 2 (the only ending FUNi apparently received a textless copy of).

There's also a textless copy of opening 2 somewhere out there. Harmony Gold used one for their intro over 33 years ago:

Dragon Ball - Harmony Gold Intro (TV Size, SP Mode, Hi-Fi, No SFX) - YouTube

[mad_max2000]

Regarding DBGT's popularity in the US, I know that the Toonami guys said on their podcast that GT always performed about the same as DBZ for them. Although that's probably because FUNimation skipped the first 17 episodes and marketed the show as if it were as action oriented as Z.

The Other thing to consider is GT's shorter length, the only set I see in print anymore is the complete collection and it goes for dirt cheap. I think many people are inclined to buy sets that are a complete run of a show and are more put off by having to purchase several sets to own the whole thing.

As for adding back some of the different opening and ending animations for Dragon Ball. This whole thing wouldn't be an issue if Crunchyroll/FUNimation would just license the Dragon Box masters for all 3 series, the movies and the T.V. Specials, and call it a day. I know Toei wasn't interested in sharing that footage initially, but they've lightened up about that in recent years. There's no reason those masters shouldn't be the DeFacto masters worldwide. But now Japan probably thinks that Americans prefer their entertainment cropped up and filtered to shit.

[snowmint]

Don't forget nicktoons network also aired GT as well.

[ps3bd_owner]

Has CR announced a release date for DB Super Movie 2 on Blu-ray?

Originally Posted by snowmint

Don't forget nicktoons network also aired GT as well.

With the Mark Menza score, unfortunately, but they included the NEPs which was pretty cool.