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Welcome to Daizenshuu EX, your most authoritative and complete stop online for anything and everything DragonBall for over twelve years! |
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Welcome to the all-encompassing DragonBall fansite, Daizenshuu EX. We cover anything and everything relating to the Dragon World in hopes of enlightening... and a little bit of entertaining. Daizenshuu EX began its journey in 1998 as VegettoEX's Home Page, and has grown to be one of the most authoritative DragonBall sites on the web. If you're new to the world
of DragonBall, why not check out the
"Newbie
Guide" ? Been around the block as a DB-fan? Check out some great discussions every week in our podcast! See you soon! |
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07 March 2010
VegettoEX @ 12:07 pm EST -- We are back in the swing of things! Our secondary recording rig bit the big one this week, so while we may sound a little "airy" at times, all the content you know and love is there for you. We finally picked back up with Volume 33 in our "Manga Review of Awesomeness" and have a hard time deciding if this was a natural "cool-down" period to get us where we are heading next in the story. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe (for free!).
For the record — Cell has tiny, pointy ears. Confirmed. |
04 March 2010
VegettoEX @ 3:58 pm EST -- We may have given it a listen back on Episode #0202 of our podcast, but it was time to finally get around to posting a full, written review! You can now read my carefully-crafted thoughts on Hironobu Kageyama's CD single for Progression, the opening theme to the semi-recent Raging Blast on the PS3/360. It is up in our ever-growing "Reviews" section, so if you are into deep reading, be sure to check it all out.
Our Facebook fans got a sneak-peak at the review yesterday, so be sure to follow us there and on Twitter for these kinds of things! |
28 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 12:23 pm EST -- It has been nothing but colds and sinus infections here at Casa de EX this past week. As such, we are taking a much-needed, one-week break from the podcast. You don't want to hear us the way we sound right now, anyway.
In the meantime, we are working on a slew of interviews, and I promise you will start hearing some of them in March! We will be back on track next week with Volume 33 in our "Manga Review of Awesomeness." If you are reading along, be sure to catch up!
As you can see, it has otherwise been a pretty slow week. We do have a couple minor news tidbits for you, though:
FUNimation's parent company, Navarre, put out a formal press release earlier this week confirming the acquisition of Kai for North American distribution. There is nothing in here that we did not already know, but it was good to see it get a little more attention, none-the-less:
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb 25, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Navarre Corporation (Nasdaq:NAVR) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary FUNimation(R) Entertainment and Japanese powerhouse producer Toei Animation Co., Ltd. have entered into a multi-year agreement for the U.S. anime leader to distribute the latest chapter of the genre-establishing Dragon Ball franchise, "Dragon Ball Z Kai."
To celebrate 2009's 20th anniversary of the megahit series Dragon Ball Z, Toei Animation, Shueisha Inc. and Dragon Ball creator Mr. Akira Toriyama created "Dragon Ball Z Kai" in which the Dragon Ball Z story is retold to more closely follow Mr. Toriyama's original tale about a brave young warrior named Goku.
A project personally overseen by Mr. Toriyama, "Dragon Ball Z Kai" has been re-edited and re-made using the latest in digital technology, including a full-HD re-mastering of the original film.
Now featuring updated opening and closing sequences, renewed soundtracks and a re-recording of the series by key members of the original voice cast, "Dragon Ball Kai" premiered on Japan's Fuji Television Network in April 2009 and will be available in the U.S. on DVD and Blu-ray beginning this Spring.
"Dragon Ball Z Kai has been hotly anticipated in the states," said Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation Entertainment. "We are pleased to come together with Toei and offer passionate fans, who have been waiting for developments in the Dragon Ball universe, the opportunity to see the new series."
FUNimation Entertainment will begin releasing the series on DVD and Blu-ray starting with Part One on May 18, 2010.
In an economy where we hear about nothing but studio closures and layoffs, it is shocking to hear that Toei has actually raised their earnings forecast for the current year. Projecting ¥1.2 billion up from ¥1.0 billion in net profits, it would seem that the most recent One Piece movie (Strong World), which was written by the manga's author Eiichiro Oda, performed much better than expected. We do not see any information relating to DragonBall in this earnings forecast, but it would interesting to know how the sub-license of Kai to FUNimation (as well as the property's own success in its home land) contributed, if at all.
If you are looking for a little tangentially-Toriyama sort of content, I have been blogging it up over on Video Game Conversations about Chrono Trigger, as well as a few other things. Check it. |
21 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 4:13 pm EST -- This weekend Julian was off helping out the children with an event at school, so we invited our bud Hujio to shoot the shiz with us. We are in the middle of lining up a bunch of interviews, so we took the opportunity with a little downtime to catch up on this week's news and a bunch of your e-mails. Fret not — we are as content-packed as any other regular episode! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
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19 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 11:25 am EST -- It did not seem like anyone else bothered to ask the question, so we did! Our buddy Steven J. Simmons confirmed for us that he will indeed be the one responsible for the subtitle translations on the Japanese side of FUNimation's upcoming Kai releases. We spoke with Steve at length way back on Episode #0052 of our podcast, so tune in there for more info about him, his history with the franchise, and the translation process. Steve has been responsible for the vast majority of subtitle translations for the DragonBall franchise from FUNimation (and plenty of other series) since their personal entry into the DVD market.
In other random news, our friends over at Kanzentai have updated with a bunch of "animanga" news tidbits. Learn about some "Kids Animation Comics" and the recent "Shueisha Jump Remix" magazine run. |
18 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 12:48 pm EST -- The game was released just a week ago in Japan, and we finally have word from Namco Bandai that DragonBall DS 2 will be coming to North America, as expected, under the title of DragonBall Origins 2.
The first game was released stateside by Atari under the title of DragonBall Origins back in November 2008. We gave our initial thoughts on the game back on Episode #0151 of our podcast. We never got around to finishing the first game, mostly feeling that the controls relied too heavy on stylus-only input.
The sequel is coming sometime in Summer 2010 straight from Namco Bandai themselves, who acquired the rights to the franchise all to their own last year.
NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCES DRAGON BALL®: ORIGINS 2 EXCLUSIVELY FOR NINTENDO DS™
Comic Mischief and Adventure Await as Next Handheld Chapter of Popular Anime Series Unfolds with New Features, Several Playable Characters and Co-op Gameplay
SANTA CLARA, Calif., (Feb. 18, 2010) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., announced today that Dragon Ball®: Origins 2 exclusively for Nintendo DS™ will be available in North America this summer. A follow-up to the original Dragon Ball: Origins for DS, Dragon Ball: Origins 2 continues the story of series hero Goku’s early years as he and his friends search the world for the seven enchanted Dragon Balls. The new action-adventure game includes an array of features including the ability to play as different characters along the way and the option to team up with a friend for co-op multiplayer challenges.
In Dragon Ball: Origins 2, players battle through the Red Ribbon Army saga covering Goku’s first encounters with the nefarious Red Ribbon Army up to the resurrection of Upa’s father, a member of the native tribe who serve as the guardians of the mystical Korin Tower. Players have the chance to play not only as Goku, but also the added variety of familiar faces he encounters as the journey progresses including Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha and more, each with their own abilities and power-ups. The whimsical and beloved graphical style of the series comes to life as animated cut-scenes unfold the story.
A challenging mix of action and exploration awaits, as Goku and friends must use a wide range of skills to solve puzzles, find treasure chests, and defeat armies of baddies. A situation-based camera adapts with the changing gameplay to bring players closer to the action. An overhead view allows players a broad perspective as they jump, swing and charge through forests, underwater areas and more. Meanwhile, key boss battles switch to side-view to emphasize the signature fighting style of the Dragon Ball series. With support for both stylus and button input options, players are free to choose their preferred control style.
In addition to an exciting single-player mode, two players can join up for satisfying co-op multiplayer challenges via a wireless local connection. By playing the single-player adventure, special multiplayer stages including challenging boss fights unlock and become available. Players are also able to carry over their saved character from the single-player mode as they battle alongside friends in co-op mode.
Dragon Ball: Origins 2 for Nintendo DS™ will be available in summer 2010. For more information about the game, please visit www.namcobandaigames.com or http://dragonball.namco.com. To join the official fan community, please visit http://www.gokuscorner.com.
We have also tossed the first English trailer for the game over on our YouTube profile:
The trailer seems to be a mix of the original Japanese trailer and totally new material. It remains to be seen which voice cast the North American release will feature, but if Attack of the Saiyans was any indication, we might be in for a treat with the original Japanese cast in our pockets.
It sounds like DragonBall DS 2 did not do so well its first week in Japan, and had a massive drop-off compared to the first game. This is going to be incredibly interesting to follow and eventually review here on the site — it seems like the game is addressing a lot of our concerns from the first one, and yet the Japanese audience just is not that interested. I suppose we will keep our expectations in check until this summer.
There is no word yet on whether or not the Famicom game will be included as an extra within the game outside of Japan (as either Shenron no Nazo or Dragon Power). |
17 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 3:06 pm EST -- Our buddy Sebastian dropped a link to a fascinating interview with Mr. Anison himself, Hironobu Kageyama, over on otaku2.com. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit from the interview is:
PG: What song are you most proud of?
KH: That’s tough, but I guess it would have to be "CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA." No matter where I go, people are happy when I sing that song.
Having seen the man perform the song live as a part of the JAM Project concert at Otakon 2008, I can personally say that his smile is like none other when the lyrics are shouted back at him. |
16 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 3:48 pm EST -- A trailer for the third DBZ Dragon Box from FUNimation has popped up as a mislabeled trailer for Volume 2 over on its respective Amazon listing:
This trailer is also narrated in-character (similar to the first two), though this time by Sonny Strait as Kuririn. While the trailer does not give a set release date, RightStuf's most recent catalogue updates peg the set for 04 May 2010, just a couple weeks before the first domestic release of Kai.
RightStuf also confirms "Season Four" of the original DragonBall TV series for that same day from FUNimation.
Briefly heading back to Amazon, the catalogue entries for FUNimation's release of DragonBall Z Kai now feature a short teaser trailer. No footage from the series is shown.
If you have some extra cash lying around to spend, it has been a pretty big week. DragonBall DS 2 launched in Japan on the 11th (purchase @ Play-Asia), while FUNimation is releasing the second DBZ Dragon Box today (purchase @ RightStuf).
In other news, Sakura-Con has announced Mayumi Tanaka as a guest of honor. Tanaka is widely known for her portrayal of Kuririn in the DragonBall series (as well as characters like Yajirobe and occasionally Uranai Baba). The convention is set to take place in Seattle, Washington from April 2-4. |
15 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 6:39 pm EST -- FUNimation's blog has been updated with the voice recast information from Katsucon, as well as confirmations on characters who are retaining their voice actors from the current cast. While some of this information has been indirectly leaked over the last couple weeks, this is the first official statement from FUNimation on main roles being kept:
Reprising their roles from Dragon Ball Z:
Goku – Sean Schemmel
Vegeta and Piccolo – Christopher R. Sabat
Raditz – Justin Cook
Master Roshi – Mike McFarland
Tien – John Burgmeier
Ox King – Kyle Hebert
Chi-Chi – Cynthia Cranz
Nappa – Phil Parsons
Also returning are Linda Chambers Young as Frieza and Sonny Strait as Krillin and Bardock.
There are still a couple characters that have not been mentioned, minor and otherwise. We have seen many calls for recastings of both Yamcha (previously Chris Sabat) and Kaiô (previously Sean Schemmel), neither of which have announced by FUNimation as-of-yet in terms of Kai voicing.
Key figures within FUNimation have stated that this new dub of Kai will be taken in a different direction from their up-until-now standard treatment of the series, such as using an accurate script. There is not much for us to say just yet until the actual product is released, but it is interesting to note how Tenshinhan is still being referred to as "Tien" (and to a lesser extent, the spelling of Freeza's name) — this may be an indication that some precedents set over the last 15 years may be too difficult to move past. We will certainly find out for sure in May!
With an uncut, bilingual home release (so far) planned as the first product fans in North America will officially receive, no matter your preference is for a language, it appears we will all get what we want.
As a minor aside, it is fascinating to be simultaneous talking about voice recastings for both the Japanese and English side of the franchise. It feels like conversations from ten years ago (the shift from Ocean Studios to an in-house FUNimation cast) have resurfaced in a tiny way! |
14 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 9:26 pm EST -- This week we took out our grab-bag of topic ideas and found one that was only moderately-interesting at first... but just got more and more fascinating as we looked into each instance. Confused? Perhaps this will help:
Throughout the series, characters mis-pronounce or otherwise mis-read another character's name. These are usually Japanese-specific jokes penned by the author, and can be incredibly difficult to adapt in translations. This week we take a look at some of these examples from the perspective of both the original Japanese version, as well as some other languages and their adaptations. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Earlier this week FUNimation announced a "multi-year, national licensing" partnership with New Jersey-based "Shocker Toys" to produce "Mallows" based on various franchises, including DragonBall. These are 5-inch, marshmallow-theme figures that apparently "feature up to 10 points of movement and up to 7 interchangeable parts". While there is nothing yet to show, the figures are expected to go into production this year.
Following up on the news from last August of the first DVD set, our buddy sangofe let us know that France is set to receive the second part of the series on 19 May 2010. The giant set will contain episodes 69-153, contain both French and Japanese audio (along with French subtitles) with uncut audio and video tracks, and will retail for €149,90.
Our forum buddy SHINOBI-03 let us know that the Arabic dub of DragonBall Z is set to continue this month, apparently picking up where it left off with episode 54. It is set to air on the channel "SpacePower", an Arabic cartoon channel aimed at teenagers and young adults. Two trailers (one / two) have made their way to YouTube. The original Arabic voice actor for Son Goku, Mr. Zeyad Errafae'ie, passed away on August 26th.
Following up on the news that Kai is now officially planned for at least 99 episodes, the home release has been appropriately adjusted. The fourth Blu-ray box set was originally (and tentatively) announced as having 10 episodes (40-49) as opposed to the standard 12 episodes. This fourth set has now been updated to include 15 episodes on 5 discs, clocking it in with three more episodes (and one more disc) than the first three sets. Its price has also been adjusted to ¥19,950, a jump up from the ¥15,200 price tag of the first three sets.
The remaining four Blu-ray sets (currently planned as eight in total) are now tentatively planned for releases in October 2010, January 2011, April 2011, and July 2011.
The DVD releases continue to carry on as-is, with the exception of some dual-releases coming our way, such as volumes 7 and 8 both coming on 19 March 2010.
As expected, FUNimation dropped new information about its upcoming domestic release of DragonBall (Z) Kai at Katsucon this weekend. Confirming online listings (including RightStuf's catalogue just days prior), Kai is indeed set for a "Season One, Part One" release on both DVD and Blu-ray on 18 May 2010. According to some of our buds from the One Piece Podcast, it was announced that Kai will be "consistent" in its full frame, 4:3 aspect ratio presentation. We await further clarification from FUNimation on this, as the Japanese releases feature Blu-ray sets in 4:3, with individual DVDs in a cropped 16:9.
Some dub performance roles have also been recast:
- Gohan: Colleen Clinkenbeard
(replacing Stephanie Nadolny)
- Bulma: Monica Rial
(replacing Tiffany Volmer)
- Narrator: Doc Morgan
(replacing Kyle Hebert, who replaced Dale Kelly)
- Chiaotzu & Pu'er ("Puar"): Brina Palencia
(replacing Monika Antonelli, though Puar has been voiced by Palencia in non-TV roles before)
No details concerning the replacements (actor availability, fan requests, internal direction decisions) were noted. There is also no word on a possible TV broadcast. |
07 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 3:00 pm EST -- I must say that it was perfect timing to get that Yamcha episode done last week, because Kai interrupted our regularly-scheduled programming yet again...!
With an official announcement of its licensing (and Jeff sick with family coming to town), it made sense to dedicate another podcast episode to the "refreshed" version of the DBZ TV series. You may think there is not a lot to discuss just yet, but never doubt the power of talkative fans. In our three topical segments, Hujio joins us to briefly recap how this "refresh" came about and what it ended up being (along with its domestic name change), Kendamu joins us to discuss what the manga fan is looking for in a domestic release of the series, while Gozar joins us to talk about what the FUNimation dub fan is looking for. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
In related news, Amazon is mirroring what Wal-Mart put up for DragonBall Z Kai listings this week, with both Blu-ray and DVD sets theoretically available on the same date, 18 May 2010. |
05 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 2:27 pm EST -- Happinet's official website for DragonBall Kai, and specifically the section on its home release, has updated with some long-needed information: just how long the series will be.
You may remember that back when the series was first publicly announced in Jump (almost exactly one year ago), unsourced rumors of Japanese origin placed the series at approximately 100 episodes (cut down from the original 291). This number has been repeated ad nauseam by other websites with no fact-checking as to its origin or any footnote about its status as a rumor. Since that time, many more rumors have circulated based on straight-up false information, along with other assumptions based on currently-announced production and home release schedules.
One of the confusing bits of information was that the fourth Blu-ray box set (which did not have a release date for the longest time, unlike the first three sets) would contain less episodes than usual, and even the 17th DVD would contain only 2 episodes, seemingly coming to an "end" at only episode 50. Various false or otherwise misleading tidbits about a return-to-television from Digimon (which previously held Kai's time slot) also added to the confusion.
The update on Happinet's website should calm the fears of Kai fans, with it clearly indicating that 99 planned episodes will span across 33 individual DVDs, which carries over to 8 Blu-ray box sets.
As Kanzentai points out, this should take us through at least March 2011 if the series keeps up with its weekly airing schedule. |
02 February 2010
VegettoEX @ 7:07 pm EST -- Several birdies have been talking to us about the release schedule for a while now, and it seems like Wal-Mart wants in on the conversation, too. They are listing both the DVD and Blu-ray release already, and coming on 18 May 2010, no less. That is just over three months from "announcement" to "release"... which is pretty impressive for the domestic anime industry. Clearly it has been in the works for a while, but it is still a great trend to keep going with.
The list price on the DVD set is $49.98, while the Blu-ray set will only set you back another $5 up at $54.98. There is no word yet on episode count or aspect ratios. As a refresher, the DVD release in Japan is the cropped widescreen as aired on TV (albeit in standard definition), while the Blu-ray is a high-definition 4:3 aspect ratio. Check out our review of the first individual Blu-ray disc from Japan for even more information.
VegettoEX @ 11:20 am EST -- Moments ago on their Q3 Fiscal 2010 earnings conference call, Navarre Chief Executive Officer Cary Deacon announced the official license of DragonBall Kai to FUNimation, which is scheduled for release in the "latter part" of the upcoming fiscal year (which could run through this summer if intended as Fiscal 2010, or later if intended as Fiscal 2011).
UPDATE: The exact wording, as transcribed from the conference call replay, was as follows:
FUNimation finalized a new Dragon Ball license agreement for Dragon Ball Kai. The first episodes of that property will be released by FUNimation in the latter part of our upcoming fiscal year.
No additional details are available just yet, such as possible home release or broadcast (television or online) options. We have reached out to FUNimation for further comment and will update if and when we receive more information.
DragonBall Kai is a "refreshed" version of the actual DragonBall Z TV series featuring a new musical score, many of the original voice actors and actresses returning, a quickened-pace to the story, and more. Read the full history of its production over on our respective "Tidbit" page. Come discuss the announcement over on our forum.
UPDATE: FUNimation appears to have adjusted the title of the series for their domestic release to DragonBall Z Kai, as seen on their blog this afternoon:
Our buddy Kendamu let us know that records show FUNimation purchased dragonballzkai.com back in December. We look forward to receiving more information!
VegettoEX @ 10:07 am EST -- DBZ Volume 6 (covering tankôbon 32-34) in the "Viz Big" omnibus, 3-in-1 line was originally listed for a 19 January 2010 release date. Following the trend of prior releases, it was later delayed to 16 February 2010.
Our forum buddy xzero let us know that Amazon and other retailers now have it listed for 09 March 2010. The "Viz Big" volumes have lately been notorious for three or four delays, sometimes pushing them up to half a year late.
Volume 7 is now listed for 20 April 2010 with Volume 8 following on 20 July 2010. It is likely these dates will continue to slip.
VegettoEX @ 9:50 am EST -- Play-Asia is currently holding their "Roaring Lucky Lunar New Year Sale" right now, and a batch of import DragonBall games can be gotten for a slightly cheaper price. A lot of older games are actually in-stock (albeit used), as well. There are some domestic releases in the batch, too, but you will typically be better off grabbing those from Amazon right now. Here is a selection of the available games and prices:
There are lots of other deals and prizes to be won, so if import games are your thing, check it out. Unfortunately, I am mostly caught up on my purchases. I could stand to add the Japanese release of Infinite World to finish out the entire JP PS2 run in my collection, though... hrrmm.... |
31 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 8:22 pm EST -- We have joked about it for months. Several times we genuinely planned to talk about him, but something incredibly important would happen and shake up our episode schedule. With the last day of the month falling on a podcast episode release day, it was the perfect time to dive in and talk about our main man, Yamcha!
Loosely introduced as a play on the Journey to the West character Sha Wujing, Yamcha is one of the first "villains" brought into the story, and we make the argument that he is one of the first characters to be totally tossed aside by the author. Does he deserve more credit than he is traditionally given, or is he really just the bum that we tend to think of him as toward the end of the series? Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe. |
27 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 4:03 pm EST -- We will not be updating every single time that our buds over at TeamFourStar put up a new episode, but since "Season Two" kicks off with their newly-released Episode 11... and so many of you have e-mailed about it... and they have done nice things for us...
Head on over to their YouTube channel to check it out!
VegettoEX @ 9:20 am EST -- C21Media.net is reporting that Toei Animation has struck a deal with Megavision TV to air the DragonBall TV series in Chilé. No specific timeframe or episode content was listed.
We know that the franchise already has a huge following down in Chilé and has aired before (as well as received tons of great merchandise), so it makes sense that this would just be a new deal to re-air the show. Just as all our Brazilian friends came out of the woodwork last November, those of you in Chilé need to drop us a line and let us know what the current situation is down there. Has it not been on the air for a while? |
26 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 11:56 am EST -- Game Trailers has a new trailer for DragonBall DS 2 up for viewing, showcasing some of the playable secondary characters (including Arale!), the multiplayer mode, control configurations, and more. It continues to promote the bonus inclusion of the Shenron no Nazo Famicom game, this time with more footage than just the first stage of the game. The game is due out in Japan on 11 February 2010 for ¥5229, with no word on a North American release from Namco-Bandai just yet. You can pre-order the Japanese release of the game (which is region-free) over on Play-Asia for $54.90.
At the end of the trailer, it is revealed that the first DragonBall DS is being re-released under the "Welcome Price 2800" line on 28 January 2010, a budget-priced line for (obviously) ¥2800. The original run is still available on Play-Asia for $48.90, though retailers like Amazon Japan have dropped it to ¥2400. The new re-release is up for a pre-order price of $34.90 over on Play-Asia.
The American release of the first game, put out in November 2008 by Atari before losing the license in 2009, came out as DragonBall Origins, and is currently available on Amazon for only $17.56. Unlike the recent DragonBall Z: Attack of the Saiyans release on DS from Namco-Bandai which exclusively featured the original Japanese voice cast, Origins exclusively featured English spoken dialogue from FUNimation's cast.
UPDATE: Our buddy Tsukento wrote in to let us know that GameStop is currently offering the first game for only $9.99 new (and $8.99 used). It is not available online, so if you are interested, hop over to your local store to see if they have it. |
24 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 12:17 pm EST -- It was pretty difficult to do, especially as more information came out surrounding the circumstances of his death. This week, the core trio took a break from the standard topical issues to remember one of the greats in the industry, and someone that more than left his Mark on the series that we love so much — Daisuke Gôri. Why did he mean so much to us, and how did he act to such a level that his character performances were so believable? Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
The loss of such a voice actor is not affecting just us over here in general fandom. Yuko Minaguchi, who played Videl and later Pan in the series, made a blog entry earlier this week on January 20th detailing her own pain and rush of emotions:
It's one sad thing after another.
First, my beloved puppy ran away. [or possibly "died" -- "tabidachimashita" is "started on a journey"]
Then, the kind, great mentor Isamu Tanonaka passed away.
On my way to his wake, I heard the news of Gôri-san's death.
I've been doing nothing but cry.
I thought I'd find something fun, and continue my blog without touching upon that topic, but it just doesn't seem to work...
If I just continue to avoid updating, it seems like I'll just make people worry about me, so I'll give my honest feelings.
Last night, I had some drinks with a group of people I can rely on.
"In the future, if Dragon Ball Kai continues... when the time comes to play Videl... if Gôri-san isn't Mr. Satan, I don't want to be Videl," I sobbed, troubling everyone.
It's childish, but that's how I feel.
The big, kind, always-smiling Gôri-san. I really cared about him.
With so much sadness piling up, I feel uneasy by myself, and my feeble heart lets out a scream.
I hate goodbyes.
I'm sorry for saying such worrisome things. It's for the sake of moving forward, so just for today, please forgive me.
He is one of the modern greats that none of us will ever forget, and it is safe to say that anime will never be the same without his distinctive, booming voice making us all smile. |
21 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 9:24 am EST -- Kotaku is reporting that Nintendo of Japan is introducing a new line of budget titles for the Wii called the Minna no Osusume Collection (or the "Everyone's Recommendation Collection"). Games re-released under this line are ones that have received high user-given scores on Nintendo's own Minna no Nintendo Channel (released in North America under the simple "Nintendo Channel" title). The ¥2800 price point for this series falls in line with the standard budget price of similar lines in the past, such as Sony's "PlayStation THE BEST" line. As a part of the launch on 25 February 2010, our own franchise's Sparking! METEOR will be included. Note that this is only for the Wii release, and does not affect the PS2 version of the game which still retails for essentially full-price at $74.90 on Play-Asia, and a reduced ¥5643 on Amazon Japan. As a contrast, the MSRP for the American release of the Wii version (Budokai Tenkaichi 3) has a current MSRP of $19.99, and is available on Amazon for $17.84.
As for American video game price-drops, our deal-hunting forum buddy Tsukento noticed that Revenge of King Piccolo has dropped down to a $19.99 MSRP across retailers, and is currently available on Amazon for $17.96. We gave our thoughts on the game in a full review shortly after its release last October, so you know that this is the sweet-spot in terms of pricing for those that may have been holding out on it.
In even more exciting news, our forum member Amaranth Sparrow has dived head-first into translating new information coming out of the current open-beta for DragonBall Online in Korea. You can read all the juicy details for yourself on our forum, but here are some of the highlights:
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The main villain is referred to as "The Pale Man" and is named "Miira" (not to be confused with Miira-kun, one of Baba's fighters). While he does not appear to himself be a part of the Makaiôshin as previously speculated, there is a good possibility that the female that accompanies him is, and may be the one who created him
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Gohan published a book called "Groundbreaking Science" around Age 800, which appears to have taught the general population concepts such as ki control; he also explained how the Katchin metal (which was used to test the Z-Sword) could indeed be cut, which led to a newfound interest in swordsmanship, as well as Goten and Trunks founding the Kikoukenjutsu Sword School which teaches how to infuse blades with ki to overpower opponents
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This aided them when the remnants of Freeza's army attacked in Age 820
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Kuririn founded the "New Turtle School", which taught humans how to fight alongside each other in groups to take advantage of their collective strengths, allowing them to compete against stronger, individual enemies
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Tenshinhan believed it was more important to to develop individualized attacks than with support from others, and developed new attacks that revolved around collecting ki in strategic ways to unleash incredible bursts of energy with precise timing
-
In Age 790, Majin Buu accidentally found Mr. Satan's "Bob & Margaret" adult book, and used it to form ideas about female mates and ultimately create his wife, "Booby", from a part of his own body, and also hit her with his "Love Beam" causing her to give birth to a "Baby Buu"; the family grew quickly, and was later recognized as its own race
There is a ridiculous amount of extra information over in our forum, so be sure to check it out! |
19 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 12:24 pm EST -- Our buddy Tanooki posted up a screen shot from a trailer for the forthcoming fourth "season" of the original DragonBall TV series, which reveals some cover art and a 30-episode-count. The "DB TV Series" page of our "DVD Guide" has been updated with this information.
Based on these tidbits, it seems the blue bricks will probably finish out their release comfortably in 2010, with the fifth and final set containing approximately 30 episodes, as well; assuming the fourth set has exactly 30 episodes, that will take us from 93-122, leaving a final set to go from 123-153.
Any time we post about current releases that are non-Dragon Box sets, we receive a deluge of e-mails and questions from folks asking about future prospects for Dragon Box re-releases of these episodes. To reiterate what we know: we don't know. FUNimation has said absolutely nothing regarding the franchise and further home releases beyond the DBZ TV series and its movies in the original Dragon Box press release from last summer. We cannot make a recommendation for you in terms of what you should purchase or wait for — if you want the series to watch right now, go ahead and buy it! If you want to play your cards differently and wait on domestic Dragon Box sets that may or may not come for the original DB and GT, that is up to you! No matter how it plays out, rest assured that you will learn about any future releases first (be they from Japan or the US), right here on Daizenshuu EX. |
18 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 9:03 am EST -- This is certainly one of the most difficult entries I have ever had to write on the website in the dozen or so years it has been online.
Daisuke Gôri (the stage name of Mr. Yoshio Nagahori) has passed away. From the Tokyo Shimbun and Anime News Network:
The Tokyo Shimbun paper reports that Daisuke Gouri, the voice actor best known for playing Robin Mask in the Kinnikuman television anime series as well as Umigame and Mr. Satan in the Dragon Ball franchise, has passed away in Tokyo on Sunday. He was 57.
...
The newspaper reports that Gouri was discovered, with blood dripping from his wrist, by a passerby on a street in Nakano ward. Police officers at Nakano station are investigating his death as a possible suicide. According to the authorities, Gouri apparently collapsed face-down onto the street at about 3:00 p.m. The Yomiuri Shimbun paper adds that a knife was found under him along with a last will nearby.
Gôri was easily one of the most prolific voice actors in our beloved series, playing characters such as Umigame, Gyû-Maô, Enma-Daiô, King Cold, Mr. Satan, and a constant flow of side characters throughout the entire airing.
His unbelievably deep voice ran the gamut of roles from stern to friendly back to cold-hearted and wacky, again. His talent was unmatched. If you watch anime at all, you know his voice. It is difficult to imagine anime, let alone just DragonBall, without Daisuke Gôri. |
17 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 8:55 pm EST -- This week we finally get around to having two quick conversations that have been on the back-burner for far too long. Our good buddy and forum moderator Kaboom joins us for a quick discussion about fans that, believe it or not, actually do care about battle power discussions and enjoy creating speculative lists. We also quickly cover Ryô Horikawa's voice acting coach DVD which came out last year and never got the five minutes that we should have given it long ago. Our buddy Corey joins us for everything else, and that's a show! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
In a bit of sad news, voice actor Isamu Tanonaka passed away this week on the 13th at the age of 77 from a heart attack. While having more prominent roles in other series, he did have bit parts in DBZ as Bibidi (Babidi's father) and Raichi (one of the two fake Namekians). |
15 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 12:59 pm EST -- Licensing.biz is reporting that Toei Animation has struck a deal with Uniqlo, a Japanese fashion retailer, for the development of new T-shirts for a range of Toei's properties this coming spring, including DragonBall. Most interestingly is that his deal covers (in some capacity) France, Russia, the UK, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Korea... as well as the United States. There are not a whole lot of details concerning the deal, and how it affects the deluge of new shirts (most under the Kai moniker) being tossed out at consumers each month in Japan from COSPA, or how it would affect any sub-licensing deals that may otherwise go through FUNimation/Navarre here in the US.
VegettoEX @ 10:22 am EST -- It may go without saying that it has been a pretty slow last couple of weeks in terms of news. That's OK with us — it gives us a little time to catch up on things and gear up for whatever the next onslaught will be.
Various retailer sites have posted up full track listings for the three Koro-chan Pack DragonBall Kai CDs all due out next month. For those unfamiliar with the concept, these "Koro-chan Pack" discs are lower-priced compilations of previously-released music with a small number of tracks on each disc. We saw one each for the original DB and DBZ back in 2007, and then there were plans for a Kai version last year which was ultimately canceled, seemingly in favor of the single DragonBall Kai Song Collection disc.
If you already own that disc, you may as well stick with it — these discs offer up very little in the way of new material. As expected, each of the three discs contain music associated with and used during that portion of the story arc thus-far in Kai. The only new material you will find are karaoke versions one one song per disc ("Win Tough Fight!", "CHASER!", and "Ultra Super Dragon Soul", respectively). We have added each of the three discs and their full track listings over on the "Miscellaneous CDs" page of our "Music Guide".
We do not yet have cover art or details on the "picture book" bonuses that will come with each of these 12-cm CDs when they come out on 24 February 2010 for ¥1575 a pop.
In all honesty, I may be passing on these, shocking as that may be. Sure, they are cheap, but I already own any of the significant material over on the DragonBall Kai Song Collection disc. Only true karaoke enthusiasts need dive in, it seems. |
10 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 12:00 am EST -- Getting back into the groove of things, we continue onward into January with Volume 32 in our on-going "Manga Review of Awesomeness." Characters are doing stupid things all around (specifically Kuririn and Vegeta), and it results in Cell finally reaching his perfect form. We have gripes about some of the story elements, but does it all come together, especially with some of the gorgeous, full-page spreads? Tune in to find out! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
The episode was streamed live this past Friday evening with a great audience and their lovely participation! For information on when we stream live (is it not often, especially if Skype is in the mix), be sure to tune into our Twitter and Facebook pages.
As you will hear on the show, Game Trailers has three promotional videos up for DragonBall DS 2. It is incredibly interesting how much attention the inclusion of the first Famicom game is given, especially in the two TV spots.
Finally, RightStuf is having one of their 40%-off sales on all FUNimation merchandise. This would be a great time to toss in a pre-order for their second DBZ Dragon Box coming in February, with 40% off the MSPR knocking it from their regular pre-order price of $44.99 down to $35.99. |
03 January 2010
VegettoEX @ 9:00 pm EST -- We took a break last week to enjoy time with friends and family, but we are ready to kick off 2010 with a bang! This episode the core trio breezed through all of the big news stories from 2009, and then checked in on our predictions that we made last year. One of us did really well, one of us did just "OK", and the other made a mockery of themselves. At the request of tons of people, we also run down what we consider to be the top five stories of the entire last decade! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
As a supplement to our audio discussion on the top five stories of the last decade, we are proud to present our new feature — "A Decade In Review: 2000-2009".
Finally, our forum has completed its major upgrade and server move. It is business as usual, though — be sure to follow the rules and carry on as you normally would! Excuse any minor hiccups while we finish a little housekeeping on it, though. |
27 December 2009
VegettoEX @ 7:32 pm EST -- As reported earlier this week, the upcoming DragonBall DS 2 will contain the first Famicom game for the franchise, Shenron no Nazo, as a hidden extra. The official website for the game is now proudly showcasing this information:
In addition to this, a new trailer for the game has popped up online also showcasing the Famicom game, along with plenty of other aspects of the game play. We are most excited about some traditional control being tossed into the mix, since the stylus-only attacking was one of our problems with the original.
Due out on 11 February 2010 in Japan, there is still no word on a North American release for DragonBall DS 2.
In music news, CDJapan has three new Koro-chan Pack releases scheduled for a simultaneous release in a couple months on 24 February 2009. Each will retail for the standard ¥1500 and contain a small number of songs on the mini-CD, as well as a picture book.
You may remember that a single Koro-chan Pack disc was scheduled for release much earlier this year and canceled shortly before the announcement of the Kai Song Collection. As with all releases, regardless of Japanese or American origin, it gets impossible to keep up with everything with these multiple releases and cancellations!
It may go without saying at this point, but we are taking a short holiday break from the podcast this week. Julian has gone and gotten himself officially engaged, and on both sides of the gigantic ocean we are enjoying good times with our family and friends. We will see you next week to check in on all the biggest news stories from 2009, how our predictions fared, and what we think 2010 will bring us. See you then! |
23 December 2009
VegettoEX @ 7:16 am EST -- Siliconera is reporting that the upcoming DragonBall DS 2 will contain a hidden extra: an emulated ROM of the first Famicom game for the franchise (and one of the first franchise video games overall) Shenron no Nazo. The game was actually released here in North America back in 1986 as Dragon Power with most references to the original version removed (Bulma renamed "Nora", panties flipped upside down into a hamburger, generic crystal balls, etc.).
Namco-Bandai still has not announced a North American release of the game, so it will be interesting to see if this kind of bonus material makes it into a possible domestic release. |
20 December 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:56 pm EST -- Catching up is the name of the game around here lately. This week we took a look at the three new CDs that came out last month in November -- the Progression CD single, the Kai Song Collection, and the second soundtrack for Kai. Julian and Hujio join in on different reviews to spread out the opinion-based love! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Of course, after recording and editing the episode, "Only A Chilling Elegy" was used this weekend as an insert song to close out episode 37 of Kai during the scene in which Freeza impales Kuririn. We obviously could not have foreseen that, so as a matter of respect for not being able to cover that, we at least give it some credit at the end of our show!
In site/content-related news, we are incredibly happy to finally share the full, written review of Attack of the Saiyans with you!
Though we reviewed it on the podcast a couple weeks back, I know a good bunch of you have also been patiently waiting for the written monster. Have at you! |
13 December 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:51 pm EST -- The obligatory holiday sickness may be on its way, so this weekend's show is a little shorter than usual... but that doesn't mean it's not packed with content. In addition to a news recap, we have some interesting tidbits from Argentina where our 2004 AF prank is detailed in a magazine from a couple years ago, a Mafuba is seen in the skies over Norway, and a father is looking to show the series in an edited format to his children! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
The one bit of new news also covered this episode comes to us courtesy of Ayelén. You may remember the news back in August about a certain "Anghelo" claiming to be the official performer for the Spanish versions of the Kai theme songs. The website ANMTV has back-and-forth debates with Anghelo, Eduardo Garza (the local voice actor for Kuririn), and even Toei Animation by way of their Latin America marketing director, Eduardo Lucio. Long story short, Garza called Anghelo out as being a "pirate" that did not have the rights to perform these songs, which were followed by legal threats from Anghelo's production company, Magic Sound Records, who stood by their remarks that Anghelo had the rights to this music. In comes Lucio with an official statement that Kai is in no way licensed at all for any production outside of Japan, which includes its music:
"At the moment, there's no authorization that allows the existence of any official product"
You Spanish folk can read the latest story bits here on ANMTV, but it seems to be pretty resolute for the time being. It will be interesting to see if Anghelo or Magic Sound Records come back with any further nonsense. |
11 December 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:09 pm EST -- Pretty significant news, right here. According to RightStuf:
FUNimation announced the MSRP for the upcoming release of Dragon Ball Z DVD Dragon Box Z, Set 2 has been reduced from $79.98 to $59.98, which brings our everyday price to $44.99. All pre-orders will be adjusted to reflect this change.
We are still waiting for the price to trickle down to the rest of the retailers (as-of this writing, Amazon still has a pre-order price of $71.99 for the original $79.98 MSRP), but RightStuf now has this second Dragon Box on pre-order for $44.99.
Is this a reaction to poor sales of the first set? Is it a precaution to force even more sales? We really cannot speculate at this point, and will attempt to find out more over the coming weeks leading up to this next set's release on 16 February 2010.
VegettoEX @ 4:00 pm EST -- It is a constant struggle to keep up with the multiple delays of each and every Viz Big release for the series. It looks like DBZ Viz Big #6 is getting pushed back from 19 January 2010 over to 16 February 2010. A single-month delay is not too bad for these releases, which have seen consecutive multi-month delays in the past.
This, in turn, pushes DBZ Viz Big #7 from a supposedly-simultaneous release with #6 back over to 20 April 2010.
Apologies go out to those trying to keep up with the podcast's "Manga Review of Awesomeness" via the most-cost-efficient Viz Big releases. This volume would have put you right where we are in our monthly series.
VegettoEX @ 3:41 pm EST -- The official website for DragonBall DS 2 has been open for a little while, though we totally missed sharing that with you all. It has recently updated with some actual content, so now is a great time to visit.
http://b.bngi-channel.jp/dbdsRR/
Despite being due out in Japan rather soon on 11 February 2010, there is still no word on a North American release of the game. I dug into our archives to see how the last game's release played out. We first learned about the game in mid-May 2008. We did not hear anything about a domestic release of the game until another three months later in mid-August, with the game coming out approximately two months after its Japanese release (September and November of 2008). This was toward the end of Atari's reign of releasing the games, so with Namco-Bandai in charge of their own property worldwide again, it will be interesting to see what kind of delay we see in terms of announcements and release dates. |
07 December 2009
VegettoEX @ 3:37 pm EST -- We would ask you to forgive the day-late posting, but you all are an understanding bunch! As DragonBall hits the 25-year mark, our website closes in on a decade, the podcast passed four years... we hit the 200 podcast episodes milestone, as well. There is no better way to celebrate this occasion than by talking with the people who make it happen: our community of friends. Hujio and Corey were live in-studio to talk about community in the DB fandom with us — what has changed over the years, what still needs to change, and what are we all eternally thankful for?
We also announced the winners of our celebration contests to give away Raging Blast, as well as a copy of the first domestic Dragon Box. There was a catch, though... we gave away two Dragon Box sets (an extra one thanks to FUNimation!), and also tossed in a copy of the Yeah! Break! Care! Break! CD single! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Two hundred episodes is all thank to you all. We wouldn't make them if you didn't listen. An extra-special thanks goes out to the visitors and listeners who came out to the party with us after the show. You rock as much as we do! ^_~ |
03 December 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:29 am EST -- While it has already been the 3rd in Japan for more than half a day, we wanted to wait until the clock stuck over here in the US to make the post. On this day in 1984, the very first chapter of DragonBall was published in volume 51 of Weekly Shônen Jump in Japan. The series has just turned 25 years old.
Here's to another 25 amazing years of fandom!
Let's get celebrating right now! Those of you still playing Raging Blast (even after our review) may be happy to know that Namco-Bandai is delivering completely free downloadable content for the game every two weeks through April for (at least) the North American release. Each of the packs contain customized versions of existing characters; there are no new outfits, new characters, or anything you cannot organize on your own through normal game play means.
- November 24 (PSN) / November 26 (Xbox LIVE):
"Warriors on Earth Pack" – Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu
- December 10:
"Alien Warriors Pack" – Vegeta ("Scouter"), Raditz, Nappa, Zarbon, Dodoria
- December 22 (PSN) / December 24 (Xbox Live):
"Ginyu Force Pack" – Ginyu, Recoome, Butta, Jheece, Gurd
- January 7:
"Androids Pack" – #16, #17, #18, #19, Dr. Gero
- January 21:
"Warriors of Justice Pack" – ("Kid") Gohan, Gohan, ("Kid") Trunks, Goten, Videl
- February 4:
"Revived Warriors Pack" – Majin Buu, ("Kid") Buu, Broly, Gogeta, SSJ3 Broli
- February 18:
"Saiyans Pack" – Majin Vegeta, Trunks ("Fighting Teen"), Vegetto, Bardock, SSJ3 Vegeta
- March 4:
"Ultimate Warriors Pack 1" – Goku, ("Teen") Gohan, Piccolo, Bardock, Gogeta
- March 18:
"Ultimate Warriors Pack 2" – Majin Vegeta, Freeza, #17, #18, Cell
- April 1:
"Ultimate Warriors Pack 3" – Vegeta ("Scouter"), Vegeta, Trunks ("Sword"), Vegetto, SSJ3 Vegeta
- April 15:
"Ultimate Warriors Pack 4" – Majin Buu, Super Buu, ("Kid") Buu, Broli, SSJ3 Broli
In a sort of combination of celebrations, look forward to our 200th podcast episode this weekend! Friends of the show are swarming in to New Jersey this weekend for an extravaganza like no other, which fits in well with the topic of discussion: community. We will (hopefully!) be broadcasting the show live this coming Saturday (December 5th) sometime around 1:00 pm (eastern) over on my Stickam page. Fret not if you cannot tune in — as with every show, you will be able to download the audio that weekend (all nice, polished, and produced). We will see several of you a little bit later on that night for our party! |
29 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:10 pm EST -- While a full written review should be on its way (hopefully this week), we take care of the podcast side of gaming reviews for the last time in 2009. We are joined this week by our forum buddy Kendamu to talk about Attack of the Saiyans (released earlier this year in Japan under the title of Kai rather than Z) for the Nintendo DS. Like the latest game on the Wii, is this one a breath of fresh air in an otherwise fighting-game-polluted crowd? We plug our contests yet again (want to win Raging Blast or a Dragon Box?), hit up the news, December's releases, answer a couple e-mails... and that's a podcast! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
As you will hear on the show, our buddy Tsukento let us know that Amazon is running a bunch of great deals on DBZ video games right now. Have any holes in your collection?
See you cool cats later this week with some reviews, our two-hundredth podcast episode, and lots of other great stuff! |
25 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:10 pm EST -- We try to stay away from hardcore "meta" or "state of the website" updates, but we have a few pretty exciting things going on that we wanted to make sure everyone knows about.
Episode 200 of our podcast is coming up in just a couple weeks, and we have some great things planned. First up would be our "Contests", where you can win a copy of Raging Blast on the PS3 courtesy of Namco-Bandai, and/or a copy of the fist domestic Dragon Box courtesy of our buddy Tanooki Kuribo. Here's what I'm tossing into the mix, though: there's more to this contest than I'm letting on. What does that mean? You'll just have to enter to find out. Get all the details, and get those entries in.
As a part of the celebration, we are indeed having a little get-together/party that weekend. Details are pretty much confirmed now. Expect a solid, exact time in the next week, but we'll be getting together at Sapporo in New Brunswick (New Jersey) on Saturday, December 5th. We really need your solid RSVPs! You can respond on the forum, on our Facebook page... whatever's best for you. Come join us for some drinks, meet other fans and friends of the site/show, good talkings... we can't wait to see you!
For those audio-lovers who can't make it out, we have some good stuff planned for pre- and post-200. Next episode we'll be diving into Saiya-jin Raishû / Attack of the Saiyans for the Nintendo DS. For episode 200, I think I'm pretty set on our out-of-town guests sitting down with us to talk about what brings them out to Jersey in the first place: community.
We have been running this site since January 1998, and the one thing that bonds us together (above and beyond all preferences) is that we love this stupid little show from Japan. What issues have we and will we face as a community (if any at all)? What can we all do better? And what makes us so great in the first place?!
Beyond that, we have more exciting podcast and non-podcast content coming your way. Three new CDs just shipped from Japan this week, so expect reviews on and off the podcast. We will be continuing our "Manga Review of Awesomeness", and we will check in on our news and releases predictions from last year. There is still so much to talk about in- and out-of-universe that it astounds me to this day.
Let's head into the holiday season knowing we have a great 2010 ahead of us. |
24 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 11:27 am EST -- Amazon has revealed the box art for the second "Dragon Box Z" from FUNimation, as well as the cover art for the third "season" of the original DragonBall TV series in its new "remastered" format:
The former is due on 16 February 2010, while the latter is actually due a little earlier on 02 February 2010. It is so wonderful to finally be seeing these two series treated with such respect in a simultaneous fashion. Our "DVD Guide" has been updated accordingly! |
23 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 3:28 pm EST -- Chris Rager, best known to FUNimation dub fans as the voice of Mr. Satan, has been hospitalized in Plano, Texas. As detailed on the Dallas Observer:
Chris Rager remains at Medical City in Plano with a collapsed lung and several broken bones after running out of gas late on November 10 near President George Bush Turnpike and Preston Road, Orvik tells Unfair Park. According to Orvik and Rager's wife, Crystal, he's still in and out of consciousness, and the details of what happened remain unclear. All he remembers, they say, is walking to fill up his gas can, then waking up hours later in a ditch along the freeway after having somehow fallen -- or been pushed -- over the wall.
It does not sound like Chris is doing so great, though the collapsed lung is staying open of its own accord, now.
We may not be fans of FUNimation's dub, but anyone involved with any version of the show deserves our support in a time like this. Here's hoping coming Chris comes out of it with a smile on his face saying it was just a tummy-ache! |
22 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:52 pm EST -- We know you have been patiently waiting for it, and we appreciate that more than you can imagine! In addition to our full written review, this week we dig in with Hujio and Corey to FUNimation's first Dragon Box! What more do you need to hear from us?! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
In case you just missed that, yes, we have a full written review along with the podcast episode!
If you find yourself needing a little extra back-history, don't forget about our most recent "Feature". We have you covered. |
20 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:01 pm EST -- Just as we hinted at the other day, DragonBall DS 2 is confirmed!
GoNintendo has the full-sized scan. As predicted, the game is subtitled DragonBall DS2 Totsugeki! Reddo Ribon Gun ("DragonBall DS 2: Charge! Red Ribbon Army"), and it is due out in Japan on 11 February 2010 for ¥5229. This is the sequel to the first DragonBall DS, which was released one year ago domestically as DragonBall Origins.
VegettoEX @ 4:04 pm EST -- While we indeed covered this disc on the podcast a few weeks back, we have been looking forward to getting a full written review out, as well.
Yes, yes, we know... you are looking for that FUNimation Dragon Box review. Don't worry... it's coming! Expect a few blowout on the podcast and website this weekend. Until then, the Kai Blu-ray needs some reviewing love, too! |
18 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:34 pm EST -- Lantis' website has updated with a final track listing for the "Progression" CD single coming out next week in Japan. The title track is indeed the opening theme to Raging Blast as performed by Hironobu Kageyama. The b-side is a new song called "Road of the Promise ~Yakusoku no Michi~". As with the title track, it will be performed by Hironobu Kageyama with lyrics from Yuriko Mori and the arrangement by Kenji Yamamoto. The CD single is due out in Japan next week on 25 November 2009 for ¥1200 and will also contain instrumental versions of the two vocal songs.
In surprising and confusing news, the Amazon listing for FUNimation's first Dragon Box, released just yesterday here in North America, has a disconcerting inventory update:
Item Under Review
While this item is available from other marketplace sellers on this page, it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it's described here. (Thanks for the tip!)
We're working to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
It could be nothing, or it could be something. We simply do not know right now. Hopefully we get some kind of official word from FUNimation soon. Anecdotal comments and even YouTube videos seem to be with regard to dubbed audio timing/sync being off.
In related news, RightStuf is listing the second DBZ TV Dragon Box for 16 February 2010.
Word on the street is that DragonBall DS 2 (or Origins 2 as it will most likely be named in North America) is set to be officially revealed in an upcoming Jump issue. Will there be even more than that, though...? Stay tuned...
More reviews than you can shake a stick at are on their way. Also stay tuned for those! |
16 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 5:48 pm EST -- It may be going up one day later than our preferred release day, but hey... you awesome website readers had the full written review a day before the listeners who forget to visit the site! That's right, this episode we dig into DragonBall: Raging Blast. Does Spike's first high-definition offering live up to and exceed the prior series, or should fans looking for the best "DBZ-simulator" on the market just stick with "METEOR"...? We also give some first-impressions on FUNimation's Dragon Box, and continue onward with the two contests we are running celebration of the upcoming 200th podcast episode! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
|
15 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:13 pm EST -- You will have to wait until tomorrow for the next podcast episode. It is recorded, but all audio editing has been shoved aside in favor of finishing up our massive review of DragonBall: Raging Blast.
We realize that if you are coming to a site like this for a review of the game, you want it long, in-depth, and from someone who knows the franchise well. We hope we delivered!
In related news, it looks like Raging Blast sold 72,000 copies during its first week in Japan.
Episode 200 of our podcast is coming up soon, and we wanted to celebrate in style! In addition to the little shindig we are still hoping to have, we have two amazing contests running right now, and we will be giving away both prizes on that landmark show. We have already announced that we have a copy of Raging Blast (PS3) to give away courtesy of Namco-Bandai, but in addition to that, Tanooki came through with another great one.
Are you excited? You should be.
Yes, in addition to Raging Blast, we are giving away the new Dragon Box released by FUNimation! All the details are up on our "Contests" page! Get your entries in! |
12 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:04 am EST -- There are an absolutely incredible number of people showing up here on the website looking for additional information and reviews on FUNimation's "Dragon Box" release, as well as Raging Blast.
They're coming (both on the podcast and the written "Reviews" section). Hold on tight! In the meantime, be sure to read through our extensive feature if you somehow missed it.
We also have a free copy of Raging Blast (PS3) to give away... stay tuned for details on that!
So yeah. We simply could not wait any longer and stopped by our local Best Buy last night to pick it up. They price-matched the Target listing for us, so that worked out well.
What a week...! |
10 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 1:51 pm EST -- Sure, it's a little late... but better late than never. This episode we hit you with Volume 31 in our "Manga Review of Awesomeness". Cell has made his presence known, and our heroes have become outclassed just as fast as they became the strongest. Do we finally have an interesting villain for the story arc, or is everything just a little too convenient and confusing? Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
As a reminder, both DragonBall: Raging Blast (PS3/360) and DragonBall Z: Attack of the Saiyans (NDS) are shipping in North America today. We are hearing tons of reports that Raging Blast is actually ringing up at $39.99 at many Gamestop locations. Look for reviews of both games soon right here on the website! |
09 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:13 am EST -- Many online retailers have dropped the price of Raging Blast on the PS3 from $59.99 to $49.99 (Amazon, Gamestop, etc.). Interestingly, the 360 version remains at the $59.99 on Amazon, but Gamestop has dropped it to $49.99 to match the PS3 version.
We have reached out to Namco-Bandai to clarify whether this is a change at the MSRP level, or if this is retailer-specific.
UPDATE: Word from Namco-Bandai is that the MSRP is indeed still $59.99, and that any lower price at launch is a retailer-specific, limited-time promotion.
As you can probably tell, Episode #0196 of the podcast did not make it out last night. Worry not; it will be there for you this evening! |
06 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 1:35 pm EST -- Online retailers are showcasing the cover art for the upcoming CD single, "Progression", which is the theme song for the soon-to-be released Raging Blast as performed by Hironobu Kageyama:
There is still no track listing for the disc across all retailer sites and the official page for the disc on Lantis' website.
VegettoEX @ 1:20 pm EST -- Namco-Bandai has posted a ¥6.04 billion (approximately $66.7 million) loss for the second quarter of fiscal 2010.
In terms of DragonBall overall, the franchise dropped in net sales from ¥8.7 billion in the first six months of fiscal 2009 to ¥4.5 billion this fiscal year, with a forecast of a full year net sales figure of ¥14 billion, down from ¥15.8 billion last fiscal year.
There were no DragonBall games in their top-ten-performing games for the quarter, though with Raging Blast launching globally and Saiyan Invasion launching outside Japan in Q3, there is the potential for those numbers to pick back up.
In terms of general toys and hobby merchandise (non-video games), the franchise dropped in net sales from ¥1.7 billion in the first six months of fiscal 2009 to ¥1.2 billion this fiscal year, with a forecast of a full year net sales figure of ¥2.5 billion, down from ¥3.2 last fiscal year. |
05 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:42 am EST -- Much to my surprise, shock, and horror (since I have it pre-ordered from Amazon instead of RightStuf)... people have already received their FUNimation Dragon Box.
Our forum member Haseowolf already has a bunch of photos showcasing the packaging, book, etc. up in our forum thread. Needless to say, the excitement in the responses is pretty overwhelming.
FUNimation has their own breakdown of the product in their most recent "Hey! Nice Package" video over on YouTube.
Again, you can expect us and our buddies at Kanzentai to do pretty huge blow-outs with the best comparison images and documentation you can find... just hold tight until our copies arrive! |
04 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 2:55 pm EST -- There's a swirl of information and misinformation floating around with regard to several products coming out, so we will do our best to sort through what is really going on.
Several independent confirmations have come in that orders for FUNimation's first "Dragon Box" have not only been shipped, but may actually be out for delivery if ordered from RightStuf. While this is significantly ahead of its now-official release date of 17 November 2009, it is plausible. We remind everyone to be wary of comparisons and reports that may get out there early, and to always be sure of the technical expertise of those claiming to be comparing different releases. We will, of course, have a full break-down and review here on the site in the near future.
Several independent confirmations have also come in that orders for the "Limited Edition" version of Raging Blast in Europe have been canceled or otherwise put on indefinite hiatus. There is no official word from Namco-Bandai as to what is going on with production of this release, though it seems the standard edition is still on-track for its release on 13 November 2009.
Speaking of video games, many people seem to be forgetting that the DS also gets a new game next week: Attack of the Saiyans. Released earlier this year in Japan as DragonBall Kai: Saiya-jin Raishû, it's due out here in the US the same day as Raging Blast on 10 November 2009. Here are a batch of new screen shots from Namco-Bandai:
Finally, GameFront is reporting that Raging Blast has received scores of 9 / 8 / 8 / 8 (33/40) from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. Interestingly, this is the exact same score set that Burst Limit received a little over a year ago. |
03 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:48 am EST -- When we think about Latin America and the DB franchise, we think of areas like Mexico, Brazil, and Chile which have long, on-going love affairs with the series. Panama is not a country that first comes to mind, though. Thankfully for those of you in Panama, Toei has struck a deal with Medcom to air the entirety of the first DragonBall TV series (all 153 episodes). Speaking of Brazil, though, Playarte has secured a deal to release the DB series on DVD (while not especially clear in the article, it seems to be inferred to be the first DB TV series).
While I know Latin America loves their DB (and their Saint Seiya), I am pretty ignorant as to what the actual home releases have been like. Anyone in Panama or Brazil that would like to give us a little background would be eternally thanked! |
01 November 2009
VegettoEX @ 6:10 pm EDT -- The written review has been up for a few days, but if you are looking for a little extra coverage on Revenge of King Piccolo for the Nintendo Wii, we've got you covered. Meri played the game for a bit and has a little more to toss into the conversation this week on the show. Your regular news, releases, e-mails, and all sorts of other great stuff jam packs another episode. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
|
31 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 11:01 am EDT -- We still need to fit in this weekend's podcast episode recording, especially since we're off to the wedding of some good friends this evening, but I wanted to make sure I tossed at least something out to you all ahead of time.
Many of you will be familiar with the "Doomrider" AMV Project that we helped coordinate many years back. If not, the description and download are right here on the website, but the short of it was that we got a bunch of AMV editors together and made a long video that encompassed (nearly) the entirety of the DBZ TV series. Lately there have been some people claiming to have "remastered" the video "in HD" for YouTube... which, if you've followed our position on FUNimation's orange brick sets over the years, you can figure out our take on this (read: it's impossible; they basically just smooth the AMV out to unrecognizable blurs).
Since I'm the only one with the actual master file of the video, I decided to make a new encode and toss it up. You can always download the 160 MB XviD right here on the website, but if you absolutely have to watch it on YouTube, this is the best it's going to get. Enjoy!
In other news, we are gearing up for recording Episode 200 of our podcast, theoretically scheduled to come out the first week in December if all goes according to plan. We are debating holding a little party in the area to celebrate and meet some of our readers, listeners, and fans. Do you think you're interested? Check out our forum thread and drop us a line with your interest level. If you don't have a forum account, feel free to just e-mail me directly. As we get closer to the date, I will put up more solid details as we come to a decision on what we will actually do. |
30 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 2:01 pm EDT -- FUNimation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre, having been purchased in 2005. Today, Navarre held their second-quarter fiscal 2010 conference call for the period ending 30 September 2009.
Unlike last quarter's release and call, there was not much of interest for DB fans. The bankruptcy of Circuit City (a "$60-odd million customer") hurt their net sales, and their publishing segment (of which FUNimation is a part) was down to $21.4 million from last quarter's $28.8 million. It was noted that FUNimation had a weaker release schedule this quarter, which they noted would happen last quarter (followed by an explanation at the time that Q3 & Q4 would be stronger for FUNimation). Despite this weaker release schedule, it was noted that FUNimation met internal targets for the quarter.
In the grand scheme of things, FUNimation has "56-60%" of the North American anime market share, and things remain strong for them with two competitors no longer in existence, first-dibs on many properties, and the ability to be selective about these new properties.
There you have it... your Daizenshuu EX-approved financial analysis for the second quarter of the fiscal year! Sorry it couldn't be more interesting, but it was a slow quarter across the board for most companies. |
28 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:30 pm EDT -- We are finally about to flesh out our relatively-new "Reviews" section with something other than a music review! "Revenge of King Piccolo" (released earlier this year in Japan as Tenka-ichi Dai-Bôken) is the latest game for the franchise, this time coming from developer Media.Vision and published by Namco-Bandai. Other than DragonBall Evolution on the PSP, this is the first game to come in a post-Atari age. Not only that, but we have a cross-action/platformer in a world consisting mostly of straight-up fighting games. Does a new North American publisher, a trip back into early DB nostalgia, and a waggle-licious platform deliver on its promises?
Check out our full review for all the details. |
25 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 6:09 pm EDT -- In case you were caught unaware, this past week the wife and I took off for a lovely one-year anniversary... so site updates basically stopped for the duration of the trip. Hey, you can always follow the Twitter streams for those minor housekeeping updates! To make things right again, we return with the podcast episode that we had planned on doing before we left... but simply didn't get around to. We caught up on some news, breezed through a review of the first Kai Blu-ray, and quite a bit more. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
There will probably be a written review of the Kai Blu-ray in the near future, but since there really isn't a whole lot to say (and my priority is really on the massive Revenge of King Piccolo review), the audio review should be enough to help you out.
The "incident" seems to be over near as we can tell. If you are looking for a little more commentary on the issue, though, look no further than an article from Jason Thompson. Now an author and regular writer for Otaku USA, Thompson was also an editor on the DB manga for Viz many years back. We unfortunately couldn't arrange a good time to chat with Jason before we left on vacation, but his article basically covers the whole thing pretty well. Great read.
A demo for the upcoming fighting game DragonBall: Raging Blast is available in North America for both the PS3 and 360.
It's a relatively small download, and allows for a single battle against the CPU using either Goku (regular or SSJ), Piccolo, or Raditz. It only contains English voices, does not showcase the game's opening theme, and will revert back to the main menu after a single fight.
It seems that several folks across the net seem to be unable to acknowledge what is presented to them and refuse to believe that the inclusion of SSJ3 Vegeta is real (claiming all of the images are doctored). Regardless of how you actually feel about the inclusion of such a character and transformation (in addition to SSJ3 Broli), let's at least be realistic about it: he's in there.
Special thanks to our Japanese buddy kei17 for the above new scan. In addition to that, the official website for Dragon Battlers has also updated with SSJ3 Vegeta:
SSJ3 Vegeta. Confirmed, folks.
It may just be a matter of shipment availability and retail restocking considerations, but Amazon is now listing FUNimation's upcoming DBZ "Dragon Box" volume one as coming out on 17 November 2009, a delay of exactly one week. In addition, my own e-mail update from Amazon stated:
Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below has changed, and we need to provide you with a new delivery estimate based on the new release date:
"Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box One"
Estimated arrival date: December 02 2009 - December 08 2009
We're waiting on some additional confirmation, but it looks like shipments may be coming in at least one week later than previously planned.
Vegeta is #21 and Goku is #1. Not a whole lot else to say about it. Like lists? Like complaining about other people's lists? This one is probably for you!
That's it! Hopefully we're all caught up. |
16 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:00 pm EDT -- In anticipation of their release of DragonBall: Raging Blast next month, Namco-Bandai sent along another goodie this week. This time it was another DragonBall piggy-bank (the three-star ball) with a print-out inside. I think e-mailing us a PDF would have sufficed just as well, really... so we've decided to be super nice and scan it for all of you!
Yep. Cut Goku out of the paper and put him together. You know you want to. I demand pictures when you're done.
In other news, former DragonBall editor at Viz and current author with Otaku USA magazine and on his own, Jason Thompson, has written a new article about the manga's situation in Maryland. There are some great comparisons and recollections, so be sure to give it a read.
VegettoEX @ 12:31 pm EDT -- All the regular sites (CDJapan, Amazon Japan, Columbia, etc.) have posted up the cover art for the forthcoming second soundtrack to DragonBall Kai:
While we still do not have a track listing for it, the disc drops in Japan on 18 November 2009 for ¥2940. Ours is already on pre-order, so look for a review probably in early December when all the new music arrives! |
13 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 3:18 pm EDT -- Amidst their criticizing of delmarvanow.com staff writers about fact-checking and conflicting quotes within their stories, author "Cato" (a one "G. A. Harrison") over on Delmarva Dealings apparently cannot be bothered to do his own research beyond Council Member Holloway's photocopied "examples" (PDF) mentioned earlier this week, and has determined that DragonBall is "smut".
The stories (split among three parts; one / two / three) are a fascinating read from an educated perspective. While our own commentary here on the website and in our latest podcast episode basically comes to the conclusion that nearly everyone can agree on (in the school library, maybe not so much; pull it on out and let's be done), the articles' continued demonization of this wacky story about a monkey boy reaches extreme new levels. It seems as if only their commenter Kevin Waterman has a realistic viewpoint, clearly noting that nothing shown is "erotic" in any way. Further comments and discussion go on to whine how the series clearly is not "high art" (news flash: little created in this world is "high art"), and commenters latch on to "Cato" and their wondrous use of the word "smut" to define the series over and over. Parents also go on to complain how their children are reading Naruto with its few redeeming qualities.
To be fair, we here at Daizenshuu EX are not yet parents... but it's not all that far off in the future, if it's going to happen. They're going to be exposed to DragonBall at some point in their young lives, and it's not going to be too much of a problem for us. As we have noted before, this stuff always has been for kids and always will be. Is it just that our generation actually has a realistic perspective on media that is completely unmatched by anyone other than our own peers? Were the childhoods of these people so barren that they never said the word "poop" aloud, saw funny pictures, or read trashy stories (yes, even comic books) which their own parents couldn't understand the educational value of? We seriously wonder, sometimes, if these people forget what it was like to be a kid.
I asked my co-hosts on the podcast if we were making a bigger deal out of this story and giving it more attention than it should otherwise be given. The consensus was that once the "child pornography" card was played, all bets were off and the commentary was free to flow.
"Cato" has decided that the series is "smut"; I wonder what that makes us...? Well, regular visitors... you know where you can check in every day for the latest news, commentary, and multimedia for your favorite low-class smut from plenty of college-educated adults!
VegettoEX @ 9:02 am EDT -- MMO News is reporting on what sounds like a minor "scandal" related to the development of DragonBall Online, the only-barely-just-recently "launched" massively multiplayer online role playing game. From the sounds of it (the English is a little broken), former designer on the game with NTL, Ku Jeong-Hun, claimed he was being taken advantage of by his company, was going to be dismissed in a "disgraceful manner", and left the company. An agreement was reached between him and the company that certain aspects of his game design would not be used in the final product. Lo and behold, sure enough some of these aspects turned up after his departure. There appears to be some legal threats flying between parties, but as the article rightfully states in its conclusion... at the end of the day, all gamers really want is a good game.
In completely unrelated content addition news, we have added DragonBall episode 15 up in our "Filler Guide". Enjoy! |
12 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:07 pm EDT -- Sorry for the one-day-late posting! Hopefully the massive amount of audio content makes up for it. As we state during the show, we are making up for lost time with this one! It's a monster episode this weekend as we dig deep into the recent "Dragon Box" audio track news, of course the manga being pulled from a Maryland library, and our 30th "Manga Review of Awesomeness". All the commentary you can eat this time, folks. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Following up on all the news and our podcast commentary, you may be interested in the third story posted on delmarvanow.com concerning the manga being pulled from the school library. This one, written by a different staff writer (Laura D'Alessandro) is certainly of a different tone. You can read for yourself, but we are happy to see the demonization and absolutely condemnation of the series has fallen to the wayside.
Library Director Tom Hehman said his staff is conducting an "internal reconsideration" of the series of graphic novels after one discovered in the Pittsville Elementary and Middle School library by a 9-year-old student earlier this week was found to contain nudity and sexual innuendo. Hehman expects the investigation to conclude next week.
Attention is given to the various ratings, classification by other libraries, and notoriety of the series worldwide.
In other news, Namco Bandai sent us over a couple gashapon this week in celebration of their upcoming domestic release of Revenge of King Piccolo, originally released in Japan as Tenka-ichi Dai-Bôken:
I reached out to our buddy Oldphan over at dragonballtoys.com to find out exactly what line these figures come from, etc. They are a part of the general DragonBall Collection series, and specifically the third line there-of. She also noted for us that it looks like the third series is of a little higher quality than the first two, and this is actually one of the few Grandpa Gohan figures ever made!
Revenge of King Piccolo is due out here in North America on 20 October 2009. We look forward to reviewing the game solely because we are finally getting something other than a fighting game! Unfortunately for the game, its Famitsu scores (6/6/5/6 = 23/40) don't give it a great lead-in. We'll give it a fair shake, though. Look forward to that review on the podcast (and hopefully written up on the website, as well) within the next couple weeks. |
09 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:13 pm EDT -- There seems to be a large amount of head-scratching going on with regard to the release date of Raging Blast across Europe. Amazon UK is listing the "Limited Edition" version of the game (both on PS3 and 360) with a release date of 23 October 2009. However, the standard versions of the games (again, both on the PS3 and 360) seem to be set for 13 November 2009.
Meanwhile, Amazon Germany is listing both the "Limited Edition" and standard versions of the games on both consoles as all being available on 13 November 2009 This appears to be the release date for the rest of Europe, as well.
It seems the only clear release dates are 10 November 2009 for the US and 12 November 2009 for Japan, but at the same time, there are no clear details about "Limited Edition" versions for those territories... |
08 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:52 am EDT -- Japanese buddy kei17 popped in with a new Jump scan showcasing the all-new SSJ3 Vegeta as a playable character in the upcoming PS3/360 fighting game, Raging Blast:
This comes after the reveal of SSJ3 Broli also being a playable character in the game. The SSJ3 transformation is new for both of the characters, never having been reached in the series or movies before.
VegettoEX @ 9:40 am EDT -- Gamekult.com has obtained an image showcasing the contents of the European "Limited Edition" version of the upcoming PS3/360 fighting game, Raging Blast, which we first reported on a couple weeks ago.
Clearly showcased are the art book, soundtrack CD, add-on content voucher, and overall packaging. There has been no word from Namco-Bandai about a possible North American release of the "Limited Edition" version and its extras. The game is due in Europe on 23 October 2009, North America on 10 November 2009, and finally Japan on 12 November 2009.
VegettoEX @ 9:14 am EDT -- Delmarva Media Group's local news website delmarvanow.com has a new story following-up on yesterday's announcement that the DragonBall manga was being pulled from a Maryland school library due to "graphic" content.
Despite writer Greg Latshaw's opening line about manga often being geared toward adults, an unfortunate quote from Salisbury University professor Adam Wood further leads in the article inferring that all manga is for adults. The article continues with an announcement from school spokesperson Tracy Sahler noting that the DragonBall manga has indeed been pulled from school shelves, and that while a committee (consisting of internal administrators as well as those "outside" the school system) will review the volume in question, the final decision rests with Superintendent John Fredericksen.
Councilman Joe Holloway (who has not responded to Daizenshuu EX for comment) distributed photocopies of certain panels from the manga to his fellow members in a meeting on Tuesday, describing them as "disgusting".
While we have not dived into our own personal feelings on the matter just yet (stay tuned to this weekend's upcoming podcast... you'll probably get more than you bargained for), we cannot help but be disgusted, ourselves, with a comment from Mark Thompson, county school board president:
"The pictures I saw, if it was meant for adults, it crosses the line for child pornography. If it's for a child, why show these scenes for children?"
This reminds me of a fabulous piece of reporting from ABC 17 News in which the following was stated with regards to the Nintendo video game series, Animal Crossing:
"There is no reason an adult should have [Animal Crossing: City Folk]," says Andy Anderson, Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force.
Anderson says adults playing "animal crossing" and similar games are likely doing it for the wrong reasons.
If DragonBall is pornography (and if Animal Crossing aids child endangerment), so is and does the vast amount of children's programming that has ever aired on American television. Forgive the distracting argument, but seriously...?
Does DragonBall manga belong in an elementary/middle-school library? I cannot answer that question; for the earlier parts of the story, sure, maybe not. Was I in middle-school when I discovered the series? Yep. Have I grown up to be a relatively normal, productive member of society? Pretty sure I have.
Rest assured that we applaud the parent involvement in this situation. Far too often parents are completely removed from their child's interests and activities, and it is refreshing to see a parent not only get involved, but also take action.
However, to demonize a product with completely out-of-context examples, misinformation, and clear attention-grabbing ulterior motives is what you can call truly "disgusting".
Much of the fault lies with the American distributors of the series, namely FUNimation and Viz. Since 1995 and 1998, respectively, there has been nothing but conflicting marketing and demographic catering from each of them. Is the anime kid-friendly or is it super-bloody-awesome-hardcore? The manga is rated "Teen", but clearly marketed at children of all ages. The "Shonen Jump" magazine runs claimed to be faithful to the original version at launch, and yet slowly transitioned into an edited shadow of its former self. The new "Chapter Book" format is being released alongside countless repackaging of the original manga. Home video releases are "uncut", but video games retain the censored name changes.
How on Earth is the uneducated marketplace supposed to interpret all of this and made a final decision?
They can't.
Make no mistake: DragonBall is for kids. It was always for kids in Japan (McDonald's is getting DBZ cards again later this month), it was always for kids in North America (we had DBZ figures at Burger King), and it always will be. What makes the series so magical is that it can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Is it sometimes crude? Is it sometimes ridiculous? Of course it is. What nine-year-old child wouldn't find an anthropomorphic pig parading around with panties on his head absolutely hilarious...? Do these parents and council members seriously believe that a 16-year-old girl would not be proud of her bust size and use it to her ridiculous advantage? This is the same series where a character is able to defeat an opponent who smells and looks foul (with his hands down his crotch, no less) because he realizes he doesn't have a nose. Folks, this is the logic we are working with in the universe of the DragonBall manga.
This all came about because the mother of a nine-year-old contacted a city councilman about what they considered explicit sexual material in a comic book aimed at children.
FUNimation may want to reconsider their marketing toward the "nine-year-old born every day". |
07 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 3:39 pm EDT -- FUNimation's official Twitter stream has just been updated with the following tidbits:
The DBox will have Jap voice track w/orgnl Jap music – mono (default track) and Eng track w/orgnl Jap Music in 5.1 surround.
More on the DBox -- The Eng track with TV broadcast music has been removed.
It appears that FUNimation's upcoming "Dragon Box" sets will contain two audio tracks: (1) the original Japanese language track, and (2) the slightly revised English dub with the original Japanese musical score (previously released on the faux-"remastered" season sets).
The previous faux-"remastered" season sets contained three audio tracks: (1) a slightly revised English dub with the original Japanese musical score [stereo], (2) the English dub as broadcast on North American television including its musical score [stereo], and (3) the original Japanese track [mono]. A surround-sound 5.1 track for the broadcast dub had been included on the previously-released and midway-canceled "Ultimate Uncut Edition". With FUNimation's upcoming "Dragon Box" sets bumping the episode count from six on the Japanese releases to seven on their own and even more audio tracks, there had been concerns over compromises to the visual quality of the sets, arguably their most important attribute. For a complete breakdown of these sets and their importance, visit our current "Feature".
VegettoEX @ 9:26 am EDT -- In a move that brings us full-circle to where we were ten years ago, the DragonBall manga has been pulled from the Pittsville Elementary and Middle School library in Wicomico, Maryland.
According to the article by Greg Latshaw on delmarvanow.com, a mother whose nine-year-old son had borrowed the book from the school library contacted Joe Halloway (whose occupation or position is not made explicitly clear in the article). This appears to be a misspelling of "Joe Holloway", a member of the Wicomico County Council in Maryland, who presented examples of nudity in the volume to his fellow council members, and stated that the, "drawings and story lines are disgusting." Wicomico schools Superintendent John Fredericksen has stated that, "it's coming off the shelves as soon as I can get a phone call back to the office". It is believed that the volume was purchased through funds provided by a grant, and that graphic novels are an accepted part of the library's collection because it engages those students who otherwise may not be interested in "traditional forms of reading".
Long-time American fans may remember a similar story from late 1999 / early 2000 in which the father of his four-year-old son was outraged over the inclusion of DragonBall manga in a pack of comics purchased at Toys "R" Us, which he described as "borderline soft porn" images of "naked boys and girls". DragonBall was subsequently pulled from Toys "R" Us store shelves.
It was around this time and the resulting censored printings of the DragonBall manga from Viz that our own Julian Grybowski initiated a large-scale petition (reprinted online in various places) calling for a separate, unedited release of the manga to be clearly labeled as such and presented for its intended and eager audience.
While the TV series and movies have received fully unedited releases (both dubbed in English and in their original Japanese language) from American distributor FUNimation on DVD (with edited versions airing on television via Cartoon Network), as of today, no fully unedited version of the DragonBall manga has ever been released in North America from Viz. Various levels of censoring (both in terms of visuals and dialogue) are present in different print runs of particular volumes.
Viz has been releasing the DragonBall manga in North America since 1998. The DragonBall manga is imprinted with a "Teen" rating on the back of Viz's current releases:
Viz has even created a new series of releases for DragonBall under their "Viz Kids" line in a new "Chapter Book" format in which the dialogue is simplified, expanded upon in narrative form, with limited illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.
We have reached out to council member Joe Holloway for comment. |
06 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:06 am EDT -- Listings for the upcoming PS3 and 360 game, Raging Blast, are finally starting to appear online. Amazon has standard entries for both the PS3 and 360 versions, while Gamestop's PS3 and 360 listings come with a "bonus" for those who pre-order:
Reserve Dragon Ball: Raging Blast and receive the Raging Blast Special Pack. The special pack contains customized Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks and Gotenks in-game characters. And for the first time ever, you can immediately play as Super Saiyan 3 Broly, one of the unlockable characters in the game. Available online and in-store while supplies last.
Online Customers: A code and instructions to unlock the Raging Blast Special Pack will be emailed when the game releases.
Store / In-Store Pickup Customers: A pre-order card containing a code and instructions to unlock the Raging Blast Special Pack will be available at time of game pick-up.
This does not quite line up with the special "Limited Edition" version of the game spotted on Amazon Germany, which is set to include a special steelcase packaging, artbook, soundtrack, and more. The extra character costumes/attributes/somethings seem to be the only common factors.
All listings confirm a 10 November 2009 release date in North America. |
04 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 7:57 pm EDT -- It's another one of those weekends where unexpected things come up, so we had a bit of a change in our podcasting schedule. Meri and I were able to kick it with a short episode this weekend catching up on the news, October's releases, and an e-mail. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
We should be back on track next week for volume thirty in our "Manga Review of Awesomeness" on-going series.
In the meantime, following up on the podcast version of the review, the full written review for the POWER OF DREAMER CD single is up! |
02 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:59 pm EDT -- Slow to list them on their website as always, Shueisha has apparently put out the fourth (and final) volume of the Majin Buu: Fukkatsu Hen "Film Anime Comics" today on 02 October 2009 for the regular price of ¥730.
While this particular arc is over, there is still a bit to go to bring them to the end of the series. It seems like they are actually going to complete their redundantly-redundant run...! |
30 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:34 pm EDT -- CDJapan has listed a second DragonBall Kai Original Soundtrack volume. Due out in Japan on 18 November 2009, it is set to contain "more than 30" BGM tracks in addition to the (presumably) same TV-sized versions of the opening and closing themes. Coming out under the catalogue number of COCX-35922, it will retail for ¥2940.
November is set to be a big music release month with this new announcement, the Raging Blast opening theme song CD single, and the delayed DragonBall Kai Song Collection. |
27 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:03 pm EDT -- After a quick break, we return in style! Julian and I hold down the fort this episode with reviews of both the POWER OF DREAMER CD single and the DragonBall Kai Original Soundtrack. You will probably be quite surprised with the analysis of both products! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
VegettoEX @ 3:31 pm EDT -- Despite the news about a possible "Limited Edition" version of Raging Blast coming with the game's soundtrack, it seems like at least the game's opening theme will be receiving a formal CD single release.
While listed as "UNTITLED" on CDJapan, the Raging Blast opening theme (already known to be titled "Progression") performed by Hironobu Kageyama will be coming out in Japan on 25 November 2009 for ¥1200 (LACM-4674). There are no additional details in terms of extra tracks, packaging, etc. as of yet. |
26 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 6:35 pm EDT -- We didn't forget about it! We have plugged away at Rachel's hard work and have another two episodes to share in our "Filler Guide". DragonBall episode 13 is the conclusion of the Pilaf story arc, while DragonBall episode 14 introduces Kuririn. Enjoy!
VegettoEX @ 1:45 pm EDT -- Not sure how we missed this one! Some chapters from the DragonBall manga (specifically the Saiyan arc, or the beginning of what Viz would call "DBZ") are coming to the manga/comic distribution service on the Sony PSP according to animeanime.jp and ANN. A new "Comic" category will become available in the PlayStation Store for accommodate this new service. Right now this is exclusively for Japan.
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25 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 6:34 pm EDT -- According to a post on the Anime on DVD forums, the upcoming re-releases (I'm not seriously counting the "re-"s, anymore) from FUNimation of the DBZ movies in single-disc packages broken out from the previously-released "Double Feature" releases (follow all that?) have been canceled. The former listings on Amazon are no longer available, and the RightStuf listings for DBZ movies 1 and 2 now read as "No Longer Available For Purchase".
Good move, we say. Looks like only Bardock and Trunks got screwed over with these styled releases. Let the "Dragon Box" versions come instead.
VegettoEX @ 11:34 am EDT -- Shueisha apparently put out the third volume of the Majin Buu: Fukkatsu Hen "Film Anime Comics" earlier this month on 04 September 2009 for the regular price of ¥730. No further listings are available, so it seems like their online listings are a little slow going up.
While we definitely have finalized cover art and a track listing for the new DragonBall Kai Song Collection CD coming out, CDJapan is now listing a release date of 04 November 2009, rather than the originally-listed release date of 21 October 2009. Further backing this up is the listing on Columbia's website with the new date. The Amazon Japan listing still has the original date, however.
Still looking forward to tearing it apart giving it a fair shake, regardless. |
24 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 7:27 pm EDT -- This one has been in the works for a while, and it is exciting to finally debut it! As the intro to the page notes, once it all quieted down, it feels like Evolution just came and went with little more than a whimper as the door hit its rear-end on the way out. We wanted to dive a little deeper into it, though, but also have some fun with it.
Rather than another straight-up review (which we did twice on the podcast, following both its Japanese and North American theatrical releases), a comparison between it and the original source material seemed in order. We decided to break it down into:
- Stuff They Got Right
- Stuff They Missed
- Stuff Out Of Left Field
- Miscellaneous Changes
Please have fun with and enjoy the new "DragonBall Evolution Comparison" page in the "Tidbits" section! |
23 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:12 pm EDT -- The German Amazon listing for a "Limited Edition" version of the upcoming PS3/360 game Raging Blast notes that it will come in a special steelbook case, a 52-page art book, the soundtrack to the game on CD, and some sort of downloadable content that grants additional abilities.
Steelcase: Das Spiel kommt in einem Steelcase mit exklusivem Dragon Ball Design inklusive transparentem Schuber.
Artbook: 52 Seiten mit "Making-of", exklusiven Konzeptzeichnungen, Kartendesigns und Artworks des Entwicklerstudios.
Original Soundtrack: CD mit dem original Soundtrack aus dem Spiel.
DLC: Einzigartige Kampfausrüstungen, die verschiedenen Dragon Ball Spielcharakteren zusätzliche Fähigkeiten verleihen.
There has been no official word from Namco-Bandai on a "Limited Edition" version of the game, though this seems to confirm it pretty solidly. We certainly hope the North American release also gets a similar treatment!
The first volume of DragonBall Kai made its way to Blu-ray and DVD last week, and has already made its way up the Oricon charts. It is quite low on the DVD list, and though it placed at #7 on the Blu-ray list. We received our copy in the mail this week, so look forward to a review of it soon!
It has otherwise been a fairly slow week, but we will have a pretty exciting and fun new page for you by this weekend! Please look forward to it! |
20 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 2:57 pm EDT -- We took the year off this time around, but Anime Weekend Atlanta is just coming to a close this weekend. While there was not any incredible information offered up at FUNimation's industry panel (a la the Anime Expo and Otakon panels), our podcast listener Brakus asked representative Adam Sheehan which audio tracks will be included on their upcoming "Dragon Box" sets for DBZ.
We will take it with a small grain of salt since representatives have been incorrect with answers before, but if Sheehan's information is correct, the audio tracks included on their prior "orange brick" season sets will be included on the "Dragon Box" sets. This includes:
- Original Japanese
- FUNimation English dub w/ original Japanese musical score
- FUNimation English dub w/ original American broadcast musical score
There was no other information to be shared relating to the DragonBall franchise or its products.
Unfortunately, there will be no podcast this weekend. Thanks for understanding. |
18 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:57 am EDT -- It's technically $10, but if you are interested in picking up DragonBall Origins at that price, you will also need to pick up another game from Wal-Mart's list for a combined deal of 2-for-$20. There's some good stuff on the list, though, including Final Fantasy III, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, and two Dragon Quest spin-offs.
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15 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 11:24 am EDT -- Our buddies at Kanzentai are keeping up quite nicely with all of these voice replacements for DragonBall Kai. Confirmed through the series' official website is the role of Nail changing hands from Katsuji Mori over to Taiten Kusunoki. Another major role, though, has been re-cast with absolutely no confirmation other than the closing credits to the episode, itself. It would appear that Appule has changed hands from Yûji Machi over to Takahiro Yoshimizu. This means that essentially all of Freeza's minions have had their voices re-cast for the show. We here at Daizenshuu EX have hit our limit with these voice changes, and would like to offer our condolences to Machi-san and his amazing character.
In the little after-episode bonus two podcasts ago, Julian and I had a brief conversation about the casting of Aya Hirano as Dende, and expressed our concerns over whether or not this was a "stunt casting". Our worst fears appear to be confirmed, as the upcoming DragonBall Kai Song Collection will indeed feature in-character image songs, including one by Aya Hirano herself as Dende. A previous track listing for the disc from Play-Asia hinted at this, but a slightly re-arranged and fleshed-out track listing from CDJournal.com confirms this information (along with a tiny image of the album cover). The disc drops in Japan on 21 October 2009, and we will be right there with a review after its release. We will update the track listing on the "Miscellaneous DragonBall CDs" page when we have additional confirmation.
To be fair, we are quite excited about another in-character image song from Horikawa. It's been far too long since the amazing "Bejîta-sama no O-ryôri Jigoku!! ~"Okonomiyaki" no Kan~". |
13 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 6:26 pm EDT -- We have another doozy of a show for you this weekend, in addition to catching up on a bunch of news! This time around on the show, our regular buddy Jeff joined us along with Scott Melzer to talk about ethics in fandom. Things have changed a great deal since the days of VHS fansubs (and we were sure to give a thorough history lesson), but with the franchise finally slipping into the modern distribution era with Kai, questions on how to conduct yourself as a fan have never been more relevant. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
On the show, we also finished naming all of our donation items, so be sure to listen in and check out the page to see what's been going on and how to get involved!
We received an e-mail that was answered during the show concerning an incorrect timeframe given during Raditz's explanation of Planet Vegeta's destruction in FUNimation's English dub. This has been added over on the "Dub Mistakes" page of the "Rumor Guide", so also check that one out!
A plethora of DragonBall Online media has made its way online in the last week. For a good collection of it all, head on over to our buddies at jv247.com.
The game also seems to finally be receiving a formal release in Korea this month. There is no word on a more-global release of the game so far.
Finally, as you have no doubt read on Kanzentai by now, the entirety of the voice cast for Ginyu-Tokusentai will be replaced for Kai. The changes include:
- Ginyu: Katsuyuki Konishi replacing Hideyuki Hori
- Jheece: Daisuke Kishio replacing Kazumi Tanaka
- Butta: Masaya Onosaka replacing Yukimasa Kishino
- Recoome: Seiji Sasaki replacing Kenji Utsumi
- Gurd: Yasuhiro Takato replacing Kôzô Shioya
This is especially strange, considering that Kenji Utsumi has already returned to voice Shenlong. Furthermore, while several of the members also voiced minor characters throughout the series, Kôzô Shioya voiced Majin Buu. If Kai gets that far in the series (remember that no announcement has been made about its length), will Shioya not return at all? Very interesting situation. |
10 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:56 am EDT -- It has certainly been a rather slow week in terms of news! The best we have for you is that Amazon has new listings for even more "Chapter Book" volumes of the DragonBall story they have begun releasing under their "Viz Kids" label. We absolutely adore the cover art for the releases, but are conflicted over the actual content.
Unlike the first four volumes which came out two at a time, it looks like these are going the one-every-other-month route:
- Volume 5: 03 November 2009
- Volume 6: 05 January 2010
- Volume 7: 02 March 2010
- Volume 8: 04 May 2010
We are recording the next podcast episode tomorrow night, and there is a possibility we will stream it live. No promises, but it's a possibility. Stay tuned to our Twitter stream for up-to-the-minute information. In the meantime, if you'd like to hear us talk for over two hours about the Sega Dreamcast, there's a new podcast episode up over on Video Game Conversations. Knock yourself out. |
06 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 3:29 pm EDT -- We took a week off from our regularly-scheduled audio content, but I think we more than make up for it with this doozy. This week, Heath and Corey join us to talk about the first arc in DragonBall Kai. Now that we are an entire block of the story into the show, how are we feeling about? After all the hype leading up to this "refreshed" version of the series, it sure had a lot to live up to. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Our buddy Marc is giving away a copy of the DragonBall "Season One" DVD box set from FUNimation due out next week over on The Fanboy Review. If you are interested in maybe grabbing a free copy, check out the contest.
Finally, we are sad to report that the Arabic voice actor for Son Goku, Mr. Zeyad Errafae'ie, passed away on August 26th. He was involved with a car crash and apparently seemed to be getting better, but ultimately did not pull through in the end. Our condolences go out to his family and all of the Arabic dub fans that may have grown up with his performance. |
03 September 2009
VegettoEX @ 8:43 pm EDT -- Thanks go out to everyone who sent this in. Play-Asia's listing for the upcoming DragonBall Kai Song Collection has a full track listing for the CD, so we have updated the "Miscellaneous DB CDs" page in our "Music Database" with all relevant information.
We now have individual themes for Ginyu-Tokusentai, Dende, Kuririn, Super Saiyan, Freeza, and Vegeta. Will they be in-character image songs like some of our old favorites from the "Hit Song Collection" days? Will they just be new image songs about the characters? Are they even songs from the show? We await more information...!
Also, our buddy Tanooki Kuribo tracked down the European cover art for the upcoming Attack of the Saiyans:
It is certainly nice to see the Japanese cover art remaining consistent across the world! We are hoping the American release gets the same thing when it drops this November.
VegettoEX @ 3:29 pm EDT -- Amazon is currently offering a completely free download of any MP3 priced at $1.29 or below on their website, all on the house thanks to them reaching a million followers on their Twitter feed.
If you do a search for "dragon ball" in their MP3 Downloads section, you'll find a plethora of great stuff available. Looking for something off the "2005 Version" releases of either Makafushigi Adobenchâ! or CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA (both of which include other theme and insert songs)? Maybe something off of Inazuma Challenger...? There is some great stuff up there for download, and we are all about supporting these releases with legit acquisitions... but these kinds of sales sure don't hurt! |
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Dragon Ball Podcast
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The years spanning 2000 to 2009 saw some of the biggest stories in the franchise's history. Our new "Feature" page details what we consider to be the five biggest stories from this last decade.
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