@@saiyanlives9872 The grain on the 30th Anniversary sets is artificial grain, added because of the outcry when people saw the trailer. The “remastering” process is still the same as the blu ray season sets, just in 4:3 and with fake grain. Okay if you don’t care about picture quality, but bad if you want to see the series remastered faithfully to how it’s meant to look.
18:09 Thank you so much for explaining this. I was led to believe by many others that the entirety of the set was cropped badly. I didn't know that the cropping was reduced almost entirely after episode 4.
I wont go that far as the Dragon Boxes were completely remastered by Toei and have everything that the original broadcast had. I can say the color distortion of the blues and greens was unfortunate since toei didn’t ensure their protection. 😔
@@user-ok8yq6nc6x Agree to disagree.... everyone needed that trip to fake Namek! It added soooo much to the story in every way, introducing new, fully developed characters and has implications for the rest of the show...... It's not as if all the filler happens and then is forgotten by both characters and viewers lol😂 I'm being sarcastic btw, I'm on your side here👍
It really sucks that the level sets were released so soon after the dragon boxes and people were pretty much high off of them so they didnt support the level sets, it was just bad timing and now we've had to deal with terrible release after terrible release because Funimation doesn't understand that the level sets didn't sell well because the market was oversaturated as hell, it wasn't because they were bad, if they released the level sets now there would be so much support for them.
The FUNi Dragon Boxes are definitely the way to go for non-Kai DBZ if you've got the money for them, as i've managed to get all but Vol. 4 through some really good eBay deals over time and i for one am very glad to have nearly the entire series in that format. The 30th set is definitely a "meh, it's ok" release, but still at least better than the terrible Orange Bricks and slightly less bad Season BD's with being in 4:3 though it's still not the greatest.
+ARS Those releases are ok from that standpoint if you're looking for a relatively decent price to get the whole series, incorrect aspect ratio and remastering issues aside. They most certainly aren't great in the latter two areas, but when it comes to non limited edition versions it's the cheapest option available at this point.
The Dragon Boxes arent perfect. Their colors are pretty bad and the whole thing has an orange overcast. They are however a great basis to alter yourself and make the best set.
They're the only good release we've had, other than the level sets but those weren't finished so, sucks that they're out of print and worth over $1000 now.
I have the orange brick set because at the time, it was the cheapest way to own the series set uncut with both Japanese and English audio. It also has both the Japanese original audio and the music from Bruce Faulconer English dub too. It’s not the best looking visually but it’s alright
Just going to be that guy here and I'm not ashamed of it.... I LOVE my Orange Bricks. I bought them years ago (I'm in the UK) when I was a young teen in order and they were how I first enjoyed the show. Every few weeks I'd go to CEX or HMV depending on availability and get the next one when I can afford it. Everyone says about the cropping and the bleaching and all these other things. Yes, they're there and we've had other, better releases but it's FAR better than nothing. Once you've fallen in love with the show then it's fine to splash out on more expensive formats with more accuracy but if you just want to watch, enjoy and love the story.... aren't they enough? I've had a lot of abuse online for this opinion and I don't understand it. People saying "Just buy the £80+ versions they're sooo much better" but it's kinda snobbish when you're talking about a kid trying to enjoy a show right? As an adult it's obviously different and we all have our opinions but if you want to enjoy dbz it isn't a big deal what version right? As long as it's dragon ball
@@reggiebuttsmash2321 Plus the original features are there, (trailers, Making of Legacy of Goku, etc.) that are not usually carried over to newer releases.
As much as I really love Kai, I really want some filler but I REFUSE to pay the outrageous price for the dragon boxes, plus I want the Bruce faulconer soundtrack (something that the dragon boxes don’t have) as that was my favorite DBZ soundtrack, and I will NOT pay to get those garbage orange brick sets since the picture quality, cropping, and noise reduction are very bad, and the level sets were never completed so that’s out of the question, and hunting down the VHS tapes and separate DVD’s would be a catastrophe. So my best bet left for me is to get the Blu Ray Season Sets since the Cropping and noise reduction were handled WAY better than the bricks, colors weren’t as bad, brightness is controlled, AND it has the faulconer score.
Isn't practical. Because the show was made in 16mm film print a maximum resolution of a 16 mm is (1080p). And scanning it in 4k would be useless. Cost more etc. It would be nice to have the perfect DBZ release but sadly we don't have one. The level sets (Blu ray) are basically the Perfect DBZ release. But funimation cancelled them . What funimation does not understand is that day oversaturated the market that's why they did not sell. This is even more depressing when you realise this is 2019 , they are three attempts at a Blu-ray, one is cancelled and the other two are bad quality Blu-ray represents the best way to watch ( film, TV show or anime)
Admir Gutic I’m pretty sure they could create a 4K transfer from 16mm film. And if it was done with care it would be amazing. But it will probably never happen.
The best version is debatable but the best "bang for your buck" so to say, have got to be those season sets on blu-ray. They include options for original- and Faulconer soundtrack, have a good remaster and are affordable. I think it's the most complete edition you can find for a normal price. The only real issue if you're a purist is that it's widescreen instead of 4:3. But even for a widescreen they are way better cut than the orange bricks. So a 5 is pretty harsch haha ;D
Honestly i get the argument you are trying to make but... looking just at quality the dragonboxes are the best. Dragon Boxes DBZ Kai DBZ 30th/steel books Widescreen Blu Rays Orange Bricks
Honestly the blu ray season sets are my favorite. I can understand why people like the Dragon Boxes, but I grew up with the Funimation dub and Bruce Faulconer score so it’s hard to watch DBZ any other way, even if the Japanese score and voices are “authentic”. Plus, on my large 4K TV the show looks big and cinematic and colorful, even after the cropping, which I wouldn’t even notice in the first place unless you told me. Don’t get me wrong though, I think watching DBZ in its original Japanese form would be interesting, but that’s all it would be for me.
Ok I’m going to be honest, I know that the dragon boxes are the best set and release but the prices that they are going for is not worth it In my perspective. I think that 1,000 dollars for a anime is ridiculous but that’s just my opinion please no hate.
I'm so baffled by the amount versions and box sets there are of dragon ball z, I've just finished the manga for dragon ball and z and was one of the best things I've read. Now I want to watch Z but just realised I've stepped into a head fucking realm. I want to watch dragon ball z in japenese with subtitles but I don't have a clue which to get and was wondering if you could give me some advice as I can see you are th expert thanks
30th Anniversary will set you back by 1000, and honestly it's pretty bad. Orange Bricks, Bad but honestly of your just watching the show on the cheap then go for it has Bruce score so it's got that going for it. Dragonbox, I love them I truly do and if you didnt have budget problems Its amazing, BUT It's price and availability makes it very hard for me to reccomend, Kai releases, Honestly best way to watch the show currently
I have that Rock the Dragon set as well and I actually prefer those episodes that way even though they’re edited down. I never liked those episodes much to begin with because I don’t think the series gets very interesting until they arrive on Namek. So Ocean actually makes it more entertaining for me because I don’t think FUNi dubbed those episodes very well anyway, plus there wasn’t any Faulconer for those episodes and I like the Shuki Levy score. Ocean did an amazing job on the first three movies too and much better than Funi who did a lazy job on them.
I don’t need to pay $1,000 I got a seller that does custom orders of Blurays he just did Dragon Ball Dragon Box amazing quality with 3 different audios.
I recently got into dragon ball z like around the time the super broly movie came out and I got the steel books is that good enough to own the series. Although sadly I wasn’t born in this time when dragon ball z came out so I didn’t grow up with the show but I did grow up watching a little bit of super with my cousin because he used to watch it on tunami so I always am thankful that my cousin was around to introduce me the franchise.
I’m glad to have gotten the Dragon Boxes when I did. They just feel more complete with the Japanese title cards, opening and closing credits, and the next episode previews. Not even the level sets can say that even if they had been released at a better window of time. It’s not just Funimation who’s to blame, it’s also Toei who has been holding back the remastering potential to the point that they refused fans who offered to give them the clean recordings of the Japanese broadcast audio and instead went with making DBZ Kai. Not that I despise Kai in itself, but the principle it was seemingly made on just screams self righteousness by the studio.
Honestly purchased the 30th anniversary of DBZ knowing I would just sell it. With the money I got from selling the collection I was able to get all the Dragon Boxes except vol 4. That one is still hard to find honestly.
The 30th anniversary set is great. Have you actually seen the side by side footage next to the dragon box footage. You can't beat the bluray 1080p resolution first of all, and except for the grain, all the details are there. For collectors value the dragon boxes are great, but the footage isnt perfect on them either.
I own the orange bricks and 30th anniversary blu rays. aand the 30th set is leaps and bounds better than everything else before it except the dragon boxes just dont store the discs in the cardboard booklet i use a cd binder case
And now we have the steelbooks blurays and the Manga UK Bluray sets, which in my opinion the UK blurays has better packaging, more stuff inside, and unique designs rather than recycling images from the orange brick and previous season sets bluray. I am sensing a dragon box bluray set in the work right now, it will take time obviously, no one likes a rushed product.
You can’t blame the people for not buying the level sets at the time. Blame funimation and Toei for flooding the market. The dragon boxes, Kai, the movies. It was too fresh. So of course they thought nothing was going to happen to it. And they would come back and buy it.
I still have the original single dvds from pioneer to funimation sagas and dragon box, that’s about it. The blu rays are junks and I don’t want to waste money on them.
To me the best release is the 30th anniversary / steelbook sets/flip cover case for UK season sets (same print as 30th anni) , because its HD and 4:3 with grain, ofc the better version is probably still the dragon boxes but they are ubfortantly SD and 480p I wish they would bring those to bluray and they are hard to find/expansive.. also stay away from the 16:9 releases its terrible IMO anyway unless its dirt cheap ofc cuz its still watchable
@@ChaosmasterZ13 yeah I hope so,do u also have Super? I recently got the 4:3 blurays so happy I finally own the show,should I and collect the super blurays too? And for some reason I cant find kai in eu anywhere its constantly sold out
I got the Blu-Rays and they are perfect in my eyes. I don't mind the cropping and there's no way I want to get the Dragon Boxes unless they are in Blu-Ray and I buy my movies and shows on Blu-Ray unless they have a 4K version as well or if DVDs the only option. You gotta be insane if you think I should buy DVDs that are $1,000 if I'm not a purist and there's releases I could get for cheaper. Plus DVDs don't look nice on big TVs so ya shit out of luck to convince me for a overpriced DVD box set on eBay plus not everyone wants to buy DVDs if Blu-Rays and 4Ks are bigger and better.
Yes I agree the Dragon box are the best way to watch the series in 4.3 .The orange bricks are crap and the season blu ray sets are okey but still cropped.Original VHS/DVD singles are the second best way to watch Dragon ball z with the Bruce falcounter score in 4.3. I almost finished collecting the original mid 90's early 2000's dragon ball z VHS/DVD collection with American theme. I have a question I your help I want to know which dragon ball z kai DVD or blu ray have the yamamoto score should I pick up? It's the parts or the season dvds? I'm a little confused?🤔
Both the dvd and blu ray of the first four parts of kai have the yamamoto score. The first release of the first season had the yamamoto score, but every release since then has the reused Z score. I'd recommend getting the first four parts on blu ray.
rschaosmaster what’s the best way to own the original Dragon Ball series? I have the original saga DVD sets and blue bricks, are the Japanese Dragon boxes for Dragon Ball worth it? How do you watch them without subtitles? or do you just own them for collector’s purposes.
rock the dragon still isnt good. They really needed to color correct it is so washed out its nearly unwatchable. Madman or pioneer releases are the only good way to watch the Ocean dub. Idk what you mean by the next version of Ocean did you mean the westwood dub? If so i wish westwood dub of dbz on dvd/bluray as well. The westwood dub is episodes 108-END and they mostly use the same cast as the Ocean dub. Sadly they probably wont but fans have created a Dragonm Box merge that was insane!
No, they were never officially released in the UK, but if you have multi-regional dvd/blu ray player it'll be fine. But again very expensive to get them all.
@@JesseStipek yea the only thing about them is they only have three to four episodes on each DVD and some of them are really expensive on amazon. It's cheaper to just buy the seasons but they're all screwed up. I have the dragon ball blue bricks which look pretty good, the dragon ball z orange bricks, which look horrible, the dragon ball z blu ray seasons which look pretty good only if it was not widescreen it screwed up alot of pictures, and then I have the two seasons of gt green bricks which look pretty good, and then all the movies. I also have 55 of the 86 single DVD releases and 40 VHS tapes some edited and some uncut.
@@MeatNinja me either. I tried watching some of kai part one when the first 13 episodes came out I bought it and said hmm what's this so I watched like the first couple of episodes and was like what the hell is this? Then I took it back and got my money back.
It was made to take out most of the fillers from Z like the Garlic Jr. saga, and extra scenes that wasn’t part of the original manga for example. I mean it’s good to see the Frieza saga with the 10 episode of Namek exploding spedup but it does cut out a ton of the slice of life episodes which portrays the characters relationships with one another not mention a lot of them were funny.
I think that’s just because the networks like NickToons and Cartoon Network had to calm it down so they could show it on the regular kids cartoon block.I don’t think DBZ KAI itself was censored though