While i am completely against piracy, i can understand why people would pirate DBZ. The only currently, in print releases of the series are the orange bricks and blu-ray season sets. Both releases in 16:9 aspect ratio. While buying either release does help to support the franchise, you are still supporting and encouraging DBZ in 16:9. The fact that the bricks and new blu-rays sold so much better then the 4:3 level sets makes me think the chances of getting a 4:3 release in the future with both of the dubs and soundtracks is small. While i do think that the level sets failed mainly because they were released just after the bricks came out, the sales numbers don't lie. I think that if funimation held off on releasing the level sets in 2011 and waited until maybe 2014 or 2015 and released them in the place of the 16:9 release, they would have done well in sales. Timing is everything. The 16:9 blu-rays would have flopped as well if they were released at the time of the level sets. Why would people who have no knowledge of aspect ratios want to buy a series that they just bought? Sorry for the ramble. I know everything is a bit all over the place, but i just needed to get this out haha. I would love to see you make a video comparing the releases for DB, DBGT, and the films at some point BDUB similar to this vid.
I wouldn't call "no faulconer bgm" a con, because the Dragon Boxes were made for Japanese fans in the first place, in fact Funi only added a English Dub track as an "afterthought"
"you are not a true fan if you own the orange bricks" REALLY?? I started buying the orange bricks when they first came out and then later on they decided to come out with the dragonboxes. I am a true DBZ fan and have all the bricks up on a shelf in my room (DB (4 movie pack as well as the 5 seasons), DBZ, DBGT and all the blue ray movies) as well as all the manga box sets with Illustration book. So I laugh when you say "not a true fan"!
great video and I understand your frustration with people not aware of the significance of the aspect ratios and no grain. i highly recommend you sell the orange bricks and collect the individual dvds that came out before all of these. they're uncut (or say the box says), have 4:3 aspect ratio, and of course Bruce Faulconer's incredible and nostalgic music. it may take a while to hunt em all down but we're collectors and that's what we do.
I think I'm gonna pick up the Orange Bricks because they're cheaper and I'm a student who can't afford to buy the Dragon Boxes because a few of them are insanely expensive. Plus, I like the Bruce Faulconer music because that is the version I originally watched. Also, they match the Blue bricks for Dragon Ball and the Green ones for GT.
Would you consider fans who buy the Blu-ray seasons to be casual too since they're also in 16:9? Idk man. I feel like the Blu-ray seasons have *really* good quality to them. A 4:3 option would've been nice but I am happy it comes with the Bruce Faulconer score. Also, I don't think me owning the Orange Bricks debunks me being a hard core DBZ fan, does it? I've been a fan for over 20 years and own nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise consisting of figs/statues, all of the games, the complete manga set, etc.
Dante Yes you are fan 100% It's cool if you like the bricks i just felt like Funimation only caters to the causal audience when it comes to the original DBZ. Hopefully a 4;3 Blu-ray does come out someday.
***** Cool. :D you know, it's weird. On the Kai Blu-ray releases, 4:3 is an option for those that want it. I just wonder why is it so hard to implement for normal Z?
Chibi Dante Sparda They actually did implement the original 4:3 aspect ratio for release in Blu-Ray quality called the "Level 1.1" and "Level 1.2" sets. It was basically the best of both worlds with the original aspect, no excessive DNR, colors as accurate as possible, and with Blu-Ray quality sharpness and clarity. Only like 34 episodes were released so far because of how much it cost for remastering the entire show again and with the lack of sales they discontinued it. To be fair I think the Level sets were twice the price than the blu-ray sets that are being sold now. People vote with their wallets and the 16:9 selectively cropped Blu-ray sets won out.
Thank you for making this video. The only thing the Orange bricks really offers Is the Bruce Faulconer soundtrack. Dragon Box is the best by far, followed by the rock the dragon set IMO. (Nostalgia)
just for anyone who doesn't know. the orange bricks have falconer music but that is remastered. not the 1999 funimation dub that played on toonami in the early 2000s. just thought I'd clear that up for anyone who wanted the ones from the early 2000s because they are similar and easy to get mixed up. but they are not the same.
Great video! I'm going to pick up DBZ Kai most likely. I'd rather have a faster paced story. I also plan on collecting the manga of both Dragonball and DBZ.
BDUD can you explain something to me if you will? I keep seeing clips on RU-vid of Gohan Vs Cell in HD 1080 and yet the guy says their from the Remastered sets?.....how does he still get these clips up with such clearlity?
One question. Does the yellow dragon box have the violence and other editing put back in? That’s what I care most about, finding the most uncensored version of the show and from what you described it seemed like the dragon box would be best for that, am I right?
Hey bro!!! YOU TOTALLY ROCK!!! This is the most complete explanations about how different these editions are... I really apprecciate this because I'm just a teenager and I love the old animes more than the new ones and classics like Dragon Ball should be preserved like gold besides I was looking for the best information in order to know what edition I should buy because I was saving money but now I know it!! Thank you very very much man I'll recommend your site to all my friend!! :) DBZ 4EVER!!
I just wrapped up my DBZ Orange Brick set a couple days ago. Listen, I understand the cropping might be annoying to some people but for me it's not a huge deal breaker. The point is to be able to re-watch Dragon Ball Z whenever. And I'm able to do so ( with an awesome "marathon mode" ) too. If I'm able to ( because I hear the Dragon Box set is out of print already ) I may eventually spring for the Dragon Box Set. I-CAN'T-STAND DBZ Kai... it's not the DBZ I use to know in love, period.
I really appreciate your review, but I had a question I didn't see covered. I prefer the dub version (can't stand the japanese goku voice) and I'm curious which version has an English dub script that most closely matches the original Japanese dialogue. Also, I know when the show originally ran in the US they tended to cut out the blood, cursing, and sexual references; are do the orange and dragon boxes both remain faithful to the original Japanese version or do they edit these things too? Thanks
Hey, great video! What do you think about how FUNimation is going to rerelease DBZ on BD and label it HD? Same cropped video format, too. It's the orange brick bs all over again...
Yeah I found the Blu-Ray 1.1,1.2,etc. DVDs online, but found out that they stopped production of them ): But thanks for the reply, and your video was great.
@BDUBTheAnimeMaster Hey man maybe you can clear this up for me since you have both the Dragonbox and Orange Brick(s). The Orange Bricks are supposed to have the REVISED English dub which is one of the biggest parts in me not liking the OB's. I want to be able to relive watching Dragonball Z on Toonami back when I was a kid with the ORIGINAL English dub. Does the Dragonbox have revised or original English dub? Also for someone like myself would you recommend the Dragonbox or OB's?
Alright cool. Thanks for the help, but can you answer me just one last question. Everyone refers to Kai as the best. Are the Kai DVDs like the one you have to adult oriented Kai, or the Nickolodeon watered down version?
Is there a purchaseable box set with uncut AND remastered picture with the funimation dub (I don't care what music it has, I like them both)? I just don't think I can get used to the ocean dub for the dragon box just for a slightly better detail in the picture. I absolutely hate how they cropped the series for the orange box sets. So thats what draws me away from buying them. It's hard to decide which sets to get when each one has a major flaw, even Kai with its overdoing of cutting out filler.
Another reason for the cropping was because there was excess glue and the like on the tops and bottoms of the frames. You have good points, and I am a hardcore Dragon Ball fan, I respect your opinion, but I'm collecting the orange bricks (as well as the blue and green ones) so I can have the complete series, and the quality is fine for me. Blu-Ray is out of my price range, as well, and I don't have a PS3 or Blu-Ray player either.
I wanna get either the Dragon Boxes or the Kai dvds but i'm not sure. The Dragon Box is the ultimate DBZ set but the Kai dvds seem a lot cheaper and i dont give two shits about the season sets so which one do you think i should buy? I want the FULL experience but i dont want to spend a lot of money, and i dont want crappy picture and film quality.
Quick question, to anyone who wants to reply. All the season sets are uncut/"remastered" and everything by default, right? I'm kind of confused because some boxes I see have a little logo that says that they include: Ex. "Includes 900 minutes of uncut action!". Others, don't have the logo..so yeah. That's my question, thanks to anyone who replys! Sorry if I sound dumb :P
I know everyone bitches about more and more DBZ releases but I personally have nothing. I don't want to get the Orange Bricks because of the cons. When I saved up enough money for the Dragon Boxes but they were out of stock. I want to know if there will be one more release of DBZ, a release which is permanent and PERFECT.
Hey man, really enjoyed the video but I was wondering, For the nearest experience OF dbz like it was on Toonami, ( Bruce Faulconer ST, Voice Actors ) what would you suggest I buy? I was thinking the Dragon Boxes.. Thankx in advance
Salim El-Othman At this point the new Blu-rays or the Orange Bricks if you want Bruce Faulconer Music. The Dragon Boxes are out of print and very expensive these days and they don't contain the Faulconer Music.
I personally Like The Uncut Box Set Because When I rip them to a mp4 file and have the Frame 1920 x 1080p and it looks great. If I want to post a good scene to youtube all I have to do is some color correction and some more VFX to it to touch it up a little.
Hey BDUB I know Im SUPER late but I just started getting the Dragonbox and I found out that dragonbox 2 is hard to get. Now I did manage to get my hand on dragonbox 1 and i ordered dragonbox 7. Do you think I should get the rest even though I cant complete the collection or is that enough? I have the orange bricks btw
Great video. I originally had about 3 orange bricks. I am working on purchasing all dragon boxes. Dragon boxes are my favorite. The remastering is top notch, film grain actually adds character for me. We are watching an older animation, so to me it's more appropriate than sterilizing the video to death.
I respect your opinion, which is very factual but no one can justify my fan craze for Dragon Ball Z. Unfortunately I've started off with the orange bricks because I was craving so bad for DBZ in my collection. And now I'm gonna have to finish my collection with it (only 4 boxes left to get). I will say though that the DBZ "orange" special movies (minus Broly/Future trunks pack) are cropped without issue, since the movies were kept with 16:9 in mind so you're not missing any picture there.
Ok gotta ask, What about the OLD DBZ dvd releases, organized into a bunch of disks with a few episodes on each. I remember that they had ads for them in the old Dragonball Z magazine (out of print for years). They had them in boxes, saiyan saga, freeza saga etc. I wonder if they will be in 4:3 with the faulconer track? That is what I am looking for. Thanks.
I know the Dragonboxes are pretty much out of print now but is there like any way to get Dragonball Z Dragonbox 2? I know you can't really find it in stores. I only have 6 out of 7 Dragonbox sets, and Volume 2 is the only one I need. I wish I could have gotten it back in 2010 but I didn't start collecting them till January of last year.
I personally started collecting the orange bricks since they released. But i don't really mind them. Especially for that I can watch the bricks for nostalgia. But I'm currently collecting the Dragon Boxes too, to watch the original to see how much of the experience differs.
Like the review but does Dragon Box have the nudity scenes and all the scenes that were edited or does it have all that or does the Orange Brick sets have them because i heard they are *Uncut*
will get the dragon box sets after i get the rest of the dragonball season sets. quick question, will you be reviewing the new blu ray dragonball z sets that are coming out?
I love these true fan comments, whether its regarding the dragon box vs the orange bricks..or simply enjoying the English dub or the faulconer score...and I suppose even if you enjoy the original dbz over kai; if the dragonboxes came with that score AND I didn't already have all 9 seasons prior, then of course I woulda picked em up
I personally give it to the orange bricks because they were the first DVD sets to actually put out DBZ to the public (VHS tapes of DBZ dont count) but i still think the original picture is something i could careless about
Search "Dragonball Z, Vol. 1" (DVD) on Amazon. Brian Drummonds Vegeta (Ocean dub, the first English dub of DBZ) was episode 1-53 (vol. 1-17) after episode 53 (Vol.17) Funimation took over the dub with Chris Sabats Vegeta (Vol.18+) Episodes 54-107 were never dubbed by Ocean studios, but they did come back to dub 108-291 for Canadian Tv, but these were never ever released on any DVD sets and are extremely rare
great review! ;) i have dragonboxes 2, 3, and 4. i'm planning to buy the rest of them soon because the picture and sound quality is awesome! i complete agree with you about he 4:3 picture frame.
This really helped me make my decision on which one I am going to buy. Dragonboxes FTW Nice video & BTW you really have a knack for saying "Know what I'm saying" P.S Christopher Sabbat best voice actor ever
I have just purchased the first season Orange box set, and i must say, i am a little upset that the "Rock the Dragon" theme was removed, also i would like to ask, are the Orange box sets Uncut? because i vaguely remember the T.V airings were truncated for violence, and when they released them on VHS and DVD they had more footage
I have all three of these, and all the points you made were really accurate. I really like Kai, but I would say it's for people that have already watched the entire series already. Because of the filler being taken out, you don't get the full experience if you're watching it for the first time. And for me personally, I like to watch my Pioneer Ocean Dub set for the Saiyan and part of the Namek Sagas, then switch to the Orange Bricks for the rest, just like it was on Cartoon Network! =)
I think I'll get Kai first since I've always liked the manga more than the anime, or at least the original Funimation dub I watched as a kid. That, and I've seen a handfull of scenes and really like the updated voice acting, especially Frieza. I always thought he sounded a bit silly, but now he really creeps me out. In a good way, that is. I'm in the process of learning Japanese so I'll probably get the Dragon Box later on. Thanks for the video. It was actually very helpful.
Yea but some of detail of some scenes are erased or fucked up which is why Dragon Box is better. Shows how much you know. And removing the grain was a mistake they made and admitted, which is why they left it in both the Dragon Box and Bluray releases. You know what grain does? as long as its not over done, it gives better picture and detail!
I've got all the orange bricks (and just finished watching every episode). I also have the first 3 Dragon Boxes and will pick up 4 soon but have yet to watch them. I really want the Kai blu rays but they're still a little expensive for me now.
For me it's this: DBZ Kai Parts 1-4 (Yamamoto OST) > Dragon Boxes > Funi Season Sets > DBZ Kai Parts 5-8 (Kikuchi soundtrack) Cropping is irrelevant. People cropped films for decades to fit on 4:3 TVs and no one was called a casual fan for it.
Damn straight man. If bdub thinks us not minding the widescreen transfer of dbz makes us "casual fans" In his eyes? Then guess what him preferring Dragon Box over Kai makes him a casual fan in my eyes. Since Kai is in fact the true director's cut of Z and is the way Z was truly meant to be experienced. Not just in terms of video and audio presentation. But also in terms of storytelling.
i am getting the orange bricks (dragon ball z sets 3-9) since it has bruce faulconer's background music. just like i'm watching dbz on toonami back around late 1999 and 2000 decades when i was younger.
I live in the UK and I've purchased the orange boxes that have just recently been released here. I completely understand and agree with what you're saying and your video is very informative. The reason I bought them though is because it was the first time I was personally able to get Dragonball Z on DVD in the UK and at a reasonable price. Even with all the cons I still enjoy and get a nostalgia trip watching them, listening to the familiar dub and Faulconer's awesome music.
Alright, so pretty much I recommend the orange bricks because the dragon boxes aren't made anymore and the in dragon ball z Kai they cut out WAY to much stuff, I mean they didn't even do the majin buu saga, so overall, I recommend the orange brick sets
i've got the orange boxes and admittedly the fact they were Widescreen and abit of a DNR fiasco did bother me. I've been buying the Kai Blu rays but havnt watched them yet as im not done with the full 291eps as i only got into DBZ late last year Being that i was still watching the series i avoided researching info on the Dragonboxes soes not to ruin any plots etc. Did you say they were in 4:3 , i ask rather than rewatch so i can go straight onto another video being the new sub i'am. Great Vid
ok so i just started buying the orange bricks and think there great man, i mean i will buy the dragonboxs in a year when i save up alot more money. I used to watch this when i was younger and how they showed it in the orange boxes reminded me how great this anime was. What im getting at is that i dont really care how it looks or sounds, i just want to watch something that was important from my younger years. (P.S.im now 17 and i watched this when i was like 6 when it was on toonami)
They all sound favorable but I may go with DBZ Kai on Blu Ray. A big thing for me is the filler, I started watching the original series and I tend to get bored when fillers come around so it prevented me from wanting to watch. DBZ Kai is great for me cause I have both an HD TV and PS3, so I think I will probably get those but most likely come back for the Dragonboxes later. (Even though I heard they will be disappearing soon)
Thanks a lot man. You helped me out heaps. I was originally going to purchase the Dragon Boxes from the official funimation website but then I was disappointed to find out they only sell them to U.S. and Canada. I was so angry. I've wanted that collection for a LONG time. The Dragon Box sets are perfect and now the first 3 sets are unavailable. I am so sad :(
I actually watched the entire 291 at DBZepisodeorg. The ones I watched were the remastered I believe. I loved it because that's what I watched first. I like that your not losing footage with the Dbox. I HATE though, since I grew up on Faulconer... and I think at the beginning Menza? Music. It was like a job half done... I think FUNi had a dispute with faulc. I just wish Faulconers music was on there. That's why I dont want Dbox. Maybe I'll buy both if I get the money :'(
Thing is. I've watched footage of Orange Bricks DBZ. And I've watched footage of Dragonbox DBZ. And to be honest. I thought the level's of contrast, saturation. And the colour hue. Were much better on the Orange Bricks. When compared to the Dragonbox. The sky on earth is almost green on the Dragon Box. And while it may be a little over saturated on the Orange Bricks. It seems really under saturated on the Dragonbox.
@BDUBTheAnimeMaster My guess is the seasons above it have less episodes where as the first three seasons have a lot more episodes. I don't know how that would stop them though. Australia's packaging is also very different from the American's as well. The US packaging has a cover that slides off and then you open the flaps with the dvd's while the Australian one opens like a book with the flaps inside but doesn't fold out.
You prefer all 3? Okay, you're a true fan. Have you thought about getting the Ocean dub? It's probably on DVD and has music that rivals Bruce Faulconer's best work, up until the middle of the Namek saga when they stopped and Funimation took over. That's the first dub I remember watching. Anyways, I love the professional and fun look of the dragonboxes. Maybe I'll wait for kai to create something like that. Please, tell me which has the better digital remaster, the dragonboxes or kai?
