8.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Raditz, Gokus brother has traveled to Earth to find out why Goku has not yet destroyed the planet as he was supposed to do. But while as a baby, Goku was dropped (down a huge cliff) and forgot his real mission. Kakarot, Gokus real name battles his brother Raditzs along with former enemy Piccolo and friend Krillin. Meanwhile, Gohan; Gokus son reveals his hidden powers against Raditz and nearly kills Raditz. However Goku is killed in the end, but Raditz is eventually defeated by Piccolo. Before he dies, he tells them that two evil-saiyans even more powerful then he is, are on route to Earth. The remaining fighters, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chatsu begin their training to battle the evil saiyans, while Piccolo takes off with Gohan to train him in using his new found power.
Starring: Daisuke Gōri, Mayumi Tanaka, Kenji Utsumi, Masako Nozawa, Toshio FurukawaAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 81% |
Action | 77% |
Fantasy | 68% |
Comic book | 60% |
Sci-Fi | 54% |
Adventure | 51% |
Martial arts | 40% |
Comedy | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
With all the wild and wacky characters that traipse in and out of Dragon Ball Z, one has to wonder if lurking there in the background somewhere is the legendary Saiyan Cash Cow. This series has become such a consistent source of revenue over the years, not only with its many broadcast versions, but also with an astounding number of reissues on various home media formats (and in a number of different versions to boot) that it’s been a rare month over the past several years that hasn’t had some kind of Dragon Ball Z release. Of course if there weren’t the rabid fan base for these products, there would be no way to effectively market them, and if there’s one thing that should be obvious to even casual observers of the anime scene, it’s that the fan base of Dragon Ball Z is very rabid, as in foaming at the mouth, snarling and just this side of crazed rabid. (I count my own oldest son in that group, so please don’t be offended if you’re one of these rabid fans). Dragon Ball Z in its original form seems like an especially odd series to have generated so much loyalty. While it’s fun and enjoyable, and even weirdly goofy a lot of the time (one of its best elements, actually), in its original, uncut version it can also been incredibly slow and laborious, which is probably what led to the Dragon Ball Z Kai reboot, one which sought to chop out all the “dull bits” and get straight to the act. Dragon Ball Z Kai had its own incredibly long and protracted set of Blu-ray releases (which are in fact being re-released in larger boxed sets), and now FUNimation has gone back to the well for a high definition release of the original broadcast version of Dragon Ball Z. Considering the fact the original series ran for literally hundreds of episodes and each two disc set released thus far has seventeen episodes a piece, it’s going to be quite some time before we see a complete set of Dragon Ball Z, by which time no doubt there will be some other release in some form waiting in the wings. But for the cynics out there (and you know who you are), one can’t fault FUNimation too much for this strategy, for they’ve obviously lavished a lot of care and perhaps more importantly money on this new release, going back to the original film elements and restoring the entire series frame by frame.
My comments regarding the video quality of Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 are repeated here with some changes, as the
overview I gave in the first volume continues for this second outing (and I imagine will continue to for the duration of the
series' subsequent volumes.
How you feel about grain is going to probably determine a lot about how you respond to this frame by frame restoration,
presented via an AVC
encode in 1080p and 1.33:1. The entire series has been remastered in HD from the original 16mm film elements, and
according to FUNimation, this has been done on a frame by frame basis. DNR phobes need not be
worried in the slightest,
because in fact some curmudgeons (yes, you know who you are) are probably going to swing to the opposite end of the
spectrum and complain
that this presentation is too grainy. I personally found it to be very filmic in appearance, more akin to the
Fleischer
classics of the 1930s
and 1940s in a way, and for me, that is definitely not a bad thing. The best thing about this new restoration is the
virtual
lack of blemishes and
damage (I did manage to catch a couple of niggling little items, but they're very minor). Also extremely impressive is the
color correction, which
literally casts a whole new light on several key characters. Line detail is extremely strong and distinct and colors are
bold
and very well
saturated. If the overall series still sports a somewhat soft look, that's no doubt inherent in the original source elements
as
well as the
animation style utilized (especially with regard to the painterly backgrounds).
This set has a tendency to get into some more abstract, graphical design elements than the opening set of seventeen episodes did, and
those look fantastic, including (as strange as it may sound) the ones rendered in black and white. Contrast is especially strong in this brief
moments and help the series to really pop visually.
As with the first volume of this release, FUNimation has provided three lossless offerings on this Blu-ray, the English dub in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 with the original Japanese music, the original English language broadcast version (with broadcast version music) in Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and the original Japanese track (with Japanese music) in Dolby TrueHD mono. For the bulk of my watching, I opted for the 5.1 mix, as the synth heavy, proto-pop "stylings" of the broadcast version's music weren't as much to my personal liking as the 5.1's original Japanese music. Add to that some very smart and fun surround repurposing, without attendant fussiness or gimmickry, and the 5.1 track is the clear winner here, at least for those who want a fairly consistently immersive experience. Fidelity is top notch on this track, and the battle scenes are filled with slams, punches and crazy sound effects that ping pong around the surrounds with abandon. There's some great LFE in many (if not most) episodes, and the music is very well represented as well. Dynamic range is exceptional on this track, though truth be told, Dragon Ball Z tends to work at a fairly consistent hyperbolic level most of the time. The Japanese language track sounds noticeably muffled compared to the two English tracks, most likely due to age and the original recording environment and techniques.
The good news for Dragon Ball Z fans is they have choices, in fact lots of them. This franchise has been released and re-released and re-re-released so many times in various formats and media that it's actually kind of hard to keep track of them all. While there's no denying the care and effort that FUNimation has put into restoring the series, it similarly can't be denied (at least by those without a lifelong love of the series which may perhaps blind them to a more objective analysis) that the original version of Dragon Ball Z can be awfully slow going a lot of the time, with quite a bit of fairly useless filler and padding. Still and all, the series is almost always effortlessly entertaining, and its frequently goofy humor helps to quell the more serious complaints. Recommended.
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