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[Snaku]

• Begins Sunday, April 5, 2009
• Station: FujiTV
• Time: Japan ~ 9:00 AM
  US East Coast ~ Saturday 8:00 PM
  US West Coast ~ Saturday 5:00 PM
• Episode Count: 100 (rumored)
• Official Website

Blu-ray Volume 1
September 18 ~ MSRP ￥3,045

• Episodes 1-3
• 4:3 Aspect Ratio
• Dragon Battlers Data Card
• DragonBall Raging Blast Promotional Video
• Yamamuro Naoyoshi Drawn Art Jacket
• Picture Label
• Sleeve Case

DVD Volume 1
September 18 ~ MSRP ￥1,995

• Episodes 1-3
• 16:9 Aspect Ratio
• Dragon Battlers Data Card (Volume #1 only)
• DragonBall Raging Blast Promotional Video (Volumes #1~#3 only)
• Yamamuro Naoyoshi Drawn Jacket
• Picture Label

Blu-ray Box 1
October 23 ~ MSRP ￥15,960

• Episodes 4-15
• 4:3 Aspect Ratio
• Non-credit Opening & Ending
• Yamamuro Naoyoshi Drawn Art Box (with extra space for Blu-ray Vol. 1)
• Picture Label
• Special Booklet
• Senzu Bean Jar

As a part of the celebration of the Dragon Ball Z anime's 20th Anniversary, Toei Animation is giving the iconic classic an extensive "refresh" in the form of Dragon Ball Kai. Though they have been slowing leaking new information at an agonizing pace, we do know several key changes that are being made to the show to make it more accessible to new audiences, and to intrigue old fans. The original seiyuu are returning to re-record their dialog for the show, led by Son Goku herself, Masako Nozawa! The soundtrack is being completely remade, including a new OP & ED, as well as totally new background music. The original animation is being re-drawn digitally frame-by-frame in HD 16:9, though it should be noted that extensions will allegedly only be drawn to certain scenes that need them, while most other scenes will be selectively reframed, and cropping of unimportant information will occur. But most importantly, a majority of the filler will be removed from the show, allowing it to follow the story and pacing of Akira Toriyama's legendary manga much more faithfully.

Here are two shots, one from Toei's gorgeous Dragon Box DVDs, and the other from the first Dragon Ball Kai TV commercial overlayed.



You'll notice that the shot on the left is a straight dead center crop of the original video, while the shot on the right is a selective re-framing of the image to only include the important information. This is different from Funimation's recent Season Sets, or "Orange Bricks," in that Funi did an automated straight dead center crop of the entire show regardless of reframing the picture so important information wouldn't be lost (cut off heads, etc).

Unfortunately we do not have any examples of a scene having been drawn extensions to fill the 16:9 aspect ratio at this time, but a trusted Toei insider assures us that it has been done to certain scenes.

• Son Goku & Son Gohan ~ Masako Nozawa
• Bulma ~ Hiromi Tsuru
• Kuririn ~ Mayumi Tanaka
• Piccolo ~ Toshio Furukawa
• Yamucha ~ Tôru Furuya
• Vegeta ~ Ryô Horikawa
• Freeza ~ Ryûsei Nakao
• Radditz ~ Shigeru Chiba
• Oolong ~ Naoki Tatsuta
• Chi-Chi ~ Naoko Watanabe
• Chaotzu ~ Hiroko Emori
• Gyû-Maô ~ Daisuke Gôri
• Kami-sama ~ Takeshi Aono
• Nappa ~ Tetsu Inada
• Mister Popo ~ Yasuhiko Kawadzu
• Tenshinhan ~ Hikaru Midorikawa
• Gregory ~ Yuusuke Numata
• Umigame & Bubbles ~ Takahiro Fujimoto
• Dende ~ Aya Hirano
• Zarbon ~ Hiroaki Miura
• Dodoria ~ Takashi Nagasako
• Cargo ~ Satomi Satou
• Kui ~ Eiji Takemoto
• Narrator ~ Jôji Yanami

Kenji Yamamoto, who is no stranger to Dragon Ball fans, will be composing the background music for Dragon Ball Kai. He arranged many themes in the old show, such as "CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA" and "Kimi ga Hîrô," as well as composed music for dozens of Dragon Ball video games over the years ranging from the Super Butôden series to Burst Limit! While nothing can replace Kikuchi's amazing score, if I had to choose a replacement it would be Yamamoto.

Both the new opening and ending themes will be performed by Super Sentai vet, Takayoshi Tanimoto.

• OP ~ "Dragon Soul"
  Dragon Soul Performed Live at Tokyo Anime Festival (Audio Only)
• ED ~ "Yeah! Break! Care Break!"

It's interesting to note that "Yeah! Break! Care Break!" is a play on words similar to "CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA."

• TV Commercial 1 HD
• TV Commercial 2
• Dream 9: Dragon Ball x One Piece Commercial
• Dragon Ball Z Being Redrawn Frame by Frame Digitally for Kai
• OP 1 ~ Dragon Soul HD
• ED 1 ~ Yeah! Break! Care Break! HD
• Eyecatchers 1 HD

**BEWARE SPOILERS DBZ NEWBS**
I thought about blacking out spoilerific episode titles, but it seems kind of pointless. The show is over 20 years old, and in typical Dragon Ball episode title tradition, they give away major stuff right on the episode title card at the beginning of the episode. Learn to love 'em.

Saiya-jin Arc

• Episode 01 ~ 闘いの幕開け！帰ってきたぞ孫悟空
  The Curtain Opens on the Battle! Son Goku Returns
  Airdate: April 05, 2009
• Episode 02 ~ 敵は悟空の兄！？最強戦士サイヤ人の秘密
  The Enemy is Goku's Older Brother!? The Secret of the Saiya-jin, Strongest of Warriors
  Airdate: April 12, 2009
• Episode 03 ~ 命をかけた闘い！悟空とピッコロ捨て身の猛攻
  A Battle with Their Lives on the Line! Goku and Piccolo's Fierce Suicidal Attack
  Airdate: April 19, 2009
• Episode 04 ~ あの世で走れ孫梧空！１００万キロの蛇の道
  Son Goku Runs in the Afterlife! The Million Kilometer Snake Road
  Airdate: April 26, 2009
• Episode 05 ~ 荒野のサバイバル！月夜が悟飯を呼び覚ます
  Wilderness Survival! The Moon Awakens Gohan
  Airdate: May 3, 2009
• Episode 06 ~ 辿り着いた終点！界王様のおちゃめな試練
  Finally Arriving at the End! Kaio-sama's Playful Test
  Airdate: May 10, 2009
• Episode 07 ~ １０倍重力と闘え！悟空よ修行はかけっこだ
  Battle with 10-Fold Gravity! Goku, Your Training is a Footrace
  Airdate: May 17, 2009
• Episode 08 ~ いでよ神龍！サイヤ人ついに地球到着
  Come Forth, Shenron! The Saiya-jin Finally Arrive on Earth
  Airdate: May 24, 2009
• Episode 09 ~ ヤムチャ奮闘！おそるべし栽培マン
  Yamcha's Hard Struggle! The Terrifying Saibaimen
  Airdate: May 31, 2009
• Episode 10 ~ 待ってろ餃子！天津飯絶叫の気功砲
  Wait, Chaozu! Tenshinhan's Screaming Kikoho
  Airdate: June 7, 2009
• Episode 11 ~ 間に合うか孫悟空！？戦闘再開まで３時間
  Will Son Goku Make It?! The Battle Resumes in 3 Hours
  Airdate: June 14, 2009
• Episode 12 ~ ピッコロが流した涙…孫悟空怒りの大反撃！
  The Tears Piccolo Shed... Son Goku's Furious Counterattack!
  Airdate: June 21, 2009
• Episode 13 ~ これが界王拳だ！！限界バトルの悟空ＶＳべジータ
  This is the Kaio-ken!! A Battle to the Limit: Goku vs Vegeta
  Airdate: June 28, 2009
• Episode 14 ~ 激突かめはめ波！ベジータ執念の大変身
  Kamehameha Clash! Vegeta's Tenacious Grand Transformation
  Airdate: July 5, 2009
• Episode 15 ~ 絶体絶命の悟空！元気玉に願いを託せ
  Goku in Absolute Peril! Entrust Your Wishes to the Genki-dama
  Airdate: July 12, 2009
• Episode 16 ~ 打倒不死身のベジータ！奇跡を起こせ孫悟飯
  The Invincible Vegeta Defeated! Son Gohan Summons a Miracle
  Airdate: July 19, 2009

Freeza Arc

• Episode 17 ~ 激戦の夜明け…希望の星はピッコロの故郷
  Dawn of the Fierce Battle... The Planet of Hope is Piccolo's Homeland
  Airdate: August 2, 2009
• Episode 18 ~ ユンザビットに眠る宇宙船！ナメック星へいざ発進
  The Spaceship that Sleeps in Yunzabit! Blast Off For Planet Namek
  Airdate: August 9, 2009
• Episode 19 ~ 新たなる強敵！宇宙の帝王フリーザ
  A Formidable New Enemy! Emperor of the Universe, Freeza
  Airdate: August 16, 2009
• Episode 20 ~ フリーザへの反逆！野望に燃えるベジータ
  Rebellion Against Freeza! Vegeta, Burning With Ambition
  Airdate: August 23, 2009
• Episode 21 ~ 守れドラゴンボール！ナメック星人総攻撃
  Protect the Dragonballs! The Namekian Offensive
  Airdate: August 30, 2009
• Episode 22 ~ 猛追ドドリアの恐怖！ベジータに明かす真実
  Dodoria in Terrifying Hot Pursuit! Vegeta Learns the Truth
  Airdate: September 6, 2009

 

[-COOLIO-]

looks nice though

 

[Phaethon0017]

When's this coming out in the US (or if).

 

[duckroll]

............. :lol

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Another Dragon Ball series? I thought it ended with GT?

 

[Costanza]

I'll probably watch this whenever it's finished, just for nostalgia.

Another Dragon Ball series? I thought it ended with GT?

It's a redone version of Z with all the filler cut out.

 

[Darko]

Lame, just when I buy 8 seasons of it a new version comes out. FUck my life.

 

[diunxx]

Can't wait for this, I still watch DBZ every time I catch it on tv.

 

[VOOK]

They should speed up the filler chimpmunk style rather then cut it up.

 

[Kagari]

This and FMA are about all I'm going to actively watch this season.

 

[neptunes]

Im curious of how they'll cut it up

 

[grandjedi6]

I still don't understand how this qualifies as a "new series".

 

[duckroll]

I still don't understand how this qualifies as a "new series".

Who said it was?

 

[Docpan]

An OP with no content/information, posted a week BEFORE the show airs, bearing in mind the fact that a thread of speculation on the show has already existed for several months.

This is amazing. I vote we all post pictures of Piccolo grunting for the next 6 days.

 

[Zozz]

An OP with no content/information, posted a week BEFORE the show airs, bearing in mind the fact that a thread of speculation on the show has already existed for several months.

This is amazing. I vote we all post pictures of Piccolo grunting for the next 6 days.

Can't you fucking read :lol :lol

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

It's a redone version of Z with all the filler cut out.

So it might actually be watchable this time? I tried to watch an episode once. It consisted of two characters floating and bragging to each other about how tough they were.

 

[grandjedi6]

Who said it was?

Well Toei sure is implying it

 

[Rewrite]

Hahahahaha. I can't stop laughing here!

 

[Kritz]

ON THE NEXT THREAD OF DRAGON BALL KAI:

*airing date*

 

[Docpan]

Can't you fucking read :lol :lol

It all makes sense.



Piccolo is pleased.

 

[GSG Flash]

Is this coming to North America?

 

[Akim]

How dare you make this thread without sufficient information and leave me to google

 

[duckroll]

Well Toei sure is implying it

No, they're not. Everyone is aware of what it is, and it's not a new series. It's a big deal because it's remastered and there are lots of new elements (music, voice track, effects, etc). I don't know what you're complaining about.

 

[sprsk]

I'm so there!

 

[Rewrite]

Can you imagine if all of the official threads were like this? Just the thought of it is making me laugh! :lol

 

[Firestorm]

Wait there's going to be a watchable version of Dragon Ball Z?

 

[grandjedi6]

No, they're not. Everyone is aware of what it is, and it's not a new series. It's a big deal because it's remastered and there are lots of new elements (music, voice track, effects, etc). I don't know what you're complaining about.

touché

 

[Zyzyxxz]

nice op :lol

 

[Snaku]

OP updated. :lol

I'm working on a detailed synopsis of the original Dragon Ball for newcomers who'd like to catch up on the back story of the show as well. I'm just way too tired to finish it tonight, so that and other stuff will have to be put off until tomorrow.

Sorry about the false start.

 

[Venomgxt]

But DAMN IT! They could have redrawn every episode to look more modern. Like the intros of recent DBZ games.

 

[Regulus Tera]

Totally not digging that new OP song.

 

[Snaku]

Totally not digging that new OP song.

While I liked his Gekiranger OP, I was put off by that live recording of Dragon Soul too. But it's a pretty horrible recording, and I'm going to wait to see it recorded and playing with animation before I judge it. It's certainly no Makafushigi Aventure, or CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA though.

 

[Regulus Tera]

While I liked his Gekiranger OP, I was put off by that live recording of Dragon Soul too. But it's a pretty horrible recording, and I'm going to wait to see it recorded and playing with animation before I judge it. It's certainly no Makafushigi Aventure, or CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA though.

People are gonna maul me for this but my favourite DB op has always been dan dan kokoro or however it was called.

 

[vareon]

People are gonna maul me for this but my favourite DB op has always been dan dan kokoro or however it was called.

Hey I'm with you. It was relaxing.

 

[Rewrite]

Yay, there's information now! Props!

 

[LAUGHTREY]

Is it so hard to say "Voice actors" instead of "seiyu"?

Just fucking say the word that it means!

 

[Yoboman]

Is it so hard to say "Voice actors" instead of "seiyu"?

Just fucking say the word that it means!

:lol

 

[Snaku]

Is it so hard to say "Voice actors" instead of "seiyu"?

Just fucking say the word that it means!

Cry more.

 

[Calcaneus]

Cry more.

Though its not a big deal, he has a point.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

No filler? No shitty garlic junior saga? No 10 episodes of Bulma driving around Namek?

This is a remake done right.

 

[Snaku]

Though its not a big deal, he has a point.

Except it's quite obvious what it means, and I didn't translate it just below it like that retarded Death Note fansub. Christ, I wouldn't want to expand anyone's vocabulary...

I was planning to create a separate Cast (trying to keep cat titles to one word) category for the English VAs if and when Funi licenses the show. Trying to be a little fucking creative with this OP, and look what it gets me. :lol

 

[mernst23]

No filler? No shitty garlic junior saga? No 10 episodes of Bulma driving around Namek?

This is a remake done right.

I fucking hated that fake namek episode.

 

[Zoltrix]

So the episodes are airing in English around the same day? Where'd you get that info?

 

[Tranced Shadow]

So the episodes are airing in English around the same day? Where'd you get that info?

I think those are just the US times for when it's airing in Japan...

 

[thaOwner]

hell yeah. Thanks for this thread. Looking forward to enjoying this re-release.

 

[rex64]

will watch

 

[genjiZERO]

I'm really looking forward to this. When I first watched DB it was in the form of crappy VHS to digital rips subbed in both Chinese and English. You could barely see the picture half the time. Now I'll be able to re-watch it properly. I hope the turn around time on subbing them is quick.

 

[Nemo]

Haven't watched the Japanese version of DBZ before but I hope the music in this one holds up to the Faulconer stuff.

Other than that, I'm hyped!

 

[Blader]

Haven't watched the Japanese version of DBZ before but I hope the music in this one holds up to the Faulconer stuff.

It's completely different and, imo, totally inappropriate for the show. Especially the opening and closing songs, they're so fucking random. :lol

Faulconer ftw.

 

[shintoki]

Totally not digging that new OP song.

Its been all down hill since Rock the Dragon