Forum - View topicREVIEW: Dragon Ball Z Kai Part 1 Blu-Ray
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JuicyB
Posts: 278 |
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You gotta be kidding me. The new opener and closer are great. Way better than "Dragon dragon hump the dragon!" and the lame / boring old japanese opener. Also this score is too low IMO. I'm not a DBZ fan AT ALL but the Vegeta arc minus the lame filler is pretty awesome. Ironically the series still slows down to a crawl later on during the Namek arc, even with all the edits. 
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Otaking09
 Posts: 637 |
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Personally, I would've liked to see the story recieve a B-, because the story's transition is just so refreshing...
I'll give you the extra's point of notice (I mean, the DVD's yeah... but Blu-ray?!  Hmmm...)
Overall, I think Kai is a better remake than I thought it was going to be. |
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Ichigo77
 Posts: 389 Location: California |
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I have the blu ray and I was really impressed with this series. It does kind of loose its nolstalgic feel with the filler being taken out and makes it feel like a new series all together, but I think it works. As a huge comic geek I like what I read to be what I watch and Kai does a much better job at that than the original series did. The only negative thing about this series would be everytime I watch the opening and closing I wish all of kai was done in that new animation.
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8502 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I an appreciate Kai for its advantageous pacing, especially in later material, but early on it feels a little abrupt and we don't get as much time with Gohan as in Z. Filler or not, some of that material was useful in coming to sympathize with the kid and what he's going through.
I'm glad that Funimation has gone and given this material a more accurate English dub than DBZ. If anything, it makes it possible for fans of both the Japanese and English versions to be on the same page as far as dialogue and tone. I noticed a welcomed change in the voice acting from some returning cast members and the replacements have so far done a lot better than the previous voices for those roles. Recently it was revealed that Freeza would be recast, despite Linda Young doing Freeza at the beginning of episode 1. I'm looking forward to that. I agree with the musical score. It's not nearly as strong as Shunsuke Kikuchi's work for Z, but it does provide a better experience than the stupefyingly generic action movie soundtrack that Bruce Faulconer composed for the broadcast version of DBZ. But Yamamoto's Kai score does have its bright spots. |
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Deadwing
 Posts: 174 Location: North Augusta, SC |
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The review is pretty spot-on. I appreciate the fact that Kai eliminates all the filler, thereby making it a closer match to the original manga. Much of the filler was poorly-produced and I can definitely do without it. However, the soundtrack is weak compared to the original airing of DBZ. Not only was the old BGM better than Kai's, but the absence of Cha-la Head Cha-la is almost unforgivable. It's one of the all-time classic anime themes, and I never tire of it. Seriously, why did Toei think they could top the awesome hot-bloodedness of JAM Project alumnus Hironobu Kageyama?
If it wasn't for all the music being replaced, this would've been the perfect DBZ release. |
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chrisb
 Subscriber Posts: 642 Location: USA |
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I actually enjoyed a lot of the Gohan training filler so when I saw on TV that they eliminated all of it, it was a bit disappointing. I liked the new opening a lot, would have been fun to see the series redone with that level of art and animation.
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Teriyaki Terrier
 Posts: 5689 |
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Considering the fact I bought the DVD, I was impressed by the new theme songs, though Rock The Dragon still is one of the five best theme songs in the 90's and I didn't mind Gohan's new voice that much, except for the fact he reminds me very much of Luffy from One Piece. I'll admit, I liked the other voice actor more only because that is who I first listened to for several years.
The new theme song is positive, very lush in color and is exceptionally awesome in general. Wasn't over the top, run of the mill or lackluster at all. I could tell the singer really was trying his hardest to do well, only to do as good or maybe even better than Rock The Dragon and pretty much most theme songs these days. The artist was tried his best and that is one of several reasons why I bought the show. That and Chris Sabat. If it has Chris, it's typically a great show and the work Chris does is well worth the price of the DVD. As for the series, I didn't mind the filler being removed and I still really enjoyed the series. Had all the action I remember when I was watching the TV edition and the remastered edition. King Kai's voice actor stayed the same, which is very, very important. His voice actor is one of the kind and definitely one of my favorite characters from the series. I'll admit, I spoiler[ liked the Krillin's "Destruct-O Disk" slightly more than the Japanese version, but the fact that the action was still as awesome and flashy, was fair enough. Attack names that are longer probably should be translated just for the voice actor's sake, but it's not a big deal.] Overall, Kai is about Dragon Ball Z by itself. Kai's theme song is the second best theme song next to Rock The Dragon, but is more awesome because the option for Blu-Ray. Giant difference than the remastered version that I've seen. As I have said in the past and obviously in the present, Dragon Ball Z is a rare, but interesting masterpiece that only happens every so often. One Piece is close to being as good as DBZ, but not exactly. Though the manga on the other hand is another story. |
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ArsenicSteel
 Posts: 2370 |
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The new OP/ED music is really up-beat but the English OP disturbs me, somehow. Also the new score works but just like how the animation was iconic so were some of the scores from Z.
Well the score still works even though on the English track it is too low at times. On the English dub side of things the lose and change of some voices just don't work for me. The standard Funimation boy and young woman voices are being used for Gohan and Bulma. It is disappointing to hear Clinkenbeards boy voice for Gohan, it lacks texture and specialness that Nadolny was able to portray in Z. Some of the voices changes feel like whoever is casting is just shoehorning in Funi regulars. The shortened version cuts down on filler, which is good. The bad part is sometimes what is cut out is relevant to the current scene. Take Gohan's training for example. After he goes ozaru he is given new clothes and a sword from Piccolo. In Z the following episodes shows Gohan overcoming the dinosaur that chases him. In Kai we leap to a scene where Gohan's last seen new clothes are all tattered and the dinosaur that has been after him is missing half his tail. Yes, it is a minor note that does not really come up during fight scenes that point is leaps are there. Some of the new animation does stand out. The new drawings lack detail, shading, and are off color from the original. I didn't think it would bother me much but watching it on BluRay it is noticeable. In closing I say thanks Toei for the effort for the anniversary but I will pass on purchasing the Funimation releases. I will still watch as much as I can online and on Nicktoons but wake my wallet up IF you ever redo all of the animation to match the OP/ED. |
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Daimao Raki
 Posts: 593 Location: Dark Side of the Moon |
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Basilisk Steven
Posts: 16 |
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I really would have gone for DB Kai, if it wasn't for the loss of the original Shunsuke Kikuchi score. You don't replace one of the great classic anime composers with something that sound just like any generic "epic" video game now sounds. I was totally taken out of the show every time the music kicks in and gave up after about five episodes.
Plus, the censorship issue disturbs me as well, such as digitally filling in the hole blasted by Piccolo in Goku's chest after the Radits fight. It might seem like a minor quibble, but when you've had to live with edited versions of Dragon Ball (Z) for years, it feels doubly frustrating to see the Japanese resorting to the same practices. I want copious blood, dammit! |
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DmonHiro
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Censorship me ass, that was the choice of the director. Why WOULD a laser blasting though you bleed? It's cauterized. What you should be asking is why didn't it leave a hole. It' not supposed to bleed, but it's supposed to be there. There's blood where it counts, like Krilin + Freeza's horn.
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Basilisk Steven
Posts: 16 |
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i was actually talking about the hole, the "copious blood" remark was just me trying and failing to be funny. Anyway, the choice of the director? Not the choice of the director of the original Z episodes or of Akira Toriyama in this case, because both the original anime and the manga had Goku with a great big honking hole in his chest at this point. Besides, a director's choice may not always be the best thing: bring up Greedo shooting first with Star Wars fans and then run for your life 
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Chappers
Posts: 26 |
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Actually it was the first TV special, Bardock, the Father of Goku. Regarding Kai, the dub no longer interests me, and I'm very satisfied with what Funimation are doing with the Dragon Boxes, so I have little interest in it. While removing the filler tends to be good, you do lose, for example, a lot of Gohan's character development in the large segments of his survival in the wilderness that are missing. (Of course, the American release also removed some of those originally anyway). While it's a very good thing for the series that Funi is giving it a decent dub at last, it seems a shame that, from what I've heard elsewhere, they've managed to produce a "decent" dub rather than an "excellent" one: problems in inconsistency in translation, mispronunciation, and keeping some of the old dub's... er... eccentricities are disappointing, especially after they've had the franchise for so long. |
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KabaKabaFruit
 Posts: 1901 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba |
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I'll stick with my UUE singles, thanks.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18461 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I'm curious: what do you think is being mispronounced? Some of the names, I assume? The names sound fine if treated as derivatives of the English words on which they are based rather than the Japanese-mangled versions of said words. ("Kakarrot" is derived from "carrot," for instance, so the way characters pronounce it in the dub is consistent with the English pronunciation for carrot.) |
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