Saiyan Island

Hi everyone, I hope you’re enjoying your summer. I’ve been pretty busy as of late so I apologize for the lack of updates. I intend to make the site more active as soon as I can.

And isn’t this interesting, today is the 1 year anniversary of when Dragonball: Evolution was originally supposed to release in theaters, on August 15th, 2008. Why it was delayed is still a mystery.

But anyway, here’s what’s been going on in the Dragonball world!

• Dragon Box One DVD Set – DELAYED?

Amazon is sending emails to some of those who pre-ordered the first Dragon Box set from FUNimation, stating that it has been delayed from November 10th, 2009 to December 15th, 2009. This has not been confirmed by FUNimation, yet.

• Dragon Box One DVD Set – 30% Off Retail Price on Amazon!

Speaking of which, Amazon has a great deal going on for the first Dragon Box. Pre-order it, and save $23.99 off the retail price, for just $59.99.

• Dragonball Season Two Remastered Box Set – Releases November 10th, 2009!

Amazon is listing the second season of FUNimation’s recently-announced remastered Dragonball season box sets to release on November 10th, 2009 for a pre-order price of $34.99. Season two contains episodes 32-61 on 5 discs.

• Toei Causes Mass Suspension of YouTube Users – New TeamFourStar Account!

Fans of the hit Dragonball Z parody series “TeamFourStar Dragonball Z Abridged” will need to update their bookmarks. Due to a massive take down of Dragonball related videos on YouTube orchestrated by Toei, TeamFourStar has had their account suspended by YouTube for copyright infringement. Head on over to their new YouTube page for further updates.

Phew. That should be everything important. Oh, and I suppose I should mention that, despite a horrible run in theaters, Dragonball: Evolution is doing very well on the Playstation Network. According to Sony, it’s the #1 movie right now. But still don’t hold your breathe for a sequel.

FUNimation announced today their plans to release a U.S. version of the popular Japanese “Dragon Boxes” this November, which use the original film masters. Perhaps the most notable detail is the boxes will remain in their original 4:3 aspect ratio instead of the faux 16:9 that FUNimation released their own DBZ box sets in. So fans that were upset by FUNimation in the past should be very pleased. The first set will contain the first 42 episodes of DBZ (spanning 6 discs) for a price of $79.99 on November 10th.

Flower Mound, TX – July 18, 2009 — FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, today announces that it has acquired the original masters for the entire Dragon Ball Z anime series, episodes and films, and will release all as the Dragon Box for the first time in the U.S. The first of seven Dragon Boxes will be available at major retailers nationwide this Fall.

The Dragon Box will be produced from the original Dragon Box masters after a frame by frame restoration and will span the entire 291 episode television series and all 13 of its movies.
This definitive DVD box release begins with Dragon Box One which includes the first 42 episodes, uncut, on 6 discs.

The Dragon Box releases will feature an aspect ratio of 4:3, the original Japanese audio (with options for an English track or English subtitles), the original episode previews, complete opening and closing credits and a collector’s booklet.

Dragon Box One will be available at major retailers nationwide on November 10, 2009 and will have an SRP of $79.98.

Source.

UPDATE: Watch the announcement on FUNimation’s YouTube channel.

FUNimation and Namco announced yesterday that they will be bringing a new crane game featuring action figures of characters from Dragonball Z to over 780 locations in the United States. You’ll be able to play (and hopefully win) at amusement centers (like theaters and amusement parks) around the country.

Already available, these centers house a new crane game containing figures of Goku, his friends and foes. The Dragon Ball Z figure crane game will offer an entirely new experience for those who are familiar with the old crane concept. Instead of directing a crane claw to a random and, hopefully, substantial grip on a desired prize, crane players are able to utilize their skills to line up the claw fingers with one or more of the eight holes in the custom figure packaging for a precise hook on their favorite Dragon Ball Z figures. These collector edition figure prizes are designed and manufactured by Banpresto Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan and cannot be found in retail stores.

Read the full press release here.

FUNimation announced at their panel at Anime Expo this weekend that Dragonball “Season One” will be coming to DVD. Uncut and remastered, the set will include the first 31 episodes of Dragonball in full-screen format (like the Dragonball GT sets). Season One will be released on September 15th, 2009 with an MSRP of $49.98. For all other details, we’ve included the official press release.

Flower Mound, TX – July 4, 2009 — FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, today announces that it has remastered and digitally restored the entire Dragon Ball anime series, including the first thirteen episodes original to the series. The Dragon Ball Season Sets will be available at major retailers nationwide on September 15.

The Dragon Ball series is composed of 153 half-hour episodes which aired in Japan from 1986 -1989. It is an adaptation of the first portion of the Dragon Ball manga created by Akira Toriyama.

Dragon Ball Season Set One includes the first 31 episodes of the iconic franchise and chronicles the first adventures of Goku as a child as he meets Bulma, Master Roshi and others. Together they set out to find the seven magic Dragon Balls and make the wish that will change their lives forever.

“This is a project we have been looking forward to for a long time,” said Gen Fukunaga, president at CEO at FUNimation Entertainment. “Some of these episodes of the original series have never before been released in their uncut form in North America.”

The first Dragon Ball Season Set includes 31 episodes on 5 DVDs with more than 745 minutes of uncut action. The Season Set releases will feature an aspect ratio of 4:3, English and Japanese language options, and the original Japanese musical score in 5.1 Surround.

The Dragon Ball Season One Sets will be available at major retailers nationwide on September 15, 2009 and will have an SRP of $49.98.

Follow FUNimation on Twitter for updates on this and more.