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Daizenshuu EX - Updates from June 2010 |
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25 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 1:24 pm EDT -- The upcoming Raging Blast 2 for the PS3/360 has a few bits of release details leaking out today, as well. Amazon is listing an American release set for 02 November 2010 (both for the PS3 and 360 with expected MSRPs of $59.99), but it does not appear to have a firm date set in Japan as-of-yet.
With Tenkaichi Tag Team following its Japanese TAG VS release by just a couple weeks, it makes sense that we will see Raging Blast 2 in Japan sometime around October. There is no word yet on any possible theme song or soundtrack releases for any of the upcoming games.
On the subject of music, we do have cover art for the various "Kokoro no Hane" (Kai ED 2) CD singles coming out in July. The various "Team Dragon" group- and individual-based ones seem to be receiving near-identical cover art with a photograph of the group, while the regular edition and "Miracle Battle Card" version receive DragonBall artwork on their covers:
Regular Edition
Miracle Battle Card Version
Team Dragon version cover art
All of the eleven different versions of the CD single drop in Japan on 21 July 2010.
VegettoEX @ 2:13 pm EDT -- Amazon Japan is listing a release date of 30 September 2010 for the upcoming DragonBall TAG VS on the PSP, complete with cover art:
The game retails for ¥5229, and international folks can pick it up on Play-Asia for about the same price at $59.90.
Here in the US, we can look forward to the game (coming out as Tenkaichi Tag Team) on 19 October 2010 at our standard price of $39.99 according to Amazon. There is no cover art for the American version yet, but it seems like the European version (hitting on 29 October 2010) will be using the original Japanese cover art, so there is a good chance we will get it, as well.
For those of you always on the lookout for good deals, Amazon has jacked the prices on the FUNimation Dragon Boxes back up... but the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the first (Z) Kai sets are $24.49 and $24.99, respectively. |
22 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 2:13 pm EDT -- While we have been keeping up with some of our exclusives like the upcoming remake of Saiya-jin Zetsumetsu Keikaku, we have missed a couple other tidbits in the mean time.
For starters, Tullece, Janenba, and Dabra have been revealed as playable characters in the upcoming Raging Blast 2. All three of them have been playable in prior games, but were not included in the first Raging Blast last year.
Additionally, the folks at Saiyan Island got a quick interview with a Namco-Bandai representative at E3 this past week, in which it was divulged that six characters that have "never" appeared in a DragonBall video game before will show up in Raging Blast 2.
We heard a claim like that once before, but they went out of their way in this interview to mention old games for consoles like the Super Nintendo, which never received domestic releases here in North America... so it sounds like they might be slightly more accurate than Atari's old claims. It is also noted that the game's character roster will span from Origins (presumably meaning the "first" series) through to GT, so that gives them plenty more room to work with in the supposed 90 characters without resorting to bottom-of-the-barrel characters as in Sparking! METEOR.
For the last bit of gaming news, DragonBall Origins 2 (released in Japan as DragonBall DS 2: Charge! Red Ribbon Army) is officially out in North American stores today. Here is the press release if you are into that:
DRAGON BALL®: ORIGINS 2 NOW AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FOR NINTENDO DS™
SANTA CLARA, Calif., (June 22, 2010) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that Dragon Ball®: Origins 2 exclusively for Nintendo DS™ is now available at retailers nationwide. Dragon Ball: Origins 2 is the sequel to the original Dragon Ball: Origins for DS. The iconic Dragon Ball story continues as players embark on an action-packed journey around the world in search of the seven legendary Dragon Balls.
Players take on the role of young Goku and various allies he meets along the way, as they face off against the menacing Red Ribbon Army. Dragon Ball: Origins 2 offers the opportunity to play as series hero Goku as well as friends including Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha and more, each with their own abilities and power-ups. By playing the single-player adventure, special multiplayer stages including challenging boss fights unlock and become available. Two players can join up together to complete multiplayer challenges via a local wireless connection. Players are also able to carry over their saved character from the single-player mode as they battle alongside friends in co-op mode.
A fun mix of fierce fighting, dynamic action, exploration and puzzle-solving awaits, as Goku and friends must utilize a wide range of skills to maneuver through each level. With support for both stylus and button input options, players can choose how they control Goku to unleash aerial attacks, land devastating combos and interact with the environment. A situation-based camera adapts with the changing gameplay to bring players closer to the action as they jump, swing and charge through forests, underwater areas and more. Meanwhile, key boss battles switch to side-view to emphasize the signature fighting style of the Dragon Ball series.
Dragon Ball: Origins 2 for Nintendo DS is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and carries an MSRP of $29.99. For more information about the game, please visit www.namcobandaigames.com or http://dragonball.namco.com. To join the official fan community, please visit http://www.gokuscorner.com.
I am officially on vacation next week, so we will see if I can cram out the review before I take off...!
Our buddies over at Kanzentai have updated with details on the new guide book anime guide book (TV Anime Ultimate Guide "DragonBall Extreme Battle Collection" Round 01: Boyhood arc ~ Freeza arc) coming out in Japan in just a little over a week from now (02 July 2010). The 96-page book will be a B6 size, the same as the Perfect File and Super Exciting books in recent history. We not only have one on order for ourselves, but also an extra copy to give away in a contest next month. Look forward to it!
Speaking of those nice guys, we are super excited to announce that myself, Meri, and Heath will be presenting a new panel entitled "10 Things You Didn't Know About DragonBall" at this year's Otakon. We will share more information about it as we get closer to the con weekend... can't wait to see you all there! |
21 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 8:05 pm EDT -- Those of you looking for some intensely nerd-irific analysis are in for a treat this week as our buddy Kaboom joins us to talk about the Cold family's transformations. The goal is to answer exactly what it is Coola is doing in DBZ movie 5, but to talk about that, we must first make our way through Freeza and beyond! Our buddy Marc from The Fanboy Review also joins in to talk all the big news from the week along with June's releases and some great e-mails. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
In other news, FUNimation has a survey up about (Z) Kai. Be sure to toss in your respectful (but genuinely honest) two-cents, and also be sure to let 'em know exactly which site(s) you get all of your fantastic news and analysis from...! |
19 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 10:03 pm EDT -- Almost exactly one month ago, our favorite inside-source from Toei, "Wasted Wisher", told us that they were being put to work on approximately thirty minutes of new, traditional 2D animation for an undetermined, upcoming video game for the franchise.
Well, today we learned a little bit more about that project. As per his post on our forum:
Hey there, folks. Remember when I told you guys Toei would be making new animation cutscenes for a new Dragonball game, and I didn't have a clue which game it would be for?
Well, now I know. The new animation is for a remake/ re-release of "The Plot to Exterminate the Saiyans". The key animators finally received their first pieces of work for the new game, so I figured it out upon seeing the character models and layouts scanned from the original video.
According to my co-worker, he said the frame size for the animation was rather small, so it will most likely come out for a portable game system. (Maybe this is the Dragonball game slotted for the 3DS?) Other than that, I have no idea as to how the game is going to look like.
Oh, and one more thing...unlike in Dragonball Kai, where the new animation is basically just re-traced from the old footage, the animation here is all-new from the ground up. They'll still be using scans of the old video for the layouts, but that's just for reference (camera angles, positioning, etc.). As far as the actual animation is concerned, it's being re-built from scratch.
If you are looking for more information on the back-history of this series of video game -> "OVA" / "Official Visual Guide" -> video game remakes, we have the (tongue-in-cheek-titled) page for you!
As for new site content, we are expanding the "Reviews" section to a new area with a review of the Super Vegetto "Dragon Hero" figure:
There will be even more figure reviews in the near future (including a character very special to us here at Daizenshuu EX), so look forward to it! |
15 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 2:38 pm EDT -- Earlier this afternoon, Nintendo officially unveiled the 3DS at the Electronics Entertainment Expo ("E3"). In a news release distributed after the event, it was revealed that a DragonBall game would be coming to the new handheld.
No concrete release date has been given for the system (other than a rough estimate of before the close of this fiscal year, ending March 2011), and no formal name or release date has been given for the new DragonBall game, which will be coming from Namco-Bandai. |
14 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 8:47 pm EDT -- We finally get a chance to catch up with Julian this week on the show! Everyone is still in the middle of massive deadline Hell and the like, so we took it easy and went over all of the recent news. You all came through with some great e-mails, too, so be sure to stay tuned for all of that. Someone has a very exciting announcement during the episode, too...! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
In vague news, it seems like FUNimation is planning on releasing a "Dragon Ball GT DVD Complete Series" on 21 September 2010. Fans on Twitter are already taking the nice folks to task with inquiries on what the product will actually be. Is this just a repackaging of the green bricks from 2008-2009? Hopefully we will find out soon enough.
RightStuf has also updated with listings and release dates for other products many of us are looking forward to. Both the second set for (Z) Kai as well as the fourth DBZ Dragon Box are due on 14 September 2010.
Finally, a huge congrats go out to Sean Lamoreaux for winning our "Ôgon no Senshi ("The Golden Warrior") contest! We had an incredible number of entries this time around, and cannot wait to hold another contest in the next month or so for the new guide book coming out in Japan. Stay tuned for that! |
10 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 2:41 pm EDT -- Our "Reviews" section grows by one today with the addition of a new anime theme song cover album. Many of you will remember Shoko Nakagawa from her cover of "Romantikku Ageru yo" three years ago, right as the idea of covering that song was becoming a recurring joke. She is back with a new album called Shoko-tan Cover 3, this time covering "Detekoi Tobikiri ZENKAI Pawâ" and "DAN DAN Kokoro Hikarete 'ku".
We covered the two DB-specific songs back on Episode #0218 of the podcast, but this review goes into a little more depth and hits upon some of the other songs, as well.
Look for more exciting reviews in the near future! Some very special figures are about to receive a nice highlight.
Don't forget that you only have a couple more days to get in your "Contest" entries, too. Want to win a free copy of the new art and illustration book "Ôgon no Senshi ("The Golden Warrior")...? Get your entries in! |
09 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 3:44 pm EDT -- It may have been a relatively slow week in terms of website updates, but contrary to what you may think, there is actually a lot of work going on behind the scenes! There is a lot of "meta" going on in this update, but there are a couple other tidbits that may be of interest to you, too.
In terms of podcasts, we did not have a chance to record this past week, but I am hoping to record a show with Julian tomorrow for a release this coming weekend. We probably will not be back on our guaranteed weekly schedule for a little bit more as we head into the summer, but there is still great content coming your way... have no fears!
We should also have a new addition to the "Reviews" section coming your way (hopefully) tomorrow. Perhaps there will even be multiple new reviews coming your way...!
As for genuine "news", we have learned (by way of Kanzentai) that Shigeru Nakahara will be returning as #17 for DragonBall Kai. A major actor returning to voice a major character would not normally be "news", but with so many cast changes during the Freeza story arc, it is comforting to know that such a familiar and talented voice actor will indeed be returning. There is still no concrete confirmation on Miki Itô (#18) and Norio Wakamoto (Cell) returning, but they are probably safe bets. #16 was originally played by Hikaru Midorikawa, who is currently voicing Tenshinhan in place of the late Hirotaka Suzuoki, so he is also a safe bet for return.
The new anime guide book (TV Anime Ultimate Guide "DragonBall Extreme Battle Collection" Round 01: Boyhood arc ~ Freeza arc) is due out 02 July 2010 in Japan. Those looking to pick it up should be happy to know that CDJapan and Amazon Japan are now both offering it for around its retail price of a pretty cheap ~$7. We have already placed our order, and thanks to all of your generous CDJapan referral purchases, have picked up an extra copy to give away after its release! Look for a review of the new book and a contest to give it away sometime in July or early August.
Speaking of contests, have you entered to win a copy of the new art and illustration book, "Ôgon no Senshi ("The Golden Warrior")...? You have just a couple more days to get your entries in!
In video game news, DragonBall Origins 2 (released in Japan as DragonBall DS 2: Charge! Red Ribbon Army) is due out here in America later this month on 22 June 2010 for $29.99 (available at Amazon, GameStop, etc.). A new trailer for the game is available for registered members over on Goku's Corner. A demo is also currently available on the Nintendo Wii's "Nintendo Channel", so if you are on the fence about it, give the new controls a whirl. We will be reviewing the game upon its release later this month. |
01 June 2010
VegettoEX @ 9:19 pm EDT -- After having such a "super exciting" art and illustration book come out already this year, we could not be more psyched to hear that a new guide book is also on its way. Is it over-kill to have so many books in a row, though? Is there really new material to cover that had not been addressed as recently as 2003-2004's anime guide books (Tenka-ichi Densetsu and Son Goku Densetsu)...?
Kanzentai has all the nitty-gritty details so far... not that there is a whole lot to say just yet. This one will be called TV Anime Ultimate Guide "DragonBall Extreme Battle Collection" Round 01: Boyhood arc ~ Freeza arc and will retail on 02 July 2010 for a mere ¥700 coming from Shueisha. That is basically all we know at the moment, unfortunately. We can at least infer that it will cover a good amount of battles from the first portion of the series, and that since this is "Round 01", we can probably expect even more volumes in the future. Will it be tied to Kai in any way? With this first "round" only covering up through the Freeza story arc (the same area that Kai has covered so far in the "Z" portion of the story), we may see future editions be linked with where Kai has aired through. This is, of course, all mere speculation at this point.
Kanzentai also reports that Shueisha will be releasing three sticker books for the franchise on 23 July 2010, each going for ¥750 (making them actually slightly more expensive than the guide book). Again, no additional information is available on them just yet.
Finally, in news that seems (if our community across the 'net is any indication) of interest to just about every type of fan from every walk of life in tons of different areas of the world, FUNimation has officially recast the role of Freeza for their English dub of DragonBall Kai (slightly re-named to DragonBall Z Kai). The company's YouTube channel has the third part of an on-going interview with Chris Sabat (Vegeta, Piccolo, as well as the director) and Sean Schemmel (Goku, Kaiô) in which the news is finally revealed. While we are still somewhat hesitant to accept some slight revisionist history going on with the description of their English-dubbed production, these "behind-the-scenes" looks are certainly enthralling, none-the-less. It is fascinating to hear the director note how the previous voice actress was simply unable to keep up with the accurately-adapted script for the character, which heavily factored into a recast voice — one (which happens to be male, un-named as of yet) that has been pledged to be far more "creepy" than ever before.
Speaking solely for myself, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have not been more excited to hear a specific character from my favorite series speak aloud in English. To know that some fans will be hearing an interpretation of the character that will finally be even in the same ballpark as what we know him to be... that is very exciting. If it cannot be Ryûsei Nakao right away, this may be an acceptable second-place!
Of course, we reserve all final judgment for when we actually hear the performance. Then again, with the exception of the first Kai release from FUNimation, we typically shy away from even covering that side of their products. Is this something you even want us to cover in the future? Let us know!
VegettoEX @ 3:56 pm EDT -- Contrary to what source-less reports across Japanese blogs may have led you to believe, the CD single for the second (and current) closing theme to DragonBall Kai entitled "Kokoro no Hane" ("Wings of the Heart") is set for release in July.
Here is the kicker, though — it is coming in eleven different versions.
It was clear from the start that using AKB48 members for the closing theme was a bit of a publicity stunt/grab (even with leader Minami Takahashi claiming to be a "real" fan). This release style solidifies it, and is something absolutely unprecedented for DragonBall.
Here is the easy information — everything is coming out 21 July 2010. Regular editions will cost ¥1260, while "Limited Edition" versions will cost ¥1600. What are all of the different versions, though? According to Columbia's and CDJapan's listings:
Each individual member (seven total) of "Team Dragon" (itself a hand-picked group from the larger pool of AKB48 talent) will be receiving her own version of the CD single. These individualized versions will contain a trading card with that member's image, as well as a DVD with footage of that particular member's "dubbing experience" as well as footage of the theme song being performed. The "Team Dragon" version appears to have a trading card with an image of all members, and DVD footage of all members. The "Miracle Card Battle" version will contain a card with an image of either Goku, Gohan, or Cell. Furthermore, first-press copies will come with a B3-sized (353 × 500 mm) poster.
It is incredibly confusing, and slightly ridiculous. For those just looking for the closing theme itself, pick up any of the eleven editions and it will contain it. The standard track listing for each disc (none of which have cover art just yet) is as follows:
| 01. |
心の羽根
Kokoro no Hane
Wings of the Heart |
| 02. |
世界中の雨
Sekaijû no Ame
The Rain Throughout the World |
| 03. |
心の羽根 (off vocal ver.)
Kokoro no Hane (off vocal ver.)
Wings of the Heart (off vocal version) |
| 04. |
世界中の雨 (off vocal ver.)
Sekaijû no Ame
The Rain Throughout the World (off vocal ver.) |
Thanks to Rachel and Heath (who will have some awesome news of his own later today) for their inadvertent help in a decent translation of the b-side title!
A "Limited Edition" version of a CD single is certainly nothing new to the franchise, and even Ayumi Hamasaki's CD single for "Rule" (the main theme to the live-action movie DragonBall Evolution) had three different versions... but... eleven? Really?
Is there anyone out there willing to drop the cash for each and every single version? We will take a bullet for the team and check out a couple of them (we already have two on order), so expect reviews that are probably far too detailed for our and your own good near the end of July. |
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