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Daizenshuu EX - Updates from October 2009 |
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31 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 11:01 am EDT -- We still need to fit in this weekend's podcast episode recording, especially since we're off to the wedding of some good friends this evening, but I wanted to make sure I tossed at least something out to you all ahead of time.
Many of you will be familiar with the "Doomrider" AMV Project that we helped coordinate many years back. If not, the description and download are right here on the website, but the short of it was that we got a bunch of AMV editors together and made a long video that encompassed (nearly) the entirety of the DBZ TV series. Lately there have been some people claiming to have "remastered" the video "in HD" for YouTube... which, if you've followed our position on FUNimation's orange brick sets over the years, you can figure out our take on this (read: it's impossible; they basically just smooth the AMV out to unrecognizable blurs).
Since I'm the only one with the actual master file of the video, I decided to make a new encode and toss it up. You can always download the 160 MB XviD right here on the website, but if you absolutely have to watch it on YouTube, this is the best it's going to get. Enjoy!
In other news, we are gearing up for recording Episode 200 of our podcast, theoretically scheduled to come out the first week in December if all goes according to plan. We are debating holding a little party in the area to celebrate and meet some of our readers, listeners, and fans. Do you think you're interested? Check out our forum thread and drop us a line with your interest level. If you don't have a forum account, feel free to just e-mail me directly. As we get closer to the date, I will put up more solid details as we come to a decision on what we will actually do. |
30 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 2:01 pm EDT -- FUNimation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre, having been purchased in 2005. Today, Navarre held their second-quarter fiscal 2010 conference call for the period ending 30 September 2009.
Unlike last quarter's release and call, there was not much of interest for DB fans. The bankruptcy of Circuit City (a "$60-odd million customer") hurt their net sales, and their publishing segment (of which FUNimation is a part) was down to $21.4 million from last quarter's $28.8 million. It was noted that FUNimation had a weaker release schedule this quarter, which they noted would happen last quarter (followed by an explanation at the time that Q3 & Q4 would be stronger for FUNimation). Despite this weaker release schedule, it was noted that FUNimation met internal targets for the quarter.
In the grand scheme of things, FUNimation has "56-60%" of the North American anime market share, and things remain strong for them with two competitors no longer in existence, first-dibs on many properties, and the ability to be selective about these new properties.
There you have it... your Daizenshuu EX-approved financial analysis for the second quarter of the fiscal year! Sorry it couldn't be more interesting, but it was a slow quarter across the board for most companies. |
28 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:30 pm EDT -- We are finally about to flesh out our relatively-new "Reviews" section with something other than a music review! "Revenge of King Piccolo" (released earlier this year in Japan as Tenka-ichi Dai-Bôken) is the latest game for the franchise, this time coming from developer Media.Vision and published by Namco-Bandai. Other than DragonBall Evolution on the PSP, this is the first game to come in a post-Atari age. Not only that, but we have a cross-action/platformer in a world consisting mostly of straight-up fighting games. Does a new North American publisher, a trip back into early DB nostalgia, and a waggle-licious platform deliver on its promises?
Check out our full review for all the details. |
25 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 6:09 pm EDT -- In case you were caught unaware, this past week the wife and I took off for a lovely one-year anniversary... so site updates basically stopped for the duration of the trip. Hey, you can always follow the Twitter streams for those minor housekeeping updates! To make things right again, we return with the podcast episode that we had planned on doing before we left... but simply didn't get around to. We caught up on some news, breezed through a review of the first Kai Blu-ray, and quite a bit more. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
There will probably be a written review of the Kai Blu-ray in the near future, but since there really isn't a whole lot to say (and my priority is really on the massive Revenge of King Piccolo review), the audio review should be enough to help you out.
The "incident" seems to be over near as we can tell. If you are looking for a little more commentary on the issue, though, look no further than an article from Jason Thompson. Now an author and regular writer for Otaku USA, Thompson was also an editor on the DB manga for Viz many years back. We unfortunately couldn't arrange a good time to chat with Jason before we left on vacation, but his article basically covers the whole thing pretty well. Great read.
A demo for the upcoming fighting game DragonBall: Raging Blast is available in North America for both the PS3 and 360.
It's a relatively small download, and allows for a single battle against the CPU using either Goku (regular or SSJ), Piccolo, or Raditz. It only contains English voices, does not showcase the game's opening theme, and will revert back to the main menu after a single fight.
It seems that several folks across the net seem to be unable to acknowledge what is presented to them and refuse to believe that the inclusion of SSJ3 Vegeta is real (claiming all of the images are doctored). Regardless of how you actually feel about the inclusion of such a character and transformation (in addition to SSJ3 Broli), let's at least be realistic about it: he's in there.
Special thanks to our Japanese buddy kei17 for the above new scan. In addition to that, the official website for Dragon Battlers has also updated with SSJ3 Vegeta:
SSJ3 Vegeta. Confirmed, folks.
It may just be a matter of shipment availability and retail restocking considerations, but Amazon is now listing FUNimation's upcoming DBZ "Dragon Box" volume one as coming out on 17 November 2009, a delay of exactly one week. In addition, my own e-mail update from Amazon stated:
Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below has changed, and we need to provide you with a new delivery estimate based on the new release date:
"Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box One"
Estimated arrival date: December 02 2009 - December 08 2009
We're waiting on some additional confirmation, but it looks like shipments may be coming in at least one week later than previously planned.
Vegeta is #21 and Goku is #1. Not a whole lot else to say about it. Like lists? Like complaining about other people's lists? This one is probably for you!
That's it! Hopefully we're all caught up. |
16 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:00 pm EDT -- In anticipation of their release of DragonBall: Raging Blast next month, Namco-Bandai sent along another goodie this week. This time it was another DragonBall piggy-bank (the three-star ball) with a print-out inside. I think e-mailing us a PDF would have sufficed just as well, really... so we've decided to be super nice and scan it for all of you!
Yep. Cut Goku out of the paper and put him together. You know you want to. I demand pictures when you're done.
In other news, former DragonBall editor at Viz and current author with Otaku USA magazine and on his own, Jason Thompson, has written a new article about the manga's situation in Maryland. There are some great comparisons and recollections, so be sure to give it a read.
VegettoEX @ 12:31 pm EDT -- All the regular sites (CDJapan, Amazon Japan, Columbia, etc.) have posted up the cover art for the forthcoming second soundtrack to DragonBall Kai:
While we still do not have a track listing for it, the disc drops in Japan on 18 November 2009 for ¥2940. Ours is already on pre-order, so look for a review probably in early December when all the new music arrives! |
13 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 3:18 pm EDT -- Amidst their criticizing of delmarvanow.com staff writers about fact-checking and conflicting quotes within their stories, author "Cato" (a one "G. A. Harrison") over on Delmarva Dealings apparently cannot be bothered to do his own research beyond Council Member Holloway's photocopied "examples" (PDF) mentioned earlier this week, and has determined that DragonBall is "smut".
The stories (split among three parts; one / two / three) are a fascinating read from an educated perspective. While our own commentary here on the website and in our latest podcast episode basically comes to the conclusion that nearly everyone can agree on (in the school library, maybe not so much; pull it on out and let's be done), the articles' continued demonization of this wacky story about a monkey boy reaches extreme new levels. It seems as if only their commenter Kevin Waterman has a realistic viewpoint, clearly noting that nothing shown is "erotic" in any way. Further comments and discussion go on to whine how the series clearly is not "high art" (news flash: little created in this world is "high art"), and commenters latch on to "Cato" and their wondrous use of the word "smut" to define the series over and over. Parents also go on to complain how their children are reading Naruto with its few redeeming qualities.
To be fair, we here at Daizenshuu EX are not yet parents... but it's not all that far off in the future, if it's going to happen. They're going to be exposed to DragonBall at some point in their young lives, and it's not going to be too much of a problem for us. As we have noted before, this stuff always has been for kids and always will be. Is it just that our generation actually has a realistic perspective on media that is completely unmatched by anyone other than our own peers? Were the childhoods of these people so barren that they never said the word "poop" aloud, saw funny pictures, or read trashy stories (yes, even comic books) which their own parents couldn't understand the educational value of? We seriously wonder, sometimes, if these people forget what it was like to be a kid.
I asked my co-hosts on the podcast if we were making a bigger deal out of this story and giving it more attention than it should otherwise be given. The consensus was that once the "child pornography" card was played, all bets were off and the commentary was free to flow.
"Cato" has decided that the series is "smut"; I wonder what that makes us...? Well, regular visitors... you know where you can check in every day for the latest news, commentary, and multimedia for your favorite low-class smut from plenty of college-educated adults!
VegettoEX @ 9:02 am EDT -- MMO News is reporting on what sounds like a minor "scandal" related to the development of DragonBall Online, the only-barely-just-recently "launched" massively multiplayer online role playing game. From the sounds of it (the English is a little broken), former designer on the game with NTL, Ku Jeong-Hun, claimed he was being taken advantage of by his company, was going to be dismissed in a "disgraceful manner", and left the company. An agreement was reached between him and the company that certain aspects of his game design would not be used in the final product. Lo and behold, sure enough some of these aspects turned up after his departure. There appears to be some legal threats flying between parties, but as the article rightfully states in its conclusion... at the end of the day, all gamers really want is a good game.
In completely unrelated content addition news, we have added DragonBall episode 15 up in our "Filler Guide". Enjoy! |
12 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:07 pm EDT -- Sorry for the one-day-late posting! Hopefully the massive amount of audio content makes up for it. As we state during the show, we are making up for lost time with this one! It's a monster episode this weekend as we dig deep into the recent "Dragon Box" audio track news, of course the manga being pulled from a Maryland library, and our 30th "Manga Review of Awesomeness". All the commentary you can eat this time, folks. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Following up on all the news and our podcast commentary, you may be interested in the third story posted on delmarvanow.com concerning the manga being pulled from the school library. This one, written by a different staff writer (Laura D'Alessandro) is certainly of a different tone. You can read for yourself, but we are happy to see the demonization and absolutely condemnation of the series has fallen to the wayside.
Library Director Tom Hehman said his staff is conducting an "internal reconsideration" of the series of graphic novels after one discovered in the Pittsville Elementary and Middle School library by a 9-year-old student earlier this week was found to contain nudity and sexual innuendo. Hehman expects the investigation to conclude next week.
Attention is given to the various ratings, classification by other libraries, and notoriety of the series worldwide.
In other news, Namco Bandai sent us over a couple gashapon this week in celebration of their upcoming domestic release of Revenge of King Piccolo, originally released in Japan as Tenka-ichi Dai-Bôken:
I reached out to our buddy Oldphan over at dragonballtoys.com to find out exactly what line these figures come from, etc. They are a part of the general DragonBall Collection series, and specifically the third line there-of. She also noted for us that it looks like the third series is of a little higher quality than the first two, and this is actually one of the few Grandpa Gohan figures ever made!
Revenge of King Piccolo is due out here in North America on 20 October 2009. We look forward to reviewing the game solely because we are finally getting something other than a fighting game! Unfortunately for the game, its Famitsu scores (6/6/5/6 = 23/40) don't give it a great lead-in. We'll give it a fair shake, though. Look forward to that review on the podcast (and hopefully written up on the website, as well) within the next couple weeks. |
09 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:13 pm EDT -- There seems to be a large amount of head-scratching going on with regard to the release date of Raging Blast across Europe. Amazon UK is listing the "Limited Edition" version of the game (both on PS3 and 360) with a release date of 23 October 2009. However, the standard versions of the games (again, both on the PS3 and 360) seem to be set for 13 November 2009.
Meanwhile, Amazon Germany is listing both the "Limited Edition" and standard versions of the games on both consoles as all being available on 13 November 2009 This appears to be the release date for the rest of Europe, as well.
It seems the only clear release dates are 10 November 2009 for the US and 12 November 2009 for Japan, but at the same time, there are no clear details about "Limited Edition" versions for those territories... |
08 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:52 am EDT -- Japanese buddy kei17 popped in with a new Jump scan showcasing the all-new SSJ3 Vegeta as a playable character in the upcoming PS3/360 fighting game, Raging Blast:
This comes after the reveal of SSJ3 Broli also being a playable character in the game. The SSJ3 transformation is new for both of the characters, never having been reached in the series or movies before.
VegettoEX @ 9:40 am EDT -- Gamekult.com has obtained an image showcasing the contents of the European "Limited Edition" version of the upcoming PS3/360 fighting game, Raging Blast, which we first reported on a couple weeks ago.
Clearly showcased are the art book, soundtrack CD, add-on content voucher, and overall packaging. There has been no word from Namco-Bandai about a possible North American release of the "Limited Edition" version and its extras. The game is due in Europe on 23 October 2009, North America on 10 November 2009, and finally Japan on 12 November 2009.
VegettoEX @ 9:14 am EDT -- Delmarva Media Group's local news website delmarvanow.com has a new story following-up on yesterday's announcement that the DragonBall manga was being pulled from a Maryland school library due to "graphic" content.
Despite writer Greg Latshaw's opening line about manga often being geared toward adults, an unfortunate quote from Salisbury University professor Adam Wood further leads in the article inferring that all manga is for adults. The article continues with an announcement from school spokesperson Tracy Sahler noting that the DragonBall manga has indeed been pulled from school shelves, and that while a committee (consisting of internal administrators as well as those "outside" the school system) will review the volume in question, the final decision rests with Superintendent John Fredericksen.
Councilman Joe Holloway (who has not responded to Daizenshuu EX for comment) distributed photocopies of certain panels from the manga to his fellow members in a meeting on Tuesday, describing them as "disgusting".
While we have not dived into our own personal feelings on the matter just yet (stay tuned to this weekend's upcoming podcast... you'll probably get more than you bargained for), we cannot help but be disgusted, ourselves, with a comment from Mark Thompson, county school board president:
"The pictures I saw, if it was meant for adults, it crosses the line for child pornography. If it's for a child, why show these scenes for children?"
This reminds me of a fabulous piece of reporting from ABC 17 News in which the following was stated with regards to the Nintendo video game series, Animal Crossing:
"There is no reason an adult should have [Animal Crossing: City Folk]," says Andy Anderson, Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force.
Anderson says adults playing "animal crossing" and similar games are likely doing it for the wrong reasons.
If DragonBall is pornography (and if Animal Crossing aids child endangerment), so is and does the vast amount of children's programming that has ever aired on American television. Forgive the distracting argument, but seriously...?
Does DragonBall manga belong in an elementary/middle-school library? I cannot answer that question; for the earlier parts of the story, sure, maybe not. Was I in middle-school when I discovered the series? Yep. Have I grown up to be a relatively normal, productive member of society? Pretty sure I have.
Rest assured that we applaud the parent involvement in this situation. Far too often parents are completely removed from their child's interests and activities, and it is refreshing to see a parent not only get involved, but also take action.
However, to demonize a product with completely out-of-context examples, misinformation, and clear attention-grabbing ulterior motives is what you can call truly "disgusting".
Much of the fault lies with the American distributors of the series, namely FUNimation and Viz. Since 1995 and 1998, respectively, there has been nothing but conflicting marketing and demographic catering from each of them. Is the anime kid-friendly or is it super-bloody-awesome-hardcore? The manga is rated "Teen", but clearly marketed at children of all ages. The "Shonen Jump" magazine runs claimed to be faithful to the original version at launch, and yet slowly transitioned into an edited shadow of its former self. The new "Chapter Book" format is being released alongside countless repackaging of the original manga. Home video releases are "uncut", but video games retain the censored name changes.
How on Earth is the uneducated marketplace supposed to interpret all of this and made a final decision?
They can't.
Make no mistake: DragonBall is for kids. It was always for kids in Japan (McDonald's is getting DBZ cards again later this month), it was always for kids in North America (we had DBZ figures at Burger King), and it always will be. What makes the series so magical is that it can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Is it sometimes crude? Is it sometimes ridiculous? Of course it is. What nine-year-old child wouldn't find an anthropomorphic pig parading around with panties on his head absolutely hilarious...? Do these parents and council members seriously believe that a 16-year-old girl would not be proud of her bust size and use it to her ridiculous advantage? This is the same series where a character is able to defeat an opponent who smells and looks foul (with his hands down his crotch, no less) because he realizes he doesn't have a nose. Folks, this is the logic we are working with in the universe of the DragonBall manga.
This all came about because the mother of a nine-year-old contacted a city councilman about what they considered explicit sexual material in a comic book aimed at children.
FUNimation may want to reconsider their marketing toward the "nine-year-old born every day". |
07 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 3:39 pm EDT -- FUNimation's official Twitter stream has just been updated with the following tidbits:
The DBox will have Jap voice track w/orgnl Jap music – mono (default track) and Eng track w/orgnl Jap Music in 5.1 surround.
More on the DBox -- The Eng track with TV broadcast music has been removed.
It appears that FUNimation's upcoming "Dragon Box" sets will contain two audio tracks: (1) the original Japanese language track, and (2) the slightly revised English dub with the original Japanese musical score (previously released on the faux-"remastered" season sets).
The previous faux-"remastered" season sets contained three audio tracks: (1) a slightly revised English dub with the original Japanese musical score [stereo], (2) the English dub as broadcast on North American television including its musical score [stereo], and (3) the original Japanese track [mono]. A surround-sound 5.1 track for the broadcast dub had been included on the previously-released and midway-canceled "Ultimate Uncut Edition". With FUNimation's upcoming "Dragon Box" sets bumping the episode count from six on the Japanese releases to seven on their own and even more audio tracks, there had been concerns over compromises to the visual quality of the sets, arguably their most important attribute. For a complete breakdown of these sets and their importance, visit our current "Feature".
VegettoEX @ 9:26 am EDT -- In a move that brings us full-circle to where we were ten years ago, the DragonBall manga has been pulled from the Pittsville Elementary and Middle School library in Wicomico, Maryland.
According to the article by Greg Latshaw on delmarvanow.com, a mother whose nine-year-old son had borrowed the book from the school library contacted Joe Halloway (whose occupation or position is not made explicitly clear in the article). This appears to be a misspelling of "Joe Holloway", a member of the Wicomico County Council in Maryland, who presented examples of nudity in the volume to his fellow council members, and stated that the, "drawings and story lines are disgusting." Wicomico schools Superintendent John Fredericksen has stated that, "it's coming off the shelves as soon as I can get a phone call back to the office". It is believed that the volume was purchased through funds provided by a grant, and that graphic novels are an accepted part of the library's collection because it engages those students who otherwise may not be interested in "traditional forms of reading".
Long-time American fans may remember a similar story from late 1999 / early 2000 in which the father of his four-year-old son was outraged over the inclusion of DragonBall manga in a pack of comics purchased at Toys "R" Us, which he described as "borderline soft porn" images of "naked boys and girls". DragonBall was subsequently pulled from Toys "R" Us store shelves.
It was around this time and the resulting censored printings of the DragonBall manga from Viz that our own Julian Grybowski initiated a large-scale petition (reprinted online in various places) calling for a separate, unedited release of the manga to be clearly labeled as such and presented for its intended and eager audience.
While the TV series and movies have received fully unedited releases (both dubbed in English and in their original Japanese language) from American distributor FUNimation on DVD (with edited versions airing on television via Cartoon Network), as of today, no fully unedited version of the DragonBall manga has ever been released in North America from Viz. Various levels of censoring (both in terms of visuals and dialogue) are present in different print runs of particular volumes.
Viz has been releasing the DragonBall manga in North America since 1998. The DragonBall manga is imprinted with a "Teen" rating on the back of Viz's current releases:
Viz has even created a new series of releases for DragonBall under their "Viz Kids" line in a new "Chapter Book" format in which the dialogue is simplified, expanded upon in narrative form, with limited illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.
We have reached out to council member Joe Holloway for comment. |
06 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 10:06 am EDT -- Listings for the upcoming PS3 and 360 game, Raging Blast, are finally starting to appear online. Amazon has standard entries for both the PS3 and 360 versions, while Gamestop's PS3 and 360 listings come with a "bonus" for those who pre-order:
Reserve Dragon Ball: Raging Blast and receive the Raging Blast Special Pack. The special pack contains customized Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks and Gotenks in-game characters. And for the first time ever, you can immediately play as Super Saiyan 3 Broly, one of the unlockable characters in the game. Available online and in-store while supplies last.
Online Customers: A code and instructions to unlock the Raging Blast Special Pack will be emailed when the game releases.
Store / In-Store Pickup Customers: A pre-order card containing a code and instructions to unlock the Raging Blast Special Pack will be available at time of game pick-up.
This does not quite line up with the special "Limited Edition" version of the game spotted on Amazon Germany, which is set to include a special steelcase packaging, artbook, soundtrack, and more. The extra character costumes/attributes/somethings seem to be the only common factors.
All listings confirm a 10 November 2009 release date in North America. |
04 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 7:57 pm EDT -- It's another one of those weekends where unexpected things come up, so we had a bit of a change in our podcasting schedule. Meri and I were able to kick it with a short episode this weekend catching up on the news, October's releases, and an e-mail. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
We should be back on track next week for volume thirty in our "Manga Review of Awesomeness" on-going series.
In the meantime, following up on the podcast version of the review, the full written review for the POWER OF DREAMER CD single is up! |
02 October 2009
VegettoEX @ 12:59 pm EDT -- Slow to list them on their website as always, Shueisha has apparently put out the fourth (and final) volume of the Majin Buu: Fukkatsu Hen "Film Anime Comics" today on 02 October 2009 for the regular price of ¥730.
While this particular arc is over, there is still a bit to go to bring them to the end of the series. It seems like they are actually going to complete their redundantly-redundant run...! |
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