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Daizenshuu EX - Updates from May 2010 |
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31 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 5:38 pm EDT -- While it may not sound like the most enthralling "radio" in the world, our look at the first new art and illustration book for the franchise in fifteen years is pretty gosh darn exciting.
"Ôgon no Senshi ("The Golden Warrior") was released just last month in Japan, and is a steal at around $12. We are spoiling the entire podcast by saying so, but you should really just go ahead and order the darn thing right now. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
In related news... we are giving away a copy of the book! Head on over to our "Contests" page to enter. It is a random-drawing contest open to all fans across the entire globe! Get in on it now! |
27 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 10:52 am EDT -- Navarre announced this morning that it is considering the sale of FUNimation. Nothing has been decided just yet, but they have brought on Houlihan Lokey (an international investment bank and corporate adviser) to assist in the investigation and possible deal. Per their official news:
MINNEAPOLIS, May 27, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Navarre Corporation (Nasdaq:NAVR) a publisher and leading distributor of computer software, home entertainment media and related products, today announced that it has engaged Houlihan Lokey to assist it in structuring and negotiating a potential transaction for the sale of FUNimation Entertainment. There can be no assurances that this process will result in the consummation of a transaction.
"Navarre is pursuing a more focused strategy. Now that we have substantially reduced debt and improved operating margins, we are focusing our efforts on driving revenue, particularly in new product lines. We are concentrating all efforts on our distribution and software publishing businesses where we have significant expertise and considerable systems and physical assets that can be leveraged. The Punch! acquisition announced last week strengthens our software publishing business and demonstrates a step in our execution of this strategy," stated Cary L. Deacon, Chief Executive Officer.
FUNimation Entertainment's strategy and capital requirements are distinctly different from those of the Company's core business. While FUNimation's recent results have generally met expectations, the strategies required to grow the business include co-productions of original anime content, social networks and digital broadcasting. The Company anticipates that those plans are best executed with ownership that has assets or expertise in those areas.
This is a very interesting development both from the general business perspective of Navarre, as well as the domestic anime industry (and therefore, most specifically for us, the treatment going forward of the DragonBall franchise).
There are some confusing and back-handed statements flying back and forth — FUNimation did incredibly well for Navarre, helped get them out of debt, and now they want to sell them off? It is very possible that their statements should just be taken at face-value, and that where FUNimation is heading with all of their new initiatives just does not line up with what Navarre is equipped to handle and support as their core business.
Navarre completed their acquisition of FUNimation in May 2005. Since then, FUNimation has dominated the North American anime industry, with DragonBall proving to be one of their biggest assets time and time again. In June 2009, it was heavily implied that DragonBall accounted for 46% of the company's revenue that fiscal year. At the same time, FUNimation has gone through several rounds of restructuring; however, this was expected during the recent economic recession.
FUNimation recently extended their license for the DragonBall franchise through 2015. If there is to be a sale of FUNimation, one would assume that the license would stay with them, but it will be interesting to see if any further re-negotiations must be made.
We should hear more about this news next week as Navarre releases their fiscal end-of-year report and provides a little more outlook for the future. |
26 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 8:28 pm EDT -- You heard the podcast, now get ready to dive in to the even more-detailed version. Our full written review of FUNimation's "DragonBall Z Kai - Volume 1" is now online! Everything you want to know about the packaging, the video and audio quality... and yes, even the new English dub (something rather unprecedented both for the series and for our coverage here on Daizenshuu EX) is right here in the review.
If you have not yet picked up any of FUNimation's Dragon Box releases, be sure to check out our reviews of the first and second boxes. When you decide to pick them up (and you will, no doubt), be sure to head on over to Amazon, who is selling all three of the currently-available boxes for a ridiculous $26.99 right now!
Happy reading, and happy purchasing! |
24 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 9:21 pm EDT -- We traditionally do not cover any dub of the franchise in this sort of (extreme) depth here on the website and podcast. Since we have already editorialized and pontificated upon Kai as an entity more than our fair share, it seemed like the best route to take with FUNimation's recent release was to focus on the one aspect new to the release — its English dub. Is it truly the most accurate and faithful English dub the series has received, or is it traditional FUNimation where one little aspect somewhere holds it back from being everything it can be? Our buddy Hujio joins us for the topic, while a little bit of news, releases for the next month, and e-mails that make us think real hard about our viewpoints round out the episode! Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Sorry for the day-late posting, but this one's a doozy!
VegettoEX @ 1:06 pm EDT -- Namco-Bandai has sent out a press release confirming the 22 June 2010 release date in North America for DragonBall Origins 2 (the domestic release of Japan's DragonBall DS 2 from earlier in the year). Of particular note is the demo coming to the Wii's Nintendo Channel next Monday, 31 May 2010:
DRAGON BALL®: ORIGINS 2 FOR NINTENDO DS™ HAS GONE GOLD AND DOWNLOADABLE DEMO AVAILABLE ON MAY 31
SANTA CLARA, Calif., (May 24, 2010) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., announced today that Dragon Ball®: Origins 2 exclusively for Nintendo DS™ has gone gold and will be available in North America on June 22, 2010. In addition, a free downloadable demo version of the game will be available via the Nintendo® Channel on the Wii™ console starting on May 31, 2010. Dragon Ball: Origins 2 is the sequel to the original Dragon Ball: Origins for DS. The new game takes players on an action-packed adventure around the world, as young Goku and his friends battle against the nefarious Red Ribbon Army as they hunt for the legendary Dragon Balls.
Players who download the free demo will get a preview of Goku’s gameplay in Dragon Ball: Origins 2. While traveling on his Flying Nimbus cloud, Goku was attacked by the Red Ribbon Army led by the malevolent Commander Red, causing him to lose his trusted Power Pole weapon. In this single-level demo, players will attempt to retrieve his gear as they solve puzzles, hone their skills, encounter skillful opponents and face off in an ultimate boss battle that provides just a sample of the final gameplay experience.
In Dragon Ball: Origins 2, players battle through the Red Ribbon Army saga and have the chance to play not only as Goku, but also the added variety of his friends from the series along the way including Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha and more, each with their own abilities and power-ups. In addition to an exciting single-player mode, two players can join up for satisfying co-op multiplayer challenges via a local wireless connection. By playing the single-player adventure, special multiplayer stages including challenging boss fights unlock and become available. 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 challenging mix of action and exploration awaits, as Goku and friends must use a wide range of skills to solve puzzles, find treasure chests, and defeat armies of baddies. 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. With support for both stylus and button input options, players are free to choose their preferred control style.
Dragon Ball: Origins 2 for Nintendo DS is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and will have 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.
Beyond our initial thoughts on Episode #0151 of the podcast, we never got around to giving the first game a full review. We are looking forward to the sequel and hopefully seeing a lot of its predecessor's issues corrected.
In related video game news, a new trailer for Raging Blast 2 is popping up online, though with a seemingly replaced audio track and specifically branded for a European audience. Nothing of particular note is showcased in this new trailer.
We have nearly two hours worth of audio content coming your way later this evening in the form of our podcast review of FUNimation's recent DragonBall (Z) Kai release. Be sure to check back for it! |
19 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 3:15 pm EDT -- We hear back from you about our podcast every single week through e-mails, forum posts, Facebook and Twitter messages, and so much more. We have a pretty good idea what you folks like about the show... but you folks that talk with us may not represent the audience as a whole. This is your chance to be heard without really having to put any effort into it! We have tossed together a simple (and fun, all multiple-choice!) survey hosted right here on the website. If you could take just a minute of your time to let us know what you think about the show and how you consume our content, it will help us help you be even more informed... and maybe a little bit entertained, while we are at it. Take the survey now!
Oh, and hey... if you are not already listening to our (free!) weekly audio show, you are missing out. Head on over to the "Podcast" page for subscription and download information.
Incredibly long addition(s) to the "Reviews" section coming your way soon, guys 'n gals. Hold tight this week. |
16 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 11:02 am EDT -- FUNimation's parent company, Navarre, recently filed an 8-K approving a bonus opportunity of 50% his base salary for FUNimation CEO Gen Fukunaga at the completion of the upcoming 2011 fiscal year. The bonus opportunity is dependant upon EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) and net sales targets.
In related news, Fukunaga's employment agreement with Navarre also provided an opportunity to receive two "performance-based bonuses" if FUNimation's EBIT exceeded $60 million by the end of the 2010 fiscal year. Navarre will be releasing their fiscal 2010 report on 03 June 2010, so we will not only get a further glimpse into these results and bonus opportunities, but also hopefully receive another batch of hints at where the domestic industry stands and how FUNimation will continues to play a role in it. That is important to all DragonBall fans here in the US!
In extremely surprising news, it sounds like an upcoming DragonBall video game will see some new, traditional 2D animation. Our favorite Toei employee and in-between animator "Wasted Wisher" (who let us all know about Kai weeks before it was officially announced) popped over on our forum to say they will be working on approximately 30 minutes of new animation for a video game. There is no word on exactly which game that will be, but TAG VS and Raging Blast 2 are the only known upcoming games at the moment.
The last game to see extensive 2D animation was the American-produced Sagas (Gamecube / PS2 / Xbox), which contracted out Toei for an opening chapter sequence. Prior to that, DragonBall Z 3 ("Budokai 3") was the last Japanese-produced game with a 2D-animated sequence. All games since then have featured either new CG-rendered 3D graphics or even in-game, 3D models.
To wrap things up, we would just like to share two little bits of "meta" information regarding the website. Many of you have noticed that our YouTube channel has been removed. For a more detailed look at exactly what went down (and a little lesson in "fair use" and the DMCA while you are at it), head on over to my personal blog.
Finally, we will not be releasing a podcast episode this weekend. For those of you keeping up with the show each week, you have heard us talking a little bit about working on a video for Otakon this year which will be eating up a little bit of our otherwise-free-time... which on the weekend is usually put toward the podcast. Have no fears, though — the podcast is not going anywhere! Long-time listeners will remember our occasional one-week breaks during crunch time in the spring and summer seasons, and we always come back with a vengeance. |
11 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 1:14 pm EDT -- We just learned about Raging Blast 2 over the last couple days, and TAG VS was announced almost exactly one month ago for Japan. Today, however, Namco-Bandai has officially announced both games for North American distribution. Both will be coming this fall, though no specific timeframe was given beyond that. With no timeframe given in Japan for the games yet, either, we will put an educated guess out there that we will see release dates pretty close to simultaneous worldwide.
The official press release received is as follows:
NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCES TWO ADRENALINE PUMPING DRAGON BALL® Z TITLES
Duo of Hyperkinetic Dragon Ball Games Blasts onto Multiple Consoles This Fall
BARCELONA, Spain, (May 11, 2010) – Leading video games developer and publisher NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., announced today two highly anticipated Dragon Ball® Z fighting titles, Dragon Ball® Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team™ for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and Dragon Ball®: Raging Blast™ 2 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.
For the first time ever Dragon Ball Z fans can enter into high-impact two vs. two combat in Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team for the PSP system. Play solo or team up via Ad Hoc mode to tackle memorable battles in a variety of single player and multiplayer modes, including Dragon Walker, Battle 100, and Survival Mode. Dragon Walker Mode takes fans through the entire epic Dragon Ball Z story arc from the Saiyan saga to the Majin Buu saga. Battle 100 Mode tasks players to relive the most epic encounters and newly created situations from the Dragon Ball Z world in ever increasingly difficult situations. With more than 70 playable and deeply customizable characters, multiple modes, and Ad Hoc Party gameplay, Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team is chock full of gameplay for your portable PSP system.
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 is the sequel to last year’s high-flying, fast-hitting, and intense versus battles series. Dragon Ball Z fans can rest assured that the destructible environment, and character trademark attacks and transformations will be true to the series. These include signature Pursuit Attacks which enable players to initiate attack combo strings, juggling your opponent in a string of devastating strikes throughout the environment. Additionally, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 will sport the new Raging Soul System which enables characters to reach a special state, increasing their combat abilities to the ultimate level. Sporting more than 90 characters, 20 of which are brand new to the Raging Blast series, new modes, and additional environmental effects, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 is the next evolution in the home console series.
Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team for the PSP system, and Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system will be available this Fall.
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.
With TAG VS getting a domestic re-name with "Tenkaichi" in the title, it would be a safe bet to assume the game will play similar to the Sparking! series of PS2 games (which were re-named as Budokai Tenkaichi here in the states), and which Raging Blast was itself a successor to.
At this point, all new-and-currently-announced Japanese video games have now been announced for North American distribution. DragonBall DS 2 is coming out 22 June 2010 as DragonBall Origins 2, and now both Raging Blast 2 and TAG VS (re-named Tenkaichi Tag Team) are covered.
UPDATE: Both Raging Blast 2 and Tenkaichi Tag Team have been confirmed for European release in the fall, as well. |
10 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 6:57 am EDT -- We are getting back in the swing of things having taken a week off by catching up on the plethora of news over the last two weeks. We spend the majority of our time talking about the new closing theme to DragonBall Kai, along with some of the voice replacements and its move into the next major story arc. Download the show now, or head on over to the podcast page for more information or to subscribe.
Turns out we made a little mistake in the "Releases" segment of the show — the second DragonBall DVD box for France appears to be due out in July, and not later on this month. Sorry!
In somewhat interesting news (especially based on the shipment figures of the first game and the general state of Namco-Bandai at the moment), Raging Blast 2 for the PS3 and 360 has been formally announced through the pages of Jump:
There is not a whole lot to talk about just yet. We are being promised about 90 characters (the first game had just over 70, which includes all of the various transformations when appropriate), and it looks as if the graphics engine is getting a nice little overhaul. The game is due sometime this year in Japan, though no specific timeframe is given.
Finally, we would like to give a huge congrats to Colin for winning our Attack of the Saiyans contest! He will be receiving the Nintendo DS game (which we reviewed back at the end of last year), a Capsule Corp. mug, and a mini-scroll courtesy of Goku's Corner, the official fan community of Dragon Ball games by NAMCO BANDAI Games, Inc. It was a random-drawing contest, but be sure to tune into this week's podcast episode for Colin's entry, along with some of the other funny entries you all sent in. |
07 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 1:58 pm EST -- Namco-Bandai has posted a ¥29.08 billion (approximately $319 million) loss for the fiscal 2010 year.
In terms of DragonBall overall, the franchise dropped in net sales from ¥15.8 billion in 2009 to ¥12.5 billion this fiscal year, and the company is forecasting an even sharper drop down to ¥8.5 billion for fiscal 2011 with ¥3.0 billion of that in the first half. While not concrete, an educated guess leads us to believe that stronger (or at least more numerous) releases will come in the second half of the next fiscal year.
As for individual games, there were 700,000 copies of DragonBall: Raging Blast shipped worldwide in fiscal 2010. This was the only DragonBall game in the company's "Top 10 Game Titles" for the fiscal year, meaning that any worldwide sales of the latest DS and Wii games would be lower than approximately 400,000 copies shipped — it is at least somewhat relevant to note that Attack of the Saiyans was released significantly earlier in Japan than it was in the rest of the world, however.
In terms of general toys and hobby merchandise (non-video games), the franchise dropped in net sales from ¥3.7 billion in fiscal 2009 to ¥3.0 billion this fiscal year. The forecast for fiscal 2011 is ¥2.7 billion, with a mere ¥1.0 billion forecast for the first half of the year.
All across the board sales are down, and fiscal 2011 is not looking much brighter, though the second half sounds like it might be better than the first.
In other news, Toei has announced a deal in Brazil with Algazarra for toy figurines and separately with Richtex for a line of towels. If you think towels are weird, Bolivia has the win for strangest products coming your way. Pil Andina is on board to create DragonBall-branded flavored milk, while Doobalo is signed up to create socks. Finally, Bondy Fiesta has been licensed the rights to chewing gum.
A contest for weirdest merchandising concept seems like a good idea for the near-future. Stay tuned for that one...
For one last news tidbit, we wanted to follow-up on the French IPTV deal we noted the other day:
Our new forum member SanGoku 13 signed up to give us a couple extra details about what specifically is available. It is apparently the French dub, but it is at least the recent remastered version of the series. Twenty new episodes will be made available each month, culminating with at least the first 100 episodes for now. In terms of cost, the deal will run you 4,99€ per month, or 1,49€ for just a single episode. |
05 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 10:58 am EDT -- The Amazon listing for FUNimation's re-release of the first DragonBall movie has recently gone online, and also includes a trailer for the product.
No concrete release date is given in the trailer (just a "Coming Soon" ending splash). Nowhere in the trailer are any words such as "uncut" or "unedited" or "Japanese" used, a major departure from anything as-of-late from FUNimation. Furthermore, observant fans in our forum's dedicated thread have pointed out scenes from DragonBall TV episode 2 — scenes that were spliced into FUNimation's edited dub of the movie from 1995, which contained the original Canadian voice cast and replaced musical score.
Based on what we heard last month, this upcoming release would include the original Japanese version uncut, but would not include a re-dub.
We have been unable to get solid clarification as to what this release will actually have. Here is what we think:
ANALYSIS: The day that FUNimation releases a sub-only DragonBall product is the day I truly eat my own shorts. We can pretty safely assume that some version of an English dub will appear on this disc.
ANALYSIS: If the information is true about it being both "uncut" and not having a re-dub, the only way for it to work would be to have two video tracks: one for the original Japanese version, and one for the edited, English-dubbed version from 1995 with the first FUNimation voice cast and replaced musical score. If what we hear about the movie not having a re-dub is true, this option might make the most sense.
ANALYSIS: FUNimation has not released a dub-only (including an edited, dub-only) DragonBall product in many years, and it was always accompanied by an uncut release to go along with it. Releasing a stand-alone disc with the edited 1995 dub that contains neither the original Japanese musical score nor their current voice cast seems incredibly unlikely and out-of-character for the company.
ANALYSIS: It makes the most sense in the modern world for FUNimation to re-dub the movie (uncut) with their current voice cast and release a standard, dual-language, unedited release. If what we hear about it not having a re-dub is true, though... that alone might toss this option out the window.
While Amazon is still listing a 27 July 2010 release date, RightStuf has shifted to a 28 December 2010 release date. The trailer says "Coming Soon", which leads us to believe the July date is more accurate.
Sadly, the trailer leaves us with just as many questions as it does answers. Other than some auxiliary features, this remains the only primary feature presentation for the franchise that has never seen an uncut / Japanese release in North America. Since North American distribution does not affect Japanese releases in any way, the movie was released both as a part of "Dragon Box: The Movies" (2006) and on individual DVD (2009) — we gave it an in-depth look and review back on Episode #0112 of our podcast if you want to dive in with us ahead of this domestic re-release.
EDIT: Just heard back from FUNimation that the release has indeed been pushed back to later this year. What does this hold for us? I guess we will find out... well... later this year! |
04 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 9:10 am EDT -- C21Media.net is reporting that Toei has licensed the DragonBall Z TV series (along with Saint Seiya) to two "internet and IPTV on-demand platforms" over in France.
Both series are available via Orange's PC and IPTV on-demand service, 24/24 Video, and via Club Video, SFR's IPTV on-demand service. "This is a new way for the fans to have access to these series," said Toei Animation Europe MD Kanji Kazahaya.
We would love to hear from our French visitors about this. Is it the French dub that is available on these services, and is it an uncut version? Have the recent box sets all across Europe (with the exception of the edited German sets!) created a market for a subtitled Japanese version on-demand, or is that left to the physical product? |
03 May 2010
VegettoEX @ 11:05 am EDT -- We hope you all remembered that we were going to be taking about a week off to finish up some of that "real life work" stuffage...! While Julian is still off doing Golden Week activities over there in Japan, one of my major deadlines has come and gone, and so it is back to business with the hobby-work over here on the website.
It has been a pretty big week for DragonBall Kai updates, so let us cruise on down the list!
We knew that a new ending theme from Team Dragon (itself comprised of members from idol power-house AKB48) would be coming with Episode 55 of Kai. Our buddies over at Kanzentai picked up on the series' official website revealing the name of the song in advance of its airing: "Kokoro no Hane" ("Wings of the Heart").
We will save the majority of our editorializing for the next podcast episode (and the impending CD single release and review, I am sure [though none has been announced as-of-yet]), but suffice it to say... the ending was pretty much what we all expected.
Somewhat unexpected was the vast amount of new footage in the opening theme, "Dragon Soul". While the first half of the opening remains the same as the first two versions, the second half is almost entirely brand-new; the song itself remains exactly the same. The animation showcases some of the new villains (though not showcasing Cell directly, other than hints of his tail), and focuses on Gohan with foreshadowing-esque shots quite often.
With the unfortunate passing of Daisuke Gôri this past January, a role to immediately be filled was that of King Cold, also debuting this past weekend in Episode 55 of DragonBall Kai. Our buddies at Kanzentai once again confirmed some information from the series' official website in that Ryûzaburô Ôtomo would be stepping in to play King Cold (along with Gyû-Maô, the Ox Demon King). Fans will recognize Ôtomo as the voice of Dabra much later in the series, as well as Liu Xing Long (the Six-Star Dragon) in DragonBall GT and Yômaô ("The Monster King") in the DragonBall GT TV special.
In domestic Kai news, plenty of folks are having their RightStuf orders shipped ahead of release date (as expected). The thread on our forum dedicated to this first FUNimation set is already in full swing! We are hoping to get in a copy for review this week, so expect to hear a lot more about it very soon.
There are a few other things related to Kai and its foreign (that is, outside of Japan) distribution that have been stated and suggested over the last week, such as a possible "alternate" English dub a la the AB Groupe's commission of Ocean & Blue Water Studios in the previous decade for European and Canadian broadcast. We have not been able to get any kind of independent confirmation on any of it, so we will keep it squarely in the "rumor" category for now. Until we have something to report, there just is not a whole lot to talk about!
While we are talking about the rest of the world and our forum, we might as well spotlight this thread by our member Puto detailing and reviewing Spain's first part of the DBZ movies DVD box sets. Spain has been cranking out remastered box sets for the entire franchise for quite some time, so it is great to have someone really dig into them for us.
To wrap things up with a little less "news" and a little more "amusing observation", I have posted up a close look at the box for the Super Famicom game Sûpâ Saiya Densetsu over on my personal blog. You can laugh at "Engrish" all you want, but it is always the genuine typo that catches my eye and makes me laugh! |
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