Summary
While we all love anime, sometimes there is a debate - especially when it comes to older series - about what is the best possible way to watch your shows. Aside from the whole’sub vs. dub' debate, the issue of quality has come up in the age of physical media and (eventually) streaming. One of the biggest debates on how to view a series is withDragon Ball Z, which has had numerous home viewing experiences throughout the years and much debate on which of these experiences is ‘the best’ version to watch. While fans have largely settled on the best way to view the show, it is a costly endeavor. Unless…you have a subscription to Crunchyroll.
What is Dragon Ball Z?
Though it hardly needs an introduction, for those who may not bewareDragon Ball Zis a popular Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It is the sequel to the originalDragon Ballseries, which is based on the manga created by the late great Akira Toriyama.Dragon Ball Zoriginally aired in Japan from April 1989 to January 1996 and later became popular worldwide (especially in America when it aired on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block).
The series continues the adventures of Goku, who, along with his companions, defends Earth against various villains ranging from intergalactic space fighters and conquerors to androids and nearly indestructible creatures. The show is known for its intense battles, iconic characters, and the concept of transforming into more powerful states. The series has had a significant cultural impact and continues to be beloved by fans around the world. It has spawned numerous movies, video games, and a sequel series,Dragon Ball Super.
The History of Dragon Ball Z on Home Media
The history of Dragon Ball Z on home media in America is quite extensive and there is not enough time toget into everything today. For context though, early Dragon Ball Z episodes were dubbed by Funimation and released by Pioneer Entertainment starting in 1996. These early releases included edited versions for television, which were made available on VHS. In the early 2000s, Funimation began releasing uncut versions ofDragon Ball Zon VHS and DVD. These were more faithful to the original Japanese versions, including restored footage and original Japanese music. Most of these releases were of a controversial nature one way or another. However, there was one release that stood out above the rest.
What Are the Dragon Box Sets?
In 2009, Funimation released the Dragon Box sets, which were high-quality remasters based on the Japanese Dragon Box releases. These were highly regarded for their video and audio quality and included various extras. Several prominentDragon Ballfansites and YouTube channels (such as Tony StrongStyle and Kanzenshuu) sung praise of these releases, and sites like Anime News Network called them one of the two best home media releases of the series (the other release met a tragic end that may be explored in a future article). With beautiful cardboard boxes, books with detailed character and episode information, as well as the best picture quality the series has seen (yes, this includes recent BluRay releases in America), the overall opinion is that the Dragon Box sets are the definitive way to view the series.
Their Availability Today
Sadly, manyDragon Ball Zfans are not able to buy these sets. As a limited edition release, the sets were never designed to be in production indefinitely. What’s worse, because of the (at the time) high price mark, the sets weren’t bestsellers in the first place, with most consumers buying the orange (what has been dubbed) ‘Orange Brick Sets,’ a far cheaper option to view the series (but suffered from severe image cropping and noise reduction that ruined many shots in the show). These days, the Dragon Box sets are out of print and are routinely some of themost expensive anime DVDson the market. So that’s it then? Fans who want to watchDragon Ball Zin the best possible way are out of luck, right? Not exactly…
A Crunchyroll Subscription Saves the Day
Crunchyrollis the number one subscription service out there for anime fans, and one of their golden gooses isDragon Ball.Dragon Ballshows regularly show up as some of their most popular shows. This should not come as a huge surprise to anyone who is in the anime scene. However, whatDragon Ball Zfans may not know is that if they want to watch the Dragon Box remasters, they can easily do so on Crunchyroll. Granted, there is a bit of a hack to viewing them. There is bad news if you are a fan of watching the show in English: this hack will not work for you. If you choose to watch the series in English, you will get the video transfers that were of questionable quality on previous DVD releases.
If, however, you are a fan of the original Japanese version, you are in luck! If you switch on over to the Japanese audio with English subtitles, you will be treated to the restored Dragon Box transfers ofDragon Ball Z. And thus, for a nominal monthly subscription, you can watch the high quality version ofDragon Ball Zfor pennies on the dollar compared to spending thousands of dollars on the out-of-print Dragon Box sets. Now, to be sure, you won’t get the nice packaging or books (and there is certainly no ownership here), but if you want to watchDragon Ball Zin the best possible quality without shelling out thousands of dollars, this Crunchyroll hack is the next best choice you have.
Dragon Ball Z: Seasons 1-9 Collection
Dragon Ball Zpicked up from the originalDragon Ballseries to continue the Manga adaptation of Son Goku as an adult. It saw the alien defender of Earth and his companions fight off villains, including Vegeta, Frieza, the android Cell, and magical creatures like Majin Boo, all while Goku raised his son, Gohan. Initially released between 1989 and 1996, the series formed a definitive chapter of theDragon Ballsaga.
