Current Events > What's the best way to watch DBZ in 2023?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Just make sure to watch it under the superior Bruce Faulconer's soundtrack and not the fucking shitty Japanese circus music.

I actually had watched some of the movies like Bio Brolly and Tree of Might in the past, (dont remember them so much now) but I thought there was a proper time to sprinkle them in while watching the show :)

thanks ppl

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MorbidEngel posted...

DBZ movies pretty much run their own timeline; they're not included in the main series canon whatsoever.

And it's the same for the abridged movies

The DB movies are to be watched afterwards as well, right?

You can, but I've heard some wildly varying opinions on the quality of some of them

Don't go in to the 13 that came out before Battle of Gods expecting them to be in the main timeline or expecting them to all be masterpieces

Vicious_Dios posted...

Just make sure to watch it under the superior Bruce Faulconer's soundtrack and not the fucking shitty Japanese circus music.

Lol yeah sure its the Japanese music thats circus music.

https://youtu.be/37pjvg04tVU?si=1FnWod1QjSW5dRs8

The movies are all filler. Watch them for better animation quality and for the fights really. As for the main series, DBZ Kai works the best. Though look up the Goku and Piccolo driving episode.

What do you mean? That shit slaps:

https://youtu.be/C6nVQO2RHFk?si=HS_jR65MKWjGaz2I

Gives the scene an creepy, yet eerie aura. What else ya got?

Kai is the best version. I like abridged but its too goofy to replace Kai.

The Steelcase editions are the best way to watch them. They have the least editing and are pretty watchable. I still need to replace my first couple of seasons with them.
The cropping on home releases is just garbage

kai is great. they butchered the buu saga or at least it's still full of filler.

i been wanting to rewatch the series starting with dragon ball. i was gonna watch the uncut dbz for the first time since before kai. then rewatch super. it's gonna take me forever especially since i don't plan to binge watch it and just plan to watch here and there while trying to watch other stuff. hoping by time i do all that they at least announced the return of super or possibly a new movie but i think it's time for the anime to return depending on if they go back and show moro or if they just skip all that and pick up after super hero.

TimeCrisis posted...

Side question;

do I need to watch OG DB first before Z?

I absolutely adore the OG DB series. Its not what you'd expect. The series actually started off as a gag manga. Its all fun and jokes until somebody dies and that's literally where shit turns around. You learn a lot about character history but its not at all necessary. Most of us got into Dragon Ball Z before we even knew about Dragon Ball and we all turned out find. Its definitely something you can go back and watch.

As for the movies, you can sorta watch it in a timeline...

You can watch:

Dead Zone is perfect for around the beginning. Maybe after Raditz. it fits perfectly there alongside World's Strongest and Tree of Might

Lord Slug can be watched around there but its probably better until after you get to Namek.

Cooler's Revenge and Return of Cooler happens after the Frieza saga

Super Android 13 can be watched during or after the android saga.

The Broly movies can be placed around Cell maybe? I think Broly movie 2 and 3 can be watched during or after the Buu saga..or maybe during the Tournament.

Fusion Reborn can be last...probably seen whenever. Honestly, I'd watch the Other World Tournament episodes(they're filler) since it involves some of the characters there.)

Wrath of the Dragon takes place after Kid Buu.

The movies after that are all in Dragon Ball Super.

^ thank you, noted

You keep forgetting that two super movies are actually Z movies and the timeline is set before the end of Z.

pedro45 posted...

You keep forgetting that two super movies are actually Z movies and the timeline is set before the end of Z.

I do but honestly I'm just referring to the original movies, not the ones made recently. While the two first movies that came out were before Super was a thing, eventually Super adapted them into episodic form, making them the beginning of the Super series.

Vicious_Dios posted...

Just make sure to watch it under the superior Bruce Faulconer's soundtrack and not the fucking shitty Japanese circus music.

Whatever you do, TC, make sure it's the Bruce Faulconer track, for the love of Janemba.

Don't listen to these weirdos about the soundtrack. They're just going based on nostalgia. I'd suggest watching them subbed in Japanese as originally intended.

ExistentialFear posted...

Don't listen to these weirdos about the soundtrack. They're just going based on nostalgia. I'd suggest watching them subbed in Japanese as originally intended.

Son, the music literally amplifies the episodes. If you watch it with any other soundtrack it is so profoundly underwhelming. Don't bother watching it without the proper soundtrack. Literally unwatchable. Any other opinion is purist weeb talk. The dub is great.

2r1aqueroso posted...

Son, the music literally amplifies the episodes. If you watch it with any other soundtrack it is so profoundly underwhelming. Don't bother watching it without the proper soundtrack. Literally unwatchable. Any other opinion is purist weeb talk. The dub is great.

If you watch the dub you're supporting a cast of bigots. Leaked audio shows the main voice actors using homophobic slurs and tasteless jokes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFJr0qj7_Jk

2r1aqueroso posted...

Son, the music literally amplifies the episodes. If you watch it with any other soundtrack it is so profoundly underwhelming. Don't bother watching it without the proper soundtrack. Literally unwatchable. Any other opinion is purist weeb talk. The dub is great.

The rest of the world did just fine without Faulconers OST.

kai for sure

the Faulconer score has its moments (mainly the character themes) but on the whole is not very good

The Faulconer OST has a lot of really good moments, some even better than the original. The problem is the soundtrack is playing all the damn time in the Faulconer dub even in moments when no music would clearly be a better choice. Instead we get clown music to kill down time.

ExistentialFear posted...

If you watch the dub you're supporting a cast of bigots. Leaked audio shows the main voice actors using homophobic slurs and tasteless jokes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFJr0qj7_Jk

I know nothing of this and was basing my comment solely on the content, having watched all of it recently. I don't support such things from simply having watched it. The frieza fight alone, if you compare the soundtracks, as subjective as taste can be, clearly has a more emotional and impactful feeling. Really makes you invested and want to continue.

snae99 posted...

The rest of the world did just fine without Faulconers OST.

Because they didn't know any different.

The music that plays when Trunks kills Freiza is perhaps the best song in all versions of DBZ. Too bad its plagiarized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMYt9sGOcTU

YellowSUV posted...

The music that plays when Trunks kills Freiza is perhaps the best song in all versions of DBZ. Too bad its plagiarized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMYt9sGOcTU

This isn't bad. Just not clicking with me. But I'm happy to be convinced. I'd also like to hear some comparison tracks. Maybe it's more impactful if I'm watching the scene with the tracks. From what I've seen of both I did like Faulconer. But I do like the Japanese intros.

Kai had the chance to be the definitive version. Then they completely shit the bed with the Buu Saga.

variasuite posted...

Kai had the chance to be the definitive version. Then they completely shit the bed with the Buu Saga.

What's wrong with Kai's Buu saga?

I legitimately do not understand the hate boner for Kai. It has the original Japanese music and a MUCH better script and pacing. Where the hell are all these problems it supposedly has? It's quite literally like watching the manga in anime form.

Super_Slash posted...

What's wrong with Kai's Buu saga?

I legitimately do not understand the hate boner for Kai. It has the original Japanese music and a MUCH better script and pacing. Where the hell are all these problems it supposedly has? It's quite literally like watching the manga in anime form.

Kai had an excellent company called Q-TEC remaster through the Cell Saga. Buu was done much later and by Toei themselves. They sucked at it.
It kept more filler content, ruining the quick pacing
Odd color space
They chopped the damn edges of the screen off and called it "wide screen presentation"
Removing it from a cohesive set and just calling it "The Final Chapters"
Not all DBZ filler is bad. It gives a sense of time and progression. If you think the OG cut meanders then Kai is too fast. Very Game of Thrones S7 and S8.

variasuite posted...

Kai had an excellent company called Q-TEC remaster through the Cell Saga. Buu was done much later and by Toei themselves. They sucked at it.
It kept more filler content, ruining the quick pacing
Odd color space
They chopped the damn edges of the screen off and called it "wide screen presentation"
Removing it from a cohesive set and just calling it "The Final Chapters"
Not all DBZ filler is bad. It gives a sense of time and progression. If you think the OG cut meanders then Kai is too fast. Very Game of Thrones S7 and S8.

So it is mostly just outside stuff that has nothing to do with the actual quality of the show.

I would still take all of that over a script that sounds like it was written by a 12 year old.

Super_Slash posted...

So it is mostly just outside stuff that has nothing to do with the actual quality of the show.

I would still take all of that over a script that sounds like it was written by a 12 year old.

I'd say butchering the visuals of a TV show is pretty important, but ymmv. There's no real good script, DBZ is inherently dumb.

variasuite posted...

I'd say butchering the visuals of a TV show is pretty important, but ymmv. There's no real good script, DBZ is inherently dumb.

Butcher is a strong word. I've seen Kai many times and nothing about the video quality stood out to me. The average viewer isn't likely to notice.

variasuite posted...

I'd say butchering the visuals of a TV show is pretty important, but ymmv. There's no real good script, DBZ is inherently dumb.

Almost all DB home releases are crap for different reasons. Its like with each release they fucked it up in a different way. I linked a video essay explaining it in post #5.

The only DB home release thats not crap is of the original Dragon Ball, a recent one, and its only been released in France, but its immaculate.

Super_Slash posted...

Butcher is a strong word. I've seen Kai many times and nothing about the video quality stood out to me. The average viewer isn't likely to notice.

To be fair, I bought all of the Blu-rays and watched them one after another. The drop-off (especially the aspect ratio) was particularly noticeable in my case. But yeah, not everyone will notice or care.

PraetorXyn posted...

Almost all DB home releases are crap for different reasons. Its like with each release they fucked it up in a different way. I linked a video essay explaining it in post #5.

The only DB home release thats not crap is of the original Dragon Ball, a recent one, and its only been released in France, but its immaculate.

Cool, I'll give it a watch.

2r1aqueroso posted...

Because they didn't know any different.

this is such a fucking funny thing to say lmao. as if 90% of the people swearing on the old Funi soundtrack aren't doing so entirely because it was the only way to watch the show as a kid

that said I do agree there are times where the Faulconer score clears the fuck out of the original. the scene where SS2 Gohan washes all the Cell Jr's and the Gohan fights Frieza theme kicks in is legitimately incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHdFTHaEW88&t=69s

variasuite posted...

To be fair, I bought all of the Blu-rays and watched them one after another. The drop-off (especially the aspect ratio) was particularly noticeable in my case. But yeah, not everyone will notice or care.

Cool, I'll give it a watch.

To be clear, I think thats talking purely about the original, not Kai. Kai apparently has the Buu saga problem though, so I guess it still fits the theme.

PraetorXyn posted...

Thats a very good question, because at least for the original, all the home releases are shit in different ways.
https://youtu.be/b3iqas8LHyM?si=LQ1lvpcVvWAsk4U0

One of the home releases is shit because the masters had degraded, so I would imagine whatever they offer on Crnchyroll shares similar problems.

So for the original, your best bet may be pirating a recording from the original Japanese airing (or the Funimation one if you prefer the dub, though that may be censored).

Kai is Z without the filler, and Id imagine the home release is better there since they basically redid all the animation I think, but I havent watched Kai to compare.

Holy shit, Funimation sucks. I don't like the Buu arc in Kai, but anything's better than those orange bricks.

variasuite posted...

Holy shit, Funimation sucks. I don't like the Buu arc in Kai, but anything's better than those orange bricks.

Yeah. Its really baffling how theyve re-released the series like 4 times and theyre all horrible in different ways lol.

Delirious_Beard posted...

this is such a fucking funny thing to say lmao. as if 90% of the people swearing on the old Funi soundtrack aren't doing so entirely because it was the only way to watch the show as a kid

that said I do agree there are times where the Faulconer score clears the fuck out of the original. the scene where SS2 Gohan washes all the Cell Jr's and the Gohan fights Frieza theme kicks in is legitimately incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHdFTHaEW88&t=69s

So does Gohan defeat Cell?

PraetorXyn posted...

Yeah. Its really baffling how theyve re-released the series like 4 times and theyre all horrible in different ways lol.

Exactly! And they nailed it like right away with Dragonball by just not touching it.
Again, steel book is where it's at for American dbz if you want original ratio and not as much over saturation of previous releases

YellowSUV posted...

The Faulconer OST has a lot of really good moments, some even better than the original. The problem is the soundtrack is playing all the damn time in the Faulconer dub even in moments when no music would clearly be a better choice. Instead we get clown music to kill down time.

this

plus i really really really like piccolo's theme in the japanese version

Dungeater posted...

this

plus i really really really like piccolo's theme in the japanese version

Not just Piccolo's theme, but it evolves over an entire decade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anp-OuDlgLE