It has been five years since Manga Entertainment (now Crunchyroll) released the 30th Anniversary Edition of Dragon Ball Z, of which saw the series presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and since then the disc contents of that Anniversary Edition have been repackaged and re-released as individual season sets in the UK. Fast forward to 2024 and Crunchyroll are once again releasing a complete series collection of Dragon Ball Z on Blu-Ray in the UK, except this time things are quite different (as shown in our unboxing).
What is Dragon Ball Z – The Complete Series?:
Dragon Ball Z – The Complete Series is a new, but technically old, budget re-release of the series on Blu-Ray and contains all 291 uncut episodes across 36 Blu-Ray discs in both English and Japanese.
How is it packaged?
This Blu-Ray set sees nine Blu-ray cases, each of which represent an individual season, packaged in a thin orange carded box with artwork on each side. Personally I was hoping the art box would be rigid, like those used in Limited Edition releases, but sadly it is a thin card material.
The artwork on the box features visuals from the Namek saga on the front, the World Tournament saga on the back, a Dragon Ball Z logo on the bottom, and Goku’s insigna on the top. Interestingly there is no synopsis, or information about the set, anywhere on the outer packaging.
The sleeves inside the individual Blu-Ray cases meanwhile feature colourful and vibrant artwork that represents events of that season, and every three covers form together to display a wider piece of artwork.
Those familiar with past Dragon Ball Z Blu-Ray releases in the US will notice that it is the same artwork that was used by FUNimation a decade ago, and more recently in the US Crunchyroll Store Exclusive complete series set (of which this set is based upon) . Of course while the general artwork is the same they have been adjusted them slightly to include the BBFC logo and updated them with the Crunchyroll branding.
Personally I prefer the artwork on these sleeves to the individual season sets released by Manga Entertainment in the UK, as they feel more vibrant and active. Another notable difference between the different releases (especially the original US release) is that the artwork on these Blu-Ray Discs themselves feature a visual of a the four star dragon ball. The original US Blu-Ray releases featured a very simple design of silver and blue which made text difficult to read, whereas on this new UK set it is not an issue.
The artwork on each disc is also exactly the same throughout the set, with the only difference being the episode and season listings. Each Blu-Rav sleeve also has a reversible sleeve that lists the contents of that set and a Dragon Ball Z logo. It’s not much, but better than nothing.
How is it presented?:
Here is where things get interesting. The episodes within this Complete Series release of Dragon Ball Z are presented in the 16:9 aspect ratio with the original widescreen High Definition transfer that FUNimation created back in 2013. That’s right, this Blu-ray set uses the same visual materials as the original US (and Australian) Blu-Ray releases of Dragon Ball Z. This is the first time that this widescreen version of the series has been made available in the UK, as previous Blu-Ray sets in the UK have all been the newer 4:3 release.
Compared to the currently available UK Blu-Ray releases of Dragon Ball Z viewers will notice some differences. Most notably a loss of picture on the top and bottom of the screen, due to the 16:9 (widescreen) presentation, increased saturation on colours and the removal of grain and dirt from the picture. The picture does offer a more cinematic presentation, and it feels more consistent with Dragon Ball Super (and now Dragon Ball Daima), but you do lose out on some of the picture and at times can feel a bit too bright with its colour presentation.
Once again this set features three different audio tracks, with each presented in DolbyTrue HD format. In this case viewers will find an English 5.1 audio track (that uses the original Japanese background music), an English 2.0 audio track (that uses the English broadcast background music), and of course the original Japanese Mono audio track. The quality is also the same as previous Blu-ray releases, so you won’t find any improvements or alterations here.
Simplistic technical details aside this set contains 291 episodes, and these episodes are split between nine seasons. As mentioned earlier each season is presented in its own case, and each case holds 4 Blu-Ray discs with different seasons containing a different number of episodes. The spine of each case lists off the season and episodes included within, but opening the case up will also reveal each disc contents. Each sleeve and disc is clearly labelled, so you’ll never have trouble finding the right disc for the right episode. As you can probably guess, the episode layout is also exactly the same as the original US Blu-Ray release of Dragon Ball Z (as well as the more recent complete series re-release on Crunchyroll Store in America).
Comparison – How is the picture quality?:
The previous UK Blu-Ray releases of Dragon Ball Z used the newer 4:3 aspect ratio High Definition version of the series, while this new complete series release uses the older 16:9 aspect ratio High Definition version. As a result there will be noticeable differences between the two versions of the series, as shown below in our comparisons.
Season 1:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Season 2:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Complete Series [2024]:
Season 3:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Season 4:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Season 5:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Season 6:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Season 7:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Season 8:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
Season 9:
30th Anniversary Edition & Individual Season:
It is your personal preference on which High Definition transfer you think is best, but after watching a number of episodes back-to-back I do prefer the 4:3 aspect ratio version of the series (i.e. the original UK Blu-Ray releases). This is purely due to the picture not being cropped and thus allows me to view the series in its original aspect ratio.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should discontinue the 16:9 version of the series (which is presented in this UK complete series Blu-Ray release), as these do provide a more cinematic experience and offers a more consistent viewing experience when paired with Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball Daima. More importantly, the 16:9 cropping in the Blu-Ray releases is much more improved than the previous Orange Box DVD Season Sets.
The Series:
This complete series release of Dragon Ball Z contains all 291 uncut episodes in English and Japanese across 36 Blu-Ray discs, with each disc and packaging clearly labelled thus adding further insight into each discs contents. Packaging and menu presentation is also simple, clear and concise and as such you’ll easily be able to find the right disc for the episode you desire.
Visually this complete series release of Dragon Ball Z is exactly the same as the original US (and Australian) Blu-Ray releases, and as such is presented in 16:9 widescreen. Those who prefer to watch the series in its intended aspect ratio (4:3), or dislike the original HD restoration of the series by FUNimation, may not like what is offered here, but it does what it sets out to be – the complete series in High Definition. That being said problems from previous sets remain, such as the lack of next episode previews included and the Japanese Mono Audio still being of low quality. Considering the age of the source material then perhaps it is unavoidable that these are not included or are of low quality compared to modern anime releases.
Presentation aside Dragon Ball Z tells the story of Goku, and then later Gohan, as they learn more about their Saiyan heritage and attempt to protect earth from various threats. Naturally this set contains all story arcs, with the first story arc (Sayian) beginning with the arrival of Raditz. This story sees Goku and his friends attempt to deal with Saiyan warriors who plan to destory earth and this story leads viewer into space for the Namekian and Frieza arcs. The story lines offered within these arcs focus on the dragon balls; but in reality it is about exploring the Saiyan heritage and stopping an evil threat from causing destruction across the galaxy.
Following on from the Frieza arc is a few filler episodes, but a returning enemy from Goku’s childhood helps moves the story forward into the Android arc. In this arc the Androids, created by Dr Gero, are out to destroy Goku, but in the process another android from the future, known as Cell, arrives to Absorb the androids that are attempting to kill Goku. It’s a cat and mouse story line that sees support characters (as well as Vegeta and Future Trunks) take to the spotlight in order to defeat this threat. The story then leads into an amazing tournament known as the Cell Games Tournament.
This Cell Games Tournament is one of my favourite seasons within Dragon Ball Z, not because of how well it is animated – especially when compared to past seasons – but it gives Gohan the spotlight and shows how he has developed over the years within the series itself. The last three seasons of Dragon Ball Z take place several years in the future, with the start of a World Tournament Saga that sees minions of a mad magician absorb energy from fighters in order to revive Buu. Yet again it is a cat-and-mouse situation with the cast of characters either chase the enemies in order to stop their plan or avoid them in order to power-up for the next fight.
Unfortunately for the heroes Buu manages to revive, which soon sees a string of fights between various characters taking place in order for victory to be achieved. It’s fast-paced shonen action with blood and minor violence, more so than Dragon Ball Super, combined with some filler content. In short, this set features everything Dragon Ball Z has to offer, within its TV series at least, and is here presented in a cinematic style for (perhaps not everyone) to enjoy.
Extras:
This complete series collection of Dragon Ball Z contains a wide variety of bonus features which include cast interviews, dubbing processes, a quiz and even a look at how this High Definition version of the series was created. The extras can all be found on the final disc of each season, with the list as follows:
Season 1:
– Upcoming Special Feature Sneak Peek
– Textless Opening Song
– Textless Closing Song
– US Trailer
Season 2:
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Christopher R.Sabat
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Sean Schemmel
– Justin Cook Shares His Headshot Collection
– Textless Opening Song
– Textless Closing Song
– US Trailer
Season 3:
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Gen Fukunaga
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with John Bergmeier
– Look Back at the Hummer Toy: with Sonny Strait
– Textless Opening Song
– Textless Closing Song
– US Trailer
Season 4:
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Matthew O’Hara
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Daniel Mancilla
– From the Vault: Goku Vs Vegeta Featurette
– From the Vault: The World of Dragon Ball Z
– Textless Opening Song
– Textless Closing Song
– US Trailer
Season 5:
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Sonny Strait
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Meredith Mauldin
– Toei Tour: Raw Footage
– Textless Opening Song
– Textless Closing Song
– US Trailer
Season 6:
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Eric Vale
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Cynthia Cranz
– Dragon Ball Z Trivia
Season 7:
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Justin Cook
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Nathanael Harrison
– Dragon Ball Z Card Game: Past, Present and Future
– US Trailer
Season 8:
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Kyle Hebert
– Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Kara Edwards
– Dragon Ball Z: Coming to America
– Textless Opening Song
– Textless Closing Song
– US Trailer
Season 9:
– Texltess Opening Song
– Textless Closing Song
– US Trailer
All of the bonus features included in this complete series release have previously been released on the individual season sets. However, the Anniversary Edition (and the original US Blu-Ray release of Season 9), did contain an extra disc that had additional interviews with Josh Martin and Chris Rager as well as two features From East to West: Dragon Ball Z’s Epic Journey and A Completely Serious Discussion about the Comedy of Dragon Ball Z. It seems the fifth disc of Season 9, which was a disc entirely made up of bonus features, was never included in the individual Season 9 releases (in the UK) and has also seemingly been absent from re-releases of that season in the US. This also remains true for this complete series collection which neither the UK or US version includes that fifth disc of extras. Which is slightly bizarre.
Naturally the highlights of these bonus features are the Interviews with various English Dub cast members, of which illustrate their own experiences with voicing the character, and features that explore Dragon Ball Z within North America.
Of course your opinions of these bonus features will be vary depending on whether you like the English Dub and its production, but for me I really enjoyed watching these features. Most releases nowadays tend to have the bare minimum of bonus content, so it is refreshing to see these features kept on the disc for all of us to everyone.
Specs:
Media: BD (36 Discs)
Region: A & B
Video: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio: DolbyTrue HD 5.1 (English with Original Japanese Background Score), Dolby True HD 2.0 (English with US Background Score) & DolbyTrue HD 1.0 (Japanese)
Subtitles: English (White)
Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p)
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frame Rate: 23.976 fps
Overall:
This complete series release of Dragon Ball Z looks to be catered towards casual fans that want to own the entire series on a budget, as hardcore fans would most likely prefer the 4:3 version of the series. That being said this set does offer the series in a cinematic high definition presentation, and includes all the audio options and bonus features from individual releases, packaged into a single collection.
Basically, It does exactly what it sets out to do, and you can’t fault it for that. If you are looking to own Dragon Ball Z within a single set, and aren’t bothered (or prefer) a widescreen presentation, then this set is definitely worth considering.
Score:
Dragon Ball Z – The Complete Series is available 2nd December 2024 within the UK from Crunchyroll.
Disclaimer: We received a sample copy of this set from Crunchyroll for the purpose of this coverage.
