It's a good time to be a Dragon Ball fan thanks to the release of the new game Sparking Zero and a new TV series, and if you're looking to dive back into the anime, you can do so with not one but two handsome Blu-ray box sets on November 5: Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. Not only do you get all of the episodes in crisp 1080p, but they come plenty of extra content as well. Better yet, these are available to preorder at a much lower price points than the existing Blu-ray box sets for each series.
Dragon Ball Z: The Complete Series and Dragon Ball Super: The Complete Series are Crunchyroll Store exclusives. You can preorder these new sets for $142.49 (was $190) each. If you're a new customer, you might even be able to slash an additional 15% from the price with promo code WELCOME 15 or CRNEW.
Dragon Ball Z: The Complete Series on Blu-ray
$142.49 (was $190)
First up, Dragon Ball Z. While you're probably intimately familiar with Goku's journey to defeat Vegeta, his legendary clash with Frieza, and his showdown with the genocidal bubblegum monster Majin Buu, this edition looks like it could be the best release so far.
The big thing here is that you're getting these episodes in their original 4:3 aspect ratio--according to the listing--so unlike other releases that did a clumsy job by switching to widescreen, you're getting Dragon Ball Z as it was meant to be seen. No loss of detail due to bad cropping, just a squarish picture that captures every planet-shattering punch in rich detail.
As for the bonus materials, here's what you're getting in this release that spans 36 discs:
- Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interviews with the cast and crew
- A look back at the Hummer Tour with Sonny Strait
- Justin Cook shares His headshot collection
- Upcoming special feature sneak peek
- From the vault: Goku vs. Vegeta featurette
- From the vault: The world of Dragon Ball Z
- Toei Tour: Raw footage
- Dragon Ball Z trivia
- Dragon Ball Z Card Game: Past, present, and future
- Dragon Ball Z: Coming to America
- Textless opening and ending songs
- Trailer
Dragon Ball Z's other complete Blu-ray box set is available for $169 at Amazon, so the current price point for the new one offers a nearly $30 discount--plus it looks like it could be a better set overall.
Dragon Ball Super: The Complete Series on Blu-ray
$142.49 (was $190)
Dragon Ball Super first aired in the 2010s, and came during a renaissance for the franchise. After two successful feature films that expanded on the series and introduced major new characters like Beerus, the God of Destruction, new threats arose to challenge Goku and his allies. Like the Dragon Ball Z: Complete Series box set above, this version is packed inside of a big slipcase with cool art and contains all the Dragon Ball Super episodes across 20 Blu-ray discs.
Since this was a modern production, the widescreen format works in the favor of Dragon Ball Super as that's the aspect ratio it was originally produced in. It's a pretty sharp-looking series overall, and it's easily the most action-packed incarnation of the franchise to date. Here's a closer look at all the special features you're getting in this release:
- Catching up on the Dragon Ball Universe: Sonny Strait and Savannah Ligaluppi, Christopher R. Sabat and Hero D. Sabat
- Watching Dragon Ball Super with Jason Douglas and Ian Sinclair
- Anime Expo 2017: Interview with Sean Schemmel and Jason Douglas
- Anime Expo 2018: Interviews with Sonny Strait, Matthew Mercer, and Kyle Hebert
- Coffee Break with Mai and Trunks
- An interview with Sean Schemmel
- Rawly Pickens and Chuck Huber answer Twitter
- Sarah Wiedenheft and Dawn Bennett answer Twitter
- Two Humans and an Android
- Interview With Patrick Seitz and Kyle Hebert
- Textless opening and ending songs
Dragon Ball Super's complete series previously released as a limited-edition gift set with steelbook cases. The price comparison isn't as fair due to the presentation of that set, but you're saving about $50 overall by ditching the steelbooks. The gift set is available for $191 at Amazon.
While it's a lot different, it's worth mentioning the other big news from the Crunchyroll Store. A limited-edition steelbook version of Berserk's 1997 anime series on Blu-ray releases November 30. This will only receive one print run and is available to preorder exclusively on the Crunchyroll Store for $60 (was $80).
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