Dragon Ball Z Kai - Season 1 [Blu-ray]

Look, I LOVE the original DBZ (and Dragon Ball, though this is primarily about DBZ./DBZ Kai). I watched it all the time on Toonami way back in the day, played with the action figures, played the video games, had some old VHS tapes, and a few years ago I got the orange bricks (not the best remastering, but it overall fit my needs). However, as much as I love the original DBZ (and my DBZ fix was coming up again), I knew I needed a fresh change. As much as I love the Funimation English dub of DBZ, I've got to put some nostalgia aside and admit that it wasn't always the best. The acting was shoddy at times and the scripts (often changed from the original manga) could range from cheesy to downright terrible. Based on everything I had heard/seen from DBZ Kai, it looked exactly like the fix I needed. Not only was it a "new" version of DBZ that would feel fresh, but it would perhaps give me my fix and even more.I am thrilled to say that I was right. [NOTE: This is not the edited version of Kai that aired on Nicktoons. This is the UNCUT version of DBZ Kai that contains blood and swearing.] DBZ Kai is exactly what I wanted and more. First of all, I have the say that the script is WAY better than that of the dub I grew up with. It is manga-accurate and never has those cheesy, cornball moments that the other English dubs have had. Also, considering that they have had 10 years of voice-acting experience, the English actors (mostly the same with a few changes) are absolutely superb this time around. Sean Schemmel completely embodies Goku, as does Chris Sabat as Vegeta and Piccolo (the voices are actually completely distinguishable from each other now). Everyone else is great as well. The main changes I can think of are for Gohan (voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard) and Bulma (forgot her voice actor's name). These voices have had a largely negative reaction from those like myself who are familiar with the other voices. First of all, with Bulma, while I might prefer Bulma's old voice (it suited her confident, adventurous, sometimes bubbly personality more), I think her new voice works just fine. Her new voice is perfect for the brainy, know-it-all side of the character, as well as her intimidating side (like when she's with Gohan and Krillin on the way to Namek). So I can definitely say I'm happy with her voice. As for Gohan, contrary to public opinion, I LOVE his new voice. While I've always loved Stephanie Naldolny (his old voice actor) as Kid GOKU, I felt like her voice was always too old and too confident sounded for Kid Gohan. This Gohan actually sounds like a 4-5-year-old kid. The whinyness is there when it needs to be, and the rage is perfectly expressed. I can't help but feel people are complaining mainly because it's not the Gohan voice they're used to, despite that it absolutely fits the character.The other BIG draw of Kai is that it (for the most part) completely cuts the filler (or things added to the anime that weren't in the manga). Look, I'm nostalgic for the filler; heck, I even sometimes enjoy watching it. However, Kai cuts all the fluff and tells the story as it is meant to be told, and in my opinion, the whole thing feels more epic that way. Also, the series is much faster paced. There are no more extremely drawn out power-ups or staring contests. It gets straight to the action, and I LOVE that.I'm also a fan of the way the animation has been cleaned up. The colors have also been brightened, and it looks fantastic. The opening and ending credits (different from before) are also really good once you get used to the new songs (Dragon Soul and Yeah!Yeah! Break! Care!, both which I now love). In my opinion, they completely capture the tone of the show, although I can't help but miss Cha-La-Head-Cha-La. Also, Kai contains new eyecatches, or little animations that pop up in the middle of each episode (like an intermission). While the original DBZ had only two eyecatches for the entire series (one for the Saiyan through Cell Sagas and one for the Buu saga), Kai has a different eyecatch depending on what is happening in the episode). This is actually a cool touch and it makes Kai feel like a fresh new show. The only downside to it is that for those new to the show, they might give away details about what's going to happen. But that's just a minor complaint.This brings me to the music. Because of a plagiarism scandal involving Kenji Yamamoto (the original composer for Kai), his music has been replaced on the Blu-Ray releases by that of the original DBZ composer, Shunsuke Kikuchi. Although I grew up with the English dub Bruce Faulconer music (and I still love many of his tracks and have fond memories of hearing them on the show), overall I prefer Kikuchi's music with the show. To me, it's a better fit, plus there are occasionally silent moments that add to the intensity. Unfortunately, there is a bit of a drawback. Much of the music placement is not the same as it was in the original DBZ, and some of the best tracks are not even used. This is something that I have adjusted to considering how much I love everything else about the show, but it is a major drawback to not hear some of Kikuchi's most iconic themes in certain scenes. However, it does contain some good tracks, and since this is, in a way, a "new" version of DBZ, I can live with it.There aren't much bonus features on this set, but I wasn't really asking for them. I'm just happy to see DBZ Kai presented this way. Overall, DBZ Kai is a massive success in my opinion, and it's probably the perfect way for new fans to get into DBZ. Despite the music placement being different, Kai is currently my favorite version of the show. I can't wait to watch Seasons Two-Four (and I'm pumped that they're actually doing the Buu saga now).

It arrived about a week ago. I just finished watching all four seasons today. Wow, what an enjoyable experience. As far as my familiarity with the series goes, I followed Kai during it's original Japanese broadcast, and I also saw some of the Saiyan arc on Nicktoons. So it's been about 3 years since I last watched Kai. This is my first time watching Kai with Shinsuke Kikuchi's score. I have always been a huge fan of Dragon Ball Z, having become hooked as a youth during its Toonami days. I have owned various versions of the original series for some time now. I recently started following the Japanese broadcast of the Buu Saga, and that reignited my interest in the series. So I decided to purchase all four seasons of Kai, and I have to say I couldn't have been more happy with these releases.The picture is beautiful and vibrant, as much softer colors were used in its restoration. The video has two black bars on the side of the image to fit a 16:9 TV, while still keeping the series in its correct 4:3 aspect ration. Some may dislike that, but I personally prefer it. I find that when you stretch the image to fit the full 16:9 AR, quality is lost. When you crop the image, you obviously lose parts of the image. So 4:3 is perfect to me because that is the way the series was truly meant to be seen. You get the entire image in high definition. My only gripes with Kai concern some of the reanimated scenes. Many of them were just flat out ugly, and would have looked better if they were recolored in the same manner as most of the other scenes. But that's a minor complaint.The audio is great as well. The dub by all accounts is fantastic. I prefer the Japanese audio, so I strictly watch the series with the Japanese audio. I must say that Funi's subtitles for the series were exceptional, and far more accurate than the fansubs I would watch a couple years ago. As I mentioned, this was my first time watching Kai with Kikuchi's score. As someone who enjoyed Kenji Yamamato's score, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the placement of Kikuchi's score for this rendition. Although his music was arranged differently than it was in Z, the songs chosen usually worked with their particular scene. I enjoyed Kikuchi's score so much, that I now find myself a little disappointed in the score they are currently using for the Buu saga.Now, to discuss the content. I absolutely love Kai, and I am ready to take the leap and say that it is now my preferred way of watching the series. When I first popped in the discs, I suspected that I would end up skipping straight to the fight scenes, as I often do with Z. But after playing episode 1, I found myself watching entire episodes in sequence. Before I knew it, I was having marathon sessions daily. Now here I am, a week later, writing a review after going through all 98 episodes. The pacing is so much better than Z, and much more accurate to the Manga. I forgot how fluid the series was. I even went through the Dragon Books in my Dragon Box to look over the episodes. I was shocked to realize how much longer it took to get through certain phases of the series. I'm no longer sure how I watched the entire series with such enthusiasm as I did back then, considering how unbearably long some arcs now seem. But that is the effect Kai has had on me. Arcs such as the Namek arc, seem much more watchable now. I mean think about it. The Cell arc ends at episode 98 of Kai, and episode 194 of Z (If I'm correct). So that means of the first 194 episodes of Z, 96 episodes worth consisted of filler material. That just seems like such a ridiculous number, in retrospect.In my opinion, Kai is a must have for all fans of the series. I know some still love the original, filler and all. I still love Z, as well, and will watch it from time to time. But Kai has certainly won me over. It is certainly not without its flaws, and it is executed poorly in some instances. It probably would have been better had Toei chose to reanimate the series completely, as they did the opening and ending sequences, as well as the eye catchers. However, I can still appreciate the series for what it attempted to do. That is to show Z in a true-to-the-manga director's cut. Again, things could have been done better. But I still consider it good enough. That's enough of my rambling. However, I want to make it clear that Kai has my stamp of approval, and I would recommend it to fans both new and old.