The Fanboy Review

Author: Marc

  • Dragon Ball Z Kai- Color Differences Comparison

    After doing the review of Dragon Ball Z Kai on Blu-ray I decided to check the DVD.  Very quickly I noticed a difference in colors in the remastered Z footage.  When I showed some screen shots to a friend to find out about the Japanese Kai Blu-ray, he actually ran it over right then so I could take a screen shot for a comparison.
     
    I’ll let the image and my notes on it speak for themselves.  Feel free to share.  I didn’t include the Japanese DVD because I don’t know anyone who has it.  Click on it for full size.
     

     
    Each version has its own odd quirks and I’m quite sure arguments over which of the three has superior colors will go on for years.  It’d also be interesting to find out who tweaked each version and why any tweaks were made (did Funi tweak their versions or did Toei? If so, why the Blu-ray and not the DVD?)
     
    After doing that image comparison, I decided to check the intro, which has entirely new animation. Each one is different in the intro also, but in different ways than in the episode itself, which suggests each intro was tweaked separately from the episode. (Click to see full size)
     

     
    For the remastered footage you could argue any of them could be better based on how you feel about color in general, but for the brand new animation, the American Blu-ray clearly seems superior.
     
    It’s worth mentioning that a slight difference in brightness between an American disk and a Japanese disk is normal. Japanese and American TVs have different black levels, so tweaking of the brightness is normally done to make them match when being viewed, but this doesn’t appear to be the tweaking that caused these differences (especially since there are three clearly different examples instead of two.)
     
    Think I should update the first image with other DVD versions of Dragon Ball Z for comparisons sake?
     
     
    Update– I chose to leave the original comparisons up as they are more relevant seeing as they all have the same and proper aspect ratio, but I’ve made an updated version that adds the Japanese DVD into the mix.
     
    Thanks to Hujio from Kanzentai for the lossless captures of the proper frames.
     

     
    The show content itself is interesting in that there is a slight addition of footage on the side and that (once again) the colors are different.
     
    Although frankly the shot of the intro is a bit crazier
     

     
    Yeah… it’s pretty terrible. It is definitely the worst of the four in this case. It definitely makes it appear that DVDs from Toei were a late addition to the plan for Kai in Japan, as no care seemed to have been taken with the encode at all.
     
    If you’d like to read a review of the Blu-ray of Dragon Ball Z Kai, we actually have one (it is actually what ended up leading to this article.) Feel free to have a read: Dragon Ball Z Kai: Part One (Blu-ray), Early Review
     

     

  • Dragon Ball Z Kai: Part One (Blu-ray), Early Review

    The franchise that will never die returns, but on Blu-ray in a new ‘refreshed’ version.
     

     
    Yes, Dragon Ball Z returns as Dragon Ball Z Kai.  After stacks of releases in the USA, including the Dragon Boxes, is the modern refresh of Z on Blu-ray the new high bar for the series in the USA? (more…)

  • Ouran High School Host Club (Blu-ray), Review

    Back for yet another Blu-ray review: this time it’s Ouran High School Host Club.
     

     
    Oh yes, it is finally time to review an upscaled Blu-ray.  Let’s take a look at if a non-HD Blu-ray is worth your time and money. (more…)

  • Strike Witches: The Complete Series, Early Look/Review

    As we’ve heard for many months now, and even longer if you go back to when it was brand new and streaming, there is a war. A war against… pants.
     

     
    Strike Witches is arguably the antithesis to the shows we tend to see from Funimation, with not only mass market appeal, but being relatively niche and a centerpiece in arguments in online communities. So let’s check it out… Yeah, I couldn’t think of a good pants line to use here… maybe I’ll put that up as a contest this weekend… (more…)

  • Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone (Blu-ray), Early Review

    Evangelion returns.  After a long wait (and avoiding the DVD version to wait for the Blu-ray for many people, myself included) the first of the new Evangelion films has made it to Blu-ray in the USA.
     

     
    With the series hitting 15 years old, is the Rebuild of Evangelion something to look forward to?  And after quite a few Blu-rays that aren’t exactly up to snuff, is this the Blu-ray Funimation finally gets it right on? (more…)

  • Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers (Blu-ray), Early Look/Review

    Eureka Seven is back… in movie form.  Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers (long enough title I think) is a new adventure with Renton, Eureka, and the crew of the Gekko.
     

     
    I’m sure all the Eureka Seven (I certainly won’t be using the full title every time in the review…) fans already ran off to go get a copy, but unfortunately this is an early review, and it won’t be released until next month.  But let’s take a look at how the Blu-ray is, and if it’s worth the cost of entry for fans. (more…)

  • Soul Eater: Part 1, Early Look/Review

    Working for the Grim Reaper himself can’t be the easiest job now can it?  Which is why he founded a school to… wait… Death runs a school?  Sounds a bit iffy for my tastes.
     

     
    In fact, when I first heard about this show a couple years ago, I wrote it off completely.  But having arrived in Region 1 land (and my mailbox) I decided I could at least open it up and take a peek at an episode or two of Soul Eater… I mean, even if I didn’t like it, Bones has made some of my favorite shows, so it won’t be that bad… right? (more…)

  • Dragon Ball Kai Announced, Here’s Extra Info

    Dragon Ball Kai was finally announced by Funi as Dragon Ball Z Kai.
     

     
    Here’s a bit of extra info I’ve had on hand for awhile about the release.
     
    The current plan is to have the first DVD and BD boxes in May.
     
    The BD releases will have a five dollar premium.
     
    Having talked to a few people, it appears the cast will remain the same as the Funimation Dragon Ball Z dub, but with greater care being given to the script. I say appears because I’ve only talked to a few people, they are indeed playing the same roles they played before, and they were under the impression it was going to be the same cast, this may not apply for every character.
     
    The show started being dubbed last year.
     
    That’s all the information I have at the moment, but I’ll update if I gain anymore
     

  • Sands of Destruction: The Complete Series, Early Look/Review

     
    Back with another anime DVD to review, this time we have a Funimation show, via a Sega game… Sands of Destruction.
     

     
    Sega doesn’t normally get the high marks for quality they used to long ago, so can a Sega based anime work out? (more…)

  • Linebarrels of Iron: Part 1, Early Look/Review

    Back on a new computer with a new review.  This time we have Gonzo popping up with the story of a boy and a mech (a story no anime fan has ever heard before…)
     

     
    So does Linebarrels of Iron and the story of a boy and a mech show us anything we haven’t seen in the genre before?  Let’s take a look. (more…)