JAKKS Pacific to Release Dragonball GT Toys
The New York World Toy Fair is coming up in a few weeks and it has been announced recently that JAKKS Pacific, who now holds the licence for Dragonball toys after Irwin went bankrupt, will be displaying their range of new DBZ toys. But it has also announced they will also be showing the very first Dragonball GT toys as well as toys from Dragonball. This news thanks to www.dragonballtoys.com.
I've noticed recently that apart from news this site has been really lacking in updates so tommorow there will be several new sections for you all to check out so come back tommrow and see what's new. If you really want something to be on the site then please email me at [email protected].
Tommorow: Whats in the new issue of The Best of Beckett Dragonball Z Collector
29th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
The Craziness Continues
Just when I thought the drama about the release of the "new" PS-One game Ultimate Battle 22 was over. It seems that the Infogrames Australia site has the release date for the game at March 14 which is a direct contradiction with the release date given to me by the distributors in New Zealand (GameWizz) who said it was coming out on February 13. But for now I am sticking with the GameWizz date as they are in New Zealand. Both sources however confirm the price as being $69.95 so that is definite.
The Infogrames Australia site also has page on the game with info and screenshots which you can see here. And this image here has been confirmed as the New Zealand/Australia cover.
28th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
Babidi Saga Promo in D-Mag
Hope you all managed to catch todays episode of Dragonball Z because it won't be on for a while due to tommorows return of Sticky TV. Of course TV3 doesn't really care that the people who were watching todays episode ("Power of the Spirit") for the first time won't get to see Goku go super saiyan for the first time or see Frieza's defeat. I bet there will be compalints about this
For all you CCG players and/or collectors I thought you should know about the Babidi saga promo card that can be found in the latest (January) issue of the kids magazine D-Mag which costs NZ$4.75 and can be bought at most magazine stores in New Zealand and Australia. The card is P3 and is called "Goku's Energy Clash".
The latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine is now out in the United States and also contains a promo card. This one is a Goku personality and you can see the card by clicking here. The issue of Shonen Jump #3 with the card will be in New Zealand soon!
27th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
The Battle Continues...
..in both the new episodes of Dragonball Z and todays new comics.
I finally watched the new episodes and on uncut DVD! All of the episodes were awesome and are must see episodes. Gohan finally gets his turn to fight Majin Buu and kicks some serious butt like he hasn't done since he fought Cell. Plus the fusions continue with a union of Goku and Vegeta! And now its time for the Gohan Ratings!
Dragonball Z 5.9 Fusion - Ambush
Rating: **** out of *****
My Thoughts: Gohan kicks some serious butt like he hasn't done a while and shows some serious power while Majin Buu transforms again!
Dragonball Z 5.10 Fusion - Losing Battle
Ratings: **** out of *****
My Thoughts: Goku returns to Earth, the Old Kai reveals a new type of fusion, Majin Buu becomes stronger again, Vegeta returns, Goku goes super saiyan 3 again. This tape contains a lot of action but I give it an extra star for the bfrief appearence of the fused Goku and Vegeta! Bring on 5.11!
Also todaya re the new Dragonball CDC - Tomako's Revenge comics formerly called Dragonball CDC - A Christmas Suprise. See them at the bottom of this page!
24th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
Dragonball GT Website Unleashed
Well not really... So far all thats there is the intro page with a notice saying "Coming Soon" but you can check it out at www.dragonballgt.com
And the DBZ CCG Website has put up a list of all the uncommon cards in ther upcoming Babidi saga and you can see them by clicking here
And finally it seems the new DBZ vids didn't arrive at my video store yet so I haven't seen them yet! I'll hopefully see them tommorow!
23rd January 2003 by gohan2000nz
New Dragonball Z Videos (Part Two)
Well the two new videos were released today according to Dragonball.co.nz but I'm still going to check out the second one 5.10 Fusion - Hope Returns today but first...
It seems Dragonball Z has received a mention in the series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which is currently showing in America as one of the nerdy evil characters says something like "I'm reformed...I'm like Vegeta on DBZ, I used to be an evil saiyan but now I'm all super saiyan and good". Apparently last year DBZ was also mentioned on Grounded For Life (currently on TV3) but I haven't heard it yet. The "DBZ" episode of Buffy will probably screen in New Zealand later in the year. And now to the second video...
Dragonball Z Volume 5.10 Fusion: Hope Returns
Release Date: Out Now!
Rated: M (Suitable for Mature Audiences 16 years and over)
Episodes:
The Old Kai's Weapon (Episode 251)
With the absorption of Piccolo and Gotenks, Majin Buu's power has greatly increased! Armed with fresh ideas in his head and new tricks up his sleeve, Gohan is all alone and weakening, is there anyone in the universe who can step in to help
Ready to Fuse? (Episode 252)
Goku watches helplessly from Other World as Majin Buu sets his sights on Gohan. Luckily the Old Kai reveals a source of power that could save the day. Is Goku ready to bond with his son like never before and put an end to Majin Buu's reign of terror?
Union of Rivals (Episode 253)
After Gohan is absorbed by Majin Buu, Goku's plan to join bodies with his son is ruined. But an unlikely ally arrives on the scene - Vegeta! Will the saiyan prince put aside their differences and agree to combine forces with Goku?
Buy this video!
I'm going to see the videos tommorow and then I'll tell you how good they are!
22nd January 2003 by gohan2000nz
New Dragonball Z Videos (Part One)
Two new Dragonball Z videos are coming out on Friday and today and tommorow I'm going to preview the two new vids on this site.
Manga Entertainment has announced that two more videos 5.11 Fusion: The Last Saiyan and 5.12 Fusion: Internal Struggle will be released on February 12 but first lets have a look at the first of two videos coming out on Friday...
Dragonball Z Volume 5.9 Fusion: Ambush
Release Date: Friday 24th January
Rated: M (Suitable for Mature Audiences 16 years and over)
Episodes:
A Whole New Gohan (Episode 248)
When Gotenks' fusion ends it looks like the end has finally come for Goten and Trunks. But just as things seems at their worst, Gohan descends on the scene with his newly awakened powers! At long last, the tables are turning on Majin Buu.
Search for Survivors (Episode 249)
After being completely dominated on the battlefield, Majin Buu blows himself up in a desperate attempt to destroy Gohan in the blast! But is this just a ploy? Gohan seems to think so! Is Majin Buu plotting an ambush or simply trying to buy a little time?
Majin Buu Transforms (Episode 250)
Majin Buu reappears, ready for battle. But rather than continue his fight agianst Gohan, Buu stages a clever deception to absorb Gotenks now part of his being, Buu transforms once again - this time into "Super Buu"! How will Gohan fare against this new incarnation of evil?
Buy this video!
Finally today I'd like to announced that the Episode List page has been finished! The page now has a list of every Dragonball Z episode made by FUNimation. Check it out!
Tommorow: Whats in the second new DBZ video coming out on Friday? Find out tommorow!
21st January 2003 by gohan2000nz
Will Dragonball be in New Zealand This Year?
Got an email from Manga Entertainment today and they told me that they would do their best to get Dragonball released in New Zealand this year.
While this may seem bad at first I think its good when compared to last years answer which was an outright no...
Tommorow: Two new DBZ videos come out on Friday and I check out whats in the first video of new DBZ episodes
20th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
TV3 Cuts the Fight Short!
As most of you already know Sticky TV is coming back on February 29th and this is bad news to the fans that have been watching the repeats of Dragonball Z on TV at the moment. Tommorows episode of DBZ is "Frieza's Boast" and unless they play more episodes or skip episodes the last episode played before Sticky TV returns and Dragonball Z ends will be "Power of the Spirit" which is the episode right before Goku transforms into a super saiyan for the first time! Thats gotta be annoying for all those fans watching it for the first time!
In site news the new Dragonball CDC comics are here and reveal once and for all who the mysterious fighter is and where she came from. Check out the five new comics at the bottom of this page.
I did some research on Ultimate Battle 22 today and rang several stores which all said they had never heard of the game. I then rang Sony Computer Entertainment (makers of Playstation) and they said that the game wasn't on their release schedule this year and the store that said they had it had imported it from overseas!
Annoyed at this response I hung up but rang back later and spke to a new person who told me to ring the distributor, GameWizz (who distibute all Infogrames games), and so I did. They told me the game would be released in Mid February and would have a recommended retail price of $69.95 (although some stores may have it either cheaper or more expensive). I also asked them about Final Bout and they said that they hadn't heard of it which of course means that the game won't be coming out here in the near future...
19th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
Utimate Battle 22 Will Be Released in NZ
It seems that are releasing Dragonball Z: Utimate Battle 22 in New Zealand. Ultimate Battle 22 is a fighting game that was orginally released in July 1995 (!) and contains 22 characters (hence the title) plus five secret characters. The game will be released on February 13 at a price of about $69.95 (although this price is from one store and others may have it cheaper). The words in the game have been translated into English but the voices are in Japanese but Budokai is in Japanese and thats OK, right?
Read more and see screenshots from the Japanese version (which is exactly the same as the one we get here except the words will be in English) of the game here and see a picture of the NZ cover here.
Interestingly while doing research for Ultimate Battle 22 on the web I noticed that they also re-released the English version of Dragonball GT: Final Bout in Europe so I'm going to see if that will be released here as well.
In DVD news Anime on DVD is reporting the first four DVDs for Dragonball GT will begin release in April in the USA but I'm not sure if this is true but we shall see...
Also Manga Entertainment tells me that the as yet unreleased on DVD sagas (Captain Ginyu, Frieza and Garlic Junior) will be released sometime this year probably as box sets like the Saiyan and Namek sagas were.
Tommorow: New Dragonball CDC Comics! Find out who the mysterious fighter is and where she came from!
New DBZ Video Games, Shonen Jump CCG Promo
A couple of days ago I mentioned the release of more DBZ video games and the high likeliness of a sequel to the 2002 hit Gameboy Advance game The Legacy of Goku and it seems that there is a sequel to the game being released and it called Dragonball Z: Legacy 2 Future Shock and will be released in the USA on the 25th of June and will be in New Zealand not soon after that. If thats not suprising enough it also seems that they are releasing a Japnaese DBZ game from 1996 in English on the PS-One! The game will be Ultimate Battle 22 and will be released in the USA on the 26th of March. Interestingly enough after further research I discovered the game has already been released in Europe which may mean that the game might not be released here (All European games are in the PAL format which New Zealand uses as opposed to the NTSC format used by the USA meaning that if they were going to release the game here they would have already done so). I will check tommorow with some stores to see what they know.
Even if Ultimate Battle 22 is released in New Zealand it must be remembered that the game is from 1996 so don't expect the graphics to be awesome (or even in 3D). This video games is thanks to Bobcat at www.dragonballtoys.com
Secondly today it seems tht Score is including an exclusive CCG card with issue 3 of Shonen Jump to be rleased in the USA in February and in New Zealand around March. The card is of Goku and the image on it looks really cool. The card text is still yet to be revealed but you can check out the card by clicking here
Like the sort-of-new layout of the page. It's not much but I think it helps the site. Its only on this page at the momment but depending on the reaction I get it could be on every other page but we shall see...
Tommorow: Will Ultimate Battle 22 be released in New Zealand? I'll try and find out and tell you all tommorow!
17th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
The Return of Sticky TV! (But No More DBZ)
It had to happen and eventually it will.
The latest release from www.tv3.co.nz is that Sticky TV will return on Wednesday January 29th and will not feature DBZ.
According to the TV3 website the show will have two new cartoons Hamtaro at 3.35pm and Transformers: Armada at 4.30pm as well as Animation Station and apparently Wannabes will return later on in the year.
The anouncement makes no mention of new DBZ but it seems likely that the new episodes will begin in either March or April (this is based on previous years) so lets hope and until then we can all whet our appetites by watching the videos...
Yesterday I mentioned the probable release of Dragonball this year and after looking at the Madman Entertainment (the Aussie company where the NZ Manga Entertainment get the videos and DVD's from) website I saw that on their FAQ section it says they will release it in either 2002 or 2003 and as 2002 is now over it seems hopeful that we will see Dragonball on video before the end of the year!
Tommorow: Hmm not sure yet but I'll think it over!
16th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
What To Expect from the DBZ World in 2003
Sorry for the delay but the reason is I was waiting for news on something relevant to todays update but I'll get to that later.
Before we get into what to look forward to this year I thought I should tell you all about the new issue of Beckett Dragonball Z Collector. The new (December) issue of the magazine is now out in New Zealand (the magazine takes a long time to get to New Zealand). This is the 25th issue of the magazine and the celebrate it by having the whole magazine all on Dragonball GT (for those of you who don't know Dragonball GT is the sequel series to Dragonball Z). Its got a GT poster and info about GT toys, GT episodes, a GT questionnaire and GT site reviews. The only things that aren't GT are the World Games saga cards (the first 100 cards pics are in the magazine) and an Akira Toriyama interview on how to create your own manga. If you want this magazine ask your local magazine retailer if they have it or can order it in for you.
Now on to what to expect in DBZ in 2003...
1. New Dragonball Z on TV and Video/DVD - Both on TV and on video/DVD it will be the last episodes of Dragonball Z. There are a total of 276 episodes of DBZ and on TV3 222 have screened so far while on video and DVD so far there has been 247 with another six coming January 24). The rest of the episodes will screen this year!
2. More Armageddon Expo's - The two more Armageddon Pulp Culture Expo's this year in Auckland in Wellington will be filled with DBZ and in April the Auckland one will have the voice of Goku and King Kai, Sean Schemmel, will be there signing autographs. There will also be a CCG tournament, kamehameha contest and a screening of the yet to be released DBZ movie seven
3. New Babidi Saga CCG - The recent World Games CCG was awesome and the Babidi saga featuring the new Majin personalities should be all the more better
4. Goku Goes Super Saiyan and Intro to Piccolo in Graphic Novels - I don't know about all of you but personally I am greatly enjoying reading the DB and DBZ graphic novels and this year they will only get better as in DBZ volume 11 (released around March ) Goku goes super saiyan for the first time! Also later in the year is the defeat of Frieza and the introduction to Trunks. In Dragonball volume 11 (unknown release date) Goku battles a equally powerful Tien in the World Tournament final while later in the year Krillin dies and Piccolo appears! Coincidence? I think not!
5. New Dragonball Z Movie - The seventh Dragonball Z movie Super Android 13 reveals three more of Dr Gero's evil androids which the three super saiyans (Goku, Future Trunks and Vegeta) battle all at the same time!
6. New Dragonball Z Toys - With Jakks taking over production from the bankrupt Irwin toys it will be interesting to see what they release
The next few things contain things that might happen, will likely happen or might not happen in New Zealand (at least not this year)
7. Dragonball on Video in New Zealand - It didn't happen in 2002 but the prequel series to Dragonball Z, Dragonball, may be released this year (I emailed the people at Manga but they haven't replied yet). Dragonball Z fans will be amazed to see Goku as a kid and freiends in DBZ enemies in DBZ such as Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Tien, Chaozu and Piccolo!
8. Dragonball GT Revealed - in the USA the first of a possible two season Dragonball GT (the sequel series to Dragonball Z) will be released on video and before the end of the year New Zealand might see it too!
9. More Dragonball Z Video Games - With the great success of the DBZ games last year it wouldn't be suprise to see more releases including games for the GameCube and PC as well as more releases for Gameboy Advance and Playstation 2 and perhaps sequels to The Legacy of Goku and Budokai!
10. Possible Release of Live Action DBZ Movie - When the live action DBZ movie was announced in March 2002 they said the movie be released either late this year or sometime in 2004 so theres still a chance it could be released this year but considering the lack of any info it seems unlikely at this moment but the power of the dragon may prove me wrong!
Well thats it for now. It will be interesting to see how much of this stuff (numbers 7-10) happens. If you think I missed anything coming this year or I missed a DBZ event from last year email me at [email protected]
Tommorow: I'm not sure yet but I'll probably just work on the Budokai page which should be ready by...actually I'm not sure...
14th January 2003 by gohan2000nz
The Best (and Worse) of DBZ in 2002
Yesterday I said that today I would tell you all about what to look forward to in the world of DBZ for this year. But first I thought it best to look back and remember the good and bad DBZ moments of 2002...
THE GOOD
1. Dragonball Z Video Games Galore! - After a great abcense of Dragonball Z video games since 1997 a total of four brand new DBZ video games were released in 2002. It began in May 2002 with the high selling RPG, The Legacy of Goku for Gameboy Advance, and was followed by Collectible Card Game, also for Gameboy Advance, then another RPG, this one for Gameboy Color called Legendary Super Warriors was released in November but the big one came in December with the grand release of a brand new fighting game called Dragonball Z: Budokai!
2. New Dragonball Z on TV and Video/DVD - There were great changes to Dragonball Z last year as we moved seven years into the future and things happened such as Gohan became an adult and Krillin grew hair (as well as getting married to Android 18 and having a kid named Maron). There were many new characters introduced including Videl and Goten and we revisited a now eight year old Trunks and then there was Majin Buu and the fight between Goku and Vegeta. On video and DVD the story continued (the following will be on TV this year) with the arrival of Gotenks, the introduction of super saiyan 3 and the transformation of Buu.
3. Armageddon Expos in Auckland and Wellington - Without the kind people at Armageddon it would be unlikely that any DBZ fan in New Zeaaland would of had the chance to meet and get autographs from two DBZ voice actors. In Auckland there was Stephanie Nadolny (voice of Kid Gohan, East Kai and Kid Goku in Dragonball) and in Wellington there was Kyle Hebert (voice of Adult Gohan, West Kai , Pikkon and the narrator)
4. Live Action DBZ Movie Announced - In March 2002 FUNimation announced that they would be making a live action (not animated) DBZ movie to be released by production studio 20th Century Fox in either 2003 or 2004. Polls on the official site revealed that the fans want Jet Li to play Goku and Jackie Chan to play Vegeta in the movie...
5. Akira Toriyama in New York - On December 6 2002 Dragonball Z creator, Akira Toriyama, visited New York, USA as part of the launch of the magazine Shonen Jump in America. Shonen Jump, for those of you who don't know, is a comic magazine in which the Dragonball comic strips appeared in between 1984 and 1996 and Mr Toriyama himself was there to see the launch of the English version of the magazine (it can also be bought here in New Zealand). A couple of fans even got to ask him questions (lucky kids!) although as I understand it the questions they asked were pretty stupid. You can see the questions as well as photos of the event and pics of Mr Toriyama himself by clicking here
THE BAD
1. Planet Namek Closes - The most popular unofficial Dragonball Z website closed at the beginning of the year to great sadness by the DBZ web community.
2. Sticky TV Begins - Great horror came as TV3 decided to make Dragonball Z part of a kids show called Sticky TV to compete with TV2's WNTV. Oh the horror!
3. Irwin Toys Bankrupt - The makers of all Dragonball Z toys (although not because DBZ toys sold badly) went bankrupt and over 135 people lost their jobs just before Christmas. The Dragonball Z toy license was later sold to Jakks Pacific...
4. Kid Gohan Voice Actress in Car Accident - In November 2002 the voice of kid Gohan, Stephanie Nadolny, was involved in a serious car crash when her car was totalled in a collision with a tractor-trailer. Thankfully Stephanie was okay and was back doing voice recording within a couple of days...
5. Dragonball Z is Taken Off TV - For the first time since March 2000 Dragonball Z was removed from TV3 in October 2002 and replaced by Zoids: New Century. After a fan outcry it came back in late December. Phew!
Well thats all. It seems like it took a whole year just to write that all out! What a year 2002 was for Dragonball Z. I wonder what 2003 will bring? Which of course brings us to tommorows update...
Tommorow - What to look forward to for DBZ fans in 2003 including new episodes, another Armageddon and a possible release of the live action DBZ movie...
Also tommorow I'll tell you whats in the new Beckett Dragonball Z Collector issue!