Kanzenshuu

Three New “Battle of Gods” Interviews Translated

Published by VegettoEX19 March 2013, 11:29 AM EDT1 CommentDBZ Movie 2013

Things continue to ramp up among Japanese media in preparation for the full-release of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods in theaters 30 March 2013. Interviews and features are flying left-and-right in both print and online form, and we at Kanzenshuu have you English-speakers covered!

First up is an interview with Masako Nozawa (with a few quotes from the band FLOW) in the April 2013 issue of Animage. Nozawa speaks a bit about how the total excitement for a new film is actually somewhat dulled thanks to the continued works such as video games and Dragon Ball Kai, but also her enjoyment of the new movie’s story and characters.
An interview with Battle of Gods director Masahiro Hosoda from OKStars reveals how he came back to the franchise after so many years away from it, his interactions with the voice cast, and working on the story with the rest of the production crew.
A feature on and interview with Battle of Gods scriptwriter Yūsuke Watanabe from Ure-Pia Sōken goes in-depth on Watanabe arriving at the final story in collaboration with Akira Toriyama, his thoughts on Vegeta as an essential character, and recapturing the passion of the fans and the franchise.

Please enjoy these interview translations, and look forward to even more in the coming days and weeks!

News

Weekly Jump 2013 #16 Dragon Ball Tidbits

Published by SaiyaJedi18 March 2013, 9:36 PM EDT3 Comments

Yesterday’s issue (2013 #16) of Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan contained the third of the on-going Q&A session with original manga author Akira Toriyama, and while there are not many more truly blockbuster items or reveals in the issue, there are a couple fun tidbits worth mentioning.

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A limited-edition Dragon Ball watch is advertised on the inside back cover. Only 9,999 copies will be produced, though no price is listed.

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While we have known quite a bit about the upcoming exhibit “The World of DRAGONBALL”, only prices for the first stop along the tour — Tokyo — had been made available. This week’s issue reveals that the Osaka leg of the exhibit will run ¥500 for adults, ¥300 for university and high school students, and free for junior high schoolers and below. Tokyo gets an update, though, with a note that pre-sale tickets will be ¥200 off the regular price for both adults and university / high school students.

The magazine also notes a new railway promotion, itself explained in more detail in an official press release. Between 20 March 2013 (Wednesday) and 23 April 2013 (Tuesday), Hanshin Railway, Hankyu-Hanshin Holdings, and Toei Animation will be holding an “Umeda – Sannomiya Dragon Ball Stamp Rally”. This is in commemoration of the completion of major renovations at Hanshin Sannomiya Station, as well as the release of Battle of Gods coming up on 30 March 2013. After stamping a special flyer at both Sannomiya and Umeda Stations (in Kobe and Osaka, respectively), the first 2,000 people to come to either OS Cinemas Mint Kobe or Umeda Burg 7 (in Osaka) by the 16th will receive a free admission ticket to the “Akira Toriyama: The World of DRAGON BALL” exhibition that will be coming to Osaka next month.

By showing the same stamped flyer at the event itself between the 17th and 23rd of April, you will get original stickers (again, limited to the first 2,000 people who do so). You can find the flyers at each station (except for Higashi-Naruo and Suzaki on the Mukogawa Line), but the stamps needed are only at Sannomiya and Umeda. Additionally, during the promotion period, there will be announcements by Son Goku (Masako Nozawa) over the speakers at each station. The one-way fare between Hanshin Umeda and Hanshin Sannomiya is ¥310 yen, so the total price comes in at ¥610 all together, which is more than the price of admission to the exhibition.

The upcoming official guide to Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods — releasing 21 March 2013 for ¥580 — is given a quick mention, noting that it “will make the movie 100 times more fun”. The guide will contain character introductions, rough sketches drawn by Akira Toriyama for the film, “basic knowledge” of Dragon Ball, art illustration introduction, special interviews with both Akira Toriyama and Masako Nozawa, and a poster with a new illustration.

Finally, the magazine provides a reminder that the “Miracle of God” booster card series for the Dragon Ball Kai Miracle Battle Carddass series goes on sale 12 April 2013.

News

“Dragon Ball Tap Battle” Official Website Opens

Published by VegettoEX18 March 2013, 9:15 PM EDT2 Comments

The official website for the upcoming Android & iOS mobile game Dragon Ball Tap Battle has opened at: dbtb.channel.or.jp

The game appeared to be set to debut in the May 2013 issue of V-Jump (due out this Thursday, 21 March 2013) were it not for those pesky leaks from enterprising individuals in Japan. As is often the case, the official website seems to have opened its doors slightly ahead of schedule.

Multiplayer battles will be available to play over a Bluetooth connection. The game will also contain “Super Break Fight” events whereby you can inflict massive damage.

Dragon Ball Tap Battle will be the first official mobile phone/tablet-based game for the franchise. It will be released in Japan for Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) devices and up 25 March 2013 for ¥350 and on iOS — specifically iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 — at an unspecified later date.

Thanks to Super Saiyan Prime for the heads-up.

Podcast

Podcast Episode #0327

Published by VegettoEX18 March 2013, 7:01 PM EDT1 Comment

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is simultaneously “done” and still a few weeks away! Preview screenings have started, which in turn means — at least for those of us who cannot sleep without knowing every single detail — the entirety of the plot and the movie’s secrets are out there. While we still want to wait to go see the movie for ourselves 30 March 2013, we also wanted to dive into “spoilerific” material for the rest of you crazy folks, so we took it upon ourselves to do the math and figure out in exactly which Age the movie could (at least theoretically) take place. For the rest of you that are not quite ready to head into movie-spoiler territory, we also have some early impressions on Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission for the Japanese Nintendo 3DS.

SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Episode #0327! VegettoEX, Hujio, and Julian dive head-first into “Battle of Gods” and do the math in ways that perhaps even the movie’s producers could not do: in which Age would this movie take place along the main timeline? Those wishing to avoid spoilers for a little while longer can still tune in for our early impressions on “Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission” for the Japanese Nintendo 3DS with Herms!

REFERENCED SITES:

Enjoy! Discuss this episode on the Kanzenshuu forum.

Content

Third “Please Tell Us, Akira Toriyama-sensei!!” Q&A

Published by Hujio17 March 2013, 7:16 PM EDT4 CommentsDBZ Movie 2013

The past two issues of Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan have featured a brand new series of Q&As — “Super Long Interview!! Please Tell Us, Akira Toriyama-sensei!!” — with the original Dragon Ball author himself. The first two questions posed to Toriyama covered the plot for the upcoming film and his design for “Birusu”, and this week’s question is about Toriyama’s placement of the film within the original manga storyline.

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この時代を選んだ理由は!?
「マンガ最終話では、結構みんな歳を取った状態に描いてしまったなあ」と思ったのです。ベジータにヒゲ生やしちゃったし（笑）。そこで、みんながMAXまで強くなってるこの時代を選びました。「魔人ブウ編」の数年後で、パン誕生以前ですね。

Why did you choose this period?
The fact is, I thought, “Man, I really made everyone old in the last chapter of the manga”. I even gave Vegeta a mustache (laughs). So, I chose this period because everyone had got to maximum strength. A few years after the “Majin Boo arc”, and before Pan’s birth.

It is unclear if Toriyama is confusing his actual character designs in the last chapter of the manga with his designs for Dragon Ball GT or moving on to a separate thought with the mustache mention; in both cases, updated/older character designs were created.

We will continue to archive each of Toriyama’s answers on a new page of our “Translations” section with each release.

News

“Dragon Ball Tap Battle” Coming to Android & iOS

Published by VegettoEX17 March 2013, 9:51 AM EDT5 Comments

Announced within the pages of the upcoming May 2013 issue of V-Jump (hitting Japanese shelves 21 March 2013) is Dragon Ball Tap Battle for the Android and iOS mobile platforms.

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Direct control by touching the screen!! This is Touch Battle!!

You can easily enjoy Dragon Ball’s genuine fighting action on your smartphone!! By tapping the screen with your fingers, you can cause an intense battle to unfold!!

Utilizing the smartphone’s sense of control to its greatest extent, super-high-speed fights are possible!! Naturally, you can play with a friend, too!!

Dragon Ball Tap Battle hits Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and higher next week on 25 March 2013, and iOS at a later date; it will cost ¥350.

News

Additional “Battle of Gods” Updates For “Zenkai Battle Royale”

Published by VegettoEX17 March 2013, 8:28 AM EDTCommentZenkai Battle Royale

Birusu, God of Destruction (from this month’s new film, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods), was announced last month as a special addition for the multiplayer, online, Japanese-only arcade fighting game, Zenkai Battle Royale. For now, Birusu will only be available to players by participating in the “Competition for Dragon Balls” promotion and fulfilling the requirements to unlock him, which all kicks off with the movie’s release 30 March 2013.

The official website for the game has now been updated with a full character profile page for Birusu, and the upcoming May 2013 issue of V-Jump (releasing 21 March 2013) provides a few additional tidbits about how to combat against the God’s overwhelming strength.

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While Birusu’s speed is great, it is possible to fight back by getting him into a certain area that slows his movements, allowing the player to catch up with him for a set amount of time. In addition, while his special attack covers a wide swath of territory that makes it nigh-impossible to dodge, through “additional input” (we assume this means extra button-presses), the player can cause the energy ball to explode in midair, before it hits.

Additionally, it appears “Super Saiyan God” will also be making an appearance in the game:

In order to win against Birusu, one more “God” enters the Zenkai fray!! All details will be revealed in the super-large June issue of V-Jump!!

This is—— the ‘God’ of the Saiya!!

As we have come to expect from this game, the updates are fast, furious, and not slowing down even this long after its original release.

News

More New Dragon Ball Books, Guides, and Magazines

Published by Hujio16 March 2013, 4:46 PM EDT5 CommentsDBZ Movie 2013

We have seen an onslaught of new and revitalized Dragon Ball merchandise coming out recently thanks to Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, the franchise’s first theatrical film in 17 years. With a few new listings popping up in the past few days, it is safe to say that the film’s merchandising push is not done quite yet.

EIWA Publishing has released a new “mook” (short for “magazine book”), entitled “Dragon Ball: The Strongest Inquiry”, which details every battle from the Dragon Ball Z TV series. The “mook” hit Japanese store shelves yesterday (15 March 2103), and can also be grabbed online from Amazon Japan for ¥840. It should be noted that this “mook” does not appear to be associated with Shueisha, and therefore is not considered an “official” guide for the series.

Later next week Shueisha will be releasing what Amazon Japan is listing as a new “Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods magazine”. However, according to the calendar on Shuiesha’s official website, this special edition magazine from Shōnen Jump is actually the film’s “Official Movie Guide”. This will most likely be similar to the previous special magazines released for the 12th and 13th Dragon Ball Z movies, which featured plot details, background information, character profiles, and original concept drawings and designs. It is set to be released 21 March 2013 with a price point of ¥580.

Finally, when it was first revealed that the new Chōzenshū line of guidebooks would be a condensed “revival” of the legendary Daizenshuu guides from the mid-1990s, and when the four Chōzenshū titles were later officially announced by Shueisha, many fans pointed out that one of the more popular Daizenshuu was missing from the collection: the “Complete Illustrations” (which, incidentally, actually received an English release in North America from Viz back in 2008).

A listing has since popped up on Shueisha’s official listing site for a “Dragon Ball: Chōgashū” (“Super Illustration Collection”). Although the book is not listed as part of the Chōzenshū collection, the timing and “missing” Chōzenshū content leads us to assume they are related. Presumably this collection will feature Akira Toriyama’s original artwork, including additional post-serialization illustrations. The collection is listed as being a B5 size book, the same size as the Daizenshuu and Chōzenshū, with a release date of 09 May 2013 and a price point of ¥3,800. You can currently pre-order a copy at Amazon Japan.

News

Nozawa, Furukawa, Nakao Attending Animazement 2013

Published by VegettoEX14 March 2013, 2:56 PM EDT10 Comments

In addition to the previously-announced Ryūsei Nakao (Tambourine, Freeza, Coola), the convention Animazement announced today the attendance of two more veteran voice actors from the Dragon Ball world: Masako Nozawa (Son Goku, et al.) and Toshio Furukawa (Piccolo).

Animazement will take place 24 May 2013 to 26 May 2013 at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

It perhaps goes without saying, but this confirms a trip to North Carolina by Kanzenshuu.

News

“Battle of Gods” Midnight Showings + Marathons

Published by SaiyaJedi14 March 2013, 9:36 AM EDT1 CommentDBZ Movie 2013

The official website for the upcoming film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods has announced midnight showings on the night of 29–30 March 2013 in both Osaka and Fukuoka. Additionally, each location will show another five Dragon Ball Z movies from the past (using their original 35 mm film prints), though each location will have a different line-up.

Umeda Burg 7 in Osaka will open its doors at 11:30 p.m. on the 29th and start the new movie at midnight. The following older movies will screen afterward:

DBZ Movie 1 – “Dragon Ball Z” (1989)
DBZ Movie 2 – “The World’s Strongest Guy” (1990)
DBZ Movie 4 – “Super Saiyan Son Goku” (1991)
DBZ Movie 11 – “Super-Warrior Defeat!! I’m the One Who’ll Win” (1994)
DBZ Movie 13 – “Dragon Fist Explosion!! If Goku Doesn’t Do It, Who Will?” (1995)

T-Joy Hakata in Fukuoka will open at 11:00 p.m. and will start Battle of Gods at 11:30 p.m. The following older movies will then be shown:

DBZ Movie 3 – “A Super Decisive Battle for Earth” (1990)
DBZ Movie 5 – “The Incredible Strongest vs Strongest” (1991)
DBZ Movie 6 – “Clash!! 10,000,000,000 Powerful Warriors” (1992)
DBZ Movie 9 – “The Galaxy at the Brink!! The Super Incredible Guy” (1993)
DBZ Movie 12 – “The Rebirth of Fusion!! Goku and Vegeta” (1995)

Due to youth ordinances in both cities, ticket holders must be 18 years of age or older. The price at both venues will be ¥2,800, and no discounts will be accepted. However, holders of pre-release tickets will be able to use them for an extra ¥1,000 (for a total of ¥2,300, or ¥500 off the regular price for the event). Tickets have been available since this past Tuesday (the 12th) online via KINEZO Express or at the theater ticket counter, and will go on sale via KINEZO NOW starting on Wednesday, 27 March. Using the KINEZO service, credit is the only form of payment that may be used prior to two days before the event, but cash will also be accepted from that point onward.

Both Osaka and Fukuoka will also be receiving double-features of two earlier Dragon Ball films each on 20 March 2013, while that same day Tokyo will get a special preview screening of Battle of Gods along with five extra films afterward.

Thanks to DragonBoxZTheMovies for the tip.