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Whistle Stopper - Dragon Ball Z Double Feature - The History of Trunks / Bardock the Father of Goku (Steelbook)
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List Price: $29.98
Our Price: $17.15
Your Save: $ 12.83 ( 43% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Funimation Prod
Starring: Takeshi Kusao, Masako Nozawa, Miki Itô, Stephanie Nadolny, Daisuke Gôri
Directed By: Ueda
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: FUNIMATION PRODUCTIONS, LTD
EAN: 0704400038891
Format: Animated
Label: Funimation Prod
Manufacturer: Funimation Prod
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Funimation Prod
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-02-19
Running Time: 96
Studio: Funimation Prod
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice collection
Comment: These are two great movies and I enjoyed watching both. This dvd had the same treatment as the boxset DBZ DVD's. Although I love the case it comes in. So no actual special features here. Suprisingly I got my sister into DBZ after watching The History of Trunks. So now she's really into the whole series. So I do recommend this to anyone who's really into the DBZ story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Definitely Lacking
Comment: I was a huge fan of this show back when I was a kid, but recently got back into the DBZ series after being able to watch the season DVDs. Well I had heard about there being a Trunks movie and a Bardock movie. I was interested in seeing both, and when I came across this I was pretty excited.
So I buy it and watch it. Only to realize that these are not, "movies" they are one hour specials meant for cable (so they're actually each roughly 45 minutes). So all in all you only get a hour and a half of material with no, and I mean absolutely NO, bonus features.
Each movie is pretty good in it's own right, but they're not worth the 22 dollars that amazon is asking for. It's worth something more like $10-$15.
If you have seen these before and know what you are getting into then by all means decide for yourself if you'd like to purchase this. However, if you haven't seen these two movies, you should pass this up and try to find some place to watch them on the web.
Customer Rating:
Summary: great
Comment: you people are real slow the original uncut of these two came out in 2001 i have both of them already since it first came out but this were great.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Forget What You've Heard...
Comment: ...about the supposed "bad picture quality". I am here to dispel these rumors and give a true fan's review of this product.
First of all, let's start with the first feature in this DragonBall Z Double Feature DVD: The History of Trunks.
This TV Special (or movie, whichever you prefer to call it) was made to show the horrible past that the well-liked character, Trunks, has experienced before traveling back in time to warn Goku and his friends of the looming android threat.
In Trunks' timeline, Androids 17 and 18 has been set loose on the world by the evil Dr. Gero, to wreak havoc on the human race. Goku, having died of a heart disease before Dr. Gero's evil vision came to fruition, was not able to help his friends fight the Androids. Thus, 17 and 18 brutally murdered them all, save one: Goku's son, Gohan. At the time, Trunks was only a baby.
Now, 13 years later, Trunks is aching to fight the Androids, despite his mother's wishes. After stumbling upon a city full of people that 17 and 18 had annihilated, Trunks asks Gohan to train him. Gohan agrees, and the two begin training.
Not too long after, Gohan and Trunks witness a new attack by the Androids. Gohan decides to go and fight, but he won't allow Trunks to go with him. Will he survive alone against the Androids? You'll have to watch to find out!
STORY: 9/10
The storyline is great: one of DragonBall Z's better stories.
MUSIC: 7/10
I normally prefer the American soundtrack to the anime, but in this case, I have to say: go with the Japanese score. It's much better than the faux-rap and bad rock music that Funimation brought to the table.
VIDEO QUALITY: 9/10
The remastering process' effect on the video is quite obvious. It looks clearer than ever.
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Now, let's move on to the second TV Special in this double feature: Bardock, the Father of Goku.
Enter the Saiyan race, a band of ruthless warriors who transform into giant apes in the moonlight.
Bardock and his team have just completed a mission on another planet, having just exterminated another race of beings. However, they seem to have missed one.
In a sudden move, one of the creatures bursts out from under the rocks and stabs Bardock in the back of his neck. Afterwards, as Bardock looks on in shock, the creature explains that he has transferred psychic powers into Bardock, which will allow him to see the bitter end of the Saiyan race.
Not liking what the creature has told him, Bardock kills it. He and his team proceed to fly back to Planet Vegeta. However, in his healing process Bardock is plagued by visions of the future of planet Vegeta and his newborn son, Kakkarot. But will he be able to warn everyone and stop the destruction of his planet before it's too late?
STORY: 8/10
It's not the best story ever, but it's definitely intriguing and interesting enough to keep you wondering what happens next.
MUSIC: 10/10
In this feature, I would recommend the Dub Music. It has a sort of rock-like feel, without being too overpowering.
VIDEO QUALITY: 9/10
The video quality is GREAT. I love watching this on my big TV. The coloring has obviously been fixed as well.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this release to any person wondering if they should buy it or not. It is a great release to add to your collection, even if you have/used to have the original DVD release-especially considering Funimation is planning on releasing all of the DragonBall Z movies in this format (i.e. Remastered Double Feature Steelbooks). Thus, without this, your DBZ collection would NOT be complete when all of the movies and seasons have been released.
OVERALL GRADE: 9/10
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good value, good movies, bad picture quality
Comment: 2007 was a great year for Dragon Ball Z fans - FUNimation finally began releasing the series in affordable season sets. And now it's 2008, and they do us one better. The two television specials (whose American DVD releases have been out of print for years) finally get a reissue as well - and they're supposedly remastered.
Originally released in Japan in 1990, the Bardock Special follows the life of Bardock, DBZ main man Goku's biological father. While on a mission to eradicate a world to be sold off, he suffers an injury from the natives that allows him to see the future. And with this newfound gift/curse, discovers that his entire species is doomed, and will be betrayed by Frieza, the very man his kind has served for so long. It's up to Bardock to change the future for the sake of his people.... And the future of his newborn son.
The Trunks Special was first released in 1993. The special follows the history of the alternate timeline from which Future Trunks emerged. In this timeline, Goku dies of a heart virus, and the other Z-Fighters get killed by two Androids, who have unlimited power. The only survivor amongst the Z-Fighters is Goku's son Gohan - who reluctantly agrees to take Trunks under his wing, so that he can help fight the good fight against a seemingly-invincible nemesis.... And help him unlock his hidden inner powers.
The Dragon Ball Z TV specials are far superior to the 13 movies. Unlike the movies, which are rushed, redundant efforts that make the same point over and over again, the TV specials are well thought out, and perhaps more importantly, actually fit into the series timeline. These two features are Dragon Ball Z at its best - far more emotional than any of the non-canon movies. It's about time these movies got a much-needed reissue stateside!
If you're new to the Dragon Ball franchise, don't start here. These movies represent the pinnacle of the series' storytelling and action sides alike, but a newbie to the series will most likely be left confused and baffled as to what is going on. But if you're a fan of the series and you've seen the entire Frieza Saga (including his battle on Earth with Future Trunks), you'll appreciate these efforts all the more.
Image And Sound is where this reviewer has to complain. YES, this set has a cropped picture, not unlike the reissues of the series itself. Seriously, the cropping didn't bother me that much....
....but picture quality is an entirely different story. This set is NOT REMASTERED, I don't care what the package says. There are assorted visual blemishes from start to finish - far more noticeable than on any of the series DVDs. From what I can tell, these specials did NOT go through the same digital noise reduction the TV series did. The Trunks special has slightly better image quality, but this is probably just because it's the newer of the two. I was looking forward to seeing these uncut specials with a cleaned-up picture, but seriously, this is the worst these movies have looked on a DVD release. As much as I hate to admit it, my old out-of-print DVD releases of the same movie had a superior picture!
Like most "anime on DVD" releases, this double feature presents the specials in both an English language dub, and the original Japanese audio with English subtitles. Unfortunately the audio quality is a mixed bag. The English language audio sounds very nice - loud and clear from start to finish. But in the case of the Bardock special, it comes at the price of a poorly-translated script with voice actors who weren't cast well for the roles. The female member of Bardock's team of warriors sounds like a man! From what I can tell these are the same dubs FUNimation used on the original DVD issues of the movies from 2000/2001. The Japanese audio with English subtitles lets you experience the series the way it was meant to be experienced, with accurately-translated subtitles by Steven J. Simmons. Additionally, for anyone is interested, this DVD has an audio feature not available on the older versions of these movies on DVD - you can listen to the English audio with the original Japanese musical score.
Nothing is included as far as bonus material goes. This is a huge disappointment, because the original DVD issues of these movies featured a "World Of Dragon Ball Z" featurette that told the story of the series in a "short and to the point" style (to the point that had been aired in America at the time.) Why FUNimation opted not to include it here is beyond me. The set includes a small booklet that features the artwork from the movies when they were first released on DVD stateside, but this hardly qualifies as bonus material.
If you're a Dragon Ball Z fan and you didn't get these specials the first time they were released on DVD, pick this set up. You won't be disappointed. But if you've got the old DVDs, keep them and steer clear of this set. If anything, it's a downgrade. Still, don't let the little issues keep you from buying the set if you're a fan and don't own these specials yet.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Bardock the Father of Goku (Tatta Hitori no Saishuu Kessen: "Lonely Final Battle," 1990) and The History of Trunks (Zebbo he no Hankou!! Nokosareta Chou-Senshi Gohan to Torunkusu: "Resist Despair!! The Ultimate Surviving Fighters: Gohan and Trunks," 1993) were the first and second Dragon Ball Z TV specials. The programs present the back stories of later adventures. Bardock was one of the Saiyans Frieza used as mercenaries to conquer other worlds. But Frieza and his lieutenant Doodoria feared the Saiyans might eventually become strong enough to threaten them. Doodoria murdered Bardock's squadron; Frieza destroyed the Saiyan planet. Vegeta, Nappa and Goku (né Kakarot) were the only survivors. Before he was killed, Bardock was cursed with the ability to see the future, including his own brutal death. But that psychic power also enabled Bardock to see that his infant son would grow up to destroy the monstrous Frieza. The History of Trunks is set further in the future: the androids 17 and 18 that Dr. Gero created are ravaging the Earth. As Goku died of a heart ailment several years earlier, no one can defeat them, not even Gohan. Trunks, the son of Vegeta and Bulma, fights 17 and 18, but loses ignominiously. Only one hero can save the world: Trunks launches the time machine Bulma invented to take medicine back to Goku that will save his life and alter the course of history. Bardock the Father of Goku and The History of Trunks will appeal most strongly to viewers already familiar with the Dragon Ball saga. (Rated TV PG: violence, nudity) --Charles Solomon
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