Dragon Ball Super: Part Two [Blu-ray]

Part 1 of Dragon Ball Super was a retelling of the Battle of Gods story arc, which was substantially similar to the corresponding film. Likewise, Part 2 of Dragon Ball Super retells the Resurrection F story arc, which is also substantially similar to the corresponding film. As with the first part, this release is another solid effort by FUNimation and keeps Super going strong.PACKAGINGAs you can tell from the product image, Golden Freeza is clearly depicted on the front. Somewhat ironically, the text on the back immediately spoils the outcome of the first episode on the set in the very first sentence (which is the conclusion to the Battle of Gods story arc). Otherwise, it is very consistent in format with Part 1. There are two discs inside, and each is easy to access.EPISODES/CONTENTPart 2 consists of episodes 14-26. Episode 14 is the conclusion of the Goku/Beerus battle which wraps up the "Battle of Gods" saga/storyline. Episodes 15-18 are slice-of-life episodes that fill out some material between the sagas, and episodes 19-26 are the majority of the Resurrection F storyline.Let's get something out of the way: the episode count. FUNimation's Blu Ray episode count for its current anime releases that are released in "parts" is generally 13. By happenstance, Super's episodes have a tendency to spill over by one when this approach is taken. Episode 14 is the end of Battle of Gods, episode 27 is the end of Resurrection F, and episode 40 (or 41, depending on your perspective) is the end of the Champa / Universe 6 vs. Universe 7 arc. Fans criticize FUNimation because it creates a disconnect between releases that, with the addition of one episode, would line up better with their corresponding sagas. In FUNimation's defense, it is unclear at this time how long Super will last (at least 130 episodes as of the time of this review, based on Japanese home video release dates into 2018). While splitting releases into sagas would feel more clean, FUNimation's approach is at least consistent--every part has 13 episodes. It is annoying that this results in finales getting saved for later releases, and while a devious motive (you'll have to buy the next volume to see how it ends) could be read into it, this is very consistent with FUNimation's handling of other anime properties. I'm not going to deduct a star in my review for the episode count because it is at least consistent, but it is worth pointing out.The actual content of these episodes, much like the episodes in Part 1, is largely similar to the content of the Resurrection F movie from 2015. After the Goku/Beerus fight concludes, there are three slice-of-life and training episodes, then Resurrection F proper begins with episode 19. The gist of the plot underlying Resurrection F is that Freeza is wished back to life, he trains for a brief period of time, and he comes to Earth challenging Goku and Vegeta and the other Z Fighters. Goku, Vegeta, and Freeza all have new transformations, and it makes for some very flashy fight sequences.The stakes of Resurrection F never feel particularly high. Goku and Vegeta do not perceive Freeza as much of a threat, a perception that colors how the audience views him and one that is in stark contrast to his famous appearance as the primary antagonist of the Namek episodes of Dragon Ball Z. There is some good action, but much like Part 1 and its counterpart in Battle of Gods, the animation of the TV series is, expectedly, not as good as Resurrection F and its movie budget and time allowance permitted. The animation isn't bad, and it was cleaned up for the home release compared to how it originally looked when it aired in Japan. However, fans of Super will often note that the animation quality took a step up after this saga, so if you notice it looking a little rougher or off-model, it will improve after this set.THE DUBOne of the highlights of Super, and this saga in particular, is its dub, which has been really well-done throughout. As a fan of Chris Ayres' take on Freeza, which has been utilized since the Kai dub back in 2010-11 and the video games more or less since that time, I can say that he is loving playing the role in these episodes and it shows. It's exciting to get more Freeza material just because he is chewing up the scenery the entire time. Sean Schemmel and Chris Sabat give great performances as Goku and Vegeta (along with Piccolo and everyone else Sabat plays). People criticize Super as The Goku and Vegeta Show due to their prevalence. Regardless of your take on that, at least their voice actors are good at what they do. The other characters, especially the largely sidelined Beerus and Whis, are also voiced extremely well, and Jaco, a newcomer (in a sense) is performed pretty much perfectly.THE SUBLike the American dub, the Japanese version remains strong. Masako Nozawa, Ryo Horikawa, and Ryusei Nakao are phenomenal as Goku, Vegeta, and Freeza, respectively, and the rest of the cast does a good job as always. The subtitles appear to be as on point as any in FUNimation's releases, so fans of this version will get a strong translation.VIDEO QUALITYLike Part 1, the video quality for Part 2 is excellent. The colors are crisp and vibrant, and the Blu Ray release really looks nice. As an old school Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z fan, Super looks good but not great. Like Dragon Ball Z, the animation has its off-model days, and as I noted above, it was only after this set of episodes that the animation quality really started to improve (some of the later Zamasu episodes are absolutely amazing). However, the Blu Ray presentation looks nice and clean.AUDIO QUALITYAlso like Part 1, the audio mix was really good here. I watched the episodes using a 5.1 surround setup with a Yamaha surround sound system. The sound effects were panned well when appropriate, the voices were always easy to hear, and the music seemed to be mixed extremely well. The music does the job and is unobtrusive, though it isn't up to the standards set by some of the songs in Z. Nonetheless, it works and is certainly enjoyable at times.EXTRASBesides textless openings and closings and trailers, there's one extra here which is called Watching Dragon Ball Super with Jason Douglas and Ian Sinclair. Similar to the extras on Part 1, it's a neat little bonus and Jason and Ian are great. I would have liked something like episode commentary with Sabat, Schemmel, and Ayres on an episode or two since the three of them are pretty amusing together. That having been said, the set is light on extras in general, and what's here is good for a single watch.SUMMARYDragon Ball fans are quick to point out the flaws of Resurrection F, and they are fair criticisms. The next set will get into "new" material, which is great. This volume is improved by an above-average dub with a script that is consistently enjoyable and pretty accurate to the Japanese version. It is not a particularly high-stress saga in terms of stakes, as the ultimate outcome becomes pretty clear pretty quickly. If Battle of Gods was a little more akin to the storytelling from the original Dragon Ball series, this saga feels like a short, Z-era mini-saga. It adds new transformations, brings back arguably the most popular villain from Z, and is, frankly, just fun to watch. I certainly acknowledge the episode count frustration, and I understand that it happens to be a recurring theme of the final episode getting cut off. Frustrating though it may be, I do not feel that it really took away from the overall package, and as long as the episode counts remain consistent, it does not bother me personally. Those who are keeping up with Super should definitely pick up this set.

Good

Episodes in this release:Episode 14: This Is All the Power I've Got! A Settlement Between GodsEpisode 15: Valiant Mr. Satan, Work a Miracle! A Challenge from Outer Space!Episode 16: Vegeta Becomes a Student?! Win Over Whis!Episode 17: Pan is Born! And Goku Goes on a Training Journey?!Episode 18: I'm Here, Too! Training Commences on Beerus' World!Episode 19: Despair Redux! The Return of the Evil Emperor, Frieza!Episode 20: A Warning from Jaco! Frieza and 1,000 Soldiers Close InEpisode 21: The Start of Vengeance! The Frieza Force's Malice Strikes Gohan!Episode 22: Change! An Unexpected Return! His Name is Ginyu!!Episode 23: Earth! Gohan! Both on the Ropes! Hurry and Get Here, Goku!!Episode 24: Clash! Frieza vs. Goku! This is the Result of My Training!Episode 25: A Full-Throttle Battle! The Vengeful Golden FriezaEpisode 26: A Chance Appears in a Tight Spot! Launch a Counteroffensive, Goku!This Part 2 release of Dragonball Super finishes up the first arc of DBS with the conclusion of Beerus vs Goku. Following that, there are a few "filler" episodes. I put quotes around filler to emphasize that while they may be filler episodes, they do hold importance to the series. Unlike DBZ filler episodes, which didn't add anything most of the time. The remaining episodes is the fight with the recently resurrected Frieza.As with Part 1, this release also cuts off one episode short of completing the Revival of Frieza arc. While this is frustrating to me, I do understand that they are keeping it to just 13 episodes each release.To talk a bit on the dub, I can say that it continues to improve as it brings in Chris Ayres as Frieza. Chris Ayres was first introduced in DBZ Kai back in 2010 as the voice of Frieza, and he does a spectacular job. His rendition of Frieza is breathtaking. Taking the tyrant to a whole new level.On a side note: Chris Ayres was diagnosed with C.O.P.D and final stage emphysema. I wish him well, and hope he recovers and gets better, and hope that we can continue to hear his great voice acting.Things I enjoy about this Bluray are the same things as Part 1:Very crisp 1080P quality5.1 AudioMarathon play, so I don't have to watch the next episode previews each timeThings that I don't enjoy about this Bluray:Same thing as Part 1, I don't like that they can't just put the complete arc in one part. But I won't knock off a star for it.All in all, this release is fantastic. As Toei continues with each episode of DBS, the quality of the animation gets better and better. I am very excited for the next release as it will be truly original Dragonball Super content. I can't wait.

It works well

Just awesome

Although Dragon Ball Super's "Golden Frieza" arc is basically a more drawn-out retread of the events of "Resurrection F," the more paced storytelling does allow for more details and nuance to be included in the story (can't believe I used the word "nuance" to describe Dragonball anything). Goku and company must again rise to another threat, this time in the form of a vengeance-seeking and stronger-than-ever Frieza. As always, the episodes retain their characteristic humor, action, power-ups and (improving) animation. If I had any complaints here, it would be the number of episodes per season relative to the price of the Blu Ray set, but any fans of the series will want to pick this set up while it's still available. Recommended!

most everyone will say don't bother with this just get the movie instead BUT the movie has GAPS in it quite a few this shows you a lot more happening than the movie i'll explain the differences now:movie - goku and vegeta start the movie on beerus's planet.super: this shows you how they got on the planet and how whis agreed to train them.movie - frieza just shows up with his golden formsuper: it shows you what training he did to achieve this form.movie: both goku and vegeta just have the super saiyan god powers.super: it shows you what training they went though to achieve these powers including how much time it took them and also explains exactly what this new power is and why their hair isn't red and is instead blue.so yes it's just a retelling of the movie but it's a good one and fills in the gaps missing from the movie and worth watching.

While you don't have to purchase this bluray and could save some time by buying Resurrection F, I would recommend this for the die hard fans like myself that want to have the full experience. There's more story and they seem to drop some hints on what future episodes will bring. That said, the picture and audio quality are A+ and didn't have any issues at all.As with part 1, you can switch between Japanese and English audio. Also, to save you some money, I notice that the price fluctuates from $30 to $43. The price should be $30 which it normally is. So if you see it at any other price, just wait a day or so and it should revert back to $30.

Awesome almost have the whole collection at a better price the walmart

Love how Dragon Ball Super takes it to the next level!!!😜

The Z Fighters have now a lot to deal with with the resurrection of Frieza.

Meh