Kanzenshuu: Open your minds to the ways of the Force

[clutchins]

I originally posted this as a long. branching status with each sentence in its own comments. This post has been edited and expanded from its original text.

 

TEXT:

I have often compared Dragon Ball Z to Star Wars in terms of story, cultural significance, and importance to each respective genre. When you look at the big picture of both franchises, there are a number of striking similarities. Today I'm going to talk about one big difference between the franchises And though I'm going to focus on what might seem like a small aspect, it will have major ramifications.

 

I think Kanzenshuu and the bigwig rare Dragon Ball collectors/archivists (you know who I'm talking about) could learn a thing or two from the Star Wars fanbase.

 

I see more transparency and willingness to share content over at originaltrilogy.com than at Kanzenshuu, and that's partially because of Kanzenshuu's strict no-piracy policy. Even the guys restoring the original trilogy from rare 35mm prints have been completely cooperative with the community about their efforts, and while they have been working on it for several years now, the forumgoers are patiently awaiting the final product because they know it takes time and effort. They also have come to terms with the reality that Lucasfilm will never truly embrace the non-special edition ever again, and so they have taken the matter into their own hands.

 

The hardcore Dragon Ball fans who have gathered tapes, recordings, and other such paraphernalia have stored all those items away in a hole somewhere never to see the light of day ever again. They're too afraid of big, bad Toei to share any of this goldmine with the true fans. Instead we have waited for either Toei or Funimation to do anything with the property, but in the end we all get the long, hard shaft because too many fans either don't know or don't care about the true version of the show that aired from 1986 to 1997. There are times when I feel like we're all part of some clandestine, underground movement to restore Dragon Ball to its former glory (re: quality). But nobody who wants the true version actually has any resources that could accomplish this and the people who DO have them are sitting on their asses feeling good about themselves. These people need to wake up and smell the roses. They need to realize that they have the power to make the dreams of all the hardcore fans come true.

 

I think a big hurdle for these people is the threat of piracy. Well let me copy and paste the time-honored code of Fan-Edits and Preservations, which is what would categorize a project of this flavor:

 

 

"This is a fan preservation made for culturally historical and educational purposes. Fanedits and preservations must not be bought or sold. Please report every fanedit or preservation you find for sale to webmasters of originaltrilogy.com. Fanedits and preservations are an artform and to be shared among legal owners of the officially available releases only. Do not support piracy." 

-Flavor text taken from an entry on originaltrilogy.com

 

Sadly because we are a part of the anime community on the Internet, it is assumed that we only support any effort that forgoes payment. However, since this is about Dragon Ball, let me posit this. Isn't Dragon Ball, in its various forms, a staple in most anime fans' collection? Don't you think there's a good chance that any given Dragon Ball fan owns at least the Orange Bricks, one of the best selling anime box sets of all time? These fans have paid their dues (in more ways than one) and easily qualify to possess any fan-edits or preservations.

 

The one thing keeping together the Star Wars preservation community is the clause that we've all heard Team Four Star say at the end of their legal disclaimers in every episode of their parody series: "Please support the official release". Lucasfilm, to my knowledge, has never cracked down on originaltrilogy.com because of this code. Granted, none of the actual links to these projects are posted publicly on the site, which bypasses the piracy issue entirely. I wish Kanzenshuu had that same kind of policy. All the hardcore fans on the Internet congregate there and have fervently discussed the shortcomings of every home video release of the franchise. But if the forum were to adopt a filesharing policy like the one that originaltrilogy.com has, far fewer people would be clamoring for the "final form" of Dragon Ball, so to speak, and it would open up discussion of the franchise even... further... beyond!

 

But where would we host all this delicious content? Why, the same place you can find Star Wars files dating back a decade ago: A certain private torrent tracker with the same name as an organ of the human body (you either know what I'm talking about or don't here, sorry). It's a place, nay a haven for fans of long-lost material and fan projects, and one of the stipulations for uploading content is that it not be commercially available, which is crucial to its ecosystem. I'm surprised that at least more of the international fans have not found this website and already set up shop there. It is home to swaths of old TV recordings, semi-professional edits and restorations to movies, and countless color corrections. And all three of these are elements that the perfect Dragon Ball release require to hold up to fan scrutiny.

 

I urge Kanzenshuu to support fan-edited and fan-preserved content that is distributed fairly amongst fellow supporters of the official release. As long as the disclaimer is properly displayed to the prospective downloader, there is nothing wrong or illegal with sharing content of this nature. Allowing such content to be discussed and even distributed privately would foster a sort of community-wide goal to achieve the perfect version of everybody's favorite anime series.

 

Star Wars fans have experienced such a community for nearly two decades since the release of the much-derided Special Edition in 1997. In almost the same amount of time, Dragon Ball fans have sat back and watched as the powers that be slowly dismantled the original version of the iconic series that Fuji TV aired once upon a time.

 

Don't you think it's high time we take our show back?

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I have nothing against Kanzenshuu, VegettoEX, or anybody I "mentioned" personally. I am a member of kanzenshuu.com, originaltrilogy.com, and the website I mentioned towards the end which I choose not to disclose here out of respect for privacy. I am also aware that a few of those rare collectors have worked with Toei personally about said rare material, but those talks have achieved very little. I do not support or endorse harassment of any parties mentioned.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Clutchins

[Xegoog]

That'd be nice, but you cant change the way people are. If they dont want to share something, you cant force them. it'd be great if things were different, but people are hoarders and nothing's gonna change that. As far as the "piracy" issue is concerned, I dont think its an issue at all. We all own the show in one form or another (be it VHS, DVD, Bluray, or digital) at this point so that should be the least of our concerns when it comes to distributing material that is commercially unavailable to the masses/general public.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Xegoog

[clutchins]

That's true but at least it's their own fault and nobody else's.

[badman]

Clearly, they want to distance themselves from the illegal download and fansub community.

The stigma isnt the same with Star Wars, since torrenting is mainly associated with anime.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Badman