Dragon Ball Z: The Ascension Cut

[MasqueradeOverture]

So remember when I said I was gonna do that DBZ re-edit a year or so ago?

I wasn't fucking lying:

http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=41338

 

 

Edited May 27 by MasqueradeOverture

[PokeNirvash]

I always knew you weren't.

[MasqueradeOverture]

Sample of the next episode:

https://streamable.com/jzak8

Full ep should be up this weekend.

[Daos]

Nice idea, I was always hoping someone would make "Kai" with the best of Falconer and some of the Yamamoto scores.

Any Yamamoto in this?

 

[MasqueradeOverture]

No, but I'll be using the Yamamoto inserts from the original:

 

[Daos]

Some of the Yamamoto stuff is really good though!

 

[MasqueradeOverture]

New one's up.

• 21- Goku Vs. Vegeta

A group of people decided to be nice enough to start cutting a Japanese track around my edit to make this a dual-audio release. We'll see how this goes.

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by MasqueradeOverture

[MasqueradeOverture]

Aight, so after finally compiling a decent workflow and redoing all the episodes to meet quality standards, The Saiyan Saga is done. I'm on track to complete Namek thru Frieza by the end of the year.

Sample of differences:

In terms of the specifics of what filler this project is cutting out / leaving in:

SAIYAN [Done]

Keep:

- Goku goes to Hell (albeit cut down slightly in my edit)

- Princess Snake

- Arlia

- Gohan & the robot

- Yamcha's stadium intro

- Gohan running away & joining orphans (cut down to 1 episode instead of 2)

- Pendulum Room

Erase:

- Gohan & the friendly dinosaur

- 99% of Launch scenes

- Tien at waterfall home

- Dueling Piccolos (this one hurt me, but there was no space)

- Holographic moon projection

- Goku's eventually-retconned ancestry

- Yajirobe dicking around Saiyan landing pods

- Fight padding

NAMEK / GINYU

Keep:

- Goku vs. needles

- Goku escaping hospital to train

- Goku and Gohan moment alone before the latter leaves to Namek

- Friends or Foes?

- Goku vs. hurtle towards star

- Vegeta in the tank

- Frieza attacking Guru's hideout

Erase:

- Fake Namek

- Fight padding

FRIEZA

Keep:

- Destruction of Vegeta backstory

Erase:

- Everything else (including Bulma & Frog Ginyu)

GARLIC JR.

[Keep, but cut from 10 episodes down to 7 to improve pacing]

TRUNKS / ANDROIDS

Keep:

- Mr. Shu

- Goku learns to drive

Erase:

- Fight padding (if you didn't get it by now, most of the show's filler is the fight padding)

CELL

Keep:

- Select Time Chamber moments

Erase:

- Everything else

Add:

- Oh Shit!

GREAT SAIYAMAN / WORLD TOURNAMENT

Keep:

- All of Other World Tournament

- Gohan's first date

- Saiyaman movie set

Erase:

- Everything else

BABIDI / BUU

Keep:

- Vegeta's original atonement left entirely intact

Erase:

- Everything else

FUSION / KID BUU

[All filler erased]

Obviously leaves us with more episodes than Kai does, but will still cut DBZ down to 200 episodes or something instead of 291.

 

PM me if you want a link.

Edited February 18, 2020 by MasqueradeOverture

[Sketch]

Impressive work. I'd love to see someone try this with One Piece because the episodes are hella padded by around Enies Lobby.

[MasqueradeOverture]

Episode 26 - Plans For Departure up:

Consists of #37 & ½ of #38 of the original / ¾ths of #18 in Kai.

[brianycpht]

I'd like to watch this, but have no way of finding it

[MasqueradeOverture]

11 minutes ago, brianycpht said:

I'd like to watch this, but have no way of finding it

Check ur PM's bro.

[brianycpht]

I have absolutley loved what i heard so far...

I have a few questions/suggestions

I see for the most part you are using the 2005 version for the audio. But what I really like is that you subbed in the Kai audio where the line is more accurate to the original. This is done with surgical precision and I had to look at both to tell what’s what. Truly great work

The actors are all on point here. I assume once we get to the end of the refund  you'll use the Kai performances instead of the 1999 dub. The partial redub of the bricks makes it very strange sounding

When we get to the part of the Freeza Saga where Piccolo is revived, it would probably be best to use the Kai audio as much as possible. Piccolo's voice sounds vastly different in the original DBZ than what it sounds like in other parts (including the parts already released) since he was not redubbed at all for the orange bricks. This could be a slight issue if you have him talking to characters who are the original DBZ recordings as the more faithful adaptation of Kai may mean the whole conversation has changed. Sabat's early interpretation is so different it sounds like a different actor all together. This took me out of the show when watching the bricks. 

Krillin is redubbed up until the middle of a line of episode 94 (....I got a bad feeling about this Gohan). It then switches to the original 1999 dub where it sounds like Sonny is holding his nose shut while speaking. It would probably be best to switch to Kai here as well. Especially since in episode 95 the joke about him wanting to be married is properly translated and his cry out to Goku is "Goku!" as it should be..

This does present a slight issue if you want to do Garlic Jr since no redub of that exists. Those two characters will sound vastly different than at any other point in the series...

Using both VAs for Freeza might present a jarring change as the whole interpretation of the character and his manner of speaking is different in both versions. Young is more of a crazy villain and Ayers does the polite eloquent speech thing. But it might still work depending on what lines are kept 

Anyway, just thought I'd bring this up but you've probably thought of this all already...

Edited February 28, 2020 by brianycpht

[MasqueradeOverture]

7 hours ago, brianycpht said:

I have absolutley loved what i heard so far...

I have a few questions/suggestions

I see for the most part you are using the 2005 version for the audio. But what I really like is that you subbed in the Kai audio where the line is more accurate to the original. This is done with surgical precision and I had to look at both to tell what’s what. Truly great work

The actors are all on point here. I assume once we get to the end of the refund  you'll use the Kai performances instead of the 1999 dub. The partial redub of the bricks makes it very strange sounding

When we get to the part of the Freeza Saga where Piccolo is revived, it would probably be best to use the Kai audio as much as possible. Piccolo's voice sounds vastly different in the original DBZ than what it sounds like in other parts (including the parts already released) since he was not redubbed at all for the orange bricks. This could be a slight issue if you have him talking to characters who are the original DBZ recordings as the more faithful adaptation of Kai may mean the whole conversation has changed. Sabat's early interpretation is so different it sounds like a different actor all together. This took me out of the show when watching the bricks. 

Krillin is redubbed up until the middle of a line of episode 94 (....I got a bad feeling about this Gohan). It then switches to the original 1999 dub where it sounds like Sonny is holding his nose shut while speaking. It would probably be best to switch to Kai here as well. Especially since in episode 95 the joke about him wanting to be married is properly translated and his cry out to Goku is "Goku!" as it should be..

This does present a slight issue if you want to do Garlic Jr since no redub of that exists. Those two characters will sound vastly different than at any other point in the series...

Using both VAs for Freeza might present a jarring change as the whole interpretation of the character and his manner of speaking is different in both versions. Young is more of a crazy villain and Ayers does the polite eloquent speech thing. But it might still work depending on what lines are kept 

Anyway, just thought I'd bring this up but you've probably thought of this all already...

Thanks for the feedback.

I have a lot of this ready to go. Piccolo will be the only Kai version once I get to the Nail fusion (I don't believe there are any lines that will force me to use the original, but if there are I'll just use some EQ and pitch correction for those instances).

Frieza's 2nd form-onwards is getting the voice change. Linda's good for sitting in a chair and scheming, but when it comes to battle I feel Chris is more imposing, and that first transformation seems like the best time to switch over now that I've thought about it.

When it comes to the Garlic Jr. Saga voices... *shrug*. At least all Vegeta's lines were redubbed, which was the main deciding factor in pulling the trigger for that saga anyways.

Another thing I did (really a pure nostalgia thing more than anything) was add reverb to Kyle Hebert's narration... but it's not gonna last the whole series. The Ocean dub (and subsequently Dale Kelly's for the first few episodes in the Ginyu saga) had reverb in the narrators voice until the body-swap episode where the reverb effect was just dropped and never heard again. Same thing's gonna happen here.

Edited February 28, 2020 by MasqueradeOverture

[brianycpht]

6 hours ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

Thanks for the feedback.

I have a lot of this ready to go. Piccolo will be the only Kai version once I get to the Nail fusion (I don't believe there are any lines that will force me to use the original, but if there are I'll just use some EQ and pitch correction for those instances).

Frieza's 2nd form-onwards is getting the voice change. Linda's good for sitting in a chair and scheming, but when it comes to battle I feel Chris is more imposing, and that first transformation seems like the best time to switch over now that I've thought about it.

When it comes to the Garlic Jr. Saga voices... *shrug*. At least all Vegeta's lines were redubbed, which was the main deciding factor in pulling the trigger for that saga anyways.

Another thing I did (really a pure nostalgia thing more than anything) was add reverb to Kyle Hebert's narration... but it's not gonna last the whole series. The Ocean dub (and subsequently Dale Kelly's for the first few episodes in the Ginyu saga) had reverb in the narrators voice until the body-swap episode where the reverb effect was just dropped and never heard again. Same thing's gonna happen here.

It’s probably a good idea to stick with Kai during the scene where Piccolo is wished bask as well (you probably meant this) The scene in the original also features “surfer” Yamaha arguing with Tien about his hair lol, Kai making a phone call joke- it’s one of the worst scenes dub wise. For the sake of proper dialogue and voices, I’d not use any of the original for this. 
 

The voice inconsistency with Piccolo was one of the main reasons I hated the OB. How could they even think for a second the original 1999 version flowed well with the rest of the series. I assume you’ll use the Kai Goku in the Freeza saga as well? 
 

I never thought of pitch correcting. That’s a good way of fixing it. I’ve been spot checking here and there and your only hurdle will be Nadolys dialogue, but it doesn’t look to me like it  should stop you from using Kai Piccolo exclusively 

 

Edited February 28, 2020 by brianycpht

[MasqueradeOverture]

Episode 27 - Journey To Namek up:

There's a scene towards the end where I inserted some Bach. This is one of the rare cases I'll ever use music outside of the DB library.

[MasqueradeOverture]

Episode 28 - Friends Or Foes? up:

This was hard to cut (took 3 episodes worth of filler and grabbed anything salvageable to smash into one). Safe to say none of that Fake Namek nonsense made it (which we can all agree is the worst filler arc in the entire franchise, right?).

[YETiVERSe]

Glad to see you picked this back up. Snagged some of these a while back when you had up to Goku vs Vegeta done. Really excellent stuff! What's the best way to find these now?

[MasqueradeOverture]

9 hours ago, YETiVERSe said:

Glad to see you picked this back up. Snagged some of these a while back when you had up to Goku vs Vegeta done. Really excellent stuff! What's the best way to find these now?

Check ur PMs.

[singlehitguy]

Where do I go to download this?

[MasqueradeOverture]

Episode 29 - Brood Of Evil up:

 This one was also a bitch to do since I was digging through footage of like 5 separate episodes. Especially for the recap, I inserted some extra 'Vegeta in the tank' scenes I didn't include in the previous episode in order to meet my ideal runtime window (I was running like two minutes short otherwise so I had to pad the recap out).

Otherwise, this was an interesting experiment in replacing 30th footage with Kai's whenever possible (the flat image of the DVNR'd 30th set makes my eyes hurt after a while) and then switching back and forth and adjusting contrast and color accordingly to (at least attempt) a seamless transition.

On 4/3/2020 at 3:38 PM, singlehitguy said:

Where do I go to download this?

Check ur PMs.

[MasqueradeOverture]

Episode 30 - The Ruthless Frieza up:

Further honed my skills in matching footage (just realized there's an "equalize" effect tool in Premiere which got me pretty excited). Also an appearance of an insert song that was playing out of Roshi's boombox on the Japanese version, but was deleted in the English dub and replaced by the sound of a newscaster... I found a pretty cool way of circumventing that newscaster problem.

[MasqueradeOverture]

Episode 31 - Namek's Defense up:

Splicing all of Frieza's and Gohan's lines in here was A LOT easier than I thought it'd be. The hardest part was finding a right endpoint to the episode, which I think works really well.

[brianycpht]

9 hours ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

Episode 31 - Namek's Defense up:

Splicing all of Frieza's and Gohan's lines in here was A LOT easier than I thought it'd be. The hardest part was finding a right endpoint to the episode, which I think works really well.

So are you shifting now more towards using Kai as the base and just replacing certain characters. I’ve been spot checking the original episodes and have been suprised how characters like Vegeta and Krillin go back and forth between the Z and Kai dubs. How do you choose which version to use?

[MasqueradeOverture]

3 hours ago, brianycpht said:

So are you shifting now more towards using Kai as the base and just replacing certain characters. I’ve been spot checking the original episodes and have been suprised how characters like Vegeta and Krillin go back and forth between the Z and Kai dubs. How do you choose which version to use?

At this point pretty much.

It just depends on what sounds right. For example, most Frieza's henchmen are the Kai cast (with the exceptions being Jeice & Burter when I get to that point) because their script and performances are just "right" to my ears. At the same time, there's certain points early in Kai where Goku's annoyingly enthusiastic, and I feel like the '05 re-dub is sort of a perfect medium in a lot of those spots. I wanted Linda in there too for at least 1st form Frieza (Chris' will take over for 2nd form & up), but I down-pitched her voice by about 5% just to make her less screechy.

Then there's also cases where Kai has voices from several characters on top of each other, which gets difficult if I'm trying to splice in lines from an older voice actor. In about 95% of those cases I'm lucky and their speaking to the same voice actors, but in those 5% of cases I'll just be stuck with the original voices (It always happens though with minor characters that have like no more than 2 lines).

Then there's runtime to consider [I like to keep it broadcast-length minus the OP & ED] since there's only so many places that feel like a right start/endpoint for an episode and only so many words spoken by Hebert's narration.

Edited April 20, 2020 by MasqueradeOverture

[MasqueradeOverture]

Hold on, cause the editing for this episode's on a MOUNTAIN of cocaine.

 

Episode 32 - Escape From Dodoria up:

Now hit the gym.

Edited July 22, 2020 by MasqueradeOverture

[PiccoroDaimebar]

Omg been looking for this for so long. Been watching Kai recently with my GF and although it's fun, I'm missing some of the filler and voice acting of original Z. When we got to jaice and burter on namek I was like "wtf jaice doesn't even sound Australian" and most of the funniest vegita lines are scrapped from Kai like the infamous "why is it that every time you open your mouth you prove you're an idiot!" That he shouts at bulma. 

 

It's a bit of a drag as I want my gf to have the best DB experience. So far she's having a blast but I feel like it'd be that extra bit better with this edit. If there was any way of linking me to this I would be forever grateful, thank you 

[wkai]

how do i download this

[MasqueradeOverture]

40 episodes in. The Ginyu Force has arrived.

Trying to get the Kai and 30th Anniversary Blu-ray footage to match was a tough science, but I've finally been able to get the settings right to color correct the Kai footage in a quick and efficient manner (exact settings vary episode by episode).

Original:

W/ custom Lumetri color settings, 20% sharpening, and grain applied:

Example of grain & sharpening settings:

Some Before & After pics:

[MasqueradeOverture]

And now for something legally adjacent, my most recent completed episode in wonderful VHS quality (because Archive.org is shit).

Dragon Ball Z (30th Anniversary Legacy Cut) Episode 42 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Edited August 24, 2021 by MasqueradeOverture

[brianycpht]

This is my new definitive Z. This is the version I’ll have my son watch for his first viewing! Hope you keep it up 

Your’re almost at Goku vs Burter and Jeice and I just realized something. You kept the Z Burter which will probably force you to use the 99 Schemmel recording because of what Burter says 

 

Z “No ones that fast”

”well apparently I am”

Kai “I’m the fastest in the Universe”

       “Well maybe the second fastest now”

You can’t really have Z Burter say that and Kai Goku reply that. 
 

I think there might be a similar problem with Piccolo/Nail since you kept the Z Nail. 
 

Too bad unfortunately, I was hoping to be rid of those awful 99 performances once and for all 😂. Maybe some kind of EQ can help with that one 

[MasqueradeOverture]

17 hours ago, brianycpht said:

This is my new definitive Z. This is the version I’ll have my son watch for his first viewing! Hope you keep it up 

Your’re almost at Goku vs Burter and Jeice and I just realized something. You kept the Z Burter which will probably force you to use the 99 Schemmel recording because of what Burter says 

 

Z “No ones that fast”

”well apparently I am”

Kai “I’m the fastest in the Universe”

       “Well maybe the second fastest now”

You can’t really have Z Burter say that and Kai Goku reply that. 
 

I think there might be a similar problem with Piccolo/Nail since you kept the Z Nail. 
 

Too bad unfortunately, I was hoping to be rid of those awful 99 performances once and for all 😂. Maybe some kind of EQ can help with that one 

Eh. If a line or two stays from the old performance it's fine (I was gonna leave him saying "That means we can bring them back from the Next Dimension" as an Easter egg).

Edited September 1, 2021 by MasqueradeOverture

[brianycpht]

1 minute ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

Eh. If a line or two stays from the old performance it's fine (I was gonna leave him saying "That means we can bring them back from the Next Dimension" as an Easter egg).

Honestly there are some lines in there some people may enjoy hearing..

People seem to have an attachment to dialogue in there...despite in many cases being wrong ("I am the hope of the universe..ect)

[Kavya]

On 4/5/2020 at 2:24 AM, MasqueradeOverture said:

Episode 29 - Brood Of Evil up:

 This one was also a bitch to do since I was digging through footage of like 5 separate episodes. Especially for the recap, I inserted some extra 'Vegeta in the tank' scenes I didn't include in the previous episode in order to meet my ideal runtime window (I was running like two minutes short otherwise so I had to pad the recap out).

Otherwise, this was an interesting experiment in replacing 30th footage with Kai's whenever possible (the flat image of the DVNR'd 30th set makes my eyes hurt after a while) and then switching back and forth and adjusting contrast and color accordingly to (at least attempt) a seamless transition.

Check ur PMs.

Can you pls give the link to me

[Kavya]

Hi can you send the link pls

[brianycpht]

I’m hoping for the next episode soon. I can’t wait to find out what happens when Goku fights the Ginyu Force 😁

Edited January 12, 2022 by brianycpht

[MasqueradeOverture]

I'm waiting for the Selectavision blu-rays to come out before I continue.

The 30th Anniversary footage has served me well in some places, but there are episodes that are so flat and watercolory that it clashes with the more three-dimensional Kai footage in comparison. I've realized I cannot go any further with the 30th footage (especially since I'm an episode or two away from hitting the 35mm shot episodes).

So just to be as transparent as possible:

SAIYAN SAGA - Cut using Level Set footage.

NAMEK SAGA / 1st half of GINYU episodes - Cut using re-colored & slightly sharpened Kai footage with the 30th Anniversary Funimation sets. (Certain episodes deemed unacceptable in quality will have Selectavision footage replace the 30th).

GINYU / FRIEZA SAGA thru CELL - Selectavision & Kai footage.

BUU SAGA - To be determined.

The Selectas will be out next month so I'll be fishing around for those BDMV files. After that, I'll put everything I got so far on Archive.org so people can stop bugging me with PM requests.

[DarkRuler7]

When do you put on Archive? Or got link still? Best :D

[MasqueradeOverture]

You can keep asking, and I will keep saying I'm not doing shit until I gain access to the Selectavision Blu-ray files.

Until I can obtain those files without having to go out of my way to purchase Spanish Blu-rays, the project's dead in the water.

[brianycpht]

3 hours ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

You can keep asking, and I will keep saying I'm not doing shit until I gain access to the Selectavision Blu-ray files.

Until I can obtain those files without having to go out of my way to purchase Spanish Blu-rays, the project's dead in the water.

It’s been pretty good so far. including the visual quality 
 

Why is that the deal breaker? Especially when you’re having trouble finding what you’re looking for 

[MasqueradeOverture]

6 hours ago, brianycpht said:

It’s been pretty good so far. including the visual quality 
 

Why is that the deal breaker? Especially when you’re having trouble finding what you’re looking for 

Some segments I'd been using FUNI's 30th anniversary remasters and it has this annoying flat watercolor-like smearyness in motion and facial shadows have distractingly sharp outlines. The Selectas don't have this issue (and it'd be easier to line them up with the Kai footage too).

 

[Rome0621]

Can u send me a link to the download?

Edit: I think I found something that might help you, but I have to know, what file type do u use to make your cuts?

Edited October 31, 2022 by Rome0621

[AlexDasher]

I am amazed by how this is made, I love it! Can I have the link to download?

[mrgreenside]

Yeah this looks incredible. I'd also like to request a download link 

[MasqueradeOverture]

Oh well now you gotta wait longer bc now I want to use the French AB Video blu-rays as the source instead of the Selectavision discs and so now I'll have to wait until those cheese eating surrender monkeys get to Z lol

Edited January 16, 2023 by MasqueradeOverture

[mrgreenside]

Refusing to host a link to already-finished episodes is... a choice

[MasqueradeOverture]

They're not "finished." There's some things I'm not happy with (mainly involving some of the sound mixes for a few episodes). I'll get back to them when I have less shit on my plate.

[MasqueradeOverture]

UPDATE: Good News! The Saiyan Saga is complete (for real this time) and is being dumped onto archive.org.

Bad News: Due to the huge file sizes, I can only upload like an episode a day, so it'll probably be three weeks until you see [this version of] the saga's full 24-episode run on there.

[MasqueradeOverture]

I hate the concept of AI, but the quick ability to separate vocals (and even specific instruments) from each other means the process is gonna speed up. That and I'm now using a film emulation / color correction tool that's been a godsend for making these different sources [Kai & Selectavision footage] look consistent. Hope to have all the Frieza stuff done finally this year.

Saiyan Saga complete batch now discoverable in the Internet Archives. Look out for a new batch for Namek Saga / Captain Ginyu Pt. 1 episodes of this cut to begin uploading this week.

As strange of a decision as it is, I did end up including the fake Namek filler… but managed to cut it down to one episode. How? OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO…

Edited January 29 by MasqueradeOverture

[Sketch]

AI is a tool. It’s neither good nor bad depending on how you use it.