Comic-Con 2009 is over and boy it was a blast! All Through the week I’ll be posting footage and galleries from the event but for now here’s this little teaser. A couple of facts from the video:

• It doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t.
• It’s still better than Dragon Ball: Evolution.

You can even watch it on HD on YouTube. Expect more during the week!

Ridiculous merchandising was expected in the months leading up to the inevitable train wreck that is the Dragon Ball Evolution film. However, Lawson, the convenience store chain in Japan, has singlehandedly outdone them all. Even those products and tie-ins that are still to come.

Starting tomorrow, February 3, all Lawson stores will be selling a myriad of licensed products that range from the ridiculous to the… more ridiculous.

From bread that resembles a Dragon Ball to Vegeta Vegetable snacks to tissue boxes. The store’s got it all. There’s even Dragon Ball fried chicken. That’s right, the chain is even linking its Karaage Kun (Fried Kun) line of chicken foodstuff to Dragon Ball just by slapping Goku’s hair onto a chicken. I’m sorry but, short of someone releasing a Dragon Ball condom, I dont see them besting freaking Goku Fried Chicken. Game over.

[Lawson]

That sound you just heard was every anime fan on the Internet shitting themselves with excitement, whether they admit it or not. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Shonen Jump, BIRD Studio created a new episode of Dragon Ball Z. It’s about 40 minutes long, and mostly filler, but it’s still amusing, and the animation’s improved a great deal! Best of all, it can be watched for free with English subtitles on Shonen Jump’s Japanese web site until January 31, 2009. You have to install a proprietary viewer program, but it doesn’t take up much space. Link and my thoughts on the episode after the jump. It’s a total filler episode, but that’s really all it was supposed to be, and it pretty much feels like an episode of Dragon Ball Z was supposed to feel. Click here to download the anime viewer and watch it.

[Shonen Jump]

Somehow, two weeks earlier than expected, the trailer for Dragonball’s been released online, and to nobody’s surprise it looks awful. I still don’t totally get why Mai’s there, but not Pilaf, and everyone who predicted that they’d Hollywood Romance up Goku and Bulma, give yourself a round of applause. See for yourself.

Its been a while since we last talked about the Dragon Ball Live Action Movie and there are some new things worth talking about. First of all, 9 promotional photos from the movie have been released in full high resolution glory. I’ve got to be honest, they dont look half bad. Mind you, that says nothing for the plot or the acting not sucking.

 

Bulma, Chi-Chi and Mai are all looking remarkably well and actually kinda hot, Chatwin’s hairdo seems somehow an acceptable compromise between the ridiculous and the subdued. Hell, even Master Roshi is sporting some anime t-shirts! I dont want to get my hopes up but lets just say I’m not completely cynical about it sucking anymore.

There’s also the announcement that the first trailer for the movie is coming out on October 17 with the premier of the Max Payne movie, that will speak volumes and set our expectations more than anything else.

The turmoil in my heart continues as more details regarding the Dragon Ball live action movie cast appear. First of all we receive official confirmation that Bulma will not be played by Camila Sodi, as rumors had led us to believe. Instead she will be played by Emmy Rossum who, while having a much more impressive curriculum, including Poseidon, The Phantom of the Opera, The Day After Tomorrow and Mystic River, does not resemble Bulma at all. Nice looking talented gal, but she cannot compare to the visual treat and resemblance that Camila Sodi  did.

Next up is the puzzling news that Eriko Tamura, of Heroes fame, will play Mai. While I cant but completely agree with that choice as Miss Eriko is both talented and resembles Mai, I cant help wonder what the hell does Mai, a minor villain character from the first Dragon Ball saga, has to do in this movie supposedly based on the Saiyan saga. I can make a few conclusions but all of them end with the prospect of CGI dog-ninjas which is both frightfully awful and hilarious.

And finally another previous announcement is busted as we learn the role of Yamcha did not go to James Kyson Lee but instead to Joon Park, a relatively unknown Korean actor and previously Kpop singer of the band G.O.D., Mr. Park also has a minor role in the upcoming Speed Racer film. While Mr. Lee seemed like a good match at least Mr. Park is much more fitting in the muscle department although not much is known about his acting skills.

That is it for now, there are other minor news out there but nothing terribly exciting, we’ll keep you updated as this project gets ever more bizarre.

[Hollywood Reporter]

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A new member joins the cast of the Dragon Ball live action movie. Jamie Chung has been cast to play Chi Chi (Known as Milk in Latin America), Goku’s girlfriend and later wife. Miss Chung brings a ray of world class acting to the cast as her career has been filled with challenging roles in very highbrow shows such as The Real World: San Diego, which saw her debut to the acting world and that one episode of Days of our Lives where she once had a minor role. More recently you may have seen her in the masterful movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry playing the very demanding role of “Hooters Girl“.

There is no doubt this spells quality acting for the Dragon Ball movie and it is no surprise this project has been compared to the Hindenburg zeppelin and the Titanic, both shining achievements of human kind.

[Hollywood Reporter]

New details of the cast of the Dragon Ball movie were released today. According to Mexican TV gossip show Caiga Quien Caiga, the producers of the movie are looking to cast a few top Mexican actors for roles in the movie, which will shoot in Durango, Mexico. The strongest of these rumors comes as news that Camila Sodi, famous Mexican actress auditioned for the role of Bulma.

Should this rumor prove to be true I would do nothing but approve (unlike with previous castings) of the move as the resemblance in both appearance and attitude are an excellent match. Still this should be taken with a grain of salt, after all this does comes from a TV gossip show.

[Caiga Quien Caiga]

As of now, 20th Century Fox’s version of Dragon Ball Z is in the making. . . in Montreal. That’s right, we will get a chance to see our favorite Kamehame ha-using characters in a Hollywood-ized version. It is estimated that the budget for the movie is going to be $100 million, so expect some pretty awesome explosions and colorful beams!

The movie is expected to be finished by July, 2008. We can only hope they don’t mess it “too much”.

[ANN]

Dragon Ball, wether you love it or hate it, played a huge role in anime. It created the model by which other shonen series like Bleach, Naruto and One Piece have been made. Now Hemmy brings us a collection of Dragon Ball fanart made by other prominent manga artists.

You’ll see the names of artists from such big series as Bleach, Black Cat, Excel Saga, Hellsing. Bobobobo Bobobo, Naruto, One Piece, Full Moon o Sagashite and many others. Above is Kohta Hirano’s (from Hellsing) rendition of Master Roshi, and bellow that are Eiichirô Oda (One Piece) and Yoshio Sawai (Bobobobo Bobobo). Check out the full gallery at Hemmy.

[Hemmy]