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Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

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Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

American box art
Directed by Daisuke Nishio
Written by Toshiki Inoue (screenplay)
Akira Toriyama (story)
Starring Masako Nozawa (Son Gokū)
Shuuichirou Moriyama (Gourmeth)
Tomiko Suzuki (Pansy)
Hiromi Tsuru (Bulma)
Naoki Tatsuta (Oolong)
Kohei Myauchi (Kamesennin)
Toru Furuya (Yamcha)
Naoko Watanabe (Puar)
Daisuke Ghori (Umigame)
Mami Koyama (Raven)
Kenji Utsumi (Shenlong)
Joji Yanami (Narration)
Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi
Distributed by Toei Company (Asia); Funimation Productions & Trimark/KidMark (North America); Madman Entertainment (Austrailia)
Release date(s) December 20, 1986
Running time 50 min.
Country Japan; Canada
Language Japanese; English
IMDb profile

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies, known in Japan as Dragon Ball: Shenron no Densetsu (ドラゴンボール　神龍の伝説, Doragon Bōru Shenron no Densetsu; lit. "Dragon Ball: The Legend of Shenlong"). Originally released in Japan December 20, 1986, between episodes 43 and 44. In its original theatrical run, it was just titled Dragon Ball, but for subsequent video release in Japan it was renamed.

In specific, this movie is a heavily modified retelling of the gathering of the Dragon Balls in the "Son Gokū Saga" (Funimation's saga: Emperor Pilaf Saga), but with King Gurumes taking Pilaf's role as the center villain. Like that initial saga, it depicts how Son Gokū meets up with Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar, and the first quest for the Dragon Balls. (These events would be retold again in the 10th Anniversary Movie, The Path to Power.)

This movie was used as the basis for Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins.

Contents

[edit] Dub edits

[edit] Scene removals

The first version of Curse of the Blood Rubies produced, the original Japanese release, featured a surprising amount of content which was removed upon the film's release in North America. Although Funimation released it alongside the first thirteen episodes of the anime on an uncut DVD set in Australia and New Zealand, the film included in this set is not the original version but the 1995 dub from its premier North American release. To date Funimation has not issued the film uncut, however this could change soon due to the fact that FUNimation has begun releasing uncut season sets of the original Dragon Ball.

The earliest notable edit occurs early in the film, where Goku first encounters Bulma after being accidentally struck by Bulma's motorcycle. In the original version of the film, Goku responds by charging at Bulma, who panics and shoots Goku three times in the head with a handgun, and is astonished to find Goku completely unharmed. In the dubbed version, this scene was entirely cut, making it appear that Goku's initial response is to charge at Bulma and thrust his Power Pole at the motorcycle, severely damaging it.

Scenes in the dubbed version which take place at Bulma's DynoCap house were recycled from Dragon Ball and did not appear in the original release.

During Goku's fight with Yamcha, scenes in the original version that closely depict Goku's face being pummeled by Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist were removed entirely, making the technique appear as though it were no more than a kick (as in the Japanese version, Yamcha closes the move by kicking Goku into a stone structure). Goku retaliates by performing a jan-ken-pon technique, meeting fists with Goku (rock), using his other hand to poke Yamcha's eyes, temporarily blinding him (scissors), then smacking him in the face (paper) hard enough to send him ricocheting off of a wall of stone. Yamcha recovers from this, exclaiming "You little shit..." before Bulma arrives. In the dub, the entire jan-ken-pon sequence was removed, making it appear that Bulma arrives immediately after Yamcha uses the Wolf Fang Fist on Goku.

Upon noticing that Master Roshi possesses a Dragon Ball, rather than be obliged to simply give it to Bulma like he does in the dub, the original version sees Roshi requesting Bulma first show him her breasts. Bulma accepts, but instead has Oolong transform in her exact image (although he first comically transforms into a stocky Bulma roughly his original size). It is then Oolong who teases Roshi at Bulma's dismay, before exposing to him his breasts. To coincide with the removal of this sequence, the paper stuffed in his nostrils (due to nosebleeds which occurred after Oolong showed him his Bulma-breasts) when he is shown just moments before his home is destroyed by the submarine was edited out.

The shuttle ride sequence after leaving Master Roshi's island was shortened in the dubbed version, though it is not clear why. The original scene features Penny's flashback to an unseen conversation with Roshi that her friends will save her land, followed by Bulma reassuring her everything will be okay. This is where the scene ends in the dub, however originally it went on to reveal what Bulma intends to wish Shenron for–a boyfriend. In the dubbed version this is not revealed until the film's climax.

Another scene removed from the English release actually shows Yamcha's chest being riddled with bullets as Raven shoots him, before being flung against a wall; the only scene remaining that depicts the attack (besides an earlier one closely showing the gun being fired). As Yamcha returns to his feet and begins fighting Raven, rather than notice she is a woman only after her goggles are knocked loose, in the original film he first realizes this when punching her he accidentally fondles her breast.

[edit] Notable dialogue alterations

Bulma's dialogue was also altered in the scene where she is pinned to a mountainside by Goku's Power Pole, after her DynoCap shuttle is destroyed by Raven and she and Goku plummet from the sky. While pinned in the Japanese version, she proclaims she has wet herself, while in the dub she screams that she is "having a crisis." It is still obvious what's happening because she is faintly seen peeing down her thighs.

When Oolong confronts Penny, he demands the girl marry him to which Penny responds by shooting him in the face with her slingshot; Oolong then threatens to eat her if she does not comply. In the dub this dialogue was altered to Oolong sarcastically asking "Well, what have we here?" before being shot by Penny, followed by a more assertive threat by Oolong to eat her. When Bulma pulls over and notices Penny and the monster, originally Oolong turns his sights to Bulma and demands now that she marry him, however in the English release his statement after Bulma and Goku arrive was altered to "I can't believe it–a full course meal!"

When Goku and Oolong are ambushed by Yamcha, Puar provides a different explanation for Oolong's shapeshifting inferiority in the original film. In this version, she claims that Oolong was kicked out of "transformation kindergarten" for stealing the teacher's panties; this was altered to Oolong having attended "shapeshifting academy [until] he flunked out," drastically altering its meaning.

During the climax of the original film, Penny wishes the blood rubies would disappear from the land, leading Shenron to simultaneously unearth them all. For the dub, her dialogue was altered so that Penny simply wishes for her land to "be peaceful and beautiful again," which Shenron asserts will not be possible with the blood rubies buried underneath it, ensuing in the unearthing sequence.

[edit] Cast

Character Name Voice Actor (Japanese) Voice Actor (English)
Goku Masako Nozawa Saffron Henderson
Bulma Hiromi Tsuru

Maggie Blue O'Hara

Lalainia Lindbjerg (Ep. 2 scenes only)

Oolong Naoki Tatsuta Alec Willows
Puar Naoko Watanabe Kathy Morse
Yamcha Tōru Furuya Ted Cole
Master Roshi Kōhei Miyauchi Michael Donovan
Raven(Pasta) Mami Koyama Teryl Rothery
Penny (Pansy) Tomiko Suzuki Andrea Libman
Shenron Kenji Utsumi Don Brown
Penny's Dad Shōzō Iizuka Robert O'Smith
Penny's Mom Reiko Suzuki
Turtle Daisuke Gōri Don Brown
Pilot Ryōichi Tanaka
Michitaka Kobayashi
Soldier Kōji Totani Doug Parker
Villager Masaharu Satō
Kazumi Tanaka<br/[Masato Hirano
Bongo Gorō Naya Doug Parker
Gurumes Shūichirō Moriyama Gary Chalk
Narration Jōji Yanami Jim Conrad


[edit] Music

  • OP (Opening Theme)
    1. "Makafushigi Adobenchā!"; 魔訶不思議アドベンチャー! (Mystical Adventure!)
      • Lyrics: Yuriko Mori, Music: Takeshi Ike, Arrangement: Kōhei Tanaka, Performance: Hiroki Takahashi
  • ED (Ending Theme)
    1. "Romantikku Ageru Yo"; ロマンティックあげるよ (I’ll Give You Romance)
      • Lyrics: Takemi Yoshida, Music: Takeshi Ike, Arrangement: Kōhei Tanaka, Performance: Ushio Hashimoto

[edit] Trivia

  • This film was used as the basis for Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins, a live action Chinese film.
  • The only Dragon Ball property to have yet to be released uncut in North America.
  • In the English dub, Bulma was played by two voice actresses. This film was dubbed prior to dubbing the 13 episodes of the 1995 dub of the series, and Maggie Blue O'Hara was Funimation's first choice to play Bulma, but was let go after the movie was completed, and the character was recast with Lalainia Lindbjerg for the series, and since adding in footage from episode 2 was an afterthought, Lindbjerg played Bulma in those scenes. However, O'Hara returned to play Bulma in the Ocean Studios dub of Dragon Ball Z after Lindbjerg left.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


Dragon Ball films
Dragon Ball adaptations
Theatrical films Curse of the Blood Rubies • Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle • Mystical Adventure • The Path to Power
Dragon Ball Z adaptations
Theatrical films Dead Zone • The World's Strongest • The Tree of Might • Lord Slug • Cooler's Revenge • The Return of Cooler • Super Android 13! • Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan • Bojack Unbound • Broly - Second Coming • Bio-Broly • Fusion Reborn • Wrath of the Dragon
Television specials Bardock - The Father of Goku • The History of Trunks
OVAs Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku • Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
Dragon Ball GT adaptations
Television specials A Hero's Legacy
Other adaptations
Live-action films Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins • Dragonball: Evolution
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