Amazon now has Dragon Ball Z Kai available for pre-order. This version removes all of the filler episodes that were inserted so that the TV series would not get ahead of the manga. This version of the show will also air on Nicktoons in May.

I can’t wait to see how the changes come out in this version. Also, how did Cartoon Network miss out on this one? Nicktoons and Disney XD are quickly becoming my favorite destinations for Sci-Fi animation on TV.

Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season One, Part One

For years, I’ve complained how about most people in the US view animation as medium for children’s movies and TV shows (with comedy shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy being an exception.) With the latest Justice League feature debuting at #2, could we be finally coming around to accepting animation as venue for more mature features?

Bruce Timm, Dwayne McDuffie and the rest of the crew on Justice League Unlimited did an amazing job of writing smart and mature story lines, while working within the restrictions of a TV-Y7 rating. With the DC Comics Direct-To-Video releases, we get the opportunity to see what they can do without the TV rating restrictions. The results are awesome comic book adaptation presented as they should be.

The multiyear deal includes episodes of 1980s series “The Transformers” and “G.I. Joe.”

The $29.99 three-DVD set will include the original broadcast versions of all 16 episodes from the 1984 season in the intended story line order, with remastered picture and a new stereo soundtrack created from the original audio.

read more from Reuters.

It’s always fun to watch old Streamline Pictures anime becuase they seem to use the same 5 voices for all of their dubs. But I still enjoy Streamline Pics like 8 Man After. Plenty of good action, nice story and good animation that holds up pretty well today. I wish it could have been fleshed out into a full series, instead of an OAV.

The DBZ movies were fun just to see how the DBZ characters have evolved over time. Gohan, the litte kid with so much hidden power. Piccolo, (in Dead Zone) is training for a re-match with his nemisis Goku! And Goku, who hasn’t figured out the Super Saiyan thing yet, relies on his Kaiô-ken to fight his enemies.

Later, I plan to watch Voltron: Fleet of Doom. I’m still mad, reflecting on my elementary school days when all my friends came in and told me how cool it was to see BOTH Voltrons TOGETHER! Of course, I never saw that episode until I was an adult. I may watch some of my DC Animation DVDs too.

What are you watching over the holidays?

Funimation on Wednesday announced that the first episode of its hit anime series Witchblade is now available for free download from the U.S. iTunes Store. It’s available through October 26, 2008.

Read more at MacWorld

It is an accomplished, serious and adult adaptation that keeps every ounce of the original story’s brilliance. What we have here is a serious adult superhero story straight out of the Silver Age, but with the weight of the best of modern age storytelling.

read more from Ain’t It Cool News

Justice League – The New Frontier (Single-Disc Edition)

read more from Reuters