[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]he guys behind the live action Dragon Ball Z trailers have long since been working on an even bigger project that is sure to bring attention from anime fans across the globe. An easy statement to be made, having earned well over 7.5 million views on their ground-breaking Saiyan Saga video alone.
K&K Productions, the team responsible for bringing us one of the best live-action projects to date, was formed by two brothers in the UK, and has become a very recognizable name among anime fans and Dragon Ball Z fans alike. The sibling duo built their production company over 5 years ago with the hopes of bringing their own ideas to life; in this case, its a Dragon Ball Z web series.
Of course, this is no easy task, what with distribution and ownership rights being strewn about like a piñata exploded. But having worked through most of the kinks and accessing the right channels, K&K is on its way (that rhymed!) to bring us a series that expands far beyond its existing short films in the form of trailers from key moments in Dragon Ball Z history.
Dragon Ball Z – Saiyan Saga Teaser
Trailers are certainly entertaining, but as in most cases, they leave the audiences begging for more- something that K&K promises to deliver. Official talks are in the works about solidifying the final stages in pre-production so that these trailers can be seen in a series that fully captures all that Dragon Ball Z has to offer.
Dragon Ball Z – Frieza Teaser
While meetings are being had and words are being shared, K&K managed to lock down Joe Miller of Intergalactic Props and Creations. Joe may not be a household name, but he is well-known for his advanced cosplay designs and costume builds, a few of which were custom-tailored for this Dragon Ball Z project.
As you can plainly see in the photographs above, courtesy of MOUINE|OMARI, the Saiyan Armor this time around holds true to the original manga and anime series. In most cases, adaptations of such subject matters lose their appearances in translation, though with the Saiyan Saga trailer, K&K Productions did its best to put its own spin on things while remaining faithful to a project they love. Only this time, it looks as if they have ripped the armor straight from the backs of Vegeta and Nappa for use in their live-action projects.
The next Dragon Ball Z video from K&K is set to be released in October, and will feature some key moments from the series. One such photo was revealed to have Vegeta wearing his iconic pink BADMAN button-up, pictured below.
Vegeta is a Badman! New pic from our live action DBZ video, that will show a day in the life of Goku through his eyes pic.twitter.com/hX0SkejCPd
— KandKProductions (@DBZ_Saiyan_Saga) September 22, 2014
The makers of the Saiyan Saga trailer and Frieza Saga teaser videos are die-hard fans of the series, leading fans of their work to hold faith that they can do a better job than what was seen in the Dragon Ball Evolution train wreck. Honestly, there aren’t likely to be more than a few fans that could claim that what K&K has put together is anything short of excellent, in comparison.
Dragon Ball Z fans have a lot to look forward to with this project among others gaining traction and picking up steam. All that said, big things are coming in the form of Super Saiyans, Saiyan Princes, Space Tyrants, Nameks, three-eyed warriors, and Yamcha getting killed all just right around the corner.
If you are like us and are interested in keeping up with K&K, be sure to follow them on twitter here.
A Bit About Costume Designer Joe Miller:
Now in the heart of Texas I find myself creating all types of props, Mecha suits, Armor sets, shields, weapons, and even Saiyan tails! I work on film sets as a career but when I’m off it can be for months at a time. One day I woke up from a dream where I was creating something, it was Saiyan armor, I walked over to my table and just started drawling out what it was to become my translation of the Saiyan armor in real life.
I grabbed a few sheets of a EVA foam and began mapping out the formula of lines needed to be cut. After lots of heat forming it began to take shape. I would sit for housing studying the armor from all angles that I could find online and TV. I threw out a few mistakes, re painted a few times and had to make a few sets to really get it how I wanted it. Now that I have memorized the recipe for this armor my limits are boundless and I look forward to what lays ahead. I love offering my artistic abilities to make ones dream come true. I feel that’s what a true Saiyan warrior would do.
