Dragon Ball Z (1989 - 2003)

Let's get it going.

Dragon Ball Z premiered in Japan in 1989 and aired its final episode in 1996. In 1995 Funimation licensed the English production which was released stateside in 1996 through Saban Entertainment and Pioneer Entertainment. Dragon Ball Z would be cancelled in 1998 due to a lack of interest from western networks and low ratings. Dragon Ball Z was picked up again in 1999 by the Cartoon Network where it became the flagship show of Toonami and it's from there DBZ exploded into popularity stateside, despite having been around for quite sometime already. The anime enjoyed a tremendous level of success on the Cartoon Network before airing its final episode in 2003.

The adventure continues.

Dragon Ball Z is the anime adaptation of the last 325 chapters of the original Dragon Ball manga and continues Goku's story by introducing new villains, new characters, and new arcs. It has been five years since the defeat of the evil King Piccolo and the human race is enjoying a period of peace. On this day however, a strange pod crashes in a field. Elsewhere, Goku who is now an adult with a wife and child is getting ready for his reunion with Roshi, Krillin, and Bulma who he has not seen in the last five years. The group is surprised by the appearance of Goku's son Gohan who, much like his father when he was younger, also has a tail. The surprises don't end there however as a strange alien shows up to crash the party.

Raditz

Goku and his friends have numerous questions and this terrifying invader has answers. His name is Raditz and he explains that he and Goku are part of a warrior race called the Saiyan who are the conquerors of some worlds, and destroyers of many others. Not only that but Goku is actually Raditz's kin, and big brother isn't too happy that Goku has become the protector of Earth rather than its destroyer. Raditz wants Goku to join forces with him and the other Saiyans so they can conquer a neighboring planet and sell it on the intergalactic market.

Guess we'll add kidnapping to murder and destruction of private property.

When Goku refuses, things turn violent as Raditz soundly thrashes him and kidnaps his son. Raditz gives Goku 24 hours to decide if he'll join with Raditz and the other Saiyans, or Gohan will face the consequences. Even if Goku joins his brother, Raditz makes it clear that their next order of business will be to destroy Earth. After Raditz departs, Goku is visited by his nemesis Piccolo who presents him with a most unusual offer. Piccolo realizes that Raditz can and will make good on his promise to destroy the planet and neither of them can stop him alone, but together they might stand a sliver of a chance.

Brother vs Brother

Dragon Ball Z does a lot right at the outset. Within the first two episodes we get an in-depth look into Goku's heritage, learn that there are people in the universe even stronger than he is, and we also learn that the Dragon Ball world will entail new adventures far beyond Earth. Dragon Ball Z does a great job introducing new characters as well as re-introducing old ones from the original series. This is done in a very believable manner which is justified by the narrative. The Saiyans are a threat to the entire planet and to have even a chance at beating them, Goku must team up with old friends, rivals, and even his nemesis Piccolo. The early episodes are very good at building tension as there's a very unsettling ambiguity about the Saiyans' power. Sure they talk the talk, but the terrifying depth of their power isn't revealed until they walk the walk all over our heroes' graves.

Final Justice!!

The early fight scenes in DBZ are also very well done because unlike in many contemporary shonen titles (Claymore, Bleach, Naruto) most, if not all the battles serve a thematic purpose. They're not just there to fill time between the next cliche. Despite the conflicts being physics defying clashes between titans, the causes of the conflicts and resolutions to them are realistic. Foes such as the Saiyans, Frieza, and Majin Buu are strong advocates of genocide and their ideologies whether driven by greed, fear, or madness, are not matters that can be resolved by just talking about them. Goku and his enemies don't just "talk it out" and then everyone changes their minds and are all friends. Dragon Ball Z is more mature than that, particularly in the earlier arcs. We see clashes between mega powers but also between the ideologies these combatants have.

A new legend is born.

As the adventure continues, stakes are raised higher and higher from the Saiyans who pose a threat to the planet, to Frieza who poses a threat to the galaxy, and villains such as Cell and Majin Buu that can destroy the universe. The viewer can really feel the urgency inherit in these new threats and I for one was consistently impressed every-time Goku reached a new level of power, but he wasn't the only one.

Super Vegeta

Goku's most bitter rival Prince Vegeta is also one of the most impressive figures in the entire series. In addition to being the first character in the current DBZ timeline to recall the legends of the ancient Saiyans, he's also the first Super Saiyan to reach a new level of power, actually ascended passed the level of Super Saiyan, overtaking Goku himself for a short-time. Despite turning face early on in the series, Vegeta retains his unique character and ideologies, but also changes as a person.

DBZ also introduces other beastmode characters like Trunks who became one of my favorites from the word go. Trunks also has one of the better character designs in the series and to see him grow from badass to uber-badass was most impressive.

Favorite DBZ villain.

Any anime worth its viewership needs to have an interesting cast of villains and while it's hit-or-miss in some cases, DBZ does have a good collection of rouges. While Frieza is the most recognizable villain in the series, I prefer the villains who show up later on as their modus operandi is a bit more complex than genocidal alien overlord. My personal favorite is Imperfect Cell - a techno-organic hybridization of heroes and villains throughout the series, Cell has the genes of several DBZ characters in his genetic make-up which grants him access to their skills and techniques. What's also striking about Cell is how different he is from DBZ villains before and after him. Unlike most of the villains who are tiers of strength above the heroes, Cell is actually much weaker than our cast. Because of this, Cell must rely on his cunning to stay ahead of the Z-fighters and he shows that he's a terrifyingly skilled tactician who knows his way around Xanatos speed chess. He's always one step ahead of the heroes and he's even able to turn around a disadvantageous situation to ensure he comes out on top.

Kid Buu

The series gets a lot of mileage out of Cell but the same is equally true of Majin Buu. Similar to Cell, this pink terror has several forms, each more powerful and more vicious than the last. What's interesting is that Buu's entry into the series also ties directly into some of the DBZ mythos and it's through Majin Buu we learn more about the Kais (gods that watch over certain parts of the universe). Buu serves as the final villain in the series but don't let his Kirby-esque vibes fool you. Among a roster of ridiculously over-powered villains, Majin Buu is pure nightmare fuel. A demon of destruction whose madness is matched only by his power, there is nothing he won't do.

In terms of production quality Dragon Ball Z is in a league of its own. The colors, animation, score, mixing, and voice acting are head and shoulders above most anime, and the original DBZ is much better than the updated Dragon Ball Z: Kai which is a baffling paradox if there ever were one. An epic score by Bruce Faulconer puts DBZ's music in a class that many anime today can't touch.

As ratchet as this anime's pacing.

It's not all perfect in DBZ though. When the anime is rolling on all cylinders it's like an MVP, but when it messes up and it does, it drops the ball and falls on its face. Dragon Ball Z's biggest stumbling blocks are pacing and predictability. No character in DBZ says anything another character won't repeat six or seven times. Heroes will often repeat something the villain has said and vice verse, often several times, which really drags the pacing. My favorite example of this comes during the Android Saga where Trunks questions Krillin on how Piccolo got so strong. After Krillin explains Piccolo must have fused with Kami and became a Super Namek, Trunks very nearly repeats the same explanation back to him. The same thing happens when Vegeta shows up and asks how Piccolo got so strong. This is not a rare occurrence either. If someone is charging a blast powerful enough to destroy the entire planet, get ready to hear four or five characters say "Oh no that blast is powerful enough to destroy the entire planet! Don't do it!" This is all artificial padding to drag out each individual scene and really proves to be a bane of the action which was detrimental for me personally.

Taking a bite out of entertainment.

The incessant talking during fight scenes and constant cuts to characters who aren't even involved in the battle made me wonder how I even made it through the series when I was a kid. Every fight scene will have two characters throwing punches which typically will not land, then cut to another character making a statement about what the viewer just saw, then a cut back to the fight where there's energy attack, energy attack, energy attack, none of which do anything to turn the tide and then a cut to a character saying something about what the viewer just saw. There is so much padding during fight scenes that battles which took place over a course of four or more episodes can typically be watched in 30 minutes or so on Youtube. Or a better example, the "action" portion of the Cell Games saga takes place over roughly 15 to 17 episodes. Edited down i.e. removing all the filler it's a little under two hours. That's how much artificial padding there is across this series. For an anime that prides itself as the number one action series it has more talking than anything else. And that is to say nothing of episodes that have two characters flying and talking, then a group of characters talking in another location, and then back to the two characters flying and talking.

Super Saiyan 3

Another issue I had is that Goku is really the only character that does anything. The anime has a large cast of heroes but ultimately no one succeeds in saving the day or taking down the bad guy but Goku. While there are two exceptions i.e. Piccolo defeating Raditz (with Goku's help) or Trunks thrashing Frieza, for the most part the supporting cast only gets a few small victories but it's Goku who ultimately saves the day. While it is true that this is a convention of shonen and Goku is expected to save the day because he's the main character, there are scenarios throughout the anime where it appears that Vegeta or Gohan might be the difference maker and save Earth. But whenever it so much as appears the torch is going to be passed Goku arrives with another power-up or technique to save the day. Goku is either there in person or in spirit to save the world and it feels like our cast can't do anything without him regardless of how much they train. It makes the show really predictable and renders most of the power-ups superfluous because no matter how big the baddie is, and no matter who fights him, you quickly learn the pattern that Goku will have to save the day.

Super Saiyan Swagger

The anime isn't perfect and it's not the GOAT like its rabid fanbase would have newcomers believe. Taken on its on Dragon Ball Z does some amazing things, but as an anime there are several issues in terms of pacing, narrative, and just overall entertainment given the amount of editing that has to be done just to put the battles into a watchable format. I feel that its numerous flaws aside Dragon Ball Z is a good anime and newcomers or even long-time fans of anime who have never seen DBZ should give it a watch, even if it isn't a must see.

Dragon Ball (1984 - 1995)

The start of the worldwide phenomenon.

Created in 1984 by famed mangaka Akira Toriyama (Dr. Slump, Hetappi Manga Kenkyūjo, Pola & Roid, etc.) and inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, Dragon Ball follows the story of a young boy named Goku who travels the world in search of adventure and the legendary Dragon Balls; seven mysterious orbs which, when gathered together summon the dragon god Shenlong who can grant almost any wish. As the manga goes on, we follow Goku's story from childhood to adulthood, and even events after his death as he encounters new friends and powerful enemies as the tale expands on a universe defying scale. Due to the shear length of Dragon Ball (520 chapters) and the massive, MASSIVE amount of media surrounding this franchise, this review will only cover the first 16 volumes, while a review of Dragon Ball Z will follow in the coming weeks.

Social justice warriors be like "How dare you?" lol.

Our story opens with Goku starting his day. He begins his morning by uprooting a tree trunk and destroying it with a single kick which is good for training and firewood, before going for a walk and trying to decide if he wants to eat another bear or have a tiger today. He decides to eat a fish as it would be a nice change in his diet. Apart from Goku's immense strength and his tail he seems to be an ordinary kid having an ordinary day until a teenage girl named Bulma narrowly avoids running him over while he's crossing the road. Having never seen a car, Goku immediately assumes the metal monster is there to steal his breakfast. After nailing the car with a brainbustah and giving Bulma quite the scare, the pair becomes acquainted with each other and Bulma tells Goku the secret of the legendary Dragon Balls. With some convincing (see manipulation) Bulma convinces Goku to help her search for the Dragon Balls and so the adventure begins, and what an adventure it is.

Go West Young Goku

One of the reasons the earliest chapters of Dragon Ball resonates with me is that it's an adventure story at its core. This is before the later volumes that westerners know as Dragon Ball Z. In the early volumes the story centered on Goku travelling to different places, meeting new people, and growing as a person while helping others grow as well. Goku's adventure is one of personal growth and coming together with others, as opposed to fight scene fight scene fight scene repeat as we see much further into the manga. Akira Toriyama has created a fun and imaginative world that can't really be placed in a particular time period or connected to a certain era. The first volume alone really blew me away because Toriyama presents us with a world of hover cars, bears in samurai armor, a bunny crime lord, talking Pterodactyls, and more.

Jan Ken Pon!!

As Goku and Bulma travel the world they come across a colorful supporting cast such as the trickster pig Oolong, a bandit named Yamcha, his side-kick Puar who is a talking, shape-shifting cat and many others including Launch, a beautiful, demure, young woman who switches to a violent alter ego whenever she sneezes, and Master Roshi one of the most powerful martial artists on the planet and an overt pervert. The group also encounters a slew of villains such as the evil (and woefully incompetent) Emperor Pilaf, the tyrannical Red Ribbon Army, and the nightmarish King Piccolo. These encounters are very natural and the quests flow into one another. It doesn't feel like a boss rush brand of story telling we see in the later volumes.

The legend starts here!!!

Goku grows stronger and wiser over-time and his relationships with certain characters change as well. For example, while Bulma sees Goku as a means to an end i.e. a sentinel she can use in pursuit of the Dragon Balls she becomes his closest friend. While Yamcha and Goku initially meet as enemies they also become friends and there is a heartfelt reunion between the two when they meet at the world tournament. What makes this work is that it doesn't feel like the characters are always changing just because Goku's there, but in some ways Goku brings out the best in the people around him. Not only that, but other characters bring out the best in Goku as well. One of the finest examples of this is Goku's growing relationship with Master Roshi.

Goku and Master Roshi

Goku and Master Roshi form a deep student-teacher relationship which has long-running implications. While Roshi initially sees Goku as just another kid who wants to learn martial arts, he quickly changes his views once he learns Goku is the grandson of his most skilled student Gohan. Roshi teaches Goku the basics of martial arts but he also teaches him how to be a better person. When Goku says "Mornin" to a monk Roshi smacks him with his cane and admonishes him for being disrespectful. Goku then says "Good morning" to the monk and bows.

Fly

Later on in the manga, we see Goku respectfully greeting people older than him without needing Roshi's correction. Goku's training with Roshi consists mostly of Goku doing things for the community. For example, Roshi has Goku (and Krillin) delivering milk for everyone in the countryside, plowing fields with their bare hards, and helping construction workers move heavy materials. In some way, Goku is learning that his strength should always be used to help those weaker than himself. During the World Tournament, Roshi is actually willing to put his life on the line to help Goku get stronger, and to also show him to never get complacent in his training or arrogantly assume there aren't people in the world stronger than him. Overtime, Goku really sees Roshi as a grandfather-figure and an irreplaceable person.

It's about the adventure.

Any manga worth reading must have an interesting character and Goku, particularly Kid Goku is definitely one of the best. While Goku isn't any more of tabula rasa than an average child, he does have a natural innocence and curiosity about the world. These are two of his most defining traits and really comes across throughout the story. For example, after the shenanigans of Goku's and Bulma's first meeting he invites her to his home with the reasoning "Since you're a girl I'll give you food." Also, during an exchange with Oolong we learn that Goku is helping to search for the Dragon Balls so he can get stronger, see the world, and meet new people.

Rock The Dragon

His only interest in Shenlong is seeing what he looks like as he's never seen a dragon before. Goku doesn't actually have a wish he wants fulfilled. Goku's innocence is endearing and his naivety is understandable because contrary to other popular shonen characters such as say Naruto, Goku's naivety doesn't stem from a refusal to learn or even an inability to do so, rather because his only encounter with human beings apart from his grandfather didn't occur until he was 12, it takes him time to learn certain social norms and the proper approach in certain situations. For example, in the first volume Goku has a habit of feeling people up to determine if they're a boy or girl but over time he learns to stop doing this and also learns to tell people apart using more than just their gender. I appreciate Goku's character particularly because while he is new to the world he knows the difference between right and wrong and his determination to get stronger doesn't stem from a selfish goal or juvenile need for recognition (I want to be Hokage), but because Goku truly wants to better himself.

Roshi wants a puff puff girl.

Dragon Ball has a lot of comedy and many of the jokes are laugh out loud funny, particularly if you're familiar with Japanese humor, Japanese pop culture, or word play. Of note is that Roshi is the owner of a baby Gamera which looks and flies exactly like Gamera. There is a great deal of risque humor as well especially when Roshi or Oolong are on the scene. There's a part where Oolong disguises himself as Freddie Mercury and asks Bulma about her bust size. Without any hesitation, Bulma replies with 85 centimeters. Oolong approves because he can do "puff puffs." Other Oolong Favorites of mine include Oolong wearing a Red Army uniform and transforming into Mazinger. Goku's innocence also leads to some comical exchanges with other characters such as Chi Chi. There's a scene where Chi Chi asks Goku to marry her to which Goku replies "I'm not interested in marriage but if you have something I'll come take it."

Goku never met a girl he didn't feel up.

Volumes one and two have a fair amount of risque humor but there's not so much of it that it becomes distracting and Toriyama has enough comedy chops where he doesn't rely solely on that brand of comedy as there is some comical slapstick here as well. One of my favorite examples of slapstick comedy is when Goku and Chi Chi are riding Nimbus and after Goku, ahem, inspects Chi Chi she knocks him off. Not only does Goku plummet to the ground but because Goku isn't controlling Nimbus, Chi Chi slams into a nearby mountain. Hard. Another notably hilarious moment is when Goku introduces Chi Chi to Roshi but she refuses to believe such a perverted old man is the legendary Muten Roshi. She decides to test Roshi by throwing her chakram at him. After all, if he is the legendary Muten Roshi he'll have no issue dodging or catching it. Said chakram gets embedded into Roshi's skull much to the horror of all three characters.

Roshi Prepares

Another of Dragon Ball's many strengths is that Toriyama plays with your expectations. It's important to note that Dragon Ball was not Toriyama's first manga. He's had a long history of experience in the industry and so he was well-aware of convention and cliches. So throughout Dragon Ball we see Toriyama play with the reader. When Goku and Bulma are trying to rescue village girls kidnapped by Oolong, Bulma asks one of the villagers if she could borrow her clothes with the implications being she'll disguise herself as one of the villagers. What actually ends up happening is Bulma forcing Goku to cross-dress. Another example is when Roshi takes it upon himself to put out the fires on Frypan Mountain and not only does this frail old man reveal himself to be a beast when he powers up, but when he uses a Kamehameha he destroys the entire mountain and the ones behind it.

GxB vs Red Ribbon Army. Awww yeah!!

There's also a scene where Emperor Pilaf threatens to do something lewd to Bulma if she doesn't hand over the Dragon Balls. That is until Bulma starts naming off the things she thought Pilaf was going to do and he's shocked and appalled at the very idea. One would think Roshi would take it easy on his students during the World Tournament, but he beat Krillin so bad the kid had to be stretchered out. Toriyama has an idea of the readers' expectations and he tries to subvert those where he can.

Just One Wish

While the environments don't sport a One Piece level of detail, they are unique and very well-done. Toriyama's style is very distinctive and despite the myriad of fancomics out there, Toriyama's work is unmistakable and it has a feel and a life of its own. I was so taken in by the world of Dragon Ball I'm actually a little letdown by the environments in the later volumes, but I am interested in reading Dr. Slump. Toriyama has a type of art style that isn't really defined by rigid rules or convention.

Open mind, open heart.

Dragon Ball was a very fun read for me. Personally it puts me in the mind of
Ah! My Goddess which while being in a completely different genre, is a connection I draw because it actually made me feel good reading it. It's rare when I come across a manga which not only makes me want to read the next chapter, and the next, and the next, but also makes me feel good and brightens my mood from having read it. I laughed a lot while reading Dragon Ball and more importantly it made me smile. It's a manga that really connected with me and I think it speaks to something human in all of us.