Dragon Ball Z: Doragon bôru zetto

Wha-? Are you crazy, Nah...the thing is, I really like this show, and it's NOT because of the fighting. Too many people just dimiss the show as a mindless punch-a-thon, as "that fighting anime that turned me off all fighting anime." The thing is, the characters are all really nicely developed. As we watch the show over the years, we get to see the characters grow, and it happens so gradually that we don't even realize it's happening. Toriyama's Freeza saga was probably the best-told part, despite the fact that the anime completely f-ed it up--the reason for everyone to be there in the first place actually made sense, and the transition from the Vegeta fight to the Freeza fight (and the reason Vegeta eventually joined with the rest of the group) was actually logical. I think the show has a lot more substance than everyone else says, but I realize by now that everyone's already made up their mind about the show and no matter what I say, their opinions will stay the soon.

Dragon Ball has become a super-franchise that's attained a foothold on pop-culture like Star Wars and MARVEL, even if it's a somewhat more niche taste for some fanboys out there. Ever since 1996, when Dragon Ball Z (or DBZ) first got imported in the United States via Cartoon Network, the franchise's status in Western popular culture has become cataclysmic in scale and its characters have become household names, especially Goku himself.

Anime has become an interesting paradox in the entertainment industry: some relish its high-detail animation and storytelling whilst some reckon too many are all the same as each other. Yet in Japan anime is simply a domestic term for 'animation' period: not just specific to their own stuff. DBZ is like a nice concentrated form of all the good stuff that's come to define anime over the past couple of decades, even if it has some of the cliches built-in as part of its story. Thankfully the cliches add to the charm and over-the-top nature of the show's many fight scenes and character-driven comedy helps make DBZ a plentiful experience for even the most casual viewers of animated television.

This show is an energetic blast from the past that still has loads of charm and appeal for modern television audiences everywhere. Even if this isn't the very start of Goku's story (the original Dragon Ball covers that), it's still a great introduction to some of animation's most memorable characters.

Dragonball Z, yet messed up by English editing and translation, is the greatest and best animated cartoon in the world. Kakarot, the star, with the help of Piccolo, fight off Raditz and that starts the show. Vegita and Nappa come and after some fighting, Nappa is destroyed and Vegita leaves to rejuvinate. Gohan, Kakarot's son, and his friend Krilian, leave for the Planet Namek to find the Dragonballs, 7 magical balls which when joined can call forth the Eternal Dragon who grants any three wishes you want. Frieza, another villain, is also on Namek and so is the rejuvinated Vegita. After a mess of episodes of fighting, Kakarot finally arrives, destroys the Ginyu Force, Frieza's private army, and fights Frieza, practically destroying the Planet Namek in the process. The show continues on and on but is always great to watch.

I was going to write a huge long comment on this, but a lot of people really seem to hate this show so I just can't be bothered preaching to the unconvertable. I will say, however, I am a big fan of anime and this is one of my favourites. It's certainly my favourite anime TV series. People don't seem to realise that this is for kids, so screw the voice acting (which is better than many other kids shows) and animation (which is also better than many other kids shows). Comparing this to serious anime like Akira is like comparing He-Man to Gladiator. DBZ is light on the brain and heavy on the adrenal gland. Once you get into it it becomes very addictive, and your imagination covers over any bad acting or animation. Unless you have no imagination... Watch it from the beginning and just let yourself get sucked in to the amazing fights and ever increasing displays of power.

It may have been years since this ORIGINALLY came out, but to most of us Americans, the show is brand new material. Sometimes people may say the shows tend to "drag on," but this is a clever way to keep you begging for more and tuning in again and again. Also, the characters actually develop and change throughout the series, unlike some other shows. The american translated versions may lose something in the translation, but the show is still a very cool show, and I hope Cartoon Network picks up the entire seven year run of the series. The adjusted script makes some previously "possibly offensive" terms absent, replacing them with less intimidating terms like "bully." But this show IS for kids, and if they didn't take away some terms, it wouldn't air. Then we would be stuck buying the videos for $15.00 a piece instead of taping entire sagas for free. ;) The voice actors aren't spectacular, but they get the point across and tell a good story. The storylines are intriguing and make you want to watch every last episode to see what happens next. The show, despite it's older animation techniques, is still a good looking animated piece. I watch the series everyday on Cartoon Network when they air two episodes side-by-side (which makes since seeing as how the show moves along so slow). The show is divided into "sagas" or series of episodes telling a certain story. My favorite sagas are the Saya-jin Saga, Frieza Saga, Garlic Jr. Saga, Android Saga, and the Cell Saga. I hope this show keeps airing again and again. It's truly remarkable.