By
Danial Vereb (Ohio, USA)
The last time I saw a cartoon series that captivated me to watch it from start to finish was around 10-15 years ago (Transformers: Beast Wars & Mobile Suit Gundam Wing). Cartoons of today don't seem to hold up very well compared to their predecessors as I continue to have a hard time finding a more "recent" cartoon show to watch. So I decided to look to the past for a great show to immerse myself in.
Now that's where Dragon Ball comes in. I remember watching DBZ on Toonami to what seems like ages ago, I remember vaguely watching Dragon Ball at a best friend's house, but I only remembered the episode "Oolong the Terrible." Without hesitation, I purchased all five box sets, and what began as simply an "impulse" buy became something much more.
Everything about Dragon Ball, every episode, character, storyline, and yes even the filler itself I enjoyed, I thought everything was great. I can't think of a show since Beast Wars, GW & Cowboy Bebop where I was excited to move onto the next story. I think this show is much better than its successors Dragon Ball Z & GT. Instead of silly power levels and over the top hubris from over the top villains from DBZ and GT, we get a sincere vision of an adventure that involves humor, love, betrayal, friendship and loyalty. It's not about power levels; it's about skill, humility and determination.
For a thirty year old show, the animation is beautiful; they did a wonderful job re-mastering the sets. My only real complaint is that they ended the show by essentially telling you to watch Dragon Ball Z. This is disappointing to me, because the difference between this show and DBZ is like night and day, why is that.
Now that's where Dragon Ball comes in. I remember watching DBZ on Toonami to what seems like ages ago, I remember vaguely watching Dragon Ball at a best friend's house, but I only remembered the episode "Oolong the Terrible." Without hesitation, I purchased all five box sets, and what began as simply an "impulse" buy became something much more.
Everything about Dragon Ball, every episode, character, storyline, and yes even the filler itself I enjoyed, I thought everything was great. I can't think of a show since Beast Wars, GW & Cowboy Bebop where I was excited to move onto the next story. I think this show is much better than its successors Dragon Ball Z & GT. Instead of silly power levels and over the top hubris from over the top villains from DBZ and GT, we get a sincere vision of an adventure that involves humor, love, betrayal, friendship and loyalty. It's not about power levels; it's about skill, humility and determination.
For a thirty year old show, the animation is beautiful; they did a wonderful job re-mastering the sets. My only real complaint is that they ended the show by essentially telling you to watch Dragon Ball Z. This is disappointing to me, because the difference between this show and DBZ is like night and day, why is that.
By Underground Reborn "gnome" (ny)
As Goku steps into the ring at the World Martial Arts Tournament against Tien Shinhan, little does he know that his world is about to get even bigger. As he dukes it out with Tien there is a dark cloud looming over the world, darker than Goku can even begin to fathom. That dark cloud is in the form of a ruthless tyrant named King Piccolo. Piccolo is the strongest being on the planet and even with the discovery of the Dragon Balls, his goal is not world domination. Rather, his goal is to destroy every human being on the planet. Now with Tien and Chiatzou as strong allies with some new friends by his side, Goku is about to face Piccolo head on. The only thing here is Goku is not going into this fight with the mindset of saving world alone. This time it is something much, much more.
While I was enjoying watching Dragon Ball, this is the point of the Dragon Ball story line that was truly looking forward to the most. The show has so many positives when it reaches this point. One of the big positives is the mood of the show and how quickly it shifts from light hearted and funny, to dramatic and dark. Granted, there are still funny moments especially seen through the pudgy mountain man Yajerobe, but still when Piccolo makes his appearance even Master Roshi, gets serious. The dramatic elements are used so well and I had not seen so much emotion in the characters since season eight of Dragon Ball Z. It all stems from that one moment at the end of the Tien Shinhan saga that sets the pace for the rest of the 4th season. I don't want to give it away, but if you are a DBZ fan this point in time is actually mentioned in the Vegeta saga by Goku and it was a moment that I was really looking forward to seeing.
Now there is one more season of Dragon Ball to explore, and I am looking forward to seeing Goku finally making the change from Boy to Man and paving the way for the adventures that will follow in Dragon Ball Z
As Goku steps into the ring at the World Martial Arts Tournament against Tien Shinhan, little does he know that his world is about to get even bigger. As he dukes it out with Tien there is a dark cloud looming over the world, darker than Goku can even begin to fathom. That dark cloud is in the form of a ruthless tyrant named King Piccolo. Piccolo is the strongest being on the planet and even with the discovery of the Dragon Balls, his goal is not world domination. Rather, his goal is to destroy every human being on the planet. Now with Tien and Chiatzou as strong allies with some new friends by his side, Goku is about to face Piccolo head on. The only thing here is Goku is not going into this fight with the mindset of saving world alone. This time it is something much, much more.
While I was enjoying watching Dragon Ball, this is the point of the Dragon Ball story line that was truly looking forward to the most. The show has so many positives when it reaches this point. One of the big positives is the mood of the show and how quickly it shifts from light hearted and funny, to dramatic and dark. Granted, there are still funny moments especially seen through the pudgy mountain man Yajerobe, but still when Piccolo makes his appearance even Master Roshi, gets serious. The dramatic elements are used so well and I had not seen so much emotion in the characters since season eight of Dragon Ball Z. It all stems from that one moment at the end of the Tien Shinhan saga that sets the pace for the rest of the 4th season. I don't want to give it away, but if you are a DBZ fan this point in time is actually mentioned in the Vegeta saga by Goku and it was a moment that I was really looking forward to seeing.
Now there is one more season of Dragon Ball to explore, and I am looking forward to seeing Goku finally making the change from Boy to Man and paving the way for the adventures that will follow in Dragon Ball Z