Dragon Ball: Doragon bôru

I've lived in Mexico for a few years and grew up watching various anime. For some reason, many of them such as Dragonball weren't as popular in the US and many European countries back then. It's only since the turn of the century that this franchise hit the US.

I stopped watching the series years ago. This has mainly to do because I didn't really like the English dub of DBZ with lot's of cuts and a complete new soundtrack. It's just recently that I rediscovered the whole franchise through the internet and my conclusion is that these original series from the DB trilogy are actually much better than DBZ.

If you don't like DBZ & DBGT or think they Jumped the Shark at some point, it's probably due to one of these reasons:

-The characters grew ridiculously strong and got stronger every minute.

-The battles became long and monotonous.

-Too much time was wasted in having people stare at each other explaining the plot which wasn't always that interesting.

-The villains got too far fetched (Majin Buu is a great example).

-Several characters lost its importance.

-You don't like these kind of anime at all.

Except if it's the last one, I think you're probably going to prefer the original DB cause most of these aspects weren't nearly as exaggerated. This show is in its essence an adventure story based on an old Chinese tale called A Journey to the West. It revolves, in this case, around several martial artists so it does contain a lot of fights. What differentiates this show from its successors is that, since this is where it all began, none of the characters were too Godlike to start with. The fights were therefore not only way shorter (a few episodes at max) but also funnier and more interesting. It wasn't all about who's the strongest one? The reason why I prefer DB above DBZ is almost the same one as why I never really liked the English dubbed DBZ. It really became too over the top at one point and I felt like they tried to make the show cooler than it already was.

Another characteristic that DBZ and DBGT lacked is the atmosphere. Most of this anime takes place in a fictional type of China with a plot which belonged to the fantasy genre. In DBZ however, it switched over to science fiction and most of the fights took place in open fields.

The last aspect is the characters. Of course, Goku is the protagonist, but this series also introduced a lot more iconic characters with all unique aspects. The antagonists on the other hand were also much more interesting since most of the weren't actually "super villains". At the beginning you had Pilaf who was basically a comic relief followed by the Red Ribbon army containing several kinds of bad guys and ending up with Piccolo Daimaoh who, up to date, is my favourite DB villain.

I still like DBZ but sometimes I really wonder whether it would've been better for them to quit much earlier because I was a bit disappointed by the way it ended.

One other thing. It's only now when I realize that this anime is definitely not meant for little children, it's meant for everyone who likes anime. Some parts, I enjoy more than I used to because of the mature sense of humour. If you want to watch it, look for uncut versions.

An amazingly unique concept with heartwarming storyline and screenplay. As you watch it you feel light and stress free. Amazingly binging.

I do not know if my tastes have changed over the years, but once I used to say by far the best incarnation of Dragonball was Z. However, upon watching this entire series on DVD uncut I now have to say that this one is equal or maybe a notch or two above Z. Though I can still say quite easily that GT is the worst of the bunch as while this one needed a continuation, Z did not. This one follows the young boy Goku as it chronicles his friendships and adventures while finding the mythical dragonballs that number seven and when gathered together summon the dragon, Shenron to grant one wish. The show started out as more of a comedy, a comedy with at times quite perverted humor in it. As the show progressed though it would more and more rely on action to the point that near the end of the show it closely resembled Z, most of the pervert nature of the show would be gone near the end. Why? I have no idea, but it would make a reappearance here and there near the end, but nothing like it was in the beginning. In fact, Z and GT would see virtually no humor of this type with the exception of Master Roshii. This show is sort of made up of three adventures involving the dragonballs. After each of these adventures there was a world martial arts tournament story. The first adventure involves a plucky teen named Bulma finding Goku and the two end up going on an adventure to find the dragonballs. They meet Yamcha here as well as Oolong and Puar. They also meet the nefarious Emperor Pilaf who has to be the funniest villain in the dragonball universe. This story would become Goku training under Master Roshii and meeting Krillan during the world martial arts phase. Then the Red Ribbon Army would be next as would be the meeting of Goku and Tien. Finally, Goku would have to face off against the evil King Piccolo in both the adventure and the tournament. Then for some reason the show keeps going on about five more episodes than it really needed to. Still, this one was fun and the fighting would become really cool near the end.

It's not an easy thing to do. But the Japanese can do it. Anime is very good in mixing stuff the right way. This is no exception. This anime is based on the popular manga, written by one of my favourite manga writers, Akira Toriyama, author of the hilarious Dr Slump manga. Dragon Ball is partly based on the old folklore tale of "Journey to the West," although I don't know much about the story, except that some of the characters in Dragon Ball were based on ones from the story. That is all I can really say on that.

The story revolves around a 12 year old monkey boy, named Son Goku, who meets up with a 16 year old girl named Bulma who is searching for seven mystical balls named Dragon Balls, which when gathered together, will summon the dragon god Shenlong, who will grant you any one wish. Throughout their adventures they meet many memorable characters, such as the perverted shapeshifting pig Oolong, the not so good around girls desert bandit Yamucha, and an old martial arts master, who's technique and strength is only matched by his appetite for pretty, young girls known as Muten Roshi. There are many great stories spanning across 153 episodes, including several Tenkaichi Budokai's (Known in the American version as The World Martial Arts Tournament.) An evil organisation bent on world domination (who cares if it's cliché, you can't go wrong with the classics) called the Red Ribbon Army, An ancient evil known as Piccolo Daimao, and many more. My personal favourite parts of the series were the Piccolo battles, and that's where the tone of the series changed to be slightly more dramatic. It's an excellent show because you also get to see the steady transformation of a gifted, and pure child into a martial arts genius.

People who are more used to the non-stop action of its successor Dragon Ball Z should be warned that this series focuses a lot more on humour on most parts, until later in the series. There are many great fights in the anime, they just aren't as frequent as Dragon Ball Z. But if you are a fan of action anime, I would still highly recommend this to you.

This show was taken to America and turned into a kids show, which is not how it should be seen. If you want to watch this anime, watch the DVDs with Japanese dialog with subtitles. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Masako Nozawa is great as Son Goku, and captures his personality perfectly. Even if you do want to watch it, you need to watch it on DVD, as the television version edits out anything that is even slightly adult. It's just way too G rated. The original version (mostly in the early episodes) is filled with toilet humour, sex jokes and nudity. I feel that that's the way the series was originally made, and it should have been kept that way, rather than focus on the younger audience. But it is a good thing that they did in a way, as the people who were fans of the dub at the young age can grow up and discover the original version, as I did.

The animation is nothing really to talk about. It started in 1986 and it was pretty standard animation for that time, in Japan anyway. There is nothing wrong with it, it's just not something to write home about. But in a way, I find that nice because it has an 80's feel to it. It doesn't take away from the quality in the least. The soundtrack of the series isn't bad, but tends to reuse music a lot throughout the series. I thought the Tenkaichi song played during the Jackie Chun fight was the best of the series, but the opening and closing themes were pretty good as well.

Even if you don't like the start I would recommend that you continue watching, as you may find you like it later on, partly because of the way the tone changes a little in later episodes, where it stops a lot of the toilet humour and sexual stuff (not all of it, just a fair bit) and focuses on more serious stuff, like death. All in all, I'd say this is a great way to introduce yourself to anime, or even just if you want something fun to watch. Don't watch it if you want a series that will make you think, because that isn't what this is for. The show is hilarious, and the action is great.

Now to bring up the subject of the new American live action movie that's coming in 2009. How do I feel about the concept? I have made no secret about my disliking for the way the American's have handled this anime. So am I excited about the movie? In short, definitely. Do I think it will be a good movie? Probably not. Do I think it will be a good adaption of the series? Bit of doubt there. But do I think it will be entertaining? Now that I can give a yes to. I don't expect quality cinema from the movie, and I don't expect a reflection of Dragon Ball, I just expect a fun movie that shares certain aspects of it, and from the casting work, I think they could do a pretty good job. I look forward to seeing how they do it, and I am definitely psyched to see a live action Son Goku and Piccolo duking it out, hopefully with some epic ki blasts. A huge Kamehameha wave or Mafuba by Chow Yun Fat should be worth the $10 admission fee alone. I can't wait to see it, and I hope it's good enough, and successful enough to be the start of a franchise. You know, I'm the sort of guy who will probably like it anyway.

I never had an interest in this series or the one that followed it. But after hearing so many good things about it. I decided to watch for myself. I read this is the first series that started it all. So here's what I learn from seeing all 153 episodes.

Dragonball takes place in an alternate earth that's nothing like ours. The humans live like we do, only they're accompany by dinosaurs, talking animals, and aliens. And most of the technology is years ahead of us. The whole plot focuses on Goku, a monkey tail boy who doesn't know he'll make a difference in the world. He encounters a teenage girl name Bulma, who is hunting down 7 dragon balls. Goku owns a dragon ball himself, which was once own by his grandfather. Goku didn't know what was so special about the balls, so Bulma told him what the story to it is.

The 7 Legendary shinny balls, known as Dragonballs have the ability to summon the eternal dragon when all of them are gathered together. The person who summons the dragon can get any wish he or she desires, and one wish only. Bulma has her own wish plan when she gets all 7 of the dragon balls, while Goku is interested in tagging along with Bulma on her journey. Because Bulma finds Goku to be of some use due to his inhuman strength.

During their quest, Goku & Bulma will meet new friends and allies. As well crossing paths with many enemies and those who plan to use the dragon balls for evil purposes. Later on Goku will hope to become stronger than he already is. In order to do so he does some difficult training in martial arts from Master Roshi(his grandfather's friend). Goku is already a born fighter which is yet to be unleashed once he passes the limits of a normal human, and compete in the following "World Martial Arts Tournament" to gain the title of World Champion. Goku is about to experience a journey that unpredictable to anyone.

I gotta admit, I actually do like Dragonball now, after seeing this whole series. Even though this is lighter than the following series. But I wanted know the characters, story, and locations more by seeing the beginning than the middle. I was entirely confused with this one and DragonBall Z(the series that follows). Which is probably because I was a little kid who didn't consider anime as worthy as American cartoons.

Unlike today, where I do consider anime a pleasure to behold. I regret not getting into Dragonball from the very beginning, but it's never too late to become a fan of a franchise that's been around way before I was born.

Enough of my lecturing there. Overrall Dragonball has originality, character development, humor, drama, and suspense that really kept it going. As well as a collection of movie parodies, Chinese related locations/themes, and the whole idea of Sci-Fi combined with Fantasy & Action. I can see why Eiichiro Oda of One Piece was so influenced by this series. Since he and the creator Akira Toriyama are best of friends.

After spending 3 months on this series, I'm gonna get started on DragonBall Z which succeeded even greater than it's proceeder.