Dragon Ball

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.

As a fan of Manga and Anime, I really enjoyed the Dragonball TV series, but I thought it could have done a lot better, but before I get to that, let me just explain one thing about the show.

DRAGONBALL IS NOT A KIDS SHOW! Some of the content of the show is not suitable for children, particularly the uncut Japanese version. The English translation does try to clean it up a bit, but it still contains some things anyone under 10 shouldn't be exposed to. For example, one character (Oolong) attempts to "have his way" with another while she sleeps (although in the English version he was just after the Dragonballs) and in several episodes we see some of the male characters nude.

OK, that's cleared up, so what's the show about? The series is based on the manga by Akira Toriyama, which was based on a Chinese legend, and follows the Adventures of Son Goku, a child with incredible powers. Goku meets Bulma, a 16 year old girl, who is looking for the Dragonballs, magical relics that, when all 7 are united, can summon Shenlon (Shenron in the English versions), who can grant 1 wish. Goku agrees to give Bulma his Dragonball (which he calls "Grandpa as it is the only thing he has that reminds him of his Grandpa, Son Gohan) only if he can join her. But they are not the only ones after the Dragonballs.

While Dragonball offers some entertainment (although it does get better as it goes along), the Manga was far better. This maybe because the manga series was just straight-ford, while the anime goes of the track a bit with pointless episodes that weren't featured in the manga. That and the extra scenes that try to develop the characters we don't really care about.

Apart from that, the series is fun and never takes itself seriously. Any Dragonball Z fans who haven't seen Dragonball should do so.

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.

I have watched this show and i guarantee its good. Well it may start off a little slow but it gets really good. It's child friendly and adults will enjoy it too. Like Dragonball Z and Dragonball Gt it will keep your interest. The fighting and powers of the warriors can keep children and adults all over the world amused. The show does have a little bit humor to it than the other two series, but thats what it was originally created for. The humor doesn't stop the show from having a good plot. Throughout the show they have great adventures and they always meet new allies and villains. To the last comment, I wouldn't say that your comment wasn't true, but I don't want to say it was true. The creators have made special uncut versions, but those must be bought on DVD or VHS. The edited version airs on television. They just wouldn't put extreme adult content on a show for children. So, what if a few of the characters like girl magazines and one is obsessed with females its all part of the humor. There are no female body parts that are revealed in the show, not even on the uncut versions. So, when i was reading the last comment I figured that the person who wrote must be misjudged. Watch the edited version. If you are not offended by anything enjoy the uncut version which is more adult oriented.

Dragonball is one of the best cartoons ever made. Dragonball Z is a bit disapointing compared to this one. Dragonball tells the story of Son Goku, a kid with a tail(?), who's origin is really explained only on Dragonball Z, and the story is all made up around 7 crystal balls that when all are together, allow you to ask any wish to the Dragon. It doesn't have all those "Super" stuff of Dragonball Z, all characters have different combat tactics and special moves, and they obtain their skills through hard training and not fury or spells. For Dragonball Z fans, if you want to see Bulma still young and more beautiful, Yamcha still an honourable fighter and Piccolo a bad guy, you have to see this!