Excellent job with this review. I've only seen snippets of the original Dragonball and I would echo your thoughts almost completely. A good, concise review is always welcome and I'm sure one as well written as this may sway a few people into giving this one a shot. Keep it up.
Dragon Ball tv Review
Dragon Ball is a 42 volume manga by Akira Toriyama that ran from 1984 to 1995.
The story follows Son Goku in a tale reminiscent of the 16th-century Chinese legend Journey to the West.
Beginning with Goku as a child, the story traces his life all the way to him becoming a grandfather.
Dragon Ball is about the warrior Saiyan race, the defense of Earth, and the search for the Dragon Balls that will allow
any wish to be granted for the person who can gather all seven.
Dragon Ball Z is the second portion of the anime and follows Goku's adult life, later edited and remastered into Dragon Ball Kai.
Dragon Ball GT follows Dragon Ball Z and is not based on the manga.
Note: The characters' Super Saiyan transformations are listed under their respective character's tag.
Description by DokiDokiChan.
Story & Characters
Ah Dragon Ball. One of the arguably most well known animes out there. Although most seem to prefer the larger fights and more numerous explosions of the sequel, there is no denying that the original story has a certain charm about it. From the very first episode the audience almost can't help but become endeared to Son Goku, the funny little boy with the tail. While most animes these days have a darker undertone, Dragon Ball is, for the most part, extremely light and whimsical. The story never takes itself too seriously, and is better off for that fact. The cast only helps convey this message. Along with the goofy Son Goku we have the selfish and prissy Bulma, the shapeshifter Oolong the pig (in more than one sense of the term), the Desert Bandit Yamcha who happens to have a phobia of pretty girls, and his partner Puar, a graduate of the shape shifting academy that Oolong flunked out of. Joining cast members include the perverted hermit Turtle Master Roshi and the mysterious and dangerous pair of Chiaotzu and Tien. Most of the time the plot revolves around either trying to find all of the mystical Dragon Balls that will grant the holder of all 7 with a wish, or the World Martial arts tournaments. Either way the plot is never too bogged down in much detail, allowing for almost anyone to easily tune in and enjoy. From the first Dragon Ball rally against the evil bungler Emperor Pilaf, to the later sagas where the gang faces off against the otherworldly demon king Piccolo and his offspring. All the meanwhile the gang manages to find themselves in their fair share of humours - and dangerous - predicaments. All in all the story holds up rather well considering the age of the series, and that's why it earns an 8.
Rating:
Art
Although the art certainly shows its age, it also holds testament as to just how great that the series creator, Akira Toriyama, was at designing characters and settings for use in the series. From the familiar orange ki that bares the mark of Goku's first mentor, Roshi, to the majesty and terror of the eternal dragon Shenlong, all of it is done in that timeless style that has made Akira Toriyama so well known over the years in so many circles. Now granted the backgrounds are not as fully fleshed out as the ones that audiences might come to expect these days, and the art style is rough at times, almost seeming to fail to deliver on the more action packed sequences, but overall the art is strong and fits the concept of the anime rather well. Details on the characters are also paid due attention, from sweat that comes off of the characters in the middle of fights, to cuts and scraps and bruises, are in there. The ever present over exaggeration is also abundant here, with plenty of giant sweatdrops and popping eyes to be seen throughout the series. While not for everyone, these do help keep the mood light during times when it starts getting a little too serious. The fight scenes, although sometimes not done proper justice by the animation of the time, are still extremely well done and entertaining, even if they aren't as overtly action packed as those found in DBZ. With this in mind the art is perhaps showing it's age a shade more than the story is, but nonetheless it is still a fine example of what, at the time, was cutting edge work.
Rating:
Sound
If there is a weak point to the series, it would have to be the sound. The voice acting is actually rather well done, at least in the English version of the anime, with the actor playing Son Goku managing to capture his innocence and naivety about the world outside his mountain home. The rest of the cast is done just as well, with Bulma coming off as the spoiled rich kid and Oolong being the pig he is. Even villians like Pilaf and Piccolo are well done, with the first being more comical than menacing, and the latter being the most imposing character in the entire run of the series. The sound effects are also well done and fit rather well, from the zings and zooms of the ki blasts, to the landing of punches and kicks and cheers of the audience in the Worlds Martial Arts Championships, everything is well represented. The main problem then, comes in the background music, which in my opinion seems to lack variety and is sometimes too light hearted. I know that I said eariler that this series was meant to be light and easy to get into and watch, but to here such happy music, even during a climactic battle it just feels far too cheerful for its own good. Mind you most of the time when it's used as travelling or comedic music it works just fine, but something just a little more appropriate for at least the main fights would have been greatly appreciated, as well as a greater selection in the music overall. Despite this fact the music is good for what it is and the time it was made, so it still gets and above average mark in the end.
Rating:
Presentation
Overall, the Dragon Ball series is the first in a line of wildly successful series of anime that took the world by storm. Unfortunately it is often forgotten in favour of the more heavily saturated sequel, Dragon Ball Z, or shrugged off as too campy to be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 11. This simply isn't true, and doesn't do the series that launched the phenomenon justice. While it may be overly cute at times, and never horribly complex or intriguing, it is throughly enjoyable even today, 20 years after the original series started it's run on networks over in Japan. It stands as a reminder of a simpler time in anime, when everything was rather generally black and white, and people could cheer for the good guys no matter what, for many, it's also a reminder of the magic and whimsy of childhood, and of learning about the world outside your doorstep for the first time in your life. It's bright, colourful, shiney, and might just give you cavities, but that's why the series made such an impact then, and continues to give it the appeal that lasts to this very day. It is truly a series that has withstood the test of time, and that is perhaps the most important thing to take into account when looking at a series like this.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.5000 (good)
Reviewed by Thegman, Mar 13, 2006
Comments
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shoujoboy Mar 13, 2006
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shiluozhiyi Mar 14, 2006
love dragon ball soooooooooo much
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rukasu04 Mute Member Feb 08, 2010
Nice review
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hitsu-chan Jul 20, 2011
ooh, one of my first animes... sure I liked it back then but now... ^_^"
anyway, nice review, thx -
angelxxuan Banned Member May 20, 2012
not a bad review, I mean there are a lot of characters but the plot is sort of repetitive after awhile. sure the anime should pass into legend and it did start, rather, jump start the legend which followed into Z but you did a good job with this one.
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