Dragon Ball Z: Thoughts?

[TheHalfAasimar]

So, I just started reading DBZ (I'm at the part where Goku comes back to life, and Yamcha gets blown to pieces), and I was wondering, what did everyone else think of it?

[Rynjin]

Well, it's one of the most influential anime/manga of all time and was probably the major impetus for me being into anime as an adult so...it's okay I guess. =p

[KillianHawkeye]

So, I just started reading DBZ (I'm at the part where Goku comes back to life, and Yamcha gets blown to pieces), and I was wondering, what did everyone else think of it?

Dragonball was one of my first animes, my first manga, and the only one that I still care about after growing out of my "anime phase" years.

Did you also read Dragonball? Or did you just skip to DBZ? Are you reading it without ever watching the anime before?

Dragonball and Dragonball Z are actually one continuous story, if you weren't aware, so a lot of stuff like having a dragon that can bring people back to life is already getting glossed over by the time DBZ starts.

[Buufreak]

According to the 90s announcer voice, way back in the days of daily toonami, it was the greatest anime of all time. I occasionally ask the question if anyone has an example of something that has dethroned and taken the title. I've yet to get an answer saying otherwise.

[Dr.Samurai]

Well... I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that as a kid I happened to click to toonami and saw a couple of the characters fighting some stuff and being super fast with powerful martial arts and then shooting lasers out of their hands and I was blown away and instantly hooked. Watched religiously all the way up until the Buu saga.

Can't say enough about how amazing this anime was growing up.

#PiccoloFan4Life

[BloodSquirrel]

(I'm at the part where Goku comes back to life, and Yamcha gets blown to pieces),

You'll have to be more specific.

[Lord Raziere]

So, I just started reading DBZ (I'm at the part where Goku comes back to life, and Yamcha gets blown to pieces), and I was wondering, what did everyone else think of it?

In simplicity, it is iconic. it established and influenced so much anime and even non-anime stuff we know of today. It changed the very face of anime and in some ways, the world. Akira Toriyama's art work in the manga is so good in how it flows and how movement is portrayed that the authors of Naruto and One Piece were both inspired by it and considered Akira Toriyama a mentor and went onto become big names themselves. For better or worse, its originated many of the tropes we see in anime today. Its impact cannot be understated, for it is the Superman comics of anime and manga. It is not the deepest or most complex story by any means, but its simplicity is what makes it so understandable, accessible and beloved by many. As a writer and artist, there is much for me to learn from it to make my own works good, and I thank Akira Toriyama for giving it to the world, rest his soul.

[Vahnavoi]

I first saw Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z animes as a kid. Even then, it felt glacially paced. I only watched it because Power Rangers came next. Sailor Moon was the superior anime in every regard. The fight scenes on Namek were cool, though.

I started reading through the manga as an adult. It is, overall, a much smoother, better paced and coherent experience than the anime. Humour in the early parts is uneven, but the series picks up when the World's Strongest tournament is introduced. Piccolo saga, Saiyan saga and Namek saga are all great. The series starts losing steam during the Android and Cell sagas, where the plot gets a bit too convoluted and serious for its own good. Buu saga felt like a return to form and was a reasonably strong finish - much stronger than some later shounen series, notably Naruto and Bleach.

The old anime did eventually lead to Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, which is an awesome gag dub, humorously bringing the experience closer to reading the manga just by virtue of not taking so damn long to go anywhere.

[Ramza00]

Gohan good , also he needs so much friends and free therapy

[Lurkmoar]

Are you watching Kai? They re-cut it, so it's better paced, but some moments still felt padded out.

My personal thoughts are that it's a fun series, my only gripe is that Dragon Ball Super pretty much undoes the solid good-bye at the end (I know that DBZ has a more distant ending and Super could be squeezed into it, but that defeats the point of good-bye). Also, the Buu saga was weak imo, the only good part was giving Mr Satan some growth and showing how actual kindness can pay dividends. But that was undone by scum shooting a dog.

To say that Dragonball Z is popular/influential is an understatement. The story beats cross cultural barriers, the memes are still being repeated and Super Saiyan has been aped as a power up in numerous other fictional works.

[TheHalfAasimar]

Dragonball was one of my first animes, my first manga, and the only one that I still care about after growing out of my "anime phase" years.

Did you also read Dragonball? Or did you just skip to DBZ? Are you reading it without ever watching the anime before?

Dragonball and Dragonball Z are actually one continuous story, if you weren't aware, so a lot of stuff like having a dragon that can bring people back to life is already getting glossed over by the time DBZ starts.

Yeah, I started with the OG Dragon Ball manga, and continued on to Z.

Are you watching Kai? They re-cut it, so it's better paced, but some moments still felt padded out.

My personal thoughts are that it's a fun series, my only gripe is that Dragon Ball Super pretty much undoes the solid good-bye at the end (I know that DBZ has a more distant ending and Super could be squeezed into it, but that defeats the point of good-bye). Also, the Buu saga was weak imo, the only good part was giving Mr Satan some growth and showing how actual kindness can pay dividends. But that was undone by scum shooting a dog.

To say that Dragonball Z is popular/influential is an understatement. The story beats cross cultural barriers, the memes are still being repeated and Super Saiyan has been aped as a power up in numerous other fictional works.

No, I'm not watching it. I don't have Crunchyroll, so I can't really watch DBZ or DBZ: Kai

[Ramza00]

Are you watching Kai? They re-cut it, so it's better paced, but some moments still felt padded out.

My personal thoughts are that it's a fun series, my only gripe is that Dragon Ball Super pretty much undoes the solid good-bye at the end (I know that DBZ has a more distant ending and Super could be squeezed into it, but that defeats the point of good-bye). Also, the Buu saga was weak imo, the only good part was giving Mr Satan some growth and showing how actual kindness can pay dividends. But that was undone by scum shooting a dog.

To say that Dragonball Z is popular/influential is an understatement. The story beats cross cultural barriers, the memes are still being repeated and Super Saiyan has been aped as a power up in numerous other fictional works.

I hear they edited some of the good stuff out of the Android / Cell saga

[Lurkmoar]

I hear they edited some of the good stuff out of the Android / Cell saga

I've read the manga, watched the original Dragball Z anime and Kai. I can't recall if some good stuff was edited out, but my recollection (flawed and human that it is) was that Kai flowed fairly well.

[Wintermoot]

Dragonball and Dragonball Z are especially interesting to me because of the history of the various dubs and cuts.

You start with the non-dubbed original animation in Japanese, then in the 90s you get the Oceans Dub that originated on Toonami, then replaced with a different dub later on. Each "dub" cut different episodes differently, leaving some episodes out entirely.

then you get Kai, another cut that reduced the show tremendously.

So two people can both think they've seen "dragon ball z" and have completely different experiences and memories.

Perhaps this kind of thing is more common in dubbing anime than I think it is. But for me its an interesting phenomenon.

[Bartmanhomer]

Dragonball Z was my childhood. Nostalgic Throwback Powers Activate!

[MinimanMidget]

You know what, I'll be That Guy. I didn't watch DBZ as a kid. I did watch Dragon Ball as an adult, and it was fun at first, but the longer I watched, the more it dragged. By the time I got to the end, I had no desire whatsoever to watch DBZ, and given that even people who like it admit that it really drags things out, I've never been inclined to revisit that decision.

[Rynjin]

You know what, I'll be That Guy. I didn't watch DBZ as a kid. I did watch Dragon Ball as an adult, and it was fun at first, but the longer I watched, the more it dragged. By the time I got to the end, I had no desire whatsoever to watch DBZ, and given that even people who like it admit that it really drags things out, I've never been inclined to revisit that decision.

DBZ drags a lot, but Dragon Ball Z Kai fixes the pacing. Not as good as the manga obviously but a lot better.

[Psyren]

DBZ drags a lot, but Dragon Ball Z Kai fixes the pacing. Not as good as the manga obviously but a lot better.

I really, really hope we get Naruto Kai, Bleach Kai and, one day after the heat death of the universe, One Piece Kai!

[Rynjin]

I really, really hope we get Naruto Kai, Bleach Kai and, one day after the heat death of the universe, One Piece Kai!

I mean, they're doing a "One Piece Kai" already, I think the first episode drops next year?