I'm a relative latecomer to anime, not having gotten into it until college. Therefore I missed out on a lot of shows my peers saw as kids, and I'm only just getting to them now. I really enjoy Dragon Ball Z Kai, and because of it I decided to check out the original Dragon Ball. I realize I would have enjoyed it much more at say, ten, but even in my twenties I'm still excited for it. Anything important I should keep in mind or watch for or even look forward to? Anything I should try to avoid?
April 1, 2011 - 9:47pm
#1
First Time Dragon Ball Viewer...Any Thoughts?
This series is much more preverted than Z for one thing so watch out for that. Umm, this is a lot more comedy oriented. So don't expect lots of big fights till the last saga. And I don't really want to spoil anything for you, so just have fun and enjoy!
Thanks. Didn't know it was more perverted, but somehow that doesn't surprise me. Kind of a mercy that there aren't so many fights. I tried DBZ some time back, the original series, and the amount of time the fights took drove me crazy. Seriously, five episodes dedicated to the hero/villain thinking to himself how hard the fight is going to be and yelling loudly to power up, and then finally they punch...and the punch happens in another three episodes, as they slo-mo it, everyone discusses their thoughts on the power level, the villain expresses his surprise, etc. I much prefer Kai. Some of the fights are long, but at least they get to the point and actually make stuff happen. Like I said in my original post, I would have probably appreciated a lot about this series when I was about ten and still willing to tolerate things like the Power Rangers. I would also have probably gotten into anime much sooner. As it was I didn't even get into Pokemon until high school.
I really liked Dragon Ball. Goku is the main hero of course, but his power level is not insanely over powered like it does in Z or GT. There are decent fights. They are tournaments. So I really think you will enjoy this series...
I'm enjoying it so far. I marathoned all of season 1 this weekend and started on Season 2. I have a vague idea what will happen, at least with some stuff, but what I'm really looking forward to is later in the series, when Piccolo shows up. I love him in DBZ/Kai, he's one of my favorite characters, and I want to see what he was like when he was actually evil, rather than merely grumpy. I also want to see how Goku met people like Tien and Chiaotsu (still not sure what on earth he(or she?) is, though that doesn't seem to be a big concern in general in this series) and where Kami and Mister Popo come into things. I also want to see Goku fight more in the tournament, I've only seen the first tournament. I kind of feel bad for Krillin though...trying to prove himself alongside all these people who are in some way outside the norm, and he's just a regular guy. He's still kind of in jerk mode, though he's at least showing Goku respect and friendship at this point, instead of trying to be better than him.
Ah yes. The characters. You will see their origins and some of their back stories in Dragon Ball. Its really interesting how Goku meets all of them. Especially Krillin. I really like Krillin and you will see that their first meeting, not spoiling anything, is very interesting.
My favorite character is Goku, so Dragon Ball will always be my favorite of all. I like to call Z "Waiting for Goku".
I was in the same boat as you with the DB universe. All my friends had already watched all of it and it was in reruns by the time I decided to give it a whirl on Toonami.
Then FUNimation made the DB box sets, and now everything makes sense.
Yeah, the fights in Z take forever, but there are awesome filler episodes.
I'e gotten past the point where Goku meets Krillin already, and considering who Krillin is to me now, in Kai, I'm kind of surprised at what a little conniving jerk he was at the beginning, seeking to outshine Goku. I don't blame him, certainly, since Goku comes off as so naive and inexperienced, but at the same time I feel bad for Krillin, trying to show up a Saiyan and not understanding how Goku could be that much stronger than he is. I'm starting to meet the Red Ribbon army people now, and I was very amused by Android 8 in that one tower. How do all these people know about the Dragon Balls anyway? When do we start learning about Kami?
Kami doesn't come into play until the tale end of the series. I believe he's first mentioned in Episode 123 or somewhere around there. The Piccolo Daimao arc is my favorite of the original series due to the fact that we are introduced to the first real "super" villain of the series. It is also where the comedic playfulness of the earlier arcs gives way to the more action oriented style seen in Dragon Ball Z.
Dragonball itself is more fantasy-ish and mysterious than Z or GT are, due to the fact that Akira Toriyama based the story on the novel Journey to the West, whereas Z took a sci-fi theme.
Currently watching: Berserk, Fairy Tail, Bleach, Naruto Shippuden, One Piece, Ghost in the Shell, Yugioh: Zexal, Yugioh GX, Gun X Sword
Currently playing: Final Fantasy IX
Good to know about when Kami comes about. I'm really looking forward to Piccolo and the more serious tone. I mean, it's fun and cute right now, but the action is also along the lines of fun and cute, and I kind of want some more hardcore stuff. Again though, a lot of this stems from having been watching Kai, where every major battle or arc seems to threaten the destruction of the world or the death of a favorite (or at least semi-main) character...not that death really seems to bother most people in this universe, they seem to have a knack for finding the loopholes to get back.