Déjà veus.

Like season one, Dragon Ball Season Two’s packaging is very simple. The five DVDs come packaged in a blue fold-out box that utilizes the same recurring image of Krillin and a spread image on the interior of Shen Long. On the back of the slip cover is the series synopsis and a few screenshots from the show. The DVD menus also use images of Krillin (and other characters from the show) and have a very simple layout, along with background music from the show. The animation quality, while not sleek and stylized like today’s anime, is full of charm and beautiful backgrounds that have stood the show’s twenty-odd year existence. The English voice cast is amusing, but the original Japanese voice cast is where it’s at. The background music has also been restored to its original Japanese tracks rather than the edited English version. The colors have been greatly enhanced thanks to digital re-mastering, giving the show a fresh look and sound.

Treasure hunting.

In truth, the extra content for Dragon Ball is somewhat slim. Every disc offers a marathon play option that allows you to only see the opening and ending animations once throughout all episodes on the disc. On disc five there are textless versions of the opening and ending songs, as well as a small host of Funimation trailers. The best addition to the set, really, is the series guidebook that comes in the pocket inside the case. It offers character images and brief bios on protagonists and key sub-characters as well as the bad guys. It also has an episode list for the entire season with very brief descriptions of each episode. Not to mention the book also comes laden with images from the show. It’s a nice little gem in such a simple package, and yet the set doesn’t feel lacking at all.

I wish for…

Nothing. Dragon Ball is an absolutely charming series through and through. The action picks up in season two, but it doesn’t lose one ounce of the comedic relief and precociousness that the first season presented. The story remains adventure-oriented throughout, and is easy watching for any anime fan. Dragon Ball is a fun journey that has stood the tests of aging against ever-changing otaku tastes. It fits nicely into any anime collection, and is truly a must-have for nostalgia buffs (like myself) who value quality traditional-style anime.