Family issues
In this edition of Dragon Ball Z we get a wonderful look into Goku’s character, and especially his family. The set starts out explaining what happened to his father, and moves into how Goku was as a child. It’s a great introduction and in a way it’s a reboot of past DBZ episodes. What’s surprising about this introduction is that it’s told just well enough to get the point across. It’s not too short, it doesn’t go into some long explanation about how Goku came to be; the introduction is a perfect amount of length to start the overall arcing story.
I know it seems like nothing special, but think about this for a second. For a non-DBZ person, like yours truly, I had no problem settling into the characters and immediately familiarizing myself with what the heck is going on. That is a great sign of strong storytelling and that’s how it begins.
Alright, now into the gritty portion of this review. After a great introduction, the story begins with Goku and his son Gohan. Strolling out to visit their friends, they soon find themselves face to face with a new enemy; this time it’s family. Goku’s long lost brother, Raditz, visits earth to find Goku and convince him to join his band of powerful Saiyan. On top of this, Raditz wants Goku to explain himself in regards to why Earth isn’t obliterated yet (more specifically the earthlings). Confused and not liking what Raditz is asking/demanding, Goku refuses to be a part of the team, which leads Raditz to kidnap Gohan and force Goku’s hand. Due to Raditz’s powerful level of energy, Goku is at his mercy. Thanks to the most unlikely of help, King Piccolo, Goku goes after Raditz and does some major sacrificing to defeat Raditz.
Folks, that’s just the beginning. Having defeated Raditz, and saving his son in turn, the story arcs into the ‘coming’ of Raditz’s partners to do what Goku couldn’t; they’re coming to destroy earth. The team, and Piccolo, must prepare for what could be the end of earth and its inhabitants.
It has been a while since I’ve been this intrigued with an anime. Like I stated before, I felt the quick character development was solid at the beginning. Once that was established all the story had to do was develop a solid, arcing storyline that never faltered. Guess what? That’s exactly what you get. With a mix of typical DBZ comedy (no, they don’t show the 20th Century Fox movie) and a good portion of emotionally charged moments, Dragon Ball Z Kai really delivers a memorable, smooth flowing story that makes you beg for more towards the end.
I’m dying to give you more details about the series, but I’m afraid it might give too much away. Just trust me a bit, you’re not going to expect what is delivered in the first DVD. How it ends is what’s even more intriguing and fascinating. Better yet, the build itself to the end of the set is what will make you come back for more.
Shifting gears just slightly, you’ll be impressed with the detail and beauty of the animation that is delivered to you on these DVDs. Sure it’s not Blu-ray (that is available), but it’s very crisp and clean stuff. Of course, the best part about this is the voice-over acting and how strong the audio comes through a 5.1 system. You can’t ask for much better when it comes to anime and those two particular aspects of presentation.
The downer in this DVD set is the lack of special features. For such a well made release, I assumed that there would be features packed in. Hell, it would have been great to see some interviews with the creator or the actors. Anything but textless songs and trailers.
That’s the only sour spot of the Dragon Ball Z Kai set.