Review of Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Son Goku

Introduction

I`ve always been partial to a bit of Japanese animation. It`s a great story telling medium that has never been shy of challenging boundaries. That doesn`t mean that I`m not discriminating. For me, I find that there is a happy medium somewhere between the excessive use of tentacles and Power Rangers style childish stories. Dragonball Z is a popular children`s animation that I haven`t encountered until now, and I found myself hoping that it wouldn`t be another Pokemon. I needn`t have worried.

The Earth of the future is guarded by an eclectic bunch of superheroes led by the mighty Goku, with powers conferred by the seven crystal Dragonballs. When these balls are brought together, they summon an almighty dragon that has the ability to grant a single wish. This disc, Super Saiya Son Goku begins when Earth is threatened by a massive asteroid collision. Destroying this asteroid is out of the question as scans reveal that it is inhabited. Goku uses his abilities to deflect it, but that doesn`t stop the planet from being devastated by the intense gravitational forces, leaving it prone to invasion. That invasion comes of course from the inhabitants of the asteroid, and Emperor Slug, Master Of The Universe wishes to eliminate Earth`s inhabitants and turn the planet into an itinerant spaceship. Only one man can save the day.

Video

The picture is perfectly adequate 4:3 transfer. The image is sharp and colourful and on the whole quiet satisfactory. Naturally the animation isn`t up to the standards of a theatrical production, but certainly isn`t as static as the dismal Pokemon cartoons.

Audio

The sound is a DD 2.0 English mix, with no added bells and whistles and the dialogue is mostly clear and audible. There aren`t any subtitles and the dubbing is horrendous of course, that`s what I`m thinking mostly right now, anyway.

Features

The disc comes with four chapters and animated menus. There are also a couple of weblinks. Finally there are six digital representations of trading cards, with the Dragonball Z heroes and villains portrayed with their statistics on the flipsides. It`s interesting trivia to be sure, but somewhat difficult to play top trumps with.

Conclusion

This single disc is never going to bring Dragonball Z to life, 49 minutes isn`t enough to adequately be acquainted with all the characters, and joining a well-established series in the middle is rarely advisable. That said, this episode is quite fun, with the traditional art of Japanese action followed to perfection.

The good guys-bad guys dynamic is familiar to anyone who has seen any Saturday morning cartoons, and when the Emperor Slug assumes gargantuan proportions it comes as no surprise. It is strictly Power Rangers stuff, but accomplished with such style and energy to make it a cut above the rest. The characters are varied enough to be interesting and the story may be predictable but it`s not dull. It`s more violent than the usual toons we see today, and the good guys have no qualms about permanently despatching the villains, but older children will love it.

As part of a series, this disc would be of interest, but taken out of context by itself, at 49 minutes it`s too short for one thing (Two episodes could have been put on one disc), and it`s almost impossible to get into the characters.