Shounen Dragon Ball by Toriyama Akira

[Onomatopoeia]

Why do people always bash DBZ... is it because of the Anime?

 

[Imitorar]

I'm searching of a pic of Son-Goku in different clothes. He is wearing a Turban and a blue gi while carrying an umbrella. He is wearing it at Dragonball Ep. 133. I would like to find him with the turban and without?

What you're looking for is the outfit that Goku was wearing when he arrived at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament (or Tenkaichi Budokai, if you aren't using the American dub names). He only wore it for a few pages, though, but I could put them up for you. I warn you, though, they're in black and white, that chapter wasn't done in color. At least, I think it wasn't, I'd need to check the kanzenban to make sure.

EDIT: Alright, here you go. Page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5, page 6, page 7. Those are from kanzenban #12 or tankobon # 14, however you wanna divide it. The chapter wasn't in color, so neither was Goku or his outfit, so if you want color, the anime is the best you have. But those are all the pages in which Goku appears in that uniform in the series, I believe.

Why do people always bash DBZ... is it because of the Anime?

Mostly, yes. The manga's pacing was actually very good, whereas about a third of the anime was filler. I mean, take the Spirit Bomb (or the Genki Dama, if you're not used to the American dub names) that Goku used against Frieza. In the manga, it took about two chapters, one to charge it, and one to throw it and for it to hit Frieza. It was a humongous attack in a climactic fight, and there was some fighting and twists as it went on (whether or not Frieza would attack Goku and make him drop the attack), and the chapters flow smoothly and without dragging on at all. In the anime, that took about 3 episodes to happen. And an episode, when covering only canon material without dragging things out overmuch usually covers about 2 chapters, so that's 6 chapters worth of anime for about 2 chapters of manga, for a 1/3 canon-to-filler ratio for the anime. And that's consistent more or less throughout the series.

 

[Crude]

The original series (before Raditz's arrival) was better than DBZ in my opinion. Besides having a better pace and the fact that human characters weren't ignored, there was a lot more strategy and interesting (non-energy) attacks during fights. My favourite fight in the entire series has to be the final match between Goku and Tien. I loved the climax when Goku lost when he was hit by a car!

 

[Onomatopoeia]

The original series (before Raditz's arrival) was better than DBZ in my opinion. Besides having a better pace and the fact that human characters weren't ignored, there was a lot more strategy and interesting (non-energy) attacks during fights. My favourite fight in the entire series has to be the final match between Goku and Tien. I loved the climax when Goku lost when he was hit by a car!

I agree with you. Pre-Raditz I enjoyed the most.

I liked the King Piccolo arc the most in Dragonball. The Frieza Arc was very very good but I still don't think it measured up to the King Piccolo arc.

I felt that all the characters got time in the spotlight instead of Goku and Vegeta.

 

[Imitorar]

I dunno, I enjoy even what Dragon Ball became after the Saiyans. It really IS practically two different series', I easily understand why Toei decided to add the Z (what's funny is that Toriyama decided to differentiate between the two phases of the story by using the last letter of the alphabet because he wanted the series to end quickly. Things obviously didn't happen that way.)

The human characters slowly becoming obsolete didn't bother me in the Frieza saga, when most of them were dead anyway, and at least Krillin and Piccolo were still useful. By Cell it was worse, with not only Chiaotzu, but even Yamcha (he was done when he took Goku to get his medicine) and Tien (when he tried to hold off Cell with the Kikoho after Cell absorbed Android #17), and then even Krillin (when he tried to destroy Cell Perfect after Cell absorbed Android #18) slowly phased out of the story. But still, the generational "passing down the mantle" feel of the last three volumes of the Cell saga were enough for me, the series seemed supposed to focus more on the father-son relationships between Goku and Gohan, and Vegeta and Trunks, respectively. And there were only about 4 volumes between when Tien and Krillin were phased out and the end of the Cell saga, so the uselessness of the humans wouldn't have been so unbearable.

But the Buu saga... The fights were dull, the villain was a pointless combination of Cell and Frieza (the invulnerability of Cell, the imposingness of the Frieza), with no motivation or character, with Goku brought back to life in an extraordinarily idiotic way, Gohan's character altered and cheapened, the introduction of the Fusion crutch (the Super Saiyan crutch got bad enough), the further cheapening of Super Saiyan (the other three doing it was bad enough, Super Saiyan 2 was bad enough, but at least that had build up. Super Saiyan 3 came out of NOWHERE), the relative dullness of the story (neither the thrills and adventure of the Frieza saga or the original series, or the action and drama of the Cell saga), and an abysmally unsatisfying ending, etc. I could go on and on about how much I loathe the Buu saga.

To me, Dragon Ball may have begun to shift from adventure and comedy to action/adventure and drama, and then slowly to action and drama, but the shift somehow seemed smooth, and I enjoyed the series despite it becoming farther and farther from its original incarnation. There was always something that made the story riveting and compelling. At least, for the first 35 volumes. I try to ignore the existence of the last 7 volumes, the Buu saga. I mean, the Cell saga had such a conclusive and beautiful ending that it seemed a crime to push the series on further, especially when the stagnation ended up getting the point where there were few (if any) redeeming factors yet. I consider everything through Cell to be true Dragon Ball. As for Buu, well, I consider that to be a small step above Dragonball GT.

 

[Ulgen]

I agree with you Imitorar!
Dragonball was awesome. The storyline changed and unexpected things happened. The character Goku was always developing into a greater individual but at a certain point of Dragonball Z it was just that they created new power levels for the Saiyans. There was no adventure just simple fights. The combination of different asian legends, myths and so on was fantastic. Actually what I liked most in the whole story was that the ways of Goku, his friends and foes were always crossing. There was no one who suddenly popped up, died and the story was over. For example Emperor Pilaf is always a part of the DB Universe. He never really vanished. He is always coming back and it is always an amusement for the reader. In the storyline of Dragonball Z you have this also until a certain point but for me the best plot is in Dragonball.

 

[v3g374]

Guys! Does Anyone have High Quality scans of the Tank (full) covers?

 

[darkhawk5]

Re: Where to download Dragonball?

http://gotlurk.net/?action=dosearch

If they are the same ones I got off of there a couple years ago the quality is pretty bad, it'd be nice if someone scanlated the kanzenban edition tankoubons.

I'm working on Editing the Kanzenban as of now...I have a few chapters up already

 

[Sadaharu]

I watched this anime when I was young, and I was really into it. I even imitated the Kamehameha! Haha

Now I'm reading through the manga, but I realised that Volume 39 (RAW) is missing... Does anyone have it? If have please help upload.

Thanks!

 

[Freakzin]

what is up with the world. seriously...... I could become a kamikaze airplane pilot, if giving my life away 2 years ago at the filming of Dragon Ball Evolution, would prevent the movie from existing..

 

[Imitorar]

Yes, because abysmal movies are totally worth dying for... Seriously, people take the movie too seriously. Hollywood tried to cash in on a popular show, and made a miserable adaptation. Where's the surprise in this? Hollywood adaptations of cartoons have almost always gone badly, Japanese and American (Speed Racer apparently wasn't received so well either). They can do American comics pretty decently, and books are hit or miss (some of what people call the finest movies ever were based on books. Or we just get derivative, hacked up sludge.) But I don't think that there's ever been a cartoon movie that came out well. The only form of adaption that ever does worse is video game movies. Those are legendarily bad.

I'm past the point where I care about Evolutions anymore, except for a bit of hope that its sequels are a bit better and/or more faithful to the original story (I think I'd take either at this point). I'm just hoping that the critics don't decide to lambaste the actual manga and/or anime based on the abysmal story and characterization of the movie, because the original story, for all of its flaws, is far better executed than the movie, it's simply a more entertaining story. And even if the critics do lambaste it, so what? I know the original story and I love it, and I've got it lying in my closet, and that's enough for me.

...Yeah, these last two posts probably oughta be moved to the Dragonball: Evolutions thread in the Otaku Theater...

 

[DestyNova4th]

Dragon Ball consideration in the world?

Hi.

I would like to help me solve a doubt about the consideration of Dragon Ball in the world.

For 20 years, in Spain and Latin America, Dragon Ball is a fever. Many other series as Captain Tsubasa and Saint Seiya are remembered, but only Dragon Ball fandom is still alive (sometimes, it's really morbid o_OU).

My question is if in other countries Dragon Ball had a boom SO big, and if it continues today.

Thanks.

 

[BlackHair]

Hi, I'm living in Berlin, Germany.

Back in the day DB introduced me to the manga world. So I'm sincerely grateful for Toriyama. As to ur question, I'm not entirely sure whether DB still is a "fever" or not. Since I'm not watching ty in general anymore, except the news. However I can assure u that DB is still remembered.

You sure revived a long forgotten thread. I watched DB early 2000, so around 10 years ever since. I'm 25 now.. damn brings back some nostalgic memories.

 

[DestyNova4th]

What I mean with fever is that, for some examples, in Spain Dragon Ball has never ceased to broadcast on television, its fandom believe it's the greatest anime series of the history around the world surpassing even Naruto or One Piece even today, they use video games and merchandising as an argument that it's still alive, like that others did not exist, and every year (really!) there is fake rumors that Toriyama will returns to continue the manga. I wonder if something similar happens in other countries.

 

[RaveDragon]

What I mean with fever is that, for some examples, in Spain Dragon Ball has never ceased to broadcast on television, its fandom believe it's the greatest anime series of the history around the world surpassing even Naruto or One Piece even today, they use video games and merchandising as an argument that it's still alive, like that others did not exist, and every year (really!) there is fake rumors that Toriyama will returns to continue the manga. I wonder if something similar happens in other countries.

In Italy they broadcast it every year...almost

 

[REN KOUEN]

i love this manga and anime, it set the standard for action type comics and cartoons for the next generation , and to this point in my opinion it has yet to be surpassed

 

[ukimix]

Some real pics

Spoiler

 

[harukafebruary]

^
oh my, those are fabulous, they look so... alien...

anyway, i hope DB has more interactions between the characters in it and minor characters aren't just being a sidekick for the main character, just like how it throw yamcha away despite his important role in the beginning of the series. i still think it can be expanded so much

 

[SleipnirX]

Sorry to bump such an old thread, thought it would still be better than starting a new one though! This is my revisited series of the moment, I watched Z when I was much younger but didn’t find DB until quite a bit later. Both are pretty nostalgic series to me, but I’m going to try to give some thoughts sans the rose coloured glasses. Dragon ball holds up far better than Dragon ball Z imo, due in large part to the story being more of a conventional hero’s journey type thing. The vaguely Chinese aesthetic (from the JttW inspiration) gives the series a really nice feel, and the watercolour style backgrounds tie in nicely. The characters are as varied and entertaining as I remember them all to be. The start really feels like the beginning of a big adventure to explore the world, and this is something I appreciate as not all series actually nail this! Generally the pacing is quite good, you’re never kept waiting too long for a payoff.

Dragonball Z after so long and having seen the abridged series is agonising between flashes of greatness. It’s just too slow, it’s drawn out beyond all reason. I suppose Kai might help with this to some extent if I tried it? Overall by the time Z starts, you’ve lost much of the early series feel, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as there’s more to explore - in a way it keeps this second part feeling more fresh. The Frieza arc was again the best of the main 3 imo - the story is a different league to cell or buu, and the impact of finally coming up against Frieza after such a long buildup is still there - perhaps even more so when you know he well and truly lives up to the hype! Again, it’s just a shame about the screaming/ powering up sequences!