"Dragon Ball Z: Doragon bôru zetto" (1989) TV series 1989-1996

Director:

Minoru Okazaki

Writers:

Katsuyuki Sumizawa (writer)
Akira Toriyama (story)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | unknown

Release Date:

26 April 1989 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

Seven for a wish.

Plot:

Five years after the end of "Dragonball", Son Gokû reunites with his friends, bringing along his four-year old son Gohan...

Plot Keywords:

Warrior | Fight | Idealism | Mass Murder | Villain

Cast

Jôji Yanami	...	Narrator / ... (291 episodes, 1989-1996)
Masako Nozawa	...	Son Gokû / ... (290 episodes, 1989-1996)
Mayumi Tanaka	...	Kuririn / ... (243 episodes, 1989-1996)
Ryô Horikawa	...	Vegeta (219 episodes, 1989-1996)
Toshio Furukawa	...	Piccolo (207 episodes, 1989-1996)
Hiromi Tsuru	...	Bulma (181 episodes, 1989-1996)
Takeshi Kusao	...	Trunks / ... (144 episodes, 1989-1996)
Daisuke Gôri	...	Mister Satan / ... (129 episodes, 1989-1996)
Naoko Watanabe	...	Chi-Chi / ... (120 episodes, 1989-1996)

Runtime:

25 min (291 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Brazil:12 | Brazil:Livre (cut) | USA:TV-Y7 (cut US version) | West Germany:12 | USA:TV-PG (uncut US version)

Company:

Bird Studios

Trivia:

The character of the Grand Kai is mentioned in the original manga, but never seen. He appears in the anime only. Thus, the existence of this character in the anime is canon to Toriyama's original manga, but the portrayal is not necessarily canon.

Goofs:

Plot holes: In the original Dragon Ball, it was stated that the Eternal Dragon can grant any wish. However, in Z it is made clear that the Dragon can't grant wishes that exceed the Earth Guardian's power.

Quotes:

Vegeta: [after killing Android 19] Too Bad! I only wish that there was a junkyard, so could give him a proper burial.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Cha-La Head-Cha-La

A really cool show.

It may have been years since this ORIGINALLY came out, but to most of us Americans, the show is brand new material. Sometimes people may say the shows tend to "drag on," but this is a clever way to keep you begging for more and tuning in again and again. Also, the characters actually develop and change throughout the series, unlike some other shows. The american translated versions may lose something in the translation, but the show is still a very cool show, and I hope Cartoon Network picks up the entire seven year run of the series. The adjusted script makes some previously "possibly offensive" terms absent, replacing them with less intimidating terms like "bully." But this show IS for kids, and if they didn't take away some terms, it wouldn't air. Then we would be stuck buying the videos for $15.00 a piece instead of taping entire sagas for free. ;) The voice actors aren't spectacular, but they get the point across and tell a good story. The storylines are intriguing and make you want to watch every last episode to see what happens next. The show, despite it's older animation techniques, is still a good looking animated piece. I watch the series everyday on Cartoon Network when they air two episodes side-by-side (which makes since seeing as how the show moves along so slow). The show is divided into "sagas" or series of episodes telling a certain story. My favorite sagas are the Saya-jin Saga, Frieza Saga, Garlic Jr. Saga, Android Saga, and the Cell Saga. I hope this show keeps airing again and again. It's truly remarkable.