 |
Dragon Ball: Season One
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
DVD Cover InformationBrand: Funimation DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language); English (Original Language); English (Dubbed) Format: Animated, Box set, Color, Full Screen, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 745 minutes DVD Release Date: 2009-09-15 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: Funimation Product features: - The greatest adventure of all time begins now!Goku may be small, but this fearless warrior packs a punch as powerful as any on the planet. Left alone after his grandfather s death, this unusual boy is happy to spend his days hunting and eating and eating some more. But everything changes on the day he meets Bulma a bossy, blue-haired beauty with boys on the brain. Together, they set out to track d
Movie Reviews of Dragon Ball: Season OneMovie Review: Enjoyable, addicting and absolutely awesome! Summary: 5 Stars
It's the series that started it all... "Dragon Ball". Originally, a manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama for "Shonen Jump", the manga series lasted from 1984 through 1995 and since the manga series has produced several anime series which include "Dragon Ball", "Dragon Ball Z", "Dragon Ball GT" and currently in Japan, a new HD broadcasting of "Dragon Ball Kai" and in 2009, an American live action film titled "Dragonball Evolution" was released worldwide.
"Dragon Ball" is the first arc of the series which aired in Japan from 1986 through 1989 and lasted for 153 episodes. The series was released by Harmony Gold USA in the late 80's and then by FUNimation Entertainment in 1995 and uncut episodes were released on DVD in 2003.
But now the episodes will be released in the USA for the first season of "Dragon Ball" for the first time uncut, remastered and digitally restored.
"Dragon Ball - Season One" features a total of 31 episodes on five DVD's. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:
DISC 1:
* EPISODE 1- Secret of the Dragon Balls - Bulma and Goku meet for the first time.
* EPISODE 2- The Emperor's Quest - Another group looking for the Dragon Balls.
* EPISODE 3 - The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi - Goku tries to help a turtle get to his home.
* EPISODE 4 - Oolong the Terrible - Bulma and Goku find a Dragon Ball in a nearby village but the village has been terrorized by something called Oolong the Terrible.
* EPISODE 5 - Yamcha the Desert Bandit - Yamcha, the bandit from the desert challenges Goku.
* EPISODE 6 - Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls - Oolong joins Bulma and Goku on their quest for the Dragon Balls.
* EPISODE 7 - The Ox-King on Fire Mountain - The next Dragon Ball may not be easy to find especially since its located inside the home of the Ox-King.
DISC 2:
* EPISODE 8 - The Kamehameha Wave - Goku and Chi Chi go to Master Roshi for help to calm the fire at Fire mountain.
* EPISODE 9 - Boss Rabbit's Magic Touch - While at another village, a rabbit turns Bulma into a carrot. Will Goku be able to beat this troublesome rabbit.
* EPISODE 10 - The Dragon Balls are Stolen - Emperor Pilaf and his group try to steal the Dragon Balls from Bulma.
* EPISODE 11 - The Penalty is Pinball - Emperor Pilaf traps the Goku and friends in a game of pinball.
* EPISODE 12 - A Wish to the Eternal Dragon - Who will make the wish to Shenlong after the Dragon Balls are gathered.
* EPISODE 13 - The Legend of Goku - Bulma and Oolong learn why Grandpa Gohan told Goku not to look at the moon.
* EPISODE 14 - Goku's Rival - Goku meets his rival/training partner Krillin.
DISC 3:
* EPISODE 15 - Look Out for Launch - Goku and Krillin must find a date for Master Roshi in order to receive training.
* EPISODE 16 - Find that Stone! - Goku and Krillin continue to train while the woman Launch has a secret.
* EPISODE 17 - Milk Delivery - Goku and Krillin delivery milk as part of their training.
* EPISODE 18 - The Turtle Hermit Way - Will Goku and Krillin survive Master Roshi's training.
* EPISODE 19 - The Tournament Begins - Goku and Krillin take part in their first World Martial Arts Tournament.
* EPISODE 20 - Elimination Round - Goku and Krillin take on their first opponents in the tournament.
* EPISODE 21 - Smells Like Trouble - Krillin must go against the very smelly and foul Bacterian.
DISC 4:
* EPISODE 22- Quarterfinals Begin - Yamcha fights an old man named Jackie Chun in the tournament.
* EPISODE 23 - Monster Beast Giran - Goku takes on the frightening beast Giran in the tournament.
* EPISODE 24 - Krillin's Frantic Attack! - Krilllin takes on Jackie Chun in the semi-finals of the tournament.
* EPISODE 25 - Danger From Above - Goku takes on Nam in the semi-finals of the tournament.
* EPISODE 26 - The Grand Finals - The finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament featuring Goku vs. Jackie Chun.
* EPISODE 27 - Number One Under the Moon? - When a full moon comes out during the tournament, Goku changes to an ape.
* EPISODE 28 - The Final Blow - Jackie Chun must end the battle with Goku (in ape form) before anyone gets killed.
DISC 5:
* EPISODE 29 - The Roaming Lake - Goku looks for his grandfather's Dragon Ball.
* EPISODE 30 - Pilaf and the Mystery Force - While Emperor Pilaf and his group search for the Dragon Ball, so is the mysterious Red Army.
* EPISODE 31- Wedding Plans? - One of the Dragon Balls is in the possession of the Ox-King and with Goku to return, will it be a grand wedding for Goku and Chi Chi?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
When I first saw "Dragon Ball", it was probably back in 1992 and the quality of this raw Japanese video was so rough and hard to watch, it was just bad. Several years later, I was able to catch the first few episodes that aired on television but the problem was that the schedule was inconsistent and our television network was quite bad.
So, it is great to see this uncut, remastered and digitally restored version on DVD. Presented in its original format of 4:3, one thing I noticed is how good this anime series looked on DVD. The series is nearly 25 years old and just watching it, FUNimation Entertainment did a great job in bringing this series out and making it look very good with only a hint of dust particles and scratches but for the most part, this remastered version definitely looked very good on DVD.
As for the audio, similar to the recent FUNimation Entertainment "Dragon Ball Z" and "Dragon Ball GT" releases, the English voice track with original Japanese music comes in 5.1 Surround, while the Japanese voice track is in its original Japanese mono. I watched both English and Japanese and of course, there are some changes in the English dialogue (ie. Master Roshi and in the Japanese track, Kamesama Sennen) and grew up watching the original Japanese version but for the most part, I have enjoyed the "Dragon Ball Z" and "Dragon Ball GT" dubwork that I found the English dubwork for "Dragon Ball" to be quite solid. Dialogue is clear and understandable and for audio settings, for both audio tracks, I found the best setting for me was to select on my receiver "Stereo on all Channels".
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Dragom Ball - Season One" comes with the textless opening and closing theme songs and FUNimation Entertainment trailers.
JUDGMENT CALL:
Enjoyable, addicting and absolutely awesome!
That's how I felt after watching the first season of "Dragon Ball". I thought it was absolutely fabulous that the FUNimation Entertainment has released the series uncut, remastered and digitally restored but to also release the first 31 episodes as a box set like they did with "Dragon Ball Z" and "Dragon Ball GT". For fans of any of the "Dragon Ball" series, not so long ago, it cost a lot of money just to purchase separate volumes of the series (which typically came with only a few episodes) and now, here we are several years later and definitely getting our money's worth.
Also, to watch this series once again, not only was it a nostalgic time for me, it was just great to see the episodes and watching how fun, humorous and action-packed they were. Each episode was absolutely addicting and it was great seeing how awesome of a fighter Master Roshi (Kamesama Sennen) was back then and just seeing how the story evolved pre-Dragon Ball Z. Also, to see Bulma and Yamcha during their younger years was fun as well.
Although "Dragon Ball" is not as intense or action-oriented like "Dragon Ball Z", the series still manages to capture a lot of action and although this is Goku when he was much, much younger, even then, he was no slouch and had very good fighting ability. And there was more emphasis on the storyline as well.
For parents wondering about the TV 14 rating, part of it is because Goku is nude quite a few times and also, when he finds out that females are not the same as males (and he hasn't been around humans all that long), Goku tends to touch people in the crotch to see if they are male or female. Also, during Krillin's fight with Bacterium, there are things that the opponent does that you will never seen in a television series, let alone an animated series. And the characters of Oolong and even Master Roshi are characters that are quite perverted.
As for the DVD, as mentioned, this is the best I have seen "Dragon Ball" look and 31 episodes for the first volume is pretty much a bargain for what it's sold for. Granted, I wish there were some special features included outside of textless theme songs but overall, you're getting your money's worth with these box set releases.
Granted, if I had to find a negative and wanted to be nitpicky, I can easily complain that the fifth disc only contains three episodes and that the Japanese audio track was not in Dolby Digital 5.1 but truthfully, 31 episodes is still plentiful and for purists, you do get the Japanese audio track in its original mono format. Really, there is nothing I can really complain about this release. It's a very solid release that is affordable and just worth it!
Overall, "Dragon Ball - Season One" is another wonderful release from FUNimation Entertainment. Fans of any of the "Dragon Ball" series will definitely want to make sure this one is in their collection. Highly recommended!
Summary of Dragon Ball: Season OneThe greatest adventure of all time begins now! pGoku may be small, but this fearless warrior packs a punch as powerful as any on the planet. Left alone after his grandfather?s death, this unusual boy is happy to spend his days hunting and eating and eating some more. But everything changes on the day he meets Bulma ? a bossy, blue-haired beauty with boys on the brain. Together, they set out to track down the seven magic Dragon Balls and make the wish that will change their lives forever. And that?s just the beginning! Goku also spends some time on Turtle Island where he and Krillin study martial arts under the legendary Master Roshi. The old hermit may not look like much, but if his new pupils can find him a woman, he?ll make sure they?re ready to rumble at the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament! Season One of Dragon Ball is a must-have for everyone from the die-hard fan to the next generation of collectors. In 1986, the animated adaptation of Akira Toriyama's manga Dragon Ball debuted on Japanese television, launching one of the most popular franchises in anime history. Dragon Ball introduced a special mixture of male bonding, rigorous training, martial arts fighting, slapstick comedy, and sci-fi action that scored a huge hit with boys and led to the follow-ups Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT--and numerous imitators. A small boy from another planet, Goku commands super-human strength, but he was raised in the remote mountains by an old man and he knows little of the world. Goku meets Bulma, who's trying to assemble the seven magical Dragon Balls so she can wish for a boyfriend. The naive boy and the hot-tempered girl join forces, then form a quarrelsome alliance with Oolong, the shape-shifting pig, and Yamcha, a dashing bandit with a metamorphic familiar, Puar. The heroes compete for the Dragon Balls against the pint-sized Emperor Pilaf (who wants to rule the world). After defeating Pilaf, Goku goes to study martial arts with Master Roshi, a lecherous but extraordinarily skilled old man. Goku and fellow student Krillin develop formidable powers that they use in the World Martial Arts Tournament. These episodes set the pattern for Dragon Ball and numerous other series: humans and creatures of all description train endlessly, then gather to pound the ramen out of each other before an audience. Naturally, the hero wins in an extended final match. The first adventures are lighter in tone and more broadly comic than the beginning of the darker Red Ribbon Saga. For years, the first13 episodes of Dragon Ball were only available in the U.S. in the heavily edited set Saga of Goku, to the chagrin of the fans. Following their successful release of the complete Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, Funimation is presenting Dragon Ball uncut and digitally restored. The series probably looks better now than it did when it premiered, as it was reportedly filmed in 16mm. Note: The sight of the prepubescent Goku and Krillin running around naked doesn't bother Japanese audiences. (Rated TV 14, but appropriate for ages 12 and up: nudity, risqué and toilet humor, cartoon violence, ethnic stereotypes, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon (1. Secret of the Dragon Balls, 2. The Emperor?s Quest, 3. The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi, 4. Oolong the Terrible, 5. Yamcha the Desert Bandit, 6. Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls, 7. The Ox-King on Fire Mountain, 8. The Kamehameha Wave, 9. Boss Rabbit?s Magic Touch, 10. The Dragon Balls Are Stolen, 11. The Penalty Is Pinball, 12. A Wish to the Eternal Dragon, 13. The Legend of Goku, 14. Goku's Rival, 15. Look Out for Launch, 16. Find That Stone! 17. Milk Delivery, 18. The Turtle Hermit Way, 19. The Tournament Begins, 20. Elimination Round, 21. Smells Like Trouble, 22. Quarterfinals Begin, 23. Monster Beast Giran, 24. Krillin's Frantic Attack! 25. Danger From Above, 26, The Grand Finals, 27. Number One Under The Moon? 28. The Final Blow, 29. The Roaming Lake, 30. Pilaf and the Mystery Force, 31. Wedding Plans?)
|
 |