Postby cbwing0 » Wed Jan 21, 2004 7:04 am
First of all, let me say that I like Dragon Ball Z. However, I watched all of the episodes when they were on Cartoon Network, and that was enough. I didn't appreciate the fact that it took them so long so show all of the episodes, with endless re-runs thrown in between the new stuff.
Some of you have said that it is silly or funny, but that is part of the reason that I like it. I like to laugh, so I like things like the Ginyu force, Majin Buu, Gohan in school, Hercule/Mr.Satan, etc. They provide a break from the fights, which are not that bad at any rate. This is also found in Dragon Ball, which does it better (and probably more intentionally), in my opinion.
Another aspect of the series that I like is the constant escalation of the conflict. It is almost like professional wrestling, or one of those shows where people do stupid/dangerous/gross things. They must constantly surpass the stuff that that did before, and it is entertaining to see how they go about doing that.
Then there is the simple and inspiring message found throughout the training, fights, and ultimate attacks in the show: self-improvement is a lifelong process that requires hard work and dedication. Of course you can find this in other places, but rarely is it's essence show with as much clarity as in DBZ. I suppose it could be argued that it sets up false standards, but I don't know anyone who things they can move faster than the speed of light if they do enough push-ups.
I also became attached to the characters over the course of the series.
[spoiler=Buu Saga]I was up out of my chair rooting for Goku to crush Buu with the giant spirit bomb.[/spoiler]
Having said that, there are also a few things that I dislike about the series.
I really hate how Funimation has released the episodes. It would cost something like $1000 to own the whole series along with the movies on dvd, which is outrageous, even for a series of this length. I realize that they are exploiting their commodity by putting a mere three episodes on each dvd, but it is still annoying for those that would like to own the series, yet don't have rich parents.
At least in my age group, a lot of the people who like DBZ also liked Pokemon, which was is an even bigger embarassment to the anime community. No offense to anyone here who happens to fit the description, but these people tend to be the nerdiest nerds ever to bear the title of nerd (or geek, if you prefer). They are a lot like the Christians who, when pressed for a reason why they believe, can only say something like "You're going to hell!" In other words, a lot of DBZ fans are long on emotional attachment for the series, but pathetically lacking in maturity, intelligence, restraint, or reason. As many of you said, anime fans tend to dislike DBZ, because DBZ fans give them a bad name.
I haven't read the manga, but I suppose I might some day if it is not as outrageously overpriced as the anime.
In conclusion, the series in itself is somewhat simplistic, but this is part of what makes it enjoyable. It is to anime what hot dogs and soda are to food. They taste good, but if that is all there is to food, we are in trouble. i can also see how it would have much more of an appeal for male viewers, as it is very similar to professional wrestling; then again, I stopped watching that years ago.