Dragon Ball Movie One: Curse of the Blood Rubies (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

January 6, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

The first “Dragon Ball” film uncut finally gets the DVD treatment. An enjoyable alternate retelling of how young Goku and friends met for the first time.

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball Movie One: Curse of the Blood Rubies

DURATION: 50 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: December 28, 2010

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Art Director: Y oshiyuki Maeda

Director of Photography: Motoaki Ikegami

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Monica Rial as Bulma

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Naoki Tatsuta/Bryan Massey as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Brina Palencia as Pu’erh (Puar)

Tohru Furuya/Christopher R. Sabat as Yamcha

Tomiko Suzuki/Cherami Leigh as Pansy

Goro Naya/Jonathan Brooks as Bongo

Mami Koyama/Kate Oxley as Pasta

Greedy King Gurumes is destroying his kingdom – and his stomach – with an insatiable hunger born of his maniacal quest to collect the cursed Blood Rubies! His only hope for survival lies in harnessing the wish-granting power of the seven magic Dragon Balls. Standing in his way are Goku, Bulma, Master Roshi, and a cast of unlikely allies who will join forces to prevent the king’s sinister wish from being granted!

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.

Along with the TV series, there have been a total of three “Dragon Ball” films and the first is titled “Curse of the Blood Rubies” and premiered in theaters back in Dec. 20, 1986 and had its first release in the US on Sept. 1996 on VHS courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment through Trimark. The dub version was edited for content and was not the original version of the film.

As the “Dragon Ball” series has been re-released as season DVD box sets, many fans have been waiting for a DVD Release of “Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies” and a release that would be uncut. Now, the uncut version of the film on DVD is now available and features a new English voice cast (utilizing a voice cast that correlates with the recent release of “Dragon Ball Z Kai”) with Colleen Clinkenbeard as Goku and Monica Rial as Bulma.

The first Dragon Ball film “Curse of the Blood Rubies” is a modified retelling of the first episodes of the series. Where Goku and Bulma have met each other to take on Emperor Pilaf, the movie version was modified in a 50-minute format with Goku meeting Bulma, Yamcha,Master Roshi, Oolong and Puar for the very first time. Also, substituting the main antagonist with King Gurumes and his two underlings Pasta and Raven.

The film revolves around a dictator named King Gurumes who became greedy for blood rubies (which are plentiful in the kingdom) has left his kingdom astray and everyone cowers in fear as the Gurumes soldiers have strict control over the land while they tear up the land to find more blood rubies. Because of his greed, King Gurumes human form has led him wanting more and now he wants the Dragon Balls so they can help quench his appetite.

When Pansy has seen enough of the Gurumes soldiers beating on the villagers, she vows to stop them by finding the rumored martial arts expert named Master Roshi and hope Roshi can save her kingdom. She ends up finding Goku, Bulma and Oolong and together they travel to find Master Roshi in hopes that he can help Pansy and her people.

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. For the first movie, I was able to catch this in its original Japanese but was not so thrilled about the edited version that came out on VHS.

So, here we are nearly 25 years later and the uncut version of the film receives its first DVD release with a new English dub and its original Japanese mono soundtrack. Featured in 4:3 format, “Dragon Ball Movie One: Curse of the Blood Rubies” actually looks very good on DVD considering how many years have past and for a lot of classic anime films, its known that many companies did not take care of the original film elements and so they tend to have their share of dust and scratches. While it can be seen on this film, it’s easier to watch on DVD versus like how I saw the first “Dragon Ball Z” film on Blu-ray as the imperfections become more noticeable.

But in this case, if you really look, the dust and scratches are in most of the frames but that is if you are close up and really looking for it. Otherwise, if you are watching it from a distance, it’s not too bad.

Last, it’s also very important to point out that because this is a film, the production quality is much higher than a “Dragon Ball” TV episode. Better art design for the backgrounds and better animation, especially during the action sequences. Colors are vibrant and for the most part, this animated film looks very good considering its age.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dragon Ball Movie One: Curse of the Blood Rubies” comes with no special features but FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

When it comes to anime films especially for popular anime series, sometimes you get new storylines that are very good or a rehash of episodes with newer footage.

“Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies”, the first “Dragon Ball” film is somewhere in the middle. You get somewhat of a new retelling of how Goku met Bulma, Oolong, Yamcha, Master Roshi and the boss and his henchman are replaced with a new boss and his two henchman. So, you do get a new original storyline of sorts but is pretty much an alternative universe of the original series storyline.

For the most part, fans of the “Dragon Ball” series are pretty familiar of how the films have been from the ’80s through the ’90s and you have some that are winners and some that are just average and in the case of “Curse of the Blood Rubies”, I found it to be quite enjoyable and if anything, this is a film that fans have been wanting on DVD, uncut, for a very long time.

The humor and action of the series carries over to the movie but also the sexual humor as well, so this DVD is not exactly for the children. For example, one scene features Oolong pretending to be Bulma and using her breasts to entice Master Rohshi in helping them. Another scene features Yamcha fighting with Pasta and then realizing Pasta is a woman when he accidentally gropes on her breasts. But for the most part, outside of those scenes, the film is quite safe.

As mentioned in the video review, picture quality for this older film does display scratches and dust but it’s only if you are really looking for them, then you will see it. I feel that the film looks good on DVD but if it was ever carried over to Blu-ray, I feel that the same situation as the first “Dragon Ball Z” film was on Blu-ray, everything is enhanced…good and bad. So, for DVD, I felt that for a 1986 film, “Dragon Ball Movie One: Curse of the Blood Rubies” looks very good on DVD.

As for special features, unfortunately these “Dragon Ball” releases never come with special features.

And last, for those who are mostly into anime films that are canon to the series, those viewers will probably not dig this movie as it is more like alternate storyline to how Goku met up with Bulma, Yamcha and friends. But for those who are big “Dragon Ball” fans and are familiar of how the films are and for the most part, are typically non-canon, you’ll definitely enjoy “Dragon Ball Movie One: Curse of the Blood Rubies”.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Dragon Ball – Season Five (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

July 25, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

The final volume of “Dragon Ball” is all out action, high level anime entertainment and just a wonderful ending to the first chapter as it sets things up for “Dragon Ball Z”. Featuring another enjoyable volume featuring the battle between a grown up Goku and Piccolo, the next martial arts tournament and the wedding of Goku and ChiChi. If you are a fan of any of “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT” and have missed the original “Dragon Ball” series, you owe it to yourself to watch the original series. Volume 5 is an awesome conclusion to “Dragon Ball” and is definitely recommended!

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball – Season Five

DURATION: Episodes 123-153, 5 DVD’s (745 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Voice Track with Original Music Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: July 27, 2010

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho and Minoru Okazaki

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Character Designs by Minoru Maeda, Yuki Ikeda

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Stephanie Nadolny as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Daisuke Gouri as Umigame

Eiko Yamada/Julie Franklin as Mai

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Mayumi Shou/Laura Bailey as Chi Chi

Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Monika Antonelli as Pu’erh (Puar)

Christopher R. Sabat as Grandpa Gohan and Turtle

Shigeru Chiba/Chuck Huber as Pilaf

Tohru Furuya/Christopher R. Sabat as Yamcha

Takeshi Aono/Christopher R. Sabat as Piccolo

Brendan Hunter as Tien

In the aftermath of his epic battle with Piccolo, Goku embarks on an electrifying quest to rescue his fallen friends from the realm of the dead. His perilous journey will take him to the heights of Korin Tower – and beyond – as he searches for Kami, a mystical being with the power to resurrect Shenron and restore the magic of the seven Dragon Balls!

But even if Goku succeeds in raising the dead, there’s no guarantee he’ll live long enough to enjoy a reunion with his slain comrades. The World Martial Arts tournament is just around the corner, and an eerily familiar foe known only as Junior wants to teach Goku the true meaning of pain! To survive the tournament and finally earn the title of World’s Greatest Martial Artist, Goku must train his mind as well as his body in order to complete his amazing transformation from a bushy-tailed boy into a man to be reckoned with!

Before “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT”, it all began with “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. The episodes focus on Son Goku’s childhood, searching for the dragon balls and training to become stronger to protect his friends and the world.

With the uncut episodes released in the U.S., remastered and digitally restored, the final, fifth season of “Dragon Ball” is now here and concludes with a grown up Goku taking on Piccolo Jr., a new martial arts tournament and the wedding of Goku and ChiChi.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the following characters:

Son Goku – Not much is known about Goku’s past. He was found by a man he calls Grandpa Gohan and trained to be a boy who loves nature and people. And has incredible strength and fighting ability. He was warned by his grandfather to never look at the moon but one day he did and turned into a giant ape and accidentally killed his grandfather. Although not too familiar with humans, he meets a female named Bulma for the first time who is trying to look for Dragon Balls. Now Son Goku continues to train to help his friends and protect the world from evil.

Bulma – A teenager who’s father is a scientist and owner of the Capsule Corporation. A technology that people can store vehicles, homes and storage into a tiny capsule. When thrown, the capsule turns into the actual object that was stored. She’s rather impulsive and outspoken. Her dream is to find the Dragon Balls and make a wish in order to get a perfect boyfriend.

Oolong – A pig who has a fascination with women’s panties. A perverted pig who once terrorized a village. Has the ability to transform to anything for five minutes. Attended a class with Puar in transforming but failed and never learned to stay in a object for more than five minutes. He joins Bulma and Goku in their mission to find the Dragon Balls.

Yamcha – A banded who is accompanied by his shape-shifting animal Puar. With his Wolf’s Fang Fist fighting ability, he trains under Master Roshi and joins Goku to fight evil.

Krillin – A former monk who has been bullied by his other monks. He goes to Master Roshi for training and trains alongside Goku and becomes good friends with him.

Master Roshi (Kamisama-sen) – An old lecherous man who trained Grandpa Gohan and the Ox King to fight. Despite looking like an old man, he has a tremendous fighting ability and is known for his devastating attack known as the Kamehameha. During the martial arts tournament, he disguises himself as the world champion, Jackie Chun.

Other Characters:

Puar – A shape shifting animal who can shape-shift for a long period of time and hangs around Yamcha.

Launch – A shy and attractive maid of Master Roshi who has a dissociative identity disorder. When she sneezes, she goes from the shy/beautiful blue haired woman to a blonde, attractive and dangerous weapon-toting, foul-mouth woman.

Korin – The guardian of Korin Tower who has the sacred water which Goku needs.

Fortuneteller Baba – Master Roshi’s oldest sister who uses her psychic abilities for financial gain.

Master Shen - An old rival/friend of Master Roshi who trained under the same master but went towards a darker path. Also, the brother of Mercenary Tao.

Tien – A stuent of Master Shen and a dangerous martial arts fighter with three eyes. An enemy of Goku in the beginning, he learns his ways and trains under Master Roshi.

Chiaotzu – A good friend of Tien and trains alongside with him.

Yajirobe – A warrior with strength but also constantly hungry. Not the one to get involved in anyone’s battles but somehow ends up getting involved. The second person after Son Goku to climb the Tower of Korin.

Kami – A Namekian who is a guardian of Earth.

Mr. Popo – A loyal servant of Kami and an immortal genie who tends to the palace and trains Goku to prepare for his battle against Piccolo Jr.

The Villains:

Piccolo Jr. - Before King Piccolo died during his battle with Goku, Piccolo managed to launch an egg from his body and from that egg, Piccolo Jr. was born.

“Dragon Ball – Season Five” features a total of 30 episodes on five DVD’s. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 123 – Lost and Found - Goku must search for his power pole in order to reach Kami and revive his friends.
EPISODE 124 – Temple Above the Clouds – Before Goku can meat Kami, he must defeat Mr. Popo.
EPISODE 125 – Earth’s Guardian Emerges – Mr. Popo may be too much for Goku but Goku continues to persist.
EPISODE 126 – Eternal Dragon Resurrected – Goku meets Kami and talks to him about reviving the Eternal Dragon.
EPISODE 127 – Quicker than Lightning- Goku now learning from Mr. Popo embarks on a trek up Mount Rumble.
EPISODE 128 – Secret of the Woods – Goku meets a master fisherman.
EPISODE 129 – The Time Room – Goku goes back into the past when Roshi and Shen were younger.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 130 – Goku’s Doll – Yamcha, Tien, Krillin and Chiaotzu go to climb the Tower of Korin for training. Meanwhile, Goku takes on a splitting image of himself.
EPISODE 131 – Walking Their Own Ways – Mr. Popo challenges Goku in a game of hide and seek.
EPISODE 132 – Hotter Than Lava – Krillin and friends try to help a village that is under threat from a volcano.
EPISODE 133 – Changes – It’s day 1 of the Martial Arts Tournament and Bulma and friends are greeted by a tall fighter. Who is he?
EPISODE 134 – Preliminary Peril - Goku meets a potential female opponent who is very upset with him for some reason.
EPISODE 135 – Battle of the Eight - Goku and friends take on opponents at the Martial Arts Tournament.
EPISODE 136 – Tien Shinhan vs. Mercenary Tao - Mercenary Tao is brought back from the dead as a cyborg.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 137 – Anonymous Proposal - Goku takes on the female opponent who will reveal her identity to Goku if he can beat her.
EPISODE 138 – The Mysterious Hero – Krillin vs. Piccolo Jr.
EPISODE 139 – Rematch - The conclusion of the match between Hero and Yamcha. Tien and Goku have their rematch.
EPISODE 140 – Goku Gains Speed - Continuing the match between Goku vs. Tien.
EPISODE 1410 – The Four Faces of Tien - Tien uses his new special move against Goku.
EPISODE 142 – Kami vs. Piccolo - Kami who is disguised as Hero takes on Piccolo Jr.
EPISODE 143 – Battle for the Future - Goku and Piccolo Jr. reach the finals.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 144 – Super Kamehameha – Goku wants to use the Super Kamehameha but finds out that if he kills Piccolo Jr,, he will kill Kami.
EPISODE 145 – Junior No More – Piccolo Jr. reveals his true identity to everyone watching the match.
EPISODE 146 – Goku’s Trap - Goku does all he can to survive his battle against Piccolo Jr.
EPISODE 147 – Goku Hangs On – Goku knows he must end this battle or else the planet will be doomed.
EPISODE 148 – The Victor – Kami feels that in order to rid of Piccolo Jr., he may need to sacrifice his life.
EPISODE 149 – Dress in Flames – Goku and Chi-Chi plan their wedding but an earthquake creates a fire that may destroy her mother’s wedding dress and kill her father.
EPISODE 150 – The Fire-Eater – In order to stop the fire, Goku and Chi-Chi must find a new Bansho fan.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 151 – Outrageous Octagon – Goku and Chi-Chi continue their adventure to build a new Bansho fan.
EPISODE 152 – Mystery of the Dark World - Goku and Chi-Chi must search for a magical furnace to stop the fires.
EPISODE 153 – The End, The Beginning - Goku and Chi-Chi try to reach the magical furnace, so they can save the Ox King and start planning for their wedding.

VIDEO:

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. Granted, it is not free of blemishes, there is some dust, you will see a bit of compression but for the most part, compared to what we had available years ago or over a decade ago, I’m quite content with this remastered version of the series.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

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” dub work and similar to those two series, I found the English dub work 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:

“Dragon Ball – Season Five” comes with the textless opening and closing theme songs and FUNimation Entertainment trailers plus a 24-page booklet with character information and episode synopsis.

A wonderful conclusion to the “Dragon Ball” series!

For fans of “Dragon Ball”, many have waited for the moment when Piccolo (Jr.) would make his appearance, when Kami and Mr. Popo would make their first appearance, the moment when we would see a more grown up Goku and most of all, how he and Chi-Chi got married. And we get to see it all happen in this final fifth volume of “Dragon Ball”.

Watching “Dragon Ball”, the series has become a wonderful journey as we have seen Goku grow up and find ways to train and defeat his opponents. For the first 130 episodes, we have seen Goku take on Pilaf and the Red Ribbon Army and King Piccolo but this final volume is the bridge to “Dragon Ball Z” in which we see Goku go from the young boy and literally become a young man and to see him evolve in his martial arts.

And the journey of watching this final volume does not just focus on Goku, we also see how the Z Warriors come together and train together (Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu) and evolve in their own martial arts as well. We also get to see that Mr. Popo is more than just a servant to Kami but he’s also quite a fighter himself. And of course, a fitting end as we see Goku and his bride-to-be Chi-Chi on a mission to stop the destruction of her home and most importantly to save her father.

A fitting conclusion to “Dragon Ball” and eventually getting the viewer all set for the ever awesome “Dragon Ball Z”.

I know there are people who just focused on the “Dragon Ball Z” series and those who are not fans of watching older anime series and have bypassed “Dragon Ball” (and also “Dragon Ball GT”) but for any fan of “Dragon Ball Z”, I truly believe you owe it to yourself to watch “Dragon Ball” and to see how the characters came together and became the Z Warriors. And the fact that you can now purchase the complete “Dragon Ball” series for a lower price than those of us who had to purchase several episodes per volume years ago is awesome!

Overall, the final volume of “Dragon Ball” is all out action, high level anime entertainment and just a wonderful ending to the first chapter as it sets things up for “Dragon Ball Z”. Featuring another enjoyable volume featuring the battle between a grown up Goku and Piccolo, the next martial arts tournament and the wedding of Goku and ChiChi. Volume 5 is an awesome conclusion to “Dragon Ball” and is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Dragon Ball – Season Four (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

May 4, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Action-packed and enjoyable throughout! Season four of “Dragon Ball” brings us an action-packed volume featuring battles against between Goku vs. Tien, Krillin and features the King Piccolo saga!

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball – Season Four

DURATION: Episodes 93-122, 5 DVD’s (745 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Voice Track with Original Music Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: May 4, 2010

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho and Minoru Okazaki

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Character Designs by Minoru Maeda, Yuki Ikeda

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Stephanie Nadolny as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Daisuke Gouri as Umigame

Eiko Yamada/Julie Franklin as Mai

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Mayumi Shou/Laura Bailey as Chi Chi

Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Monika Antonelli as Pu’erh (Puar)

Christopher R. Sabat as Grandpa Gohan and Turtle

Shigeru Chiba/Chuck Huber as Pilaf

Tohru Furuya/Christopher R. Sabat as Yamcha

Takeshi Aono/Christopher R. Sabat as Piccolo

Brendan Hunter as Tien

Goku’s headed for a showdown with a sinister green fiend!

A new breed of evil – more powerful than anything ever experienced – is taking the world’s greatest martial artists down for the count. Goku is quick to join the fight, but he’s about to meet his match in the form of King Piccolo. This menacing monster has the power to pulverize the planet, and his murderous rampage will not stop until he controls the power of the seven magic Dragon Balls.

When Krillin is the first hero cut down by the monster’s minion, the stage is set for a brutal grudge match between Goku and Piccolo. Earth’s greatest champion vows to avenge the loss of his best friend, but first, he must journey to Korin Tower on a quest for the Ultra Divine Water: a magical elixir that could give him the strength to save humanity – or send him straight to the grave!

With the uncut episodes released in the U.S., remastered and digitally restored, the fourth season of “Dragon Ball” is here and features the martial arts tournament against Tien and also the beginning of the King Piccolo saga.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the following characters:

Yamcha – A banded who is accompanied by his shape-shifting animal Puar. With his Wolf’s Fang Fist fighting ability, he trains under Master Roshi and joins Goku to fight evil.

Krillin – A former monk who has been bullied by his other monks. He goes to Master Roshi for training and trains alongside Goku and becomes good friends with him.

Other Characters:

Puar – A shape shifting animal who can shape-shift for a long period of time and hangs around Yamcha.

Korin – The guardian of Korin Tower who has the sacred water which Goku needs.

Fortuneteller Baba – Master Roshi’s oldest sister who uses her psychic abilities for financial gain.

Master Shen - An old rival/friend of Master Roshi who trained under the same master but went towards a darker path. Also, the brother of Mercenary Tao.

Tien – A stuent of Master Shen and a dangerous martial arts fighter with three eyes. An enemy of Goku in the beginning, he learns his ways and trains under Master Roshi.

Chiaotzu – A good friend of Tien and trains alongside with him.

The Villains:

Master Shen - The brother of Mercenary Tao and the master of the Crane School of Martial Arts which Tien and Chiaotzu has trained under. After the death of Tao, he wants revenge against Goku.

King Piccolo – Escaping his prison, now Piccolo wants to destroy Earth piece by piece and kill all living things. His minions include Tambourine, Cymbal, Drum and Piano.

“Dragon Ball – Season Four” features a total of 30 episodes on five DVD’s. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 93 – Tien Shinhan vs. Jackie Chun - It’s the semi-finals and Jackie Chun (Master Roshi) takes on Tien.
EPISODE 94 – Stepping Down – Jackie Chun wants to try and change Tien’s evil ways.
EPISODE 95 – Goku vs. Krillin – In the semi-finals, it’s friend vs. friend – Goku vs. Krillin.
EPISODE 96 – Tail’s Tale – Krillin knows one way he can fight against Goku.
EPISODE 97 – Final Match: Goku vs. Tien – It’s Goku and Krillin to the end, who will with the match?
EPISODE 98 – Victory’s Edge – It’s the finals – Goku vs. Tien.
EPISODE 99 – Tien’s Insurrection – Something happens to Goku during his battle with Tien.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 100 – The Spirit Canon – With Tien losing the match, he uses his last resort against Goku.
EPISODE 101 – The Fallen – Goku takes on Tien’s tri-beam.
EPISODE 102 – Enter King Piccolo – Goku’s friend is killed and now he wants revenge against the menacing monster, King Piccolo.
EPISODE 103 – Tambourine Attacks! – Piccolo sends his killer minion Tambourine to slaughter the most powerful martial arts fighters in the world.
EPISODE 104 – Mark of the Demon - Piccolo sends his minions to find the dragon balls.
EPISODE 105 – Here Comes Yajirobe - Goku meets the samurai warrior, Yajirobe.
EPISODE 106 – Terrible Tambourine- Master Roshi and Chiaotzu try to find the dragon balls before Piccolo’s minions find them.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 107 – Tien’s Atonement - Tien must make a choice…pursue the life of good or evil.
EPISODE 108 – Goku’s Revenge – Goku vs. Tambourine
EPISODE 109 – Goku vs. King Piccolo - The first battle between King Piccolo and Goku.
EPISODE 110 – Piccolo Closes In - Master Roshi and Tien try to get the dragon balls.
EPISODE 111 – Roshi’s Gambit - Master Roshi vs. King Piccolo
EPISODE 112 – King Piccolo’s Wish – Another friend of Goku’s perishes in battle and Piccolo uses the dragon balls.
EPISODE 113 – Siege on Chow Castle – Goku and Yajirobe climb Korin’s Tower.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 114 – Conquest and Power – Goku asks Korin for more training in order to fight Piccolo.
EPISODE 115 – Awaken Darkness – Goku looks for the Ultra Divine Water.
EPISODE 116 – A Taste of Destiny- Goku is put through the test in order to find the water.
EPISODE 117 – The Ultimate Sacrifice – Tien masters the evil containment wave and now he goes to fight Piccolo.
EPISODE 118 – Prelude to Vengeance – King Piccolo makes his decree to the world.
EPISODE 119 – Battle Cry – Tien vs. Drum
EPISODE 120 – Goku Strikes Back – Goku returns for a rematch against Piccolo.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 121 – The Biggest Crisis – The battle between Goku vs. Piccolo continues.
EPISODE 122 – Final Showdown - King Piccolo uses Tien to fight Goku.

VIDEO:

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dragon Ball – Season Four” comes with the textless opening and closing theme songs and FUNimation Entertainment trailers plus a 24-page booklet with character information and episode synopsis.

This is the volume of “Dragon Ball” that I have been waiting for!

For many people familiar with the characters of “Dragon Ball Z”, many people who were only familiar with that series were probably unclear about Goku’s rival Piccolo and why the two had an uneasy relationship in the first season. Also, a lot of people may not know that Tien and Chiaotzu were also one time enemies and rivals of Goku and friends. But this latest season definitely ramps things up in terms of action in the “Dragon Ball” storyline which would extend through “Dragon Ball Z” and partly with “Dragon Ball GT” (despite GT not being an official manga by Akira Toriyama).

But for any fans of “Dragon Ball”, the martial arts tournaments have always been exciting and fun to watch and in this case, this latest tournament is no different as we get to see Goku vs. Krillin but also Goku vs. Tien. We also can see how ruthless Piccolo was back then and definitely a 180 to what people are familiar of the character today from “Dragon Ball Z”.

Also, the fourth season introduces us to the samurai warrior Yajirobe who is the comedy character for his hunger and naivety but for some reason, he’s just a hilarious and silly character that somehow ends up saving the day and continues that way even through “Dragon Ball Z”.

And if you have collected the first three seasons, it just gets better from there and the next volume of “Dragon Ball” should be the final in the series, just in time as FUNimation Entertainment prepares its HD release of “Dragon Ball Z Kai” (note: “Dragon Ball Z” is currently available, also in its uncut Japanese version featured in the “Dragon Box” DVD sets from FUNimation Entertainment”. Hopefully, we will see a re-release or maybe a Blu-ray release of the “Dragon Ball” films.

Overall, “Dragon Ball – Season Four” is another awesome, action-packed volume and it just gets better and better with each release. Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Dragon Ball – Season Three (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

February 20, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Season Three of “Dragon Ball” is an action-packed, all out fight fest! An awesome volume featuring Goku vs. Mercenary Tao, the Red Ribbon Army, the mysterious fighter and a new World Martial Arts Tournament.

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball – Season Three

DURATION: Episodes 62-92, 5 DVD’s (745 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Voice Track with Original Music Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: February 2, 2010

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho and Minoru Okazaki

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Character Designs by Minoru Maeda, Yuki Ikeda

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Stephanie Nadolny as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Daisuke Gouri as Umigame

Eiko Yamada/Julie Franklin as Mai

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Mayumi Shou/Laura Bailey as Chi Chi

Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Monika Antonelli as Pu’erh (Puar)

Christopher R. Sabat as Grandpa Gohan and Turtle

Shigeru Chiba/Chuck Huber as Pilaf

Tohru Furuya as Yamcha

Goku embarks on a journey to test his strength against the best of the best!

Driven by his promise to a heartbroken young boy, Goku completes his training under Master Korin and prepares for a brutal rematch with Mercenary Tao! These two powerful warriors trade blows in a furious flurry of Dodon Rays and Kamehameha Waves, but that’s only the beginning of this adventure.

The Red Ribbon Army continues to cast a dark shadow across the land as they inch ever closer to attaining ultimate power. Only Goku can halt their reign of terror and resurrect a fallen friend, but first he’ll have to fight for possession of the seven Dragon Balls!

To complete his quest, Goku must beat a fortune-teller at her own game, slam the door on Demon Land, tame the dread Inoshikacho, and survive a beating from a masked dead man. His journey will be filled with danger, but with each victory, Goku gains the strength needed to emerge victorious from the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament!

Contains episodes 62-92.

And now the episodes have been released in the USA uncut, remastered and digitally restored. In Feb. 2010, the third season of “Dragon Ball” was released with 31 episodes on five discs.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the adventures of Son Goku during his younger years. In this latest volume, Goku finally meets Korin and confronts the Red Ribbon army and Mercenary Tao. The second storyline arc features Goku making good on his promise to bring Upu’s father back and retrieve the seventh Dragon Ball. But in order to do that, he, Krilllin, Yamacha and friends must take on Fortuneteller Baba’s five fighters. The final arc on this volume features the latest Worlds Martial Arts Tournament where the gang must confront their new rivals Tien and Chiaotzu.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the following characters:

Son Goku – Not much is known about Goku’s past. He was found by a man he calls Grandpa Gohan and trained to be a boy who loves nature and people. And has incredible strength and fighting ability. He was warned by his grandfather to never look at the moon but one day he did and turned into a giant ape and accidentally killed his grandfather. Although not too familiar with humans, he meets a female named Bulma for the first time who is trying to look for Dragon Balls. Having own the #4 Dragon Ball which his grandfather gave him, he decides to join her on a quest to find the remaining Dragon Balls (seven total).

Yamcha – A banded who is accompanied by his shape-shifting animal Puar. With his Wolf’s Fang Fist fighting ability, it was not strong enough to beat Goku and thus he ends up assisting both Goku and Bulma along the way in order to get the Dragon Balls.

Krillin – A former monk who has been bullied by his other monks. He goes to Master Roshi for training and trains alongside Goku and becomes a rival but also good friends with him.

Other Characters:

Puar – A shape shifting animal who can shape-shift for a long period of time and hangs around Yamcha.

Upu – A young Indian friend of Goku. His father was killed by Mercenary Tao and now he goes with Goku to find the seventh ball.

Korin – The guardian of Korin Tower who has the sacred water which Goku needs.

Fortuneteller Baba – Master Roshi’s oldest sister who uses her psychic abilities for financial gain.

Master Shen - An old rival/friend of Master Roshi who trained under the same master but went towards a darker path. Also, the brother of Mercenary Tao.

Tien – A stuent of Master Shen and a dangerous martial arts fighter with three eyes.

Chiaotzu – A student of Master Shen and Tien’s best friend.

The Villains:

Emperor Pilaf – The main antagonist of Bulma and Goku who is trying to collect all the Dragon Balls. He calls himself the emperor and expects Shu and Mai to find the Dragon Balls.

Shu – A ninja fox who works for Emperor Pilaf. Tends to be a bit misunderstood and clumsy.

Mai - The gun-toting henchman for Emperor Pilaf.

Red Ribbon Army – Not much is known about the Red Ribbon Army but they are ruthless and will do anything to obtain the Dragon Balls. The Red Ribbon Army is led by Commander Red who sends out this generals to go after the Dragon Balls.

Officer Black - Commander Red’s right hand man.

General White - The leader of the Red Ribbon Army’s northern forces and threatens the peaceful Jingle Village.

General Blue – The strongest general of the Red Ribbon Army and very arrogant.

Mercenary Tao – The powerful mercenary who charges an exuberant fee to his clients but because he’s known for his strength and ability that surpasses anyone the Red Army has seen, he is a major force to be reckon with.

“Dragon Ball – Season Three” features a total of 31 episodes on five DVD’s. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 62 – Sacred Water – Goku tries to get the magic water from Korin.
EPISODE 63 – The Return of Goku – Goku goes to find Mercenary Tao.
EPISODE 64 – The Last of Mercenary Tao – Mercenary Tao tries to climb the Tower of Korin.
EPISODE 65 – Confront the Red Army – Goku goes to confront the Red Ribbon Army.
EPISODE 66 – A Real Bind – Goku goes to take on Commander Red.
EPISODE 67 – The End of Commander Red – Goku vs. Officer Black
EPISODE 68 – The Last Dragon Ball – Goku vs. Commander Black
EPISODE 69 – Who is Fortuneteller Baba? – Goku and friends go to meet Fortuneteller Baba in order to find the seventh Dragon Ball.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 70 – We Are the Five Warriors – Fortuneteller Baba sets the rules in order for her to help Goku. Her five vs. Gokyu, Krillin, Yamcha, Puar and Upu.
EPISODE 71 – Deadly Battle – Yamcha fights the next battle after Krillins fight with Fangs.
EPISODE 72 – Goku’s Turn – Yamacha takes on Bandages the mummy.
EPISODE 73 – The Devilmite Beam – Goku vs. Bandages the mummy.
EPISODE 74 – The Mysterious Fifth Man – Goku vs. Spike the Devil Man
EPISODE 75 – The Strong Ones – Goku takes on the mysterious fifth warrior.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 76 – True Colors of the Masked Man – Who is the mysterious fifth warrior?
EPISODE 77 – Pilaf’s Tactics – Pilaf has the final Dragon Ball but wants to make a wager against Goku in order to get all six Dragon Balls.
EPISODE 78 – The Eternal Dragon Rises – Goku and Upu call the Eternal Dragon.
EPISODE 79 – Terror and Plague – Goku begins his solo adventures. The first helping Chao save her village.
EPISODE 80 – Goku vs. Sky Dragon – Goku goes to another village to help another person in need.
EPISODE 81 – Goku Goes to Demon Land – When Goku goes to a village, a girl was kidnapped by a demon. Now Goku goes to save her.
EPISODE 82 – The Rampage of InoShikaCho – The beast InaShikaCho is causing damage and destruction and Goku goes to help the villagers who fear the monster.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 83 – Which Way to Papaya Island? – Two years have passed and now it’s time for the World Martial Arts Tournament and a slightly taller Goku goes to join his friends.
EPISODE 84 – Rivals and Arrivals – With the World Martial Arts Tournament beginning, Yamcha and Krillin wonder where Goku could be.
EPISODE 85 – Preliminary Peril – Yamcha and Krillin take on their first match against their challengers.
EPISODE 86 – Then There Were Eight – Goku takes on King Chapa
EPISODE 87 – Yamcha vs. Tien – Yamcha takes on Tien
EPISODE 88 – Yamcha’s Big Break – Yamcha and Tien continue their battle.
EPISODE 89 – Full-Moon Vengeance – Jackie Chun vs. the Man Wolf

DISC 5:

EPISODE 90 – The Dodon Wave – Krillin vs. Chiaotzu
EPISODE 91 – Counting Controversy! – Continuing the battle between Krillin vs. Chiatozu.
EPISODE 92 – Goku Enters the Ring – Goku takes on the movie star challenger Pamput.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

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 and similar to those two series, I found th 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:

“Dragon Ball – Season Three” comes with the textless opening and closing theme songs and FUNimation Entertainment trailers plus a 24-page booklet with character information and episode synopsis.

So, far this latest volume of “Dragon Ball” is my favorite yet. For “Dragon Ball Z” fans who enjoyed more action-oriented storylines, this volume is definitely action-driven.

Also, we get a glimpse of situations that become important in the “Dragon Ball Z” storyline such as Goku getting acquainted with Korin and Goku having his first sensu bean. Also, plenty of battles with Goku taking on Mercenary Tao, the Red Ribbon Army and also the World Martial Arts Tournament where we get to see future Z-warriors Tien and Chiaotzu.

There really is nothing negative that can be said about this latest volume. If you are a “Dragon Ball” fan, it’s simply a must buy. This is the best release I have seen of the anime series thus far in the US and the fact that you are getting over 30 episodes in one set is an amazing deal.

And if you have collected the first two seasons, it just gets better from there and expect about two more volumes of “Dragon Ball”, just in time as FUNimation Entertainment prepares its HD release of “Dragon Ball Z Kai” (note: “Dragon Ball Z” is currently available, also in its uncut Japanese version featured in the “Dragon Box” DVD sets from FUNimation Entertainment”. Hopefully, we will see a re-release or maybe a Blu-ray release of the “Dragon Ball” films.

Overall, “Dragon Ball – Season Three” is another awesome volume for the series and its literally a series that gets better and better. Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Dragon Ball – Season Two (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

November 14, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Another awesome, action-packed season of the classic “Dragon Ball” series as Goku takes on the Red Ribbon Army and his first battle with Mercenary Tao.

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball – Season Two

DURATION: 30 Episodes, 5 DVD’s (745 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Voice Track with Original Music Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: November 10, 2009

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho and Minoru Okazaki

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Character Designs by Minoru Maeda, Yuki Ikeda

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Stephanie Nadolny as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Daisuke Gouri as Umigame

Eiko Yamada/Julie Franklin as Mai

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Mayumi Shou/Laura Bailey as Chi Chi

Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Monika Antonelli as Pu’erh (Puar)

Christopher R. Sabat as Grandpa Gohan and Turtle

Shigeru Chiba/Chuck Huber as Pilaf

Tohru Furuya as Yamcha

With the World Martial Arts Tournament behind him, Goku embarks on a mission to recover the Four Star Dragon Ball that once belonged to his grandfather. His search takes him from the heights of Muscle Tower to the deepest depths of the ocean, but with the Flying Nimbus under his feet and Bulma’s Dragon Radar leading the way – there’s nothing mighty Goku can’t handle!

But this adventure won’t be all fun and games. The sinister Red Ribbon Army, led by cigar-chomping Commander Red, is determined to seize the seven Dragon Balls and use them to conquer the world! One after another, colonels, generals, ninjas, androids and giant pink monsters will use every dirty track in teh book to stop Goku from getting his hands on the magic Dragon Balls!

Enjoy the next chapter in the saga of this legendary warrior with Dragon Ball Season Two.

And now the episodes have been released in the USA with the awesome first season of “Dragon Ball” and now the second season is now released for the first time uncut, remastered and digitally restored.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on Son Goku, a boy who is not familiar with any humans but begins to make new friends and fight for them. As the first volume featured the adventures of Goku, Bulma, Krilin, Oolong, Yamcha, Pilar looking for the dragon balls, the second season of “Dragon Ball” are more focused on Goku.

Goku is now looking for his grandfather’s dragon balls (and others if he comes across them) but as Emperor Pilaf and his group are searching for them, the evil Red Ribbon Army is also pursuing them and unlike Emperor Pilaf and his crew, the Red Ribbon Army will not hesitate to kill anyone.

So, in this latest season, young Goku is in the fight of his life as he encounters Colonel Silver, more Red Ribbon Army generals who are intent in destroying anything and anyone that gets in their way, androids and the biggest nemesis Goku has faced so far….Mercenary Tao!

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the following characters:

Son Goku – Not much is known about Goku’s past. He was found by a man he calls Grandpa Gohan and trained to be a boy who loves nature and people. And has incredible strength and fighting ability. He was warned by his grandfather to never look at the moon but one day he did and turned into a giant ape and accidentally killed his grandfather. Although not too familiar with humans, he meets a female named Bulma for the first time who is trying to look for Dragon Balls. Having own the #4 Dragon Ball which his grandfather gave him, he decides to join her on a quest to find the remaining Dragon Balls (seven total).

Bulma – A teenager who’s father is a scientist and owner of the Capsule Corporation. A technology that people can store vehicles, homes and storage into a tiny capsule. When thrown, the capsule turns into the actual object that was stored. She’s rather impulsive and outspoken. Her dream is to find the Dragon Ballas and make a wish in order to get a perfect boyfriend.

Krillin – A former monk who has been bullied by his other monks. He goes to Master Roshi for training and trains alongside Goku and becomes a rival but also good friends with him.

Master Roshi (Kamisama-sen) – An old lecherous man who trained Grandpa Gohan and the Ox King to fight. Despite looking like an old man, he has a tremendous fighting ability and is known for his devasting attack known as the Kamehameha. He then takes Goku and Krillin as his students.

Other Characters:

Puar – A shape shifting animal who can shape-shift for a long period of time and hangs around Yamcha.

The Ox-King - Many fear the Ox-King who rules Fire Mountain and is the father of Chi Chi. Aside from his brute strength, this huge man is a goodhearted guy who just hated people for trying to steal from him. He also cares deeply about his daughter and does everything to make her happy.

Chi Chi - A girl who is smitten with Goku and wants to marry him. The daughter of the Ox-King.

Suno – A kindhearted girl who helps Goku after his plane crashes in the Jingle Vilage.

Android 8 – Ninja Murasaki wants Android 8 to destroy Goku but since he is against violence, he ends up helping Goku find the missing Dragon Ball. Known for his super-strength and his Frankenstein appearance.

The Villains:

Emperor Pilaf – The main antagonist of Bulma and Goku who is trying to collect all the Dragon Balls. He calls himself the emperor and expects Shu and Mai to find the Dragon Balls.

Shu – A ninja fox who works for Emperor Pilaf. Tends to be a bit misunderstood and clumsy.

Mai - The gun-toting henchman for Emperor Pilaf.

Colonel Silver – The ruthless high-ranking official of the Red Ribbon Army who will squash anyone in his way in order to find the Dragon Balls.

Officer Black - Commander Red’s right hand man.

General White - The leader of the Red Ribbon Army’s northern forces and threatens the peaceful Jingle Village.

General Blue – The strongest general of the Red Ribbon Army and very arrogant.

“Dragon Ball – Season Two” features a total of 30 episodes on five DVD’s. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 32 – The Flying Fortress – Vanished! – Emperor Pilaf escapes with a dragon ball and Goku tries to get it back.
EPISODE 33 – The Legend of a Dragon – Colonel Silver tracks a dragon ball to Pilaf, meanwhile Master Roshi tells Krillin and Launch about the origin of the dragon balls.
EPISODE 34 – Cruel General Red – Goku vs. Colonel Silver.
EPISODE 35 – Cold Reception – Goku takes on the Red Ribbon Army.
EPISODE 36 – Major Metallitron – Goku vs. Major Metallitron.
EPISODE 37 – Ninja Murasaki is Coming! – Goku is now on the fourth level of muscle tower and encounters Murasaki.
EPISODE 38 – Five Murasakis – Goku vs. five Murasaki’s.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 39 – Mysterious Android No. 8 - Goku meets an android that is against violence.
EPISODE 40 – Horrifying Buyon – Goku vs. a monster that is impervious to Goku’s punches. How can Goku beat him?
EPISODE 41 – The Fall of Muscle Tower – Goku vs. General White
EPISODE 42 – The Secret of Dr. Flappe – Android 8 has a bomb inside him and only Dr. Flappe can remove it.
EPISODE 43 – A Trip to the City – A friend of Goku makes a return.
EPISODE 44 – Master Thief, Hasky – The Red Army hires a master thief to track down the dragon balls.
EPISODE 45 – Danger in the Air – Master thief Hasky tries to steal Goku’s dragon balls.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 46 – Bulma’s Bad Day – Bulma and Goku try to find a dragon ball hidden underneath the waves near Turtle Island.
EPISODE 47 – Kame House – Found! – Genral Blue tries to find Master Roshi’s house in Turtle Island.
EPISODE 48 – Deep Blue Sea – The Red Ribbon Army try to invade Turtle Island.
EPISODE 49 – Roshi Surprise – The Red Ribbon Army try to take on Master Roshi.
EPISODE 50 – The Trap is Sprung – Goku and his friends get caught in booby traps.
EPISODE 51 – Beware of Robot – Goku and Krillin fight against a pirate android.
EPISODE 52 – The Pirate Treasure – General Blue vs. Krillin.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 53 – Blue, Black and Blue – Goku vs. General Blue
EPISODE 54 – Escape from Pirate Cave – Goku uses a trick to help him and his friends escape the Pirate Cave.
EPISODE 55 – Penguin Village – Goku and General Blue compete for the dragon balls.
EPISODE 56 – Strange Visitor – Goku chases after General Blue and crashes into the Penguin Village and meets a girl named Arale.
EPISODE 57 – Arale vs. Blue – General Blue kidnaps Arale.
EPISODE 58 – The Land of Korin – Goku saves a boy from Captain Yellow and returns him back to his father and learns about the tower of Korin.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 59 – The Notorious Mercenary – Commander Red hires services of Mercenary Tao to kill Goku.
EPISODE 60 – Tao Attacks! – Goku vs. Mercenary Tao
EPISODE 61 – Korin Tower – Goku makes an attempt to climb the Korin Tower

VIDEO & AUDIO:

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 and similar to those two series, I found th 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:

“Dragon Ball – Season Two” comes with the textless opening and closing theme songs and FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

Another action packed volume of “Dragon Ball” and this time around, the battles become more prevalent as Goku takes on the Red Ribbon Army and Mercenary Tao. But my favorite episodes feature characters such as Android 8 and Arale but things are definitely getting more interesting with the arrival of Mercenary Tao and an opponent that actually is much more powerful than Goku (at that moment). 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. Although, “Dragon Ball” is not as intense as “Dragon Ball Z”, the series still manages to capture a lot of action. Bare in mind that Goku is a young boy in this series but even so, he still has enormous power including his recently learned “kamehameha”.

For parents wondering about the TV 14 rating, although the first volume featured some risque situations (ie. Goku putting his hand on crotches to see if they are male or female), if anything, there’s nothing like that in this second volume although there is much more violence in this volume and characters are getting killed off.

As for the DVD, as mentioned, this is the best I have seen “Dragon Ball” look and 3o 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, 30 episodes is still plentiful and for purists, you do get the Japanese audio track in its original mono format and its in 4:3 and not made to be widescreen. 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 Two” 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. Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Dragon Ball – Season One (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 6, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Enjoyable, addicting and absolutely awesome! This is the animated series that introduced Goku, Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha and friends. 31 Episodes in one volume, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth with this release. Highly recommended!”

DVD TITLE: Dragon Ball – Seasone One

DURATION: 31 Episodes, 5 DVD’s (745 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music 5.1 Surround, Japanese Voice Track with Original Music Mono

COMPANY: Toei Animation/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: August 25, 2009

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nisho and Minoru Okazaki

Music by Shusuke Kikuchi

Character Designs by Minoru Maeda, Yuki Ikeda

Anime Production by Toei Anime

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masao Nozawa/Stephanie Nadolny as Son Goku

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Daisuke Gouri as Umigame

Eiko Yamada/Julie Franklin as Mai

Kenji Utsumi/Christopher R. Sabat as Shen Long

Kohei Miyauchi/Mike McFarland as Kame Sennin (Master Roshi)

Mayumi Shou/Laura Bailey as Chi Chi

Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Monika Antonelli as Pu’erh (Puar)

Christopher R. Sabat as Grandpa Gohan and Turtle

Shigeru Chiba/Chuck Huber as Pilaf

Tohru Furuya as Yamcha

Duncan Brannan as Monster Carrot

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 and eating some more. But all that 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 they 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.

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” focuses on Son Goku, a boy who is not familiar with any humans but his Grandpa Gohan. One day, a teenage girl named Bulma uses her Dragon Ball radar to track down a Dragon Ball belonging to Goku. Goku explains to her that he never seen any female humans before but his grandfather taught him to be nice to them. He also explains that the Dragon Ball he has was given to him as a gift by his grandfather.

Bulma who has accumulated a few Dragon Balls herself wants to find the remaining Dragon Balls in order to grant herself a wish. Goku decides to join her on her quest to find the Dragon Balls and along the way the two have their own set of challenges.

“Dragon Ball” focuses on the following characters:

Son Goku – Not much is known about Goku’s past. He was found by a man he calls Grandpa Gohan and trained to be a boy who loves nature and people. And has incredible strength and fighting ability. He was warned by his grandfather to never look at the moon but one day he did and turned into a giant ape and accidentally killed his grandfather. Although not too familiar with humans, he meets a female named Bulma for the first time who is trying to look for Dragon Balls. Having own the #4 Dragon Ball which his grandfather gave him, he decides to join her on a quest to find the remaining Dragon Balls (seven total).

Bulma – A teenager who’s father is a scientist and owner of the Capsule Corporation. A technology that people can store vehicles, homes and storage into a tiny capsule. When thrown, the capsule turns into the actual object that was stored. She’s rather impulsive and outspoken. Her dream is to find the Dragon Ballas and make a wish in order to get a perfect boyfriend.

Krillin – A former monk who has been bullied by his other monks. He goes to Master Roshi for training and trains alongside Goku and becomes a rival but also good friends with him.

Master Roshi (Kamisama-sen) – An old lecherous man who trained Grandpa Gohan and the Ox King to fight. Despite looking like an old man, he has a tremendous fighting ability and is known for his devasting attack known as the Kamehameha. He then takes Goku and Krillin as his students.

Other Characters:

Puar – A shape shifting animal who can shape-shift for a long period of time and hangs around Yamcha.

Chi Chi - A girl who is smitten with Goku and wants to marry him. The daughter of the Ox-King.

Launch – A woman that Master Roshi likes and when normal, she’s a regular, innocent girl. But when she sneezes, she becomes a whole new different woman with a bad attitude.

The Villains:

Emperor Pilaf – The main antagonist of Bulma and Goku who is trying to collect all the Dragon Balls. He calls himself the emperor and expects Shu and Mai to find the Dragon Balls.

Shu – A ninja fox who works for Emperor Pilaf. Tends to be a bit misunderstood and clumsy.

Mai - The gun-toting henchman for Emperor Pilaf.

Colonel Silver – The ruthless high-ranking official of the Red Ribbon Army who will squash anyone in his way in order to find the Dragon Balls.

Red Ribbon Army – Not much is known about the Red Ribbon Army but they are ruthless and are led by Colonel Silver.

“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:

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.

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!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

NAMCO BANDAI GAMES OBTAINS ALL PLATFORM RIGHTS FOR DRAGON BALL® VIDEOGAMES

July 4, 2009 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

LOS ANGELES, Calif., (July 2, 2009) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., today confirmed that it has secured exclusive North American rights to publish future official videogames for the longstanding classic anime and manga series, Dragon Ball® across all major consoles and hand held platforms.

This agreement will run for five years beginning in January 2010 and supersedes the existing rights granted to publish titles on the Nintendo DS™, Wii™, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Additionally, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., has secured the right to initially publish three titles in 2009, Dragon Ball®: Raging Blast for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Dragon Ball®: Revenge of King Piccolo exclusively for Wii™, and Dragon Ball® Z: Attack of the Saiyans exclusively for Nintendo DS™.

The Dragon Ball anime and manga series is a worldwide multi-million dollar entertainment franchise. Originally penned by famed Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama in 1984, the Dragon Ball series has spawned several entertainment franchise sequels (Dragon Ball® Z and Dragon Ball® GT) spanning 11 years of manga, over 500 television episodes, 23 feature films, and countless mass merchandising products. FUNimation® Entertainment currently holds all U.S. distribution rights to the anime series.

The Dragon Ball Saga follows the orphaned martial arts boy Goku as he grows and matures into an adult throughout his many adventures. During his early formative years, Goku meets life long comrades, defeats diabolical superhuman enemies, and eventually settles down and forms a family. The Dragon Ball series is known for its often comical action adventure themes which are interspersed with long standing testosterone-driven action-impacted battles which escalate drastically over time into full-on conflicts for the survival of mankind. By the end of the Dragon Ball saga, the baton of planetary savior is passed to Gohan and Goten, Goku’s son and grandson respectively.

Commenting on the announcement Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. said: “We are very excited to have signed this long term agreement with Toei Animation Co., Ltd and FUNimation® Entertainment, which grants NAMCO BANDAI Games North American multi-platform rights to the testosterone driven action packed world of Dragon Ball. This move reunites NAMCO BANDAI Games with the Dragon Ball series in North America which will considerably increase our ability to develop titles that perfectly capture every nuance of what makes the Dragon Ball world exciting to the consumer.”

For more information about upcoming Dragon Ball games, please visit www.namcobandaigames.com.

Filed Under: Video Game News