Hey, this didn't take that long! What do you know? Anyways, this is indeed my first of probably several Dragon Ball Anime reviews, so buckle up for power house excitement! Or ignore me, I'm cool with either.
First the usual disclaimer stuff. These are my opinions and not yours. If your opinion matches? Cool. If it doesn't? Also cool. There's no right or wrong with these. I'm reviewing these based on the Japanese version with the official FUNimation subtitles, so don't be surprised if I say stuff different than the dub's version. Lastly, I use my own crazy names and terminology scientifically crafted to piss off both the dub fans AND the sub fans! So let's get to it!
STORY
Son Goku is a small boy living alone in the mountains... until Bulma shoots him! Goku gets over being shot quickly enough and agrees to go with Bulma to hunt down the 7 Dragon Balls. Once you gather all 7 Dragon Balls Shen Long comes out and you get to make a wish! Bulma obviously wants to wish for a boyfriend because she is incredibly shallow. But our two heroes are not alone in the hunt. Pilaf and his minions already have one ball, and they want the rest for TOTAL WORLD DOMINATION! Not only that, but the desert bandit Yamcha has also heard of the Dragon Balls, and plans to steal them so that he can wish... not to be afraid around girls. ...poor Yamcha... Well, Goku and Bulma meet a perverted old man, a perverted young pig, and many more perverts and oddballs on their quest, even forcing the pig into forced servitude just for laughs! But in the end, it's that pig, Oolong, that saves the world when he wishes for a pair of girl's panties! ...it makes sense in context. The day is saved... until our heroes plus Yamcha are captured and sentenced to death. However, it turns out Goku is a WEREMONKEY! He goes all giant ape and destroys the castle, Yamcha and his friend Puar cutting off Goku's tail to return him to normal. So in the end, Bulma and Yamcha decide to stay with each other, Oolong tags along to be a pervert, and Goku flies off on his Kintoun to live with the perverted old man! What a happy ending!
POSITIVES
I LOVE these early episodes. It shows the seeds of greatness in all the characters. ...except possibly Puar, but the poor little guy always gets the shaft... Goku is pretty dumb and seems to only follow Bulma's orders... but he still stands up for the weak and innocent, even defying Bulma to bring Turtle back to the ocean. Don't get me wrong, he's definitely not a saint or anything, but he's got a good heart. Bulma is INCREDIBLY selfish in this early arc, and willing to use her body to get what she wants, but she quickly develops a legitimate friendship with Goku that will last forever. Oolong is a perverted little kid (Seriously, he's like 9 here), but he's ultimately the one to save the day. He is forced to follow Bulma and Goku, but in the end stays with them willingly. ...mostly because he wants to perv on the girls in West City, but hey, baby steps. Yamcha is a bandit, and the first real threat Goku faces. ...stop laughing, I'm serious. However, he puts everything aside to save both the world and Goku by the end. He even gets over his fear of girls eventually! Apart from the characters, I find the humor to be pretty spot on throughout. Humor is subjective, but I find it all pretty funny here. Pilaf and his gang in particular are hilarious every time they're on screen.
NEGATIVES
Ok, about the humor... I find it all pretty solid, but I know some people have a REAL issue with potty humor. Simply put, if potty humor offends you, this isn't the saga for you. Watch the Blood Rubies movie or Path to Power instead and move on to episode 14. Apart from that, I personally don't really have any negatives. The Rabbit Mob episode was kinda unnecessary and the pinball part at Pilaf's was... interesting, but I don't hate either of them. My only real negative would be more in how certain events would relate to things much later in the series, not anything about this arc itself.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I love the Pilaf saga. When I started watching Dragon Ball I didn't start at Z, I started at the true beginning, which is right here. Finally getting to watch these episodes in Japanese, I was pleasantly surprised at how much funnier it was to me. Not that the dub was bad, but it definitely censored a lot of the cruder jokes. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to you, of course. Also, I was happy to hear the Japanese voice actors nailing their parts even from the beginning. I'm having so much fun, and can't wait to continue!
And speaking of, next time we look at the heart of Dragon Ball, fighting, with the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai! The training, the matches, the life lessons, and, of course, my favorite character... KRILLIN!
I am The R2 Dude, and this is The R2 View!
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