Dragonball Z: Dragon Box 2
(Funimation, 1000 Minutes)
By Chris Zimmerman
Dragonball Z; those words have become synonymous with anime. The series, originally crafted by the legendary Akira Toriyama, has captured the attention of its audience and influenced multitudes of creators. More than ten years after ending its run on television, the series has managed to stay in the public eye thanks to countless media offerings ranging from toys to games to DVDs. Funimation, the company that owns the rights to the series, has done a thorough job of keeping Dragonball Z on the market, making it easily accessible for fans both new and old.
This latest release, the Dragon Box, is actually a reproduction of a set released in Japan back in 2003. Housing an impressive 42 episodes, the Dragon Box sets have long been looked at as the definitive release of the series. Using the original Japanese film cells, the series is digitally restored. This means less grain, more vibrant colors, and even the music the 5.1 surround sound treatment. As if that wasn’t enough, the episodes are presented in their original aspect ratio, a point of controversy that was caused when earlier releases cropped them.
The episodes collected here are comprised of the Namek and Ginyu sagas which are in turn part of a larger arc commonly referred to as the Freeza saga. The set picks up with Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma arriving on planet Namek hoping to use the dragon balls to wish their friends who perished in the battle with the saiyans back to life. Back on Earth, Goku is hospitalized after the climactic battle with Vegeta and thus kept out of the majority of the action. Elsewhere, Vegeta, having healed his own wounds has also set his sights toward Namek with the goal of achieving immortality. Even worse, the galactic tyrant Freeza, whose power dwarfs anything the Z-fighters have faced before, also desires the dragon balls and has already begun laying siege to the planet and its populace.
While Gohan and Krillin opt to keep hidden until Goku arrives, Vegeta slowly whittles away at Freeza’s empire, even managing to steal the dragon balls he had acquired to that point. This prompts an outraged Freeza to call in his five strongest soldiers, the Ginyu Force. Meanwhile, Goku makes preparations for the upcoming battle, training in 100x Earth’s normal gravity as he touches down on Namek, just in time to prevent the Ginyu Force from slaughtering his friends. Goku dispatches the Ginyus, critically injuring himself in the process.
Having suffered one humiliation after another, Freeza enters the fray, leaving Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta in dire straits until Goku recovers.The sudden appearance of Piccolo helps to tip the scales but does little to stave off Freeza’s relentless asualt as he reveals his terrifying ability to transform. With Freeza’s power steadily increasing, the grim reality begins to set in that not everyone will make it out of this alive.
This selection of episodes represents some of the best the series has to offer. The dramatic tension is affecting as the odds are continuously stacked against the desperate warriors.
Action has always been Dragonball Z’s strong pointand this set doesn’t disappoint, featuring multiple battles between Vegeta and Freeza’s various henchmen. If there is one drawback it’s that a few of the fights are drawn out and should only last half as long as they actually do.
This is a stellar DVD in both packaging and design. Included is a hardcover book with character biographies, sketches, and episode summaries. The disks themselves are housed within a pair of attractive books that, when put together form an image of Goku.
Despite this possibly being the most comprehensive release Dragonball Z has ever been given, it easy to recommend but difficult to defend. If you are a true Dragonball Z enthusiast, chances are you already on the series in some form or another. It was just recently that Funimation released the season sets that included both the option of both English and Japanese music; though hardcore fans may find those less appealing due to the cropping of the image. Fans also have to consider the fact that Dragonball Z Kai is scheduled for release in May, promising new music, a new dub, and better pacing. Ultimately it boils down to personal preference.
Having said that, this set is recommended for purists as this is the way the show’s creators originally intended it be viewed. In any case, with the multitude of options available to fans, there really is no reason why Dragonball Z isn’t in their collections. Dragonball Z fans have never had it this good.
Dragonball Z: Dragon Box 2 - A
Nice review
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