Chad Bonin
08-20-2005, 04:09 PM
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/dbgt-cover.jpg"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-09/t-dbgt-cover.jpg" border="0" align="right" hspace="5" vspace="3" width="200" height="291"></a>At the end of Dragon Ball Z, the world was again at peace. Goku was training Ubuu, the reincarnation of the evil Buu, into a young warrior on the side of good. Pan, the daughter of Gohan and Videl, was showing her strength at the World Martial Arts Tournament. All was well and right, until an old enemy from Goku's childhood days decided to come back. With the accidental wish that Goku was a child again, the Black Star Dragonballs scattered throughout space. Goku, Trunks, and Pan must track them down, but they run into an intergalactic menace, Baby. Goku and company are just going to blow up another planet, aren't they?
Dragon Ball Z was a rousing success in both Japan and America. Running for more than 250 episodes, the sequel to Dragon Ball focused more on the action and less on the humor. Despite that, it wasn't the most fast-paced series around, dragging fights out for horrid lengths of time. Akira Toriyama admittedly kept trying different things with the series, making Gohan the main character and attempting to end it at multiple points (the end of the Freeza Saga and the end of the Cell Saga were intended to be the final batches, with Goku dying and Gohan being the new hero of the world), but was unable to. Toriyama finally got his wish in 1996, when Dragonball Z came to an end, in both manga and anime forms.
But Toei wanted more. Thus, Dragon Ball GT was born, though without the full backing of the creator. Contrary to common belief, Toriyama did actually have a hand in the creation of GT, designing the planets the heroes go to, but he was not the main writer or director or anything of significance. Toei took this opportunity to make their own stories unbound to the manga, infusing GT with the humor from Dragon Ball and the action and stylizations from Dragon Ball Z.
How successful were they? There's a reason why Dragonball GT was the end of the legacy of Goku.
FUNimation attempted to do something different with this series. The first dozen or so episodes of Dragon Ball GT were overly campy and not as action-filled as the rest, as Toei was still trying to find the groove of the series. Given that Dragon Ball never flew as well as Dragon Ball Z in America, FUNimation decided to skip those episodes in the original release.
So what do we have right here? The first four volumes of Dragon Ball GT released in America. Thirteen episodes, too confusing to actually number, but comprising about a half to a third of the Baby Saga. How'd this introduction to GT fare?
With Goku turned into a child by the Black Star Dragon Balls, Goku, Trunks, and Pan fly off into space to find these orbs of immeasurable power before they, via not being on Earth, blow it up. On their adventures, they run afoul of mutant robots and a villain, Baby, who has the ability to possess people. He is a remnant of a race the Saiyans destroyed long ago, and he is out for revenge.
Honestly, it's a little on the weak sauce side. If you've read my previous reviews of Dragon Ball GT, you'll know that my favorite Saga by far was the Super Android 17 Saga. The Baby Saga focuses way too much on the antics of Pan—or "Scrappy Doo," as I like to call her. While later episodes actual end up focusing on Goten, Vegeta, Mr. Satan, and other underappreciated (well, in GT) characters, there's no doubt that these four volumes are scarred by Pan.
The extras here—character profiles and textless songs—are as weak as the show itself. The profiles never update, and the textless songs are not an extra to get too excited about.
Miss Dragon Ball Z? GT probably will not completely satisfy you. If you're looking at hopping on, either grab the Lost Episodes to start from the real episode 1, or go get the Super Android 17 saga for the best of the series.
DVDs included in this review
Dragonball GT Volume 1: "Affliction"
Dragonball GT Volume 2: "Incubation"
Dragonball GT Volume 3: "Creation"
Dragonball GT Volume 4: "Proliferation"
Dragon Ball Z was a rousing success in both Japan and America. Running for more than 250 episodes, the sequel to Dragon Ball focused more on the action and less on the humor. Despite that, it wasn't the most fast-paced series around, dragging fights out for horrid lengths of time. Akira Toriyama admittedly kept trying different things with the series, making Gohan the main character and attempting to end it at multiple points (the end of the Freeza Saga and the end of the Cell Saga were intended to be the final batches, with Goku dying and Gohan being the new hero of the world), but was unable to. Toriyama finally got his wish in 1996, when Dragonball Z came to an end, in both manga and anime forms.
But Toei wanted more. Thus, Dragon Ball GT was born, though without the full backing of the creator. Contrary to common belief, Toriyama did actually have a hand in the creation of GT, designing the planets the heroes go to, but he was not the main writer or director or anything of significance. Toei took this opportunity to make their own stories unbound to the manga, infusing GT with the humor from Dragon Ball and the action and stylizations from Dragon Ball Z.
How successful were they? There's a reason why Dragonball GT was the end of the legacy of Goku.
FUNimation attempted to do something different with this series. The first dozen or so episodes of Dragon Ball GT were overly campy and not as action-filled as the rest, as Toei was still trying to find the groove of the series. Given that Dragon Ball never flew as well as Dragon Ball Z in America, FUNimation decided to skip those episodes in the original release.
So what do we have right here? The first four volumes of Dragon Ball GT released in America. Thirteen episodes, too confusing to actually number, but comprising about a half to a third of the Baby Saga. How'd this introduction to GT fare?
With Goku turned into a child by the Black Star Dragon Balls, Goku, Trunks, and Pan fly off into space to find these orbs of immeasurable power before they, via not being on Earth, blow it up. On their adventures, they run afoul of mutant robots and a villain, Baby, who has the ability to possess people. He is a remnant of a race the Saiyans destroyed long ago, and he is out for revenge.
Honestly, it's a little on the weak sauce side. If you've read my previous reviews of Dragon Ball GT, you'll know that my favorite Saga by far was the Super Android 17 Saga. The Baby Saga focuses way too much on the antics of Pan—or "Scrappy Doo," as I like to call her. While later episodes actual end up focusing on Goten, Vegeta, Mr. Satan, and other underappreciated (well, in GT) characters, there's no doubt that these four volumes are scarred by Pan.
The extras here—character profiles and textless songs—are as weak as the show itself. The profiles never update, and the textless songs are not an extra to get too excited about.
Miss Dragon Ball Z? GT probably will not completely satisfy you. If you're looking at hopping on, either grab the Lost Episodes to start from the real episode 1, or go get the Super Android 17 saga for the best of the series.
DVDs included in this review
Dragonball GT Volume 1: "Affliction"
Dragonball GT Volume 2: "Incubation"
Dragonball GT Volume 3: "Creation"
Dragonball GT Volume 4: "Proliferation"