The Show:
The Great Saiyman storyline is a very amusing and entertaining segment
of the Dragon Ball Z series. Having a different feel from
most of the other sagas in the show, this one is played for laughs and
makes a nice change of pace. This volume has another three uncut
episodes and starts the next big storyline: The world martial arts tournament.
Series background:
Since the Cell Games, several years have passed on Earth. Young
Gohan has been studying hard with his mother at home and now is a teenager.
Gohan may have traveled across the universe and saved the Earth, but there
is one great challenge he hasn't yet faced: high school. With no
schools near his mountain home, Gohan travels to Satan City, named after
the person that the world thinks was responsible for defeating Cell, to
attend formal school for the first time.
On his way to Orange Star High School, Gohan encounters a police stand
off. Thieves are robbing a bank and are in a battle with the police.
Gohan decides to put a stop to things so he turns into Super Saiyan mode
and easily defeats them. Of course his exploits are the talk of the
town and by the time he gets to school, everyone is talking about the 'Golden
Fighter' who stopped the bank robbery.
One of his new classmates is Videl, the daughter of Mr. Satan, and she's
determined to find out who this new hero is. Gohan, on the other
hand wants to be just a normal kid and is trying to fit in without revealing
his true strength.
This volume:
An unscrupulous circus owner steals a baby flying dinosaur to use in
a new act, but that's just the beginning of his troubles. The kidnaped
dino is Chibi, a friend of Goten's, and Son-Gohan promises to get him back
and return Chibi to his parents. Getting the dino out of his cage
of away from the circus is child's play for the Great Saiyaman, but when
Videl shows up she assumes that Saiyaman is a thief. Until Chibi's
parents show up of course.
Next up, Videl blackmails Gohan into entering the World Marital Arts
Tournament (aka the Tenkaichi Tournament.) Mr. Satan won the last
tournament and in the previous one Goku was the champion. Videl want
to have the daughter and son of the old winners to meet in the finals.
Gohan reluctantly agrees and when he tells Bulma about the tournament,
Vegeta states that he's going to enter. Then, from beyond the grave
Goku announces that he's earned a day on Earth, so he'll enter too.
Everyone decides to get into the act. Soon Krillian, his wife,
the now-human Android 18, and Piccolo all enter. All Gohan has to
do is get permission from his mom. Something that is easier said
than done.
Finally Gohan starts getting ready for the tournament and decides to
train with his younger brother Goten. Training gets off to a slow
start, but Goten has a little surprise for his big brother.
These were some fun episodes. They continue to be some of the
funniest DBZ episodes that there are, with the interaction between Gohan
and Videl being particularly entertaining. My favorite part of this
volume has to be the running joke about Gohan's disguise. The Saiyaman
costume is green and red with a cape; outrageously ludicrous by any standards.
In one episode Goku, Kirillian and Picollo all tell him how stupid he looks
in it, but Gohan doesn't believe them. He chalks it up to poor fashion
sense and jealously.
This volume starts the plot rolling for the next big story arc, and
it looks like it will be a fun ride. The world tournament promises
to be a great set of shows.
The DVD:
This disc contains three episodes of Dragon Ball Z in its uncut
format. The disc comes in a standard keepcase. One irritating
thing is that FUNimation included a trailer for the uncut DBZ series
before the menu that is unskippable.
Audio:
This DVD includes the original Japanese track in stereo and an English
stereo dubs. I preferred the original soundtrack over the English
dubs, though the English actors did a good job for the most part.
The teachers at Orange Star High all have a different accent that sounds
really phoney, but aside from that, the dub wasn't too irritating.
The English track has different background music added and though it generally
fits in well with the show, I liked the original music a bit more.
The sound is very good, there isn't any noticeable hum or distortion, and
the range is fine. The dialog is easy to discern and is very clear.
I would have preferred that they had included a 5.1 mix also, like they've
been doing with the new Vegeta saga discs, but this is satisfactory.
Video:
The full screen video looks excellent. The lines are sharp, the
colors are bright and solid, and digital defects are nonexistent.
The image is clean and clear. A fine looking DVD.
Extras:
There aren't any extra features on this disc aside from a series of
trailers.
Final Thoughts:
Dragon Ball Z is a guilty pleasure of mine. This is one
of the funnier storylines in the epic series, and it is a nice change of
pace from the Earth destroying menaces that usually populate the show.
Gohan understands etiquette and proper behavior a little more than his
father did, but that makes it all the more humorous when he makes some
bone-headed mistake. The preparations for the world martial arts
tournament are going well, and the next couple of discs promise to be a
lot of fun. Another great disc. Recommended.
Buy: