Dragon Ball Z first came to the US in its cartoon form in 1996.  The only problem with the show was that the episodes were sanitized for American audiences with any hint of blood cut or foreign references cut out.  That made the shows run a little short, so episodes were spliced together to make sure that they'd run the proper length.

Then in early 1999, Pioneer started releasing this series on DVD.  The only problem was that the weren't putting the original Japanese episodes out, they were releasing the edited US TV versions.  I suppose they thought that the only people who would watch them were kids.  The entire first two story arcs were released in that format.  FUNimation took over after that and continued the series, and their releases were uncensored happily, but that still left the first dozen and a half DVDs in cut form only.

Now FUNimation has decided to go back and re-release the early Pioneer discs in their uncut form.  If you've been holding off getting these discs, wait no longer.
 
If you're reading this, chances are good that you already know the story, but in case you don't, here's a brief recap: It has been five years since Goku defeated King Piccolo and the Earth has been at peace in that time.  Goku has gotten married and had a son, Gohan.  Unfortunately things are not going to stay peaceful forever.

A mysterious meteor crashes to the Earth, and a alien gets out.  He starts searching for the strongest person on the planet.  First he encounters Piccolo, but that's not who he's looking for.  Pretty soon he discovers Goku and his son relaxing with their friends.  This mysterious alien is Raditz, a Saiyan.  He belongs to a race of warriors, as does Goku.  It turns out that Goku was sent to Earth as a baby with orders to kill everyone on the planet.  An accident soon after he arrived in which he bumped his head made him forget his mission though.  Now Raditz needs the grown Goku to help him conquer worlds. Of course Goku refuses to go with him, so Raditz takes Gohan and promises to kill him if Goku doesn't join him.  And to prove that he's serious, Goku has to kill 100 people.  If he hasn't do so within 24 hours, his son is dead.  Raditz is much more powerful than Goku, and there is no way that he can defeat him in a battle, so what will he do?

This is a great place to start if you are new to the Dragon Ball universe.  These are three good episodes, though the best is yet to come.  It sets up the story nicely, and if you haven't seen the first series, Dragon Ball, you won't be too confused.  There isn't a lot of action in these shows, since they are just setting the stage, but they still keep your interest.
 

One of the images that was edited out of the show for broadcast on American TV.  Note the drops of blood.

This disc sports a new opening and closing animations with a heavy metal tune thrashing for the opening, and an odd new-age type music for the closing in the English dubs.  I'm not sure why they changed it, and I liked this less than the other versions.  Aside from that, this is a great release.
 

This disc contains the first three episodes of Dragon Ball Z in its uncut format.  The disc is available by itself, or with a case to hold the other discs in the series and Goku action figure.  The action figure was a nice bonus item.  It is a quality toy with lots of points of articulation and fine details. (even though the picture makes it look like he hasn't got a nose.)

Audio:

This DVD has four audio options: the original Japanese in stereo, English and Spanish stereo dubs, or an English 5.1 soundtrack.  I preferred the original soundtrack over the English dubs, though the English actors did a good job.  The English track has music added to the background, and though it fits in well with the show, I liked the more Spartan sounding original track.  The sound is very good for a show of this age, there isn't any noticeable hum or distortion, and the range is fine.  A good sounding disc.

Video:

This show is pretty old, being first broadcast in Japan in the late 1980's, but the image looks good for the most part.  The colors are bright and the lines are tight.  There is a good amount of mosquito noise in the first episode, but the other two shows looked better.  There was still a fair amount of noise, but it was only distracting on the first episode.  There was a minor amount of print damage, just an occasional white speck, but this was fairly rare.  Overall a nice looking disc.

Extras:

The bonus material on this disc starts out with a half hour Goku vs. Vegetta featurette.  This has voice actors Sean Schemmal (Goku) and Chris Sabat (Vegetta) discussing which Saiyan is better.  Their comments are interspersed by clips form the show and comments from fans.

One extra I really liked was Follow the Nimbus Cloud.  If you activate this feature, a Nimbus Cloud will appear in the upper right corner in all the scenes that were cut from the American TV release.  A very handy feature.
 
There is a DBZ trivia contest and a series of trailers too.

Final Thoughts:

I really like DBZ and I'm happy to have the first episodes in uncut form.  The show starts off well, but gets better as it goes on.  The pinnacle of fighting anime, I'll be the first to admit that this show isn't for everyone.  The fights are long and some find them monotonous, but the humor mixed with intense action bring out the little kid in me.  If you're a fan of the show, this is the disc you've been waiting for.  Highly Recommended.