Let’s Talk Anime – Dragon Ball Z
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Welcome to Another Let’s talk Anime, today, we’ll have a look on another classic anime that we surely know and love. Dragon Ball Z, part of the long-running Dragon Ball manga and anime franchise. With remarkable characters, mind-blowing strengths and superpowers, and themes around supernatural, fantasy, martial arts, adventure, and lots of comedic element.
Just like any anime, Dragon Ball Z (or most Dragon Ball anime in this case) were started from Shonen Jump manga releases. Aired from April 26, 1989 – January 31, 1996, with 291 episodes by Toei Animation. Aired through its network Fuji TV as well as streamed in different platforms such as Funimation and Australia’s Madman Entertainment.
Dragon Ball Z continues the adventures of Son Goku, who, along with his companions, defends the Earth against villains ranging from aliens (Vegeta, Frieza), androids (Cell) and magical creatures (Majin Buu). While the original Dragon Ball anime followed Goku from childhood to early adulthood, Dragon Ball Z is a continuation of his adult life, but at the same time parallels the life of his son, Gohan, as well as the development of his rivals, Piccolo and Vegeta.
If you’re a casual anime watcher, if you hear “Dragon Ball”, you’ll immediately think of Dragon Ball Z. But real fans know the two are different things. Dragon Ball (February 1986 to April 1989 – 153 episodes, Toei Animation – Fuji TV) is based the first 194 chapters of the manga, while Dragon Ball Z is based on the last 325 chapters and last 26 volumes of the Dragon Ball manga. It basically begins where ”Dragon Ball” left off. So, we can say that DBZ is a continuation of the Dragon Ball plot.
Aside from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, the Dragon Ball anime universe consists of other anime series such as Dragon Ball GT (1996-1997) and Dragon Ball Super (2015-2018). Even a 20th Anniversary Commemoration remake of Dragon Ball Z called Dragon Ball Z Kai (2009-2015)
The general idea goes around Goku befriending a teenage girl named Bulma. Together, they go on an adventure to find the seven mystical Dragon Balls which have the ability to summon the powerful dragon Shenron, who can grant whomever summons him their greatest desire.
Dragon Ball Z picks up five years after the end of the Dragon Ball anime, with Goku now a young adult and father to his son, Gohan.
A humanoid alien named Raditz arrives on Earth in a spacecraft and tracks down Goku, revealing to him that he is his long-lost older brother and that they are members of a near-extinct alien warrior race called the Saiyans. The Saiyans had sent Goku (originally named “Kakarot”) to Earth as an infant to conquer the planet for them, but he suffered a severe blow to the head shortly after his arrival and lost all memory of his mission, as well as his blood-thirsty Saiyan nature.
Aside from the anime itself, the show is known for iconic fictional items that we bring back to life such as the plushies for these fictional creatures. In which is fun to dress up given their adorable and cute designs. Aside from that, the love over Dragon Ball Z is never ending as different merch items inspired by the show is kept being made such as hoodies, plush toys, stickers, watches, aprons, and more. Merch items are such a must-have for every huge fan but still worth checking out if you have the likings for the show’s aesthetic and even casually interested with the show.
According to Wikipedia, Dragon Ball Z’s popularity is reflected through a variety of data through online interactions which show the popularity of the media. media historian Hal Erickson wrote that “Dragon Ball may be the closest thing on American television to an animated soap opera — though this particular genre is an old, established and venerated one in Japan, the series’ country of origin.” Christopher J. Olson and CarrieLynn D. Reinhard note that “Western fans flocked to Dragon Ball Z because it offered exciting action not found in movies or television shows (animated or otherwise) at that time.
In 2015, Ford Motor Company released two commercials featuring characters from the series, the first advertising the Ford Fusion and the second for the Ford Focus.
Dragon Ball Z’s Japanese run was very popular with an average viewer ratings of 20.5% across the series. Dragon Ball Z also proved to be a rating success in the United States, outperforming top shows such as Friends and The X-Files in some parts of the country in sweeps ratings during its first season. The premiere of season three of Dragon Ball Z in 1999, done by Funimation’s in-house dub, was the highest-rated program ever at the time on Cartoon Network.
Since its debut, Dragon Ball has had a considerable impact on global popular culture. In 2015, the Japan Anniversary Association officially declared May 9 as “Goku Day” in Japanese, the numbers five and nine can be pronounced as “Go” and “Ku”. In the Philippines, a children’s musical titled Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z: Myth, Magic, Music, was staged in June 1996. Dragon Ball is widely referenced in American popular culture, from television and music to celebrities, online media, and athletes.
Dragon Ball is also immensely popular in other regions of the world, such as Latin America, where public screenings of the Dragon Ball Super finale in 2018 filled public spaces and stadiums in cities across the region, including stadiums holding tens of thousands of spectators.
AND THAT’S IT FOR TODAY
Hope you liked our little article discussing basic Dragon Ball Z. Also, let us know your thoughts or if there’s something we missed down in the comments.
What do like the most about Dragon Ball? What is the most memorable thing you can get from the show? How about the ones that you like and dislike? We would love to hear from you.
Also, if you have any more idea on what anime we can talk about, drop them in the comments.
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