D [STR] Story & Narrative Direction 5 / 10
B [AGI] Animation & Cel Craftsmanship 7 / 10
B [INT] Character Dynamics & Cast 7 / 10
B [SYN] Voice Acting & Soundtrack 7 / 10
Consensus: Harsher in Retrospect ❄️
CLASSIFICATION C-TIER
[+] Strengths & Highlights
DBZ was the first anime show that I really liked, although I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of the show now. I think some people tend to base their opinion on this show by the people that claim to be DBZ fans on IRC. It really is a good show for the demographic its aimed at, since you can't expect an 8 year old to grasp shows like Evangelion. The battles in the show still carry a lot of emotion, even though you know who will win in the end. This anime isn't HORRIBLE, it just isn't very good if you're expecting some psychological thriller that keeps you glued to the TV or a show up to the standards of Cowboy Bebop in originality and action.
[-] Vulnerabilities & Flaws
The plot is very simplistic, and the show tends to drag its feet for no apparent reason. Also, the fights can be rather repetitive instead of suspensful at times.
⤢ Fullscreen • Hover 2001
Harsher in Retrospect ❄️ Modern Consensus: The 2001 critical skepticism remains accurate today, with modern retrospectives noting the same structural limitations.
Dragonball Z, probably one of the more controversial animes just because of its popularity with the young crowd in america. Although this show is considered horrible by many, I find it to at least somewhat decent, and as a show aimed at children ages 8-12, it definitley surpasses a lot of the crap on TV right now.
The plot is rather simplistic when you compare it to more "mature" shows. Usually in this 300+ episode series a very powerful villian appears, and Goku and crew go through a series of battles with this villian until one of the main characters reaches some new level of power. The plot is VERY contrived.
Goku: An innocent, kind-hearted niceguy, always trying to do what is right, but he still has a great love of fighting
Vegeta: A somewhat more agressive character that considers himself Goku's rival and has a rather large ego.
Piccolo: An alien who often is much wiser than the other characters
Overall the characters aren't anything special.
The animation is ok for a long-running show from the 1990's. There isn't anything very special about it.
The dub has been bashed repeatedly and constantly in america by hardcore fans of DBZ. The original voices are pretty good, and the dub has been improving steadily the past few years.
🟢 What We Liked: DBZ was the first anime show that I really liked, although I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of the show now. I think some people tend to base their opinion on this show by the people that claim to be DBZ fans on IRC. It really is a good show for the demographic its aimed at, since you can't expect an 8 year old to grasp shows like Evangelion. The battles in the show still carry a lot of emotion, even though you know who will win in the end. This anime isn't HORRIBLE, it just isn't very good if you're expecting some psychological thriller that keeps you glued to the TV or a show up to the standards of Cowboy Bebop in originality and action.
🔴 What We Disliked: The plot is very simplistic, and the show tends to drag its feet for no apparent reason. Also, the fights can be rather repetitive instead of suspensful at times.
💬 Early-2000s Fandom Pulse Community Rating: ★ 4.5/5 (0 historical responses)
• Community Praise: DBZ was the first anime show that I really liked, although I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of the show now. I think some people tend to base their opinion on this show by the people that claim to be DBZ fans on IRC. It really is a good show for the demographic its aimed at, since you can't expect an 8 year old to grasp shows like Evangelion. The battles in the show still carry a lot of emotion, even though you know who will win in the end. This anime isn't HORRIBLE, it just isn't very good if you're expecting some psychological thriller that keeps you glued to the TV or a show up to the standards of Cowboy Bebop in originality and action.
• Contentious Points: The plot is very simplistic, and the show tends to drag its feet for no apparent reason. Also, the fights can be rather repetitive instead of suspensful at times.
