AniMania: DRAGON BALL Z KAI

Most people who are familiar with anime (and many who aren’t) probably already know a thing or two about Dragon Ball, one of the most popular family of anime titles to ever grace our shores. But for those of you who don’t, a quick synopsis may be in order. A rough breakdown of the series would go something like:

Episode 1: Goku (charging energy fireball attack) KA —
Episode 2: ME —
Episode 3: AH —
Episode 4: ME —
Episode 5: (releases massive wave) AHH!!!
Episode 6: AHHHH!!!
Episode 7: HHH!!!
Episode 8: !!!
Episode 9: Piccolo (sees approaching fireball) Oh crap —
Episode 10: (is hit) YAAAHH!!!
Episode 11: AHHH!!!
Episode 12: HHH!!! (end of season 1)

Seasoned fans will get the joke — Dragon Ball, while much beloved, is not exactly known for its breathtaking rate of plot development. Whole episodes, heck, whole SEASONS go by as the characters punch, kick, taunt, charge up and blast one another with super powered special attacks. On the one hand, its funny, but the fact we all get the joke is a tribute in its own right. If you’re an anime fan, DB is a part of the landscape, and Dragon Ball Z Kai marks a re-versioning of one of the most popular arms of the DB galaxy.

If you’re already a fan of DBZ, then you’ll know the plot of Kai. At the start of DBZK (I’d like to buy a vowel, Pat), we learn about the great warrior, Goku, who with his friends collected the magic Dragon Balls, and saved the earth from alien invasion. Goku has since been enjoying a more or less normal life with his wife, Chi-Chi, and their son, Gohan. But then, one day, the evil alien, Raditz, shows up, and makes a shocking revelation: Goku is descended from a line of space warriors, called Saiyans, and he was originally sent to Earth to destroy all of its inhabitants, and Raditz is his older brother!

Goku, being of noble heart, wants nothing to do with his long lost brother’s evil plans, but he isn’t strong enough to stand up to him alone — in part because a major source of a Saiyan’s power is in his tail, and Goku lost his tail long ago (if you in any way doubt the power of tails, I’d suggest you ask any self-respecting cat girl about their importance). At any rate, to defeat Raditz, Goku teams up with his arch rival, Piccolo. Together they are able to overcome the evil Saiyan, but their victory comes at a terrible price, and the dying Raditz gloats that two more even stronger Saiyans are on their way to earth. They will arrive in one year. With the fate of the planet at stake Goku embarks on a journey from which few ever return, while Piccolo takes on the responsibility of raising Gohan, who even as a child shows the capacity for tremendous power.

Re-versioning has become something of the new norm in the anime world, with Evangelion 1.01, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and Negima!? being cases in point. It makes sense, when you consider that these are tough economic times, and that Japan, anime’s native home, is struggling with a flood of moe titles and near saturation of its domestic market. Under such conditions, studios and fans alike are inclined to wax a bit nostalgic, and reach for names that are known and loved. Adding in the fact that DBZ is having its historic 25th Anniversary makes this the perfect time for Kai’s release.

Dragon Ball also has a special place here in the states. For the North American anime distributor, Funimation, DBZ is something akin to sacred ground. As the property that in many ways launched the studio, the title is intricately bound up with the founding of the company. Put another way, Dragon Ball Z is part of Funimation’s origin story. The cast from the original series reads like a who’s who of prominent voice actors. In a sense, it’s the Mad Mad Mad Mad World of the anime industry. It launched the careers of many veteran VA’s, and when asked if there is one title they WISH they could have worked on, many younger voice actors will point to DBZ.

Most of that cast returns for Kai, with Sean Schemmel reprising his role of Goku. Schemmel could have made a career out of his appearances as Goku alone, which include Dragon Ball, DBZ, GT, a handful of specials and over a dozen movies! He’s also appeared in anime cult titles like the Outlanders OVA, and tried his hand at directing several series, including one of my personal favorites, Midori Days. Christopher R. Sabat appears as Piccolo, Vegeta, and Yamcha (remember the good old days when it seemed the entire cast of every show was voiced by the same four people, and die-hard fans cursed you for watching anything other than subs?) Sabat has been a household name in blockbuster titles for decades, with roles like Kuwabara in Yu Yu Hakusho, Armstrong in FMA, Kurogane in Tsubasa, and Giroro in Sgt. Frog. For the record, I’m still rooting for Giro and Natsumi to get together.

With a series like this, it would be virtually impossible to shine the spotlight on every member of such a storied cast, with appearances from actors like Justin Cook as Raditz (Yusuke in YYH, Haru in Fruits Basket), Mike McFarland as Master Roshi (Goemon Ishikawa in a host of Lupin III movies and specials) and John Burgmeier as Tien (Burgmeier wrote the script adaptation for Fruits Basket, in which he also voiced Shigure, and gave his talents to the voice of fangirl favorite, YYH’s Kurama).

The cast list also includes four new names: Colleen Clinkenbeard, the voice of XXXHOLiC’s sultry Yuko Ichihara, provides the new voice of Gohan. Monica Rial, who plays Sakura in Tsubasa RESERvoir CHRoNiCLE and Tsubaki in the recent hit, Soul Eater, is the new voice of Bulma. Doc Morgan is Kai’s Narrator, and spicy wolf Brina Palencia appears as both Chiaotsu and Puar.

The re-versioning itself is done with a gentle hand, more on the order of Evangelion than a full blown retelling as with FMA Brotherhood. The animation has been cleaned up, re-mastered for HD video and audio, and also sports updated opening and closing sequences. It looks great, but does not call undue attention to itself, leaving one with the conclusion that this is Dragon Ball Z as it was meant to be — truly “as the master intended.”

Dragon Ball Z Kai Part 1 should be available in stores today, May 18th. The two disc thin pack contains 13 episodes, and comes in a cardboard sleeve, with gold foil highlights. The DVD release is expected to retail for $49.98. The price bumps up slightly, to $54.98, for Blu-ray. DBZ Kai Part 2 is slated for a release of September 14th, later this year. You can preview the series with information on characters, episode summaries, and video at www.dragonballzkai.com.