The Dragon Ball anime is adapting only a part of the Dragon Ball manga. The other part is adapted as Dragon Ball Z which is far more popular but less consistent.
But how do the two shows differ from each other?
Btw, I will use Japanese terms sometimes and the review is written as someone who didn't watch the American dub. That is because Dragon Ball outside of America was more faithful to the original even in terms of soundtrack.
Story
Many consider Dragon Ball Z to be a show where badguy appears, threatens the planet, Goku or Gohan get a new form and win. Afterwards the Dragon Balls fix everything taking away all consequences. Well, that is partially true, but Dragon Ball is a little different.
It is about the adventure of the young Son Goku who lived most of his live in the forest until he met Bulma.
Bulma and Goku would go to an adventure seeking the Dragon Balls meeting various people on their way like Yamcha, Puar and Oolong.
But they aren't the only ones after the Dragon Balls as the Pilaf and his underlings are also after them.
The first arc of Dragon Ball is probably the best in terms of storytelling and character dynamic. There are no epic fights and jokes were build up very well. The main appeal is the interaction between the main cast since nobody trusts each other or tries to manipulate them:
- Goku only goes with Bulma to see the outside world, but won't hand her the Dragon Ball
- Bulma uses Goku for protection and intends to take his Dragon Ball for herself. She manipulates Oolong through let's say blackmailing
- Oolong is a selfish pig and just tries to survive. He is pretty much held captive by the later two.
- Yamcha is a bandit who acts as a friend in need but uses Bulma and the others to collect the Dragon Balls for him.
Sadly there are no amazing fights Dragon Ball is usually known for.
The arc after establishes the basic formula of Dragon Ball:
- adventure to hunt Dragon Balls
- Tournament arc
and then these loop.
Besides fighting to become the strongest under the heaven, Goku gets trained by Master Roshi who is considered the strongest human on earth despite him being retired. He fights an army later on, the Red Ribbon Army who have enough resources to make someone like Prince Pilaf shit his pants out of fear. Goku gets trained by God of Martial Arts Korin learning to make the most out of his movement.
Goku would fight otherworldly beings like Mummies, the death and even demons including the Demon King Piccolo who surpasses Master Roshi even in his weakened state in power.
Goku would receive training from the God of Earth also known as Kami learning about moving without thinking.
There were lots of things based on mythology especially considering Dragon Ball started as some kind of parody of Journey to the West but was dropped at some point. But the anime would continue adding stuff in filler like the Gold and Silver brothers.
It certainly is a much better product in terms of quality to the manga especially how the cast gets fleshed out and many wasted characters have their best moments in the anime.
Characters
I talked about some of them somewhat but here a few that stick out.
Goku is the main character pretty much. In the first arc he is more a bystander but after that he becomes the most active. He learns the importance of training. Learns about the world and adapts. It is fun to see Goku react to woman. Or when he saw a TV the first time he thought a man was trapped inside so he broke it. But eventually he understands how the world works around him and even knows how to do basic maths by the time he became a teenager. Goku is also very oblivious to trickery which turns him into victim of pranks of Krillin. It never gets old seeing Goku react to something new or trying a new technique in battle.
Bulma is probably the least likeable character which is also her appeal. She is corrupt and manipulative. She is weak to cute boys which balance out her "intellect" which is pretty much being able to build any device to solve any situation. After the first arc she falls off to the background and becomes pretty much a filler character. She would accompany Goku in a few adventures but otherwise she is just there for comic relief.
Yamcha is another character that fell behind after the first arc. He would still train to take part in tournaments and eventually become Roshi's student. He is pretty much used as a jobber to put over a certain character in tournaments as he loses in a humiliating way. But aside of that Yamcha had some really good moments in filler where he went to an adventure to train under Korin with Krillin, Tenshinhan and Chaotzu.
Oolong is comic relief and another main character that fell off after the first arc. His attempts to escape Bulma's wrath always backfire but he did come in clutch during his arc. After that he just exist as a punching bag.
Master Roshi is the strongest human at the start of the story. He is your average pervert master who always gets punished for peeking. That is why his jokes work since he can't overpower women despite his lust. But behind these funny scenes there is a very wise master. His training is entertaining to watch as he teaches the importance of mundane work and morning workout. Learning how to use tools. Learning math. Learning the importance of rest. There is also some other generic weight lifting training and some stupid things, because it is still a comedy. Roshi has also some of the best fights in the series and whenever he enters the battle, you know shit is real.
You can't talk about Dragon Ball without talking about Kuririn or Krillin. He starts off as a jerk trying to get all the training from Roshi for himself and tricks Goku several times. Eventually he softens up and becomes Goku's best friend. He is one of few characters that get the most involved, but not as much as you would hope.
Tenshinhan or Tien starts off as an antagonist from a rival school. He wants to be like his idol Tao Pai Pai who kills people without mercy and strong. He is one of many characters that turn from bad to evil. And its a nicely done story where he learns to be more confident in his own capabilities instead of relying on others. His redemption arc even goal all through the anime adaptation.
King Piccolo is probably the best villain who actually brought real tension to the story. He killed several martial artist and even rendered the Dragon Balls useless (well... you know...).
He is your average badguy who lies and is just a personification of evil but still on a comical side because its Dragon Ball.
Piccolo Jr is the offspring and a copy of his character at this point. For the humiliation he suffered he wants to beat Goku in a "fair" fight to confirm his dominance as the demon king over the world.
Pilaf Gang are a real highlight of comic relief villain. They are basically Team Rocket from Pokemon before it gets repetitive. Pilaf has great knowledge about the world but his stupid decision making always ends up punishing him and his underlings. But he would never admit that and would ask his underlings to confirm, if they don't give him the answer he wants to hear, he would punish them feeding them to crocodiles.
Lunch is many people's favourite female Dragon Ball character. And in the anime the blond version really shines. She has a split personality which appears when she sneezes. Her blue form is nice and good at cooking, but she is kinda stupid. The blond version is a criminal using guns and other weapons. She will soften up eventually too and has some of the best character interaction.
Art and animation aren't my thing but both are good for the time. The animation is fluid and the action is great. Dragon Ball has some of the best soundtracks like the Piccolo theme.
Enjoyment
Dragon Ball is known for its comedy telling a story about an overpowered kid to beats everyone with little effort. Because action is so loved by many, the author decided to give Goku actually competent opponents. The fights are well choreographed but not as flashy as Dragon Ball Z. But there is far more strategy and martial arts techniques in this which makes it superior to all other Dragon Ball series.
Sadly some jokes didn't age too well because of modern censorship and modern standards in general.
Also characters besides Goku became less proactive or rarely affected the plot. Roshi tried something in the Piccolo arc and failed. Krillin and Yamcha never managed to be helpful to Goku. Yamcha was useful in the first arc but was pretty much irrelevant after that besides being a jobber. Most of the cast exist as comic relief. They started with a good first impression but it seems like the writers didn't know what to do with them. Still better than what the manga did obviously.
Overall
Dragon Ball may not have planet shattering fights and massive explosions all the time. Nor does it have transformation that are used to like in Z, GT or Super.
If you like world building, some good humor and enjoy a kid beat up adults, you will love Dragon Ball.
