DragonBall Z... This show is universally acclaimed (most popular cartoon in
Japan and
France) as being the best action cartoon series ever. I personally prefer the
English version to the Japanese, but that's because the Japanese have a tendency to put
voice actors with very high voices in their shows (see
anime explained), and that bothers me to no end, as I'm a
stickler for good sounding voices. If you're wondering what that means, I can say that
I'm not even sure, but
Piccolo and
Vegeta, in my opinion, have the best voices in the
series, but this is beside everything.
This show, with it's extensive backstory (that has its roots in Dragon Ball), colorful characters (With green, blue, purple, and red skin, nonetheless), awesome fighting scenes, and annoying as hell cliffhangers (must watch on tapes, one episode isn't enough) just keeps me coming back for more, and more, and more.
The Premise
Okay, you've got this guy, Goku, who's the best fighter on earth, and this group of warriors called Sayains have sent him to destroy the earth, however, due to being hit on the head when he was little, he lost all his evil intentions.
Piccolo is a green-skinned antannae-headed Namekian with a gravelly voice and a penchant for getting a wee bit pissed at everybody. He originally wanted to rule the earth, but due to a recent enlightenment, well... actually, Piccolo has a strong sense of honor, and when Goku dies protecting the earth, Piccolo has a change of heart (but this also could be because he spends a solid year training Goku's son). So Piccolo fights for the side of good, and he's a badass.
Gohan, Goku's son, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu, are the weaker, backup type fighters until way later in the series when Gohan grows up. They usually just stand around and add commentary while someone else fights or is getting their ass kicked.
Now, the basic plot of the show is that someone bad comes along, and Goku, the strongest fighter of the planet, has something bad happen to him (i.e. He's not strong enough, he dies, he's incapacitated by heart disease, he gets his ass beat and put in a recovery capsule). Then, everybody else has a turn at fighting while Goku gets better or stronger or what have you, in some way. Then Goku steps in and beats the collective ass of whatever's in his way, and is then stopped by something else. Repeat.
The average episode constitutes of a lot of people mugging for the camera, and insulting each other before they actually fight, and episodes usually end right as someone is about to throw a punch, which heightens its addictiveness and adds to a general sense of "Hey! What happens next?" syndrome, causing a body to watch it over and over again.
Dragon Ball Z: I'm addicted and I like it.