Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box Z Vol. 2by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 7 This set of episodes covers a good part of the Freeza saga. Vegita gives Freeza and his goons trouble while Gohan, Kuririn, Bulma and the others round up the dragon balls. Then, Vegita fights tries to get the balls and wishes for himself but is interrupted by the Ginyu Special Corps who stir things up anew. Goku arrives to save his friends, but things look bad when Ginyu himself switches bodies with Goku. The dragon Shen Long is summoned, bringing Piccolo back and transporting him to planet Namek where he can help take on Freeza. We see a Freeza's many forms as Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and the others battle him on planet Namek.I like the Freeza saga. The transformations keep things moving in a way (while they draw the battle out longer), and take the battling levels to new heights. It's a set full of tragedy as those on planet Namek (and many of our heroes) suffer at Freeza's hands. This set does not get into the final, very climactic battle between Freeza's final form and newly-Super Saiyan Goku. The Ginyu Special Corps is hilarious, but also provides some new and unusual challenges in battle. The levity in these episodes truly relies on them — the sentai (hero-team) poses, sayings, and overall goofiness in the midst of tense battle. Plus there's the whole body-switching thing that results in a very unfortunate predicament for Ginyu. This box set, like the first, also comes with a 48-page hardback collector's booklet (which reads right to left) full of info, facts, and special looks at the art and designs. I find this to be a wonderful addition to the collection, but I do wish it had more tid-bits of insight into the series more so than just plot summary of individual episodes. If you're a fan of the series and don't already own all of it I recommend buying these new box sets from FUNimation. The boxes' designs are perfect for collectors, and the uncut, remastered footage is excellent. Beware of the subbed version if you've only really seen the dubbed - it may cause fits of laughter. Thankfully, I think the English voice actors do a splendid job and were well cast. Considering that the talking is either screaming or story development (and thus not too full of emotion from the brute warriors) the deep, manly voices of the dub suit them well. Dragon Ball Z is a lengthy, somewhat drawn-out, action-packed, rich story that manages to show friendship and hard work helping to good guys overcome the bad. It really is a lot of fun. Written: March 29, 2010
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