Dragon Ball Z Kai Season 1 - Anime Action for Fans

Look, I LOVE the original DBZ (and Dragon Ball, though this is primarily about DBZ./DBZ Kai). I watched it all the time on Toonami way back in the day, played with the action figures, played the video games, had some old VHS tapes, and a few years ago I got the orange bricks (not the best remastering, but it overall fit my needs). However, as much as I love the original DBZ (and my DBZ fix was coming up again), I knew I needed a fresh change. As much as I love the Funimation English dub of DBZ, I've got to put some nostalgia aside and admit that it wasn't always the best. The acting was shoddy at times and the scripts (often changed from the original manga) could range from cheesy to downright terrible. Based on everything I had heard/seen from DBZ Kai, it looked exactly like the fix I needed. Not only was it a "new" version of DBZ that would feel fresh, but it would perhaps give me my fix and even more.I am thrilled to say that I was right. [NOTE: This is not the edited version of Kai that aired on Nicktoons. This is the UNCUT version of DBZ Kai that contains blood and swearing.] DBZ Kai is exactly what I wanted and more. First of all, I have the say that the script is WAY better than that of the dub I grew up with. It is manga-accurate and never has those cheesy, cornball moments that the other English dubs have had. Also, considering that they have had 10 years of voice-acting experience, the English actors (mostly the same with a few changes) are absolutely superb this time around. Sean Schemmel completely embodies Goku, as does Chris Sabat as Vegeta and Piccolo (the voices are actually completely distinguishable from each other now). Everyone else is great as well. The main changes I can think of are for Gohan (voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard) and Bulma (forgot her voice actor's name). These voices have had a largely negative reaction from those like myself who are familiar with the other voices. First of all, with Bulma, while I might prefer Bulma's old voice (it suited her confident, adventurous, sometimes bubbly personality more), I think her new voice works just fine. Her new voice is perfect for the brainy, know-it-all side of the character, as well as her intimidating side (like when she's with Gohan and Krillin on the way to Namek). So I can definitely say I'm happy with her voice. As for Gohan, contrary to public opinion, I LOVE his new voice. While I've always loved Stephanie Naldolny (his old voice actor) as Kid GOKU, I felt like her voice was always too old and too confident sounded for Kid Gohan. This Gohan actually sounds like a 4-5-year-old kid. The whinyness is there when it needs to be, and the rage is perfectly expressed. I can't help but feel people are complaining mainly because it's not the Gohan voice they're used to, despite that it absolutely fits the character.The other BIG draw of Kai is that it (for the most part) completely cuts the filler (or things added to the anime that weren't in the manga). Look, I'm nostalgic for the filler; heck, I even sometimes enjoy watching it. However, Kai cuts all the fluff and tells the story as it is meant to be told, and in my opinion, the whole thing feels more epic that way. Also, the series is much faster paced. There are no more extremely drawn out power-ups or staring contests. It gets straight to the action, and I LOVE that.I'm also a fan of the way the animation has been cleaned up. The colors have also been brightened, and it looks fantastic. The opening and ending credits (different from before) are also really good once you get used to the new songs (Dragon Soul and Yeah!Yeah! Break! Care!, both which I now love). In my opinion, they completely capture the tone of the show, although I can't help but miss Cha-La-Head-Cha-La. Also, Kai contains new eyecatches, or little animations that pop up in the middle of each episode (like an intermission). While the original DBZ had only two eyecatches for the entire series (one for the Saiyan through Cell Sagas and one for the Buu saga), Kai has a different eyecatch depending on what is happening in the episode). This is actually a cool touch and it makes Kai feel like a fresh new show. The only downside to it is that for those new to the show, they might give away details about what's going to happen. But that's just a minor complaint.This brings me to the music. Because of a plagiarism scandal involving Kenji Yamamoto (the original composer for Kai), his music has been replaced on the Blu-Ray releases by that of the original DBZ composer, Shunsuke Kikuchi. Although I grew up with the English dub Bruce Faulconer music (and I still love many of his tracks and have fond memories of hearing them on the show), overall I prefer Kikuchi's music with the show. To me, it's a better fit, plus there are occasionally silent moments that add to the intensity. Unfortunately, there is a bit of a drawback. Much of the music placement is not the same as it was in the original DBZ, and some of the best tracks are not even used. This is something that I have adjusted to considering how much I love everything else about the show, but it is a major drawback to not hear some of Kikuchi's most iconic themes in certain scenes. However, it does contain some good tracks, and since this is, in a way, a "new" version of DBZ, I can live with it.There aren't much bonus features on this set, but I wasn't really asking for them. I'm just happy to see DBZ Kai presented this way. Overall, DBZ Kai is a massive success in my opinion, and it's probably the perfect way for new fans to get into DBZ. Despite the music placement being different, Kai is currently my favorite version of the show. I can't wait to watch Seasons Two-Four (and I'm pumped that they're actually doing the Buu saga now).