Copyright © 1998 Bird Studio / Shueisha / Toei Animation
Licensed by FUNImation Productions Inc.

DRAGONBALL Z. If you are interested in more information on the series, please be sure to take a look at the various FAQs available on the net, as I will certainly not try to summarize the story of this epic continuous story of combat.
The tapes and DVDs of DRAGONBALL available in North America are the English dubbed and edited versions. "Snake Way" (volume 3) is no exception, and contains episodes 8-10 of the TV series. At this point the two evil "Saiyans" are heading ever closer towards Earth, and our heroes know that if they do not train well enough they would have no chance of saving the world.
The first episode on the disk, "Home For Infinite Losers" has Goku fall off Heaven's Snake Way by accident while racing to meet and train with King Kai. As such, much of the episode has Goku trying to get back up, while dealing with two bored guards looking for a challenge.
Back on Snake Road, "Princess Snake's Hospitality" involves Princess Snake's attempt to seduce Goku into staying with her. Meanwhile on Earth, Goku's friends prepare their own training. And finally Goku's son, Gohan, stars in "Escape From Piccolo," where he journeys across the ocean in order to return home. In the process he discovers a group of orphans, and finds reasons why his training is so important.
The English dubbing ranks as above average to this reviewer's ear, and I felt the voices were well picked for their roles (especially Goku). The editing is very apparent in places however; the best example being in episode 8, when Goku falls into "HELL." Well originally he fell into a strange version of HELL, but the T-shirts of the Oni guards were digitally edited to say "HFIL" instead of "HELL.
These three episodes are more of a break in the action, and are primarily to show character development and training. The DRAGONBALL Z hallmarks of explosive fights and a flurry of fists are still the main themes, though. Perhaps the most addictive quality of the series comes from the continual climactic battles followed by periods of rest and journey towards the next galactic foe or Dragonball.
Looking at this titles as a DVD release, this is about as bare bones as they come. The transfer is very well done, but there are no extras and no Japanese track (not surprising due to the editing of footage).
Overall, this is purely for fans of the North American TV series who want the episodes on a high quality format. Whether or not you are a DRAGONBALL fan is another question, but I have to admit it is a series that can easily grow on you.

DVD Region 1
TV Episodes 8-10
Distributed by Pioneer Entertainment (USA) L.P.
PIDA-1332V
65 Minutes
$29.95
Where to buy