DVD Reviews: Dragonball Z - The Saiyan Conflict (boxed set 1)

Dragonball Z - The Saiyan Conflict boxed set 1 covers episodes 1-25 within 8 DVDs. The DBZ series has always been popular the whole world over and the compilation of this series is well deserved.

For those who are not familiar with the series, it deals with the Saiyan aliens who have sent Goku (featured on the box pictured to the left) to destroy the population of Earth. When he refuses to do so, they kidnap his five year old son Gohan and the main perpetrator of the kidnapping professes to be none other than Goku's own brother Raditz and is a being of extreme power.

Rather than start killing, Goku formulates a plan that will enable him to rescue his son. Then another surprise rears it's head when Goku's most dreaded enemy Piccolo offers his assistance in taking care of Raditz who presents a greater threat to him and the Earth.

Whilst I will not give away specifics, the Saiyan Conflict is also important as we discover that Goku's son Gohan also has special powers that can be used for good. These show themselves unexpectedly and present a dilemma for father and son, as young Gohan has no interest in being a warrior.

The entire Conflict collection is a superb piece of storytelling and will keep you entertained for hours. Also a not of interest is that within the DBZ "universe", time does progress unlike a lot of anime. People get old and die and relationships wax and wane. I personally think it's a nice touch of reality and is one of the little details that dominate the entire series.

The Dragonball Z series in it's entirety has always been about over the top animated violence and language and this version has been edited and cut down to a PG rating meaning that a lot of the "good stuff" is no longer there.

I also wish that they had included the Japanese Language version with subtitles.

There are no extras on any of the DVDs although I do think that most fans of the series will overlook this due to the sheer volume of DBZ goodness that this set offers at the very low price of $149.95.

The Saiyan Conflict is the unfolding point for the DBZ storyline and a great piece of animated entertainment. Once you have finished with this set, look out for the next boxed collection; The Namek Saga, also from The AV Channel.