Dragonball Z Kai Season 3 Review (Anime)

Dragonball Z Kai Season 3 covers the Androids’ Saga which showcases the rise of Cell, one of the most frightening and powerful enemies in the series.
 
Although the focus isn’t on Cell quite yet due to the arrival of Androids #16, #17 and #18, along with their creator Dr. Gero. This season begins with Goku appearing to be destroyed on Planet Namek along with Frieza, with those on Earth believing that Goku perished and won’t return. However, Frieza returns with cybernetics and is slain by a warrior, known as Trunks, with the ability to turn Super Saiyan – the only Super Saiyan seen in years other than Goku who’d only just managed to achieve it in his battle against Frieza.
 
The Androids Saga is arguably one of the more disturbing sagas in DBZ, at least I found it uncomfortable to watch as a kid when you see Cell rampaging and absorbing people through his tail as they struggle to get out, and the violence seems to have less restrictions because androids aren’t treated as people and so the animators could get away with more brutal acts against them. DBZ is pretty light-hearted in spite of all its action and world-threatening battles, but in a world where very little death seems permanent, it’s hard to take it as seriously as you potentially could. It’s great fun regardless but I don’t feel that DBZ is the king of shounen that it once was.
 
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In my past reviews for Kai I mentioned how I’m unsure of how the Blu-Ray transfer will be able to do much considering how old the show is, but I actually got to review Season 3 in HD this time rather than DVD. I still stand by my point that Blu-Ray has only been able to do so much for DBZ and that the upgrade isn’t as great as it has been for other shows, but it manages to look better than DVD. It brings the age of the animation into focus which is both a blessing and a curse in the way that it shows how the animation still holds up today, but also that it’s clearly showing its age.
 
There might not be a massive battle this season, which is saved for the next season, but the battles against the androids are great and it’s nice to see other fighters get a chance to shine rather than only Goku – which is nice considering the new releases are Goku & Friends more so than DBZ. The fights are explosive and fast-paced yet easy to keep up with, and many of them still get me pumped up. I like the city landscape for a few of the battles in this season, although it’s a shame it quickly reverts back to empty fields and mountains as is common with the series.
 
Again, the dub is as great as ever and has stood the test of time magnificently, although I fear that the OST is a lot worse for wear in comparison – I simply don’t enjoy much of the music and don’t feel that it matches the series very well. I’m still not a big fan of the Japanese voiceover as I don’t agree with Goku’s incredibly high-pitched voice and, despite being a guy who’s easily in his thirties or so, I don’t understand why he’s voiced by a woman – it’s quite obvious, too. Others will prefer it but I feel that the English cast was much better casted personally, though it’s amazing to see both casts still return to voice their roles to this day – both are superb and you can’t go wrong with either.
 
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DBZ gets stronger with each season and the Androids’ Saga is no exception although it feels very long with the Cell Saga tying strongly into it and as an entire season it fails to keep me engrossed. I do understand its importance though with the introduction of Trunks and Android #18 and, again, I like that it gives other characters the chance to prove their worth whilst Goku isn’t around all the time. If you’ve bought the first two seasons then there’s no reason as to why you shouldn’t buy the third season, and it’s an easy recommendation as it’s such a highly-acclaimed and iconic shounen series that laid the path for other series’ in the genre. It’s a great series to watch and whilst I think it’s been dethroned now, it’s still well worth praising.

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