Dragon Ball Z Season 2 Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64dbjcoEI-Y

Trailer courtesy of youtuber Gohtrunks02

Episode Guide

A New Goal…Namek!
Journey To Namek
Friends Or Foes?
Hunt For A Dragonball
Who’s Who?
Touchdown On Namek
Face-Off On Namek
The Ruthless Frieza
The Nameks VS Frieza
Escape From Dodoria
Secrets Revealed
A Collision Course
Stay Away From Frieza
Zarbon Transformed
The Eldest Namek
Get Vegeta!
Vegeta Revived
A Heavy Burden
Immortality Denied
Big Trouble For Bulma
Scramble For The Dragon Balls!
Arrival Of The Ginyu Force
Elite Fighters Of The Universe…The Ginyu Force
Time Tricks and Body Binds
No Refuge From Recoome
Enter Goku
Goku… Super Saiyan?
Ginyu Assault
Incredible Force
Frieza Approaches
Goku Is Ginyu and Ginyu is Goku
Calling The Eternal Dragon
Gohan, Defeat Your Dad
Captain Ginyu…The Frog?

Following the explosive climactic fight at the end of season 1, Dragon Ball Z slows the pace with its changed locale and an increased emphasis on backstory and building character. With a bigger fight looming on the horizon in the form of the dangerous Frieza, season 2 acts as the first part of what promises to be a memorable chapter in the Dragon Ball Z universe.

With the remaining Z fighters and their families mourning the death of their comrades following the fight with the Saiyans, the emphasis switches to locating the dragon balls to bring the deceased fighters back to life. With the earth dragon balls gone, Krillin, Bulma and Gohan set off for Namek to recover another set of dragon balls and wish the fighters back to life. Unfortunately for them, they aren’t the only ones looking for the balls and the ensuing scramble makes for some interesting dynamics and skirmishes between characters as Vegeta joins the fray. There’s a real sense of blurred battle lines this time around, with Vegeta acting on his own accord as the wildcard fighting both Frieza’s forces and the Z Fighters.

Although season 2 is considerably slower paced and the action is scattered throughout the episodes, a lot of the material here sees a mixture of physical, slapstick comedy and character building through the Namekian lore and building the relationship between Krillin and Gohan. Both are surprisingly well written, with Namek itself aesthetically pleasing with its bleached green sky and blue grass. The animation is a slight step up from before too, although there are still areas that leave room for improvement. Some of the artwork does feel a little dated but its not too distracting from the story.

Despite some strong writing and an interesting emphasis on building relationships, season 2 still feels like a slight step back from last year. Although it is understandable, given what this season is leading up with its cliffhanger ending, next to the season before it doesn’t quite match up. There’s still a lot to like though, with Vegeta, Krillin and Gohan in particular given a lot of screen time to build character. Vegeta slots perfectly into an anti-hero archetype and his complicated arc makes for some engrossing episodes. You aren’t quite sure whether to root for him or not and his fight with Frieza’s henchmen take up the bulk of the fighting this season. While it doesn’t quite hold the same dramatic tension the first season had in abundance, its still impressively animated and the usual flurry of energy shots and martial arts are used to good effect.

Overall, season 2 is a bit of a step back from the first season. The character building is generally good despite a heavier emphasis on the physical comedy that dominates a fair number of episodes. Some of the supporting cast are given bigger roles this time around, giving a welcome change of pace and the cat and mouse vibe generally works well throughout. With the majority of the action taking place on the Planet Namek, the alien landscape is impressively realized and the lore that’s woven throughout is really well written. The cliffhanger ending serves as a reminder that this fight has only just begun and fans of the show will be eager to sink right into season 3 following this slower paced set-up season.