Dragonball Z: Goku es detenido. (Dragonball Z: Goku Gets Arrested)

Reviewed by Veronica Covington, Univ. of Texas, Austin -- Críticas, 3/1/2008

(Japan). Color animation. Spanish.75min. Funimation. 2008. DVD. $12.95.

Gr 3+–From the popular Japanese anime series “Dragonball Z” comes the story of Goku, one of the three remaining Saiyans who try to save the Earth from various Evil forces. In Episode 13, “Fruta secreta de Yama” (Secret Fruit from Yama), the protagonist accidentally falls from the Snake Way and winds up in Hell III. The two ogres that guard the place try different methods to get Goku’s soul, but he tricks them and finally escapes, taking with him one of the forbidden fruits. He eats it and becomes even more powerful. In the following episode, “Una dulce tentación” (A Sweet Temptation), he is tricked into the land of the Snake Princess. The woman tries to prevent him from continuing his quest by feeding him food with sleeping power and forcing him to take a bath in water so hot that makes him droopy. Finally, she forces him to play a game of Russian roulette. (Parents should beware that the game shows one of the princess’s assistants placing the bullet into the gun thinking it won’t work on her. When she takes the gun to her head and fires it, she kills herself. This may be too graphic for younger audiences). In Episode 15, “Escape de Piccolo” (Piccolo’s Escape), Goku’s son, Gohan, gets lost from his mother and finds himself in a deserted island. Meanwhile, Piccolo, his trainer, is so enraged with his disappearance that he splits himself in two. By the end of the episode, Piccolo manages to put himself back together and Gohan has built a boat to return to his mother. Even though this saga is targeted for children eight and older and the stories do have lots of humor, parents need to be aware that they contain violence and minor risqué incidents.