I am the parent of a typical 4th grader. He has been begging me to watch this show and, knowing how popular the show was with his equivalent age set back in the stone ages when it first aired on network tv in the us, I looked into it. Based on some of the reviews that I read about this uncut version and the age recommendations (7-adult, quite the range) given, I ordered it with the strict edict that it was not to be watched without a parent sitting there watching to real time censor if necessary. Within 3 episodes we shelved it for a few more years.
First, my background:
1) I have nothing against anime. I have watched anime (One Punch Man is a favorite) so I am aware that it is more violent and more sexual than typical US shows as a general rule.
2) My child has watched quite a bit of anime for his age, ranging from the required 'Pokemon', to the majority of the Studio Ghibli films, and a variety of anime shows available to kids on Netflix from 'Naruto' to the simultaneously awful/fascinating 'Glitter Force'.
3) I am pretty open with my kid about human sexuality, the body, etc. I am from the school of 'if you're old enough to ask the question you are old enough to hear the answer'.
My point is, we are not anime newbs, nor did I go into this with blind naivete and clutching my pearls. I am posting this review strictly for those who may not be quite so familiar with the genre and simply because there are so many varied opinions on this show and it's age appropriateness that it's hard to know what to believe.
Here is a sampling of what we encountered:
Episode 1:
- naked main character (Goku age ~7-9) full front and back: my opinion, no big deal, but i have a boy, parents of girls may feel otherwise
- 2nd main character (Bulma, girl, aged 17-21ish), accuses Goku of hitting on her: this flew over my kids head completely
- Bulma graphically, complete with sexy music, offers Goku a peek of the goodies under her dress in exchange for his Dragonball: cue the pause button and a discussion about how that was a situation that needed adult notification stat
(Note: at one point in both this episode and episode 3 Bulma shoots a ton of bullets at Goku, in the age of school shootings this could be severely triggering for some)
Episode 2:
- Full frontal Goku
- Goku pulls up a sleeping Bulma's nightgown and pats her on the crotch (he apparently removes her undies as well but I guess that happened off screen because I don't remember seeing it but they discuss it in Episode 3): now, context, Goku has been raised in isolation, she's the first girl he's ever seen and his motivation is innocent curiosity, he's actually pretty blameless buuuuut, cue pause button again to discuss said context and remind why this is not appropriate behavior in real life
Episode 3:
- Turtle man offers Bulma his dragonball if she will show him what's under her skirt, which she does giving us a nice view of her dancing naked butt: points here, Bulma thinks she's wearing undies (see above) and the turtle admonishes the turtle man for his behavior, but that goes by quickly and is easy to miss (although the delivery is hilarious) so, cue the freaking pause button for another discussion
- View of Bulma's naked breasts: I did not see this, I had to leave the house and the spouse was monitoring the show so I have no context for it, but, when I returned I was informed that this scene was the final straw and kid/spouse had come to the mutual conclusion that kid was not ready for this show yet
The show was funny and engaging but, by the time we quit watching, work for all of us. I have no doubt that when my kid is a little older this show will be a favorite, and, I have to admit, I was enjoying it so I'm looking forward to the day when I can just watch it with him.
Bottom line, can I tell you if this is appropriate for your child...no. Every kid is different and only you can know what your child can handle and what your values will support but I've hopefully provided enough info here for that decision to be easier for you to make. So, that all said, I recommend the uncut version of this show for the ages 12 and up. If you are the parent who will allow your 8-9 year old to watch raunchy comedies like American Pie then by all means, proceed (no judgement). However, if you are attempting to preserve your kids sexual innocence for as long as possible, or if, like mine, your kid just isn't ready for it, then pass on this until they are more mature.
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September 15, 2009 "Please retry" | — | 5 |
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Its cool and i can see some of the action.I play it on my Playstation 3.Dragonball is an good adventure show.
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