I’m currently reading some dragonball comics, and was wondering if it’s the same thing as dragonball z?
I’m wondering because I was thinking of buying a tape and wondering if I’m getting the same product.
To clarify, I am reading DB comics, which seem to feature DBZ characters. I was wondering if they are the same series, so I don’t buy a tape of DBZ rather than DB.
Wrong forum.
Sorry.
Either way, there are much better manga to read out there than than those… 
I know, I know.
Dragonball was the original. Dragonball Z is a sequel with grown-up Goku. Well, anime-wise. With the original comics in Japanese, the name Dragonball remained throughout. I think the North American translations of the comic divided them up though. And there was an NA release of the Dragonball anime, seperate from Dragonball Z, so you should be able to find that.
And there are lots of other good comics, even fun fighting boys’ comics. I’m a Houshin Engi freak, although that hasn’t been brought over in comic form yet (the anime is here as Soul Hunter.) Less panty jokes than Dragonball though. Also some of Toriyama’s other work is fun, like Dr. Slump. And I understand One Piece is a good time too. Okay, so recommendations on shonen manga wasn’t your question, but I felt a sick urge to blather this morning. 
Off to Cafe Society.
DrMatrix - SDMB Moderator
Though my brother swears by the Z videos, I swear at them. Admittedly they’re sometimes funny, but the stereotypical episode consists of 5 minutes of what happened last episode, 5 minutes of what’ll happen next episode, with 20 minutes in between consisting of:
1: Ah, I am so powerful, you can never defeat me!
2: But I have not yet revealed my true power! Braaaaaaaa…
1: My… my god! But I have still more power! Bdweeeeee…
repeat.
That, and each episode’s fireballs have to be bigger that the last. I’m not kidding when I say this leads to planet sized energy balls.
Just make sure you’re into that kind of thing.
Dragonball’s feel is completely different from Dragonball Z, though. Much more fun, in my opinion.
I think a lot of anime fans tend to knee-jerk criticize Dragonball Z, but it isn’t that much worse than some other shows. Then again, I think Pokemon is fun.
From the comics I’ve read, I would probably much prefer DB over DBZ.
I just want to back up Mearlchan on one point–One Piece is a kick. If you can find it, read it. It’s the only truly shonen series that I really like.
Dragonball and Dragonball Z are anime based off of seperate parts of the Dragonball manga.
Dragonball is the first 5 books and was completed after they were written. THe first 5 books are REALLY funny. Somewhere around book 20? or so whoever made the anime was cranking out the anime so quickly that they were finishing the TV show BEFORE the manga was comming out. So near the end of the Cell story line things get pretty strange, like 30 or so episodes of ‘filler’.
Book 6 is where there is a sudden change in Goku’s age and I guess for marketing reasons they changed the title of the anime.
IMHO Dragonball gets much crappier as you go along.
Dr. Slump or Goldenboy are much much more amusing.
hehe robot that flys by farting
Dragonball is much better than DBZ, but DBZ holds a certain charm that I just can’t resist…namely Vegita and the fact they can go super sejin (SP?). For some reason, I really like to watch their hair turn yellow.
DBZ annoys the hell out of me. I like DB…a lot more fun. And I like panty jokes