Before we start, I just have to say I LOVE THIS SHOW. At first, I didn't understand why it was so important to watch if you like Dragon Ball Z, because most skip straight to Z and don't watch the original. But, now that I've finished, I can confidently say that if you enjoy DBZ, or even DBS, you will definitely enjoy the original Dragon Ball. Everything that happens in the later anime is all built on this anime, which is kinda crazy to think about. Anyway, let's just get to the review. I'll try not to make this review too long.

For the story, in the beginning it starts off with Goku and Bulma traveling in search of the 7 dragon balls, that when collected can grant any wish desired. At this point, the show is less action-focused besides a few fights and is more focused on comedy, which makes sense because Akira Toriyama made gag manga before making Dragon Ball. You can see the roots of that in early Dragon Ball. It's only when Goku meets his friend Krillin and starts training under Master Roshi that the series becomes more action-focused. I don't want to get too deep into the story for those who haven't seen it, so I won't say too much. Just know that there are 3 major tournament arcs, and in my opinion, each tournament gets better and better. This is when Dragon Ball goes from a gag comic to a true battle shonen manga. It's more of a gradual process, but when you get there, you really notice the shift in direction of the series. My absolute favorite arc in this series is the King Piccolo Saga. Most of you know who Piccolo is from Z, but surprisingly not many know of his origins. That's all explained in this arc, and plus it's got the best fights in the series, in my opinion of course. Possibly the scariest villain out of all of DB. Sadly, Toriyama's writing flaws really shine in some parts of this arc. Without getting too deep into it, there's a major plot point that leads to the conclusion of this arc, but I feel it was done in such a lazy way. Turns out Toriyama was sick when he wrote what I'm talking about.

I will say sometimes the animation is absolutely amazing. Smooth art, smooth frames, just an all-around well-looking anime. Other times...well let's just say the anime reminds you that it was made in the 80's. It's pretty inconsistent, and you might notice that when watching for the first time. Some parts of this show have aged like fine wine, and others haven't so much. I can say you can expect most important fight scenes to be animated nicely, like just like DBZ. Toriyama's art style is still magnificent, but this was back when DB had a more cutesy and round art style, in sharp contrast to the sharp angles and seriousness of DBZ. It really is a whole different vibe from DBZ, despite Z taking place a few years after DB.

All in all, I believe that if you're reading this and you've seen Z but not the original, I highly recommend it. Arcs like the King Piccolo Saga really cement the foundation of everything this series offers later on. If you haven't seen anything Dragon Ball related, I suggest you watch Dragon Ball Z Kai first before any other series. Now I know that's not the right way of watching the series, but it's how I and most did it, and I'd say it enriches your experience of the original having already seen Z, or Z Kai. I wish I could get into all of my favorite moments from this show, but I'm trying to keep this review spoiler-free xD

(One thing I forgot to mention is the filler. The anime is only 153 episodes, so I understand why some wouldn't want to skip it. But I promise you if you do it will make your experience better. The filler is fine but really pointless. Good thing there are really not that many filler episodes, only 14%, or 21/153 episodes.)

If you want a more straightforward and coherent story, no random filler arcs and slow-paced episodes, I highly recommend just reading the manga.
Anyways, that'll be all for me. Peace out.