Author’s Note: I received this record as a promotional copy from Microids Records for the purpose of review. The opinions and thoughts shared are completely my own, with no expectations from the distributor. I also want to acknowledge the recent passing of Dragon Ball Z creator, Akira Toriyama. His impact was undeniable on millions and through releases like this, his legacy lives on.
With titles like Chainsaw Man, My Hero Academia, and Cowboy Bebop filling more and more crates at record stores these days, there’s never been a better time to be a fan of anime music and physical media collectibles. While I can’t claim to be an aficionado with an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, I am an enthusiastic fan— Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Neon Genesis Evangelion rank among my all-time favorites (not just within anime) and their records hold a special place in my collection.
I also fondly remember growing up in Canada in the mid-90s, rushing home after school to eat Dunkaroos and catch the latest episode of whatever anime import was on next. One of those shows was Dragon Ball Z. So, when asked if I wanted to review the debut vinyl release of this legendary series’ soundtrack outside of Japan, I was thrilled. This would be an opportunity to jump back into my nostalgic memories of Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and their Kamehameha-fueled adventures—a chance to experience a world from my childhood with fresh ears.
The reveal of this double LP’s packaging got things off to a great start. Cracking into the cardboard mailer, I was greeted with the crisp white cover of Dragon Ball Z: Best Collection, and ripping through the shrink wrap I was impressed by the lux matte finish, which revealed the care put in by the folks at Microids Records to deliver a premium product. The artwork doubles down on this, with eye-catching renditions of Goku, gold-haired Saiyans, and the dragon Shenron, who is impressively laid out across the inner gatefold. Then, there’s the discs themselves which come in what the label describes as ‘Halloween Orange’ and feature the titular Dragon Balls as center stickers. It’s a bit of a no-brainer design wise, but would feel incomplete without it. All in all, the packaging does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to conjuring my nostalgia for the series, but I think any fan will be pleased with the quality and classy implementation of the key iconography.
Now, for the music, which is a compilation of tracks composed by Chiho Kiyooka, Takeshi Ike, and Keiju Ishikawa. Before dropping the needle, I was curious how the music would resonate—would it transport me back to my childhood sofa, tiny, dippable cookies in hand, staring in awe at a dude with rippling muscles and a monkey tail beating the crap out of some other weird alien? Not exactly. When the series’ original opening theme, “Cha-La Head-Cha-La” kicked in, I found myself a little disappointed to not feel that instant sense of recognition and excitement (I blame it on old dude memory syndrome). However, the disappointment didn’t last long as the track’s Kai blast of sparkling synths, booming drums, and funky bass—mastered nicely for the release—swept me up in their all-consuming energy.
Across the 14 remaining tracks, which follow in the opener’s footsteps as vocal-driven insert tracks as opposed to instrumental or score cues, my experience was similar. While I couldn’t pinpoint the moments from personal memories of the series, the music stood on its own as fun, glossy, and high-energy examples of late ‘80s/’90s J and City Pop that you can’t help but enjoy if those genres speak to you. Of the tracks featured, another notable inclusion is “WE GOTTA POWER,” which fans of the series will recognize as the second opening to the show from later in its run.
Despite the fact that I found my connection between the music and memories of the series to be lacking, and the tracklist to be kind of one-note with only vocal-driven J-Pop, I did find plenty to enjoy as a general fan of the genre and throwback vibes it delivers. I can see myself easily playing this in the background of a get together with friends, or anytime I want a burst of inspirational pop to power me up. As an entire package, I’m impressed with the release and particularly with the quality of its packaging and overall art design. For diehard fans of Dragon Ball Z, this Best Collection vinyl release would be a nice collectible with plenty of musical moments to enjoy, but even for casual fans or J-Pop listeners, the album offers a fun ride on a Flying Nimbus cloud of sonic nostalgia.
Additional remarks: In the promotional package, I also received a copy of Saint Seiya (Music Collection Vol. 1) by composer Seiji Yokoyama. This is a series I have no familiarity with, so I opted to focus exclusively on Dragon Ball Z: Best Collection. However, I will say that the packaging, including a nicely marbled blue record, looks and feels as premium as the release reviewed above. I am overall impressed by these two Microids Records releases and would personally consider purchasing from them in the future.
About the Author: Hey, I’m Sam. I like violent movies with synth scores and listening to library music on the beach. My perfect idea for a date is taking a trip to 1970s Italy where I can stumble into a stylish murder mystery involving a black-gloved killer featuring music by Ennio Morricone. I live in Vancouver, B.C. and think too hard about what I write on my Letterboxd. Twitter: @mondosammi
