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Fun Fact: according to an interview Takeshi Ike composed Makafushigi Adventure in just 2 days left before the deadline to compose both the opening and ending (and he ended up winning both, therefore Romantic Ageru Yo was also composed by him, which was rare at the time)

R.I.P Akira Toriyama 😢

This song is no small part of the reason why the original Dragon Ball is my absolute favourite in the franchise, it perfectly encapsulates the whimsy and pure hearted adventure that the show radiates. Fans of the newer shows who have never watched the original, I implore you to do so, it's so charming and magical that i don't personally have the words to adequately explain it. It's pure of spirit, pure of heart and pure brilliance and unless you have a rock where your heart is I guarantee that you'll spend most of the show's whole run with a big grin on your face.

One thing about all the Dragon Ball osts I love is the insane baselines that accompany it

I hope you'll consider doing an analysis on why both CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA and Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku are so timeless! Two of the best Dragonball themes in my opinion, honestly! Maybe even Yu Yu Hakusho's Smile Bomb, since we're talkin about classic anime songs? 😄

Japanese composers have always been absolute powerhouses. Joe Hisaishi, Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo, composers of Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and other anime... the list goes on and on.

Props to covering the original Dragon Ball theme. Not enough of the fanbase are exposed to their own show.

Japenese rock/pop is veeeery different from western or even korean. They do not shy away from more complex interesting harmonies. Amazing video

Glad you're giving this song recognition. I know the original Dragon Ball theme is not nearly as popular as the Z counterparts, but in my view it's by far the most magical, expansive, fun and grand scale song of all the DB OPs. Absolute magic. Not a note out of place.

Cant tell if charles is a massive dragonball fan, or if his editor is the massive dragonball fan 😂

6:42 I'm 34 now, and Dragon Ball has been in my life pretty much for as long as I can remember. I've listened to this intro a million times, and I never noticed how fun the bass was right there. Thanks for pointing it out.

What I really love about this song is how it uses the Oriental Riff as its basis but plays around with it to make its own original sound. Dragon Ball was created as an homage to the wuxia films of Hong Kong and also pulls a lot from Chinese mythology, so the theme pulling inspiration from music associated with China is just super cool.

I find it WILD that here in Latin America, this opening is well known by three or four generations of DB fans. I mention this song to my students (some 20 years younger than me) and they can sing it along, with me, from memory. That's some testament to the talent and hability of people behind this song.

Let's just save time and say that EVERYTHING from the 80's went so hard

This is kind of just a general anime thing. When western TV was saying, "let's write a catchy ditty for the intro," Japan was calling in the full orchestra to compose a 15-minute magnum opus for every kids' show.

I swear this is one of the most interesting and informative music channels. Your enthusaiasm and presentation are unmatched dude

Stumbled onto this video right after finding out about Toriyama’s passing. Funny how the world works sometimes. Great work as always, thank you.

It is so sad Saint Seiya never gonna get a video analysis like this, but the way Seiji Yokoyama took the opening and ending melodies to build a lot of the OST themes would make John Williams blush. Love the enthusiasm here, I think the second ""documentary" camera takes away a lot of the personal feeling of you talking directly to us. Great channel!

This song is what put Hiroki Takahashi in the books, holy crap. Dragonball and killer music go hand in hand.

0:29 is the best 'gnome woo' I've ever heard

EVERYTHING went hard in the 80s.

So, fun fact: back in the 80s this was the OP that was used for the first Italian airing of Dragonball, on a minor TV network. Which might not sound strange, but consider that 95% of Anime that was imported in Italy had new Italian OPs (only a handful had Italian VERSIONS of the Japanese OP, like Mazinger or Jeeg, most had original songs). The Dragonball song was so memorable that Italian kids used to try to sing it by just imitating the sounds (because of course, nobody knew Japanese :-D ). It was probably just a way to save some money: Italy was importing Anime by the boatloads (literally hundreds of titles, from the famous to the very obscure) and many, many Italian OPs were amazing songs from the late Disco era, often with absolutely insane bass lines (search for "Fantaman sigla iniziale" or "Daitarn III Sigla" or... I could go on. "Sigla" is the Italian for OP. And while they were actually made for very little money... there probably just weren't enough musicians free/available! You'd probably like some of those "golden era" Italian OPs (sadly, the style changed sharply right in the late 80s).

It was insane that they had this song on a kid's show in the eighties.

The first dragon ball intro in latinamerican spanish is EPIC!!!! The singer really put effort into it 🤘🏻

0:28 We've been gnomed.

you just keep hitting the most oddly specific songs that i love. great taste from you/the audience. this show *specifically* the original dragon ball has some kick-ass music.

music is like an appreciation sandwich. You first appreciate the song and music for what it is, then you understand the theories, and understand the individual parts of the little things here and there spread out, like that "tasteful" little blep or like the base that i never really paid attention to until this video, and then you appreciate the song again, in all it's glory from the greatness of how you witnessed it before, but with a deeper more profound appreciation for the tiny techniques and flare in the crevasses of the shimmering spectacle of the melody

Something really cool is that in the English version of this theme there is even a vocal harmony at the end of the main chorus too, which isn't present in the Japanese version. It sounds so cool and the culmination with the other harmonies at the end of the line works so well that I actually prefer it to the Japanese one :).

Absolutely one of the best anime opening themes! The bass line is amazing!

One of my favorites cartoon openings is "Chala head Chala" from Dragon Ball Z. The build up of pre-chorus it's simply beautiful.

A special shoutout to the legend Kohei Tanaka, who personally arranged both the opening and the ending themes. You might know him for his extensive work on the Sakura Wars game series, Gravity Rush, and not less important, some 1000+ episode anime named One Piece.

I'm so unbelievably happy to see you do a breakdown on such an iconic and nostalgic opening, I definitely remember Dragon Ball being a huge part of my childhood and this theme was the coolest thing I had heard at that point. It's filled to the brim with unbridled energy, optimism and joyful adventurous spirit. It's the theme of childhood innocence and curiosity, there's so much going on, with inspiration from martial arts movies into the instrumentation, the sick ass slap bass line and busy percussion, it all comes together in such a complete package, and that switch in the middle of the song? ecstacy inducing, it's such bright uplifting moment that makes the song that much more memorable, I love it to death. Other Dragon Ball openings all have legendary status as well, but this one is simply a masterpiece. I'd suggest DBZ and GT openings respectively for the future, both beautiful songs in their own right.

One of my favorite shows EVER. Watched it as a kid and recently rewatched it as an adult and it was like watching it for the first time, fell in love with it all over again. So much charm

YESSSS FINALLY I’ve been hoping you or anyone covered this bc this sound track is crazy

For me its the drum rhythm its really interesting. I been a dragon ball fan for like 20+ years and had only gave this tune a listen this month

Siii, Debería estar en el Salón de la Fama de los mejores Openings de la historia. Mi favorito de toda la saga DB.

The keychange to F dominant is my favourite part. That bridge/chorus is so uplifting and childlike 🎉 the spanish version of the track is great too. Check it out! This is my favourite dragon ball track ever.

Love how u just have so much fun making these. Such an awesome energy on ur videos 🤩

I absolutely love Dragon Ball and music (I wanna be a composer) and your enthusiasm over this theme is literally my attitude towards Dragon Ball as a whole. Love your videos and this was a surprise to see!

I love watching this channel for your energy and excitement at discovering new music. It's gold to me. Makes me smile

Hell yeah, I LOVE how you played along with the tracks and added depth and context to how they were created. Big thanks from me here, nice job!

Having heard so many times this song, as a kid and then in company of my son I must say that it’s a pleasure to enjoy it once again with you inspecting why and how it haves all those nice details inside. A timeless experience

The Dragon Ball original theme, I have always thought that it is super inspiring in the Chinese traditional music, maybe also for the traditional Chinese story used in the creation of dragon ball story.

I have no idea about music theory, but I fully FEEL all those chord progressions and note changes, and the DB theme is way up on my list. From that sort of Chinese melody intro (capped off by a giant GONG which is sadly not on the soundtrack version, only in the actual TV show theme) and then alllll the things that come in after that. It’s a go to at Karaoke for sure and just a wonderful song in general. So happy you picked it, it’s great to see a real musician appreciate it. ❤

Holy thanks for doing a video on this song ive been hoping for a long time now. Much love 🙏

Funny thing with the bass SOUND is that I hear both a synth (Yamaha DX7?) bass and also sometimes a real bass?? Did they put a bit more into this track than meets the eye? (I mean, there's a LOT of things that didn't meet MY eye immediately.) If you think slap bass, it sounds like the thumb hammering is a synth bass and the pulls are an actual bass (or a sample). The brass sounds like an Akai S-series sampler (since it's "crispier" than for instance a Roland S-20). I have no idea about the drum synth. It doesn't sound similar to anything I have at hand. But, apart from the sampler, I'd bet my butt that all the synths are FM synthesizers (which would make sense at the time of the recording). Useless info, yes, but if somebody would want to recreate the track then maybe it's helpful.

0:29 You've_been_gnomed.jpg

I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS VIDEO! THANK YOU IT'S AMAZING

I was waiting for a video like this

Ive loved this song and played it on the piano for decades! thanks for reviewing it!

I'm not a big music guy, sometimes I wish I was, but I must say it's refreshing to hear how hype you get just listening to these compositions

I love these videos so much! I think making a video about the music of Dragon Quest would be right up your alley!

The short singer version of this song for the commercial breaks was my ringtone for my years. I manually extracted it and cut it from a DVD. Still have it somewhere. It makes a great ringtone.

Oh dude, this is a good piece. Thanks for doing a Dragon Ball song, bro. I appreciate the work that went into this! The harmonies feel so much in line with the story.

Oh sh1t!!! That tune is nasty RIGHT AWAY! I haven't heard it so long...gotta watch OG Dragonball again...

As someone who loves thos franchise and is probably my favorite thing in the world, i love hearing your in depth analysis with this theme. For 40 years this song has always been incredible.

Having watched it orchestrated live, gotta say, you hear all the subtleties so well and clearly. I love this song!

Your enthusiasm is contagious! Your videos are educational and enjoyable!

The American re-dub vversion afrom around 2001 also goes hard, but not nearly as hard as the Japanese version. You should review the American version too! Very similar to the OG, but very different.

damn chill with the uploads we cant handle the amount of awesomeness!😀

I love that this guy can listen to any song and find some way to absolutely love and adore the details, and then makes videos so we can do the same💞

Ah yes, this and the Sailor Moon opening are the two most iconic intros at that time

I love this song so much! Great analysis :) Would love to see even more on the many incredible pieces composed for anime. Cruel Angel's Thesis or Komm Süsser Tod (its a bit on the simple side composition-wise but it could still be a cool vid) from Evangelion would be AMAZING.

Charles, apparently you studied at Purchase around the same time as my best friend Cian McCarthy. The musicality that comes out of Purchase is staggering!! I love your videos so much. It's a fantastic way to wake up and learn something useful while getting a little hit of that sweet nostalgia-driven dopamine 😂❤ Thanks so much for all you've created!

My favorite son as a kid. 40 years later I still get goosebumps listening to the intro!!

I don't think I've heard this theme song in over 23 years. Thank you 😍🤩

This, Saint Seiya, Fist of the North Star and Yoroiden Samurai Troopers were my childhood.

I loved the original Dragon Ball better than Dragon Ball Z

i love your passion for the theory and mechanics of the music! and yes, OG DB theme is the goat

@10:00 and on, the "try try try" section of the song It's even cooler than just the ii V I progression on Ab Major, it tonicizes Bb minor not just with a secondary dominant in F7, but the Cm7 also functions as a secondary predominant, creating a functional (ii-V-i)/ii V I progression (I (Ab Major) > iii7 in the home key functioning as ii7/ii -- a pivot chord (Cm7) > V7/ii (F7) > ii temporarily functioning as tonic (Bbm) > V (Eb7) > I (Ab Major)) creating a small chain of circle of 5ths movements We hit the Ab major chord. Then once we hit the Cm chord, we see the circle of 5ths play out with these root movements C > F > Bb > Eb > Ab. God, it's actually so good.

First time here. You're amazing! Keep up the hard work!

Thanks I love that tune.

Grew up listening to this opening every day after school, nostalgia hits hard on this one.

That song was and still is epic as hell. Rest in peace Akira Toriyama

I really enjoy watching your musical analysis! You are very talented and I hope you successfully ‘sell’ your wares. I am a bit older than your target audience, I suspect (70). Music has been a big part of my life. Keep up the great work!

As a kid who watch og db I will all way love this theme🗿

1:13 "I don't know exactly what they're playing" A metric sht tonne of synthesizers! The bulk of this track is very in your face with a Yamaha DX and LinnDrum from note one. The DX range can do excellent brassy tones, and are one of the few synthesizer families ever to have a breath controller built right in on some models, allowing the player to get those trumpet swells (could also buy it as an external plug in MIDI module IIRC). I'm fairly confident that it's layered with real trumpets, but you can hear the distinct overtones the DX makes in those trumpet stabs: you can hear the patch isolated as sustained chords just before the "lets fly" line.

Honestly when i think about it, this opening is my sleeper greatest of all time. The melody is just so memorable.

I've always found this theme particularly fascinating, thanks for helping me appreciate it even more by understanding a bit better its subtleties.

Thank you for giving this song some love. It's so underrated. But I can listen to it everyday.

I always loved the bassline of this song. It's too satisfying. The whole opening is pretty cool

That song always pumped me up for the episode. Back in the good old days...🥲

those synth drums still get me! so cool

And the fact that so many arrangements of this song pop up all the time in the anime score is also awesome. Not sure if it was kept in Eng dubs but I distinctly remember it showing up constantly.

Your body reaction to listening to this song is just like mine lol You can't just not move to the beat with this one. Amazing sutff.

I have waited for this video for a long time.

Awesome video. The saint seiya OST as well is amazing, Asgard Saga has some of my fav songs.

YESSSS! IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ONE!

I'd argue that the re-do of this song for the English version is even more insane. The production is so bright and tight it's mind-blowing. Otherwise the 1989 J opening of DBZ "Cha-La Head Cha-La" has an incredible stylistic fingerprint that would be super fun to dive into. Thanks for picking this song!! It rules

Love it, bass is so funky

KZfaq and this channel make content like this possible. It’s crazy

I always loved this theme. Thanks, Charles.

Now you have to do all Dragonball themes!!! I remember my Boys and me gathering around the tv screen every evening, singing along to the songs and channeling our power to Goku through the fights…good old days…I miss that…😅

Awesome!!!

That bass is never shy to showing off it stand behind guitar (as usual)

Anime theme/ending songs hit so much harder than other theme songs

@10:09 bro almost turned into Pee-Wee during mail time😂😂😂

I grew up watching Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT during late 90's early 2000's. I really appreciate this video man, this is my childhood and definitely the first anime I ever got into.

I can feel your excitement studying this song, which makes watching this video a lot more fun. Thanks!!