Post
by Dr. Casey » Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:36 pm
I think the Son family is better during the early years, but the Briefs end up winning the race.
The five years between the 23rd Budokai and Radditz are pretty much the best times any Dragon Ball family ever sees. Goku and Chichi are two peas in a pod during these years, and the whole world around Mt. Paozu is just a big playground for Gohan to explore and have fun in. I'm also a big fan of the seven years between Cell and Buu. There's such a cozy feeling to that time period, with Chichi, Gohan, and Goten leaning on each other even more with the absence of Goku. That was one of the huge draws of early Buu, actually, how much the status quo had changed since the defeat of Cell. You really got the feeling that these characters had been up a lot of things during the seven years you missed.
Of course, things don't end up so great. By the end, I don't think Goku and Chichi have nearly the sort of chemistry they did in their late teens and early 20s - Goku has gone from a serious martial artist to a completely obnoxious battle maniac (And an insensitive jackass to boot), wheras Chichi doesn't seem to be quite the humble, folksy country girl she used to be - and the family structure is beginning to fall apart. Gohan's moved out and started a family with Videl, and I wouldn't be surprised if Goten moves out at an early age (18ish) thanks to the many sources of money he has between the Tenkaichi Budokais, Ox King's treasury, Capsule Corporation, etc. I'm going to ignore GT here since it paints Goku as a terrible person, and I don't think even he wouldn't at least say goodbye to Chichi before departing with Shenron.
The Briefs, on the other hand, don't start off with such a magical, euphoric post-Honeymoon period. The Cell era Vegeta x Bulma reeks of white trash. A child conceived out of wedlock during a random tryst, an abusive boyfriend (Vegeta might not actually be an abusive boyfriend, but he has the right attitude for one), and... I dunno, there's just something kind of sleazy about this pairing. If Bulma weren't so rich I would assume that Trunks was created during a good night of fucking in some trailer. Even during the Buu Saga, they're not exactly the picture perfect image of an ideal family. Despite how much he's softened up, Vegeta is still kind of a dick.
With that said, they're in much better shape by the 28th Budokai, and the Briefs family dynamics in Dragon Ball GT are one of the best things about that series. Vegeta is more devoted to his family than Goku will ever be, his doting on Bra is cute, and all things considered they just seem to be a close, tightly-knit family. It's also nice that they're in the thick of family life - Bra is 9 in GT, right? The Briefs have done a lot of offscreen development in the 15 years since Buu's defeat, but there's still at least another decade before Vegeta and Bulma return to having an empty nest.
As for Kuririn and 18, there's not much to comment on. It's fortunate that the guy who always dreamed about marriage gets the ideal family life - once Kuririn convinced 18 to start dating him (Which might or might not have been a bitch - she seemed pretty stubborn during that scene where she wakes up on Kami's Lookout), the rest of his life is presumably smooth sailing from there.
So, who would I rather be a part of? I dunno. Honestly, despite their flaws, I think the Son family environment is the brightest and healthiest whenever they're all together. They are a bunch of simpletons, though... eh, I'll just vote the Son family as the worst overall because the shockwaves Goku sends through the family with his dickishness can't be ignored. The Briefs family ends up as the warmest and fuzziest, I think, especially from Bra's perspective, who enters the picture after things have already matured and stabilized a great deal.
Not to mention the fact that it is implied that Trunks's conception was "unintended". I still feel sorry for Yamcha 
).
