I liked Dragon Ball, it had a nice little story with an interesting world and it worked.
Once it hit Dragon Ball Z, however, it became a testament to sheer overdone crap.
This is prettymuch how I feel. The original series was very charming; it had a child-like kind of whimsy and never took itself particularly seriously. Even the fights were unique and interesting.
I think this is how most people feel once they grow up and see more stuff.