I've always loved the manga moreso than the anime series. Actually, I'm simply a huge fan of any of Akira Toriyama's mangas, particularly Dr. Slump and all his standalone one-shot stories. The anime was kinda silly, the filler episodes were really detracting from the main plot and Toei kept drawing on fight scenes and cheesy "powering up" scenes. What the manga covered in one chapter would usually be dragged on for dozens of episodes... Sigh.
And then we got Dragon Ball GT. Over here we basically received it a few months after the original Japanese release. It was new, it was shiny. And it was a continuation of the series where the manga/DBZ anime left up. I actually kinda enjoyed DBGT. Let's say, "a lot". It had its fair share of issues, once we reached Baby after the initial "Grand Touring" arc it went full on DBZ with long fillers, fights taking way too much time, etc.
This last decade, with all the video games and even a (dispensable) American live action film, Dragon Ball has known a sort of revival. Toei noticing it, they produced a few new original specials and animated movies, all taking place before the original ending epilogue of the series. Some have been good. Some have been.. bad. All kind of avoiding the inevitability - actually following up on Dragon Ball/Z.
And now we finally will have the sequel series, Dragon Ball Chou aka Dragon Ball Super. But there's a catch! The series will actually take place following the last films the funny Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and the dispensable Dragon Ball Z: Revival of “F”. All still taking place BEFORE the original last tournament in the epilogue chapter of the manga - not a true continuation but more filler content instead of moving on and forward (with the introduction of Uub, etc.)
Nerds, fanboys and otakus across the worldwide web are calling it the true real successor to DBZ. But for one who always referred to the series as simply "Dragon Ball", I'm starting to have a sort of "déjà vu". Just like DBGT, Toriyama will have a creative credit over the series, but he won't be writing, directing nor drawing it (a tie-in manga is actually being assigned to another mangaka). He will oversee the launch of the series but presumably won't stay for the long run. He will do a few character designs with the crew at Toei, possibly a new transformation(s?). You know what? That's exactly what they said about GT!!!
And at the end of the day, GT wasn't messed up by the plot if you really think about it, you nerd (not you you, that guy, over there, he knows who he is). But by meddling from the producers. Rushing the action part of the adventure and comedy. Trying to come up with more new characters for toys or whatever. Which can and possibly will happen with "Super" as well.
Here's the official trailer:
Basically more of the same. It lacks some creativity even GT had. This is all we already saw - I know it's a teaser, but I'm talking about selling points here. They released this to hype the series. But the style, the animation and the characters are all the same we already got in the last two films. And since it can't go past Uub at the end of the original manga/anime, they can't introduce any new major character no harm anyone that will pop up there.
My favorite part of GT was the space-touring, which was new and original. Not the later backtracking to DBZ. And this is exactly that. Heck, even the logo is basically the same! (I would have preferred something closer to the original manga for the occasion!)
People say this will make GT non-canon (despite Toei probably continuing to release stuff and toys based on GT for the next years, along all the games that keep referring to the much maligned series), but if anything Super is the one that doesn't seem in continuity to the end of the manga and DBZ! Did you imagine Goku could turn his hair blue at the end of the original series? I do not!
The website let us glimpse the series will probably revolve around shenanigans from these new deities:
The show will immediately start airing following the end of the HD-remade Dragon Ball Kai.
Jaco the Patrolman was quirky.
ReplyDeleteI doubt this new series will be as fun and charming as his manga, this sounds a bit more "serious drama" like DBZ was... I mean, sure it will have some jokes here and there, but I prefer his comedy series over how Dragon Ball turned out around Frieza... (as much as fanboys seem to love Frieza, for me it's the weakest part of the series, taking itself way too seriously by that point..)