Forum - View topic

EP. REVIEW: Dragon Ball Daima

Well, it's certainly off to a stronger start than either GT or Super, but a far cry from the bang that opened up Z. Two episodes in, and all they've really done is establish the premise. I have a feeling this isn't a story arc that'll be wrapped up any time soon. But what is Dragon Ball in anime form if not an exercise in stretching a thin story as far as it can possibly go?

As someone who doesn't watch a lot of shounen stuff, I'd probably reframe that to say that, I suspect, the people who do watch a lot of shounen anime are accustomed to much slower-paced narratives. Personally, I'm a big fan of economical storytelling -- and far from being a "weird complaint," Dragon Ball is pretty (in)famous -- and has been for quite a while -- for its lethargic pacing.

I'd also generally like to caution against interpreting (very) mild criticism as some kind of indictment. My intended point was simply that it's far too early to make any sorts of judgement about this story: it's barely even begun.

Wasn't the rule that Kami's Dragon Balls could grant one wish, Guru's could grant three but only resurrecting one person at a time, and Dende split the difference by making his so Shenron could grant two wishes with a middle ground in restrictions?

Shay Guy wrote:

Wasn't the rule that Kami's Dragon Balls could grant one wish, Guru's could grant three but only resurrecting one person at a time, and Dende split the difference by making his so Shenron could grant two wishes with a middle ground in restrictions?

I think so, but the rules about how the dragon balls work have changed so often that it's hard to keep track. I also remember there being some issue with one of the sets of dragon balls' ability to revive individuals vs. multiple people at once. It's possible the deal was that reviving multiple people counted as two wishes?

Well, regardless, if it's an inconsistency/retcon, it'd just be one more added to the pile (like everything from the last thread re: Demon Realm). Dragon Ball has never taken its setting very seriously.

The review says it's streaming on Crunchyroll but I think it should be noted that at least for now, it is also on Netflix (at least in the US).

There's no inconsistency regarding Shenron. Dende upgraded him to grant three wishes, or two if one of them was very demanding. Here he explains why he would just fulfill one, which it not only a funny moment but also, intentionally or not, explains what happened at the end of Broly, when he goes away after one regular wish.

Also, what exactly was retconned about the Demon Realm? The most information we got out of it earlier was in one of the Daizenshuu books, back in the 90s, revealing it was split in different dimensions and Dabura ruled it all - which certainly fits with the current information we have.

I haven't been the biggest fan of the Super era of Dragon Ball. I liked the movies a lot (sans Resurrection F, which I thought was let down by the fact that it couldn't decide on how seriously to take Freeza) but a lot of the TV anime felt somewhere between filler and fanfiction. I'm of the mindset that Dragon Ball never needed any sequels and Battle of Gods should have been a one-time deal... I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of it but, it's given me a bit of franchise fatigue.
Due to his untimely passing, there's no real way of knowing exactly how Akira Toriyama felt about the overall direction Dragon Ball was going in. Still, it's hard not to suspect he might have started feeling mixed about it. ... when this series got announced and was on record as the most involved and passionate that Toriyama had been about a new Dragon Ball project in years, I was pretty excited for the possibility that this could be a return to form for the lighter side of the franchise.

though the real curiousity is who will be going young goku for the dub? its more or less a given that the female VA that did young goku and gohan during the funimation days have long since retired so its gonna be interesting on which VA will get the role.

As for DAIMA maaaan... I just don't know. I was doomed a little already since I can't stand kid Goku again, or the idea of lame kid versions of the main characters in a show set between Buu and Super period (only so much of note can happen). Maybe I'm just being too uptight but it feels like such a lame move to make after Superhero had so many cool progressions for the world and characters, while also still managing to maintain the humourous spirit and whimsey from Dragonball.