Concerning But Optimistic Thoughts On DragonBall Super: Super Hero
Here are my thoughts on the new DragonBall Super: Super Hero trailer that was shown at New York Comic Con 2021
I am open to the new art style and I understand the business reasons why CGI would be used for the movie, but I thought the animation of DBS: Broly was the best DragonBall has ever looked. It’s unfortunate to me that they’ve gone down this route, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it for what it is.
I love Dragonball and I have really enjoyed the recent stories in the DragonBall Super manga, I’d even put them up there with the original DragonBall manga (sacrilege, I know!) but I’m not really hype for this movie yet. I’ve not seen anything that has got me too giddy or excited, and I’m hoping that will change before it’s release date.
Because although I love the new stories there are worrying signs that from a production and writing standpoint the series is going to implode in on itself for the sake of simplicity and profit. Take ‘The Simpsons’ for example, there’s a reason nobody rates the modern series as good as the original 9: they stopped caring about continuity and consistency and ventured into ‘who gives a shit?’ land.
There were signs of this really early on in DragonBall Super’s beginnings. The first movie ‘Battle of gods’ fits in amazingly well with the continuity of the original series. At the end of DragonBall Z there is a 10 year time-skip where an aged Bulma says it’s been five years since she’s seen Goku. That event five years ago was battle of gods, it fits in amazingly well with Goku receiving a temporary transformation that is gone by the end of the film (or it was meant to be).
But then…the story just keeps going.
Transformations for the sake of selling new toys, resurrecting villains for the sake of fan service, the power-scaling getting so ridiculous that it’s become a joke of itself, nobody in the series ageing (The Simpsons!), further developing existing characters histories (like Bardock) that directly conflicts with the themes of the story, entirely CG animation to make a more cost effective movie, and now this new story is set 10 years after the defeat of Majin Buu, which is meant to be close to the end of Z manga.
Will they just undo the manga ending? Change dates around? Forget that Bulma ever said that? That she looked considerably older?
Does it even matter? To me, yeah it does. I would like the story that I loved growing up to give a shit about it’s own continuity enough to be consistent with it’s timeline, to not contradict it’s own themes, to not create transformations for the sake of selling merch that are so ridiculous in strength it breaks the established physics of the world they're in.
I love Dragonball and will continue to enjoy it for what it is, but to me the most heartbreaking part of all of it is that it could be so much more.
I hope this movie is more than I think it is
I am open to the new art style and I understand the business reasons why CGI would be used for the movie, but I thought the animation of DBS: Broly was the best DragonBall has ever looked. It’s unfortunate to me that they’ve gone down this route, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it for what it is.
I love Dragonball and I have really enjoyed the recent stories in the DragonBall Super manga, I’d even put them up there with the original DragonBall manga (sacrilege, I know!) but I’m not really hype for this movie yet. I’ve not seen anything that has got me too giddy or excited, and I’m hoping that will change before it’s release date.
Because although I love the new stories there are worrying signs that from a production and writing standpoint the series is going to implode in on itself for the sake of simplicity and profit. Take ‘The Simpsons’ for example, there’s a reason nobody rates the modern series as good as the original 9: they stopped caring about continuity and consistency and ventured into ‘who gives a shit?’ land.
There were signs of this really early on in DragonBall Super’s beginnings. The first movie ‘Battle of gods’ fits in amazingly well with the continuity of the original series. At the end of DragonBall Z there is a 10 year time-skip where an aged Bulma says it’s been five years since she’s seen Goku. That event five years ago was battle of gods, it fits in amazingly well with Goku receiving a temporary transformation that is gone by the end of the film (or it was meant to be).
But then…the story just keeps going.
Transformations for the sake of selling new toys, resurrecting villains for the sake of fan service, the power-scaling getting so ridiculous that it’s become a joke of itself, nobody in the series ageing (The Simpsons!), further developing existing characters histories (like Bardock) that directly conflicts with the themes of the story, entirely CG animation to make a more cost effective movie, and now this new story is set 10 years after the defeat of Majin Buu, which is meant to be close to the end of Z manga.
Will they just undo the manga ending? Change dates around? Forget that Bulma ever said that? That she looked considerably older?
Does it even matter? To me, yeah it does. I would like the story that I loved growing up to give a shit about it’s own continuity enough to be consistent with it’s timeline, to not contradict it’s own themes, to not create transformations for the sake of selling merch that are so ridiculous in strength it breaks the established physics of the world they're in.
I love Dragonball and will continue to enjoy it for what it is, but to me the most heartbreaking part of all of it is that it could be so much more.
I hope this movie is more than I think it is
#BEMORESHONEN