February 28, 2025 : Insight From Editors Of Dragon Ball
Three editors of the Dragon Ball manga were recently interviewed in a podcast, where they discussed Akira Toriyama and the evolution of the series. Somebody created a twitter thread, highlighting the conversation; and it’s a great read.
There are several cool points; but for me, the highlight is confirmation that Toriyama initially intended to end the series with the Cell Saga. He felt Gohan’s narrative arc was the natural progression of the series. Due to the series’ incredible success, he was pressured by the editorial team to continue Dragon Ball, which resulted in the Buu saga.
It was also interesting to hear that Toriyama was very spontaneous with his writing. The storylines were not planned out in advance. In fact, when Trunks was first introduced, his origins weren’t yet determined (?!).
Either way, it was great reading a behind-the-scenes take on the manga.
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:04 am
Tags: Akira Toriyama , DBZComment
September 6, 2024 : Dragon Ball Daima Trailer
The trailer for a new Dragon Ball show (?!) dropped. Dragon Ball Daima premieres next month, and it’s apparently a big deal.
The series takes place between the Buu saga and Super, and the main characters are turned to kids. The fact that that was the premise of GT does confuse me. Still, Toriyama was involved before his death so there’s that. I’m sure I’ll give it a look, but I’m pretty indifferent. Similar to Super, it has the benefit of the existing IP.
Speaking of which, I didn’t realize how divisive Super was. It’s either loved or hated. It’s tough to expect it to live up to DBZ, but I wouldn’t call it a travesty. As for Daima, I’ll probably have similar opinions of that as I do with Super… as long as they don’t have a driving episode.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:54 pm
Tags: Akira Toriyama , DBZ , DragonballComment
March 10, 2024 : RIP Akira Toriyama
In super sad news, Akira Toriyama passed away.
There isn’t much to say. Like many, DBZ was the gateway to my love of anime. As such, I owe a lot to Akira Toriyama. His work brought joy to countless people. He was a true original.
posted by Pi Visuals at 12:41 am
Tags: Akira Toriyama , DBZComment
July 8, 2014 : DBZ Animated Movie Hitting Theaters
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, came out in Japan March of 2013. This is the first movie in 17 years for the series and will now have a limited English dub release. It is set to premiere in 350 North American theaters from August 5-9. You can check out the FUNimation trailer below:
The plot seems pretty much on par with a DBZ movie – that is to say, ‘meh’ – however, the animation looks very crisp. In addition to seeing a fair amount of 3D in the trailer, I am willing to bet this is the first movie in the franchise to be done digitally (versus the old school cel-shaded method).
While I will go in with relatively low expectations, it will be nice to see some new material from the DBZ franchise. Also on the plus side, series creator Akira Toriyama was involved in the production – which will make me overlook the fact that some people call this movie in-canon (having taken place after the Buu saga but before DBGT). After all, I’ve said it before: the series ended after the Cell Saga… at least that is what I tell myself.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:33 pm
Tags: Akira Toriyama , DBZ2 Comments | Post a comment