First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

OP Sequence

OP: 「超絶☆ダイナミック! 」 (Chouzetsu☆Dynamic!) by 吉井和哉 (Kazuya Yoshii)

 

「平和の報酬1億ゼニーは誰の手に!? 」 (Heiwa no Houshuu Ichioku Zenii wa Dare no te ni!?)
“The World Peace Prize. Who’s Getting the 100 Million Zeni?!”

My childhood is back. I can’t explain the amount of nostalgia that I get just watching the first episode of Dragon Ball Super. It brings back everyone’s favorite characters from Dragon Ball Z and then some, plus it’s a sequel. Not a remake or a new series like GT was, but an actual sequel straight after the Buu saga. For a lot of younglings out there, this might be your first time watching a Dragon Ball series as it airs, but for those that are older (*cough like myself), this marks the beginning of my anime story. I’ll admit that I originally started with Dragon Ball Z, watching the dubs on TV… and then rewatching the Freeze saga over and over again because there were so many issues with the later sagas getting dubbed. So what is a girl to do when you need more Dragon Ball Z in your life? I went searching for the original Japanese series in sketchy rental video stores that only subbed in Chinese… Please don’t judge me. I’m definitely not a foreigner to the original seiyuus for our beloved heroes but I’ll admit that it takes some getting used to. In recent years, I’m incredibly glad that the new Dragon Ball Z movies have been getting more attention. It’s likely the catalyst that the series needed to get a sequel nearly two decades later. So without further ado, I’ll stop with the personal sap stories and get to the synopsis…

Dragon Ball Super starts off exactly the way that any Dragon Ball Z episode would – with a flashback! As a true sequel, the story picks up with Goku’s (Nozawa Masako) complaints about having to work a real job to make money after defeating Majin Buu (but “Fat” Buu (Shioya Kouzou) is still around!), when all he really wants to do is train and get stronger. His son Gohan (Nozawa Masako) is engaged to Videl (Minaguchi Yuko), who is Mr. Satan’s (Ishizuka Unshou) daughter. Of course, Mr. Satan gets all the credit for the defeat of Majin Buu as well and is rewarded the World Peace Prize of $1M zeni! Goku’s second son, Goten (Nozawa Masako) spends the episode with Trunks (Kusao Takeshi), Bulma and Vegeta’s son, looking for the perfect engagement present for Videl. They end up fetching some water from a pond outside of town and think it has special magical abilities (similar to make-up and hot springs) and give to Videl. Videl catches on as soon as she pours the water out, but she appreciates the effort from the boys anyway. Meanwhile, Beerus (Tsuru Hiromi) is out in space, destroying planets when his taste buds aren’t satisfied. At the end of the episode, Mr. Satan ends up giving the $1M zeni to Goku (guilty for not deserving it anyway) to which Goku gives it to Chi-Chi (Naoko Watanabe). With that, much to Goku’s pleasure, Chi-Chi allows him to leave and train with King Kai. In addition to this huge cast, you also see appearances from Piccolo, Muten-Roshi (Mr. Roshi), Chi-Chi’s father and Whis.

So I know it sounds like a lot is going on here – and there is, but it’s simply just a reintroduction to all the characters we know and all. There’s just enough screen time here for the audience to get a taste as to who our characters are and what they’re like. For the most part though, I do think it’s friendly enough towards new audiences so that you don’t need to know the full context of Dragon Ball Z to enjoy the episode. For those of you who have seen Dragon Ball Z, it’ll definitely mean much more for you to see these characters in action again. I had this wave of nostalgia hit me as soon as I saw Buu and Gohan – I guess I have a soft spot for them (and Vegeta! But he wasn’t in the episode). All in all, the premiere was very light and slice-of-life focused so you shouldn’t expect this to be the typical episode going forward (although, as I’m typing that, next week’s episode seems to be all about Bulma and Vegeta’s family…). I think the creator is just taking his time reintroducing everyone, what have they been up to and sitting up the story with Beerus. Speaking of Beerus, he’s the only “new” character who appeared in the 14th Dragon Ball Z film called Battle of Gods (in case you don’t recognize him). He’s a “God” that blows up planets and likes to challenge strong individuals in the universe. I won’t spoil the movie if you haven’t seen it, but I highly recommend it – especially if you’re looking for more Dragon Ball Z in your lives. It continues off after the Buu-saga as well.

This is a massive entry…and all I wanted to say was – Dragon Ball Super completely meets my expectations and then some, bringing back everything that I loved about Dragon Ball Z. I was never one to ask for sequels when they’re uncalled for, but seeing one anyway and being able to appreciate it more now, I definitely can’t wait to see more. Seeing as how Sailor Moon Crystal didn’t live up to my expectations as a remake, I’m so glad that Dragon Ball Super didn’t fall into the same issues. Toei did not disappoint with this one, thank God. What brings the magic of Dragon Ball come to life is that the creator, Toriyama Akira is back and credited for both story writer, and original character design. With his vision of what he wants Dragon Ball Super to be, I am excited to see it as a genuine extension to the Dragon Ball Z storyline. Unlike Dragon Ball GT which was based years later and almost like a reset for the franchise, Dragon Ball Super brings back Goku and the loveable cast. The director, Chioka Kimitosh, and producers, Nozaki Osamu, Kido Atushi and Sagawa Naoko, all have limited experience working with the Dragon Ball universe, but I still have high hopes that they’ll do it justice. At least with the creator on board, hopefully they’ll bring his vision to life.

Finally, I think most people are excited for the return of the original cast from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. They’re not all there, but all the main characters have all returned to reprise their roles; primarily Nozawa Masako who plays Goku and his two sons. In case you’re wondering why they ever casted a female to play a male role, I can explain that one (actually Div told me this story, I’m just repeating it)! It’s because Masako was first casted to play Goku as a child in the original Dragon Ball. As Goku grew up, his voice would supposedly change as well but they kept Masako as his seiyuu… and thus, years later, she still plays Goku! Goku’s voice may turn some people away but I don’t find it annoying (*cough like Sailor Moon’s), just different, so I don’t care how old Masako is, I can’t imagine Goku sounding any other way.

I’ll finish off by saying that this series is reportedly 100 episodes so prepare for a long run everyone. I don’t think I’ll be blogging it regularly, but you can bet that I’ll be watching. It’s an odd feeling, waiting for a new episode every week (rather than every other day) but I shouldn’t complain when I’m reliving my childhood through anime. Can’t wait to see the rest of it and hear everyone’s thoughts. I haven’t been this excited for a sequel since… Rozen Maiden? Gosh, I can’t imagine Dragon Ball Super ever failing me though.

Bottom Line – @ RCCherrie: As an avid #DragonBallZ watcher, I’m so glad this first ep didn’t flop. #DragonBallSuper brings back so many memories and I love it! Love the SOL moments before all the nonstop fights. Goten and Trunks are adorable!

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「ハローハローハロー」 (Hello Hello Hello) by グッドモーニングアメリカ(Good Morning America)

Preview

53 Comments

    2. Well for majority of us *coughshowingouragecough* this was THE ANIME and the door that introduced us to the rest of the anime world.

      Ahhh so many fond memories of button smashing the “A” button in fireball fights xD

      Juan
      Reply

    3. They seem selectively canon. Beerus (Bills) is here, but it doesn’t seem like he and Goku have met or Goku has been trained by Whis yet. This worries me a little bit since I hope this show isn’t just an extended version of the movies with a fleshed out plot, but I digress.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

      1. It seems so. And aren’t there some of Freeza’s henchmen in hte opening too? I think they will expand those stories and maybe correct some timeline mistakes in the process.

        Mistic
        Reply

      1. I’m very curious what Gohan we’ll get here. He was always my favorite character but the epic war between Torayama (who kept wanting to position him as the new hero) and fans/producers (who wanted it to stick with Goku) always meant that gohan’s characterization was all over the place.

        The two new movies suggest that Goku will firmly be in his place as lead and Gohan will be basically nerdy GT Gohan, but the opening actually shows him using his mystic powers (which I think is the first time in forever that those have been acknowledged) so maybe we’ll get to see him be epic a bit.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

  7. You know this art/Style of Anime, could also get popular (do not take this for granted) in Europe.

    Dragons Quest Games have the same “Character design”. But yeah, Dragon Ball is popular here, like Naruto and such

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

    2. As KaleRylan says, isn’t Toriyama the author of DQ’s designs too?

      Also, Dragon Ball is massively popular in Europe, especially in France, Spain and Italy. It was already the most important anime series ever in those countries and Latin America before it became popular in the USA.

      Mistic
      Reply

      2. Depends on which country, though. Up in northern Europe nobody knows what Saint Seiya is but anyone who knows what anime is knows about Dragonball. Saint Seiya is extremely obscure.

        K
        Reply

  8. So…help me out here.
    I got the gist Dragon Ball Z story mostly from the Legacy of Goku Game Boy Advance games..
    If I wanted to watch the anime, should I go for DBZ anime or DBZ Kai?

    Techim
    Reply

    1. watch DB Kai. it takes out all the fillers and retains the real story line, while cutting out all those loooooooooooong moments of just staring at each other, shouting and just powering up that takes 3 episodes long, and making it to just a few minutes. It’s also in HD.
      BUT
      if you want to truly enjoy the Dragonball experience, including all the fillers, just watch the original version.

      kaz
      Reply

    2. The original is always good to watch just to say that you have.

      That said though, if you are used to the newer style of anime, those tending to last 12 to 24 episodes per run, you will find the original dragging and a bit boring. So for a quick refresher then Kai would be good enough.

      In the end it’s up to you which you prefer

      Juan
      Reply

    3. Kai’s “HD” is just an upscale of the original isn’t it? But imo, the main deal breaker is that they cropped away the original to make it widescreen.

      I grew up with the dubbed version of DBZ so I’m partial towards the dubbed version. I also prefer Bruce Faulconer’s soundtrack for the dubbed version.

      イエスの天罰
      Reply

      2. If you haven’t seen the recent 2 movies then you may have simply seen Super Saiyan God Goku from the first movie (Battle of the Gods) That form is basically just goku except a bit scrawnier and with red fire but his standard hair.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

  11. i was expecting the opening song could become as great as chala head chala, well i’m rather disappointed about it. i thought at least they were going to use FLOW’s chala head chala version.

    danes256
    Reply

  13. I still don’t get the timeline… This happens after both movies? I don’t get it. If Bills is around, the Goku and friends OVA has already happened, and both movies too. But, if Videl and Gohan have already gotten married (and Videl is pregnant), then why the f*ck does Goten and Trunks look the same way they looked at the end of DBZ (before the time jump)? When the show ended Gohan and Videl were starting High School, now they are all grown up (many years have passed apparently), but Gotten and Trunks haven’t aged a bit… that’s just an epic fail.

    Asdajshd
    Reply

    1. I’m assuming you’ve seen the 14th movie, Battle of Gods at least because you mentioned that Videl is pregnant…
      This takes place before Beerus comes to Earth for the first time – so the people of Earth don’t know about him yet. This is before the 14th movie and after the Dragon Ball Z series… so in between that time period, Gohan and Videl are getting married. I think there’s a few years difference between Dragon Ball Z and Battle of Gods so that would make sense. Not sure about the 15th movie, because… it’s not available on BR yet since it only came out this year =X.
      I’m sure they’ll find a way to make it all tie out though. Also, I find that kids in anime always look young >_> so… the fact that Goten and Trunks still look the same, doesn’t bother me.

      Cherrie
      Reply

      2. It seems like this is going to replace battle of the gods to some extent. I highly doubt we’re going to get to episode 10 and they’ll say ‘now go watch the movie’ and I also doubt that the whole show will lead up to Battle of the Gods with Bills already being such a big deal, so I’d say we’re likely to get a retelling of the Goku/Bills fight. I hope that doesn’t mean that the whole show is a retelling of that though. Either way yeah, it’s not a failure so much as a semi-odd decision about where to place the show in the timeline.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

  15. This brought tears to my eyes. Because Pokemon was and still is a 30 minute long, anime-style commercial for a video game, like for most of us, Dragon Ball Z was the first anime I ever watched. Not really much to say about the first episode though. It’s Dragon Ball. 5 minutes of real time take 20 episodes to air, and since we already know all the characters, Episode 1’s character intros were pretty useless for the majority of the audience. Still, very nice to see that they did not retcon Mr. Satan’s character development from an attention whore to an actual hero, something they could have easily done.

    MIke
    Reply

    1. Well, he’s a bit of both really. He still smiles for the cameras, but he’s better about giving credit where it’s due. Which really does help make him likable.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

  16. Ok, it’s question time.

    I was wondering if those of you who are very familiar with the “canonicity” of the entire DB MANGA premise and that of those 2 newest movie DBZ – battle of gods/resurrection of F could answer those important questions for me.

    – Is those 2 movie “canon” to DB manga?
    – Is dragon ball super/chou “canon”

    From what I read in one of DBZ-BoG interview it was Toei Animation that say BoG happen within the DBZ timeline and not Toriyama and moreover, the question of canoncity was not mention during the original japanese interview.

    Note: By “Canon” I don’t mean that the series is canon for the anime but manga”Toryama” canon.
    If yes, please could you provide an supportive evidence from Torayama where he personally say so and not one from Toei animation.

    For more info o what is canon see below
    -Canon

    The term canon refers to everything that is created by either the original creator, or current head of the series, unless otherwise noted. This is the universal definition of what canon means. In Asia, and especially Japan however, concern over canon and non canon is not so much of an issue over there with their media creations. Akira Toriyama never specified what is canon or non canon, as it seemed like something he was not concerned with. Because of this fact, we are left to use, by default, the technical, universal definition of what canon is.

    With that universal factual definition, in Dragonball’s case, canon is everything that is in the manga created by Akira Toriyama. If it isn’t in the manga it is non canon.

    – Non Canon

    The term non canon refers to two main things:

    1. Anything that was not created by, not originally thought of by, or had very minimal involvement with Toriyama. (Unless otherwise specified)

    2. Anything that is not in the manga.

    The DB and DBZ movies and all of GT are examples of non canon. Although Toriyama helped a bit here and there on some of them, and even designed some of the characters (Broli for example), the original ideas for the movies were created by Toei, not by Toriyama. He had minimal involvement, and some of the movies he had zero involvement. Not only that, but the plots and settings of most of the movies contradict the series/manga timeline and events out right. The movies and GT do not have mangas.

    Anime Filler in Dragonball and Dragonball Z is also non canon as most of it also either had minimal involvement from Toriyama, or none at all, and is not in the manga.

    – Exceptions

    There are a couple of exceptions to these rules of canon and non canon. As stated earlier, unless otherwise specified, works for a series not created by the original creator or current rightful owner of the series are considered non canon. Toriyama did do this in one instance. Bardock was originally created by Toei for the Bardock special, a non canon telling of Gokus father’s last days alive. Originally Toei created very different depictions of Bardock and his crew, but Toriyama came in and re-designed Bardock and his crew to the familiar faces we all know. Toriyama liked Bardock’s character so much he put Bardock in a couple of panels in the manga, making his character canon. The Bardock special itself remains non canon over all.

    The Trunks special is a canon special although created by Toei, the events of the Trunks special did happen in the manga. Toei basically followed the story of what happened in the manga, but put it in a special instead of a part of the series. They changed a few details around, such as when and how Trunks went SSJ, but for the most part sticked to the canon story.

    The Trunks Special being canon is the same thing as the Toei animated anime being canon, minus filler and changed dialogue.

    Anyone have already notice the minor different between DBZ Chou MANGA and the new anime?

    QuestionTIME
    Reply

    1. Umm… this is a very long way of asking whether something is canon or not, and the question of the movies are canon has been asked, and answered, several times above.

      1. As to the movies canonicity, the answer seem to be ‘kind of.’ Judging on what little information is present in this one episode, it kind of seems like we’re going to get a retelling of at least the first movie here. So it seems like they were canon until this came along, and now this will be the ‘real’ version. Hard to say yet.

      2. As for Super itself. It’s about as canon as a new series 20 years ago can get. It is officially replacing GT in the overall timeline as far as we know, and it’s made with the help of Torayama himself, as mentioned in the review. This is intended to be a ‘true’ sequel, where GT became a contested sequel very quickly.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

    3. Toriyama is involved in this series, DB and DBZ up to the end of the Buu Saga (coincidentally where this series starts), and the manga, which I’ll admit I don’t know where it ends. Since your stated definition of canon isn’t quite right, I’m not going to touch that argument. It would probably be better to worry about continuity than canonicity, anyway, since that is more relevant to story.

      From what I’ve seen, this series is in continuity with the original series, but not necessarily the movies, just like the older movies were not necessarily in continuity with DB or DBZ. Like others have said, though, it appears they will be adapting the recent movies in this series. They’re all based off of the manga, though there are differences, so I’d say the manga has a different continuity. DBGT apparently never happened, just like Highlander 2, and I’m certainly fine with that.

      quigonkenny
      Reply

  19. This is too awesome.. I just cant wait for the credible main Character next Episode… Let’s be honest folks Without Vegeta.. Goku would still be sparring with Kruillin.

    Getting hyped for a dose of Sayian Pride… I love this. I could dork out to this stuff all day. Watching this felt just like it did back when I was downloading “real media” videos of the original airing of the series.

    haha so much fun( I have the giggles ).

    Lithonite
    Reply

  21. oh man, the reminiscence of trying to time watching a full episode in between getting ready for primary school, breakfast n yardi yar and tuning the receivers of an analog tv. dem memories

    Calina
    Reply

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