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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
Like many millennials, my introduction into the world of anime was through one of the most iconic anime series of all time, Dragon Ball. I remember a time when my world revolved around the series; where every Saturday I'd anxiously await the latest episode on Cartoon Network's Toonami. I can recall every saga; from the Saiyan's Saga, wherein we saw the Z-fighters battle against the other worldly beings, and were, not only, introduced to future ally (and friend) Vegeta, but also to the incredible power of Kaioken; to the Frieza Saga, which introduced us to the nefarious villain, Frieza, as well as showed us the devastating power of the legendary Super Saiyan; to the Cell Saga, which resulted in a tournament that would decide the fate of our world.
Does any of this sound familiar? If you watch Dragonball Super, I imagine it does. Why? Because it's the same damn thing.
At the start of Dragon Ball Super we're introduced to yet another other-worldly being who seeks to destroy the Earth; and, in the ensuing battle Goku activates his Kaioken - oh, no, I'm sorry "Super Saiyan God" ability - and staves off the threat, which eventually results in said villain (Beerus) and the Z-Fighters developing a relationship afterwards. Then, immediately following that, we're introduced to an evil dictator who - surprise, surprise - is the same exact dictator from DBZ - yeah, that's right, Frieza returns again to fight the Z-Fighters and, just like last time, Goku enters a new Saiyan form in order to defeat him. And then, following that battle, in attempt to save the entire Universe the Z-fighters are forced to participate in a - you guessed it - tournament.
Now I completely understand that, between these major story arcs, there are other elements at play; for example the jumping between universes and the fact that there is a doppelgänger of Goku and what not. I understand that there are ways in which Super sets itself apart from DBZ, but it's still difficult for me to get over the glaring similarities between the two shows. Just as DBZ differed heavily from Dragon Ball, I wished that Super differed from DBZ, but from my perspective (as well as speaking to an avid fan of the series) it doesn't seem to do that.
I mean, let's look at Dragonball GT. I respect this anime because it made an effort to do something entirely different, and I appreciate that. Yes, I know that Super introduces the idea of the multiverse - which is awesome - but the moment I learned that the fate of the multiverse was left to yet another tournament, I immediately lost interest - the same way I did when I learned that Frieza was set to return, yet again.
Not only that, but the way in which it showcased the newest form of Super Saiyan makes a lot more sense to me than the idea of Goku and Vegeta becoming Gods. Super Saiyan 4 seems like a natural progression for a Saiyan, especially due to the way in which their species is portrayed. They've always been depicted as apes - even going so far as to turn into massive apes in the presence of a full moon; so, their transforming into an ape-man hybrid only seems logical. That, and, it just looks a helluva lot cooler than the blue haired God mode we see in Super.
All in all, I'm sure that I'll eventually give Super a chance, but it won't be for a while - especially not until they have the entire series dubbed because the Japanese voice for Goku is a no-go for me. That, and I'm really not a fan of the way it's animated now; I imagine it saves a lot of time as opposed to the older methods, but it just doesn't look nearly as good as DBZ, or even the original Dragonball series. Feel free to share your thoughts on Dragonball: Super in the comments section below, and be sure to check out some of my other posts while you're here!
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