Sara Talks Anime

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Dragon Ball. If you’ve been anywhere in the anime sphere since it became mainstream (and maybe at some points before it was genuinely mainstream), you’ve probably heard the name passed around. Most frequently called up for Dragon Ball Z (a series that was a lot more out of the ballpark in tone compared to Akira Toriyama’s other works), it also covers works like the original series and Dragon Ball Super…and those other Dragon Ball works that I refuse to state the names of.

Whether you’ve watched any of the various series, your only familiarity with Dragon Ball is through the references it has in other pieces of pop culture, or the only thing you can pin as Dragon Ball is the “it’s over nine thousand!” meme (which, if you still remember that meme, that’s cool), it’s usually very easy to tell when something is Dragon Ball. In fact, it’s very easy to tell when Toriyama is included in the creative process of anything.

I’m a pretty big Dragon Ball fan. So, when I heard that there would be a new Dragon Ball anime, I decided it would go on my watchlist, especially after hearing that Toriyama had a lot of involvement. From the trailers for Dragon Ball Daima and the synopsis, all you would learn about the series is “Goku and friends become small, go on an adventure.” Anything more specific than that, however, you’d have to watch the series to find out.

And watch it, you can…if you’re willing to sit through an episode that’s over 30 minutes long as the first episode! While that first episode does contain a lot of recap, since it’s been quite a while since the final episode of the Buu saga aired or since many viewers had last seen the Buu saga, I’m willing to excuse it to allow all viewers to be on the same page.

The main purpose of the first episode is to introduce the main villains, who are new characters, shrink the heroes into their small forms, and recap to ensure that all the viewers are on the same page. Since this is the first episode, I’m excusing it. Setup is necessary, and jumping into the series without this setup could leave some viewers confused.

Episode 2 shows us the young versions of the characters, and I pray to whatever higher being(s) may or may not exist that I never have to see Young Roshi again. Why is he still bald? Why? Just why? Toriyama, if you had a part in Young Roshi’s design, why did you do this? I know you’re dead, but still, why?

Episode 2 also contains a good chunk of setup, with getting the characters used to their smaller bodies and all that jazz. Also, Nyoibo/Power Pole is back. Also, Kibito and Shin’s old ship is being worked on. Also, we meet Glorio at the end of the episode. Speaking of Glorio, can I talk about how I don’t trust him? People who have read my weekly writeups on Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner already know this, but I do not trust Glorio. In fact, I think he has some ulterior motive for helping Goku and the others. Because the last time a blue character helped the main character of a long-running franchise, I ended up blindsided. I STILL haven’t forgiven you, Magolor! I know it’s been around or over a decade at this point, but I STILL hate you for what you did in Kirby’s Return to Dreamland!

…back on-topic! Because Kirby is off-topic! However, at the end of that episode, Goku and Shin head with Glorio to the Demon Realm! Episode 3 introduces more of the Demon Realm and how travel stuff works. As of the first three episodes, we haven’t gotten into the main plot yet. I’m starting to hate myself for having this three-episode cut-off because what if I encounter a scenario like this, and there’s a ton of stuff I want to talk about, but it’s past the three-episode cut-off?

Also, there’s some stuff that I skimmed over regarding the plot, but, like…I honestly feel like this is one of those shows where the less you know about the plot’s intricacies, the better it ends up being. This isn’t intended to say that understanding the intricacies of the plot of this show destroys enjoyment. I just…I’m not particularly eager to provide intricacies when I have this opinion of a show.

But now, my favorite part about Dragon Ball Daima so far is the characters! They’re acting just like I remember them acting from the other Dragon Ball shows, and honestly, I love seeing Goku acting silly. Take notes, Dragon Ball fandom. Goku can act silly, and he isn’t just “I wanna fight strong guys” all the time. Let Goku act silly.

I also love the animation in this show. It’s like the animators were told they would get paid well and were given a perfect amount of time to animate the scenes they were working on. This is most notably seen during the fight scenes, and let me say: a fight scene better have good animation as these tend to contain the hardest-hitting moments in a series, and these moments are best with good animation.

Not to say that all hard-hitting moments have to be in the form of a fight scene. Sad backstories can also hit hard if written correctly. But we haven’t had any of those within the first three episodes. But knowing Dragon Ball, I expect we’ll get at least one, or at the very least, implications of at least one, during the series.

And the songs used in the series…while there are some bangers in the episode OSTs, did you know that Zedd helped make both the opening and ending…or, at the very least, the first opening and ending? Sorry, I want to leave the door open if either changes during the run. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, you would recognize Zedd’s work from songs like Stay the Night, The Middle, Spectrum, Stay, and Clarity. Also, according to sources I’ve seen on the internet, Zedd actually repurposed the song “Out of Time” for the opening, I’m guessing in the instrumental department, at the very least. I have not heard that song yet, so I can’t confirm or deny whether this is the case. However, call me crazy, but…the opening didn’t really feel…open-y enough. This is coming from someone who has watched and enjoyed Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again, which has an opening that many may argue isn’t exactly “open-y” enough. I think the big difference between the two, however, is that the opening for Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again feels like it fits the vibe of the show. However, the opening for Dragon Ball Daima doesn’t feel like an opening I’d associate with Dragon Ball.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the song itself is fun. Sometimes, when there are no thoughts in my head, the “Jaan*Jaka Jaan!” part plays in my head. Just that part. Not the rest of it. Okay, sometimes I also hear the “DAIMA Wonderland” part in my head, but not as frequently as the “Jaan*Jaka Jaan!” part. Honestly, I want the full versions of both songs to be on Spotify so I can stick them in my playlist. The closest we have right now is Out of Time, but I don’t know how similar it is to the opening; as I’ve already pointed out, I haven’t listened to the song yet.

But, I mean, Zedd songs are always bangers, so I have a pretty good feeling that Out of Time is a banger, even if I haven’t listened to it yet.

I also love the color palettes that are used in this show. I think they’re so satisfying to look at, especially when they’re outside in the Third Demon World. I want to eat the art in those sections. This is a show that starts slow, but it gets good over time.

In North America (research where it streams where you live!), Dragon Ball Daima streams on Crunchyroll and Netflix. On Crunchyroll, the series is limited to Premium users. However, it is available for those on the ad-supported Netflix tier! Though, let this be your friendly reminder to watch stuff legally when you can. I don’t condone piracy, but I won’t stop you if you cannot watch this show legally and want to watch it. Just know that I disagree with your decision, and I hope that you can, at the very least, agree to disagree.

I always look forward to watching this show when the new episodes drop, and I honestly can’t wait to continue watching it as the episodes drop. I don’t know how many episodes this series will be, but I will strap in for the entire ride.