Goku is no longer what he was. Few series were as anticipated this year as Dragon Ball Super, the return of Akira Toriyama’s legendary series to Japanese screens. The result, however, could not be more disappointing. After a weak start but with signs of improvement and a more than decent animation, the fifth episode (where the first big battle with Beerus was supposed to take place) has been like a jug of cold water for the fans: the animation does not have the level expected of such a production. Those who have copied Toriyama’s style for decades could have done a better job designing Goku.
The controversy has created such discontent that a petition for signatures has already been opened to pressure Toei Animation by shouting ‘This is not Dragon Ball’. Thomas Romain, one of the few foreigners in Japanese animation, has gone further, relating this problem to the “serious state of Japan’s current anime industry.” Many of the workers are freelance, the salaries are low and the companies are not too big. It is even common practice for cartoonists to work from home. “Only Studio Gibhli can afford it,” and many studios don’t even make a profit. Through his Twitter, Romain argues that cartoonists need to see their working conditions improved so that situations like this do not happen again.
The artwork for this Dragon Ball movie is not good, and many foreign fans who had high expectations are disappointed. Personally, I hope this will serve as an opportunity for people to realize the current difficult state of the Japanese anime industry. It’s no good unless the working conditions for animators improve. pic.twitter.com/sqpCBLsSga
— ThomasRomain Roman Thomas (@Thomasintokyo) August 9, 2015
The drama of the fans is even more painful for the Japanese, given that this, the fourth series of the franchise, marked the return of Toriyama and his team to work in front of the team of cartoonists and creatives. The creator of Dragon Ball was in the background during the production of the last one, Dragon Ball GT, which has now been left out of official continuity. Dragon Ball Superin fact, begins a few months after the last confrontation against Boo at the end of Dragon Ball Z, and tries to recover part of the humorous soul of the original. While the jokes are back, the animation is far from what it was, at least during some of the moments in episode five. It is true that this has not been the usual tone of the previous episodes, but the previews of the next episodes have made the audience scream to heaven.
The original series was born as a manga in 1984, but starting in 1986, and after its success, it was transferred to the small screen in different series. dragon ball It has been broadcast in 70 countries and the manga has sold more than 230 million copies, the most popular genre fiction in history. This is the fourth adaptation of the anime to the small screen, after Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z y Dragon Ball GT.
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