Your opinion on skipping/not watching Dragon Ball

[ABED]

The Saiyan arc isn't a standalone arc. While it isn't dependent on what came before in terms of the villains, it's simply the next story. The Avengers was written so people could watch it without having watched any of the previous movies, much like how you can watch Serenity without having seen Firefly.

[sintzu]

The Saiyan arc isn't a standalone arc. While it isn't dependent on what came before in terms of the villains, it's simply the next story. The Avengers was written so people could watch it without having watched any of the previous movies, much like how you can watch Serenity without having seen Firefly.

What's the difference ? both already have estasblished characters and history and both are new viewer friendly. Weather Toriyama had new viewers in mind is anyone's guess though.

[ABED]

The Saiyan arc isn't a standalone arc. While it isn't dependent on what came before in terms of the villains, it's simply the next story. The Avengers was written so people could watch it without having watched any of the previous movies, much like how you can watch Serenity without having seen Firefly.

What's the difference ? both already have estasblished characters and history and both are new viewer friendly. Weather Toriyama had new viewers in mind is anyone's guess though.

Stand alones do exactly that, they stand alone. They aren't dependent on what came before and don't greatly affect things going forward. DB is viewer friendly because it's not complex.

[VDenter]

In my opinion skipping DB is crazy. Since people mentioned Naruto that would be the equivalent of going straight into Naruto shippuden, also skipping everything in One Piece pre the three year time skip.
Not to mention DBZ is pretty inconsistent quality wise. I think DBZ peaks with the Saiyan arc and slowly but surely goes downhill from there. DB was much more consistent and without knowing any of the characters the most impactfull moments in Z hold nowhere near as much weight. Not to mention it is highly debatable which had better fights as the fights and structure of Z got stale quickly. The filler certainly did not help. The world of Dragon Ball had much more room to expand as well in the earlier parts. Once you go to space it hits diminishing returns and it is never the same after that.

[DBZAOTA482]

Well it's their loss and I'm in no position to judge them.

[Elton Stryker]

The kind of people who says the Dragon Ball Z has no plot.
Newbie and retarded people.

1, I'm fairly sure you posted this in the wrong topic, 2, "retarded" ? Come on man.

1- Right topic! Arround the world "otaku" and weeaboo people saying that.
2 - *Retard - I try to edit but i can't change the post.

[Soppa Saia People]

The kind of people who says the Dragon Ball Z has no plot.
Newbie and retarded people.

1, I'm fairly sure you posted this in the wrong topic, 2, "retarded" ? Come on man.

1- Right topic! Arround the world "otaku" and weeaboo people saying that.
2 - *Retard - I try to edit but i can't change the post.

No I didn't mean you got it wrong, I was more talking about how it's not cool to say -tard or -tarded.

[Elton Stryker]

1, I'm fairly sure you posted this in the wrong topic, 2, "retarded" ? Come on man.

1- Right topic! Arround the world "otaku" and weeaboo people saying that.
2 - *Retard - I try to edit but i can't change the post.

No I didn't mean you got it wrong, I was more talking about how it's not cool to say -tard or -tarded.

Oh!Sorry! Now i understand what do you mean. Maybe irrational haters fits better.

[TheGreatness25]

I feel like skipping DB isn't that big of a deal for newer fans -- because after all, that's exactly what happened when DBZ was introduced in the U.S. I think that the story does a really good job getting you up-to-speed in the first episode of Z (you get the sense that Goku is very close with those friends of his and that he and Piccolo have bad blood). It almost felt like in a movie or video game where they tell you things that happened in the past that you never get to see, but you don't really need to in order to get a feel for what's happening. You know, like how in the Arkham games, you know that Batman has been through a lot, but you don't actually see it through the Arkham series. Anyway...

I would recommend DB to anyone, though. While I feel it is not particularly necessary to enjoy DBZ, I think that DB was a fantastic series and I really love it. It's a lot different from DBZ, but it has its own reasons to love it. I'm not going to go into which is better because I feel like the "cool" thing now is to say that Dragon Ball was better than Z (but it's really like comparing apples to oranges), but I will say that they both have their unique things that make them great. I think that DB is an absolute classic.

[sintzu]

Like how in the Arkham games, you know that Batman has been through a lot, but you don't actually see it through the Arkham series.

Or Uncharted where in the 1st game Nathen is already good friends with Sully and Sully already has a problem with the villain, both situations happened off screen in the past.

[TheGreatness25]

Like how in the Arkham games, you know that Batman has been through a lot, but you don't actually see it through the Arkham series.

Or Uncharted where in the 1st game Nathen is already good friends with Sully and Sully already has a problem with the villain, both situations happened off screen in the past.

Exactly. You don't necessarily have to see the 153 episodes to get the gist of what's happening in the first two episodes. It does a great job setting it up. They tell you that Goku and Kuririn are best friends. They tell you that Goku and Kuririn were Muten Roshi's students. They tell you that Goku and Chichi are married. They tell you that Goku's grandfather's name was Gohan.They tell you that they haven't seen each other in a while. They tell you that Goku was always unusual. They tell you that Piccolo fought Goku in the past. This all happens in the first two episodes. So I think that they do a perfect job setting things up without you having to see Dragon Ball.

But again, I absolutely loved Dragon Ball, so while it's not necessary to watch it to fully enjoy DBZ, I strongly recommend it.

[sintzu]

I absolutely loved Dragon Ball, so while it's not necessary to watch it to fully enjoy DBZ, I strongly recommend it.

I second this, right after I finished Z I wanted to go back and see the original cause I was interested in everything that was already established. I wanted to see that fight Goku had with Piccolo, how Goku took down the RRA, how he met everyone, etc.

DB is the type of show that I probably wouldn't have watched but thanks to Z it's now one of my favorite anime.

[ABED]

James Gunn brought up a study about spoilers and how for the most part, they don't ruin a person's viewing experience. According to the study, people get the same sort of joy of seeing how a moment they heard or read about play out that they do when they are surprised by the story. I don't fully agree, but I do think there is a lot of truth to it. I would've liked watching DB and be surprised by Kuririn's death, but seeing it play out or seeing how those few flashbacks in DBZ played out in DB in the series was interesting.

[TheGreatness25]

James Gunn brought up a study about spoilers and how for the most part, they don't ruin a person's viewing experience. According to the study, people get the same sort of joy of seeing how a moment they heard or read about play out that they do when they are surprised by the story. I don't fully agree, but I do think there is a lot of truth to it. I would've liked watching DB and be surprised by Kuririn's death, but seeing it play out or seeing how those few flashbacks in DBZ played out in DB in the series was interesting.

I think that it depends on the vagueness of the spoilers. If all you knew was that at some point Kuririn would die in Dragon Ball (because Goku says it in episode 3 of DBZ or whatever it is), then you might still be shocked when it actually happens because you don't expect when and how it would happen. If you were told how it would happen, you might not be surprised (obviously), but you could still look forward to seeing it happen to see how it compares with what you imagined.

Then there's the case where you kind of forget the spoiler until it happens. I know that everyone and their mother craps on Amazing Spider-Man 2, but I saw it at the midnight premier with the wifey and I knew that Gwen Stacy was going to die. I knew it from the comic and I knew it from a spoiler of the movie, but I did not know when and how. I got into the movie (I actually liked it because it's really easy to please me with movies) and kind of forgot about Gwen Stacy dying, so when it happened, it was this moment that kind of froze everyone up. The entire theater got all quiet and silent and even though I knew it would happen, it still grabbed me by surprise. So I guess that I believe that there's a truth to that study.

[ABED]

It all boils down to execution. If the only value was in the surprise, then I don't think anything would have much rewatch value. I've seen DB all the way through several times and read the manga, but moments like Kuririn's death and Goku reuniting with his Grandpa still get me.

As much as I think ASM2 is a mess of a movie and I think Gwen's death was telegraphed, the moment still works, in large part because of Emma Stone's performance and the character is one of the few things that are really enjoyable about the movie.

This all serves to reinforce the point that it's all about execution. If you watch DBZ, you don't technically NEED to watch DB to understand it, but a story is about the experience.

[Hyena_Yamcha]

If you watch DBZ, you don't technically NEED to watch DB to understand it, but a story is about the experience.

i second that

i hate how many people thinks that reading the story summary is enough .

[TheGreatness25]

If you watch DBZ, you don't technically NEED to watch DB to understand it, but a story is about the experience.

i second that

i hate how many people thinks that reading the story summary is enough .

I get you, but why does it bother you so much? Enjoy it your way and let others enjoy it their way. I cannot support pushing ideas on others. If certain fans want to enjoy a series in a certain way, then let them. I have no more "hatred" for someone skipping DB than I have for someone who thinks that Vegeta is better than Goku or Broly is a great character (I used "hatred" the same way you did, not for people themselves, but for the actions... just to clarify). They're all fan opinions and it's what makes it great to be a fan. Some people prefer manga over anime, some vice versa. Why would it bother me which someone prefers? It's all pretty much the same underlying thing -- the way that the fan chooses to experience the series.

[ABED]

I think he's being hyperbolic when he said "hate" and I'm all for convincing people to not skip DB. I think some are almost defiant about not watching DB. It makes no sense to not go back. And I think you miss the point, they aren't experiencing the series. Reading a summary or skipping over 1/3 of the story is the opposite of experiencing the story.

[TheGreatness25]

I think he's being hyperbolic when he said "hate" and I'm all for convincing people to not skip DB. I think some are almost defiant about not watching DB. It makes no sense to not go back. And I think you miss the point, they aren't experiencing the series. Reading a summary or skipping over 1/3 of the story is the opposite of experiencing the story.

In your opinion. I think it's just fine. DBZ is in itself, a story and you don't need to watch Dragon Ball to experience or enjoy Dragon Ball Z. Someone playing Metal Gear Solid is fully able to enjoy the story without going back and playing Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. Again, different strokes for different folks. You have your definition of experiencing the story, and others have theirs. It's not right to push your definition onto others because it becomes a slippery slope. Before you know it, you're dictating how the story should be viewed, and whether you realize it or not, you end up judging other fans. "Oh he didn't watch Dragon Ball and he watched the dub? He's not a real fan because he hasn't experienced the story." That's not quite what you're saying, but in essence, that's pretty much what you're saying. And that's just wrong.

If someone only watched the movies and likes them, more power to them. I wouldn't tell them, "No, you need to sit down and spend hours upon hours watching the series to really get a feel for it."

[ABED]

In your opinion. I think it's just fine. DBZ is in itself, a story and you don't need to watch Dragon Ball to experience or enjoy Dragon Ball Z

You can watch the Buu arc without having watched what came before. You can watch GT without watching what came before. You can watch season 5 of Friends without having watched what came before, but why do that? Why not start from the beginning especially when there is easy access to those shows. I find your logic to be specious. I feel the way I feel and yet I don't use the word or even imply someone isn't a real fan. Please don't put words in my mouth.