So I'm making my way through the entire series again with the Dragon Boxes, and I'm noticing the inconsistent art style more than ever before. It didn't bother me as a kid, but now it's just cringe inducing. I mean, we literally jump from this:
to this:
between a single episode (or seconds if we're talking the last episode recap!). Heck, horrible animation/art has become even more apparent with Kai, as it will radically change in the middle of an episode. It's one of the main reasons why I have a hard time watching that show!
Now, we've had animation discussions in the past. But those threads usually devolve into "lol look at Vegeta in this pic". I'd like to keep things a little more organized. I'm sure this is no coincidence, but my favorite episodes of the series are very well animated. It seems like Toei hires the more expensive teams for important moments, and pays amateurs pennies to animate the less important, dragged out episodes.
So I'd like to organize a list of well animated episodes. Given that the series is over 400 episodes long, a list of well animated and (not coincidentally I think) important episodes all in one spot is pretty convenient I think. It's a great way to breeze through the series.
To keep this organized...
1. Post episode name and number. (Kanzentai is your friend )
2. Post a couple of screencaps of your favorite scenes. Preferably from the Dragon Box (crappy Cartoon Network screencaps are crappy), and nothing too huge. I used 320x240, it makes everything look sexy.
Ultimately, what constitutes as "well animated" is completely up to you. Personally, I feel Maeda Minoru`s stuff (the man was in charge of all the promotional art for the anime until 1993) is the best of the bunch. He truly captures Toriyama`s style like no other. I'm curious to see what pops up in this thread.
I`ll start off with two completely random episodes from the last disc I watched.
The List
Dragon Ball Z Episode 120
Freeza Halved By a Single Blow!! Another Super Saiyan
Comments: Godlike animation, Trunks at the peak of his badassery (hell, does anyone top this?), an insert song, and Vegeta in a pink shirt. This episode has it all. Mandatory viewing right here.
Submitted by: fps_anth
Dragon Ball Z Episode 124
I Will Overcome... Goku!! The King of the Fighting Saiyan Race
Comments: It`s a shame that the good animation team is "wasted" on a filler episode. However, we end up with a good filler episode because of it. Great animation aside, I always liked this episode. Vegeta`s training was cool to watch, we see some character development between Bulma and Vegeta (as opposed to none in the manga), and you gotta love Vegeta`s trippy nightmare. Very good by filler standards.
Submitted by: fps_anth
A List of the Best Animated Episodes
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