(EDITOR’S NOTE: This was [obviously] our major April Fool’s joke for the year.)
Last “Ask VegettoEX” we had a question about “Dragon Ball AF” and whether or not it existed. I replied that if a new Dragon Ball series ever came out in Japan, I would eat my shorts. Well…
Ladies and gents, the shorts have been eaten. Dragon Ball AF is indeed coming out in Japan, and will begin later this summer!
Last Sunday during One Piece (the latest episode of it in Japan), a commercial aired: it was a collection of “highlight” scenes from DBZ, apparently, with Goku, Trunks, and Kuririn talking over it. Big special thanks to Mei Yamadori, who was kind enough to record the commercial for us (go TiVo!).
We’ve got the commercial all encoded as an MPEG, and I’ve got it up on four different servers (I have a feeling we’re gonna be hammered with downloads on this!). Check it out:
Mirror 1 – Direct Download
Mirror 2 – Direct Download
Mirror 3 – Direct Download
Mirror 4 – Direct Download
…. WOW. HOLY CRAP. Luckily I was able to get it over to Julian for translating. All we’ve been able to translate thus far has been the spoken dialogue (haven’t tackled those quick cards that pop up every so often). Here’s the basic gist of what’s being said:
GOKU: “They thought our show was over!”
TRUNKS: “They did, huh? Hmpf! Shows what they know!”
GOKU: “What’s this.. ? You’re different..”
TRUNKS: “You all… I can’t let you live…”
KURIRIN: “But you’re our friend! You’re just kidding around!”
TRUNKS: “Who are you calling a friend.. ?!”
GOKU: “You’re not yourself. What do you want?”
TRUNKS: “You’ll never understand…”
GOKU: “I see…”
TRUNKS: “What do you know?! I’ll never lose to you!”
GOKU: “Hehehehe… you don’t know of my new transformation..!”
TRUNKS: “TAAAAAH~!!!!”
GOKU: “DON’T YOU DARE THINK YOU’RE GOING TO DEFEAT US…!!!”
Hooooly crap. That gives us a little insight into what the plot seems to be. Even more amazing is that the commercial isn’t all there is. I’m gonna turn it over to Julian in our first-ever dual-owner site update, and let him talk about the print-ad that just came out for DragonBall AF~!!! (Mike, out!)
(Julian steps up!) That’s right!! I’ll admit that the commercial mystified even me at first (I’m the skeptical type), but when I looked in my mailbox yesterday afternoon, I knew that it was the real deal. What did I get, you ask? Well, see for yourself.
Staring back at me from the cubbyhole was a print ad for DBAF. This ad informs us that the series will indeed continue, and it is slated to start its run in Japan on 8 September (that’s a Wednesday), at 7:30 pm (right after the news). There will be a TV preview prior to that on 25 August. This ad also contains a message from Akira Toriyama, in which he says that although he isn’t making a new manga, he will be helping out a little with character design and story direction work. Mostly, though, he says that he is confident that the TV show will be handled properly, and wants us all to watch it!!!
Story-wise, details kind of slim at the moment. The text of the ad tells us that Future Trunks, driven mad by the horrors of his era, has come back to challenge Goku; Goku, however, has another transformation up his sleeve. However, the pictures are really interesting… the first seems to be a (very sinister-looking) Trunks in his time-machine, while the other two are really something: It’s SSJ5 Goku, and a new fusion — Vegetunks!!! I can’t wait to see these two in action.
The ad rounds itself out with an explanation that with DB being one of the most beloved anime in Japan, and with the show finding newfound popularity in the 21st Century, now was the time to create something new. It finishes up by telling us to please wait patiently for it, and to enjoy it when it arrives!!
So there you have it. A new series… a new era for DB. To coincide with this auspicious event, we’ve updated the “Rumor Guide” and “Newbie Guide” with brand-new info. Enjoy. Also, be sure to check back tomorrow; I’ll have those text items in the commercial fully-translated for you. Perhaps they’ll shed some more light on the new series. Until then, let’s hear it for DBAF~!! (Julian, out!)