If Dragon Ball/Z followed a more "episodic" format

[Gonstead]

What I'm meaning is something more akin to not an over-arching story where it all builds up towards something bigger, but more in the nature of each episode having it's own self contained story with only some minimal references to previous events.

I guess the best examples I can describe would be shows like the 80's TMNT and Transformers, which are pretty much...

- Day starts out with good guys acting normal
- Main bad guy hatches evil scheme and puts it into action
- Is up to good guys to stop evil plan after discovering it
- Bad guy's plan is ruined and is defeated
- Episode ends on a light, humorous note

The main question would be though "Could DB/Z work in a format like this?". Could you see Frieza being like Shredder with goons like the Ginyu Force in a Bebop and Rocksteady type of position or perhaps at the end of each unsuccessful evil scheme with Frieza cursing out catchphrases like "Those blasted Saiyans!" or "Mangling Monkeys! I'll get you next time!" in a Cobra Commander type of thing.

Hell, while we're at it, there would be an episode where Frieza successfully constructs a device that turns all Saiyans into monkeys (Not Oozaru, but regular monkeys) and it would be up to the Humans + Piccolo to take care of them and to save the day without the help of their big power-houses.

Of course though, other villains featured in the series would appear and probably take up the mantle of big bad like Cell and Babidi/Majin Buu while perhaps even some movie villains would become more akin to recurring villains.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing something like this if done right.

What about you?

[worldmonsters]

I have the feeling this is how Dragon Ball started. Even the manga sort of starts like that with having stories of only a chapter or two. Well when Yamcha shows up it doesn't follow that, which is really soon. But still, I feel like original Dragon Ball anime almost had that in the beginning. Apart from that the beginning of Dragon Ball GT had that a little bit.

I think it would be more like following a kind of Pokémon type thing, but I really can't get Freeza to work in a format like that in my head. I don't know, the fights just wouldn't be long enough to be epic. I think it could work in original Dragon Ball, but as soon as you get to the Tenkaichi Budokai it gets very hard to keep up. I don't think the story of Dragon Ball is really suited to fit something like that well. Only early Dragon Ball might :p It's a fun idea though.

[ABED]

I don't have much to add beyond what has been stated other than Dragon Ball's format does tend to undercut a big assumption that TV execs have about children. One of them is they can't follow something for an extended period and need self contained episodes. Makes you wonder how much of those assumptions were plucked out of thin air vs had any hard evidence to support.

[TheBlackPaladin]

Honestly, one of the reasons I was drawn to DBZ was because it was a giant, ongoing story rather than a bunch of self-contained ones. It helped to give the show a sense of significance and high stakes, absent in the vast majority of other shows I was aware of at the time. So I have nothing against episodic/self-contained episode shows in and of themselves, but I wouldn't want to see that happen to any of the "Dragon Ball" animes. I'm also of the belief that TV execs consistently and constantly underestimate what children can "handle."

[JulieYBM]

Yeah, I prefer the on-going format. The episodic format really hurts a series with an on-going storyline. While it can work for a series that doesn't quite have an on-going story arc (like Star Trek: The Next Generation) a series with the foes on the scale of Dragon Ball just wouldn't fit well in an episodic format.

[ABED]

I don't think it has to hurt a series with an on-going story. Case in point, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural, Justified, etc. There can be a mix of standalone stories and the on-going arc. Often shows have elements of both within the same episode, such as Dexter. Something like 24 suffered because of the format of all story. There was rarely enough story for all 24 episodes in the season and so the middle typically sagged. Back to Dragon Ball, I think the format worked, but only suffered because the series was going on at the same time as the manga. Instead of breaking the show into seasons, the show went year round and thus the series is about twice as long as it needed to be.

[NitroEX]

I think the only way self contained stories could work in Dragonball Z is if they were during times of peace such as the episode where Goku and Piccolo learn to drive or Gohan is in high school. You could still have issues that need to be resolved but they wouldn't be nearly as dangerous or life threatening as when there are villains to deal with.

[Gonstead]

I think the only way self contained stories could work in Dragonball Z is if they were during times of peace such as the episode where Goku and Piccolo learn to drive or Gohan is in high school. You could still have issues that need to be resolved but they wouldn't be nearly as dangerous or life threatening as when there are villains to deal with.

Indeed. Those would probably be the best for episodic formatted episodes of they did it in DBZ.

[B]

This could have been done with the Dragon Ball hunts, and sort of was in the anime, before everyone got so powerful that they could teleport/find the balls in a day.

[Makaioshin]

We would end up with Jackie Chan Adventures.

[Elton Stryker]

Like north american Street Fighter Cartoon?Nooooooo!!

[ABED]

A big problem with self contained episodes is that if you have a central villain, he has to be constantly thwarted by the heroes and it wouldn't take long before whatever danger they posed is shot down in flames due to continual failure.

[DarkPrince_92]

I bet it would be great if it followed the formula Young Justice followed. Young Justice usually follows that "resolution at the end of the episode" kind of format, but there are always little things to look out for that makes sense to you later on, or open a bigger picture as the show goes on. Love Young Justice.

[JulieYBM]

I bet it would be great if it followed the formula Young Justice followed. Young Justice usually follows that "resolution at the end of the episode" kind of format, but there are always little things to look out for that makes sense to you later on, or open a bigger picture as the show goes on. Love Young Justice.

I'd say that structure actually hurt Young Justice.The series tries to set up and resolve a story in one episode but by it's nature it's too continuity-heavy a series to actually hold the 'benefits' of an episodic series (like making it easy for new viewers to jump on). The network likely demanded the episodic structure (that's why we only ever got the one 'two parter') but the writing staff essentially shoe-horned their continuity-heavy series into a hole that didn't fit. Toss in the series' general over-plotting and you wind up with cramming way too much crap into far too short a season with awkward pacing and no satisfying resolutions.

[goku the krump dancer]

We would end up with Jackie Chan Adventures.

Wait, is that a bad thing? Jackie Chan Adventures was awesome!!

But if I'm remembering right JCA had "arcs" as well, the first one being with Shindu and the Talismans then you had Dow Long Wong and the Ancient Demons (Shindu's comrades) after that you had the Demon Oni Mask arc and finally you had Drago, Shindu's son.

[Smochi]

LOOK'S LIKE THE GINYU FORCE IS BLASTING OFF AGGGGAAAAIiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnn *ding*


That is all I would need to fund this.

[DarkPrince_92]

I'd say that structure actually hurt Young Justice.The series tries to set up and resolve a story in one episode but by it's nature it's too continuity-heavy a series to actually hold the 'benefits' of an episodic series (like making it easy for new viewers to jump on).

I feel that...I guess. I wasn't familiar with actual story from the comics or anything, so I figured on TV each episode was altered to fit that "solve in this episode" kind of format.

[Super Gazellian]

We would end up with Jackie Chan Adventures.

Wait, is that a bad thing? Jackie Chan Adventures was awesome!!

But if I'm remembering right JCA had "arcs" as well, the first one being with Shindu and the Talismans then you had Dow Long Wong and the Ancient Demons (Shindu's comrades) after that you had the Demon Oni Mask arc and finally you had Drago, Shindu's son.

I was just thinking about this when thinking how to reply to this thread! I'm glad we got Dragon ball the way it is but I think it'd certainly be awesome it was done similar to JCA.
I'd begin with the saiyan arc, I'd have a few more saiyans though just to give the good guys more boss types to beat before getting to Vegeta at the end of the arc. Saibamen would be the common goons and come in masses. Then story progression can be made with every new season. It'd work, I know it

LOOK'S LIKE THE GINYU FORCE IS BLASTING OFF AGGGGAAAAIiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnn *ding*


That is all I would need to fund this.

Seconded, that's perfect

[Kid Buu]

Wasn't the final arc in GT done like this? Beat up Dragon of the week?