"Starring Star" by Keytalk Thoughts

[Gozar]

Like the title suggests: What are your thoughts on the second DragonBall Super closing, "Starring Star" by the band Keytalk?

For me, through the entirety of the Beerus Arc, the greatest shortcoming of Super has been its music. Between horrendous BGM by Sumitomo, an uninspired 1st Ending Theme, and irritating vocals on the Opening Theme, DragonBall Super has been a huge letdown from a musical standpoint.

But upon first hearing "Starring Star," I fell in love with not only the song, but the animation that went along with it. At first I couldn't figure out why. It doesn't really fall in line with any of the OPs or EDs from DragonBall or DragonBall Z. But then I realized, it gives off a similar vibe to DragonBall GT's vocal songs. Despite GT's many shortcomings, one thing that most of us can agree on is that the music was phenomenal on every level. While some will claim that GT's vocal songs were essentially chosen at random to cash in on some popular bands of the time, I find a lot more thought to have gone into them.

Between "Dan Dan" and the first 2 Closing Themes, I feel like GT is trying to give off a sense of nostalgia. The lyrics at times will hark back to an earlier time in life and bring forth said nostalgia. This may have been an attempt to appeal to older fans of the time who started with DragonBall as kids in the mid to late 80's. Now here these kids are 10+ years later just entering adulthood or on the verge of it. Enter some songs that invoke a sense of nostalgia combined with a franchise they may have loved as a kid and you have a recipe for what Toei hoped would be good ratings. Meanwhile, the 3rd and 4th Closing Themes invoked a feeling breaking out of a youthful but very real slump. Which would also fall in line with the same age group that I mentioned before. Feelings of wanting to get out of University and start your own life are very strong feelings for people in the early to mid 20's.

Fast forward to "Starring Star" and I see a song that does both of those things. It invokes a sense of nostalgia while also telling you to press on through hard times and into the next chapter. Perhaps a song like this really speaks to me and fits so well with my love for DragonBall at this stage in my life because just like those GT fans in their 20's, I now fall into the same category. I got into DragonBall at the age of 12 and now I'm on the cusp of 26 and here comes a brand new DragonBall series. Despite DragonBall never leaving my life nor my fandom ever waning, seeing these characters that I love going on new adventures brings me right back to when I was 12 and awaiting every new episode on Toonami.

So take a series that I've loved for more than half of my life and mix in a song that brings forth those feelings and I guess that's why it speaks so loudly to me. Also because I finally was able to get my own place with my wife earlier this year. That sense of freedom fits in so well with DragonBall because most of the characters just do whatever the hell they want. I mean, we've spent the past 3 episodes of "Super" watching Goku figure out a way to ditch all responsibility and travel off to another planet to train. Why? Because he wants to be free to do what he wishes and I feel like I finally have that in full at this point in my life.

So...Yeah. I didn't actually intend for this to be so long and personal, but there you have it. That's why I love "Starring Star" and how it related to DragonBall.

[HourglassIndigo]

Starring Star really made me feel nostalgic. The visuals perfectly matched the song itself, and I instantly fell in love with it. Reminded me of Angel, with the peaceful lyrics without all of the electric guitar and intense singing that the first one had. Also I'm glad I'm not the only one who dislikes Sumitomo's score, it's soooo bland when compared to Kikuchi, Falcouner, or Yamamoto.

[Lord Beerus]

I wasn't really a fan of the song when I first heard, but after repeated listenings, it's certainly starting to grown on me.

[Super Saiyan Swagger]

I love it. The ending reminds me of "Give Me Romance", Dragon Ball's first ending. This is probably because of both endings having a night time theme. A really nice ending, one of my favourites in the series.

[Black_Liger]

I like it more than the first one by a mile, It kinda reminds me of the excellent endings GT had (Openings and Endings were good). The fact that the characters had, for the most part their F look is even better. (BTW, Super's OST is GOOD for the most part).