Shueisha's 'Dragon Ball' Room, New Department Focused on Dragon Ball

[Jinzoningen MULE]

Guys, this doesn't mean Super or any future Dragonball anime will go on forever. It's talking about merchandize.

Just like GT ended in 1997 and there was still Dragonball merchandize for 15+ years until Kai/Super came out.

That obviously wasn't the plan with GT, though. They were lucky enough to have such an ingrained fan-base, as well as quite a few good fighting games, to push it on.


Having an on-going story is an inherent boon for merchandise, not to mention that merchandise is explicitly said to be only one part of the DB Room's function. Other functions that were mentioned are: Globalizing Dragon Ball, mediation between author and licencees, paperwork.


I'll leave you with a few quotes from the announcement:

-“they decided to establish ... other things to keep the franchise going indefinitely”
-“everyone ... in charge of Dragon Ball Super (manga) are on the V-Jump editorial department and also work at the Dragon Ball Room.”
-“The Dragon Ball Room is part of the rights department, and was originally conceived as an integration of the V-Jump editorial department and the rights department. Both were doing the same job, so they decided to do it together.”
-"We decide the content of games like the arcade game Super Dragon Ball Heroes or the game series Dragon Ball Xenoverse."
-"The members of the Dragon Ball Room thought that (Dragon Ball Fusions) would be something children would enjoy." (Implying that they had a heavy hand in the game)


So yeah, not only do they plan on keeping the series going indefinitely, they've already been very influential in material that has hugely expanded the universe, likely to that very purpose.

[Cipher]

Guys, this doesn't mean Super or any future Dragonball anime will go on forever. It's talking about merchandize.

Just like GT ended in 1997 and there was still Dragonball merchandize for 15+ years until Kai/Super came out.

I think the new element here, and the one that people find mildly off-putting -- or at least that I do -- is that the merchandise now seems increasingly prone to incorporate narrative elements. That there will continuously, or more continuously, be more Dragon Ball stories, and that they'll be of this kind of sterile, fanservicey nature.

People forget, but there really was a dearth of new Dragon Ball material in Japan following GT's conclusion. It ended. And when there was merchandise -- video games, etc. -- it directed people back to the manga and core narrative.

It's just ... kind of intellectually icky to focus that much new creative energy on something that really doesn't need it, like Dragon Ball, and to somewhat neuter the reputation of the core series (which did manage to carry the weird verve of its author throughout its run) at the same time. This is very hyperbolic, mind you, but this has never felt like a world or story that needs to be, or should be, continuously mined for new content. Pump out a new card set or video game every year and keep the manga in print; trot out a remake anime every few decades if there's absolute need for it; that's all preferable. Right now it reads like the plan is very much to keep new Dragon Ball fiction in the public eye at all times, which isn't unprecedented with other franchise fiction giants.

[ekrolo2]

I guess I don't understand it with Star Wars either -- which arguably a much more malleable and expansive universe -- but is there any reason to want to spend more time in Dragon World than what the main series already gives us? It's just a silly martial-arts fantasy world held together by spit, wishes, and the idiosyncrasies of its original author.

Or is it just, "These are characters I recognize, so I need to keep seeing them in new things"?

Nah, its more of "I want to see this silly, martial-arts fantasy world done in something that's not horse shit". I don't really care if they do it with the existing cast or not, they can introduce some new protagonist and have them go on DB or Z style adventures, as long as its good I don't mind it. I just like having the potential choice of reading something Dragon Ball that doesn't make me want to groan myself into an early grave.

[Cipher]

Nah, its more of "I want to see this silly, martial-arts fantasy world done in something that's not horse shit". I don't really care if they do it with the existing cast or not, they can introduce some new protagonist and have them go on DB or Z style adventures, as long as its good I don't mind it. I just like having the potential choice of reading something Dragon Ball that doesn't make me want to groan myself into an early grave.

I guess my thing is, I don't see why it wouldn't just be preferable to leave Dragon Ball alone and seek out other fiction (other wuxia, other shonen, other Toriyama work, depending on what about the series grabs you) that's capable of doing new stuff without Dragon Ball's baggage instead? Unless it's really like, "Man, Dragon World is so interesting, I could follow stories set in it forever," which seems weird to me, because it barely holds together outside of presenting events for the core story, being more or less a hodgepodge of borrowed elements given Toriyama's unique spin.

Edit -- I'll take replies, but other wise I'm done raining negativity down on this thread. It's all small potatoes in the big scheme of things, but I do have trouble understanding how people can view developments like this as anything positive, unless the idea of Dragon Ball sticking around in any form is just that tantalizing despite the fact it's had two or three perfectly good endings by now.

[TheMikado]

This isn't just Dragon Ball as usual.

This is kinda where I'm getting at. The Dragonball we know and love wasn't put together in a committee discussing its commercial value. It was put together by some guy who enjoyed manga and his editor who continuely pushed him. This is the difference between running Facebook out of a dorm room and being a multi billion dollar property. All I'm saying is that I hope the heart and soul of the franchise isn't further lost.

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

I´m really getting annoyed with the knee jerk reaction of purists labelling everything as "corporate killing heart and soul of creativity and fun for profit".

[kinisking]

I´m really getting annoyed with the knee jerk reaction of purists labelling everything as "corporate killing heart and soul of creativity and fun for profit".

It's even worse in the gaming community. Things like this have always been a business and always will be a business.

If you liked that dragonball ended, stick what you've been doing and stay with db/dbz. If you're like me, then youll want new content so have fun watching the new content. Simple as that. I never understood the selfishness of this fanbase.

[sintzu]

Things like this have always been a business and always will be a business.

It was a different kind of business back then, during its original run it was like every other franchise, it had an original manga and an anime based off it and when it was done, it was done, it was never meant to be continued forever like it is now.

[kinisking]

Things like this have always been a business and always will be a business.

It was a different kind of business back then, during its original run it was like every other franchise, it had an original manga and an anime based off it and when it was done, it was done, it was never meant to be continued forever like it is now.

If you don't like it, then it's not for you and that's fine. This newer material is for new watchers that deserve dragonball in their childhood just as much as we did. Besides a lot of assumptions are being made here. Goku's story will definitely end one day, it's just that other stories will be able to take it's place easier now.

[MozillaVulpix]

Even in the worst-case scenario, I can't imagine continual Episode of Bardock-like features continuing to be successful for years to come without running out of steam. If all the narrative of the franchise has is "let's give a character a new form" or just continuing the adventures of the Time Patrol and Mira and Towa, it is going to get stale. The Time Patrol story is already feeling stale (to me, at least) if they don't do anything interesting with it.

I really think the key here is diversity of material. If all we have is Heroes-esque What-If forms, I feel like it will actually get stale.

[sangofe]

Guys, this doesn't mean Super or any future Dragonball anime will go on forever. It's talking about merchandize.

Just like GT ended in 1997 and there was still Dragonball merchandize for 15+ years until Kai/Super came out.

Not that much merchandize in Japan between Final Bout and the first PS2 DBZ game...

[Kunzait_83]

Nah, its more of "I want to see this silly, martial-arts fantasy world done in something that's not horse shit".

...

I just like having the potential choice of reading something Dragon Ball that doesn't make me want to groan myself into an early grave.

The thing is dude... you already had that. It was called Dragon Ball/Z. It happened. For quite a long, long while in fact. Then it eventually ended. Then you (ostensibly) move on to other things, which can certainly include stuff that's in a very similar vein to DB, and which certainly doesn't mean you still can't go back to the other older thing and still get something out of it if its really that good. But the point is, you branch out and discover new stuff and new horizons instead of tapping the exact same vein over and over and over again like a particularly stubborn smackhead. Isn't that part of the whole "Life's a great adventure and the world is so big and vast, so go explore it!" kinda vibe that so many people here claim they love about the whole "Super Shonen Spirit" so much?

This whole thread (and others like it) kinda makes me feel like I need a shower. But what the whole Super experiment (and to some degree even Kai before it) has been continually proving to me time and again is that a tragically large amount of people today are incapable of letting the fuck go or understanding basic concepts about a given work like "belaboring the point" or "overstaying its welcome" or "trying to get blood from a stone".

I reiterate once again for the umpteenth time: 11 years, 42 manga tankobons, 555 anime TV episodes (spanning three consecutive series), 3 anime TV specials, 2 OVAs, 17 theatrical anime films, and about a couple gazillion video games spanning any and all platforms down to some pretty obscure ones.

I can think of a good many works of media that feel like they were cut down before their prime and had so much more creativity to give before they were prematurely put to rest. Dragon Ball is about as infinitely lightyears away from one of those works as can conceivably be. This was a DENSE fucking property that was positively jam packed with more than a decade's worth of fresh and diverse content. Its fucking over. I'm sorry that so many of you (the vast majority here no less) didn't find it until well long after the fact, but the ride has to end eventually. You can't keep eating nothing but fudge coated ice cream forever and ever. Let it be laid to rest, remember it fondly for what it was, and move on to other things.

[sangofe]

Edit -- I'll take replies, but other wise I'm done raining negativity down on this thread. It's all small potatoes in the big scheme of things, but I do have trouble understanding how people can view developments like this as anything positive, unless the idea of Dragon Ball sticking around in any form is just that tantalizing despite the fact it's had two or three perfectly good endings by now.

It's because I want Dragon Ball to go on forever, unless of course I find it becoming absolutely terrible (which I don't think it has yet).

Let it be laid to rest, remember it fondly for what it was, and move on to other things.

That's your opinion. I still enjoy Dragon Ball. I look forward to new Dragon Ball Super episodes. To check out spin-offs. I look forward to new video games... As many people are. It still makes me excited and feel like a kid again. If it doesn't for you, when that's you, and I can accept that, as you should accept people feeling and thinking differently from yourself, too.

[ekrolo2]

The thing is dude... you already had that. It was called Dragon Ball/Z. It happened. For quite a long, long while in fact. Then it eventually ended. Then you (ostensibly) move on to other things, which can certainly include stuff that's in a very similar vein to DB, and which certainly doesn't mean you still can't go back to the other older thing and still get something out of it if its really that good. But the point is, you branch out and discover new stuff and new horizons instead of tapping the exact same vein over and over and over again like a particularly stubborn smackhead. Isn't that part of the whole "Life's a great adventure and the world is so big and vast, so go explore it!" kinda vibe that so many people here claim they love about the whole "Super Shonen Spirit" so much?

This whole thread (and others like it) kinda makes me feel like I need a shower. But what the whole Super experiment (and to some degree even Kai before it) has been continually proving to me time and again is that a tragically large amount of people today are incapable of letting the fuck go or understanding basic concepts about a given work like "belaboring the point" or "overstaying its welcome" or "trying to get blood from a stone".

I reiterate once again for the umpteenth time: 11 years, 42 manga tankobons, 555 anime TV episodes (spanning three consecutive series), 3 anime TV specials, 2 OVAs, 17 theatrical anime films, and about a couple gazillion video games spanning any and all platforms down to some pretty obscure ones.

I can think of a good many works of media that feel like they were cut down before their prime and had so much more creativity to give before they were prematurely put to rest. Dragon Ball is about as infinitely lightyears away from one of those works as can conceivably be. This was a DENSE fucking property that was positively jam packed with more than a decade's worth of fresh and diverse content. Its fucking over. I'm sorry that so many of you (the vast majority here no less) didn't find it until well long after the fact, but the ride has to end eventually. You can't keep eating nothing but fudge coated ice cream forever and ever. Let it be laid to rest, remember it fondly for what it was, and move on to other things.

You're kind of making some wrong but understandable assumptions about my comment. I didn't give a damn or even follow Dragon Ball up until a couple years ago when the BoG extended cut was announced and I started watching Kai so there's no nostalgia factor for me wanting more DB. Although, there are plenty of people who fit this bill and yeah, it is annoying.

I also don't see how wanting more DB and expanding your horizons are mutually exclusive. If anything, Kai got me to watch more anime of a diverse variety after I quit for a few years and in the mean time, I've read more Tolkien, Star Wars, gotten into Doctor Who, Battletech and so on. But once again, I know why you'd assume this, a great many Dragon Ball fans exclusively watch that when it comes to anime or animation in general and don't bother with anything else.

And I do agree with you that Dragon Ball doesn't have to keep going on, hell, I didn't think we needed any more Star Wars movies after Revenge. But if we're gonna keep getting stuff from this franchise, at least make it good so there's a reason to bring the corpse back to life and so far, Dragon Ball has resoundly failed at justifying any new content.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

Goku's story will definitely end one day, it's just that other stories will be able to take it's place easier now.

That's quite an assumption is itself. Goku is Dragon Ball, at least for now, it'll be a far-off day when we see him go. So far off, it would be hardly recognizable as Dragon Ball.

[Doctor.]

Goku's story will definitely end one day, it's just that other stories will be able to take it's place easier now.

That's quite an assumption is itself. Goku is Dragon Ball, at least for now, it'll be a far-off day when we see him go. So far off, it would be hardly recognizable as Dragon Ball.

Naruto is now focusing on Naruto's son Boruto after, what, 15 years of running? And the series is literally called Naruto. I don't think Dragon Ball is gonna have an issue with that especially when they already experimented with stories with a non-Goku protagonist such as Xenoverse and the first part of the Boo arc.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

Naruto is now focusing on Naruto's son Boruto after, what, 15 years of running? And the series is literally called Naruto. I don't think Dragon Ball is gonna have an issue with that especially when they already experimented with stories with a non-Goku protagonist such as Xenoverse and the first part of the Boo arc.

It's an entirely different situation. First off, Boruto is doing horrible from a narrative standpoint. No one who wasn't familiar with Naruto beforehand is reading it, there's nothing interesting about the new story at all. Secondly, Boruto is just a Naruto clone to begin with, not much more needs to be said about that. Boruto is a carbon copy of Naruto, with a few visual and personality tweaks here and there. Lastly, Naruto spent quite a bit of time on world building, to its own detriment in the anime, while Dragon Ball did no such thing. The closest it came was in the two adventure arcs, but none of that is ever re-visited. As for the video games, well, the whole draw of them is that you get to fight alongside the heroes, notably Goku. So no, as of now, Dragon Ball couldn't go on without Goku.

[kinisking]

Naruto is now focusing on Naruto's son Boruto after, what, 15 years of running? And the series is literally called Naruto. I don't think Dragon Ball is gonna have an issue with that especially when they already experimented with stories with a non-Goku protagonist such as Xenoverse and the first part of the Boo arc.

It's an entirely different situation. First off, Boruto is doing horrible from a narrative standpoint. No one who wasn't familiar with Naruto beforehand is reading it, there's nothing interesting about the new story at all. Secondly, Boruto is just a Naruto clone to begin with, not much more needs to be said about that. Boruto is a carbon copy of Naruto, with a few visual and personality tweaks here and there. Lastly, Naruto spent quite a bit of time on world building, to its own detriment in the anime, while Dragon Ball did no such thing. The closest it came was in the two adventure arcs, but none of that is ever re-visited. As for the video games, well, the whole draw of them is that you get to fight alongside the heroes, notably Goku. So no, as of now, Dragon Ball couldn't go on without Goku.

Damn.. Really wish we had a room of people thinking how to fix that..

[Doctor.]

Naruto is now focusing on Naruto's son Boruto after, what, 15 years of running? And the series is literally called Naruto. I don't think Dragon Ball is gonna have an issue with that especially when they already experimented with stories with a non-Goku protagonist such as Xenoverse and the first part of the Boo arc.

It's an entirely different situation. First off, Boruto is doing horrible from a narrative standpoint. No one who wasn't familiar with Naruto beforehand is reading it, there's nothing interesting about the new story at all. Secondly, Boruto is just a Naruto clone to begin with, not much more needs to be said about that. Boruto is a carbon copy of Naruto, with a few visual and personality tweaks here and there. Lastly, Naruto spent quite a bit of time on world building, to its own detriment in the anime, while Dragon Ball did no such thing. The closest it came was in the two adventure arcs, but none of that is ever re-visited. As for the video games, well, the whole draw of them is that you get to fight alongside the heroes, notably Goku. So no, as of now, Dragon Ball couldn't go on without Goku.

It's not different at all. I'm not saying they're gonna cancel Super tomorrow and boot up a new series with Pan or Oob at the helm, of course not, that would be stupid. I'm saying that eventually Goku is gonna get stale, they're gonna exhaust every possible scenario they could cram Goku into and maybe even the fans could start complaining like they do with GT, and they're gonna be forced to make Goku take a step back. And if the series does well when Goku takes a step back, then they're gonna do more and more stuff with Goku in a secondary role. Dragon Ball has always toyed with the idea of the next generation, the Cell arc, the Boo arc, even GT, for all the Goku dick-sucking it did, ended with the next generation. Dragon Ball Online, as well. So this idea being fully realized in the idea of a new series wouldn't be something so out there.

They're already experimenting. I gave the example of Xenoverse, but there's also that new Yamcha manga. Sure, it's a small 3-chapter thing, but today it's that Yamcha manga, tomorrow it's a 4-episode OVA about Gohan and next week it's a fully new series with the next generation. Dragon Ball is gonna end up going the route of YuGiOh, JJBA, Naruto, Star Wars and a thousand other series. Either that, or you're gonna start doing reboots like comic books and Pokémon.

[ekrolo2]

Either that, or you're gonna start doing reboots like comic books and Pokémon.

I'd honestly like a reboot to happen eventually, Dragon Ball does have a lot of baggage and a reboot would have the benefit of starting anew and being able to toy around with concepts that already present or just making up entirely new scenario that couldn't work before.