Your opinion on skipping/not watching Dragon Ball

[sintzu]

ABED, what's your opinion about stories that start in the middle like Naruto where from Episode 1/Chapter 1 the attack on Konoha already happened, Itachi already killed his clan, there were on their 4th Hokage, etc. It's pretty much how Z is where the viewer is thrown in the middle of an already on going story. How would you view Z if DB didn't exist and it was like Naruto where it started with things like the fight with Piccolo, Goku's training with Roshi, etc. already being established ?

[ABED]

ABED, what's your opinion about stories that start in the middle like Naruto where from Episode 1/Chapter 1 the attack on Konoha already happened, Itachi already killed his clan, there were on their 4th Hokage, etc. It's pretty much how Z is where the viewer is thrown in the middle of an already on going story. How would you view Z if DB didn't exist and it was like Naruto where it started with things like the fight with Piccolo, Goku's training with Roshi, etc. already being established ?

That's not how DBZ is. Star Wars Episode 4 is akin to what you are talking about, but it's not actually the middle of the story. If DB didn't exist, DBZ's start would've been written differently. Your question is a purely speculative.

[sintzu]

If DB didn't exist, DBZ's start would've been written differently. Your question is a purely speculative.

If we were in an alternate timeline where Toriyama started with Raditz and everything afterwards was exactly the same, what would your opinion be on it ?

[ABED]

If DB didn't exist, DBZ's start would've been written differently. Your question is a purely speculative.

If we were in an alternate timeline where Toriyama started with Raditz and everything afterwards was exactly the same, what would your opinion be on it ?

I would think "why am I supposed to be surprised by Goku's heritage? Wait, he had a tail, when? Kuririn and Muten Roshi died already, when? Why does Piccolo hate Goku so much and why didn't we see it? Did I miss something?"

What is the experience that someone gains by not going back to the start?

[Hyena_Yamcha]

If you watch DBZ, you don't technically NEED to watch DB to understand it, but a story is about the experience.

i second that

i hate how many people thinks that reading the story summary is enough .

I get you, but why does it bother you so much? Enjoy it your way and let others enjoy it their way. I cannot support pushing ideas on others. If certain fans want to enjoy a series in a certain way, then let them. I have no more "hatred" for someone skipping DB than I have for someone who thinks that Vegeta is better than Goku or Broly is a great character (I used "hatred" the same way you did, not for people themselves, but for the actions... just to clarify). They're all fan opinions and it's what makes it great to be a fan. Some people prefer manga over anime, some vice versa. Why would it bother me which someone prefers? It's all pretty much the same underlying thing -- the way that the fan chooses to experience the series.

all i meant is that i hate the idea of skipping a part of a story and pretend that it doesn't exist , or saying that its not important

i mean if you like dbz but you dislike og db , that's totally your opinion , but at least try giving it a chance

reading the story summary is pointless as dragon ball doesn't have a complex story , its all about experience

[TheGreatness25]

Of course pretending it doesn't exist is silly and I'm the kind of person that watched the whole thing through and enjoy DB, but I would not be able to tell someone how[/it] to properly experience the story. Anything helps. There are people that only watched Kai, but so what? That's okay.

[NintendoBlaze53]

I jumped into Dragon Ball with the Buu saga DVD's after playing Budokai 2. I enjoyed it very much so since that's what got me into DB. Upon watching the Orange Bricks, Saiyan Arc was easily my least favorite cause all the deaths felt inconsequential, since I knew it all turned out okay and Vegeta turned good. And then I discovered the manga, everything changed. Reading the series in correct order made me appreciate it so much more, Saiyan arc is now my favourite arc because of all it means for the characters, getting to see where Vegeta, my favourite character, started his development. So this is where the Z and DB split come in.

DBZ does what every good sequel should do, and that's it can be watched without seeing the prior story and be enjoyed, BUT it will be a greater product if you watch what came before first. DB is one of the most amazing anime in this fact, you can jump in at almost any arc and have a great time. You try that with Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail and you will be so lost and confused and have NO idea what is happening that you'd just drop it, believe me I had that actual experience with all 3 of those shows.

DB does make DBZ a better product, but DBZ is fine enough on it's own. And I think all of Dragon Ball should be praised for how accessible it is to newcomers, cause they can always do what I did and go back later and view the whole story in sequential order, preferably through the manga, cause everyone should read the damn manga.

[sintzu]

DB is one of the most amazing anime in this fact, you can jump in at almost any arc and have a great time. You try that with Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail and you will be so lost and confused and have NO idea what is happening.

I started those 3 from the start and still have trouble keeping up with everything that goes on in them. What I like about DB is how each arc is its own thing and you don't have to worry about remembering countless backstory and other details.

[ABED]

It's no so much that each arc is its own thing, it's that the story and characters aren't so complex that viewers who jump in later in the story can't tell what's going on.

[Super_Divine_Genki]

DB does make DBZ a better product, but DBZ is fine enough on it's own. And I think all of Dragon Ball should be praised for how accessible it is to newcomers, cause they can always do what I did and go back later and view the whole story in sequential order, preferably through the manga, cause everyone should read the damn manga.

Well said to your whole post.

It's the intangibles of DB/Z that help in giving it a lasting appeal. It doesn't box itself in, can go all over the place if it so chooses, but be done in a way (comedic, dramatic,etc.) that can be an attention grabber for newcomers. They can then go back to the beginnings no matter where they jumped in at, or what major events that they'd seen out of sequence, for a more rewarding experience even knowing what it will lead into.