Scenes that the Anime did better than the Manga

[Rocketman]

Which is interesting because of how Videl was left off; as the finished story stands, Videl just started to be trained properly in ki control, becoming just barely as proficient as the gang was back in early Dragon Ball... and was left sorta hanging in the dust for the duration of the manga and anime. It would've been interesting if she were able to continue her training proper and grow into a full on Z-Senshi.

I'd agree, but for the Buu Saga only lasting three days or so. And then even Vegeta gets shoved aside when the Uub mini-saga starts, then the manga's over.

I would've mentioned him too... but I didn't want Rocketman to yell at me.

My name inspires fear!

[Kunzait_83]

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[Smooth Criminal]

Now that I think about it, why DID Toriyama have Goku finish off Majin Buu at the very end?

Like someone else mentioned, even though there were so many nonsensical twists in this saga, there was an overarching theme, and that was for the world to try and "move on" without Goku's help.

I somehow think this goes a little beyond the argument that "the fans wanted it." I'm sure the fans wanted to see Goku beat Cell too, but he ended up killing him off instead.

No, honestly I think he wrote himself into a corner and the only idea he could come up with was a huge, universal genki dama. Something just tells me that he felt that Mystic Gohan showing up and beating Buu effortlessly wouldn't be dramatic enough, especially since he knew it would be the last major battle.

To add to the drama, he had Gohan get overpowered, then came up with the idea of fusing Goku and Vegeta. Clearly, he wanted the final bout to be somewhat even, so he couldn't end it there either.

If you think about it, everyone contributes their power to beat Buu-- Goku was simply the catalyst. I think the ending works, but it's obvious by reading the saga from beginning to end that he didn't intend it to be that way.

How would YOU have ended it? Personally, I think that Gohan beating Buu wouldn't have worked. It just wouldn't have felt satisfying, especially for the final major battle of the series. Just think about it.... Gohan didn't train for any of that power he got.

[testing223]

How would YOU have ended it? Personally, I think that Gohan beating Buu wouldn't have worked. It just wouldn't have felt satisfying, especially for the final major battle of the series. Just think about it.... Gohan didn't train for any of that power he got.

Well, since Gohan killing Buu was the ending he had plotted, Toriyama obviously had to pad it out more. Obviously more fanboy pleasing with the Vegeta-Goku fusion, which I assume everyone immediately wondered "what if..." when they saw Gotenks.

So I assume Toriyama inteded Super Buu to be the final villain, and couldn't come up with any clever training sequences with the grand Kai, so he threw together the silly dancing man and Deus Ex! Gohan is now superpowered! He beats Buu! The end!

I assume editors stepped in there and said "no, you keep going."

[caejones]

I think the genki dama was Toriyama's way of having the fans shut up (Goku uses it), but still letting others win (it's powered by a bunch of not-goku people). But still...
(Goku, Vegeta, and Yoda can just incinerate Kid Buu on an asteroid by yelling? WTPF?)

Actually, one of the first things I heard about Vegetto (one of those "my source is twelve or younger" falasies) was that his power was growing ridiculously fast, where if it had been measured in SSJ levels he would have been creeping up toward the range of 7, and right upon reaching ssj7 his body exploded from the strain. I wonder...

[Conan the SSJ]

How would YOU have ended it? Personally, I think that Gohan beating Buu wouldn't have worked. It just wouldn't have felt satisfying, especially for the final major battle of the series. Just think about it.... Gohan didn't train for any of that power he got.

This is from a VERY old post of mine...dear Lord, I had to find it by searching the word "Dende" next to my forum name on the Questions area.

A possible route of Toriyama's that I've envisioned could've been to still have Buu absorb Gotenks and Piccolo, but rather than Goku getting Elder Kaioshin's life-energy reservoir, leave him out of the picture and keep Tenshinhan coming to Gohan's rescue. Because of that and Dende doing some healing, Gohan would hold out against Buu long enough for the interior fusion separation. Then Gohan and Super Buu (w/t Piccolo, Goten and Trunks) could engage in a seemingly equally-matched fight.

It could end with Buu holding Dende hostage to attempt to get Gohan to give himself up for absorption, but Gohan plays a trick on Buu where similar to Vegetto, he shields himself just as Buu absorbs him and ends up unmerged inside Buu's head (rather than his stomach or whatever Vegetto ended up). Then Gohan would proceed to detach Piccolo and the boys (everyone waking up as Gohan removes them rather than staying in comas - and fat Buu nowhere to be seen), causing Buu to go back to his normal Evil/Super self. With Gohan and everyone escaping, he prepares for one final battle with Buu. Charges up a Kamehame-Ha, promising Buu his death will be quick and painless if he lets Dende go.

Mr. Satan, who's watching this whole thing from a bush, springs out in front of Gohan preparing his blast, screaming at Buu for what he's doing, saying "There's no point in any of this!!" With this striking a cord within Buu's suppressed memories, the fat Buu's personality slightly shows through as a tear courses from his eye and he utters "...Sa--tan...". His arms a bit weak from the realization that his former best friend is right in front of him, Dende manages to slip out and get out of the way. Gohan launches his attack at Buu who puts up a shield powerful enough to destroy the entire planet if it keeps growing.

With Buu struggling, Gohan reaches into his deepest latent powers. Buu, now completely devoid of his fat Buu personality from this struggle, mocks Gohan "Bwahahaha!! What will you do, from the power you were using in our last fight, it won't be enough to break this shield. It's more powerful than even my own self-destruction was!!" With this realization, we get a short cut to Kaioshin's world as Goku looks on, urging his son to break through (not talking to him through telepathy or anything). Gohan suddenly breaks out a sly grin, now proclaiming to Buu "Didn't you know, when you had beat me to near death, my power skyrocketed; when Dende healed me, it was as if a whole new giga essence was within me. I am a 'Saiyan', afterall. Now prepare yourself Majin Buu, this ENDS NOW!!"

Suddenly Gohan's eyes proceed to turn Emerald Green as his upmost power is released (he doesn't go SSJ though) and the massive Kamehame-Ha turns from Blue to Golden to White, enveloping Buu and consuming every last trace of him. Shocked by this sight, Mr. Satan falls to his knees sad this creature whom almost became good, his best friend, is now gone; though bucks up a bit remembering what he did to Videl and the entire planet mumbling "That bastard got what he deserved..." Now, Gohan appears as though he's gonna collapse, similar to when he defeated Cell and Bojack, but just falls to one knee and stands right back up. Gohan suddenly hears a telepathic message from his Father, simply telling him "See, son? You were nowhere near needing my help, and at last your true destiny has been fulfilled. Give your brother and Mom my best, I'll be waiting for you guys..."

4-6 Months later, we see Gohan and the boys summoning Shenlong, whom revives all those who've died since Babidi's arrival, except for the most evil ones. Unfortunately not all of them were revived, as quite a few had been revived by some of the previous wishes over the years. We then get a look at Kuririn in the Other World talking to Goku on Grand Kaio's planet. Goku asks "Are you sad you can't be there to raise Marron?" Kuririn replies "Kind of, but 18 will be good to her. Besides, Goten's turning out well without his Dad, and at least now I don't have to die anymore!" The two laugh and begin sparring, we're then brought to the lower regions of Hell where Vegeta sits Indian style mediating, apparently he has his body but couldn't be revived as Shenlong once brought him back, and he simply lets a "...Hmm..." as we're brought back to Earth a year or so later.

Gohan and Videl have just graduated high-school and are sitting together at a fountain in Satan City. They talk to each other about various things, the recent battle with Buu, how they'll be going to college, and at last confess how much they love each other. Gohan shows her a ring, to which Videl doesn't answer but just hugs him excitedly. They then hold hands and Gohan calls Kinto-'Un. Many citizens of the city seeing the couple ride off on the golden cloud, Gohan no longer cares about the exposure, as he has truly become his Father's son. Gohan and Videl ride Kinto-'Un over beautiful, near CGI looking forest/mountain terrains as the Narrator exclaims "And thus ends a legacy beginning with a small mountain boy living alone in desolation -- Culminating with his elder son beginning a true normal life" And a flashback, very similar to the end of GT, takes place. A first portion focusing on Goku's adventures while a second portion focuses on Gohan's.

The Narrator continues "In these times of peace, the shadow of evil may still loom. But even so, a once ruthless infant alien raised as a gentle Earthling has left a dynasty that will always be around to protect our humble planet. Two sons that have surpassed his own power (Goten with fusion), as well as a future Granddaughter down the road of fate, this new generation of Z warriors will lead planet Earth into a divine era of peace and prosperity."

Finally, with that said, Gohan and Videl land at 439 district where Chichi is drying cloths and Goten and Trunks are sparring. Chichi looks down at Videl's hand, the viewer doesn't actually see the ring there, but we do see Chichi look up at her son with happy tears in her eyes. She hugs her son and future daughter-in-law together, the camera pans up from the small Son house to the beautiful blue sky, and the Narrator finishes "Farewell, Son Gohan, your story, as well as your Father's, will live in our hearts forever."

"The End"

Also, Roshi couldn't be revived by Shenron.

I suppose...he'd get a reference by Goku and Kuririn as "being in the Next World with Grandpa Gohan checking out some pichi-pichi gals". As for Piccolo, I guess there could be a shot of him meditating at the Lookout following Vegeta's shot in Hell, showing a nice contrast of those two characters. Talk about a What-If!

[LegendarySSJ7]

I feel it should have ended at the Cell Saga (because of the melancholy ending, Gohan inheriting the mantle, a metaphorically tactical villain like Cell, and things of the such....) but that's just me.

In regards to the thread's topic of discussion, the anime is chock-full of plotholes, unnaturally contradictory statements (and filler material), and occasionally miring, lamentable animation, but it does have its highlights. While the Manga's brevity proper does work very well, especially with the quiet moods (or moods of any kind) in actions and words (getting the point across in a terse but well done way, if you would), in a few aspects I feel it's duly-appreciated to note that the anime is worth a tad more merit than most give it credit for.

The scenes the anime did better than the Manga.... the whole artistry during the end of the Kamehameha clash at the end of the Cell Saga, while drawn out, was incredibly vivid, especially during the final destruction of, well, Cell. I also feel the animation during the beam duel during the 23rd Budokai was especially good, and the animation in Path to Power is nothing short of irremediably breathtaking.

But beyond that, I like how the anime adds drama and emotion to many a scene. One example would be Goku's recuperation from the virus that attacked his heart. To me, an ardent tone, however excessive and sappy it may seem, would be needed. When Goku meets up with the Zet Senshi, in the anime, Gohan and Kuririn, to be meticulous, begin to get teary-eyed. While a bit of an abundance, again, Goku wasn't so far off from death in all its guises and had become largely ill. I feel a quality like that was needed for that scene in the particular. As well as Gohan attempting to go off to help Piccolo in the Cell Saga Arc as Cell deals away with him... not that I'm a fan of the child-beater scene, but the one before that worked well. As did Mr. Popo getting teary over Piccolo's / Kami-sama's completion, adding the more immense, fervent emotional impact of it.

The Manga's brevity for that scene is fine, but I feel it needed something more poignant than "Oh! Goku's back! Yay!". Goku's dream of the Cyborgs attacking his home and family also come to mind - whilst a sort of unnecessitated in nature, it adds drama and action, and unlike a lot of the anime's additions, lets us know that Goku is dreaming of something that surmounts to more than food. I'm also of the opinion that the Trunks movie was something TOEI did dead-on. It has its flaws, but captures Trunk's backstory and his timeline very well to me.

There's one particular scene where a beatdown SS Trunks tries to hit #18 and #17 even when they don't have much of a worldly effect on them, just to attempt to avenge all of the populous the Cyborgs (#18 and #17, who I feel are well personified in the Manga, though it's a bit of an excess for #18, considering where her character goes later on) callously killed off after hearing their reason for doing such. A tad pensively excessive, but I find it's well done. I also liked the anime's alterations to the portion of Goku's Oozaru punch running Piccolo Daimao through the gut - recollecting vague images of Kuririn, Muten Roshi, etc... the ones who were killed in the fight against Piccolo Daimao was a nice touch by my view. Any other scene the anime does better than the Manga (which is a tad seldom) is also done better due in part to the awesomeness of the Seiyuus, sound effects, and score, to me - the Seiyuu are rather spot-on in their character cues, with intensity and involvement in terms of voice acting that is quite admirable.

That, and the sound effects are visceral, imposing, and believable. Lastly, the score is used in good moderation, even if a bit redundant at times, and is used where necessary, in order to convey the tone, which is much needed. To draw this post to a close, while I do feel the Manga is better, the Anime certainly has its highlights.