Episode #0461 (02 December 2018)

[VegettoEX]

Episode #0461 (download MP3) (rss feed) (subscribe in iTunes) (YouTube version) (SoundCloud version)
49:41; 96 kbps, mono; 34.3 MB

Episode #0461! Mike and Julian discuss the Dragon Ball franchise's long and storied history with spoilers, from its original serialization up through today. What are the similarities regardless of time, and how has modern technology in particular made certain issues worse than ever before? Are there any solutions, or does the franchise need an adjustment to its entire DNA for this to change?

SEGMENTS:

• 00:13 - Introduction
• 03:45 - Topic
• 47:41 - Wrap-up

[Chuquita]

Good episode!

Despite being a fan of spoilers, I do have a couple theories on ways for Shueisha to avoid spoiling everything.

A) Next time create a more story focused movie so you can focus ads on creating conversation about people wondering who/what/where/when/why so fans have something more beyond battle stuff to theorize on. I loved theorizing on the whole who is Gokû Black thing back at the start of that arc and haven't had anything like it since in modern DB. It would also give advertising more cards in their deck when it comes to choosing what to reveal and what not to. BOG also had this because we didn't know much about Beerus' and Whis or what they were capable of. They even kept the context for Vegeta's bingo dance a mystery for a while!

B) Misdirect. Make audiences think it's gonna go one way with clever editing during trailers, but it actually goes a different way.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

It's very bizarre how they've handled things in modern DB.

For Resurrection "F" SSGSS Vegeta wasn't formally revealed until after the film opened (which is why any merch involving Vegeta wasn't scheduled until late April or May). But between leaks, preview and screenings people already knew of it (and as mentioned Volume of F had in him in that form) so it was very bizarre the way they handled that.

Then 2018 rolled out and Goku's new form. They did a good job at surpressing any potential leaks & everything was set up for him to revealed in episode like SSR Goku Black but then the V Jump issue before March they blew their load and revealed everything about UI Goku. Which begged the question why? They did such a good job hiding it felt like it was all for nothing. Especially since it was a static reveal in a magazine.

And now regarding Theatrical New Character. Funnily enough I feel the opposite, the concept isn't new and wouldn't count it as a spoiler per se and it annoyed me how many missed ops they had to reveal him, they did another good job stopping leaks by hiding things thoroughly... well almost with me around they can't afford to get sloppy and they did and they immediately corrected their error but it was too late I had the picture since November 13th but didn't want to leak it because I assumed the reveal was right around the corner but nope. Then of course screen shots leak as well.

That said they finally reveal him 2 weeks before the film opens, I mean I get it final 2 weeks drum up as much hype and in hindsight that was the perfect reveal time actually, the hype train is currently too much!

Ultimately, leaks aside, I wish they'd be consistent when it comes to these things, the treatment in UI & now was so different and they happened in the same year!

[Gyt Kaliba]

Honestly, I think my lack of issue with spoilers when it comes to Dragon Ball comes from the time period I got into it. I first became a fan when Toonami was airing re-runs of the tail end of the Freeza arc, leading in to a premiere of the Androids arc material shortly enough there-after. So in my case, I dived into a franchise that was already more than halfway through it's major story points, so to more fully understand things, I had to read online about all of the previous material. In doing that though? I also ended up reading about all of the material after that as well, from the Boo arc onward through GT. As a result, Dragon Ball has ALWAYS been about spoilers for me. It's always had this weird give and take of 'read about something and then get to see it for myself at some point after that'.

It held true in the newer era as well - I was here reading about Battle of Gods before I'd get to see it, same with Resurrection 'F'. Super was the one weird case where for the most part, I was able to see it with my own eyes almost immediately after it came out, but even there, a lot of the time I'd be reading Herms' reviews and peoples comments on the latest episodes over the weekend (since I work over the weekend), only to end up getting to see the episode myself Monday or so. And now with Broly, I'm again at the mercy of what people say online until I can see it for myself later on. It's just...what Dragon Ball is for me.

That said though, I do realize how differently so many people feel about spoilers, so if I'm talking about the series somewhere else like Facebook for example, I try to not say anything too spoiler-y if I can avoid it. Stuff like Toei's marketing strategy, or lack there-of, though, does lead to some issues with even that. I shared the Gogeta trailer without even thinking about how some people might not want to see that. Since it came out from an official source, my brain didn't even register it as a 'spoiler', it was just an advertisement for me. So in the vein of trying not to spoil others who might not wish to be spoiled, their mass release of constant new footage and info does make it a little difficult for me to talk about the series with others without spoiling things for them.

[Rory]

Stellar episode!
I think you guys seemed to hit on something pretty important early on when it came to spoilers for the movies back then vs now, which was the content of the movies themselves. These were just 'come along and enjoy the flick' films, which didn't really require knowledge of the series to get involved. They don't effect the main story, as everything is pretty much wrapped up within the film.
This context has changed with the new films, which is why the spoilers seem to matter way more, since now we're actually in the opposite situation of which we started (where readers of Shounen Jump wouldn't spoil the contents of the manga). For all intents and purposes, this takes the place of what the manga was, it's the continuation of the story and effects everything that takes place in the future. It isn't just an animated adaptation, or a fun taste of the franchise, it is the story. And yet the very people making it are telling us what the story is before any one at all has had their chance to see it (besides a few who hit up the early premieres).
Combine that with everything else you guys mentioned, and yeah to say this was mishandled feels like quite the understatement.

[KBABZ]

Off-topic, but I really hope episode 462 is about FighterZ picking up Fighting Game of the Year at the Game Awards and what an accomplishment that is for DBZ games