Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by Lord Beerus » Sun May 17, 2020 2:12 pm

ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amBeerus, this is not going anywhere because not only are you using terms you seemed to get from a wikipedia page like they're gospel you have no clue what you're talking about. 007 is his number but it's always been Bond's number and despite this weird idea going around, Bond is a person not a moniker. It's the same character with the same backstory and motivations, just a different interpretation by the actor. Same with Max. Both versions are haunted by loss and are loners who want to just survive but end up helping people in need. The two takes aren't that different. That you somehow think that Hardy's grunting take is completely different from Gibson's more reserved take is baffling.
These aren't just buzzwords I'm throwing out. The term sequel is so incredibly broad. And with how some form of media may creates sequels to other that don't appear to be sequels in the conventional sense, different specifications of the different kinds of sequels, with regards to their terminology, are created to cause less confusion. I mean, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is sequel, but not in the traditional sense of sequel. That's why its refereed to as a standalone sequel.

You do know the next 007 is going to be a black woman right?
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amThe definition you've chosen of "spin off" isn't true. They only have to do with the narrative viewpoint. Naturally they will deal with different themes if the characters are different. In the case of Creed, the new theme is legacy.
Yes, Creed is about legacy which is why journalists recognise Creed as a legacy sequel.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amYou may not have seen Golden Girls but you can use wikipedia to look up Empty Nest and see that it was a spin off that didn't take existing characters and build a show around them. Bottom line, you're understanding of the concept is incomplete.
Okay, I did some research on Empty Nest and Golden Girls, and yeah, no shit it's a spin-off. It focuses on a completely cast, but the show started while Golden Girls was still on the air. Hell, early episodes established that the Golden Girls characters were neighbours of main characters of Empty Nest. So calling that anything other than spin-off would be absurd to begin with. And what I'm suggesting isn't what Empty Nest is.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amThat's where the term "standalone sequel" come from.
The term "standalone sequel" comes from a published book, but you do you. And the terms itself wouldn't exist if the specifications weren't so broad in general. Some films are indeed sequel, but not in the traditional aspect. Which is why the term exist in the first place. Much like term "midquel" and "spinoff"
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amNo you've just described the wuxia genre.
And Dragon Ball is wuxia. So I don't get your point. It's like getting bemused over me calling Unforgiven a Western or Goodfellas a Gangster film.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amAny further adventures of DB regardless of who's the lead will have diminishing returns.
That is a hypothetical scenario that has yet to be proven because Dragon Ball refuses to move on from a cast of characters that are creatively spent.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amAnd there are lots of sequels that don't have some kind of personality growth. Most of the James Bond movies fall into that category.
And that why a lot sequels fall short. They become complacent. This is an issue with the MCU as well as why I don't care for the James Bond films beyond a superficial level.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amAnd while I'm not a fan of Fury Road, Max doesn't grow at all in that movie.
Max does go through character development in Fury Road. He's gruff man of few words, who has completely cut himself off from humanity and cares little for Furiosa and the women she's trying to protect. He speaks in grunts, shoots a pregnant woman in the leg and keeps his distance from everyone else. After spending a lot of time with the girls, he rediscovers compassion, changing his initial plan of "escape Joe's men at any cost" to "protect the women at any cost." At the end of the film, Max willingly donates his blood to save Furiosa's life and finally tells her his name. That's character development. Did you even watch the film?
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amThere is no rule that says no character development is bad storytelling. It's simply untrue. Goku is a static character. You clearly don't understand my point if you think I don't want DB to move on. I want it to end. Your hypothetical is Weekend at Bernie's
Yes, having no character development is bad storytelling. Part of "The Hero's Journey", which is how Dragon Ball stories operate, relies immensely on how much a character develops. I'm honestly shocked I have to spell that out for you.

Your idea of sequel isn't a sequel. That's what you seem to be unable to understand. You want an extended epilogue. You basically want Dragon Ball GT, even though that already exists. And that is not the same thing as a sequel. Want you want is American Pie Reunion or The Golden Palace. And that is not an ideal sequel in any sense.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amMaybe because this isn't an issue of the amount of effort. Toriyama put a shit ton of effort into the manga, but in terms of his writing, it's simple and effective at points but he is not a great writer. His designs are memorable, his action is dynamic but easy to digest. However, his characters are by and large not deep, characters are kept around long after they've developed and served their purpose, he settled into a formula about 1/3 of the way through the original run. He sometimes has characters act out of character for the sake of the plot, the Buu arc is a mess. The DB's became easy outs for resolving the plot thereby removing consequences. Those are just off the top of my head. I didn't say anything about Goku being interesting, I was talking about popularity. Lots of stuff is popular in spite of the writing. Power Rangers is proof of that.
I'm not saying Toriyama is a great writer. He simply took the stock characters and basic narrative tropes found in the genre Dragon Ball belongs to (Wuxia) and applied his own unique spin and flavour to them to provide an interesting cast of characters. The characters in Dragon Ball are far from complex or original. But they don't need to be. They just need have dynamic that allows the transition to high fantasy martial arts confrontations to begin, progress and end to be as nuanced, organic and subtle as possible. And that's Toriyama excelled at. And that's what made Dragon Ball so popular to in the end.

Can that be done with new cast of characters? Who knows. They will at least have a lot more to work in terms of character development, so why not try?
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:46 amI think I've now said all I can on this subject.
Same here.

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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by ABED » Sun May 17, 2020 2:19 pm

You do know the next 007 is going to be a black woman right?
I do but she's not playing James Bond and they aren't gonna make her the face of the franchise BECAUSE people care about "Bond, James Bond" not just his number.
Yes, Creed is about legacy which is why journalists recognise Creed as a legacy sequel.
https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a5010 ... -in-talks/
See I can do it as well.
Also, it's not Rocky's legacy the films are dealing with.
And Dragon Ball is wuxia. So I don't get your point. It's like getting bemused over me calling Unforgiven a Western or Goodfellas a Gangster film.
I'm not getting bemused by calling something by its genre. I'm bemused by you insisting that taking away DB's characters and what makes it unique somehow still qualifies it as DB. It would still be wuxia, but it wouldn't be Dragon Ball.

Apparently I have a lot more to say because your ignorance is astounding.
Last edited by ABED on Sun May 17, 2020 3:00 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by Dragon Ball Gus » Sun May 17, 2020 2:20 pm

I would like to see a series focused on the next generation of the Z Fighters, with Pan and Uub becoming the new Goku and Vegeta main duo. And it could also include Goten, Trunks, maybe Bra, possibly Broly, potentially the Universe 6 Saiyans (cause you guys already know how much I love those characters. :mrgreen:), hell, even Marron and 17's kids. And have the Legacy characters, like Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, etc, play a mentor role. (Maybe Piccolo might even have his own son to pass the torch to. Who knows?)
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by ABED » Sun May 17, 2020 2:25 pm

Part of "The Hero's Journey", which is how Dragon Ball stories operate, relies immensely on how much a character develops. I'm honestly shocked I have to spell that out for you.
The hero's journey isn't a how to guide of storytelling. It was Joseph Campbell's research that myths and stories share common traits among different cultures. It wasn't a "how to" book and in fact that's one of the problem with a lot of modern screenwriting. They took it as gospel and how you tell stories.
Max does go through character development in Fury Road. He's gruff man of few words, who has completely cut himself off from humanity and cares little for Furiosa and the women she's trying to protect. He speaks in grunts, shoots a pregnant woman in the leg and keeps his distance from everyone else. After spending a lot of time with the girls, he rediscovers compassion, changing his initial plan of "escape Joe's men at any cost" to "protect the women at any cost." At the end of the film, Max willingly donates his blood to save Furiosa's life and finally tells her his name. That's character development. Did you even watch the film?
Did you watch the previous ones? The second two were the SAME STORY! He's initially just trying to survive and wants to be left alone, but the policeman/hero in him wins and he ends up helping. After the second film, that's no longer development, that's his core trait. Jesus, what is with the fans of this stupid movie?
Okay, I did some research on Empty Nest and Golden Girls, and yeah, no shit it's a spin-off. It focuses on a completely cast, but the show started while Golden Girls was still on the air. Hell, early episodes established that the Golden Girls characters were neighbours of main characters of Empty Nest. So calling that anything other than spin-off would be absurd to begin with. And what I'm suggesting isn't what Empty Nest is.
Again with bringing up irrelevant details. It doesn't matter whether the show was on the air at the same time as the parent TV show. You know when they established the characters on the two shows were neighbors? During the backdoor pilot. Characters don't have to be already part of an existing show to be spun off.
Last edited by ABED on Sun May 17, 2020 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by Matches Malone » Sun May 17, 2020 2:30 pm

emperior wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 1:46 pm My ideal sequel would start off exactly from where the original manga ended,

while considering the events of Super too.

If it’s Dragon Ball, then it would be mandatory for Toriyama to be involved.

I would want it to focus a lot on Goku training Uub, and the training would reinforce again the core themes of Dragon Ball which are self improvement and that there’s always someone stronger out there.
This is exactly where the post BOG stories should've taken place. The reason I don't mind BOG being set between Buu and EOZ is because it was intended as a one time story, and to showcase that there was actually an event that happened during that peaceful decade. After that though, once they knew DB was here for the long run, they should've just jumped ahead of EOZ.

I enjoyed Super, but if I was giving control of the franchise, it'd definitely be out, apart from BOG of course, that and the manga are inseparable for me.

As much as I love Toriyama's work, I wouldn't want him involved if all he was going to do was listen to fans and do what they want.

Personally, I'd have the whole show focus on Goku and his friends training these new fighters to become the world's next great gen of warriors. Vegeta would have a student or 2, Piccolo would have one, and so on.
Last edited by Matches Malone on Sun May 17, 2020 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by ABED » Sun May 17, 2020 2:34 pm

And how does DB operate on the Hero's Journey template?

If the next generation is going to be part of the show, then I'd rather we follow the older generation's part of it. There's just way too much emotional equity in the original characters to follow the story primarily from the next gen.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by Lord Beerus » Sun May 17, 2020 3:19 pm

ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:19 pmI do but she's not playing James Bond and they aren't gonna make her the face of the franchise BECAUSE people care about "Bond, James Bond" not just his number.
I'm not saying she' playing James Bond. She going to be playing a spy that takes up the 007 codename. 007 is going to live beyond James Bond.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:19 pmYes, Creed is about legacy which is why journalists recognise Creed as a legacy sequel.
And yet they still ended up referring to Creed as a legacy sequel. So...
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:19 pmI'm not getting bemused by calling something by its genre. I'm bemused by you insisting that taking away DB's characters and what makes it unique somehow still qualifies it as DB. It would still be wuxia, but it wouldn't be Dragon Ball.

Apparently I have a lot more to say because your ignorance is astounding.
I'm not taking away jacking fucking shit. Can you have another Dragon Ball story with a set of unique characters that focuses on high fantasy martial? It's possible.

Are the Dragon Balls still serving as important background elements to plot, while sometimes serving as the catalyst to story arc occurring? And is core of the story still built heavily around Wuxia tropes? If the answer to those hypothetical questions is yes, then its still fucking Dragon Ball.

Please top being so obtuse.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:25 pm The hero's journey isn't a how to guide of storytelling. It was Joseph Campbell's research that myths and stories share common traits among different cultures. It wasn't a "how to" book and in fact that's one of the problem with a lot of modern screenwriting. They took it as gospel and how you tell stories.
Because a lot stories recognise how simple yet incredibly effective the narrative template of "The hero's journey" is. THAT IS WHY DRAGON BALL USES IT!
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:19 pmDid you watch the previous ones? The second two were the SAME STORY! He's initially just trying to survive and wants to be left alone, but the policeman/hero in him wins and he ends up helping. After the second film, that's no longer development, that's his core trait. Jesus, what is with the fans of this stupid movie?
And yet so many loved Fury Road and not only think it's the best film in the series but one the best action films ever made. It all comes down to execution. There are many stories that are going to share similarities, but how you present the final product is what matters the most.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:19 pmAgain with bringing up irrelevant details. It doesn't matter whether the show was on the air at the same time as the parent TV show. You know when they established the characters on the two shows were neighbors? During the backdoor pilot. Characters don't have to be already part of an existing show to be spun off.
And you trying to insinuate that my ideal sequel to Dragon Ball is nothing but a spin-off by bring up the situation between Empty Nest and Golden Girls is invalid because that is not what I'm asking for, nor is it even qualify as spin-off to begin with given the fact that I've REPEATEDLY stated that my hypothetical ideal sequel to Dragon Ball wouldn't changed what Dragon Ball initially focused on.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:34 pmAnd how does DB operate on the Hero's Journey template?
Here's Goku monomyth for the initial arcs:
The Call to Adventure – Sent to Earth as a baby with the task of destroying it
Helper – Son Gohan
Crossing – When he hit his head hard and forgot about being evil, thus becoming a nice guy
Tests – Helping Bulma find the Dragon Balls
Helpers – Bulma, Oolong, Yamcha, Pu’ar, Master Roshi, Chi Chi, the Ox-King
Supreme Ordeal – Villain almost makes a wish with the Dragon Balls to rule the Earth
Flight – With the help of his friends, averts villain’s wish away from him, thus saving the Earth
Return – Begins training in order to participate in the “World’s Strongest Under the Heavens” Tournament
Boon – Loses tournament but aims and resolves to become stronger

A user on forum did great job of articulating it better than I could.

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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by emperior » Sun May 17, 2020 3:30 pm

Dragon Ball doesn’t really operate on the monomyth. All of those are coincidental. Hero’s Journey is linear isn’t it?
Matches Malone wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 2:30 pm
emperior wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 1:46 pm My ideal sequel would start off exactly from where the original manga ended,

while considering the events of Super too.

If it’s Dragon Ball, then it would be mandatory for Toriyama to be involved.

I would want it to focus a lot on Goku training Uub, and the training would reinforce again the core themes of Dragon Ball which are self improvement and that there’s always someone stronger out there.
This is exactly where the post BOG stories should've taken place. The reason I don't mind BOG being set between Buu and EOZ is because it was intended as a one time story, and to showcase that there was actually an event that happened during that peaceful decade. After that though, once they knew DB was here for the long run, they should've just jumped ahead of EOZ.

I enjoyed Super, but if I was giving control of the franchise, it'd definitely be out, apart from BOG of course, that and the manga are inseparable for me.

As much as I love Toriyama's work, I wouldn't want him involved if all he was going to do was listen to fans and do what they want.

Personally, I'd have the whole show focus on Goku and his friends training these new fighters to become the world's next great gen of warriors. Vegeta would have a student or 2, Piccolo would have one, and so on.
But how exactly would the plot progress if everyone became a master? Fans would want to see stuff happening which involves those characters fighting. Or else it would be a Buu arc sort of mess again, where Toriyama couldn’t decide if it was going to be a Gohan slice of life, and then couldn’t decide if Gohan and the kids were going to be the protagonists.

Doing it again would be a mistake. Toriyama already acknowledged, and rectified at the end, that he had made a mistake when he sidelined Goku from the protagonist role.
Last edited by emperior on Sun May 17, 2020 3:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by ABED » Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pm

That's not Toriyama telling the Monomyth, it's someone forcing his story to conform to the formula.
007 is going to live beyond James Bond.
In that one specific film and that's iffy. James Bond is who we care about, gee what a shocker. People care about characters not numbers or objects or plot devices. Going forward Bond films will be about James Bond whether it's a more grounded Bond or a campier Bond.
Can you have another Dragon Ball story with a set of unique characters that focuses on high fantasy martial? It's possible.
It will be DB in name only. What do you have left when you get rid of the characters? Magic orbs, a world, some lore, and martial arts.
If the answer to those hypothetical questions is yes, then its still fucking Dragon Ball.

Please top being so obtuse.
The core of DB aren't the damn plot devices nor is it just wuxia tropes. Those are elements that can easily be easily replicated in any number of stories. Characters like Goku and Piccolo and Vegeta are not.
And yet so many loved Fury Road and not only think it's the best film in the series but one the best action films ever made. It all comes down to execution. There are many stories that are going to share similarities, but how you present the final product is what matters the most.
I wasn't arguing execution, I was making the point that he doesn't change which undercuts your point about how development is important to a good sequel.
And you trying to insinuate that my ideal sequel to Dragon Ball is nothing but a spin-off
I didn't insinuate, I'm saying flat out that your idea isn't a sequel. It follows none of the characters we care about, and it's set in the same world. It's a spin off, which I'm not even saying is a bad thing.

My biggest issue with your idea is that it's not fundamentally new. It's starting over again. With such a clean slate, why not just make a new wuxia series? Why tell a story in DB world? What does that get the reader/viewer or even the author for that matter?
Last edited by ABED on Sun May 17, 2020 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by emperior » Sun May 17, 2020 3:42 pm

ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pm My biggest issue with your idea is that it's not fundamentally new. It's starting over again. With such a clean slate, why not just make a new wuxia series? Why tell a story in DB world? What does that get the reader/viewer or even the author for that matter?
But what if the story was similar to DB Online, thus set many years after the end of the manga, with basically everyone dead except for Piccolo and Dende, and with Trunks appearing as a time patroller?

Also the old characters could always appear. For example, Goku may appear as he would most likely be in the Otherworld. And he may help the heroes or have some sort of role. Same for other characters.

I agree it would feel more like a spin-off, but they could market it as a sequel.
As for your last question: if such a thing happened, then of course the reason would be that they use Dragon Ball and its world to capitalize on its popularity. And people would like to see Saiyans, the DBs, all the techniques Toriyama came up with etcetera. And it would use Toriyama’s art style which is very appealing.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by Matches Malone » Sun May 17, 2020 3:47 pm

emperior wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:30 pm But how exactly would the plot progress if everyone became a master? Fans would want to see stuff happening which involves those characters fighting.
The main focus would be the next gen, as they're trained by the older cast, who themselves can get involved every now and then.

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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by ABED » Sun May 17, 2020 3:50 pm

emperior wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:42 pm
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pm My biggest issue with your idea is that it's not fundamentally new. It's starting over again. With such a clean slate, why not just make a new wuxia series? Why tell a story in DB world? What does that get the reader/viewer or even the author for that matter?
But what if the story was similar to DB Online, thus set many years after the end of the manga, with basically everyone dead except for Piccolo and Dende, and with Trunks appearing as a time patroller?

Also the old characters could always appear. For example, Goku may appear as he would most likely be in the Otherworld. And he may help the heroes or have some sort of role. Same for other characters.

I agree it would feel more like a spin-off, but they could market it as a sequel.
As for your last question: if such a thing happened, then of course the reason would be that they use Dragon Ball and its world to capitalize on its popularity. And because people would like to see Saiyans, the DBs, all the techniques Toriyama came up with etcetera.
That's really all that would be, though - marketing. It would be just as hollow in its attempt to keep DB going. It might even be "good" but it won't have that same feel
The main focus would be the next gen, as they're trained by the older cast, who themselves can get involved every now and then.
The question is why aren't we following them? Why are we following the new cast?
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by Grimlock » Sun May 17, 2020 3:59 pm

I don't think I'll ever understand those who want a franchise 30+ years old to remain the same forever and ever. Like, no change at all, no moving on, nothing. Stagnancy is a bad thing, folks. Fight it, not support it.

Imagine Transformers focusing only on the war/Optimus Prime for the past 30 years. Thank goodness we have other stories, focusing on other beloved Cybertronians too.
emperior wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:42 pmI agree it would feel more like a spin-off, but they could market it as a sequel.
What do you mean "feel like a spin-off"? If it centers around another character, it is a spin-off. Spin-off can be a prequel, midquel, sequel, side-story or what-if.

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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by emperior » Sun May 17, 2020 4:04 pm

Matches Malone wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:47 pm
emperior wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:30 pm But how exactly would the plot progress if everyone became a master? Fans would want to see stuff happening which involves those characters fighting.
The main focus would be the next gen, as they're trained by the older cast, who themselves can get involved every now and then.
The thing is that DB has constant power escalation. So the villain would have to be stronger than the next generation which the old characters are training. But if the villain is stronger than them, then it also has to be stronger than those masters or else they would step up themselves.

So basically it would be a Buu arc once again except that the next generation would actually win.
This could only work for 1 arc. 2 at best if you also make a training arc + a small tournament. Which would also be basically 21st Budokai once again.

It could work, yeah, but I don’t really know how interesting it would be. I would probably end the serie right there because if the old characters served their purpose they would have almost no reason to appear again.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by WittyUsername » Sun May 17, 2020 4:06 pm

ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:50 pm The question is why aren't we following them? Why are we following the new cast?
The simple explanation for why we wouldn’t be following the old cast is because their stories would be finished by that point. That’s the same general argument that’s used for any next generation sequel/spin-off.

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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by ABED » Sun May 17, 2020 4:08 pm

WittyUsername wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 4:06 pm
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:50 pm The question is why aren't we following them? Why are we following the new cast?
The simple explanation for why we wouldn’t be following the old cast is because their stories would be finished by that point. That’s the same general argument that’s used for any next generation sequel/spin-off.
But they aren't finished. If they are teaching, their stories have progressed to a different stage and yet for some reason that's the time to change POV?

In a spin off, you generally aren't seeing the characters from the parent series except once in a while. If this new DB series has them being teachers, clearly they are around for more than an occasional check in.
Imagine Transformers focusing only on the war/Optimus Prime for the past 30 years. Thank goodness we have other stories, focusing on other beloved Cybertronians too.
That's stagnation of a different sort. The different series, are same song different verse.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by emperior » Sun May 17, 2020 4:12 pm

Grimlock wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:59 pm I don't think I'll ever understand those who want a
What do you mean "feel like a spin-off"? If it centers around another character, it is a spin-off. Spin-off can be a prequel, midquel, sequel, side-story or what-if.
Well for example Boruto is a sequel to Naruto even though it has different protagonists and a different name. But it picks up shortly from where Naruto ended, and the old characters are still there. So it feels like a sequel, much like Malone’s idea of a sequel of DB following the old characters taking on a master role would be a sequel. You have the feeling that it’s a continuation of that story.

But if, as some people suggested, the sequel would introduce all new characters and just be set in the DB world, then it wouldn’t be “feel” like a sequel but a spin-off.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by WittyUsername » Sun May 17, 2020 4:17 pm

ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 4:08 pm
WittyUsername wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 4:06 pm
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:50 pm The question is why aren't we following them? Why are we following the new cast?
The simple explanation for why we wouldn’t be following the old cast is because their stories would be finished by that point. That’s the same general argument that’s used for any next generation sequel/spin-off.
But they aren't finished. If they are teaching, their stories have progressed to a different stage and yet for some reason that's the time to change POV?
I’d argue that if Goku serves the role as a mentor, then that would mean that for all intents and purposes, his story from the original series has come to an end. The closest thing to an arc Goku ever had throughout the series was his constant desire to improve himself, which was why he’s had so many mentors over the course of the story. If Goku himself is the mentor now, that could essentially be viewed as a passing of the torch.

Hell, as big of a mess as the Star Wars ST ended up being, that’s basically what it did. The characters from the OT were still there, but they were no longer the focus, and for the first film in that trilogy, most people were fine with that. Granted, something like that would be a bit trickier for Dragon Ball, since, as emperior noted, the series generally follows an escalating power scale when it comes to the threat posed by the villains, but I don’t think it would be impossible.

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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by ABED » Sun May 17, 2020 4:21 pm

WittyUsername wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 4:17 pm
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 4:08 pm
WittyUsername wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 4:06 pm

The simple explanation for why we wouldn’t be following the old cast is because their stories would be finished by that point. That’s the same general argument that’s used for any next generation sequel/spin-off.
But they aren't finished. If they are teaching, their stories have progressed to a different stage and yet for some reason that's the time to change POV?
I’d argue that if Goku serves the role as a mentor, then that would mean that for all intents and purposes, his story from the original series has come to an end. The closest thing to an arc Goku ever had throughout the series was his constant desire to improve himself, which was why he’s had so many mentors over the course of the story. If Goku himself is the mentor now, that could essentially be viewed as a passing of the torch.

Hell, as big of a mess as the Star Wars ST ended up being, that’s basically what it did. The characters from the OT were still there, but they were no longer the focus, and for the first film in that trilogy, most people were fine with that. Granted, something like that would be a bit trickier for Dragon Ball, since, as emperior noted, the series generally follows an escalating power scale when it comes to the threat posed by the villains, but I don’t think it would be impossible.
But even as a mentor, that's still a new role and even mentors aren't perfect. Thing about human beings are we don't have all the answers, even our parents and teachers. We make it up as we go. That's fertile ground for a story about a mentor. It's a role that requires growth of its own.
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Re: Your ideal Dragon Ball sequel.

Post by Lord Beerus » Sun May 17, 2020 4:31 pm

ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pmThat's not Toriyama telling the Monomyth, it's someone forcing his story to conform to the formula.
The similarities are still there. Toriyama may not had intended to tell the monomyth, but the narrative structure still follows the template of it very closely.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pmIn that one specific film and that's iffy. James Bond is who we care about, gee what a shocker. People care about characters not numbers or objects or plot devices. Going forward Bond films will be about James Bond whether it's a more grounded Bond or a campier Bond.
It could be more than just one film. It could lead to some of best stories told out of the franchise. We just have wait and see how it pans out.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pmIt will be DB in name only. What do you have left when you get rid of the characters? Magic orbs, a world, some lore, and martial art].
The magic orbs, the martial arts and heavy borrowing from Wuxia tropes and other kung-fu narratives is the shit that majorly composes Dragon Ball's DNA.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pmThe core of DB aren't the damn plot devices nor is it just wuxia tropes. Those are elements that can easily be easily replicated in any number of stories. Characters like Goku and Piccolo and Vegeta are not.
Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo are all stock Wuxia character archetypes. They were done before and can be done again or even better or even just as unique.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pmI wasn't arguing execution, I was making the point that he doesn't change which undercuts your point about how development is important to a good sequel.
You made the argument that Max in Fury Road goes through no character development, which I call out as bullshit because he does. And that's not even taking into consideration that you don't have the watch the previous Mad Max films to have a appreciation for the growth he undergoes.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pmI didn't insinuate, I'm saying flat out that your idea isn't a sequel. It follows none of the characters we care about, and it's set in the same world. It's a spin off, which I'm not even saying is a bad thing.
And you seem incapable of understanding how broad of a term sequel is, and not realising that having a new cast in set in the same world, doesn't automatically make it spin-off or any less what is Dragon Ball, as long as the Dragon Ball themselves aren't forgotten and focus is still on martial arts.

I'm suggesting a standalone sequel, which as much as you don't want to believe it, is a valid and legitimate term used to describe certain continuations of works that don't fit under the traditional sense of a basic sequel.
ABED wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 3:33 pmMy biggest issue with your idea is that it's not fundamentally new. It's starting over again. With such a clean slate, why not just make a new wuxia series? Why tell a story in DB world? What does that get the reader/viewer or even the author for that matter?
How the battles progress, how the character(s) develop, how the world changes based on certain events... these are all neutral concepts. We don't have to have Goku 2.0 or Vegeta 2.0 or Piccolo 2.0 for it feel like Dragon Ball. The new cast of characters have their own unique arcs while still focusing heavily on martial arts.

Your hypothetical situation isn't new at all either. Hell, it's even a sequel. Which was what the OP was inquiring about initially.

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