How Many Times have You Seen DB All the Way Through?

[ABED]

I know you will judge me probably, but I'll just say that I understand and respect that the story and characters start with Dragon Ball. I acknowledge that begining. But that doesn’t change the fact that that series itself has a different tone, different humor, different style of fights, like pretty much a different personality, and it's one to which I am just genuinely not drawn to, something about it doesn’t make me feel the excitement

How would you know? You've never seen it. I'm being cheeky but I do mean it. You haven't seen it so you don't know how different the humor, style of fights, and personality of DB is to the rest. Because it has everything you like about DBZ.

[Yuji]

The anime? All the way through? Twice, once when I was younger, and again as I show to my partner the series for the first time. Only watched Super once while it was airing, but I rewatched every episode like 3 times before the next one came out. Also only got through GT for the first time recently a few years ago.

I watch select episodes very frequently.

The manga I re-read annually though.

[dva_raza]

I know you will judge me probably, but I'll just say that I understand and respect that the story and characters start with Dragon Ball. I acknowledge that begining. But that doesn’t change the fact that that series itself has a different tone, different humor, different style of fights, like pretty much a different personality, and it's one to which I am just genuinely not drawn to, something about it doesn’t make me feel the excitement

How would you know? You've never seen it. I'm being cheeky but I do mean it. You haven't seen it so you don't know how different the humor, style of fights, and personality of DB is to the rest. Because it has everything you like about DBZ.

Well I suppose because you can know if you are interested in something or not interested in something just from watching a piece of it. Like when you watch a trailer and say "I wanna see that" or know your're absolutely not interested. Or just from catching a glimpse of something on tv or anywhere else, you can get a pretty clear perception from that. And like I said I have seen parts of it. The scene I mentioned is only one that made an impression on me, but I have seen other small moments of it throught my life. With that I can get the idea of the personality and tone

[dva_raza]

DB: 1
DBZ: 2
DBGT: 1
DBZK: 1
DBZS: 0

Oh I like this format. So for me its

DB: 0
DBZ: 2
DBGT: 1/2
BDZK: 1
DBS: 2

[ABED]

I know you will judge me probably, but I'll just say that I understand and respect that the story and characters start with Dragon Ball. I acknowledge that begining. But that doesn’t change the fact that that series itself has a different tone, different humor, different style of fights, like pretty much a different personality, and it's one to which I am just genuinely not drawn to, something about it doesn’t make me feel the excitement

How would you know? You've never seen it. I'm being cheeky but I do mean it. You haven't seen it so you don't know how different the humor, style of fights, and personality of DB is to the rest. Because it has everything you like about DBZ.

Well I suppose because you can know if you are interested in something or not interested in something just from watching a piece of it. Like when you watch a trailer and say "I wanna see that" or know your're absolutely not interested. Or just from catching a glimpse of something on tv or anywhere else, you can get a pretty clear perception from that. And like I said I have seen parts of it. The scene I mentioned is only one that made an impression on me, but I have seen other small moments of it throught my life. With that I can get the idea of the personality and tone

Ah but you may not be getting the full context. Sometimes there's bad marketing or the show changes radically over the course of its run, so much so that the elements you are attracted to are there for like at least a 1/3 of it. Seeing as how that's absolutely the case, you don't have a clear perception of it. You don't have a good idea of the tone. There is no singular tone. The Piccolo Daimao saga alone is as dark and foreboding as anything you'll find in DBZ. You are missing out on some of the best action, and there are some emotional moments that are among DB's best. And lastly, stories are more than just understanding the plot. So many moments don't have near the dramatic weight if you haven't experienced the full scope of the story. At the very least watch the last two arcs and tell me what you think.

[nhienphan2808]

I have never watched the anime all the way. It's slow and grating on some parts. maybe one day i will without fillers. But the manga, tens of times or something like that.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

I have never seen Dragon Ball and I don’t want to.
I know you will judge me probably, but I'll just say that I understand and respect that the story and characters start with Dragon Ball. I acknowledge that begining. But that doesn’t change the fact that that series itself has a different tone, different humor, different style of fights, like pretty much a different personality, and it's one to which I am just genuinely not drawn to, something about it doesn’t make me feel the excitement I feel with DBZ and while I’ve seen some parts of it, considering it doesn’t affect at all my understanding and enjoyment of Dragon Ball Z and Super, I don’t think I need to watch it if I know I won’t enjoy it and it would almost seem like work or something.
I saw a scene in which Goku and Krillin learn to put their mind in blank and that did stick with me for years, and I recalled that when I saw Super now and the whole thing with Ultra Instinct began (I love UI, the whole concept of it). But anyway, that’s one thing I remember about Dragon Ball. I relate Ultra Instinct to that time they were doing something that seems very much like the base of UI, allowing the body to react by itself.

I just have to say to this at least watch the Piccolo Daimao and 23rd Budokai arcs if nothing else, those arcs are clearly where the DBZ direction really started of frenetic fast paced action and high stakes fights. They are so close that you could imagine them legit being a part of it, and true there are no Saiyans or Super Saiyans or planet shattering battles/overly spacey themes yet at that point but it very much has that more action-y direction which Z really leaned into.

[MasenkoHA]

I know you will judge me probably, but I'll just say that I understand and respect that the story and characters start with Dragon Ball. I acknowledge that begining. But that doesn’t change the fact that that series itself has a different tone, different humor, different style of fights, like pretty much a different personality, and it's one to which I am just genuinely not drawn to, something about it doesn’t make me feel the excitement

How would you know? You've never seen it. I'm being cheeky but I do mean it. You haven't seen it so you don't know how different the humor, style of fights, and personality of DB is to the rest. Because it has everything you like about DBZ.

Well I suppose because you can know if you are interested in something or not interested in something just from watching a piece of it. Like when you watch a trailer and say "I wanna see that" or know your're absolutely not interested. Or just from catching a glimpse of something on tv or anywhere else, you can get a pretty clear perception from that. And like I said I have seen parts of it. The scene I mentioned is only one that made an impression on me, but I have seen other small moments of it throught my life. With that I can get the idea of the personality and tone

But you haven’t watched the original Dragon Ball.

Tonally there is next to no difference between the Tenshinhan saga onwards and Z. And the Boo saga is Toriyama straight up going back to his gag manga roots. If you can watch the Boo saga there is no difference between that and the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai and Red Ribbon saga.

The first thirteen episodes are the only episodes that actually feel like a different series entirely.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I think dvaraza has the problem that he hasnt been able to catch a broadcast of OG Dragon Ball. He's said in the past he caught Z Kai on TV I think. And I cant blame him. I have watched Dragon Ball Many times but only as far as its been broadcast. Dragon Ball has never been truly off the air in Latin America. So I think if some channel broadcasted OG DB he would give it a chance.

[pixie_misa]

Honestly whoever came up with the "Dragon Ball is the totally different comedic prequel and Z is the one with the fighting and drama" idea really did a lot of damage.

Pretty much anyone whose watched the anime in its entirety or read all the manga will tell you the "Z" portion could've been started like halfway through the original DB and nobody would've even noticed a difference.

[dva_raza]

Tonally there is next to no difference between the Tenshinhan saga onwards and Z. And the Boo saga is Toriyama straight up going back to his gag manga roots. If you can watch the Boo saga there is no difference between that and the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai and Red Ribbon saga.[/b]

I don't know but that's really hard for me to imagine.. The Buu Saga looks and feels 'new' to me, everything about it, it's my favorite actually, it feels epic, it's fun but impactful, perfect balance of that, all of the character dynamic is amazing too, and the art and animation feels fresh and colorful. Now that I think about it maybe it's also something to do with DB visually that didn't motivate me, kinda get the same feeling with Family Guy, there's something about the first seasons looking like they do that throws me off lol I don't even think I've seen them despite being a super fan. Maybe that's dumb but it gives me an impression of them not having found their ground or style yet

Ah but you may not be getting the full context. Sometimes there's bad marketing or the show changes radically over the course of its run, so much so that the elements you are attracted to are there for like at least a 1/3 of it. Seeing as how that's absolutely the case, you don't have a clear perception of it. You don't have a good idea of the tone. There is no singular tone. The Piccolo Daimao saga alone is as dark and foreboding as anything you'll find in DBZ. You are missing out on some of the best action, and there are some emotional moments that are among DB's best. And lastly, stories are more than just understanding the plot. So many moments don't have near the dramatic weight if you haven't experienced the full scope of the story. At the very least watch the last two arcs and tell me what you think.

No I agree, and I would normally want to get the full scope, it’s just in this case it always seemed like a very different rythm and vibe to me, and I’m usually accurate with my perception of things beforehand.
Like being more specific I think it’s probably that from the little I saw of fights (maybe 2, the rest it’s always training) they felt slow in pace and lacked this “epic” feeling from most of DBZs, what SuperSaiyaManZ94 mentioned about Super Saiyans/planet shattering battles is probably the thing, also really, the characters, Goku I prefer as an adult and the rest, I feel like in DBZ the group has become established and polished with the best characters, at least the ones that I like, and their whole dynamic is awsome. Anyway, but you’re right I don’t have the full context.
When I finally get the chance to do the spanish rewatch, I’ll start it from those 2 arcs. One thing I don't know about is Piccolo's origin so that will be a plus

[Cure Dragon 255]

I know its rude but what about what I said? Would you give OG DB a chance if you saw it on TV?

[dva_raza]

I think dvaraza has the problem that he hasnt been able to catch a broadcast of OG Dragon Ball. He's said in the past he caught Z Kai on TV I think. And I cant blame him. I have watched Dragon Ball Many times but only as far as its been broadcast. Dragon Ball has never been truly off the air in Latin America. So I think if some channel broadcasted OG DB he would give it a chance.

Hey this is the first time ever someone calls me by my name here (well username), nobody ever does LOL
But no! I don't need to watch it on tv, I just saw Kai that way cause I happened to discover it that way and then I wanted to maintain the vibe of having to tune in when it transmitted lol

Edit-

I know its rude but what about what I said? Would you give OG DB a chance if you saw it on TV?

Sure. And it's not rude by the way. I had imagined I was going to get more shit about this

[90sDBZ]

Well I suppose because you can know if you are interested in something or not interested in something just from watching a piece of it. Like when you watch a trailer and say "I wanna see that" or know your're absolutely not interested. Or just from catching a glimpse of something on tv or anywhere else, you can get a pretty clear perception from that. And like I said I have seen parts of it. The scene I mentioned is only one that made an impression on me, but I have seen other small moments of it throught my life. With that I can get the idea of the personality and tone

I'll echo what others have said and say everyone should give OG DB a chance, even if it's just the Piccolo stuff.

To be fair I can understand being turned off by the Pilaf arc, as it's certainly not for everyone. The 21st Tournament is awesome, though I do find the RRA arc a bit slow and drawn out. The 22nd Tournament is actually my favourite Tournament of the entire franchise, and has Z level action with incredible choreography and an awesome character arc for Tien. King Piccolo is one of the best arcs of the entire franchise full stop, and could easily have been the start of Z. The 23rd Tournament is arguably just as good.

[ABED]

Like being more specific I think it’s probably that from the little I saw of fights (maybe 2, the rest it’s always training) they felt slow in pace and lacked this “epic” feeling from most of DBZs, what SuperSaiyaManZ94 mentioned about Super Saiyans/planet shattering battles is probably the thing, also really, the characters, Goku I prefer as an adult and the rest, I feel like in DBZ the group has become established and polished with the best characters, at least the ones that I like, and their whole dynamic is awsome. Anyway, but you’re right I don’t have the full context.

Muten Roshi literally destroys the moon so that sort of battle is there from nearly the start. The Piccolo fights and Tenshinhan battle are just as fast as anything you see in DBZ. Also, the fights know not to drag things out for double digit episodes.

Anyway, I see I'm on the higher end of this spectrum. There are some posters (I won't name who) surprised me with their responses.

[ZeroIsOurHero]

Like being more specific I think it’s probably that from the little I saw of fights (maybe 2, the rest it’s always training) they felt slow in pace and lacked this “epic” feeling from most of DBZs, what SuperSaiyaManZ94 mentioned about Super Saiyans/planet shattering battles is probably the thing, also really, the characters, Goku I prefer as an adult and the rest, I feel like in DBZ the group has become established and polished with the best characters, at least the ones that I like, and their whole dynamic is awsome. Anyway, but you’re right I don’t have the full context.

Muten Roshi literally destroys the moon so that sort of battle is there from nearly the start. The Piccolo fights and Tenshinhan battle are just as fast as anything you see in DBZ. Also, the fights know not to drag things out for double digit episodes.

I think what's putting dva_raza off about the battles in the original show, as indicated by his Family Guy comparison, is how flat and "low-budget" looking the animation is in that era. In terms of actual plot and choreography, the fights from Tenshinhan onwards are pretty much just like the fights in Z. But the animation doesn't really do said plot and choreography justice the way Z's animation later would. That was actually a big complaint Toriyama's editor raised when he saw the Piccolo arc on TV: The animation style felt too flat and uninteresting for a battle-focused series.

That's the main reason they created the division between Z and the original show: Because of the editor's complaints, Toei got completely new directors and writers for the Saiyan arc onwards, taken from their previous show Saint Seiya. Those new creatives made Z feel much more cool and engaging than the original show, at least to me.

[ABED]

Like being more specific I think it’s probably that from the little I saw of fights (maybe 2, the rest it’s always training) they felt slow in pace and lacked this “epic” feeling from most of DBZs, what SuperSaiyaManZ94 mentioned about Super Saiyans/planet shattering battles is probably the thing, also really, the characters, Goku I prefer as an adult and the rest, I feel like in DBZ the group has become established and polished with the best characters, at least the ones that I like, and their whole dynamic is awsome. Anyway, but you’re right I don’t have the full context.

Muten Roshi literally destroys the moon so that sort of battle is there from nearly the start. The Piccolo fights and Tenshinhan battle are just as fast as anything you see in DBZ. Also, the fights know not to drag things out for double digit episodes.

I think what's putting dva_raza off about the battles in the original show, as indicated by his Family Guy comparison, is how flat and "low-budget" looking the animation is in that era. In terms of actual plot and choreography, the fights from Tenshinhan onwards are pretty much just like the fights in Z. But the animation doesn't really do said plot and choreography justice the way Z's animation later would. That was actually a big complaint Toriyama's editor raised when he saw the Piccolo arc on TV: The animation style felt too flat and uninteresting for a battle-focused series.

That's the main reason they created the division between Z and the original show: Because of the editor's complaints, Toei got completely new directors and writers for the Saiyan arc onwards, taken from their previous show Saint Seiya. Those new creatives made Z feel much more cool and engaging than the original show, at least to me.

The budget is not that much cheaper. All of DB is low budget. TOEI seems to specialize in that.

DBZ is still Toriyama's story with even more filler. It's the same EXACT story so if DBZ feels cooler, it's because Toriyama. I don't know how they made DB feel more engaging when they just pretty much did a straight adaptation of the manga? I think you overestimate their effect on Toriyama's work.

[MasenkoHA]

The animation probably did get better but not by a noticeable jump. We’re not talking going from DBZ movie 6 to The 10th anniversary film

And Goku vs Piccolo Jr fight was the greatest fight of any Dragon Ball series, so there’s that.

[ZeroIsOurHero]

The budget is not that much cheaper. All of DB is low budget. TOEI seems to specialize in that.

DBZ is still Toriyama's story with even more filler. It's the same EXACT story so if DBZ feels cooler, it's because Toriyama. I don't know how they made DB feel more engaging when they just pretty much did a straight adaptation of the manga?

I know it's not technically lower-budget, which is why I put that phrase in quotes. But I do feel like the original series genuinely has a somewhat cheaper look, not because of the budget but simply because of flat and uninteresting direction.

And you keep talking about how "the story is the same," but I just said in my previous post that story isn't the only thing that makes something look "cool." You can have the greatest story in the world, but it will still look like crap under bland direction. And I would definitely say that original DB looks bland, so bland that Toriyama's editor called for the main creatives to be replaced for Z. I feel like that bland direction and flat animation is the main reason why people are put off by original DB.

[ABED]

And yet many of those fights look WAY better than any number of DBZ's fights and I don't ever recall anything in DB looking as awful as Lupin Vegeta.

I really don't think most audiences give a damn. Whatever magic DBZ had isn't due to the animators, it's because of the material they had to work with.

Also the narrative that DB and DBZ are both fundamentally different as though there aren't a tone of changes over time in both parts of the story are false. The choreography and writing were arguably their best and sharpest from Daimao to maybe the middle of the Freeza arc. After that, it's just not nearly as good. The fights aren't as interesting or as hard hitting as they once were.