Less filler if they waited on the anime?

[LeprikanGT]

To my understanding, the filler parts of the show were put in to keep the manga ahead and not have them both released at once correct?

So if [whoever was making the show] had waited until the manga was complete, do you think there would have been any filler/would it more resemble Kai? Since there would be no need to stall the storyline in the anime.

[Suupaa Gohan 2]

Well, that is by and large the point of filler. And most Anime based on Manga will want to strike while the iron is hot and start producing a series during its run - why wait until the Manga is over when you might not turn as much of a profit off a series people are tired of by now? Especially when it comes to long-running series' like DB.

At the same time, what is an Anime based on a Manga but a full-color, motion, and voiced version of the same story? That'd be pretty boring in most cases if they adapted things verbatim. That's another point of filler - spicing things up a bit, adding a unique spin on a familiar story, as long as it's not contradictory or something that 'would never happen' in the Manga. That's more incentive for fans of the Manga to actually watch/buy the Anime instead of saying 'yeah but, I already own the Manga, and it's pretty much the same thing, so why waste my time?'. If Toei had hypothetically waited until longer into the Manga's run or, God Forbid, once it had finished, I doubt there would be no additional content thrown into the Anime - verbatim adaptations are, in my experience, rarely very interesting or worth the time to watch, unless you seriously prefer the medium to Manga (I'm personally a Manga fan in general and complain a lot about adaptations, though when it comes to DB, 'my version' is the Anime).

I think a good example is something like my favorite Manga, GetBackers. The adaptation of the story is, in my opinion, pretty...subpar. They made several cuts and changes to the original storyline (including the removal of entire arcs wholesale) and characters that I think greatly affect the outcome of the series, and make the Anime version vastly inferior. However, what makes the Anime great actually is the filler material - the filler episodes and content that's not in the Manga is pretty fantastic, because it's got such a canon feel to it. I can see the characters doing these things. The series is about a duo (and cohorts) who work as 'Retrievers' and recover stolen or lost objects for clients, usually getting entangled into plot-related webs, but a lot of the filler episodes give them sort of one-shot standalone missions, usually comedic-focused ones. They mesh so well into the story that if the Anime didn't have that filler, I'd really hate it, because the actual adapted material is pretty crappy. Filler adds an enjoyable aspect sometimes, despite how often fans of various series' will complain about it, and it's especially nice when it fleshes out characters or concepts who may not get to shine as much in the Manga. There's one episode of GB in particular that's based on one small interlude chapter in the Manga where one of the main characters is in the hospital, and hijinks ensue - the Anime expanded on this, added a bunch of new jokes and character interaction, at the expense of removing some plot tie-in/wrap-up from the arc that just ended (the Anime skipped that particular arc). I think the Anime version of that story is a lot more enjoyable. I'd say the same about the Saiyajin arc filler of DB, because that one year just goes by so fast in the Manga/Kai that it's like 'what, already?' when Vegeta and Nappa arrive...so in addition to padding it out and giving the author more time to write the story, filler can give the Anime version more enjoyment value by providing you content you wouldn't get otherwise.

That's my personal take on filler as a whole. Of course, in some cases, it goes too far, or the filler arc plots are pretty weak, and you just want to get the show on the road because you know this isn't going to go anywhere plot-related...but if it's done well, and in the right type of series, filler can be an excellent incentive to actually check out the animated version when you're already a fan of the Manga.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Waiting for the Manga to finish would've taken a long time. Most Shōnen Anime run alongside their Manga counterparts. It's pretty much commonplace.

[Chuquita]

Certain types of filler can be fun and entertaining; but if they had waited the only big difference I would have wanted to see was cutting out the bad animation days by not using those particular groups to begin with and just cycling through the several really good animation groups instead.

[the_abberration]

I may be wrong in this, but based on how they sometimes handle the conversion of ongoing manga in anime, I'm glad they did not go the route of making a 13 or 26 episode show, based off one arc and leave it at that.

[future_trunks]

Where would the fun be without the filler episodes though? There would be no Ginyu vs. King Kai's fighters, no Ginyu switching with Bulma, no Garlic Junior, and most importantly NO DRIVING LESSONS!!

It would be unacceptable to me.

[Suupaa Gohan 2]

no Garlic Junior

I think almost everyone would be pleased with this.

Though I agree (as noted in my previous post) that the series would not be as much fun without some of the filler. I don't like watching Anime to have them be a full-motion carbon copy of the Manga (most of the time), I like there to be a little extra incentive, usually when that involves developing/focusing on some lesser-focused characters from the original. Video games can be great for that, too.

[LeprikanGT]

I liked the Garlic Jr. stuff because it lengthened the series. Where was Marron in the filler stuff?