Dragon Ball Reboot?

[Lord Exor]

Consider for a moment that Toriyama and Toei Animation granted the rights to the Dragon Ball series to an American studio working in tandem with FUNimation. For what purpose you ask? Simple--to begin work on an American-made re-imagining of the time-honored Shonen classic.

Would you be in support of this? Do you feel that the realm of Dragon Ball belongs solely to Toriyama and the Japanese? Do you believe that American writers would do the series justice?

Personally, I believe a reboot would work for several reasons:

1. It would present the prospective writers with an opportunity to streamline the plot in an effort to present us with a coherent story unsullied by the pitfalls of periodical literature. I.E. Story arcs planned out in advance.

2. Characters underused by the original story can be given a proper role. I.E. King Cold, Dr. Gero, all the DB characters that become useless in Z.

3. The Sliding Scale of Villainy often contrasted with the Sorting Algorithm of Evil in Toriyama's original work; this should be fixed. I.E. Frieza is the most sadistic character in the series, yet he isn't the "Final Boss". Dr. Gero is far more sinister than the majority of his robotic offspring, yet they transcend his presence.

3. A great means of reinvigorating the franchise and widening the fanbase.

4. Greater attention can be paid to character building, relationships, and plot background.

So, any takers? Any vehement protests?

[Taku128]

Assuming they'd be basing their adaptation off of the manga and not FUNimation's dub of the anime I'd be all for it. It'd be interesting to see how someone else handles Dragon Ball, and what themes they decide to put into their version of the show. What they add, what they remove, what they change, the differences are what really make different adaptations of the same material fun.

I'd also be really interested in what kind of artstyle they'd come up with for the show. A western take on the characters could be really cool.

Of course, the last time America did Dragon Ball we got Evolution...

[CODii]

Oh dear God no. Funimation can't even properly import the show and you want them to make a completely new series?

[Hellspawn28]

I would not mind it if they try to have it look like Dragon Ball and try not to make it look too much like a American cartoon. Or have try too hard to be a American looking anime like the Speed Racer cartoon series back in 2008.

I would like to see someone try to do a American Dragon Ball comic book series. IDW could be a good choice since they have a good track record and their recent Godzilla comics seem to be very good from what I have read. I would love to see Image Comics work on a Dragon Ball series but I highy doubt it.

[MetaMoss]

I would like to see a new animated film that is a major release (like what they did with Astro Boy, though it doesn't have to be CG).

[Pantalones]

3. The Sliding Scale of Villainy often contrasted with the Sorting Algorithm of Evil in Toriyama's original work; this should be fixed. I.E. Freeza is the most sadistic character in the series, yet he isn't the "Final Boss". Dr. Gero is far more sinister than the majority of his robotic offspring, yet they transcend his presence.

This isn't something that should be "fixed." In fact, "fixing" this would be more like "breaking" it.

The idea that the most "serious"/"scary" character should always be the most powerful is something that really pisses me off whenever somebody brings it up. It doesn't work that way. It shouldn't work that way. Being more evil, scary, or serious than someone else does not make someone stronger.
Changing Dragonball so that the most "serious" or scary or evil villains are always the most powerful would pretty much ruin the whole series.

And besides... why should Dr. Gero be stronger than his creations? Just because he's more of an evil bastard? The whole point of Gero is that he's a mad scientist obsessed with revenge. Mad scientists aren't all that powerful on their own--they rely on their super-powered creations to do their dirty work. If Gero himself was more powerful than them all, what would be the point of even having the other androids (except maybe 19, since Gero needed at least one android to help putting his brain in his new android body)? Or Cell? I mean, I could see Gero being more of a threat if things went differently (like if he had the chance to absorb some strong energy blasts like #19 did, or if he drained someone stronger than Yamcha to start off), but making him more powerful than the rest of his creations from the beginning would be really screwy.

And why should Freeza be the strongest villain? Because he claims he's the strongest in the universe? Vegeta did that too. They say they're the strongest because they're arrogant pricks, not because they're actually the strongest. Freeza really being the strongest just wouldn't work unless the whole series ended at Freeza, which would be horrible. If you really wanted to end the series with both Goku and the bad guy dead, ending it after Cell would be the way to go.

Besides, Buu being the strongest villain in the series is perfect. A jiggly, goofy, almost joke-character-like blob monster being the strongest villain is exactly the right way to go after the much-more-serious Freeza and Cell storylines.

I wouldn't be entirely against a new Dragonball series of some sort, even if it was made by an American company and wasn't anything like the original; couldn't be too much worse than GT, after all. And if it was, I just wouldn't watch it. XD
But re-ordering the villains so that they gradually went higher and higher on some sort of "evil-o-meter" as the series went on would be really, really stupid.

[Herms]

Would you be in support of this? Do you feel that the realm of Dragon Ball belongs solely to Toriyama and the Japanese?

Not necessarily, but I see no reason to think that Funi would be remotely competent at that sort of thing. Why an American studio anyway? Why not have French or Canadian animators reboot DB?

Anyway, annoying as it can be at times, I really think that Toriyama's goofy seat-of-his-pants writing style is part of DB's charm. Don't get me wrong, I also like series that have meticulous plotting and world-building, or deep themes and character development, but I really don't think DB is suited to be like that. It is what it is, and any attempts to reboot it into something streamlined and finely polished would just be building a house on sand. It'd be better to just make something brand new. Lord knows there's enough DB out there already.

[Makaioshin]

I'm not against the idea itself but I don't think it would turn out well. Like the live action movie.
I also think without the Toriyamaness (That is a word, right?) the series would loss a great amount of its charm. I can't imagine enjoying the series nearly as much without Toriyama's humor or without his art style. If they were to change Dragon Ball in the ways you named the end result wouldn't be the Dragon Ball we fell in love with(there's probably a better way to say it but you know what I mean). Might as well make a different kung fu/wuxia themed comic book instead of re-imagining Dragon Ball.

And while I wrote this other people have already said pretty much the same thing. Darn.

[Hellspawn28]

DBE was not very good because Fox and James Wong since it seems like neither of them really care about the project. My main issue with a American DB tv series is that they will try to have it have art work similar to the recent Spider-Man and Transformers cartoon series.

[Avenged]

The thing is, FUNimation originally had involvement with Dragonball Evolution. I forget why exactly they backed out, but I am fairly certain the same scenario would occur if a reboot does happen sometime in the future.

Edit: I pulled up an older article I wrote with exact quotes:

The Vice President of FUNimation has been talking about his plans for the Dragon Ball Z live-action film that is currently being developed at Fox. VP and producer Daniel Cocanougher says, “FUNimation is very excited to be working with Fox in their production of a live-action Dragon Ball Z feature film. Fox plans to place this movie on a fast-track production schedule, and may have a movie released as early as Fall 2003 or Summer 2004.”

Cocanougher also reiterates the studio’s plans to make DBZ into a solid live-action franchise. He says, “They feel that this project will not end with one movie, but will become a major, multi-picture franchise like Star Wars. Clearly, this is a remarkable upward turning point for the Dragon Ball Z property. It will also be very interesting for all Dragon Ball Z fans to try to predict the names of the stars, the director and producers, and the storyline that will be used.”

[Chuquita]

EDIT: A live action DB movie in fall of 03 or summer of 04? Ah, that would've been nice; right during Toonami's airing of the Buu eps or during GT's U.S. airing?
I'm still curious about what's going on with that movie license.



ORIGINAL POST:
The fact that my optimism of getting any new DB stuff post-Kai being completely down the drain aside, I guess I'd be alright with a "new" series made here, though I do have a couple rules.

-It's gotta be done in regular, 2-D hand-drawn animation. No flash and no cgi.
-Keep Goku in character. That was my biggest beef with DBE, and it would be a deciding factor here as well.
-No Mary Sues. Stick with the cast that's already been provided.
-While stylistic changes aren't necessarily bad, don't go "redesigning" characters so that they're completely unrecognizable or lose something that uniquely identifies them. (Kuririn having no nose, Goku's distinctive hairstyle, Tenshinhan's third eye.) Moostache Vegeta with his lawn-mower-accident haircut from GT was awful; I don't want a repeat of that.

[Hellspawn28]

Would a Dragon Ball series from Bruce Timm work?

A live action DB movie in fall of 03 or summer of 04? Ah, that would've been nice

I'm pretty sure that was when Fox just bought the rights to the project. I remember IGN mention something about Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla '98, Day After Tomorrow, 2012) directing the movie as well. I don't think the project went off the ground at the time, I'm pretty sure the movie had no screenplay or any casting other then casting rumors on the Internet like Ray Parks (Star Wars Episode I, X-men, GI Joe) as Vegeta. I do remember that Industrial Light & Magic (Star Wars, Terminator 2, James Cameron's Avatar) was set to do the special effects for the film.

[Lord Exor]

And besides... why should Dr. Gero be stronger than his creations? Just because he's more of an evil bastard? The whole point of Gero is that he's a mad scientist obsessed with revenge. Mad scientists aren't all that powerful on their own--they rely on their super-powered creations to do their dirty work. If Gero himself was more powerful than them all, what would be the point of even having the other androids (except maybe 19, since Gero needed at least one android to help putting his brain in his new android body)? Or Cell? I mean, I could see Gero being more of a threat if things went differently (like if he had the chance to absorb some strong energy blasts like #19 did, or if he drained someone stronger than Yamcha to start off), but making him more powerful than the rest of his creations from the beginning would be really screwy.

I made no mention of physical potency. I merely do not believe that Dr. Gero should have been felled so expeditiously; there is no reason why the good doctor should not maintain authority over his creations.

Why an American studio anyway? Why not have French or Canadian animators reboot DB?

Perhaps I should rephrase myself. Any Western studio would do.

The idea that the most "serious"/"scary" character should always be the most powerful is something that really pisses me off whenever somebody brings it up. It doesn't work that way. It shouldn't work that way. Being more evil, scary, or serious than someone else does not make someone stronger.
Changing Dragonball so that the most "serious" or scary or evil villains are always the most powerful would pretty much ruin the whole series.

You're exaggerating the impact it would have. It is good literary practice to reserve the most poignant and dramatic conflict for the climax of the series, in which case it is also good sense to employ your most serious, intelligent, and malevolent antagonist.

[Taku128]

Wait, what exactly would FUNimation's role be in this re-imagining? When I read your post I figured they'd just be doing the voices since that's the English cast, and that the animation studio would also be handling the writing. Some other people seem to think FUNimation would be in charge of the writing, and if that's the case I change my answer because I have no faith in FUNimation to make something entertaining and worthwhile. And really, if an American company were to re-imagine Dragon Ball I'd want them to also recast it with voices that fit their vision, not stick to FUNimation's casting choices. Why exactly does FUNimation have to be involved in this project?

[Lord Exor]

I suppose their presence isn't absolutely necessary.

[Tanooki Kuribo]

I'm not totally for a DragonBall reboot but, I think I'd love to see Udon give the DragonBall franchise a go. I mean, I'm a huge Street Fighter fan and they've expanded the Universe of that franchise quite a bit and kept the original undertones of each characters original story. Either comic form or animation form, that's something I'd wanna see. Even if it has nothing to do with the main story and just expands on minor background characters, that's something I'd wanna see.

[theoriginalbilis]

If it got animated by the big dog animation studios, like Disney or Warner Bros., kept the art style and character personalities similar to the original, I wouldn't mind a different story or replotting or even different voices. Especially if they did something awesome like expand on elements of the original series like the history of the Saiyans or Freeza's clan. Or even just give more time and development to lesser characters.

Just no metal or techno music, ick. DB is all about fun, adventure, and surpassing one's limits. A grand, large-scale, orchestral score would be the only fitting music. I'm thinking like a mix-match of elements from Kikuchi's score and Yamamoto's score, but get a larger orchestra. Both Kikuchi's and Yamamoto's work sounded like they used a smaller-sized orchestra.

[Hellspawn28]

Also don't go the MK: Rebirth or Dark Knight type of movie or show for Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball was never a dark series and making it be The Dark Knight would be stupid. It's different with superheros like Daredevil, Batman, Spawn, and The Punisher because they have been know to be dark. Dragon Ball on the other hand, has not.

[Lord Exor]

It's different with superheros like Daredevil, Batman, Spawn, and The Punisher because they have been know to be dark. Dragon Ball on the other hand, has not.

Batman had no precedent of dark and edgy storytelling until Frank Miller's graphic novel, which fundamentally altered the Batman mythos from that day onward. A dark take on Dragon Ball may turn out to be a quality effort; is there any reason to disown the concept simply because it is different?

[Hellspawn28]

I think the main issue on a Dragon Ball reboot is finding someone who would want to do it. Most people will look at Dragon Ball as a joke and be like "Why should we waste money on a dead cartoon series?". Series like Batman, Godzilla, and James Bond get rebooted because they are bigger series and are huge icons. They are loved by people worldwide and have a bigger fan base.

Well James Cameron is working with Guillermo Del Toro (Blade II, Hellboy 1-2, and Pan's Labyrinth), and Neli Gaiman (Coraline, Sandman) on a big budget Journey to the West movie. Makes me wonder if he is a fan of Dragon Ball or knows about since I would love to see James Cameron work on a Dragon Ball movie.