Did Akira Toriyama draw the kanzenban covers?

[NovaSayajinGoku]

Did Akira Toriyama draw the kanzenban covers, such as this one?

[VegettoEX]

Yes, as a part of the re-release of the manga in the new kanzenban form, Akira Toriyama drew all of the covers (front and back) for the new volumes.

[dprez]

The art work for the Kanzenban covers always looked a little different to me, so I was wondering this myself. Seams he drew the art for the covers later on so it's understandable that it would look a little different. When were these released by the way? It must've been after he ended Dragon Ball.

[Corporate_Nothing]

The art work for the Kanzenban covers always looked a little different to me, so I was wondering this myself. Seams he drew the art for the covers later on so it's understandable that it would look a little different. When were these released by the way? It must've been after he ended Dragon Ball.

http://www.kanzentai.com/kanzenban.php

[dprez]

Wow, 2002. No wonder the art style looks so different.

[Kingdom Heartless]

I had a question as well, and I may as well ask it here: Are the Kanzenban still in print? I've bought a few, and would like to know if there's an urgency to complete the collection?

[Hujio]

I had a question as well, and I may as well ask it here: Are the Kanzenban still in print? I've bought a few, and would like to know if there's an urgency to complete the collection?

Yes, like the tankōbon volumes, the kanzenban are all still in print and available through most online retailers, like Amazon Japan. If you do buy a few, go ahead take a look at the very last page and it will tell you what edition it is. I know the tankōbon are up to somewhere around their 80th edition, but I'm not sure exactly what edition the kanzenban are currently at. We know there's at least a 3rd edition, but I'm sure by now there are more editions beyond that. Anyway, I'm just curious...

Wow, 2002. No wonder the art style looks so different.

Yeah, by the time the kanzenban were being released in 2002, Toriyama's style had changed quite a bit. Although I've always attributed a lot of the differences to the fact that after he finished up Dragon Ball he switched over to doing everything digitally on a computer.

[Kingdom Heartless]

Yes, like the tankōbon volumes, the kanzenban are all still in print and available through most online retailers, like Amazon Japan. If you do buy a few, go ahead take a look at the very last page and it will tell you what edition it is. I know the tankōbon are up to somewhere around their 80th edition, but I'm not sure exactly what edition the kanzenban are currently at. We know there's at least a 3rd edition, but I'm sure by now there are more editions beyond that. Anyway, I'm just curious...

Will do... I'm expecting volumes 11 and 13 in the next few days, ordered from Hobby Link Japan (who I didn't even know stocked them until recently.... although they only sell up to 18).

[Attitudefan]

I'll never understand to why his art changed so much! It seems impossible! I mean, couldn't he go back to how he used to draw things.

To me, it's like one day during DBZ, he decided to start shifting the way he drew EVERYTHING!

[NeoKING]

I'll never understand to why his art changed so much! It seems impossible! I mean, couldn't he go back to how he used to draw things.

To me, it's like one day during DBZ, he decided to start shifting the way he drew EVERYTHING!

Well, as Hujio stated, after DB's run, he started drawing digitally. A lot of artists made the tradition - to - digital transition to keep up with the turns of the millenium.

[Attitudefan]

I don't think it's just that. He started to draw characters with their heads hunched forwards (note Blue on this thread for example) which was not present before. The way he drew anatomy changed completely (eyes, body shape etc.)

His characters look ugly in his more recent art.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

His characters look ugly in his more recent art.

Nah, they don't seem ugly to me, they are just different. I like them.

[AgitoZ]

I'll never understand to why his art changed so much! It seems impossible! I mean, couldn't he go back to how he used to draw things.

Really? It had been about 7 years since he had worked on the comic. No matter what, an artist's art style will continue change . Whether it be due to convenience of drawing in that style or most likely just to habits they develop. I don't think actively trying to copy his older style would've helped the covers look better. That isn't to say I dislike it, I rather enjoy Toriyama's recent art style.

[Attitudefan]

I'll never understand to why his art changed so much! It seems impossible! I mean, couldn't he go back to how he used to draw things.

Really? It had been about 7 years since he had worked on the comic. No matter what, an artist's art style will continue change . Whether it be due to convenience of drawing in that style or most likely just to habits they develop. I don't think actively trying to copy his older style would've helped the covers look better. That isn't to say I dislike it, I rather enjoy Toriyama's recent art style.

I understand that. An artist, however, can manipulate his drawings to however he wants them to look. I guess I would appreciate if Toriyama did emulate his older style.

[Kingdom Heartless]

I'll never understand to why his art changed so much! It seems impossible! I mean, couldn't he go back to how he used to draw things.

Really? It had been about 7 years since he had worked on the comic. No matter what, an artist's art style will continue change . Whether it be due to convenience of drawing in that style or most likely just to habits they develop. I don't think actively trying to copy his older style would've helped the covers look better. That isn't to say I dislike it, I rather enjoy Toriyama's recent art style.

I understand that. An artist, however, can manipulate his drawings to however he wants them to look. I guess I would appreciate if Toriyama did emulate his older style.

I thought the part of the appeal of the Kanzenban covers was that it was also to show how his art style has changed over the years.

[dbgtFO]

I remember, when I first saw those covers on the DragonBallArena website. I was blown away by them. Not only had the art style changed, but also the colouring, which was for the better, I think.
As I had read in the first Daizenshuu, Toriyama was/is never satisfied with his illustrations with the only exception being the drawing, where Goku and Gohan ride on a robot camel cycle thing(which he apparently had changed his mind about come the interview with E. Oda).
So when I was about to check out the new covers, I expected them to be different, but the Kanzenban covers were not, what I had expected.

A particular example that stood out to me was the way he had coloured Demon King Piccolo(old) on one of the covers. That was simply awesome.
The only thing I didn't like about the Kanzenban colouring was the fact that the characters'(not Piccolo and probably other non-earthling/Saiyan characters) eyes almost had skin colored sclera like you see in the above General Blue drawing.

[Kingdom Heartless]

Mr Toriyama really is a humble guy.

[Hujio]

I know the tankōbon are up to somewhere around their 80th edition...

So, I have to retract the statement I made earlier, as I was completely wrong with this one. Last I had checked that's where they were, at least estimating forward based on some of the tankōbon volumes I own. But apparently as of July 2004, they were releasing their 123rd edition! Based on that, they have to be at least up to their 150th by now. Japan loves them some cheap Dragon Ball tankōbon apparently, even with the kanzenban still being available. That's just craziness!

[Gaffer Tape]

I'll never understand to why his art changed so much! It seems impossible! I mean, couldn't he go back to how he used to draw things.

Really? It had been about 7 years since he had worked on the comic. No matter what, an artist's art style will continue change . Whether it be due to convenience of drawing in that style or most likely just to habits they develop. I don't think actively trying to copy his older style would've helped the covers look better. That isn't to say I dislike it, I rather enjoy Toriyama's recent art style.

I understand that. An artist, however, can manipulate his drawings to however he wants them to look. I guess I would appreciate if Toriyama did emulate his older style.

I mean, he can, and I agree with you. Where is the interview where he states he could still easily draw in the "Dr. Slump style" whenever he wanted to, and that part of what made him continue to change his style was fans complaining that the characters were too angular... which made him want to draw them even more angular!

[Attitudefan]

That's right! He did say that! See what I mean?

I do love his paint style these days but how he draws his characters recently, they just look kind of crude... Something is just way off about them.