Toriyama's artstyle here

[Dr. Machismo]

IMHO, the artstyle he's used for these pictures really isn't that good. It looks too much unlike what you'd expect from Dragonball:



Several characters look too skinny

[Ringworm128]

They're all too skinny. Bilus, Uis, King Kai, Elder Kaioshin and Puar are the only ones who look right.

[Chuquita]

Maybe it's just easier than drawing stylistic muscles (or even realistic muscular structure)?
I think there was some Toriyama and Oda interview somewhere where Toriyama talked about drawing muscles.

EDIT: Here it is

Toriyama: Taopaipai...? You're getting to some of the less important charactrers.

Oda: What!? Taopaipai is a HUGE major character!

Toriyama: The guy with the braid?

Oda: Yeah yeah. The assassin. The guy that throws a pillar into the sky and rides it himself.

Toriyama: Oh yeah, I did draw that didn't I.

Oda: When he posed his hands were so well drawn. During that time, the only thing I drew were hands. Those two things were what shocked me the most in Dragon Ball... armpits and hands.

Toriyama: But, Dragon Ball grew to have more and more muscular characters. I actually regret not having studied muscle models back then, but I still haven't gotten around to it...

Oda: Toriyama-sensei, how your characters bulked up was really very stunning! I am even a reader of Kinnikuman* and I thought, "Amazing!" (laugh)

Toriyama: I thought too much about how the muscles looked [stylistically], so if you look at them as real muscles, it isn't accurate.

Oda: No, no, it's perfect. Sensei, even the girls you draw are fairly muscular. I think that makes them a bit sexy.

Toriyama: That's just because I'm not good at drawing girls. (dry laugh)

Source: http://www.thegrandline.com/odainterview.html (Greg's old site?)


Off topic; I very much enjoy the way these two interact. XD

[Ringworm128]

Yeah but they've all got muscles anyway. The problem is that they look like stick figures with muscles.

[Chuquita]

If you mean stick figures in that there's a lack of fluid movement about them compared to old Toriyama art, then yes I agree. Almost everyone in the drawing does look a little stiff.

What actually bothers me more is (and it's more noticeable in the line-up set of Toriyama drawings for BOG) the lack of consistency when it comes to face structure. That Ume Aoki type wide-face shows up strangely often and it looks odd on Toriyama's characters. Not only the width of some faces, but the distance between the eyes is farther than it used to be.

[Jackal puFF]

They all look like super models.. Lol. I like the art but I guess that kind of skinny ness bothers me.

[Gyt Kaliba]

His new artstyle can be a little jarring compared to the old stuff, for characters that he also drew back then I mean, but I still like the new art. He's the original creator, so it's just cool to get something else from him regardless if you ask me. It's the same feelings I have towards any new TMNT art we get out of Eastman or Laird.

Off topic; I very much enjoy the way these two interact. XD

You think that's bad, you should check out some of the Akira Toriyama x Masakazu Katsura interviews from their collab works. They bicker like an old married couple, it's great.

[Gonstead]

Off topic; I very much enjoy the way these two interact. XD

You think that's bad, you should check out some of the Akira Toriyama x Masakazu Katsura interviews from their collab works. They bicker like an old married couple, it's great.

I would love a link to this and any other similar interviews XD

[Vice]

If you mean stick figures in that there's a lack of fluid movement about them compared to old Toriyama art, then yes I agree.

Uh, no, that's not what he meant at all. He meant that they're all too skinny.

There's not supposed to be "fluid movement" in something that's not animated. What are you on about?

[Dr. Machismo]

The characters' muscular physiques from Toriyama's old artwork is completely fine IMO

[Ringworm128]

If you mean stick figures in that there's a lack of fluid movement about them compared to old Toriyama art, then yes I agree. Almost everyone in the drawing does look a little stiff.

What actually bothers me more is (and it's more noticeable in the line-up set of Toriyama drawings for BOG) the lack of consistency when it comes to face structure. That Ume Aoki type wide-face shows up strangely often and it looks odd on Toriyama's characters. Not only the width of some faces, but the distance between the eyes is farther than it used to be.

No I mean they look ultra skinny but they still look like they have muscles. Vegeta looks like he eats salad for dinner and tic tacs for dessert while still doing intense muscle building.

[Scarz]

There's not supposed to be "fluid movement" in something that's not animated. What are you on about?

You can have fluid movement in your work, it doesn't have to be animated. Characters can look stiff and lifeless but a great artist can draw their characters with dynamic or more interesting poses. Making them appear more "fluid" than appose to having them look like they have a large pole up their bum.

[Ajay]

Yeah, I'm not a fan, it's a nice style but not for Dragon Ball. It's been years on years since he last drew Dragon Ball so you can't blame him really. It doesn't bother me, from what I've seen from Battle of Gods, everyone looks mostly the same so it's a non-issue. I guess my only complaint is that style influenced SSJ God and even then, it's not exactly massively different. My main issue is the cutesy eyes he gave it.

[mAcChaos]

It's the new style he uses for his later works. It's not meant to be DB style. I like it but the original is better.

[Marco Polo]

I actually wish GT would have looked like this. This is way different than DBZ but this looks "fun". It would have helped setting the series apart from DBZ and been more adapted to the early DB adventurous feel they were going for.

GT Goku looking like this Goten would have been way better than the official tanned muscular kid autistic faced Goku we got.

[Dr. Machismo]

It's the new style he uses for his later works. It's not meant to be DB style. I like it but the original is better.

His artstyle is in his later works is very similar to his work in Dragonball.

[Attitudefan]

I feel that he has lost his touch a bit. Krillin is the most notable considering his head looks off center. Goku's eyes are too far apart and has that cutesy look which doesn't look like DB at all!! I actually miss the more simplistic style of muscles that he had prior to the Freeza arc. Actually, this doesn't even look like it was drawn by Akira Toriyama! It reminds me of fan art.

Their faces are too wide, off center, oversized heads, and the characters are too thin in comparison with their head!! Sad.

Compare it to this (as it has a very similar angle to what is shown by the OP):



The manga art looks much more in proportion. It seems very organic, like if someone took a photo. This is unlike the art he drew for BOG.

[mAcChaos]

It reminds me of his Sandland art.

[DarkPrince_92]

It reminds me of his Sandland art.

It reminds me of his Dragon Quest designs for the past 3 DQ games.

[Ajay]

It reminds me of his Dragon Quest designs for the past 3 DQ games.

I can see that, although I'd say they at least look marginally proportionate here and damn, muscles exist at a size that makes sense!

Assuming this is new art done for the DS version and not art from 1995 jazzed up!