Is DBZ the anime equivlent of a Michael Bay movie?

[Codarik]

I always do say that if another live action DB film were to happen, the Platinum Dunes team would make a good choice to make it.

[Hellspawn28]

Why not have a good director and producer work on a DBZ movie? Platinum Dunes produces terrible films like the remakes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. I would imagine the new TMNT movie is going to be bad too since they got the director of Darkness Falls, Wrath of the Titans, and Battle: LA directing it.

[ACCloud]

I always find it funny when people say Dragon Ball is poorly written or just all mindless explosions. The anime certainly heads a bit more in that direction, but the manga? Certainly not. I've seen and detest bad writing (Final Fantasy XIII and the Star Wars prequels immediately come to mind), and every Michael Bay film I've watched (mainly Transformers and Pearl Harbour) leaves me feeling utterly brain-dead.

Dragon Ball is the exact opposite. Every single time I re-read the manga, I find myself completely caught up in it. The artwork is clean, and the action has an impressive fluidity to it (not to mention excellent choreography that somehow doesn't get stale), but the thing that always gets me invested is the characters. Everyone is likeable and enjoyable in some way, and their interactions give the series its soul. To me, just watching these people interact is as enjoyable as the action, and that's one of the signs of strong characters in my opinion. There's not a huge amount of depth to them (although it does depend on the character), but that's alright - it's never impacted my enjoyment of the series.

If you want to compare Michael Bay's work and Dragon Ball from a visual perspective, I'd put forward the notion of creativity. In my experience, Bay's visuals are usually very stock standard (e.g. modern city) and uninteresting. They might be impressive from a technical perspective (such as the Transformers with all of their mechanical parts), but they're rarely fun to watch in my opinion. Toriyama's are often very imaginative and feature iconic visual elements. Take for example, Kami's Palace, the Tenkaichi Budokai Arena, or a village on Namek. You can very easily visualise those locations. If you were only shown a silhouette, you could probably pick them all out. I can't recall any specific, interesting location from a Michael Bay film. Of course, manga and film are very different mediums, but if we're comparing the two, I think it's a valid point.

I could go on and on, but that's basically the gist of it. I have never enjoyed a single Michael Bay film that I have seen on any level. I re-read Dragon Ball at least once a year, and thoroughly enjoy it every single time. It's my favourite manga (with Fullmetal Alchemist close behind). So no, I don't believe Dragon Ball is comparable to Michael Bay's work.

[Kid Buu]

Well that is very true, Toriyama is really an underrated artist.

Man puts work into those backgrounds.

[ACCloud]

Well, I'd say he's more underrated in the west than in Japan. Actually to bring it back around to the topic, it's worth noting that (going off of the 'Dragon Ball Children' pamphlets from the Kanzenban) Toriyama's work had a pretty massive impact on many of the big names that write manga today.

[DBZAOTA482]

Well, I'd certainly say that the equivalency is best placed on the Cell arc. For me, the Saiyan-Freeza arcs are when DBZ shines brightest. The plot is intriguing, the cast of characters is well rounded, and there is some really great character interactions and acting taking place.

But when you get to the Cell arc there is just this magnified focus on getting one's power levels higher and higher (which had been seen before, but how many times does this occur in the Cell arc?), muscles get bigger and bigger, and etc. The Cell arc, for me at least, is the Michael Bay/big budget no brain explosives component of DBZ. It's still enjoyable to me, but it definitely is my personal low point for the series. So in that instance, I'd compare it to a Michael Bay film.

Six to be exact. The Saiyan Saga had only one, the Namek/Freeza Saga had two, and the Majin Boo Saga had seven so I'd say the latter wins out (though it's somewhat self-aware).

[ABED]

I enjoyed Armageddon and even the first Transformers, but The Rock was his only truly good film.

Stories aren't primarily for the intellectual experience, they are about the emotions. The problem isn't just that Bay's style is mind numbing, it's that it's devoid of being an emotional experience.