How Dragonball Kai should have looked:

[Son_Gohan]

Although I'll always stand by traditional methods being far superior to what they create digitally today. I feel they should've put more effort in retaining Toriyama's art style, and give their work more liveliness, instead of looking so artificial. I mean even I think I could do a better job than what they're putting out in DBZ Kai. Some of the early covers for the TV Animation comics is the closest to what I feel Kai should've lived up to in terms of digital art quality:

[SylentEcho]

/\ That would have been amazing, the art is awesome. Except Vegeta looks bald there. His widows peak is way further than it should be.

It would have cost waaaay to much to redo DBZ from scratch.
Especially considering the anime industry is slumping in Japan at the moment.

Really? I thought Anime was bigger and better than ever nowadays.

If you notice in the old style is the lines really change if they're angry and tense compared to when they're happy; for example the muscle definitions.

Yeah, this is what the series lacked later on.

[MetroidJunkie]

[Ashura]

If they did an update, my only fanboy whining would be if they did the hair in the current style they do the models.

If you look at the new animation in Kai -- such as the OP, bumpers, and the preview animation -- they go to town with how they shade the hair, adding all these extra lines and things, which I don't think looks good. They also draw the shape of the hair differently than they used to, and I don't think it works. Mainly because the Dragonball hair is implausible, and I think adding too much realistic shape to it kills the illusion.

Man, it looks like Vegeta is sticking his giant finger into Goku's butt.

[kemuri07]

I'd love new animation like everyone else but if a reanimated Kai was gonna look like that, than I'm glad they chose to simply remaster old footage. I don't like this shiny glossy art style at all, it doesn't look right on Dragonball

This. Call it nostalgia or whatever, but I like how DBZ looks during the saiyan saga (Freeza Saga either goes from really, really good to being obnoxiously ugly). That new, glossy art style doesn't sit well with me.

Like I've said before, if they're going to make new animation for DB, why not just make a new series?

[Daimo-Rukiri]

Now that's awesome!

[Rocketman]

Like I've said before, if they're going to make new animation for DB, why not just make a new series?

Because Dragonball has already drained the well of ideas.

And also the last time they did that we got GT.

[XanatosVanBadass]

Like I've said before, if they're going to make new animation for DB, why not just make a new series?

Because Dragonball has already drained the well of ideas.

And also the last time they did that we got GT.

Going by that logic Star Trek 6 never would have come out since the last time they had made a movie was Star Trek 5.

[Kingdom Heartless]

Like I've said before, if they're going to make new animation for DB, why not just make a new series?

Because Dragonball has already drained the well of ideas.

And also the last time they did that we got GT.

Going by that logic Star Trek 6 never would have come out since the last time they had made a movie was Star Trek 5.

Yeah, it seems to be the internet's frame of mind that once something has lost quality, it's gone forever.

Take Spider-Man 3 for instance... almost everyone loved them until that came out, and afterward, Sam Raimi was a talentless hack who should not be let near another Spider-Man movie.

[Rocketman]

Going by that logic Star Trek 6 never would have come out since the last time they had made a movie was Star Trek 5.

Star Trek has a whole galaxy to explore with characters who don't get stronger. A new ST adventure doesn't immediately get kneecapped by implausibility.

ST also has a wider range of possible plots, while DB is limited to "strong guy, fight him".

[kemuri07]

Going by that logic Star Trek 6 never would have come out since the last time they had made a movie was Star Trek 5.

Star Trek has a whole galaxy to explore with characters who don't get stronger. A new ST adventure doesn't immediately get kneecapped by implausibility.

ST also has a wider range of possible plots, while DB is limited to "strong guy, fight him".

That's a silly statement to make. Considering the unique characters found in both DB and DBZ, I can definitely see a new series being made.

[jjgp1112]

Going by that logic Star Trek 6 never would have come out since the last time they had made a movie was Star Trek 5.

Star Trek has a whole galaxy to explore with characters who don't get stronger. A new ST adventure doesn't immediately get kneecapped by implausibility.

ST also has a wider range of possible plots, while DB is limited to "strong guy, fight him".

That's a silly statement to make. Considering the unique characters found in both DB and DBZ, I can definitely see a new series being made.

But a new series that most people would actually be interested in?

[Piccolo Daimao]

Take Spider-Man 3 for instance... almost everyone loved them until that came out

I beg your pardon? People liked Spider-Man 3.

[XanatosVanBadass]

But a new series that most people would actually be interested in?

I think people would be interested by virtue of the fact that it's a new Dragon Ball series with all new adventures. Granted, there would be no guarantee it would be good and people would still have the memory of how poor GT was recieved, but I think people would check it out for sheer curiosity if nothing else.

[Michsi]

My biggest problem with Toei new drawing style is the way they do the faces. They're wider somehow and the eyes are to far apart. Yeah , I notice small things like this and once I do it never goes away
Also they draw Piccolo's antanae far to up his head. Why????

[Attitudefan]

My biggest problem with Toei new drawing style is the way they do the faces. They're wider somehow and the eyes are to far apart. Yeah , I notice small things like this and once I do it never goes away
Also they draw Piccolo's antanae far to up his head. Why????

Late comment is late

I agree with you there. I can't stand when the art changes and you can never get it out of your head.
Vegeta is the best example of this change as his face, forehead, size and muscle definition had changed throughout the whole series. The picture above with Vegeta looks really... weird.
It's not just the eyes, it's also the nose and how they draw it. It is really noticeable, and that's annoying!

Also, Piccolo looks the worst in DB Kai eye catchers. He looks so... off.

[TheGreatness25]

I know that people say that it would cost way too much to reanimate Z from scratch, but I'm under the belief that if you're going to do this and hype it up and promote it and say that it's the greatest thing the franchise has ever seen... you have to go all the way and shell out the attention that it deserves. Otherwise, don't freaking do it. What they did with Kai was way too half-assed. All they did was cut things out and basically trace over some pictures and Photoshop some aura/energy balls. Wooow.

[Eddie]

Take Spider-Man 3 for instance... almost everyone loved them until that came out

I beg your pardon? People liked Spider-Man 3.

Sure, some people did. It wasn't exactly heartbreaking to the fans when Spider-Man 4 was cancelled last minute, though.

On topic, I've been of the opinion that Kai should have been a brand new thing from the beginning. I'm still hoping for a totally new show (starting from chapter 1, not the Z era) in another 10-15 years.

[Codarik]

If Dragon Ball Kai was reanimated from the beginning, it most likely would have been a lot more successful.

[Mewzard]

If Dragon Ball Kai was reanimated from the beginning, it most likely would have been a lot more successful.

Exactly, if they had gone the route that Bones did with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, everything would have been great (and don't tell me it wouldn't have been profitable, considering FMA is less well known and selling than DB was, yet they managed over 60 episodes of a quality new anime).

Toei just tried to maximize profits with a lazy effort. You can't just rehash old material and guarantee maximum sales (though, you can bring in the suits from the previous 34 Super Sentai and make one awesome Sentai Series).