Opinion of Abridged?

[LoganForkHands73]

I hated it at first, then came around to it, but I can't watch most pre-Android arc episodes. The Saiyan arc's humour is horribly dated and cringeworthy, though the show finds its footing in the Namek arc. The Android arc hits a really nice balance.

By the end of the Cell arc, though, the humour became far too wordy, pretentious and self-referential for my liking. Pretty much the opposite of Toriyama's humour. It became too much of a gag-a-minute fare, repeating the same unfunny jokes over and over and over and over again. Sometimes within the same damn episode. Yet at the same time, I get the impression that they wanted to make something more serious and professional than a mere parody, which is why the Cell arc suddenly has loads of emotional moments that just feel jarring.

[dva_raza]

The most insufferable among the fans are those that dislike Dragon Ball full-stop and treat DBZA as objectively better. Like, the story is still the same, just with comedy that you happen to like!

I had no idea Abridged fans didn’t watch or don’t like DB, I thought it was obvious that it’s just a fun parody that someone who knows Dragon Ball and is a fan would want to see

There's a group of people who aren't fans of Dragon Ball who swear by DBZA and think it exposes what's wrong with the series. When in reality, it's meant as a love letter to the series.

That's certainly how I see it. Either way I don't see why the fanbase should affect the enjoyment of the series

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

That's certainly how I see it. Either way I don't see why the fanbase should affect the enjoyment of the series

It shouldn't, but that's more of a personal issue with me than anything. I'll come around to watching it whenever I have the interest, but it isn't there for me right now and I can't really force it. Based on the bits I've seen, I doubt I'll have the patience to finish an episode. I'd rather finish watching the original series subbed first at any rate.

[WittyUsername]

It’s fine, but I’ve never been particularly into it. I can’t say I’m a fan of how it colored a lot of people’s perceptions of the series, though.

[dva_raza]

Based on the bits I've seen, I doubt I'll have the patience to finish an episode. I'd rather finish watching the original series subbed first at any rate.

Oh if you already know you'll need "patience" then it’s not for you I guess. Watching a stupid parody series should be done for enjoyment only I think. I watched it very casually, like an episode every now and then right before bed, because it’s short, pretty stupid and I just want to laugh basically. For me it was like a substitute for watching SNL clips before going to sleep which I used to do before SNL got all political. But it’s not meant to be taken seriously let alone to compare it to DBZ.

[Alruneia]

It's an okay abridged series, though there are better ones out there (in terms of anime in general). It's awkward and trying to find its footing through the saiyan arc and early Frieza arc, gets really good and peaks during the Frieza arc, stays good through the non-Cell part of the Cell arc, and then starts losing its touch in Cell-ful part of the Cell arc. In my opinion. I'm not sure how to convey this properly, but to me it feels like after Cell arrives, they start trying to change the series' "nature", but it just doesn't work right, and the humour suffers for it.

I also absolutely despise when people treat DBZ Abridged as some kind of "new canon" and start telling other people things like "Don't worry about watching DBZ, just watch the abridged series". Yes, this is a thing that happens. It is not a replacement, and it should not be treated as one or advertised to other people as one. Talk about overrating something, sheesh. But I don't take the fans into account when judging the product itself.

[Peach]

The creators of it acting like they're the shit, and celebrities, and rock stars at Youmacon killed my interest. You can tell it went from a fun project to something that seriously inflated egos. I feel awkward supporting them after seeing how full of themselves they acted. The fanbase drowning out the original source material, on youtube for instance, is obnoxious too.

Another poster saying it's too "wordy" hit the nail on the head. The characters talk in a very pretentious, forced, and unnatural way. It suffers from the same problem as later Venture Bros episodes too - getting too into their meta.

I don't know, man.

[ZeroIsOurHero]

I agree with what people are saying about TFS getting too much of an ego during the Cell arc. It generally felt too overproduced, and the writers were trying way too hard to insert "emotional" and "badass" moments. It felt like TFS was starting to buy into the myth about their parody being "better than the original". I enjoy their previous stuff just fine, though (even if the Saiyan arc was a bit rough).

[Cursed Lemon]

The irony of this forum complaining about an obnoxious fanbase that ruins things is hilarious.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

The irony of this forum complaining about an obnoxious fanbase that ruins things is hilarious.

The irony of you being the one to point it out is even more hilarious.

[Cursed Lemon]

The irony of this forum complaining about an obnoxious fanbase that ruins things is hilarious.

The irony of you being the one to point it out is even more hilarious.

i DoN't LiKe ThAt PeOpLe DoN'T LiKe ThE tHiNgS tHaT i LiKe

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

The irony of this forum complaining about an obnoxious fanbase that ruins things is hilarious.

The irony of you being the one to point it out is even more hilarious.

i DoN't LiKe ThAt PeOpLe DoN'T LiKe ThE tHiNgS tHaT i LiKe

What a gross misrepresentation of what anyone has been stating. It's clear that you like trying to get a rise out of people with that childish way of typing. That almost kills any hope of a reasonable discussion.

[Cursed Lemon]

The irony of you being the one to point it out is even more hilarious.

i DoN't LiKe ThAt PeOpLe DoN'T LiKe ThE tHiNgS tHaT i LiKe

What a gross misrepresentation of what anyone has been stating. It's clear that you like trying to get a rise out of people with that dumbass way of typing. No point discussing anything further with you.

Multiple people in this thread complained that fans of DBZA treat it as a superior experience to the actual show.

Maybe those fans are onto something. Or maybe you guys are just grumpy goofballs.

[capsulecorp]

The irony of this forum complaining about an obnoxious fanbase that ruins things is hilarious.

most people seem to be complaining about the obnoxious creators. though, i personally am complaining about the product itself being obnoxious

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Multiple people in this thread complained that fans of DBZA treat it as a superior experience to the actual show.

Maybe those fans are onto something. Or maybe you guys are just grumpy goofballs.

No, people are complaining that certain fans of DBZA treat it as the actual legitimate form of the show. It's a strawman argument to say that people are mad about people not liking things they like; that's something you brought into this.

Side Note: sometimes I wonder how many members actually engage or have discussions with people in real life. Just a thought.

[Cursed Lemon]

No, people are complaining that fans of DBZA treat it as the actual legitimate form of the show. It's a strawman argument to say that people are mad about people not liking things they like; that's something you brought into this.

Are you saying this to try to vindicate your opinion here

Because it doesn't

Because if people are recommending others watch DBZA over DBZ, maybe you're going to have to grapple with the notion that a lot of people don't think DBZ is that good. And there is literally no conceivable reason you can get pissy with them for that.

[BeaBumby]

this isn't gonna end well, is it?

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Spoiler:

No, people are complaining that fans of DBZA treat it as the actual legitimate form of the show. It's a strawman argument to say that people are mad about people not liking things they like; that's something you brought into this.

Are you saying this to try to vindicate your opinion here

Because it doesn't

Because if people are recommending others watch DBZA over DBZ, maybe you're going to have to grapple with the notion that a lot of people don't think DBZ is that good. And there is literally no conceivable reason you can get pissy with them for that.

OK, but all you've done is get irritated (can't bring myself to repeat that ridiculous other word) with people for not seeing it the way you see it. So you're not doing anything of any further substance.

this isn't gonna end well, is it?

Nah, you're fine. It hasn't reached the point of no return. Glad you enjoyed DBZA. I may end up watching it after my current watch of the original anime.

[TheGreatness25]

It was such a fun, great fan protect. For whomever didn't enjoy it, you may feel free to not watch it. It is of no consequence to you. But a lot of people did enjoy it--enough so, that were discussing it repeatedly instead of those 500 rip-offs that came after. So, what's the harm? I like it.

[PurestEvil]

The most insufferable among the fans are those that dislike Dragon Ball full-stop and treat DBZA as objectively better. Like, the story is still the same, just with comedy that you happen to like!

I had no idea Abridged fans didn’t watch or don’t like DB, I thought it was obvious that it’s just a fun parody that someone who knows Dragon Ball and is a fan would want to see

Granted, only, like 1-2% of DBZA viewers share that position, but I’ve seen their YouTube comments.

Another thing to point out: even among the people who prefer DBZA to Toriyama’s DB, most of them actually like DBZ. They just prefer TFS’ shits and giggles.