Watching the series in your 30's, is that too old?

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

They were never as big as Z and they never will be.

Z is a classic that will always be a thing and will always be liked which I can't say for Naruto and Bleach considering how irrelevant they both became after 2010 which I think was after the pain and Aizen arcs.

Both Bleach & Naruto are still selling manga volumes and the later is still having animated media being produced, not so irrelevant.

[Xeztin]

If you enjoy something your never too old for it and if someone looks down on that then they are the ones with something wrong with them. Some people were raised to the fact of once you get to be an adult, you can't have fun. If something makes you happy or you enjoy doing it then you should never feel guilty about it (unless you know, it's like illegal or something ) We pay our taxes, if we want to watch a darn cartoon every now and then I think we have a right to do so!

[DBZAOTA482]

You can't put a number on legends. Legends last with you forever.

[LordCrumb]

I'm coming up to 32, and I couldn't give a rats ass if i'm considered 'too old' to be watching any Anime. I proudly walk around town with my Dragon Ball jumper on... a lot of people have nothing but compliments about them.

[Hellspawn28]

Anime is just animation from Japan. You have anime market to kids, teens and adults. Same goes with animation outside of Japan seeing that Adventure Time is a series for kids 5-12, but you also have Rick and Morty which is made for the 16+ audience. I do feel like people should take animation more seriously now seeing that lot of people view animation for kids only. It sucks that most adult animation is just comedy shows and not anything serious. The last serious adult animated show was Spawn back in the late 90's.

[MaxZ]

No. the idea that you can be too old to watch something should die (excluding actual baby shows like barney and such)

[LSSJGODSSJ4Gogeta]

I'll never understand too young or too old when it comes to shows in 2016. Sadly we have parents giving their kids tablets to watch south park before kindergarten, and they learn curse words (and then use em wrong) online when playing black ops 2. It's not like being a 90's kid where you can be 10 and struggle to know how sex, procreation works or hear words like blumpkin. With the many pros of the internet with get cons. kids not having the mystery of life like they used to is one of them.

As for adults, I don't see the logic. Because nothing but kids play first person shooters anymore. M rated games. These ratings are for what's appropriate, it's not socially expectable to many people for a 30 year old to watch "cartoons", but the same # of people, some in the pre mentioned group will go and say things like eating meat makes you a psychopath, or nobody above 10 can watch star wars, or play video games past 13....because you know, M rated games were designed to invite 13 year olds and under...

People will always have some weird mindset that X and Y are bad, but if what you do hurts nobody then those people can kiss your ass! Those stuffed shirt tools are probably the same people going ""I cannot believe you watch a children cartoon at your age! You're a terrible disgusting person!" Then proceed to focus on their work while they hand their kids a tablet as their baby sitter. Nothing's wrong with letting your kid see all the messed up unfiltered junk the internet has! I honestly think those people are the ones who leave their kids on the xbox all day to scream "I gave your mom a blowjob last night FAGGOT!" to everyone they see.

So no, you're not too old. Dragonball appeals to all ages, just like say going to the pool, eating ice cream, bowling or whatever. People will say ""candy is for kids. Games is for children and video games are for nerds who never go outside" but the truth is they're just overly self conscious and you should really only care about someone's opinion if they're a good person and not some anal stranger getting mad at you for doing something that only helps people and hurts nobody. Watch it all you want man! (I'm in my early 20's. Started dragonball when I was 3, and no matter how many flaws i'll find in this I'll always come back for more.)

[DragonBallFoodie]

I am 29, and I think that I will never get tired of enjoying the things from my childhood. And I hope I stay that way.

[precita]

Come to think of it all the Japanese DBZ fans who are watching Super now are probably in their 40's.

I mean if they were kids in the 80's and early 90's...would they be in their late 30's or early 40's by now?

[Cipher]

You're not likely to find many on a dedicated and unusually mature Dragon Ball board who will side with the idea of any age being "too old" to watch or read it.

But I'll take up the gauntlet and nuance my answer a little beyond, "No, of course not!":

Let me start off by saying I think Dragon Ball is about as all-ages as fiction comes. It's imaginative, it's a well-crafted manga and at times a well-crafted anime, and it's free of any writing that seems to speak exclusively to children, either in terms of simplifying its content or focusing on thematic issues too reductive to speak to adults. It seems to charge forward solely on the enjoyment and imagination of its creator.

As with any simple genre or child-targeted media, though, my stance on whether you're "too old" for it doesn't come down to continued enjoyment of any individual series or story, but how much of your fictional diet that type of material constitutes. Does Dragon Ball or similar shonen content make up the totality of bulk of your narrative enjoyment? If so, I'd say that's worth examining -- the world is rich with fiction that has the power to affect and move in a way this series and others like it won't, can't, shouldn't. You'll grow as a person by experiencing them, and by expanding your horizon in other ways. Or do you feel it's simply taking up too much headspace, which can be a risk with diving headlong into any fictional world? If so, again, step back -- seek both other media and other ways of channeling your energy.

If Dragon Ball is but one part of your interests though, and you're able to appreciate adult material as well, by all means, keep enjoying it. Just don't stagnate or tie yourself only to the simplest art when there's so much out there.

The other part of it is whether you find yourself enjoying the series in different ways as an adult than you did when you were younger. As a kid, I was certainly much more involved in the stakes of the story, and all its superficial elements. As an adult, I tend to appreciate more and more the craft of its author and all its transparent elements. I like imagining Toriyama cutting lose; I'm wowed at the imagination and artistic ability on display. Content this idiosyncratic and free-wheeling tends to continue to command my attention, whereas I have other childhood favorites I may still appreciate in terms of what they provide their target audience, but am unlikely to return to as an adult. Nostalgia is a fine drug in small doses, but I don't think it should keep anyone hooked.

If you feel your reasons for enjoying it have changed or grown, again, fantastic. Continue to hold this story/comic/show dear. If you're appreciating it in largely the same capacity you did as a child, it may be fair to ask yourself whether your tastes and interests have stagnated, or why, and in what ways they could be expanded.

Or not.

EDIT -- I missed kunzait_83 beating me to the punch on every word of this.

[Pantalones]

I can't remember if I already posted here or not, but...

There are no upper age limits on TV shows/comics/games/etc., only recommended minimum ages.

Target audience doesn't mean only audience.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is most likely one of those sad, pitiful people who never grew out of the preteen/teenage "I'm grown up now, I can't like kid stuff anymore!" phase that a lot of people have. Most people who do have that phase grow out of it during the college years, maybe slightly later for some of the dumbest, but unfortunately there are still way too many people who get "stuck" there. And of course they never realize that this teenager-ish fear of being seen as "immature" or "kiddy" is one of the most immature things they can do!

[ABED]

Nostalgia is a fine drug in small doses, but I don't think it should keep anyone hooked.

It's not a drug. It's a harmless sentiment.


I agree wholeheartedly with Pantalones. I've found that many of those that give up those "childish things" tend to be people who trying too hard to come off as grown up.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Neo Makaioshin, are you I Am Not Creative Enough from TV Tropes?

Also my mom watches the series and she's like 60.

[JulieYBM]

What is even the point of this thread? Nobody here will say "Yeah, I'm too old, bye!" and if you have this discussion where one would say such...well...there wouldn't be much of a discussion.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Silly Jacob dont you know that Kanzenshuu is populated by 7 year old boys?

Yeah... I'll show myself out for the bad joke.

[Freeza9000]

Does it really matter? I mean, it's not like the franchise is aimed at only younger audiences. It contains a lot of perverted scenes, perverted jokes, and violence. Age is only a number. As long as there's something else that interests you, then keep watching. No need to feel ashamed because of how old you are. I'm 23 years old and I still watch movies such as Toy Story 3 and it somewhat kept me entertained. Have fun, and keep yourself delighted.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

What is even the point of this thread? Nobody here will say "Yeah, I'm too old, bye!" and if you have this discussion where one would say such...well...there wouldn't be much of a discussion.

Maybe precita is genuinely ucertain/curious and putting him/herself out there to like minds in hope of a substantial answer? The yes or no alone is not the point of the question, nor is it a place where "they're a fan/critic, what do you expect?", draws the line, its how the answerers got there.

[Kakarotto92]

24 here, still have the same unhealthy obsession with this franchise as I did when I was 12. Hell, I'd say it's probably even worse now, since 12 years ago I didn't had internet to browse forums, watch youtube videos and research about the show for hours, all I had was my VHS tapes and my old card collection.

[MajinMan]

As long as you're not hurting anyone, including yourself, then you can do whatever you want. If the obsession with Dragon Ball gets to a point where you can't properly function in life, then yah, you should probably cut it out for a while. But then again, this can apply to anything, not just kid shows.

[z_cherub]

Being worried about how others will perceive your hobbies is more indicative of being a child than whatever your hobbies actually are...

My point of reference as a DB enthusiast as well as being:
30 y/o
Married
Professional
Homeowner
Other misc. adult stuff