How is Dragonball viewed in the public eye?

Kroni_Hunter · Post by **Kroni_Hunter** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:41 am

I doubt anyone I work with has even heard of Dragonball.
My gf likes it though, so that's good enough for me.

russ869 · Post by **russ869** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 2:57 pm

I don't know anyone else who really likes Dragonball. I have one friend to bought the first few Orange Bricks, but he only wanted to watch them so he could laugh at how ridiculous the dub is and try to infer ludicrous sexual innuendo from everything Freeza says.

I think my friends can at least understand how I could like a series like Dragonball, since they're also into Yuugiou which I like. But none of them really have any interest in watching it to really enjoy it as a shonen fighting show alongside something like Bleach.

Another one of my friends is a stern Naruto-hater, so I shouldn't be surprised that he's also a Dragonball-hater.

Hellspawn28 wrote:Before I left school a year ago, most people would say "Over 9000" when the word DB pops up. I think I was the only very few people in my high school that is a fan of the series.

This. This is why the internet is the cancer that is killing reality.

Bussani wrote:It's worse that it's looked down upon by other anime fans, too. They often see it as something that got you into anime, but not something you should like later; like you should be watching more 'adult, mature things', like Cowboy Bebop or Evangelion or, worst case scenario, Naruto.

Yeah, there is definitely a perception that "real anime fans" shouldn't like Dragonball because it's not "real anime." Which is just utterly ridiculous. And basically it goes along with the idea that anime is only cool because it's like underground media that the general American culture doesn't know about.

My parents try to act like they don't have a problem with my interests in anime. But after a lengthy conversation in which I peel back the nonsense layer of their psyche that's trying not to be antagonistic, I can always without fail get them to admit that even though I'm 21, they think most of my current interests (which I've have for years and years now) are "childish" and that I'll grow out of them some day. They're always asking me what I'm going to do with all my manga and DVDs. "Aren't you going to feel silly when you grow out them one day and you have all this stuff?"

Animation is not a genre; it is a category of media like movies, TV, and books. Maybe I'll lose interest in Dragonball. But just like people don't grow out of watching movies, you should never hear someone say they're never going to watch another anime.

ShadowDude112 · Post by **ShadowDude112** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:01 pm

It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.

Hellspawn28 · Post by **Hellspawn28** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:20 pm

I was talking about anime with a few people on Xboxlive and they seem known what DBZ is, and they have made a few couple of jokes about on how silly the powerups are.

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:24 pm

ShadowDude112 wrote:It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.

Now I'll admit that Naruto has come into being a solid series. But I'll never dismiss Dragonball just it's not like Naruto. They really are two different series written by two totally different authors.

The Time Traveller · Post by **The Time Traveller** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:07 pm

I was at a comic book shop yesterday and got talking about Dragon Ball, and the clerk or whatever seemed to have watched it on Cartoon Network back in the day, and was aware of Dragon Ball Kai, the new special, and kept knocking Evolution

I tried to explain how awesome the Japanese version was in comparison to the dub and he already knew about that, I tried making him think he should buy the DVDs but naaaaah... and he's not a big subtitle fan either.

I told him all about the Dragon Boxes too and he said he could talk to the guy incharge to sell my Season sets for me, and they'd pay me $20 for each set as they take them off my hands... So that's cool.

I guess this wouldn't really count as a public view since it was a comic shop...

Big Momma · Post by **Big Momma** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:54 pm

ShadowDude112 wrote:It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.

They're Narutards. They don't know what they're talking about.

<----Is a fan of Naruto

Kiyza · Post by **Kiyza** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:25 pm

The reception seems to be pretty positive where I'm from. I got bored on the bus the other day and took out a volume of Dragon Ball. About three minuets later, my friend sitting next to me started asking questions about it and we had a bit of a discussion about it. Not to long after that, another kid in the lane next to us said that he had read the volume and he joined in on the conversation. At my school, for one reason or another, it seems to turn up pretty often. Once during band class our teacher asked the flutes who could play a piccolo, and one kid blurted out "You mean the green guy?" and the entire class started laughing. It seems to be at least pretty well known around here. Incase you're interested, I'm from Delaware.

laserkid · Post by **laserkid** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:54 pm

Eh, I've gotten different reactions from different people.

I remember back when I was just going into college (back in 2002 xD) I tried to join an anime club, and they asked me what my favorite anime was. Their reaction was something to the effect of "That's old!"

So I've got that reaction, I've also got the "thats dumb" reaction from some of my friends whose previous experience was with DBZ fans who were pretty retarded.

Occasionally I get a thumbs up, but that's a rarity.

SSJ2bardock · Post by **SSJ2bardock** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:58 pm

laserkid wrote:and they asked me what my favorite anime was. Their reaction was something to the effect of "That's old!"

That's the world we live in...

Metalwario64 · Post by **Metalwario64** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:59 pm

SSJ2bardock wrote:
laserkid wrote:and they asked me what my favorite anime was. Their reaction was something to the effect of "That's old!"
That's the world we live in...

Seriously. That's the same reaction you get if you tell someone you like a song that came out before the current year...

Big Momma · Post by **Big Momma** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:06 pm

SSJ2bardock wrote:
laserkid wrote:and they asked me what my favorite anime was. Their reaction was something to the effect of "That's old!"
That's the world we live in...

But...that was back in 2002...DragonBall had only been over for 7 years...

SSJ2bardock · Post by **SSJ2bardock** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:11 pm

Big Momma wrote:
SSJ2bardock wrote:
laserkid wrote:and they asked me what my favorite anime was. Their reaction was something to the effect of "That's old!"
That's the world we live in...
But...that was back in 2002...DragonBall had only been over for 7 years...

Most people in the US didn't know that.

ShadowDude112 · Post by **ShadowDude112** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:20 pm

Big Momma wrote:
ShadowDude112 wrote:It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.

They're Narutards. They don't know what they're talking about.

<----Is a fan of Naruto

I apologize for offending.

Big Momma · Post by **Big Momma** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:25 pm

ShadowDude112 wrote:
Big Momma wrote:
ShadowDude112 wrote:It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.

They're Narutards. They don't know what they're talking about.

<----Is a fan of Naruto
I apologize for offending.

Haha, you didn't offend me at all, my friend.

Trust me, Narutards are like the internet equivalent of Disney Channel(Read: High School Musical/Jonas Brother) fans.

ShadowDude112 · Post by **ShadowDude112** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:39 pm

Big Momma wrote:
ShadowDude112 wrote:
Big Momma wrote:
They're Narutards. They don't know what they're talking about.

<----Is a fan of Naruto
I apologize for offending.
Haha, you didn't offend me at all, my friend.

Trust me, Narutards are like the internet equivalent of Disney Channel(Read: High School Musical/Jonas Brother) fans.

Oh ok. Also what happened to an anime is good especially if it has good filler? I mean Naruto's filler sucked at least DBZ's was interesting. Oops sorry off topic.

Krakabeast · Post by **Krakabeast** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:32 pm

[quote="ShadowDude112"][quote="Big Momma"][quote="ShadowDude112"][quote="Big Momma"][quote="ShadowDude112"][i][b]It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards [/b][/i]and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.[/quote]

They're Narutards. They don't know what they're talking about.

[size=5]<----Is a fan of Naruto[/size][/quote]I apologize for offending.[/quote]

Haha, you didn't offend me at all, my friend.

Trust me, Narutards are like the internet equivalent of Disney Channel(Read: High School Musical/Jonas Brother) fans.[/quote]Oh ok. Also what happened to an anime is good especially if it has good filler? I mean Naruto's filler sucked at least DBZ's was interesting. Oops sorry off topic.[/quote]

Dragon Ball's filler does not stand out nearly as much as Naruto's. Naruto's filler does suck, but at least it builds some characterizations for the countless characters that get little attention in the canon.

Shoryuken · Post by **Shoryuken** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:41 pm

ShadowDude112 wrote:It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.

Spoilers ahoy....

Pretty ironic since Naruto has gone ever so rubbish after the beginning of Shippuden. Bleach isn't better, although it at times have some great fights.
Naruto had to save Sasuke in the final arc of the pre-timeskip arc and in Shippuden he first have to save Gaara and then has to "save" Sasuke.

Bleach has redeemed itself after a repetition of the whole "Save Female Lead" arcs by having the final confrontation between the villains and the heroes.
Why Kubo had the balls to kill off Barragan who in my opinion in is the only true representation of what a grim reaper should like.
He would make an even better main villain than Aizen in every aspect since he's pretty much stated being the original king of the Hollows...

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:11 pm

Shoryuken wrote:
ShadowDude112 wrote:It's viewed pretty poorly in the eyes of Narutards and the majority of people that watch new anime or just people in america that only watched one episode and called it bad. Note:If you're a person who is offended by this post I apologize.
Spoilers ahoy....

Pretty ironic since Naruto has gone ever so rubbish after the beginning of Shippuden. Bleach isn't better, although it at times have some great fights.
Naruto had to save Sasuke in the final arc of the pre-timeskip arc and in Shippuden he first have to save Gaara and then has to "save" Sasuke.

You're completely off base concerning what Shippuden is about. It totally outclasses Part 1 in ever way.

But this has nothing to do with Dragonball.

Godo · Post by **Godo** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:08 pm

I'll begin my post with saying that I'm a guy that likes both old and new fiction.
Whilst I like the new ones for being cool and action-filled, I like old fiction for laying the ground of the new manga we read today.

I can't say that I love Dragonball anymore. I like it, yes. But, I don't feel the same excitement over it as I did since the story has ended (and the ending was very unsatisfactory, on a side note).
I like both Naruto and One Piece, so you could call me a Narutard and a One Pieceotard. I like them mostly because of that I don't know the ending yet, and I'm excited for every chapter that I read.

Well, back to the topic.
During High-school, only me, my brother and another guy I know in school liked Dragonball. We used to discuss it and share volumes of the manga.
During College, I had again, only my brother and now, a new friend that liked it.
I had lots of discussions with those friends and my brother about Dragonball.
Well, from the other students, the impression was more like "Oh, Dragonball, cool (*cough*NERD*cough*)". I just continued to like Dragonball, no matter what people thought.
Now in the University, people mostly drink and watch Grey's Anatomy and other shit, and are not interested in anime at all. So I had noone to discuss it with more. The only thing me and my brother discuss now are One Piece and Naruto, since we by now have discussed everything there is about Dragonball. We may slide in some new trivia (thanks, Herms and Huijo!) to eachother when we get the chance to read them, but that's it.
Oh, yeah, and ever since the start when me and my brother became fans of Dragonball, our sisters told us to grow up and to stop reading children's cartoons. Back then we yelled back: "It's not a children's cartoon! It's manga for grown-ups! Look at the blood and gore!". They chuckled. Today I understand why.