What do you like/dislike about GT?

[SativaSam]

Obviously DBGT is one of the most polarizing series in all of anime. It's hated by many, but loved by some (I myself immensely enjoyed GT in parts) I am just curious as to what you guys think were the good and bad ideas about GT. And as far as bad ideas go, what would you change?

For me:

Like: 1) Everything about Super Saiyan 4. I thought the way they did the transformation process was just terrific. The idea of having Goku have to go back to his "roots" of a Saiyan, get his tail pulled out, and become a Golden Oozaru was just really fun to watch if you ask me. Obviously SSJ1-3 were all epic transformations, but it was refreshing to see Goku achieve a new power level without just getting extremely pissed off and screaming. Was nice to see them try something different.

2) The entire soundtrack. I'd argue that the Japanese GT soundtrack was the best soundtrack in any of the DB english/japanese animes. Everything from good old Dan Dan (also really enjoyed Vic's english version) to the battle music. I used to get goosebumps watching the episode recaps with an alternative version of Dan Dan with piano. I also really really enjoyed the ending themes (besides the 1st one)

3) Pretty much every villain's death. I thought that the way they used 18 as a bomb and had Goku use the dragon fist was just epic. I actually think that contrary to what most people think, GT overall did a nice job with being creative with killing off villains. Blasting Baby into the sun, punching a hole through 17, and obviously using a "universal" Spirit Bomb against Shenron was just really cool.

4) The art style. I LOVED the way GT looked. I don't even know how to put it into words. I guess it is the color palette. Outside of SSJ4 Goku's' weird color scheme, I just thought the way everybody looked from an artstyle standpoint was really special.

5) The ending. I feel that GT actually has an ending. For as much praise as everybody gives Z, the "ending" of it was seriously lackluster. I thought it was so creative to have Goku absorb into Shenron and basically bring eternal peace to the world.


Dislike

1) The overall structure of GT. For as much as I loved this series, the first 21 or so episodes are literally skippable. You just gotta know why Goku is a kid, and you're basically good from there. I just feel like Toei didn't know what they wanted to do with GT at first because the first half of the show is all "Dragon Ball" and the 2nd half is basically DBZ. Obviously DBGT wasn't really received well in Japan, so only 64 episodes were created, but I feel that if Toei had stuck with the DBZ style all the way through, it would've been received much better and maybe around 100 episodes could have been made.

2) Basically every Saiyan not named Goku. This is one of the most common complaints about GT and I can't help but agree. There was SO much untapped potential of this show! Everytime Goku began to fail, such as in the Baby saga, he just told the rest of the fighters to give him his energy. They did this AGAIN in the Shenron saga! WHY??? Trunks and Goten as adults could have fused and became an even stronger Gotenks. There is no sense of character development in this show. I think this is due to the length. I guess Toei figured out quickly how short-lived the show would be, and figured unless they focused on Goku the whole series, they wouldn't have time to get any story in. I'm not saying they should have done a whole 20 episode hyperbolic time chamber thing again, but at least show that SOME of these fighters give a rip about their strength! I can understand Gohan being weak, because he wanted to focus on school anyways. But Vegeta? Vegeta is not gonna become SSJ4 by a machine. He would earn it the right way, by training like a beast. Don't even get me started on Trunks. I thought his role in the first 20 or so episodes was fine, but after that, I would've liked to see him take on a more aggressive role and become a big-time fighter.

3) The length. I know I said this before, but I just feel that GT was really hitting its stride towards the end of the show, episodes 58-62 were some of the best moments in all of Dragon Ball in my opinion. I just really wish it would have had better ratings because I would have loved to see more of Gogeta, maybe see Vegeta become even stronger, and maybe even have them show Goku training with Shenron and learning new abilities.

What about you guys? I just feel really strongly about this serious for some reason. I guess it is because I actually saw most of GT before Z even finished over here as a kid and it's just big time nostalgia for me. I know most people hate this show, and there are some big time negatives, but I still think it's a great show myself.

[TheMightyOzaru]

I like Ssj4, the Shadow Dragon concept, Baby's concept, and the music. I dislike practically everything else.

[dbzfan7]

Likes
-SSJ4
-Shadow Dragons idea (only the last 3 were any good)
-Bebi/saga (needs some tweeks in the saga as it dragged)
-SSJ4 Gogeta
-Final Shine Attack (before they made Vegeta do the final flash hand position)
-The Ending was great

Upper Middle
-Pan (I like and hate her sometimes, mostly like)

Bad
-Everything Else

[DBZ Mick]

My likes are pretty much the same as yourself, TC.

* I pretty much like GT equal to the Artifical Human/Cell and Boo arcs. Those arcs were better written and fights were more enjoyable etc. but I enjoyed GT about the same in some other aspects.

* The music was terrific, so many great tracks there. Loved the music when Goku is doing the Genki Dama, the music when Goku fights some of the Evil Dragons. The aformentioned piano theme of Dan Dan, all 4 end credits- Love Rusty Machine Gun and Don't You See!

* Super Saiyan 4. Something refreshing and different. Loved how it was a mixture of Oozaru and Super Saiyan.

* The Art Style- The animation is pretty consistent in GT and has some really beautiful backdrops/locations- the coloured skies of the Evil Dragon arc, the fight at sundown with Super #17, the forest where Goku again fights Super #17 for example amongst many more. I also really like all the character designs barring Gohan and Goten looking too similar.

* Some of the plot- I really liked the whole Grand Tour of the universe, the execution and plot were a little so-so. I actually really enjoyed the Evil Dragon arc- silly Dragons included so that's probably my favourite. Elements of the Super #17 arc.

* The ending- along with the TV special, terrific and I liked that while it went full circle it also had some mystery to it with Goku's ultimate fate being ambiguious. As mentioned those final few episodes are really really good.

* Gill- especially in Japanese he's super adorable.

* Funi's dub. This is the only dub I enjoy from their original set of dubs nowadays.


Didn't like-

Execution. The whole thing just isn't that well planned out or at least executed well. The fights are pretty sloppy at times. The lack of Toriyama's full influence can be felt. Oob getting really strong only to be pushed aside pretty quick, letting barely any other character shine.

The logic of the show and strength plotting.

But Vegeta? Vegeta is not gonna become SSJ4 by a machine. He would earn it the right way, by training like a beast

See Vegeta has had help before in Z so that never bothered me.

[Saiga]

Like:

1) Gill. Always had a soft spot for him.

2) Final Shine & Kamehameha x10

3) Baby's design

4) the idea of merging Oob and Boo

Middle:

1) Super Saiyan 4. I like the concept of combining Oozaru and Super Saiyan, but I don't like the actual design itself or it's magic clothing. I also don't really like the Golden Oozaru.

Dislike:

Everything else. Well, there's "dislike" and "hate" but I won't bother going into it because there is too much to list.

[InfernalVegito]

I like everything and don't dislike anything. What I don't list just enjoys my indifference.

SSJ4 obiovusly. It looks drastically different and ties in with the Saiyajins heritage.
Every major villains' death and the battle against them.
The fact that GT is way more colorful, especially in the Shadow Dragon arc when the sky gets this misty, green-ish and purple like color. I presume that's the negative energy from the dragons.
SSJ4 Gogeta. Even though it would have been better in my view if they made him show his true power, but I guess there's no point in that if you're already the strongest existence in the history of everything.
The brutality of GT. It definitely had some scenes that look gruesome, punches that look painful, where entire backs protrude from them or Yi Xing Long's Dragon Thunder. Quite cringe-worthy.
The reduction of overly exaggerated and melodramatic scenes when characters just stand around and talk and talk and do nothing but regurgitate generic lines.
The way characters used ki attacks and beams in a more creative way. For instance Baby Vegeta's ki barrage that misses Son Goku but then immediately comes right back at him from behind or when Baby possessed Son Gohan shoots the Kamehameha wave at Piccolo down in the crater and then the beam splits into four trenches.
And most importantly the godlike soundtrack. It's the most fitting of all series and perfectly captures the explorative, adventurous theme of the show. Very nostalgic.

[DragonBoxZTheMovies]

Like:
- Episode 64

Dislike:
- Episodes 1-63

[penguintruth]

I like the concept of going across the galaxy looking for Dragon Balls on different planets, making the DB story more of an adventure again. I like some of the character and mechanical designs. And yeah, I like Pan. I even kind of enjoy the evil dragons, as consequences of using the Dragon Balls for so long. The soundtrack is decent, too. Finally, the last few minutes of the last episode are great.

I hate pretty much everything else about it. How the adventure is set up, the plot holes, the characters they chose to go on the adventure, the inconsistent power levels, the fact that a gun can make Vegeta go SSJ4, the show not knowing what it wants to be, and really, just how utterly pointless and unnecessary the whole show is.

[SativaSam]

One thing I'll never forget about GT is how awesome the 10x Kamehameha is in Japanese. Used to act like an idiot as a kid and say it along with Goku "JUBEI! KA-ME-HA" you get the point haha.

I also forgot to mention how cool the concept of the shadow dragons was. The first couple of dragons were pretty forgettable, but the whole idea of Earth finally getting punished for constantly using the Dragon Balls to bring people back to life over and over again was really awesome.

Oh, and SSJ4 Gogeta is one of my favorite characters in all of DB, so it really ticked me off that he saw such little air time. I know that's kinda the idea of the fusions, to be really powerful for a short period of time, but it would've been nice to just see a total beatdown of Omega Shenron and not have to have Goku pull himself together to do the universal spirit bomb, even though that particular spirit bomb was awesome.

I have to admit, when I watched GT for the first time, it was via bootlegs. A mall that was about 45 minutes away from where I live had a boutique set up that sold nothing but Dragon Ball stuff. Everything from bootlegs of the series and movies subtitled (this was around 2002 or so I think, so obviously GT wasn't even over here yet) to having the entire Super Battle Collection figures. The first thing I ever bought was the VHS (lol) of Goku turning into SSJ4 so my mind was just blown over what was happening. I doubt I had even seen SSJ2 yet, so to see something like that was just amazing. I eventually went back and bought some more of them, I asked the clerk which part to start with so that's what I did. He ordered me the rest of the Baby saga and some more. I honestly only saw the "highlights" of GT (Baby fight, Super 17 fight, Gogeta, etc) when I first watched it so I thought GT was nothing but epic and awesome. Obviously there are some very slow parts (see: first 20 or so episodes) so looking back it's pretty funny that the only bootlegs I had were of the best parts of GT. As a result, when I talk about GT, it's really near and dear to me because I remember GT just as much as I remember watching Z on Toonami every day.

[Hellspawn28]

Like:

- The music

- Super 17 did look pretty awesome

- I like Bebi as a villain

- Some of the fight scenes were enjoyable

Dislike:

- Everything else.

[MDSTSSJ]

I have to begin with my most dislike in the entire DB franchise: Turn Kakarotto in to a kid again in the whole GT!!!! I truly love when Goku is a kid in DB but, GT fucked up! I hate that shitty idea!

Too much Goku. Yes, Kakarotto is the main character but, I would have liked to see much more of the other fighters.

Too much energy balls. I like more the bare hand fights or a combination of both.

Likes:

The art style is very very good and consistent.

Very good original soundtracks but DBZ have the best.

Vegeta´s new look without mustache. He looks more badass in GT than the others sagas.

Bebi´s Arc.

Super N 17. He looks badass.

Shadow Dragons idea is one of the best in the entire DB franchise but is not too well performed.

SSJ4 Kakarotto is an spectacular transformation. SSJ4 Vegeta looks very good too but, don´t like the blue eyes on him with that transformation, those eyes color don´t match with SSJ4 ( yes I know, he´s not a true SSJ4 ).

SSJ4 Gogeta is amazing too.

[Cipher]

1) Everything about Super Saiyan 4. I thought the way they did the transformation process was just terrific. The idea of having Goku have to go back to his "roots" of a Saiyan, get his tail pulled out, and become a Golden Oozaru was just really fun to watch if you ask me. Obviously SSJ1-3 were all epic transformations, but it was refreshing to see Goku achieve a new power level without just getting extremely pissed off and screaming. Was nice to see them try something different.

2) The entire soundtrack. I'd argue that the Japanese GT soundtrack was the best soundtrack in any of the DB english/japanese animes. Everything from good old Dan Dan (also really enjoyed Vic's english version) to the battle music. I used to get goosebumps watching the episode recaps with an alternative version of Dan Dan with piano. I also really really enjoyed the ending themes (besides the 1st one)

4) The art style. I LOVED the way GT looked. I don't even know how to put it into words. I guess it is the color palette. Outside of SSJ4 Goku's' weird color scheme, I just thought the way everybody looked from an artstyle standpoint was really special.

5) The ending. I feel that GT actually has an ending. For as much praise as everybody gives Z, the "ending" of it was seriously lackluster. I thought it was so creative to have Goku absorb into Shenron and basically bring eternal peace to the world.

Absolutely these four, to the point that they really override any of the series' flaws. It has its problems, it's studio-driven, but it's also this wonderful, pastel-colored epilogue where the characters are old and frumpy and everything's dripping with nostalgia.

Add this as a positive for me as well:

3) The length.

For dislikes? The usual: It's too Goku-centric; we lost the great ensemble cast they'd been building up. The first fifteen episodes, much as I love the concept and want to enjoy them, are truly a bore. Little things that absolutely should be explained aren't. I'm not one for strength debates, but come on: How distracting is it that Gohan can suddenly go Super Saiyan again?

Overall though, I really enjoy it and find it a worthy addition to the franchise. A lot of its success is based on tone and direction alone (like, literally how it's directed, not its plot progression), but that doesn't mean it isn't a joy to watch.

As with every portion of the series, your mileage may vary.

[Kid Buu]

I thought it was good in theory, and I love the return to the roots (Dragon Ball hunt, Oozaru, etc.). The plot was generally good, except for the Super #17 arc which felt like I was watching a compilation of DBZ Greatest Hits - battling Freeza, Cell, #17 again.

Main problem with it? Goku time. I'm aware he is the main character of the series and he'll be the guy taking main event villains, but even when Z did this at least storylines were given to other characters. We still got to see the storylines between Mr. Satan & Fat Buu, Vegeta & Future Trunks, Gohan & Videl, etc. that made the series so intriguing in the first place.

[Blade]

The problem is all in the execution. GT has ten great ideas for every one bad idea - but it more-or-less fails to execute anything properly.

I've come to learn that Dragonball fans tend to have pretty powerful imaginations - and I think that GT appeals to the imagination in a very teasing way. There are so many little moments in the series when I'd think "Wow! Things are really going to take off here!" or "Wow, it would be so cool if this happened next!"... But ultimately the end result always ends up being neither.

[Fizzer]

The last time I watch the series, in Japanese for the first time, GT was actually the part that I enjoyed the most.

In DBZ and even sometimes DB, with their long fights with completely eventless filler sections, drawn out so much that they swamp everything that isn't fighting, (and Toriyama's fear of writing romantic or emotional scenes) a lot of the time it feels like the characters are just warriors, and not people. GT really brings out that they are people with emotions, relationships and lives outside of saving the world. It doesn't even give that much extra time to "character" stuff, but it gives it what it needs, and that little subtlety makes the series far more enjoyable. GT just feels less like a sequence of events.

There's the music, too. Kikuchi's score for DB and DBZ is great, but GT's emotive soundtrack is really something amazing. The background music of a TV show, video game or anything else is a tremendously important aspect of the experience, that tends not to be given enough credit. GT would lose a lot of it's magic if it didn't have music, or it just used the DB/Z soundtrack.

Then there's the classic one: the ending. The ending to Dragon Ball GT is one of those things like Toy Story 3, where you have to put effort into holding the tears back. You can't really put your finger on whether it's sad or happy, it's just evocative, and it really feels like it gives closure to the story as well, unlike the ending to Z. I know that Toriyama actually wanted an ending that wasn't really an ending, but I prefer the way GT handled the end. I can only imagine what it must have been like for viewers in Japan during the original airing, who had been watching one episode a week for over ten years. When Goku reminisced about his life at the end, he would have also been taking them back ten years in their own lives. Since there were no home releases of the series at that time, it would have actually been years since they experienced those events.

All that aside, the plot GT does feel less well written the main story; it feels like something that gets aired at 2PM on a Thursday afternoon. I suppose it's just one of those "it's rubbish, but I really enjoy it anyway" kind of things. It's sort of like Twilight and Glee, in that most people who are fans of it know that it's bad, it just somehow resonates with them and makes them happy.

There's only one things I'd really like to change about GT, and it's how Goku-centric it is. GT makes all of the characters feel more real, but then doesn't really use anyone but Goku when it comes to major events, leaving them as mere spectators every single time. I understand that you can sell a lump of turd for £5 if you stick Goku's face on it, but this was the one creative decision that let down the show, and it's probably the biggest contributor to the "bad writing" of GT as well.

[Gyt Kaliba]

I'll start off by again stealing a line from MagicBox (which could prove amusing if he happens across this ), since I still feel it's pretty much the best summation of Dragon Ball GT I've ever read - GT is a series that is chock full of really good, fun, and creative ideas...it just doesn't use any of them very well.

That said, the main things I always enjoy when I go back to the series or just think about it are a lot of what's already been said. I love the concept of Super Saiyan 4, it's design, how it's different from the previous three forms in every way, it's just a really cool form. I also really enjoy the music, possibly more so than I do anything in the previous two series, which is saying a lot. I also enjoy Pan quite a bit, she's probably one of my favorite characters in GT. Also, Giru, same thing going on there.

Oh, and I guess for the vocal side of things, I really like the guy (whose name escapes me) who plays Baby, at least at first. He does this really creepily quiet-calm reading that is just eerie for the first so many parts of the character, then he unfortunately kind of drops that once he gets to Baby-Vegeta.

The main thing I love though is the Evil Dragons arc, at least in idea. The concept is great, it makes the Dragon Balls completely relevant in the story again, and for the first time makes them the problem instead of the solution. And it ties in perfectly with Old Kai's misgivings about overusing the Dragon Balls from the end of the manga. It's just a great concept.

Then there's everything else about GT that makes me cringe - the pacing, the bad story ideas, the bad execution of every other good story idea...if I had to pick the main, number one thing, that I dislike about GT though? Oob. Talk about dropping the ball. They had the chance to play creative with a new character, one who barely had anything to do in the manga and could actually be strong enough to be relevant in this story, and they even start to head that way...but then they drop him like he's nothing, for absolutely NO reason other than to return to Goku time. F**k that. I'm also not really a fan of Oob's voice in Japanese either, the actor just doesn't seem to gel well with the rest of the cast, much less play the character very enthusiastically - but that's probably hardly his fault on the latter, given that I'm sure he could tell pretty well how badly this was all going for his character...

[FortuneSSJ]

Sometimes I think how uub would turn out if toriyama-sama himself followed the story.

[ForestEquilibrium]

Admittedly I haven't seen it in Japanese yet (waiting for the hopefully eventual Funi DBox release, but if not I'll guess I'll have to resort to getting the green bricks), but from what I've seen of it generally and not specific to either version (Dubbed or Original):

Likes:

- The animation style. I really dig the darker, shadowed sort of look without sacrificing the vibrant colours, it works wonders for characters like Nuova Shenron and for Goku/Vegeta in their SSJ4 forms

- The Shadow Dragon arc was a fantastic idea that I'm surprised Toriyama himself didn't implement in the original run. If he did, I sure it would've worked way better than how Toei executed it.

- The designs for the main villains were all pretty cool, especially Baby Vegeta and Super 17.

- The ending was indeed very well done, certainly provides much more closure than Toriyama's ending to the manga.

- The buildup to Baby was fairly interesting (as in, from the discovery of Luud until the confrontation with Dr. Myuu)

Dislikes:

- Most of the Black Star Dragon Ball hunt is balls (no pun intended )

- On that subject, what was the point of the BSDBs other than to serve as a plot device to "raise the stakes"? Admittedly it's been quite a while since I've watched it, but was it ever said why they were made? Also, if they were meant to exist in the first place, wouldn't Kami/Piccolo/Dende have warned the other characters about their usage much earlier? Or hell, they could've been used to kill Cell or Boo, sure that risks the planet being blown up but they would probably find a way to use Porunga to wish it back like in the Boo arc.

- I have to echo the complaint that anyone who's not Goku or Pan were thrown to the back burner. It's especially disheartening to see some of the strongest fighters in Z (Gohan, Vegeta, Mr. Boo) reduced to almost tertiary status and complete non-threats to the villains.

- The reversion of Goku's character. While it is fun seeing a child with a more mature mind (albeit a manchild's), it really felt like a desperate attempt to get the naivete he had in the original series back and overall it didn't really do anything to further his development. This especially bugged me when he got his tail back, Toriyama stopped giving him one for a reason.

- SSJ4, while a cool design (at least for Goku and Gogeta, Vegeta's mullet looks pretty silly), proves purely as a means to an end seeing as Goku beats most of the villains in his base form. Also, I remember being disappointed as a kid knowing Vegeta was going to go SSJ4 (I had seen pictures/listings of the toy in the Beckett magazines, along w/ some internet research), only for it happen late in the series and more used as an excuse to show off SSJ4 Gogeta.

- The premise of the Super 17 arc, besides the main villain, in really just a rehash of movie 12. While it was cool to see Cell and Freeza again, they were kind of pointless seeing as they were non-threats anyway regardless of the "training" they did in Hell.

- Overall, the series felt really disjointed, they were so many ideas thrown that they seemed to just throw them and see what sticks. So many things are introduced for no reason other than to show how "kewl" Goku is, and even that backfires sometimes due to how little payoff there is for the SSJ4 form. Toriyama did this too sometimes of course yet it still felt like he gave some structure to it, most of the time in GT I was left wondering "what was the point of that?".

[SativaSam]

One thing I forgot to put that I dislike about GT was in the opening around episode 25 or so, the opening shows SSJ4 Goku! WTF? If I were watching GT for the first time ever and didn't know anything about the form, I'd be really upset that I was spoiled as to what SSJ4 Goku looks like before even seeing him turn into it.

[Hellspawn28]

The whole Super 17 saga would have been better if they did something like #22 instead. The whole saga feels rush and felt like it was only create just for the stake of boosting up ratings.