DragonBall: Greatest Anime Ever?

masenko · Post by **masenko** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 11:16 pm

You've heard the topic and I know that if you're on this site, then you're deifnitely a huge fan of Dragon Ball. I want to know if you guys agree with me. When I look at the DragonBall tale from episode 1 of DB to 291 of DBZ, I see one of the greatest stories ever told through animation. I was wondering if you guys agree. I mean, this is the essential anime to watch, people everywhere know about it and it's not known for it's videogames or it's car collections(Pokemon), rather DragonBall is known for it's trmendous action and story arcs. Basically what I am asking is when it comes to it, is DragonBall the greatest anime of all time? If not then what else???

Mr. Robot · Post by **Mr. Robot** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 11:26 pm

For me, Dragon Ball is a guilty pleasure. It's good anime, but gratuitous filler content and plot holes get in the way. The manga (which does have plot holes, but less) is much more tight and connected, and tells a better story.

But even if we're just discussing story, the title of greatest anime ever must undoubtedly go to Cowboy Bebop. I watch Dragon Ball more (I even bought Z vol. 1), but Cowboy Bebop is undoubtedly better.

masenko · Post by **masenko** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 11:29 pm

Bebop is insanely good. It gets what it needs to get done in such a short run. I just find DragonBall more entertaining because of how epic and long the series is. I love seeing characters grow and expand while in Bebop you don't spend enough time with the characters until basically, they are dead...

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 2:33 am

Eh, I'd call the Anime mediocre...it's a guilty pleasure for me, like it is for Mr. Robot. There are many much, much better Anime's out there. Animation wise, it stands at the bottom of the food chain (at least, the majority of it.) and there are many other downfalls.

And, like Mr. Robot, I think the Manga tells a much more tight-knit, effective, "realistic" story. Many people don't agree with me, but whatever.

I'd say that, as an anime, YuYu Hakusho trumps Dragonball / Z, as does Rurouni Kenshin, Tenjho Tenge, Gungrave, Cowboy Bepop, and a few dozen more I am too tired to recite at the moment.

Dayspring · Post by **Dayspring** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 7:37 am

My favorites are still Record of Lodoss War and Naruto. I prefer DB's manga to its anime counterpart for the same reasons Mr. Robot mentioned.

Gah. Hopefully people will back up their posts with explanations so that this doesn't turn into a "what's your favorite anime?" thread.

Conan the SSJ · Post by **Conan the SSJ** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:18 pm

My favorite anime would have to be Neon Genesis Evangelion, I'm still burning to get the two culminating movies to the series, but I do have the definitive Platinum set. The DragonBall anime trilogy series comes in a very close second though, and I absolutely love it to its very core and essence. One thing I know for sure, if I had a free full week, I wouldn't turn down watching Goku's entire legacy from the Bardock special, all the way through the final 8 minutes of GT episode 64. It's all connected for me, and as long as I include a few specific DBZ movies I mentioned on other threads, makes up perfect continuity from my crazy point of view of the anime canon. Still though, Evangelion, owns, you haven't lived till you've seen that series from the Platinum box-set.

Mr. Announcer · Post by **Mr. Announcer** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:55 pm

Yeah, I have to say I'm probably the only one who would agree that DB/Z is the greatest anime series of all time. Don't get me wrong, I mean, I've seen plenty of other animes that I think are excellent and are all animated faaar better than DB and if you think of it purely in the sense of the cartoon, maybe it gets beat. However, I still find DB to have the best characters and atmosphere of any cartoon. I hate to argue it based on length but that's definitely part of its allure because all of the characters have so much of a history together and you've seen some of them develop to adulthood and beyond. It creates a much deeper attachment and characters that have many dimensions, especially since Mr. Toriyama is very flexible about them. They don't have that one track mind with a few quirks that many anime characters are a victim of since they were only created for a 26 episode run. DB is a world that can just keep expanding. I've never seen anything more imaginative or in better style in the history of my cartoon watching. But that could just be me. In my opinion most other anime's are just cutesy crap or porn and we're lucky here that we mostly get the good stuff that comes out of japan.

the_abberration · Post by **the_abberration** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 5:43 pm

With all the anime out there, it is really hard to say the Dragonball series is the greatest. For me, I'm going to go old school and say the greatest show for me is and always will be Star Blazers (Space Battlecruiser Yamato in JP).

In a time where anime was not as popular as it is today, SB was groundbreaking and was for the mature viewer (compared to Scooby Doo, Wacky Races etc.)

What Dragonball did in my opinion, was to re-spark fan intrest in anime like Gundam, Star Blazers, Robotech, etc. had done in the past. What was unique about DB (and what drew me), was that it wasn't about mech but about the people.

I believe what really made DB surge in poularity was the fact that so little was known about it when it aired in the states. It was if you were treated to only a glimpse (2 seasons) of a bigger story and had to learn through the internet or from fans of the series (when it originated in JP) of the bigger story. As you learned more about the show it felt a though you were becoming a part of a great secret "club".

I recall a point when the tapes/dvd were beyond what was on CN at the time and how good it felt during discussions of the show with people (who only had access to CN) to be able to tell them whatt they could expect in future episodes.

To sum it up, while DB may not be the greatest anime ever, it will always have the honor of being recognized as one of the pioneers (no pun intended) of anime of our era.

Conan the SSJ wrote: My favorite anime would have to be Neon Genesis Evangelion, I'm still burning to get the two culminating movies to the series, but I do have the definitive Platinum set.

If you are refereing to "Death and Rebirth" and "End of Evangelion", you really only need EoE if you have the Platinum Ed (unless it's for collection purposes). Death is a clip show of the 26 episodes and Rebirth is part of an alternate episode that you would get if you bought EoE.

Chaos Saiyajin · Post by **Chaos Saiyajin** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:14 pm

DB is my favorite anime and manga, so yep, I think it's the best ever! My runner-ups would have to be Naruto, One Piece, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Of course, my dumbass friends would all say the o so shitty Inuyasha...

Conan the SSJ · Post by **Conan the SSJ** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:08 am

Chaos Saiyajin wrote:Of course, my dumbass friends would all say the o so shitty Inuyasha...

No shit, so do some of my shitty friends, they must have kuso for brains.

Nah, I shouldn't bash Inuyasha, it's droning seasons seemed to have surpassed even Bebop in reruns. Damn, Bebop, cartoon network have shown that... how many times since it finished in 2001? Bring back Blue Gender, Case Closed, or Lupin even! Better yet, give us original DB Uncut!

oponok · Post by **oponok** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:40 am

Dragonball (including Z) is the best, in my opinion. I've come to dislike the episodic nature of television, and therefore "Drag-onBall Z," with it's realistic, all-important-events-don't-occur-within-the-same-20-minute-time-span approach to pacing and intellegent character development (in that characters don't suddenly decide to become a nice guy because they just had their ass kicked) appeals to me.

Also, Dragonball is chock full of likeable characters, whereas about everything else has two or three favorites you might like. Goku, Vegeta, Tao Pai Pai, Tien, Gohan, Piccolo, Bulma, Yamcha, Roshi, Cell, and many, many others are all great, very likeable, and distinct characters. What about other animes? We can generally only pick one or two that we really liked. Most of those characters are generally just one demensional copies of Dragonball characters such as Goku and Vegeta, anyway.

Dragonball Z also rules in the villians department. Cell, Buu and Freeza were all villians we loved, but also realised were vile, awful people/aliens/things. So superior to those lame ass bad guys we're used to seeing, who're eleven feet tall with a ridiculous outfit, a comparatively tiny head and long flowing hair, shoulder pads that unrealistically jut out at unnecessarily insanely long lengths to both sides, the personality of a tree stump that has a perminant smirk painted on it, and random magic powers that are never really defined or explained.

The animation might not have always been the best (mostly in reference to the Cell era), but when it was good, it was no doubt EXTRA good because of Toriyama's refreshing style. The fight choreography was simply the best in any anime. Camera angles and pacing were often perfect enough, but sometimes they pushed the limits and what has been done, sometimes in attempts to reference the actual manga (such as the frame appearing to be sideways, like the episode before Vegeta fights Android 19).

Other television series come out with stories so rehashed and unorganized it's pathetic. Dragonball may have plotholes, but they've never been that kind that have made the entire plot crumble for me. Maybe it's because the later stuff continues to be so good, but I think it also helps that the later stuff pays strict attention to all that came before. Vegeta's flashbacks of his early confrontations with Goku motivate his every move in the Buu Saga. The scene with Gohan lying on top of Vegeta during the fight with Cell mirrors the end of the Saiyan Saga. While some of it may seem like Akira Toriyama was making it up while he was going along, I think it doesn't matter if he did, because he did it damn well.

Yes, the filler is crap, but pretty much any anime based on a manga has filler. And it about always sucks.

Bejiita · Post by **Bejiita** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:57 am

This topic does seem to be turning into what's your favourite anime' after reading it a bit ...

I'll state this, I am not an anime fan, never will be, I won't just go and stick on anything just because it is anime, I don't even really like the term fan, am am not a fanatic of anything.

I will say though, that DBZ is the greatest cartoon I have ever watched, I have not seen the whole of DB, furthermore I've seen more of GT...but I've watched all of DBZ and the character develepoment, variety, the enemies, everything about it is just compelling. It's definately not like any other cartoon, plot holes are a minor, I don't really let myself become bothered because something isn't correct and leads to confusion, for me, both manga and anime have their qualities, I like both, but would prefer to watch it on TV.

The only anime I've watched aside from DBZ would be Pokemon, Burn-Up-W, and Tekken the movie, I haven't even watched any other anime. Sometimes Sonic X is on Jetix, I don't watch it though.

Caracal · Post by **Caracal** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 9:49 am

In all honesty I find my interest in DBZ waning as time goes on. Over the past year I've began to read more and more manga series, and when I get the chance, check out the animated version. From what I've seen of One Piece (subbed, not dubbed), YuYu and Bleach, I prefer all three to DBZ. For example, I recently saw the Usopp and Chopper vs Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas fight. This fight was so different from what I've seen in other anime that I've grown to love it. Where as the average DBZ fight can at times get a bit samey in my eyes, this particular one played greatly on Ussop's ability of deception (attacking the enemies with a "five ton hammer", tricking Mr. 4 into hitting Miss Merry Christmas) and Chopper showed that, despite (normally) being the smallest character of the crew can easily hold his own in a fight like Zoro, Sanji and Luffy can. And on a similar note, Ussop, who is one of the weaker members of the crew, can hold his own in a fight, and how the idea of helping his friends carry out their dreams helps give him a “second wind” in the fight. Also the fact that Ussop, Chopper and Nami (who's fight I've yet to see) get their own fight in the Arabasta arc is also another reason why I'm beginning to prefer it to DBZ. Kururin, Ten, Yamcha and even one of my personal favourites Piccolo were quickly cast aside in favour of the Saiyans, particularly Goku and (unfortunately) Vegeta. And another thing – this fight started in episode 114 and ended half way through 115. It didn’t carry on for what feels like forever like the vast majority of DBZ’s major fights.

I've also found Arabasta's story to be very gripping with some rather interesting twists. It's also more than Good vs Evil. Yes, it has the Straw Hat Pirates who are good and Baroque Works who are evil, but it also has some misguided rebels fighting royal guards who are trying to protect their king and the Marines/Navy who so far have had little to do with the battle but are in the area.

True I still hold DB’s story in high regard, but with every new series I read and with each new instalment, I’m loosing my interest on DBZ’s. Do I view it as the greatest Anime around? No. Truth be told, I can't think of any I view as the greatest. At the moment I can think of four that can compete for the title - One Piece, Bleach, YuYu Hakusho and Cowboy Bebop. However, I'm sure I could add on one or two more if I truly think about it.

MultilangDBZ · Post by **MultilangDBZ** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 10:40 am

I would think that nearly all mainstream anime would surpass DB/DBZ/GT in terms of brevity, plot, character development and storyline handling without question.

It's just that I love the Dragon Ball world that Toriyama created so much that I would put all other aesthetic considerations (often only taken to heart by film critics only) beneath the story itself. It's this idea of Dragon Ball that means the most to me rather than the many aesthetic shortcomings that I'm aware of which are existent in the manga and animated series of Dragon Ball.

Other anime that I like are Captain Tsubasa, Doraemon and Slam Dunk. Although this trio isn't quite mainstream now as I'm aware, the three were once mainstream.

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:00 pm

They're well-known and mainstream in Japan. It's just that here they haven't caught on in popularity. Sports anime/manga as a whole hasn't really found much of an audience in North America so far.

I disagree with the comment of most mainstream anime surpassing DB. Most mainstream anime, especially these days is okay or average at best. Things like "Cowboy Bebop" or "Vision of Escaflowne" aren't being pumped out of Japan in droves. It may have appeared that way a few years ago, because there was less anime available here, so it was the good series that got noticed and picked up. Now that we're catching up, companies are running out of quality series to license while having to supply the same amount, some would say even more, anime to the fans. Thus the companies are less picky about what they're bringing out here. A good example of this is "Peacemaker Kurogane". Don't get me wrong, I like the series enough and it had some entertaining moments, but it was also very draggy and mediocre when I compare it to superior samurai anime such as "Kenshin"(just to the end of the Kyoto arc, mind you).

So anyway, DB just isn't capable of being mediocre. It doesn't matter whether you hate the series or love it. Many of these other series that fans are raving about right now because it's the latest thing out will barely remember them two years from now. What seperates the good series from the average ones is "staying power" and "Dragonball" definitely has proven itself to have that.

saberleo · Post by **saberleo** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 4:43 pm

I can't say that dragonball was the greatest anime ever because I have yet to see all animes ever made. And that'd be a mission for me, especially because anime isn't so easy to reach here in the UK.

However, I CAN say that, of all the animes that I've seen, dragonball is the greatest that i've seen.

Tanooki Kuribo · Post by **Tanooki Kuribo** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:02 pm

I think Evangelion is the greatest anime ever, I love it so much I have two Eva DVD box sets cause I liked the cover art on the platnum series...Iam kinda a jerk like that.

Blitzen · Post by **Blitzen** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:04 pm

Conan the SSJ wrote:My favorite anime would have to be Neon Genesis Evangelion, I'm still burning to get the two culminating movies to the series, but I do have the definitive Platinum set.

Definitive, unless someone has the seven individual volumes in a box, or the Gainax monolith set, or ADV does a better release, or Gainax does a DTS release of the TV series... :p

Mr. Robot · Post by **Mr. Robot** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:18 pm

Two things:

1. The anime is simply too long. And most of it, unfortunately, is not fighting or character development or the good stuff, but just staring, crappy filler (who cares about Bulma during the Goku/Freeza battle?) and stuff like that. I would much prefer a shorter series that added very little to the core manga.

2. DBZ is still good. I watch it more than any other anime. I am not a member in any other board devoted to an anime. But objectively, it is not one of the best.

masenko · Post by **masenko** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:15 pm

I just don't think that other animes can compare when it comes to story arcs and the sheer depth of characters. As well as how DB is a tale involving humans and martial arts that doesn't go into any kind of science fiction until the Cell arc.

Kanzenshuu

DragonBall: Greatest Anime Ever?

DragonBall: Greatest Anime Ever?

Who is online