Predictable does not bad make. Storytelling is a process, and the Trunks television special followed that process, and let it build, because it was actually interested in the process. Toriyama's worst writing comes from when he is absolutely just trying to hit plot beats, without even trying to make the telling of that story interesting.capsulecorp wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 11:08 amI actually thought that change was really disappointing. It's heavy-handed and melodramatic and really just a lazy callback to Goku unlocking Super Saiyan after Krillin dies. It's tidy and predictable and obvious and, when Dragon Ball is at its best, it should be none of things.The Monkey King wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 10:56 am Trunks was given an entire arc of trying to become a super saiyan so he could help Gohan fight the Androids, only for him to unlock said transformation because of Gohan's death. That right there is some tragic irony.
Toriyama's 'History of Trunks' is quite infamous for just how bare bones it is compared to the anime special, to appreciate the original work is one thing but to say it's a "better story" just because he drew it is laughable.
Curveballs are fun to throw, but when your story is nothing but curveballs, there's nothing for the audience to latch on to. Toriyama tries so hard to be unpredictable and break 'conventional rules' that he's breaking too many rules. Ironically, it's the constant edgy attempts at breaking the rules of characterization that is what's ultimately left Gokuu so flat and one-dimensional as a character.