We all thought that the Dragonball Z hype would someday fade, overshadowed by newer shonen anime. How the hell did it stage this comeback? After 3 movies that somehow breathed new life into the franchise, Akira Toriyama sets up a whole new Dragonball series with all the old favourites and some new interesting ones.
Characters: 9/10
The first few episodes tell us what happened with the Z-Warriors after defeating Buu. We get to see what battle-hungry fighters do during a moment of peace (for a while). Vegeta’s scenes with his family were especially cute and heartwarming. The new antagonist, Beerus, provides an all-new level of power for our heroes to explore. What’s fun is that all of the characters have some sort of funny quirk that will always ensure that things won’t be super serious all the time. Another interesting fact is that Goku is no longer just a “Mary Sue” who will beat everyone he crosses eventually. Now, Goku’s (and even Vegeta’s) flaws are pointed out, and they are actually given more room to grow as characters.
Plot: 5/10
The first few episodes were a retelling of the Battle of the Gods, and for a while now, the plot remains one-dimensional. Right now, it’s just: get a power, go to point A and back, fight this guy, “lose”, fight another day. However, there’s some great foreshadowing for things to come. It’s still too early in the series to tell, though.
Music: 5/10
Underwhelming. Given the hype music in the movies, you’d think it’d be better.
Voice-acting: 7/10
Top-notch. I still question the voice actor for the goku-clan boys, though.
Animation: 7/10
Art is definitely a step up, but the animation is derpy here and there, especially in episode 5. They have stepped things up in the later episodes, though.
Personal enjoyment: 10/10
This is a biased opinion, but hell, IT’S A NEW GODDAMNED DBZ SERIES. After all these years, I never thought I’d be able to watch new material again!
Overall rating: 8/10
Definitely worth watching if you’re into shounen. Hell, if you’re a shounen fan, this should definitely be at the top of your list.
Written by Mikey
Published by Xavier Bartolome