Dragon Ball Super

Not to be confused with Super Dragon Ball Z.
Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super title card
ドラゴンボール超（スーパー）
(Doragon Bōru Sūpā)
Genre Comedy, Martial Arts, Science Fantasy
Manga
Written by Akira Toriyama
Illustrated by Toyotarō
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine V Jump
Original run June 20, 2015 – present
Volumes 1
Anime television series
Directed by Kimitoshi Chioka (Series Director, #1-)
Morio Hatano (Series Director, #33-)
Produced by Osamu Nozaki (Fuji TV)
Naoko Sagawa (Yomiko Advertising Inc.)
Atsushi Kido (Toei Animation)[1]
Written by Akira Toriyama (Story & Character Draft)[2]
Music by Norihito Sumitomo
Studio Toei Animation
Network Fuji TV
English network
Original run July 5, 2015[3] – present
Episodes 41
Dragon Ball franchise

Dragon Ball Super (Japanese: ドラゴンボール超（スーパー） Hepburn: Doragon Bōru Sūpā) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation that began airing on July 5, 2015.[3] It is a sequel show to the Dragon Ball manga and the first Dragon Ball television series featuring a new storyline in 18 years. It is set after the defeat of Majin Boo when Earth has become peaceful once again. It is broadcast on Sundays at 9:00 am on Fuji TV.[1]

Plot

With Majin Boo defeated, peace returns to Earth. Son Goku is a radish farmer. His family and friends live peaceful lives.[4] However, a new threat appears in the form of Beerus who is the God of Destruction (破壊神ビルス Hakaishin Birusu). Considered the most terrifying being in the entire universe, Beerus is eager to fight the legendary warrior seen in a prophecy known as the Super Saiyan God (超（スーパー）サイヤ人ゴッド Sūpā Saiya-jin Goddo).[5]

The series retells the events from the last two Dragon Ball Z films, Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', before proceeding to an original story about the exploration of alternate universes.[6]

Production

In addition to his role as series creator, Akira Toriyama is also credited for the "original story and character design concepts" of the new anime directed by Kimitoshi Chioka.[1] Toei Animation producer Atsushi Kido previously worked on Dragon Ball Z for a brief time during the Freeza arc, while Fuji TV producer Osamu Nozaki said he has been a fan of the series since childhood.[7] Morio Hatano, series director of Saint Seiya Omega (Episodes #1-51), joined Chioka as series director with Episode #33. Hatano previously directed Episodes #6 and #14.[2]

Masako Nozawa reprises her roles as Son Goku, Son Gohan, and Son Goten.[1] Most of the original cast reprise their roles as well.[6][8] However, Jōji Yanami's roles as Kaiō-sama and the narrator were indefinitely taken over by Naoki Tatsuta with episode 12, so that Yanami could take medical leave.[9] Kōichi Yamadera and Masakazu Morita also return as Beerus and Whis, respectively.[8]

The first preview of the series aired on June 14, 2015, following episode 157 of Dragon Ball Kai.[10] The next day, the main promotional image for Dragon Ball Super was added to its official website and unveiled two new characters,[8] who were later revealed to be named Shanpa (シャンパ) and Vados (ヴァドス), respectively.[11] A thirty-second trailer including the new characters was uploaded to the series' official website on June 26, 2015.[12]

Dragon Ball Super will receive an English-language dub that will premiere on the Toonami channel in Southeast Asia and India in 2016.[13]

Music

Norihito Sumitomo, the composer for Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', is scoring Dragon Ball Super.[14][2] An original soundtrack for the anime was released on CD by Nippon Columbia on February 24, 2016.[15]

The opening theme song is "Chōzetsu Dynamic!" (超絶☆ダイナミック！, "Excellent Dynamic!") by Kazuya Yoshii of The Yellow Monkey. The lyrics were penned by Yukinojo Mori who has written numerous songs for the Dragon Ball series.[16] The first ending theme song for episodes 1 to 12 is "Hello Hello Hello" (ハローハローハロー Harō Harō Harō) by Japanese rock band Good Morning America,.[16] The second ending theme song for episodes 13 to 25 is "Starring Star" (スターリングスター Sutāringu Sutā) by Key Talk.[17] The third ending theme song for episodes 26 to 36 is "Usubeni" (薄紅, "Light Pink") by Lacco Tower. The fourth ending theme song for episodes 37 to onwards is “Forever Dreaming” by Czecho No Republic.[18]

Related media

The Dragon Ball Super anime is being adapted into a companion manga illustrated by artist Toyotarō, who was previously responsible for the official Resurrection 'F' manga adaptation.[19] It began serialization in the August 2015 issue of V Jump, which was released on June 20, 2015.[20] Shueisha began collecting the chapters into tankōbon volumes with the first published on April 4, 2016.[21]

The anime episodes are being released in Japanese DVD and Blu-ray sets that contain twelve episodes each. The first set was released on December 2, 2015. The second set was released on March 2, 2016.[22]

Reception

First impressions of the series' debut episode were mostly positive due to the quality of animation being praised the most.[23] Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku praised the series' title sequence and said "My middle-school self is so happy right now, you guys."[24] Jamieson Cox of The Verge also praised the title sequence and said that "Dragon Ball Super's intro will have you begging for its North American release". Cox was also surprised that, considering how popular the franchise is, the series did not launch internationally at the same time. He called it "a move that wouldn't be unprecedented" giving Sailor Moon Crystal as an example.[25] Lucas Siegel of Comicbook.com praised the debut episode for its "laid back plotline" and animation style and said that the debut was "very much put out as a "slice of life" episode". Siegel also noted that the premiere episode was more of a "where are they now" introduction to the series that will eventually help build anticipation for "where will they be."[26]

However, the fifth episode received harsh criticism from Japanese and Western audiences due to its poor animation style compared to the previous four episodes.[27][28] Dragon Ball Kai and Resurrection 'F' producer Norihiro Hayashida felt that the criticism was overblown. He said that people were criticizing the entire series based on a few bad sequences that were done by new animators. He went on to explain a quality decline in the anime industry that he believes is the result of studios cutting time given for post-production and not allowing for reviews of the final product.[29] Toei Animation has improved the animation for episode five's Blu-ray and DVD release.[30]

References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "Dragon Ball Gets 1st New TV Anime in 18 Years in July". Anime News Network. April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
    2. 1 2 3 "Dragon Ball Super (TV)". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
    3. 1 2 "Dragon Ball Super TV Anime Debuts on July 5". Anime News Network. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
    4. ↑ テレビシリーズ初！鳥山明オリジナル原案！「ドラゴンボール」テレビアニメーション 新シリーズ放送決定！ [Original TV series! Original concept by Akira Toriyama! New "Dragon Ball" TV series broadcast date set!] (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
    5. ↑ あらすじ｜ドラゴンボール超 (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
    6. 1 2 作品情報 [Credits] (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
    7. ↑ "Toei Animation Begins Production on Dragon Ball Super" (PDF) (Press release). Tokyo: Toei Animation. April 28, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
    8. 1 2 3 "Dragon Ball Super Main Visual Reveals 2 New Characters". Anime News Network. June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
    9. ↑ "Naoki Tatsuta Temporarily Replaces Jouji Yanami as Kaiō/Narrator in Dragon Ball Super Anime". Anime News Network. September 25, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
    10. ↑ "Dragon Ball Super TV Anime Teased in 1st Preview Video". Anime News Network. June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
    11. ↑ 「ドラゴンボール超」新キャラ登場のビジュアル、Vジャンではマンガ版始動. Natalie (in Japanese). June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
    12. ↑ "Dragon Ball Super's Extended Commercial Introduces New Characters". Anime News Network. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
    13. ↑ "Toonami Snaps up ‘Dragon Ball Super’". Animation World Network. November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
    14. ↑ Seeto, Damian (May 31, 2015). "Composer Returns To Score Dragon Ball Super TV Series". attackofthefanboy.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
    15. ↑ "日本コロムビア | ドラゴンボール超 オリジナルサウンドトラック". 日本コロムビア | ドラゴンボール超 オリジナルサウンドトラック. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
    16. 1 2 "Kazuya Yoshii, Good Morning America to Perform Theme Songs For Dragon Ball Super". Anime News Network. May 19, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
    17. ↑ "VIDEO: KEYTALK Performs New ED Song for "Dragon Ball Super"". Crunchyroll. October 1, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
    18. ↑ "Dragon Ball Super To Introduce A New Theme This April". attackofthefanboy. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
    19. ↑ Chiok, Christian (May 16, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super To Get A Manga Adaptation As Well". shonengamez.com. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
    20. ↑ 鳥山明ストーリー原案の「ドラゴンボール」新アニメ、Vジャンでコミカライズ. Natalie (in Japanese). May 21, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
    21. ↑ "ドラゴンボール超　　1" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
    22. ↑ Blu-ray・DVD情報｜ドラゴンボール超 東映アニメーション (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
    23. ↑ Seeto, Damian (July 4, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super First Impressions On Debut Episode". attackofthefanboy.com. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
    24. ↑ Eisenbeis, Richard (July 5, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super's Intro Makes My Inner Child So Happy". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
    25. ↑ Cox, Jamieson (July 6, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super's intro will have you begging for its North American release". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
    26. ↑ Siegel, Lucas (July 7, 2015). "REVIEW: Dragon Ball Super Episode 1 Delivers Nostalgic Excitement". comicbook.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
    27. ↑ Barder, Ollie (August 12, 2015). "Japanese Fans Are Not Happy With The Animation In 'Dragon Ball Super'". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
    28. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (August 10, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super Looks Super Crappy". Kotaku. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
    29. ↑ "Interview: The Past, Present and Future of Dragon Ball". Anime News Network. March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
    30. ↑ "Toei Animation Fixes Dragon Ball Super Episode 5 - Dragon Ball Universe - Comic Vine". comicvine.gamespot.com. Retrieved 2016-03-11.

    External links

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