Dragon Ball Daima first impression

 Salutations you Spiky-Haired Saiyans and Greetings to every God of Destruction, It’s the Koolest kroc in Universe 7, Kolonel Krank with my thoughts on Dragon Ball Daima!

 

 

(I will say, this show gets some points for not wasting entire arcs recapping movies like how Super started out)

 So, I sort of umed and awed about whether or not I wanted to review this on the blog since it’s technically not video game or movie related but A.) I did go to the fathom event and saw the first 3 episodes in theaters and B.) This is my blog, and I make the rules XD.  All joking aside though, I did sort of want a reason to gush because I absolutely love Dragon Ball and I figured this would be as good a place as any to do that. So with that said, let’s dive into the demon world on a brand new Dragon Ball Adventure! So, starting off with the basic premise, the show takes place in-between the defeat of Kid Buu and the beginning of Battle of Gods. All seems well for Goku and his friends until a new band of villains led by the Demon King Gomah steal the Dragon Balls and wish for our heroes to become children again in order to diminish their power. Now, if anyone’s been watching Dragon Ball for a while then they’ll probably recognize this set-up as being remarkably similar to that of the often-maligned Dragon Ball GT, another show in which Goku is turned into a child again thanks to a wish on the Dragon Balls. Leading to Goku and the Supreme Kai joining a demonic gunslinger on a journey to the Demon Realm to confront Gomah and change themselves back to normal.

 

 

 

(I almost forget to mention Dr.Arinsu. Degesu's sister and one of the more...ostentatious designs. Seriously, this character dressing like the daughter of Elvira and Castlevaina's interpretation of Dracula. I kind of love how ridiculous she looks, especially that hair.)

 

Thankfully, Daima takes the same idea and vastly improves upon the idea. Where GT used Goku’s regression into childhood for comedic relief more than anything, Daima actually gets clever with the idea and forces the writer to change how to approach both the story and Dragon Ball’s iconic fight scenes. For instance, Goku finds his punches and kicks to be far less effective than before due to his short limbs not having the same reach they did when he was an adult, forcing him to grab his power pole from the original Dragon Ball and fight using that. Goku also has to relearn how to fly, doesn’t even go Super Saiyan in the 3 episodes, and fights larger opponents by bouncing around the room, dodging large swings and using his enemy’s clumsiness against them. Goku being trapped in a kid’s body forces some the writers and animators to get really creative with their fight choreography and highlight that Goku is a great fighter not simply because he has overwhelming power but because he’s clever and creative. It makes for action scenes that are incredibly engaging while still being immediately and appreciably different from what the series has recently offered in entries such as Super and the recent movies, though the first episode is sure to give us a small taste of the more extravagant action fans of Z and Super are used to in the form a bombastic beam-clash between Goku and Vegeta, which is an absolutely piece of animation. Speaking of animation, the show utilizes a mixture of 2D and 3D/CGI animation which works wonderfully well. In some scenes, the show can be absolutely beautiful, especially any scene in the Demon Realm, with its vibrant pink sky and fractured, sometimes floating landscape that just oozes with detail in every frame. To keep the CG characters from sticking out too much, they’re all given these heavy outlines that allow them to fit the art style while still making them feel just uncanny enough to convey that they’re something from beyond the show’s universe, in a way, the 3D models almost feel like something pantomiming the world around them but never quite fully blending into it. A great example of this is Sir Warp, the dimension hopping, (totally not) a goldfish who ferries people between the mortal and demon realm, his grey, smooth skin paired with his bulbous, 3D form makes him stick out in a way that fits his otherworldly vision. Not only is the animation good on a technical level, but it’s bolstered by stellar art direction that makes everything both the cast of characters and the world around them just pop in every frame.

 

The voice acting is also decently well directed and performed. Tom Lafin lends his voice to Gomah and his shrill, constantly grouchy perfectly fits this short, pudgy little man wrapped in the garb of a literal jester, making for a villain both comical and charming, even if he’s admittedly (and somewhat purposely) non-threatening. Stephanie Nadolny reprises her role as young Goku from G.T and she hasn’t missed a beat. Her voice still drips with youthful exuberance and still manages to retain a level of stern determination that reminds you that Goku is still mentally an adult even if his body has been de-aged. The rest of the cast all turn in decent performances, even if they don’t get quite enough wiggle room to go above and beyond in their roles, though that’ll hopefully change a little later in the season. The only one I’m not a huge fan of is Landon McDonald, the voice for Gomah’s right hand man, Degesu. I understand that he’s meant to be the calmer, more level-headed counterpart to Gomah but his performance often comes off a little stiff. It’s strange because Landon is a pretty experienced voice actor with roles in Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen so I’m not really sure what went wrong here, maybe it was just poor direction but whatever the reason, McDonald’s delivery was, somewhat ironically, the only one I wasn’t lovin.

 

(The various inhabits of the Demon Realm are also incredibly fun. Each one feels distinct enough that you could imagine them all having their own little stories.)

 

Admittedly, if I had to give any complaints, it’d be that the first episode feels a little clunky, most of the episode is Gomah and Degesu watching a recap of the Buu saga. While that might seem good to catch people up who are Dragon Ball newcomers, it doesn’t do enough a good enough job of explaining who most of these characters are enough to be an appropriate discussion while also spending so long just… I can’t even saying recapping, reminiscing I suppose would be the better word, on the Buu saga that, at least speaking for myself as a longtime Dragon Ball fan, it comes off as wasting time treading familiar ground when I feel as if could be somewhat condensed. Yes, it is witnessing these events that spurs Gomah into action against our heroes, but I feel as if this scene could’ve been rewritten or changed down, perhaps Gomah receives word that Dabura was killed and that Majin Buu was defeated by a mortal named ‘Goku’ and that’s enough for him to seek out Goku before trying to weaken him. We know the Demon Realm already has Dragon Ball that simply can’t be accessed so it’s not Gomah doesn’t know what they are, I think there could’ve been a less clunky way for him to discover the Earth Dragon Balls and enact his scheme. Still, this is really only a complaint about episode one. Once the show gets going, it doesn’t waste nearly as much time as the first episode so it’s not terrible in the grand scheme of things.

 

 

(Gomah's attire really makes me think that Toriyama was drawing on his experience with the Dragon Quest series when designing him.

 

Overall, I loved Dragon Ball Daima. The show takes old ideas and spins them into something new again in a fashion that feels both comforting in its familiarity yet exciting in its potential for something new. I’ll probably swing back around when the first season wraps up but so far, I am certainly hooked, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Sorry, if this review is a bit short since it’s more a first impression based off the first 3 episodes but hey, if y’all are interested then, like I said, I’ll come back and do a review of season-1 when it’s drawn to a close. As for the first 3 episodes, if your theater is still doing the fathom event then I highly recommend going to see them on the big screen, the animation looks amazing in a theater and there’s this touching interview with Masako Nozawa, the Japanese voice actress for Goku. She talks about what the series means, what it was like to voice Goku for so long and even speaks about working with Akira Toriyama, the late creator of Dragon Ball. It’s incredibly sweet and you can tell Nozawa has a deep, personal love for the series her voice helped shape. This interview alone was worth the price of admission to me, so, please, if you can then go out and grab yourself a ticket. Once you do then leave a comment and let me know whatcha think, until then, always stick to your training and be sure to always Krank up the noise!!!

(Rest in Peace Toriyama, thank you so much for all the joy and passion you've inspired over the years. May your memory and your artistry inspire future generations forevermore.)