Dragon Ball Super is set to be a long-runner, so if I wait for the whole show to be done before writing some thoughts the world might end first.
I haven’t watched the Battle of the Gods and Resurrection ‘F’ movies, so the first two arcs were entirely new to me. It was pretty awesome because I studiously avoided spoilers. I had no idea what the Super Saiyan god transformation would look like until it finally appeared so on one hand I thought “That looks kind of goofy” with the pink hair and all, but after the long wait the DBZ fan in me was going “Oh man oh man oh man this is so awesome!!!” Same with the blue-haired whatsitcalled transformation they did later on the show. Now that was cool. I want to see it again.
DB Super is the same mix of comedy and action we got used to in the Buu saga, but IMO the comedy is a bit flat and not that funny. The skits featuring the misadventures of the Pilaf Gang in the middle of a tense situation with Beerus had me tapping my feet impatiently. Get on with iiiiit. I haven’t seen whichever show features Jaco the policeman either, so I get annoyed when I see him. Get on with it already.
The action is the same old DBZ action we’re used to. The picture quality and animation is a lot better this time round, as becomes blatantly clear whenever they flash back to an old scene. Whoa! I used to watch that? Yes, yes I did. So it looks a lot better, but it doesn’t tense me up the way it used to when I was younger and more naive. I mean by the end of the Buu saga everyone in the show except Hercule/Mr. Satan has died and revived and even the Earth has made it back from destruction. And it’s been shown that the afterlife isn’t that terrible a place either (unless you’re Frieza) so there’s none of that nail-biting tension you usually get when the fate of the world is supposedly hanging in the balance. I already know things are going to work out okay, I’m just watching to find out how.
To be honest I kind of like it this way. There are plenty of other shows out there where people die when they are killed and stay dead to boot. This “death as a revolving door” concept is one of Dragon Ball’s defining features now, and very few series can match that same Having Fun while Saving the World mood they have going on. It’s when I watch the show and someone does a tearful sacrifice only to appear again hale and hearty a few episodes later that I really feel “Aaaah, this is Dragon Ball all right.”
So as the title says, I’m loving the show so far after two and a half arcs. That said I’ve taken a little break because I find I enjoy DB the most when I’m marathoning it. The Champa tournament arc has been a bit slow to get going, so I’m waiting for it to end completely before jumping back in. Once it’s over I’ll be all over it again. See you again in another two arcs or so!
