Dragon Ball Super
Dragon Ball Super | |
File:Dragon Ball Super logo.jpg Dragon Ball Super title card | |
ドラゴンボール超 (Doragon Bōru Sūpā) | |
---|---|
Manga | |
Written by | Akira Toriyama |
Illustrated by | Toyotarō |
Published by | Shueisha |
Magazine | V Jump |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | June 20, 2015 – present |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Kimitoshi Chioka (Series Director) |
Produced by | Osamu Nozaki (Fuji TV) Naoko Sagawa (Yomiko Advertising Inc.) Atsushi Kido (Toei Animation)[1] |
Written by | Akira Toriyama (Story & Character Draft) |
Music by | Norihito Sumitomo |
Studio | Toei Animation |
Original network | Fuji TV |
English network | |
Original run | July 5, 2015[2] – present |
Episodes | 24 |
Dragon Ball franchise | |
Dragon Ball Super (Japanese: ドラゴンボール超, Hepburn: Doragon Bōru Sūpā) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation that began airing on July 5, 2015.[2] It is the first Dragon Ball television series featuring a new storyline in 18 years and 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, where Son Goku is a radish farmer, and his family and friends live peaceful lives.[3] However, a new threat appears in the form of Beerus, 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 (超サイヤ人ゴッド, Sūpā Saiya-jin Goddo).[4]
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.[5]
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.[6] Masako Nozawa reprises her roles as Son Goku, Son Gohan, and Son Goten.[1] Most of the original cast reprise their roles as well.[5][7] Kōichi Yamadera and Masakazu Morita also reprise their roles, as Beerus and Whis, respectively.[7]
The opening theme song is "Chōzetsu☆Dynamic!" (超絶☆ダイナミック!, "Excellent Dynamic!") by Kazuya Yoshii of The Yellow Monkey fame, while the first ending theme is "Hello Hello Hello" (ハローハローハロー, Harō Harō Harō) by Japanese rock band Good Morning America. The lyrics to "Chōzetsu☆Dynamic!" were penned by Yukinojo Mori, who has written numerous songs for the Dragon Ball series.[8] The second ending theme is "Starring Star" (スターリングスター, Sutāringu Sutā) by KEYTALK. Norihito Sumitomo, the composer for Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', announced he is scoring the series.[9]
The first preview of the series aired on June 14, 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,[7] 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.[12]
The anime has also been adapted into a companion manga illustrated by artist Toyotarō, who was previously responsible for the official Resurrection 'F' manga adaptation.[13] It began serialization in the August 2015 issue of V Jump, which was released on June 20.[14]
Dragon Ball Super will receive an English-language dub that will premiere on the Toonami channel in Southeast Asia and India in 2016.[15]
Episode list
No. | English translation[a] Original Japanese title |
Original air date[16] |
---|
Home releases
The first two Japanese DVD and Blu-ray sets containing twelve episodes each will be released in November to December 2015 and March 2016, respectively.[17]
Reception
First impressions of the series' debut episode were mostly positive, with the quality of animation being praised the most.[18] Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku praised the series' title sequence saying "My middle-school self is so happy right now, you guys."[19] Jamieson Cox of The Verge also praised the title sequence, saying 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, calling it "a move that wouldn't be unprecedented" giving Sailor Moon Crystal as an example.[20] Lucas Siegel of Comicbook.com praised the debut episode for its "laid back plotline" and animation style, saying 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."[21]
The fifth episode, however, received harsh criticism from Japanese and Western audiences, mainly due to its poor animation style compared to the previous four episodes.[22][23]
References
- ^ English titles are literal translations of the Japanese ones and as such may change if official English titles become available.
- ^ a b c d "Dragon Ball Gets 1st New TV Anime in 18 Years in July". Anime News Network. April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "Dragon Ball Super TV Anime Debuts on July 5". Anime News Network. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
FujiTVEpList
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b 作品情報 [Credits] (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- ^ "Toei Animation Begins Production on Dragon Ball Super" (PDF) (Press release). Tokyo: Toei Animation. April 28, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Dragon Ball Super Main Visual Reveals 2 New Characters". Anime News Network. June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ "Kazuya Yoshii, Good Morning America to Perform Theme Songs For Dragon Ball Super". Anime News Network. May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- ^ Seeto, Damian (May 31, 2015). "Composer Returns To Score Dragon Ball Super TV Series". attackofthefanboy.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Dragon Ball Super TV Anime Teased in 1st Preview Video". Anime News Network. June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
- ^ 「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.
- ^ "Dragon Ball Super's Extended Commercial Introduces New Characters". Anime News Network. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ Chiok, Christian (May 16, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super To Get A Manga Adaptation As Well". shonengamez.com. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Toonami Snaps up 'Dragon Ball Super'". Animation World Network. November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ あらすじ|ドラゴンボール超 (in Japanese). Toei Animation. December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B01420M0JM/ref=dp_change_lang?ie=UTF8&language=en_JP
- ^ Seeto, Damian (July 4, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super First Impressions On Debut Episode". attackofthefanboy.com. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (July 5, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super's Intro Makes My Inner Child So Happy". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Siegel, Lucas (July 7, 2015). "REVIEW: Dragon Ball Super Episode 1 Delivers Nostalgic Excitement". comicbook.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ^ Barder, Ollie (August 12, 2015). "Japanese Fans Are Not Happy With The Animation In 'Dragon Ball Super'". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (August 10, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super Looks Super Crappy". Kotaku. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Dragon Ball Super (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia