July 5th will mark the tenth anniversary of the first broadcast of Dragon Ball Super. The problem: fans were only able to enjoy it for three years, and have been going through a long dry spell for the past seven years. Indeed, the anime's final episode aired on March 25, 2018, leaving a huge void in the community. Dragon Ball Super will return to our screens one day or another, but after such a long wait, the anime will have to face four major problems.
#1 The question of fidelity to the manga
From 2015 to 2018, Dragon Ball Super was broadcast as an anime and published as a manga almost in parallel. Although they were the same work, the two versions did not come from the same creative mind. Indeed, there was Toyotaro's DBS and Toei Animation's DBS. Thus, even if the two formats followed a similar plot, some notable differences could be observed. Since 2018, however, only the manga has continued on its path.
Given that Toyotaro is continuing his work on the manga, one might wonder if Toei will consider changes when DBS returns as an anime. Back then, it was the anime that was a bit ahead and the manga that made changes. Toyotaro did this with his adaptation of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. This time, it would be the other way around. Toei could choose to adapt the manga as is, but could also offer a different version. We could, why not, have completely new arcs with the return of long-absent characters. It would also be an opportunity to bring the multiverse back into the spotlight, something largely sidelined in the manga. Regardless, the anime will have to make some important choices, and some may not please everyone.
#2 The films represent a puzzle
DBS hasn't abandoned animation for good. In fact, since 2018, two films have been released: Broly and Super Hero. We therefore find ourselves in a situation quite similar to that of 2015, with Battle of Gods and The Resurrection of 'F'. At the time, Toei had chosen to adapt them, and the studio could very well do the same thing again, but this raises several problems.
For the Broly film, Toyotaro had chosen not to adapt it into a manga. However, he did so for Super Hero. On the anime side, it is possible that a recap of the two films will be offered. After seven years of absence, will fans be ready to revisit events they already know by heart? Everyone is eagerly awaiting the Moro arc, and it would be frustrating not to have it directly. Worse still, with the potential Black Freezer arc looming, it's hard to imagine the community welcoming a third version of the Super Hero arc.
All of this raises another issue: chronology. Between the films and the manga, we end up with several timelines scattered across the different media. The anime will have to bring order to all this mess. Adapting the films won't be a good experience, but it's probably the best solution for offering a coherent and complete DBS.
#3 The choice of animation
In seven years, a lot has changed, especially in the field of animation, and Dragon Ball has paid the price. While the anime's finale and the Broly movie bore the hallmarks of animator Naohiro Shintani, the artistic direction subsequently evolved. The Super Hero movie stood out for its choice of CG animation, a decision that divided fans. With DAIMA, the studio changed its mind and returned to excellent 2D animation. This is rather reassuring for the future of DBS, even if Toei will certainly have to make a drastic choice.
Long-running anime series have been out of fashion for a long time, and DBS was one of them. This format impacts the quality of the animation. DAIMA was an exception by adopting a seasonal format more conducive to better visual rendering. DBS could therefore follow this path, even if the series could also retain its initial format. One Piece has proven that a long-running anime series can rival, or even surpass, a seasonal series in terms of quality. For its return, DBS deserves the same care that was given to Eiichiro Oda's work. It remains to be seen whether Toei will be willing to make the same efforts.
#4 Isn't it too late?
The Dragon Ball franchise is still as popular as ever, but has suffered some setbacks recently. The game Sparking! Zero, despite being highly anticipated, quickly fell from grace. As for DAIMA, audiences in Japan were clearly not exceptional, and feedback on social media was very mixed. Finally, the manga has been stagnating for some time and is even on hiatus until July.
A DBS anime comeback would create excitement, but perhaps not as much as a few years ago. Moreover, fans know what to expect, which suggests, barring any surprises, the same disappointments as with reading the manga. A remake of the original anime is almost even more anticipated than a DBS comeback, that's saying something. Toei will therefore have to do everything it can to win over the public once again.
0 Comments