Dragon Ball Super (Japanese: ドラゴンボール超 Hepburn: Doragon Bōru Sūpā?) is an 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 the Earth has become peaceful once again. It is broadcast on Sundays at 9:00 am on Fuji TV.[1]
Plot[edit]
With Majin Boo defeated, peace returns to Earth, where Son Goku and his friends now 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 foretold decades ago, known as the Super Saiyan God (超サイヤ人ゴッド Sūpā Saiya-jin Goddo).
Production[edit]
In addition to his role as series creator, Akira Toriyama is also credited for the "original story & 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.[4] Masako Nozawa reprises her roles as Son Goku, Son Gohan, and Son Goten.[1]
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 ending theme is "Hello Hello Hello" (ハローハローハロー) 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.[5] Norihito Sumitomo, the composer for Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', announced he will score the series.[6]
The first preview video advertising the series aired on June 14, following episode 157 of Dragon Ball Kai.[7] The next day, the main promotional image for Dragon Ball Super was added to its official website and unveiled two new characters,[8] one of which was later revealed to be named Champa (シャンパ?).[9] A thirty-second trailer including the new characters was uploaded to the series' official website on June 26.[10]
The anime is being adapted into a companion manga by Toriyama alongside artist Toyotarō, author behind the official Resurrection 'F' manga adaptation.[11] It began serialization in the August 2015 issue of V Jump, which was released on June 20.[12]
Episode list[edit]
| No. | English translation[a] Original Japanese title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The World Peace Prize. Who is Getting the 100 Million Zeni?!" "Heiwa no hōshū ichioku Zenī wa dare no te ni!?" (平和の報酬１億ゼニーは誰の手に！？) | July 5, 2015[13] |
| After Son Goku defeated the dangerous Majin Boo, peace has returned to Earth once again. Chi-Chi wants Goku to get a job, so he works as a farmer. Son Goten and his friend Trunks look for a gift for Videl, soon to be his sister-in-law when his older brother, Son Gohan, gets engaged to her. They decide on make-up, but unable to afford any, head for the hot springs in the woods to bottle some mineral water instead. While there, they are attacked by a giant snake which they manage to scare away. Meanwhile, somewhere in the depths of space, Beerus, the God of Destruction, has awakened from his slumber. Keen on battling the worthy opponent that appeared to him in his visions, Beerus and his attendant Whis set out to discover who this opponent is. | ||
| 2 | "To the Promised Vacation! Vegeta Goes on a Family Trip?!" "Yakusoku no rizōto e! Bejīta ga kazoku ryokō!?" (約束のリゾートへ！ベジータが家族旅行！？) | July 12, 2015[13] |
| Son Goku goes to Planet Kaiō to train with Kaiō-sama. Meanwhile, Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks take a family trip to a resort. Bulma and Trunks are enjoying the family time together while Vegeta is bothered by the fact that Goku gets to train. Fed up with what he considers a waste of time, Vegeta flies away and heads back to the Capsule Corporation to train. Somewhere in space, Beerus and Whis scour an alien planet in search of dinosaur meat. They are confronted by the planet's strongest dweller, but he proves to be no match for them. Shortly afterwards, Beerus destroys the planet in order to have another vision of his destined opponent – the Super Saiyan God. | ||
| 3 | "Where Does the Dream Continue!? Search for Super Saiyan God!" "Yume no tsuzuki wa doko da!? Sūpā Saiya-jin goddo o sagase!" (夢の続きはどこだ！？超サイヤ人ゴッドを探せ！) | July 19, 2015[13] |
| Fearing what might happen now that the God of Destruction is awake, the Kaiō-shin urge Kaiō-sama to ensure that Son Goku never finds out about Beerus. However, Goku overhears the conversation and becomes curious. Back in his temple, Beerus and Whis continue their search for the Super Saiyan God. They soon learn of Son Goku and his feats and decide to pay him and Kaiō-sama a visit. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Goku's friends and family members being gathering on the cruise ship for Bulma's birthday party, except for Vegeta who is still training to overpower Goku and everyone else in the Universe. | ||
| 4 | "Aim for the Dragon Balls! The Pilaf Gang's Great Strategy!" "Mezase Doragon Bōru! Pirafu ichimi no dai-sakusen!" (目指せドラゴンボール！ピラフ一味の大作戦！) | August 2, 2015[14] |
| With all guests now gathered, except for Son Goku and Vegeta, Bulma's birthday party gets underway. Trunks shows Son Goten where his mother hid the bingo tournament grand prize – the Dragon Balls. Not far off from the ship, Pilaf's Gang, now poor and hungry, are trying to get by until they find the Dragon Balls and make their wishes come true. When his Dragon Radar picks up a signal coming from Bulma's ship, Pilaf and his henchmen hastily board the ship, with Trunks and Goten's help. Meanwhile, on Kaiō-sama's planet, Kaiō-sama explains to Goku who and what exactly Beerus is and that for every benevolent God there must be a malevolent one, in order to keep the Universe in balance. Just as he finishes, Beerus and Whis arrive. | ||
| 5 | "Decisive Battle on Kaiō's Planet! Goku vs. God of Destruction Beerus" "Kaiō-sei no Kessen! Gokū VS Hakaishin Birusu" (界王星の決戦！悟空VS破壊神ビルス) | August 9, 2015[14] |
| 6 | "Don’t Anger the God of Destruction! The Heart Pounding Birthday Party" "Hakaishin o Okoraseru na! Doki-Doki Tanjō Pātī" (破壊神を怒らせるな！ドキドキ誕生パーティー) | August 16, 2015 |
| 7 | "How Dare You Hit My Bulma! Vegeta’s Furious Mutation?!" "Yokumo Ore no Buruma o! Bejīta Ikari no Totsuzenhen’i!?" (よくもオレのブルマを！ベジータ怒りの突然変異！？) | August 23, 2015 |
| 8 | "Goku Steps Up! The Last Chance From Beerus-sama?!" "Tsu ni Gokū ga Kenzan da! Birusu-sama Kara no Rasuto Chansu!?" (悟空見参だ！ビルス様からのラストチャンス！？) | August 30, 2015 |
Reception[edit]
First impressions of the series' debut episode were mostly positive, with the quality of animation being praised the most.[15] Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku praised the series' title sequence saying "My middle-school self is so happy right now, you guys."[16]
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 didn't launch internationally at the same time, calling it "a move that wouldn't be unprecedented" giving Sailor Moon Crystal as an example.[17]
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."[18]
Notes[edit]
- ^ English titles are literal translations of the Japanese ones and as such may change after the official English titles become available.
References[edit]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Toei Animation Begins Production on Dragon Ball Super" (PDF) (Press release). Tokyo: Toei Animation. April 28, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 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.
- ^ "Dragon Ball Super TV Anime Teased in 1st Preview Video". Anime News Network. June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
- ^ "Dragon Ball Super Main Visual Reveals 2 New Characters". Anime News Network. June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 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.
- ^ a b c "あらすじ｜ドラゴンボール超" (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "ドラゴンボール超（スーパー）" (in Japanese). Fuji TV. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Seeto, Damian (July 4, 2015). "Dragon Ball Super First Impressions On Debut Episode". attackofthefanboy.com. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ^ 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.
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