Okay, so after sticking it out, I'm going to get into an anime I had mixed feelings about from the start. And I couldn't get a good read on what to really expect, because people that saw this anime aren't super enthusiasts, or very observant. I knew, towards the end of the series, that I was going to write this. This is my review and reflection of the last series in the Dragon Ball saga- Dragon Ball Super.
At this point, there is a huge video game out now starring much of the cast from the show and series, with perfect timing, as Super really is a grand tour of the entire story. Believe it or not, the word story is the biggest part of why this is being written. I know, the first thing that comes to your mind is the disbelief that story and Dragon Ball mix, but that isn't really correct. The thing about Dragon Ball that always attracted me, was that it is a pure story of not only growth, but martial arts. And it is also centered around principles of friendship. Most so-called fans know nothing about that, because for years, they were caught up in the plot line of the protagonists getting stronger to encounter the next threat.
Let's break down the blocks from the beginning. In the beginning, Dragon Ball is the Japanese iteration of the Superman story. It is the story of a boy named Son Goku, who is raised by Gohan, after falling to earth in a space pod as a boy. Having a tail, he is unusual, and prone to transform into a large ape, capable of great destruction. His loving guardian raises him like a father, and never alerts him to the state of being an alien. Unfortunately, on a full moon, he transforms into the ape and accidentally kills his father, totally unaware when he awakens. He is taken under the tutelage of a sensei Master Roshi, who trains him in the style of Kamesenin. His tail is also cut to avoid further occurances. He masters the trademark Kamehameha wave, and goes on a journey, meeting friends along the way, who start as adversaries.
It isn't until later, as an adult with a son who he named after his deceased father, that he encounters lost members of his alien race, who alert him to his origins. One threat after another happens, and Goku continues to grow, and become a protector of his friends, and against his admission, the earth. He's a simple character, who's pure of heart, but when pushed to his limits and in real danger, his passion for self-improvement, and the protection of justice come out, making him a very magnetic person. I feel like that is very important to balance in an anime. But also, like Superman, while certain villains are memorable, the series never had a truly deep antagonist. Along the story, you have an android named Cell, who proves formidable and takes over to a degree before being beaten by Gohan, and you also have Frieza, who continues to be a formidable villain who pushes Goku to his limits. But you never had a truly compelling enemy, who you could sympathize with to a degree.
In all honestly, the Cell and Frieza sagas were amazing, but the anime, while iconic, especially from a martial artist perspective, never lived up to being the great story that it could be. When I heard about the new series, at first I thought it was a retelling of events, or a spin-off. But when I heard it was a continuation, I was intrigued. I wanted to see if the producers would take it to the next level, and they did. But, as I'll explain, it wasn't without sabotage.
As the new series starts, a god of destruction named Beerus, is awakening from a long sleep, looking for a planet to destroy. His power is on a completely different realm than the mortal beings that have been in the series. He isn't completely sinister, but he does eventually set his eyes on earth. He and Goku meet at some point, and they do battle over the fate of the planet. Goku's protective side comes out in that fight, as his is pushed beyond his limits and eventually to his knees, pleading with his last strength for Beerus to spare the planet. Goku normally has an innocent arrogance to him, as much like Superman, he rises above all of his enemies throughout the series, and for the most part, expects to from the outset. I've never been fond of that in anime, but the exceptional ones have a way of bringing that full circle. Beerus pretends to fight Goku to a standstill in the end, and spares them due to a hidden fondness for Goku's nature.
Eventually a whole world of dieties unveils, with heirarchies etc. I wasn't fond of that in the first place, with the trivial nature of it all, but especially with certain things. After a while a tournament takes place with a parallel universe of earth's. Beerus' brother is the god of destruction in that universe, and they put their best warriors against each other. Goku makes a rival/friend in a character named Hit, who defeats him in the tournament. They eventually find out that a total of 12 universes exist, and are controlled by a supreme creator- Zen O Sama. Zen O Sama is depicted as an ignorant, and aloof child, who has no sense and does everything at a whim, totally unaware of anything, and needing to be constantly taught and told what's going on. That stupid depiction was annoying, and the producers' way of going as far as they could to undermine the creator. That was totally stupid and unnecessary. He was also such an annoying character that I almost stopped watching due to him.
Goku requests an ultimate tournament when he hears there are other universes, and Zen O Sama agrees, with the surprise conditions that all the universes that lose will be erased. Goku is hated among the universes and called evil when they discover what he has caused. Among the universes, Earth is considered one of the weakest, but I was eager to see how the tournament would play out.
The ultimate villain is what had me intrigued. His name was Jiren. From the moment they introduced him, I announced him the savior of the anime. He shows so much unbridled power, and mysteriousness, that I wanted to see his story unfold. The tournament was given a time limit, and flight was prohibited. I like that, because it was the series' way of going back to the pure Dragon Ball martial arts roots, which I didn't expect. The tournament itself went on until the end of the series, which was 131 episodes total. The tournament starts around episode 70. It was cool to see different sides to Android 17, who was a reformed villain working as a wildlife conservationist, and Krillin, who was a family man and police officer, who secretly missed being able to keep up with Goku. There was a lot of emotion and maturity in this series which I expected and appreciated. It was like watched fun-loving and promising kids grow into adulthood with all of their potential realized.
The selected 10 people to represent each universe, and Frieza was brought back, to everyone's dismay. Sadly, you never get to see a more passionate side of Frieza. As the tournament went on, Universe 11 became clearly the universe that would be there in the end. Jiren and his comrades were a justice force on their planet, and each had touching stories of justice in their past. His right hand man- Toppa, was the leader of sorts, and extremely powerful. When the tournament reached the end, it was only Toppa and Jiren left to represent Universe 11 against Universe 7's Goku, Vegeta, Frieze, and Android 17. You hear a bit of Jiren's story of seeing injustice as a child, and experiencing great loss that he vowed to erase with achieving strength. But the control and untouchable nature of his character was truly admirable and captivating. I love when villains like that are done well. In the end, even though Goku taps into cosmic power, unlike previous villains in the series, Jiren doesn't crumble. You also don't see Vegeta take the usual backseat to Goku like in every other series. He is there each time when Goku ascends. And he takes on Jiren in impressive fashion during the fight, even outdoing Goku in certain rounds, which was refreshing to see. I loved seeing them break away from the format, and aim to be memorable. However, the disappointment came in the last couple of episodes.
Jiren was amazing, and he seemed to have a huge amount of layers to him. This was Funimation's chance to cap off a series with an elevating explosion that would have easily put Dragon Ball Super in the top 3 animes of all time, when quality is considered. Everyone lauds it for the household name it achieved over a few decades, but no anime buffs consider Dragon Ball a serious and riveting series, which I always felt is a travesty considering its subject matter. But with the amazing boost in animation quality, and the emotional explosion of this series, I felt like they were poised to change all of that. Jiren was that chance. I thought he was going to truly unveil a different side to a villain this time, and be more of an anti-hero who revealed his motives at the end and refused to lose. Instead, at the very end, they reduce him to a whining and impulsive snob, who wildly kneels before an ascended Goku, who masters a technique called Ultra Instinct. In the end, Jiren is pushed to his limits, after fighting all 4 of them at one, by Goku alone. I wouldn't have minded if they fought to a stand still, but to see him so quickly crumble and quiver before Goku just like every other villain, was the height of disappointment. My heart really sank at that point. Such a deep character never goes beyond just an angry kid who watched his loved ones killed and vows to get strong, shunning friendship. Goku's argument was that friendship is needed, and got him to the point he reached. You even get to see that side from Vegeta which was touching. But I expected more from Jiren.
I really was expecting the universes to be saved with a wish by the tournament's winner, but I expected it to come down to a draw between Goku and Jiren in the end. Oddly, after subduing Jiren, Goku's body goes into convulsions and he falls, with Frieza rising. After Goku recovers a bit, they team up on Jiren and drag him off the stage, leaving Android 17 standing alone as the winner. If that was the intention, why emasculate Jiren the way they did earlier, after building such an awesome and inspiring character? Two of my favorite anime are Rourouni Kenshin and Baki the Grappler. Both of those anime hold so much symbolism and depth in the stories. In each of them, you have an enigma of an antagonist, who you grow to understand. And moreso, they stand for something. When that happens, you have to be careful how you resolve the plot. In Black Panther, the villain wasn't beaten into submission and dismissed. He refused to yield, and clearly defined and discussed why, making his point before his exit. In Rouroni Kenshin, the villain wants a utopia, and was once a noble sodier, who sought to rip the government from corrupt hands and mold an ideal society. He never yields. In fact, he is only defeated by his own health condition. In Baki the Grappler, the villain teaches the importance of strength and awareness of danger in the world. He is never defeated. In fact, the hero manages to fight him to a draw at the very end of the entire manga, before he disappears into the distance. All of these scenarios aren't just mindless. There is a point to their ends. It establishes the ideals that they campaigned during the respective series. In Jiren's case, he represented self-reliance, and determination to gain strength to avert future loss and pain. That could have been expounded upon, and for someone so deep, to be unraveled so quickly and so simply, just felt sloppy. It ruins the point of the argument. After the universes are brought back, he is just one of the many faces of determined rivals who resume their chase of ultimate power.
Dragon Ball Super had a chance, and was within a few strokes of capping off a truly transcendent masterpiece. For some reason unknown to me, at the home stretch, they decided that they wanted to end they way they always have. I can't say whether that's overall bad or good, but it was definitely short of what it could have been.
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