Hundreds of thousands of players have already enjoyed their first rounds with Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, a video game for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S that reminds us of the love we have for these manga-anime characters. But this is not the only big release of the saga we have had this week, as the first episode of Dragon Ball DAIMA with Japanese voices and Spanish subtitles has also been available for a few hours.
I would be lying if I didn’t say that when I found out about this new series with Goku, Vegeta, and company, it felt somewhat anecdotal, a small gift for the fans rather than a story capable of creating a new generation of characters as Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods did 10 years ago. After taking a look at Conspiracy, its only available chapter at the moment, I remain skeptical that this won’t end that way, but what I have no doubt about is that Dragon Ball DAIMA is something so well done and with so much affection that not giving it a chance would be a big mistake on your part. This has been magical.
A series of cinematic ambition
The animation of the show is impeccable. Not only does its drawing feel and look like something you expect to find in an Akira Toriyama work, but its execution denotes an almost cinematic ambition, with a fluidity in movements and expressions, also in the combat moments of the chapter (few), that captivate you in its viewing. It is clear that here we will not find outraged viewers as with Dragon Ball Super.
Unlike in Super, here we won’t have fans very outraged by the series animation
Getting into the story, I think Dragon Ball DAIMA is made to not leave anyone behind. From the chosen place to focus its story, halfway between Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball: Super, to the decision to dedicate at least a third of the chapter to refresh us on what happened during the Majin Buu arc. That doesn’t mean that there are 10 minutes of the chapter (out of a total of 32) that feel like a “Previously on Dragon Ball”. On the contrary, everything is inserted in such a way that it serves to introduce us to who will be the new villains. They come from the Dark Demon Realm, who, afraid of the power these fighters have demonstrated, carry out a plan to “neutralize” them.
The first episode has given prominence to the “bad guys” of the show.
Reimagining the beginning of Dragon Ball GT
The scarce footage that remains after that only serves to place us in what we have already seen in the multiple anime trailers, a sort of reimagining of the beginning of Dragon Ball GT where Goku, this time accompanied by all those who proved capable of facing Majin Buu, are transformed into young children. I think it’s a great choice to have recovered this idea from DBGT, especially if the intention is to aim for a more adventurous spirit where not everything is about confrontations where the Earth’s future always hangs by a thread.
We can’t affirm it, as our Z Warriors appear rather little throughout the chapter leaving us wanting more and to see how they face the new threat that has not allowed them to enjoy their triumph against Majin Buu, but the trailers do show an interest in returning to the manga’s origins. Still, there has been time for a couple of lore additions to comment on, which actually has fans actively discussing on social media. I won’t do it today as this is as spoiler-free as possible, but you can feel Toriyama’s desire, who passed away a few months ago, to give us something to talk about, and also that this doesn’t feel like something very separate from the official canon.
More than great battles, the series advances a great adventure.
Dragon Ball: DAIMA is a work imagined and written by the father of the creature, Akira Toriyama, which I think has the potential to be seen among fans as a great farewell to the legendary mangaka’s work. Its animation is exquisite, its story feels suitable for new and old audiences, and its release, coinciding with the launch of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, make it a product to take into account. It is still early to assess its scope, but the series has had a very remarkable start. You can watch the first episode of Dragon Ball: DAIMA in Spain through AnimeBox and Crunchyroll, soon on Netflix.
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