Dragon Ball (All Series)

[LumRanmaYasha]

Well, it's stated in the movie that Gohan essentially lost the ability to use that state because he hadn't kept up with his training, which is why he was worried he wouldn't even be able to go regular Super Saiyan. If you don't train yourself in any skill you are going to become rusty and worse at it, and thats happened to him before in the timeskip between the Cell and Buu arcs, so I can buy the explanation, even though the time-frame seems a little quick for him to have completely lost all that power (since ROF takes place only a year and a half after BOG).

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

With the Gohan turning SSJ bit, I didn't mention the specific point in the movie where he does it in order to avoid spoilers, but I'll just say that at one point they need to power up to max, and Gohan turns SSJ, which didn't make sense to me given that his "mystic" form (I don't remember the proper name for it) was already beyond the level of any SSJ (including SSJ3).

Now, to be fair they did explain that he hasn't been training since the Buu arc ended, so naturally he would be weaker, but I don't buy that his power would drop by THAT much after just a few years, when he was still able to maintain the SSJ2 level (albeit not as strong as it was in his battle with Cell) after seven years of not training. Like I said, though, it's just a nitpick an an otherwise great DBZ movie.

Also, while I criticized Gohan for being nerfed in my review, someone somewhere else pointed out that Freeza clearly commented that Gohan was holding back against his minions so as to be non-lethal to them, but could otherwise take them all out easily if he was willing to kill them. I missed that in my first viewing of the movie, somehow, but that does actually address one of my criticisms, so I was wrong about that bit.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

ROF will be out on DVD/BD in October: http://m.ign.com/articles/2015/08/20/dragon-ball-z-resurrection-f-home-video-release-date-box-art-revealed

That's just three days before my birthday, so maybe I'll hit it up, but the single DVD option seems over-priced, especially since it doesn't contain any extra footage. I might just wait for it to come down in price, or see if any store offers a good deal on it. I got BOG at Wal-Mart for just $10, which is really all a single DVD release should cost, IMO.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I love this: https://youtu.be/SlrcxeQau1E

I hope that Toei reps get their e-mails flooded with links to this video.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The ending theme version is even better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd_PVoDCvd8&feature=iv&src_vid=SlrcxeQau1E&annotation_id=annotation_2204524101

These go beyond just being bad inbetween drawings, they are just terrible drawings altogether. And terrible drawings make for terrible animation.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The animation in episode 5 was something that I could forgive on its own, but what's really worrying is the lack of effort so far in general. I was hoping that the anime would take the time to expand and improve on the plot of BOG. However, it's merely retreading familiar ground but doing so in a way that's inferior to the film version. It seems that Toei is content with resting on their laurels and just assume that making a successful DB show takes no real effort anymore because it's so popular.

It pisses me off, personally, because they have so much potential to evolve and redefine the franchise, but aren't going to try and capitalize on any of it. I'll wait for them to get to new material, of course, but what I've seen so far doesn't exactly instill me with much confidence.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So, is this as big a whiff as GT?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Unfortunately, it just might be, or at least it seems that way so far.

I may eventually do an article on why reviving DB COULD actually be a good thing for the anime industry, but also how Toei can and probably will royally fuck it up. I'll wait a few more weeks, though, on the off chance that the quality might pick up.

[Foggle]

I may eventually do an article on why reviving DB COULD actually be a good thing for the anime industry, but also how Toei can and probably will royally fuck it up. I'll wait a few more weeks, though, on the off chance that the quality might pick up.

I'd like to read that.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It'd be a really fun write-up, though I'd also have to do some research. Whether one likes it or not, though, DB's huge success in multiple countries all over the world outside of Japan played a big role in the boom of popularity that anime received in foreign markets to Japan.

And yes, while Pokemon actually became an even bigger global property, that was due also in large part to the games and trading cards. DB's success was almost exclusively dependent on the show (as well as the comics, in certain countries).

[Spark Of Spirit]

You can also tie that in to how they squandered a good chance with Sailor Moon Crystal, as well. I'm seeing many similarities here.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, there's one tidbit from ROF that really bothers me as a plot-hole of sorts:

Spoiler

How the hell did Sorbet even manage to harm Goku, let alone get a fatal shot in on him, in his SSGSS form, no less, with just an ordinary laser blaster? I get that he caught him off guard, but even so, such a weak weapon shouldn't even phase him. I mean, Goku was a kid when he took on the RRA, and he got shot several times off-guard in that arc, including taking a Sniper bullet to the neck and a Rocket Launcher missile right at the torso, and he just shrugged them off as minor annoyances. I get that Freeza Force weapons would be stronger than any human weapon, but surely an adult Goku with God Ki could take billions of times more damage off guard than he did as a child and still shrug it off. How did that pierce a hole through his lung, exactly?

[close]

Also, while we're on the subject of plot-holes....

Spoiler

How come Shenlong only gave the gang one wish in BOG?

How do Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar not recognize Emperor Pilaf and his gang in BOG?

Why does Majin Buu act like such a dick to Mr. Satan in DBS when they were pretty much best friends by the end of DBZ?

How come Whis says that Beerus sanctioned Freeza to take out planet Vegeta, yet Beerus contemplates taking the planet out himself when he awakens in BOG, and is surprised to find out that Freeza already did it?

At the end of Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, why does it say that Bulma graduated from school at the age of 16 before she met Goku, when she clearly still attends school in the manga at least as far as the RRA arc?

How come Tights wasn't invited to Bulma's birthday party? (OK, we all know the real answer to this one; Toriyama helped work out the story to BOG BEFORE he worked on Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, which is when he first came up with the character in his notoriously BS retconning tactics).

Why did Toriyama forget that Lunch existed in the manga by the Saiyan arc, and by extension she also wasn't invited to Bulma's birthday party?

Does anyone else realize that Master Roshi unwittingly murdered Monster Carrot and the Rabbit Mob when he blew up the moon during the 21st Budokai Tenkaiichi? (Does anyone else even care?)

How did Goku even get them to the moon in the first place when he clearly can't breath in space?

How can THEY even breath in space?

How did Goku start searching for the Dragon Balls after the 21st Budokai Tenkaiichi when it had only been about eight months since they were last used?

Did Goku never get the idea to use the Dragon Balls to wish his grandfather back to life? I mean, he's only the guy who raised the ungrateful little dick.

Why do I get the feeling that most fans know more about Dragon Ball than Toriyama himself does, and that he probably moved on from the series long ago for a reason?

[close]

As much as I absolutely fucking love DB, I'm starting to see why Toriyama was much more well-suited to a zany comedy manga like Dr. Slump which didn't rely heavily on continuity. Still, it's actually harmlessly fun to pick apart DB's numerous plot-holes.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Basically any plotholes in DB comes from the fact that Toriyama just doesn't plan ahead or overthink any of the power-levels/logic/lore in the series all that much like the series' fans do. Though, I feel some of the points you've mentioned can be explained:

Spoiler

How do Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar not recognize Emperor Pilaf and his gang in BOG?

Well, it has been literally decades since they've last seen him. None of them have seen him since the end of the Pilaf saga, after all, and I doubt they've thought about him since considering all the things they've been through in all those years. I don't think it's too much of a surprise they forgot him.

Why does Majin Buu act like such a dick to Mr. Satan in DBS when they were pretty much best friends by the end of DBZ?

Buu is a big man-child, and gets especially irritable and unreasonable when he's hungry. He wasn't exactly a 100% model friend during the period he and Satan were becoming friends and we didn't really see how they interacted outside of the fighting after that except for the ending stuff, which takes place years after where DBS currently is, so I don't think he's been acting too out of character, at least not so far.

How come Whis says that Beerus sanctioned Freeza to take out planet Vegeta, yet Beerus contemplates taking the planet out himself when he awakens in BOG, and is surprised to find out that Freeza already did it?

He doesn't. I literally just checked the movie, and he asks Whis whether Freeza's taken out Planet Vegeta for him. He does not show surprise that Freeza already did it - he only shows surprise when Whis mentions that someone's defeated Freeza since.

Why did Toriyama forget that Lunch existed in the manga by the Saiyan arc, and by extension she also wasn't invited to Bulma's birthday party?

Toriyama didn't forget Lunch, per say, he just didn't ever find time to put her back into the story, and probably didn't feel the need to since she wouldn't have much to do anyways. Actually, he was planning to draw her giving her energy to Goku's spirit bomb in the Buu arc, but by that point he had literally forgotten how to draw her, so he replaced her scene with the one with Android 17 instead.

Does anyone else realize that Master Roshi unwittingly murdered Monster Carrot and the Rabbit Mob when he blew up the moon during the 21st Budokai Tenkaiichi? (Does anyone else even care?)

Well, the only characters who would have known about this would be Goku, Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong, none of whom probably remember or care considering it's been months since they encountered him, and Monster Carrot wasn't a particularly good person anyway (it would have been far from the first thing that would come to their mind in that moment anyway).

Did Goku never get the idea to use the Dragon Balls to wish his grandfather back to life? I mean, he's only the guy who raised the ungrateful little dick.

In the Baba arc, Upa brings it up to Goku, but Gohan tells them he's content with his life in the other world. To quote his response from the Viz translation of the manga - "I'm actually enjoying the Other World quite a bit! There are quite a few fetching lady-souls there, you know!" 

[close]

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I was purposefully being ridiculous with some of those.

As for Lunch, though, I'm wondering why he took her out to begin with. Oolong, Puar, and Turtle didn't exactly have anything of worth to contribute to the plots of most story arcs after they were initially introduced, but you still saw them hanging around from time to time. He could have at least done the same for Lunch, or even found some excuse to write her out of the story but still acknowledge her existense.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've always wondered about that too. I'm guessing he might have had something planned with the whole Lunch leaving to chase after Tenshinhan thing, but forgot to follow-up on it, and then as Tenshinhan became less important of a character as the series went on there were less and less opportunities to bring her back into the story without going out of the way to do so.

It's a shame, since I always found Lunch to be a fun character, even when she didn't have much to do after the RRA arc. In fact, I was re-reading the King Piccolo arc earlier this weekend, and she had two choice moments that I found very amusing - one being her comment that Piccolo's plan to create a lawless world where murder and mayhem reigned king didn't sound half-bad to her, and the other where she's all gung-ho about going out and shooting up Piccolo and Yamcha comments that it's times like this that he's glad she's around, only for her to immediately sneeze soon after and revert back to her docile self. Like how Chi-Chi got her moments in the series every now and again despite not influencing the main story much, I think she could've continue to have small, fun moments like those if she had stuck around.