IMO 1 - Dragon Ball Daima

Intro

I’ve been catching up on Dragon Ball Daima the last week or so and I have some thoughts about it. It took me a little while to fall in love with it, but once I did, I’ve gotten a whole new level of appreciation for it. I’ve been highly critical of Dragon Ball in the past (not because I think it’s bad, but I think Toriyama was capable of much more than showed), but Daima is filled with the fun, humor and creativity that hooked me into the series in the first place.

Kid Pool

To be honest, it wasn’t until episode 5 or 6 where it all fell into place. Dragon Ball usually starts of fairly slow, and then accelarates into the action. Fans of Z might be put off from the lack of “adult” Goku throwing hands, but the action does build up to it in a very satisfying way. You just have to invest a bit in the characters for a few episodes before you get there. However, once that stage is reached, you’re treated to some beautiful animated sequences. Really, it’s a shame in a way how well these action sequences are animated because it makes you imagine how the older shows would be if they were animated today.

The best part about the action is that there’s a great build-up of scenarios over the series that allow the animators to really have fun with the characters. Dragon ball is notorious for using very limited punch, kick and speed line loops, but in Daima, it’s at the bare minimum. Most of the action scenes use unique and full sequence dynamic animation.

Kame-Hahaha

The last thing is the humor. It’s a really funny show. There’s some over used gags (Goku eats a lot and uses the bathroom a lot), but most of the characters have their moment to shine in a comedic way. The first half of the show is mostly adventure/ comedy, while the latter half focuses on the action that people have come to expect from Dragon Ball. This creates a nice investment into the characters and pays off when you see them fight and work together against the main villain.

Overall, I have to say I’m surprised by how much I’ve come to enjoy the series, and knowing that it’s Toriyama’s last piece of Dragon Ball leaves a very bittersweet taste to me. You can absolutely tell that Daima brought out his love for the series he created, and it leaves you wanting more.

Definitely give it a watch!

-Until next time-