A completely new series of the anime Dragon Ball, based on the popular manga by Akira Toriyama, called Dragon Ball DAIMA, has been airing on Fuji TV since October. The anime celebrates the 40th anniversary of Dragon Ball, and is the first new TV anime series in about six years since Dragon Ball Super, which ended its run in March 2018. It has also been a hot topic that Toriyama, the original author, is in charge of the original story, story, and character design. Why is a new TV anime series being produced? We spoke to Ino Akio of Capsule Corporation Tokyo, who serves as executive producer of the Dragon Ball series.
◇ Akira Toriyama has been giving me tons of ideas
The original Dragon Ball manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) from 1984 to 1995, and the TV anime series began in 1986. The total number of comics published worldwide exceeds 260 million copies. In recent years, the Dragon Ball Super series, based on Toriyama's original idea, was broadcast from 2015 to 2018, and the animated film Dragon Ball Super: Broly was released in 2018, and Dragon Ball Super: Superhero was released in 2022, both of which were hits, and the series has been loved around the world for over 40 years.
"DAIMA" depicts Son Goku and his friends, who have been turned into tiny figures by a certain conspiracy, as they go on an adventure in the Great Demon Realm. As it is an original story, many new characters appear, and the unpredictable developments are one of the big attractions, and it seems that many old fans are reminded of their childhood days when they used to read "Weekly Shonen Jump" every week with excitement. "Dragon Ball" has been running for about 40 years, and it has also gained new fans. Even children who have never seen "Dragon Ball" before will be excited by it.
First of all, why is a new TV anime series being started?
"This story goes back about six years ago, but when we were making 'Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes,' we started talking about wanting to do a new series with a different plot from the movie. We were making the movie, and in order not to burden you, I wanted you to just take a look at it, rather than having you make it in full, so I asked you what you thought. As we went along, you became very enthusiastic about it. It was different from the original plan, but after consulting with you, we ended up having you make most of it."
Toriyama came up with ideas such as "What kind of place is the Great Demon World? Who are the new characters...", and the world view of "DAIMA" was solidified.
"It was the first time for me to make a series from scratch like this, so I think it was interesting from the teacher's perspective. It's longer than a movie, and we spent a lot of time going back and forth about the story. In fact, production on the anime started before the story was completely finished. That's how much I was racking my brains over it. Maybe that's why it has the same kind of thrill as a weekly serialized manga."
◇Anime that parents and children can enjoy together
With its 40-year run, "Dragon Ball" has become a work loved by two or even three generations. It is also broadcast as a TV anime, and we aimed to create a work that can be enjoyed by both parents and children.
"I was conscious of the generation in their early 30s and older who have grown up and have children. I wanted to make an anime that parents and children could watch together. They are the generation that watched 'Dragon Ball GT' as children. I was conscious of that, and my attempt to create a new anime series like 'GT' became the starting point."
"Dragon Ball GT" is an original story TV anime that aired from 1996 to 1997, and has something in common with "DAIMA" in that Goku goes on a great adventure in a tiny form. Adult Goku is cool, but the tiny Goku is not only cool, but also cute, and has a different charm. One of the highlights of "DAIMA" is the action scene where tiny Goku fights using his Nyoibou stick.
"A big theme of this work is to have a wider audience, and although this is hindsight, I feel that by making Goku smaller, the entry point has become wider. I never thought that everyone would be small, but of course it was Sensei's idea. 'GT' means 'Grand Touring', and we are trying to depict an adventure in 'DAIMA' as well. It will have a different flow and form from 'Super', where Goku steadily improves his strength. Even though Goku is small, the sight of him fighting by leaps and bounds using his Nyoibou stick looks fresh, and it will show a different appeal from 'Super'."
Before the opening of "DAIMA," a video is played explaining Goku's exploits to date, saying, "What is Dragon Ball...?" The illustrations of "Dragon Ball" change with the times, but in this explanation, nostalgic illustrations are depicted as anime in the Reiwa era. It is structured in a way that is nostalgic for existing fans and friendly to new fans, showing that they are trying to broaden the audience.
"The teacher said that there might be some people who don't know the story so far, about collecting the Dragon Balls and facing strong enemies. So we made it so that even people who are watching it for the first time can understand it. We also tried to show Goku's growth, and make it easy to understand that he has become smaller."
Although he made it enjoyable for children, he said, "I didn't make it childish. Of course, I had to properly express the appeal of the characters and the story. I wanted parents to want to watch it with their children, so I tried to pay attention to the image." It's an excellent balance that can be enjoyed by both adults and children.
◇You can see the “connection”
It is known that "DAIMA" takes place after the Majin Buu Saga of the original manga, but since "Dragon Ball" has many different storylines, fans are discussing the connection to the story. Although it had not been stated explicitly until now, Ino said, "It is true that the author himself is in charge of the story, it is a continuation, and it is connected to the Majin Buu Saga. That is the fact, and that is all there is to it."
There are many parts where you can feel the "connection". In "DAIMA", the origins of Kaiōshin, the Namekians, Majin Buu, and others are revealed. Every time, a "connection" is revealed, and there are some surprising parts.
"I'm sure you're wondering where DAIMA fits in the Dragon Ball series, but I'm trying to show the various connections to Dragon Ball. Even if we don't know about it, I think there are connections in the sensei's mind, and I'm not aiming for that, but I'm trying to show that as well. The part that blew me away the most was that, 'all those with pointy ears are residents of the Great Demon Realm.' I think that's a setting that the sensei had vaguely had in his mind for a while, and I was surprised to find out that's the case. The sensei has a firm grasp on the world of Dragon Ball, and he changes the focus depending on the work. He's not forcing settings in. The twists and turns are important, and since the anime began without the original manga, I'm very conscious of having the kind of 'pull-up' that you get in the manga."
"DAIMA" is trying to create an unprecedented anime series while preserving the "ness" of "Dragon Ball". There is no doubt that it is a challenging work.
"Because we've been going for so long, we don't make huge mistakes, but if we keep doing the same thing, people will get bored. It's difficult to find the right balance. It's something we've ended up doing up until now, but while it's difficult to change everything in order to guarantee the image that everyone has in mind, we also need to continue taking on new challenges."
◇ Future developments of "Dragon Ball"
"DAIMA" is being distributed worldwide. With the spread of distribution services, it has become possible to watch the same anime at the same time all over the world, but this is the first time that this has happened with "Dragon Ball."
"We weren't sure how much of a response it would get, but we were thinking about a simultaneous worldwide release with an eye toward streaming. I feel like this work is perceived differently depending on the country and region. It's basically seen as an anime work, but in some countries and regions, 'Dragon Ball' is placed on the same level as live-action dramas, so we're also concerned about how to present it in that context. We're not just thinking about it within the framework of anime. We have to be fully aware that it is a work that is so widely accepted. We have to change our preconceived notions every time, but I feel like we won't know until we actually try it."
The future development of "Dragon Ball" is also of interest. With various developments such as not only anime but also games, merchandise, and manga, where will it go? As Ino said, "Anime and games can't be made so quickly, it takes time. We are preparing and trying to develop it properly. We want to expand it even further," so "Dragon Ball" will continue. It is sure to be a beloved work for 50 years and beyond.
"DAIMA" will air its final episode on February 28. There are sure to be some exciting developments ahead, and many mysteries remain.
"There are action scenes that will fully meet everyone's expectations. The climax battle is absolutely amazing! There are parts of the story that you can imagine, and parts that you can't, but they may or may not turn out that way... You'll probably be like, "Wow!" I'm sure you'll enjoy it even more if you watch it again from the beginning."
Will something happen in the end? Attention is focused on how "DAIMA" will develop towards the final episode.
