Anime dragon ball mainstream

[-D-]

its been about a good eight years or so since i have watched my very first episode of dragon ball z. put simply though...i liked it then, and i like it now. anyways, during the last couple of years, dragon ball z, and even dragon ball have edged their way into to mainstream america. cartoon network and funimation have shared a great anime with a countless number of kids and adults alike.but anyway,heres the point...do you think the db/z series(s) have had some of their special value stripped away from them, now that every afterschool television set hosts them, or do you think that dragon ball/z will forever remain great, despite its constant public growth?be gentle with this one.-D-

[Kent]

Well,

This is a good question.

I believe dbz will always be just as special as it was the first time we all saw it.

Most of the time people who would feel that dbz lost its greatness are the kinds of people who like music until it hits the top ten, then its not good anymore.

I feel that the actual animation will always be special. However, the goods which will be sold with the dbz name on it...those will be the crap that makes dbz appear to not be special.

Fact is, as long as dbz is a thing that is personal to you, it will never loose its greatness. But if you are into dbz just for the moment due to your buddies being into it, you probably woulnt think its all that special in a few years.

I do think that dbz is going more mainstream, but anime is in general.

In the end, its all about the individual. If you think bootlegs are cool because no one else has them...then dbz is no longer for you. (hasnt been for a while)

But if you like bootlegs because of the amazing content they contain...dbz will always be your ****.

[PiroMunkie]

[size=1]Well, America has already messed with most anime to the point where one cannot really judge its quality, unless they have seen it in its original form. It is a pretty wide opinion here that those companies that bought, edited, and dubbed the whole DragonBall series have screwed it pretty bad. Even on the simplest of things, which really gets on my nerves. So much that I really do not think of what they show on public television as actual anime, since it has been perverted to such an extent.

I agree with gokents on the idea that it is not just DragonBall that is making its way into a more mainstream world, but anime in general. Though, one must take into account the fact that, in other places other than Japan, probably a majority of the people that watch anime only watch what they see on television, so they do not get the original content. Not many people take the time to buy fansubs or DVD's of animes that have the original version of the anime, the DragonBall series in this case, on it, and watch it in its pure form with the subtitles.

The DragonBall series has always been great to me as long as I have watched it. Unfortunately, I have missed a lot the more recent episodes because they took it off the Midnight Run. However, it still remains the same that it is one of my favorites, and I think it is going to stay like that for a while.[/size]

[-D-]

thanks for the input...i feel the same as you two.dragon ball, and anime in general are both great to watch on television, but i feel that you aren't getting the 'true' anime experience unless you actually buy a dvd and see the animes as the directors saw them. im not talking down on any of the MILLIONS who just watch toonami and dub themselves "true" anime fans, im just saying that maybe people should go out and do a little research and actually see what anime is truly about.D

[Manic Webb]

Mainstream, shmainstream! That's what I say. Wasn't Dragonball mainstream for years in Japan?

I believe my Dragon-Ego has grown to the point where I no longer concern myself with such trivial things as elitism and mainstream anime and dubbing edits approved by American network censors. I've been a Dragonball Z fan since 1996 and a few crappy pieces of merchandise and an upcoming "disaster waiting to happen" live-action movie aren't going to change that... and they shouldn't.

I bought a new watch last year. It looks nice and it tells time. That's all I need it for.
This year, about 100 nameless people bought the same watch. Mine still tells time. Does it matter that my watch is now mainstream? Of course not! It tells time!!

Dragonball will always be Dragonball, no matter how mainstream it gets in America or how many evil products it spawns. The same goes for almost all anime. You can always suggest that newer fans watch the original version on DVD, but if they'd rather not bother... their loss.