So, Dragon Ball Super. A series widely criticized and panned from the beginning, due to a multitude of things. Retelling the past 2 movies, poor animation quality, etc. But as you can see by my score, I actually really like this show! Is it perfect? No, just look at some of those first 27 episodes, and you can really see a struggle to get episodes out.
This isn't a review of episodes 28-89, it's a review from episode 1. I'll be reviewing each arc separately, before wrapping it all up with my overall thoughts.
...
-Battle of Gods-
The animation overall during this arc is, in my opinion..pretty good. It tries to imitate the cleaner art style of the movie, and I think it succeeds, for the most part. Minus the extreme mess that was the original airing of episode 5. The story is pretty much just a retelling of the movie, stretched out into 13/14 episodes. Some of the fight scenes are now longer, some filler scenes have been added, or new perspectives. It's pretty minor stuff, not a whole lot to change my mind about the movie. If you want the "definitive" Battle of Gods experience, I recommend watching the movie, but also watch some of the new scenes, and that last fight can be swapped out for the TV version.
-Resurrection 'F'-
Look. I'm not the biggest fan of the original movie, and sadly this arc does little-to-nothing to improve upon the original material. Time restrictions and tight schedules led to poor animation, and it really shows in some of the later episodes. There's this odd addition of Captain Ginyu that just happens at one point, for around 5 minutes, but that's really all of note. I'd say skip this arc, just watch the movie. Or don't watch the movie, and read the manga. It's up to you.
-Universe 6-
Yes! The first real original content to come from Super...and it's a tournament arc. Okay, I know people like tournament arcs, whether it be My Hero Academia or Hunter x Hunter, and fans of the original Dragon Ball probably appreciate them doing a tournament arc. To me, however, that's one of the issues of this arc: it's just a tournament. There aren't really any stakes, no universe-destroying threat, it's a fight compilation. And while the fights are pretty good (Hit vs Goku for example), and the arc certainly sets up later stories as well as introducing some new and unique characters, there's not much else. If you just want some good fights, then yeah, I can recommend this arc. If you want a tournament with stakes..I'll save that for later.
-Future Trunks/Goku Black-
As a fan of Future Trunks, you can bet I was excited when I heard that he'd be in the "newest arc of Dragon Ball Super". Any excuse to give Eric Vale more work is fine with me. But then I saw an "evil Goku", and I was intrigued. Before I dig deep into this arc, a few things:
• Yes, the time travel did get convoluted at times, but I still enjoyed it
• Yes, the Potara retcon did annoy me at first, but I believe it will allow for more Vegito
• Yes, the ending was a little lackluster, but I enjoyed it
Now, with that out the way, I can truly dig in. Goku Black is a great villain, with a great voice in both English (via Xenoverse 2) and Japanese. Seeing how the Kaioshin from Universe 10 differ from the ones of Universe 7 was also nice. I loved seeing Trunks as a broken man, fighting for what little was left of humanity in his timeline. The arc was full of great moments, like the Final Kamehameha, Super Saiyan Rage (or even Rosé), and the conversation between Future Trunks and kid Trunks. By far, my favorite arc of Super so far. I do not recommend skipping it, but I do recommend reading the manga in addition to watching the anime. The differences between the two are interesting, to say the least.
-Universe Survival-
Limit Break x Survivor is amazing. The subtle changes in the art style that were made are noticeable, and add a layer of beauty to the show. The fact that Goku sort of caused this arc by suggesting the tournament back in the Universe 6 arc shows to me that the writers remember previous arcs. Although we're still in the build-up to the actual tournament, I can clearly say why I think it's better than Super's other tournament arc.
• It has real stakes, the destruction of multiple universes
• Each member of our main team has had development
• Goku's attitude has turned against him, everyone is targeting him
• It feels like the story could go anywhere, while setting things up
-Overall-
Despite a rocky start, and lackluster moments, Dragon Ball Super has - at least in my eyes, become an entertaining and fun show to watch every week, with an endless amount of possibilities for the story. While it still takes place in that 10 year gap between the end of the Buu saga and the last episode of Z, I wouldn't be surprised if it went past that final moment after the Universe Survival arc. In fact, I hope it does! See, I enjoy Super so much because of where it could go with its concepts. Gods, other universes, I'm really interested where the story goes next.
If you're a Dragon Ball fan, or just want some good fights, I definitely recommend Super. If you were turned off by the early episodes and their animation, give it another chance, will ya?
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May 13, 2017
Dragon Ball Super
(Anime)
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So, Dragon Ball Super. A series widely criticized and panned from the beginning, due to a multitude of things. Retelling the past 2 movies, poor animation quality, etc. But as you can see by my score, I actually really like this show! Is it perfect? No, just look at some of those first 27 episodes, and you can really see a struggle to get episodes out.
This isn't a review of episodes 28-89, it's a review from episode 1. I'll be reviewing each arc separately, before wrapping it all up with my overall thoughts. ... 
Oct 17, 2016
Chi's Sweet Home
(Anime)
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This will be a spoiler-free, incredibly-biased review. I love cats, I truly do..that's kinda why my username (as of October 17th, 2016) is what it is. But when I learned that there was an entire anime about the daily life of a cat, I was excited! I was even more excited to learn that it had 104 episodes!
...Unfortunately these 104 episodes are around 3 minutes, and not your typical 20-something. But hey, this format definitely works for Chi and her story. By having shorter episodes, chunks of a story can be told at a time, allowing for a breezy watching schedule if you're like me, ... 
Oct 16, 2016
Samurai Flamenco
(Anime)
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So..I just finished watching Samurai Flamenco after putting it off for a couple months, after watching the first 3 or so episodes, and my feelings on it are mixed.
While I was kinda expecting it to take the route it did, no spoilers of course, I feel as if it could have done it better, for sure. Certain characters fell off and felt unnecessary, or just as sidekicks, something that's even acknowledged by one of the villains. I didn't like how everything regarding the hero side of Masayoshi's life seemed so convenient. Again, no spoilers, but there's a big aspect of his career later on that ... |
