Dragon
Ball Daima hit
theaters and televisions in October 2024 as the last great adventure in which
Akira Toriyama participated directly before his passing. A project that,
therefore, should have a special aura within the franchise, but that ended up
dividing opinions. Now, those criticisms have skyrocketed after Kazuhiko
Torishima, legendary editor and first collaborator of Toriyama in the
initial era of Dragon Ball, unceremoniously attacked the series
calling it "a garbage anime".
Toriyama's
former editor did not hold anything back
During a
YouTube broadcast, Torishima-san openly confessed her dissatisfaction with the
recent productions of the saga, with Dragon Ball Daima being
the main target of her criticism. According to his words, not only does he
consider that the work did not live up to Toriyama's legacy, but he even went
so far as to suggest that it would be better to stop the production of
new Dragon Ball Super anime to focus efforts on other
projects. His statements, of course, lit up social networks in a matter of
hours.
Was
Dragon Ball Daima really a bad anime?
This is
where the controversy arises. Although Dragon Ball Daima did
not introduce a great narrative break or villains as memorable as in the past,
it did stand out as a careful work in the technical aspect. The recoloring of
Super Saiyan 4 was, perhaps, his most impactful card, but behind all that was
Toriyama's hand, making it clear that he wanted to rescue part of what
made Dragon Ball GT special. Hence, many consider that calling
it "garbage" is, to say the least, exaggerated.
The
other side of the coin
Since the
production of Toei Animation, the truth is that Dragon Ball Daima shined
as one of the best animated episodic series in the entire franchise. Even with
criticism about the continuity regarding Dragon Ball Super and
with an ending that left more questions than answers (such as the mysterious
"evil eyes" that were barely introduced in the last episodes), it is
difficult to deny that Daima fulfilled to entertain and bring a new nuance to
Goku's universe.
A trial
that divides the fandom
Torishima's
words have opened a debate between those who believe that Dragon Ball should
already rest and those who think that Daima, although imperfect, deserves to be
remembered as Toriyama's last legacy. Some fans appreciate that the work chose
to tell a simple story without committing to hundreds of episodes, while others
agree with Torishima that the creative direction is not the right one to keep
the franchise alive.
