Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another / I beg you, don't embarrass me, motherfu-I mean… Like the others (Please Please Please – Sabrina Carpenter).
Can I just say that I’m tired of multi-verse stories? Exhausted even! I'm aware that the specific multi-verse storyline in Dragon Ball Super was technically written before Marvel got their grubby hands on the concept, but when I finally started reading this series and saw that there was a fighting tournament with contestants from different universes, I tilted my head back and groaned like I was being possessed. No joke, I looked like Fire Lord Ozai when Aang took away his bending. The only thing I like about how it’s used here is the twist where we learn that the main universe, the one where the story takes place, is actually the “bad universe” and that every other one is surprised at all the awful people that exist in it. Not only is that really funny to me, but there’s also an underlying hopefulness that warms my heart. That despite all the world ending threats happening with alarming frequency, absolutely nothing stops heroes like Goku from rising up and fighting to make things better. Cool stuff. It even makes me feel a little better about how it often feels like the real world exists in the worst timeline. Anyway, I’ve made it no secret that the original Dragon Ball manga is my all-time favorite… anything, and unfortunately my love does not extend to Dragon Ball Super (this one). It’s really just a retread of all the same themes and story arcs that the characters already went through in the original series with a different artist and an uglier coat of paint. I've got to say, I don't like the way the story develops all that much, it just lacks the same magic. It's like how Joker (2019) came across as more of a redundant imitation of King of Comedy rather than a loving homage. And you can tell by the fanboy prose that this new artist grew up with Dragon Ball because the way the characters are written in the new, new feels like a little boy playing with toys, just mashing shit together. Like damn, I didn't know this was written by Dave Filoni. Now, I know that Super was supervised by Akira Toriyama (R.I.P.), the original creator, for a large chunk of its run, but… I don’t know man, something's missing. Otherwise, I’m also just not a fan of when artists go back to their older works decades later, because what inevitably happens is fan interpretations of the art start to seep in the author’s mind until they eventually become one and the same. It might not be super noticeable, but I noticed! Oh, I noticed. For example, a lot of fans of Dragon Ball have gotten it in their heads that somehow Goku, the main character, is a dumb meathead manchild who’s also a terrible father. It’s odd really, because if you read the text, like, the actual manga, there’s literally nothing to support this. He’s often irresponsible and loves a good fight, a good challenge, but he always puts other people’s lives above his own fighter's pride and ego. Sure, he often spares the bad guys, but his decisions to do that are always proven to be the correct one throughout the narrative. I've had it, I won’t take the Goku slander any longer! He’s a damn hero!!! Well, he is in Dragon Ball, that is. In Super he’s every bit the flanderized, insensitive idiot that bad faith interpretations have turned him into. Ugh, and I could go on and on about Vegeta too! But I’ll give it a rest... for now.