Summary
Dragon Ball Z has enjoyed incredible popularity among children and teenagers in the US, with Cartoon Network receiving record views and ratings. Concerns about violence in the series were addressed by Funimation, who removed gore to suit American audiences. Dragon Ball became a global phenomenon, making anime a beloved medium around the world and leading to the creation of films, spin-offs, games, and other media.
When Dragon ball debuted in foreign markets like the US, one of the world’s largest newspapers at that time had a humorous reaction to the impending power that was Toriyama’s action series. The franchise is one of the series that paved the way for anime as a medium loved around the world.
Rediscovered by Reddit user xtremerussel, the image of a Wall Street Journal article about Dragon Ball Z left a lasting impression on fans. On December 3, 1999, Wall Street Journal reporter Sally Beatty reported on the surprising popularity of Dragon Ball Z among young children and teenagers and made an unforgettable, humorous comparison. .
It was here that she described Dragon Ball as a combination of Pokémon and Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. “A sort of Pokémon meets Pulp Fiction, the movie is much darker than the average children’s cartoon.” As funny as it is, that couldn’t be further from the truth as Dragon Ball is far different from both series.
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Dragon Ball has dominated in America
Written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama
Dragon Ball Z may be considered one of Toonami’s best anime today, but its debut in 1998 was more controversial. The WSJ article noted the series’ incredible popularity among teenage boys, leading to Cartoon Network receiving the most views in history at the time, with 1.7 million households. family to watch the series. Ratings are at an all-time high, and Dragon Ball’s popularity has caused the channel to increase its time devoted to anime. Many other anime are also in the catalog, namely Gundam Wing and Tenchi Mento.
Given how different Dragon Ball Z was from most anime at the time, there were clearly concerns about the series and its violent premise. This is even more true as the shows are bloodier and gorier before more regulations and censorship were put in place. Luckily, the series’ distributor, Funimation, removed the gore and toned down the level of gore that would have been shown to children in the United States. Now, Dragon Ball is often considered the perfect anime to introduce children to the genre.
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As the article points out, Dragon Ball was one of the most popular series at the time and was iconic with audiences inside and outside of Japan. One of the highest-grossing media series, the series has done wonders in taking the medium global. The stories of Goku and his friends have been made into films, spin-offs, games, and many other forms of media demonstrating the great demand that Toriyama Dragon ball franchise has been obtained.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Watch Dragon Ball
Super Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball Super is a sequel to the original Dragon Ball series as well as the fan-favorite Dragon Ball Z anime. Dragon Ball Super takes place ten years after the defeat of Majin Buu and follows Goku and his friends on all-new adventures. Like previous seasons, Dragon Ball Super was praised throughout its 131 episodes.