Recently I was given the very difficult task of writing a critical view of the Dragon Ball Z series for IGN. It was quite a challenge, and so far the article has caused quite a stir in the DBZ fanbase.
From the article:
I had quite a bit of difficulty writing this piece. To be honest, I didn't really want to write it. But I did feel that in analyzing the series a lot of intelligent debate would be started, and we need more of that in the anime community. There are few "mainstream" media avenues covering anime, and few of them venture on topics outside of news, simple reviews, or top ten lists. I, like many anime fans, view anime as an art form. As such it deserves intelligent critical debate just like cinema, literature, or music.
It took a lot of thought to try to be as fair as possible while also giving the show the level of criticism it deserves for certain flaws. The whole time I was writing this I was thinking "Oh man, the fans are gonna rip me for this."
But I stand by the points made, and I'll live with the criticism the article will get. At the moment the article is the most popular one on all of IGN. I suppose that's a measure of success, but I still feel rather unfulfilled by the whole thing for some reason
Anyways, the articles are here for for your reading pleasure.
What's wrong with Dragon Ball Z? Part one
What's wrong with Dragon Ball Z? Part two
From the article:
Ah, Dragon Ball Z. One of the most influential and commercially successful anime franchises ever created. Frenetic action scenes, likable characters, and great humor – a great formula for shonen franchise success. Everyone knows the good side of DBZ; the merits of the franchise are discussed in many areas. But not everyone seriously talks about the faults of the franchise, and the bad habits that it has encouraged in both the industry and the fan base.
I had quite a bit of difficulty writing this piece. To be honest, I didn't really want to write it. But I did feel that in analyzing the series a lot of intelligent debate would be started, and we need more of that in the anime community. There are few "mainstream" media avenues covering anime, and few of them venture on topics outside of news, simple reviews, or top ten lists. I, like many anime fans, view anime as an art form. As such it deserves intelligent critical debate just like cinema, literature, or music.
It took a lot of thought to try to be as fair as possible while also giving the show the level of criticism it deserves for certain flaws. The whole time I was writing this I was thinking "Oh man, the fans are gonna rip me for this."
But I stand by the points made, and I'll live with the criticism the article will get. At the moment the article is the most popular one on all of IGN. I suppose that's a measure of success, but I still feel rather unfulfilled by the whole thing for some reason
Anyways, the articles are here for for your reading pleasure.
What's wrong with Dragon Ball Z? Part one
What's wrong with Dragon Ball Z? Part two