A Dragon Ball series is always an event. Even more so when the series begins broadcasting several months after the death of the creator of the license, Akira Toriyama. Not to mention that it was the latter who thought up and wrote the script for this new production, dedicated to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the anime. Dragon Ball Daima is all of that, declined and developed over 20 episodes, which kept us on the edge of our seats from October to the end of February. Or not.
A direct sequel to the Buu arc
Daima is part of the continuity of the Buu arc – the famous arc that Toriyama did not want to do at the base, he who wanted to close the Z series with the Cell arc -, placing itself de facto before the events of Dragon Ball Super. The plot takes place a few months after Goku's resounding victory. The latter and his legendary gang (Piccolo, Vegeta, Bulma...) find themselves mysteriously reduced to the size of a child overnight, or more precisely rejuvenated, which will obviously have consequences on their abilities as fighters.
This result is only the consequence of the Machiavellian plan of King Gomah, a demon who has sat on the throne since Dabra's death and who, fearful of Team Z, decides to take the lead by putting them in difficulty. And to make sure the problem is eradicated, Gomah kidnaps Dende – who has rejuvenated to a baby state – so that the latter cannot come to the aid of Goku and his friends.
Journey into unknown lands
Obviously, this is to misunderstand the tenacity of the most popular Super Saiyan of his generation. Without further ado: Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and Bulma, in separate orders, set off in search of Dende and a solution to regain their normal size, which will obviously involve a new quest for the Dragon Balls. Daima's strong point is the discovery of a playground only just touched upon in Dragon Ball Z: the Demon Realm. The latter is divided into three worlds, with a particular environment and demons... and above all an exceptional warrior, a Tatagami, a barrier to cross to obtain the Dragon Ball of the world in question. Above all, an excuse to see Goku and Vegeta push the limits of their child bodies and demonstrate their power.
The origins of the Kaio Shin, the creation of Buu, the history of Dabra and the king before him, as well as a significant insight into the Namek people are all interesting themes raised in Daima. In terms of environment and atmosphere, we are served, with an exploration vibe reminding us of the best hours of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT. Boredom, it's the pace of the subject. In 20 episodes, we can't say that the whole thing gets very exciting. Of course, we didn't wait for Daima to understand that the strong point of Dragon Ball wasn't really the storyline but the epic fights and the new transformations that Goku and Vegeta will unlock as they progress. For the first part, we'll go back, except at the end and the long duel against Gomah, the only opponent able to offer a real semblance of opposition to the Saiyans, who are much too strong against the rest of the roster developed in Daima.
The SSJ4 is canon but...
On the other hand, in terms of transformation, we were served. The Super Saiyan 3, presented by Goku against Buu, is now also acquired and mastered by Vegeta. First surprise offered by Daima. And it's not the only one. Goku, thanks to the help of the Namek elder Neva, reaches Super Saiyan 4, seen in Dragon Ball GT and at the same time, now canon in the license. Except that in Daima, this new level of power differs a little: Goku's hair is magenta red, recalling the color he has when he reaches Super Saiyan God, his hands are bigger too and it is not necessary for Goku to go through the box of the golden giant monkey. With the coherence issues that this implies.
Capable of summoning it a second time - having regained his size, the first time being small - Goku justifies this new power cap by intensive and secret training after the fight against Buu. Conclusion? The hero of Dragon Ball Daima already had the ability to achieve this new transformation and Neva only awakened it in him in short. No more, no less.
We are therefore far from the Saiyan heritage (the transformation into a monkey, etc.) highlighted and appreciated in Dragon Ball GT. However, the appearance of SSJ4 raises other questions: why do we not see this transformation again after? Why does Goku claim in front of Beerus in Dragon Ball Super that Super Saiyan 3 (before acquiring God and then Blue) is the strongest transformation of a Saiyan... if he has already reached SSJ4? Daima doesn't bother with any explanation, leaving a gray area on the subject, with an open ending, in the event that Toei is tempted by a second season. Who knows?
A (much) late rise in power
In the end, we were left wanting more with Dragon Ball Daima. The series takes ages to get going, the few plot devices, like the about-face at the end of Glorio, are much too obvious to really keep us on the edge of our seats. The whole thing lacks personality and the goal is clear with Daima: to rehabilitate Dragon Ball GT, to the detriment of adopting a personality of its own over time.
So we end up with a product full of good ideas on paper but less well exploited on screen - we'll spare ourselves the precise criticism of the ending, in "all that for that" mode -, with remarkable animation from start to finish and a relentless and welcome rise in power in the last third... but too late for our taste. We're thinking in particular of the very last episode and the exceptional Kamehameha thrown by Goku at Gomah, which can easily be included in the great moments experienced by the character. Enough to place the series very high in the Dragon Ball tier-list? No. But you might be less harsh than us when watching it.
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