It should not come as a surprise when I say that Dragon Ball was the anime series that started it all for me, as it must have for most of you as well. It made my imaginations run wild when I was a kid, in the best way possible.
Dragon Ball Daima: Prologue
In 2023, during the Dragon Ball special panel at New York Comic Con, fans received exciting news: a fifth installment of the beloved Dragon Ball franchise was officially announced.
Everyone was left wondering: “What could we expect?” The trailer of Dragon Ball Daima offered a brief glimpse of the story ahead, but instead of satisfying our curiosity, it only fueled it further. A shrunken Goku? Despite our best efforts to piece it together, the mystery remained.
Fast forward to October 11, 2024, and the highly anticipated series has now premiered on both Crunchyroll and Netflix.
With two episodes released, we now have a glimpse into how the story might unfold.
Where does this journey begin?
We dive right into the aftermath of the Majin Buu saga, beginning with two demons, Gomah and Degesu, as they recount events from the Demon Realm. Using a unique ability, they access a real-time view of the fierce battle between Majin Buu and the Earthlings. This clever approach to recapping past events is like a breath of fresh air. They were so smart with it.
A Look Back at the First Two Episodes of Dragon Ball Daima
The two demons watch as Demon King Dabura is devoured by Buu, who is ultimately defeated by Goku and Vegeta. With Dabura’s fall, Gomah ascends as the new ruler of the Demon Realm. The newly crowned Demon King, alongside Degesu, also observes the Earthlings gathering the seven Dragon Balls to summon Shenron, who grants them three wishes.
The existence of beings capable of defeating Buu troubles King Gomah. What if they decide to invade the demon realm? In an attempt to deal with the issue at hand, they hatch out a devious plan which sees them travelling to the “Outside World” – outside of the demon realm.
After crossing multiple barriers, they arrive in Universe 7, the closest to Earth. There, they confront Dende—the young Namekian—and Mr. Popo, the genie, instructing them to gather all the Dragon Balls for their three wishes. In short, the newly crowned Demon King successfully collects the seven Dragon Balls and summons Shenron.
He requests that the dragon grant his wish to transform everyone who defeated Buu into children (kodomo). Shenron grants this wish, but to the Demon King’s surprise, he refuses to fulfill any additional wishes, explaining that these extra perks are reserved for “regular customers”—haha!
After everyone is turned into children and babies, as insurance Degesu takes baby Dende as hostage.
Before long, everyone discovers what has happened and struggles to comprehend the situation. They now must adjust to their smaller bodies. As they attempt to process this, they decide to visit Mr. Popo. The genie fills them in on the recent events, and now they must find a way to rectify everything, which sets them off on a challenging mission: saving Dende and restoring their original forms.
What to expect ahead?
This has “fun” written all over it. You can expect it to lack that “serious” edge as Dragon Ball Daima feels like a light-hearted watch. With everyone turned into children and their outlook and voices so cute, it is hard to expect otherwise.
You must be aware that Akira Toriyama was heavily involved in the making process of this anime, so we can expect it to connect more dots to the original Dragon Ball series rather that this being a complete spin off.
Honestly, I liked the cute vibe it gave and to say the very least, it is gripping – in a light-hearted way.
To dissect what we have seen till now, the world building feels interesting, we get a peek into the Demon Realm which this series is sure to explore further, that is exciting.
The new Demon King is a really not your regular aura-filled ruler. He seems wary, almost scared of strong people and does not get the respect someone in his position should receive, that is what it feels like till now anyway. All in all, he feels a bit dumb.
So, looking at the characters and how they have been built up in the first two episodes, this seems to be moving more towards the funny and cute section.
Is Dragon Ball Daima worth watching?
Being Akira Toriyama’s last piece of work, it is reason enough for me to give Dragon Ball Daima a go but, keeping the emotional aspect aside, if you are looking for a light-hearted watch, something for a relaxing experience or to wind down after a long day at work, this is it.
If you’re after a gripping, intense storyline with out of the world foreshadowing and plot twists, this might not be quite what you’re looking for.
