quote:
Originally posted by Benoit:
I strongly disagree with your bashing. Saying that Dragon Ball (Z) is crap is being very nasty to the title that founded the genre - shonen. Dragon Ball created the guidelines for shonen for years to come. Few mangakas can be creative enough to not be influenced by Toriyama's masterpiece. The genre needed legends, myths and heroes to build its universe. Toriyama did it.
If you think certain parts are bad, well... Consider that the mangaka wanted to end the series after the Namek saga.
(the above text largely inspired/translated from the French manga magazine Manga Spirit)
You're arguing from irrelevancy. The reputation of a work, and its influence on other works, has NOTHING to do with whether or not it is any good. Most of the time good works are popular, and most of the time popular works are good. Not always.
Fist of the North Star was heavily influential, once upon a time, having a great effect on shounen as well. Doesn't mean it's any good at all. Conversely men like H. P. Lovecraft and Philip K. Dick were virtual unknowns while they were alive, only to be discovered later. Evangelion has had a profound impact on giant robot anime; this doesn't mean that people somehow MUST think it is good (and in fact the show has been panned by people who, I must acknowledge, have valid objections).
Besides which, you sort of contradicted yourself. "He wanted to end it after Namek" is all well and good in terms of putting things in context, but it doesn't make the show any better. The stuff after Namek was still written. The work must be considered as a whole; and I do agree there are some parts that are good (I find the Cell saga decently interesting), but ... as a whole, I just don't see it. Judged solely on the merits of the actual show, and not anything else (historical significance, reputation of creator, popularity), Dragon Ball Z just can't be scored that high.
Note: I'm only really talking about the anime. The manga is better. Note also that I have not actually seen much of the anime, and am speaking from information gleaned from the small parts I've seen and hearsay.