Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 review: A major comeback for the franchise

Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 debuted on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 11:40 pm JST. The first episode of this series received a lot of plaudits from the fandom and it also established a lot of new lore, including developing the Demon Realm. Additionally, Toei Animation stood out because of the high-quality animation they delivered with recaps of some of the series' most legendary moments.

This Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 review focuses on analyzing the anime’s storyline, production quality, casting choices, and other elements. The goal is to assess the series' quality thus far and also conclude if it's doing justice to the legacy of author Akira Toriyama and the franchise as a whole.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers and reflects the author’s opinions.

Reviewing Dragon Ball Daima episode 1: Evaluating the latest series of this legendary franchise

Dragon Ball Daima episode 1: A brief synopsis

Gomah, the new ruler of the Demon Realm (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 started with a recap of the events of the series and then switched to the Demon Realm, presenting the audience with the characters of Degesu, the brother of the Supreme Kai, and Gomah. Now that Dabura is dead, Gomah has taken his position and he is watching the events of the Buu Saga unfold through his recordings.

Since the Demon Realm Dragon Balls are guarded by beings known as the Tamagami, Gomah, and Degesu choose to go to Earth and use them to get their wishes. This is when Dr. Arinsu, Degesu's sister, is introduced and she mentions that Goku and his friends could be a problem since they were capable of destroying Majin Buu.

That leads to Gomah deciding to turn them into kids with one of the wishes since the Dragon Balls cannot kill them. They eventually arrive at Earth while Goku and his friends are celebrating Trunks' ninth birthday and push Mr. Popo and Dende aside to get the orbs and ask for the wish, resulting in the cliffhanger of the first episode.

Narrative review of Dragon Ball Daima episode 1: A good job setting up the plot and characters

Goku and Vegeta sparring (Image via Toei Animation).

In terms of storytelling, Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 dedicated its first half to establishing the conflict of this series by introducing the characters of Degesu and Gomah while also informing people of the events that happened prior. While the vast majority of the franchise is common knowledge to anime fans, Toei Animation made the correct choice by establishing a reminder of the Buu Saga while indulging in a bit of fanservice in the process.

The episode could be defined by heavily expanding the series' lore, particularly when it comes to the Demon Realm and how it works. This part of the Dragon Ball universe was already canon but had little to no information and this episode alone established a hierarchy, the existence of Dragon Balls that are guarded by beings known as the Tamagami, a Namekian living there, and even that the Supreme Kai might hail from there.

There is a certain efficiency as the episode establishes the setting, the conflict, and the main antagonists in a very straightforward manner while maintaining the characteristic Dragon Ball style of storytelling. It is early stages but the Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 has done a solid job in introducing the plot of the series.

Dragon Ball Daima episode 1: Reviewing the production, animation, soundtracks, and voice acting

Dr. Arinsu as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation).

The voice acting is rock solid as most of the classic actors of the cast have returned, led by the legendary voice of Goku, Masako Nozawa. Fans who have followed the Japanese version of the franchise must be familiar with the voices of the cast by now and the vast majority of them deliver the goods.

A lot of people have praised the animation and rightfully so since it is some of the best production that the entirety of Dragon Ball has enjoyed. Reanimating the most iconic moments of the Buu Saga has been the source of a lot of compliments from the fandom, to the point some have even begged for a remake of the original series in this style.

Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 has a smooth and fluid animation style that doesn't really wane from one scene to another, which is something quite positive. This is complemented by a soundtrack that is reminiscent of the early days of the franchise, with a bit subdued but efficient approach to creating a proper setting.

Final thoughts

Expand Tweet

Dragon Ball Daima episode 1 was a great start for the series, especially considering that a lot of people had doubts about the premise of the main cast turning into kids. While is still early stages, it is a very promising beginning for the last project author Akira Toriyama worked on.

Related articles

Edited by Tiasha