If you really think about it, Akira Toriyama is one of the most important people in anime history by a very large margin. Not only has he had a hand in various anime and video game properties over the years, but he’s the man who created the Dragon Ball franchise, widely considered the anime that helped bring the genre to the West and beyond. It’s one of the longest-lasting series in manga and anime history, which can be proven in not just the shows and movies, but the video games it’s been in, the crossovers with various other platforms and media, and so on.
Mr. Toriyama may be getting up there in years, but his franchise is still going strong. For further proof of this, you need only look at Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the latest move in the franchise that has crossed $50 million dollars at the global box office and is still climbing. The creator did have a role in the movie, including helping name the film, creating the new villains in Gamma 1 & 2, going back to the Red Ribbon Army as the core bad guy group of the film, and more.
So, given all of that, what does he think of the movie? He made a large post citing his review of the film, and he was very positive about it.
“To put it shortly, it’s an amazing anime movie, of course, to have the original creator say that may not be the most convincing argument, but I couldn’t help but get excited when I was watching it! I’m an old man and yet I got excited.”
He particularly praised how Gohan, Piccolo, and the Gammas were used and made sure to thank the animation, directing, voice-over artists, editors, and everyone else who helped make this film. He noted he was “so pleased” and pumped by the film and feels that many fans will be once they watch it themselves.
This is indeed high praise because not all adapted properties in the world today have their original creators around to either guide or support them. As recent attempts have shown, it doesn’t always work out. For Akira Toriyama to not just be around, but to help make the film, and then go and trust others to fulfill all his hopes? That’s a lot of trust to put into people.
While the creator didn’t note what was coming next for the franchise, you have to believe that his pumped state might lead him to wanting to make more stories with his beloved characters.
Source: Twitter
