Dragonball Evolution Snubs Critics
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: Mar 11, 2009 02:59 JST
- Tags: 20th Century Fox, Adaptations, Dragonball, Hollywood, Live Action, Marketing
The controversial Dragonball Evolution movie is attracting much attention in Japan for its unusual decision to refrain from any screenings at all to film critics, in what many interpret as a sign that 20th Century Fox know the title will be savaged.
The Japanese release is set to begin showing nationwide in 540 cinemas on the 13th of March, with the dubbed version boasting an all star seiyuu cast. The US release is set for April 9th.
Speculation from writers and critics ranges from “Aren’t they just trying to keep fans of the manga away from the film because they already know it will be savaged?”, to the optimistic “Isn’t this just a way of building anticipation by keeping a lid on the differences between the original and the new movie?”
The organisers of what very limited screenings there have been offer the rather unconvincing excuse “We couldn’t get everything printed up in time, that’s the main reason. It has nothing to do with avoiding criticism.”
Japan is of course the heartland of Dragonball fandom, with the manga having sold a staggering 150,000,000 copies across all its volumes over the years; even so, it seems the North American market appears to be the crucial target for the film.
Even the original author of the manga, Akira Toriyama, does not conceal his incomprehension at the movie’s direction.
Last month, in public comments, he was quoted as saying “As the creator, seeing what they’d done with the characters and script I was like ‘what?’”, and “Perhaps it is best appreciated as ‘New Dragonball’, Dragonball in an another dimension.”
If even the creator cannot bring himself to gush over the title, perhaps a disaster of legendary proportions is imminent? Ghoulish curiosity on the part of fans may ensure that commercial success is not so far out of reach as might be expected…
Via ZakZak.
You can see the initial Sankaku Complex community response clearly in the original announcement, and you can see a little of the film in the recent trailers.
| 
Ellen Baker’s Illustrator: “Keep It Clean!”
Bullet Girls 2 Goes At It From All Angles
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization A Real Grind
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri Immensely Gruesome
Tomoyo After Now on Steam Greenlight
Keiji Inafune Crafts Super Mario Maker Level
Singer Kouji Wada Succumbs to Cancer
Hatsumi Kosaka Bikini Figure
Sankaku App 2.0: Uploading & Editing
New Overwatch Pose Trolls SJWs: “Well Played Blizzard!”
Top 10 Cross-Anime Couples
Strip Fighter 5 Fights Dirty
Netoge no Yome MMORPG Romance Anime
“Official” Signed C.C. Labia Spread Nets $8,000
Sakamoto desu ga The Epitome of Perfection
Anne Happy Anything But Unhappy
Titillating Tomoka Wedding Figure
Touhou Ero-MMD Quite Ravenous
Babymetal Rocks Out On The Late Show
Uniqlo Bra CMs: “Show Us Your Breasts!”
Kashiwazaki Sena Cosplay Pure & Innocent
Minami Kotori Casino Girl Cosplay Takes No Chances
Shimakaze Cosplay by Ema Sakura
Harley Quinn Cosplay by Miyuko Colorfully Crazy
Sonico Ero-Cosplay by Yuka Hoshikage Super Sexy
Kasugano Sora Bunny Girl Cosplay Absolutely Admirable
Goddess of 2ch: “Barely Legal Beauty!”
Highly Yuri Tenryuu & Tatsuta Cosplay by Garo & Usagi
Yuyuko Cosplay by Aimer Lai Truly Enchanting
Tohsaka Rin Ero-Cosplay by Ayane Exceptionally Sexy
When i watch this movie i will cry all the 90 minutes. of course i won't pay for it.
funny thing about that...i think they just trolled everybody...seriously...they made a bad movie for the sake of people watching it just to rant about it...good reverse psychology
yeah, I also think about it like that..so basically, people will wonder how bad this title can go, watch the movie, go home thinking that this movie is an epic failure (or epic success for some clueless people..)
we can rant or scorn or puked about it, as long as we pay to see the movie and create profit for the producer, everything else is irrelevant...
and yes, I think I'll watch the movie and laughed my ass off (without paying for it of course)
wow..
nice illustration for uncle roshi body..
wish that the roshi in dragonball evolution have the same body when he got mad :D
who's paying for this junk.
they're lucky i'm at least watching it for free!
im watching for free by asking an otaku to bring me out on a date.
it's over 9000 minutes
no, its not.
And thank heavens it isn't.
I guess its dialogue from DB series..
"Bezita, what is the scale of his power level?"
Bezita: "it's over 9000.. "(screaming out loud)
"what 9000?"
nuclear bombs are about to set off when this releases.
WTFBOMB!!
as usual ..LA movie(anime-LA) sucks
we do not know for sure how the acceptance of this movie throughout the world..it would not enough for only us and the fans to un-support it since its one of the hollywood release..everyone would thinking it would be a great movie afterall..my prediction would be the movie would still be watch by most viewers and it will regain popularity regardless what others said..thats what i think..*nagai*
Break the hearts of diehard fans, while getting new fans from the movie.
You win some, you lose some, amirite?
Just like 'Tank Girl' and 'Transformers:The Movie'
You take that back, Transformers the Movie was awesome.
Oh, you don't mean that animated one?
...yeah, ok.
I can't imagine that this crap will get new fans. We're not talking about Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, you know...
I changed my mind. This movie sucks major (dragon) Balls.
WTF with Oozaru as Piccolo's minion? WTF with Kame Hame ha as an 'airbending technique'????
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
i wish they'd just change the title to "Golden Balls"
at least we get to keep our good memories of dragonball...
thats actually a very good idea.this is just another crappy generic magical fighting movie
That would be fucking hilarious because that's what testicles are called in Japanese LOL
kintama!!? XD
2ch users will laugh their asses off if they use Golden Balls title and translate it as is to Japanese...XD
im sure kintama is silver ball though :D
silver is gin, gold is kin. if you've seen gintama you would have known the importance of not confusing those two.
Gintama?
golden balls can be translated as kintama and it's the slang for testicles in Japan...now THAT is hilarious!! wondering whose balls they need to collect and what would come up from those "balls"...white gooey dragon? XD
This movie is going to kick ass.
or, rather, to make you want kick the asses of those who made it.
or it will kick the ass of dragon ball until it is truly smushed into the dirt. Then it will rape Dragonball's corpse all the while doing gang signs and rocking out to heavy metal.
this is going to be a disaster.
There's a word for this 'Curb stompin'
i know your trolling but god i garentee there are retards excited over this. it made me rage so hard i kicked my dog.
if they end everything rocking and playing heavy metal, that would be for the best.
Why you kick my dog?!
another thing... this movie may earn some cash.. but that's just because people watched it not because it's dragon ball, but just to see what the @#$% they did to dragonball... how sad...
Who in the right mind would (pay)? o.O?
Download it, laugh, cry, get angry over it, and save the precious money for more of our deviant behavioural pleasures...
Yea, YOU guys know what I mean... ^^
I want them to produce more comedic masterpieces so this is going to get my money.
People has been rejecting this even in its pre-production stage. Now that I have seen the trailer, all I can say is : "It's shit, right?"
COME ON PEOPLE!! Did anyone here actually think this movie would be worth a sh!t???? Dragonball was good, and Z was OK for the first two story arcs, but as a whole this movie was doomed from the beginning.
Change the title into "The Dragon's Balls"
That sounds like the title of a possible adult movie parody/spoof. Like Forrest Hump or Backdoor to the Future.
more like Draggin Balls
it's over 9000 lulz
What pisses me and many other people off is not a bad /Dragonball/ adaptation, and rather the Hollywood attitude “fuck ethics, come money”. Any American should be boycotting this movie. Did you ever stop one second to think what the Japanese will think about this movie? It shouldn’t be even released there. But, for Hollywood, Japan = Asian. Asian thing transformed into movie = Big success in Asia.
Hell, just look at the whole picture. White guy as the main lead, all that crap stuff that brainless american teenagers like, etc… American Pie: Dragonball.
You're wrong about that issue being confined to America, but you're right that people thing in terms of demographic, rather than quality.
this movie ist even worth a dvdrip
maybe a cam but never a dvd
“As the creator, seeing what they’d done with the characters and script I was like ‘what?’”
OTZ
Ha!
If the creator has doubts...
Then we need to take - "heed".
Definitely not touching this crap. I'll be just embarassed just by the thought of how crap it would be.
anyone know the reason why American movies are released overseas before being released in America? this one being released in Japan on march 13th, whereas it will be released in America in April.
Isn't there any way to stop it? Like how korea stopped some anime....
And isn't this some kind of copyright infringment or stuff?!
Damn,... damn hollywood!
I believe it has been accepted by both the original production studio for the anime, and the original writer.