‘Dragon Ball’ Creator Shares Reaction To ‘Broly’ Release

Dragon Ball has enjoyed some unprecedented success since it went live decades ago, but creator Akira Toriyama is not yet satisfied. The artist is still hard at work on the series from afar, and he is letting fans know how pleased he is with Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

Fans got to hear from the iconic mangaka this weekend thanks to Jump Festa. The annual convention hosted a low-key Dragon Ball stage, and it was there Toriyama shared a message with fans.

“Hello, everyone. This is Akira Toriyama. I really should be greeting you in person here, but since I’m not fond of standing out on stage, please excuse me for [sending] these comments,” the artist said, apologizing for his stage shyness.

“The movie “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” has started screening. This marks the third animated film I’ve been involved with in earnest. Back when I was doing the comic in serialization, I was so busy that I was complete hands-off with the animated version, but perhaps because I’ve gotten to have more free time now, before I knew it, I got roped into the rough world of animation production. Although having said that, all I did was come up with the story, dialogue, and designs; the ones who really had it rough were all the staff members charged with turning it into a single movie. Thanks to them, the movie looks to be a hit.”

Continuing, Toriyama went on to say the movie exhausted him from a visual standpoint in the best way, and he is glad Broly is being received well by fans.

“The character Broly has apparently been popular since way back when, so if the movie weren’t well-received now, it would’ve been because the story I wrote was no good, so I’m a bit relieved. Even so, as I think those of you who’ve seen it already know, those battle scenes done by Toei Animation were amazing. For someone like me, just watching it was exhausting.”

Despite the film wearing out Toriyama, the artist doesn’t appear to be done with his iconic franchise. The man took time to assure fans he’s hard at work on his next project, giving fans hope that Dragon Ball has more to come. With Broly and Gogeta now rooted in canon, there are few things the franchise cannot do these days, and fans are eager to see what Toriyama will come up with next.

So, how hyped are you for Dragon Ball Super: Broly? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is now screening in theaters in Japan. Funimation will be bringing the film to various theaters in the United States on January 16 (so fans will see more of Leek and Taro soon), and tickets for the film are now on sale.