Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Artist Wanted Less 3-D
Besides focusing mostly on Gohan and Piccolo in their fight against the Red Ribbon Army, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero also took a major risk by instituting a new style of animation for the first time in the history of the Shonen series. Switching from a traditional 2-D style to 3-D computer-generated animation, it seems that the animation director of the latest movie, Chikashi Kubota, wasn't the biggest of fans when it came to the idea of flipping the script as per a recent appearance.
While there was some traditional 2-D animation used in the film, it came mostly from the brief introduction that retold the story of the Red Ribbon Army throughout both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. While the television adaptation of Dragon Ball Super has yet to be confirmed for a return in the future, the implementation of this 3-D art style had many Shonen fans wondering if the small screen series would also transition to computer-animated generation. Ironically, the use of 3-D here also meant that we have yet to see Gohan Beast and Orange Piccolo depicted in the original style that was used for both Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super respectively from Toei Animation.
Dragon Ball 2-D
At the Japan Expo Sud in France, animation director for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Chikashi Kubota, shared that he thought it was a "shame" that the movie was originally slated to be entirely in 3-D, also confirming that he only promised to be a part of the production if there was at least one full 2-D sequence.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero might have already had its theatrical run in both Japan and North America, but the Shonen movie is looking to return in the pages of the manga series, as Dragon Ball Super will be retelling the story of Gohan and Piccolo fighting against the likes of Gamma 1, Gamma 2, and Cell Max. While the series hasn't confirmed how close to the source material the upcoming arc will be, it's a surefire bet that we'll see Gohan Beast and Orange Piccolo make their manga debuts down the line.
What did you think of the 3-D animation used in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Z-Fighters.