One of the biggest and most popular anime and manga series Dragon Ball has been around for almost 4 decades and it still manages to be in the top list of anime shows in the world. Toei Animation created the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z series, which aired in Japan from 1986 to 1996.
In addition, the studio has produced 21 animated feature films, three television specials, and two anime sequel series. Among those sequel series, the one that was the fan’s least favorite was Dragon Ball GT.
Toei Animation produced the series, which debuted on Fuji TV in Japan in February 1996 and aired for 64 episodes from February 1996 to November 1997. However, even after being discarded by Dragon Ball fans, producer Kozo Morishita believes that there were some fans who valued the series and found it interesting.
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Kozo Morishita Believed Some Fans Valued Dragon Ball GT
Morishita in an interview with 2005 Dragon Box explained how although many fans believed that the series did not live up to the name of the franchise, some fans valued it and understood the plot progression of the series with the manga. He said:
“There were many fans who valued it for the way that it took the ‘anything goes’ plot progression of the original manga and went even further with it. At the same time, there were those who said it took the ‘anything goes’ attitude too far. There were fans who wondered ‘why are you ruining the original?’ and also those who thought that the ‘ruined’ parts were what made it interesting.”
Hey stated that there were many fans who wondered why the name of the franchise was being ruined by the series and as a counterpart, there were admirers who believed the series had some interesting aspects to itself.
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Kozo Morishita Points Out Why The Series Didn’t Do Well
Talking about the series Morishita stated that maybe the series made some new fans but what the series lacked was the sense of security that the name Akira Toriyama brought with it. He said:
“Perhaps Dragon Ball GT pushed away some of those who had been fans from the very beginning of the manga’s run, but it also created many new fans, and maybe Goku has been very important to them too. Thinking about it now, perhaps Dragon Ball GT appears separate from the sense of security of an ‘Akira Toriyama work.’ However, I am certain that even fans who were naysayers will be convinced [when] they watch the final episode of Dragon Ball GT.”
Despite the early excitement, GT’s poor reputation ruined the series’ potential appeal, and the series has a generally unfavorable reputation around the world. However, many people believe GT isn’t as horrible as its reputation suggests, and there are many interesting facts regarding the show.
