New Series 'Dragon Ball Super' Announced, Airing in July

Hold onto your hats people, this is not a drill! In news that came out of nowhere, it has been announced that a new Dragon Ball series, the first 'new' one in 18 years, will begin airing in Japan in July! The series, titled 'Dragon Ball Super', will take place 'after the defeat of Majin Buu, when the Earth is peaceful again'. Original creator Akira Toriyama is credited as coming up with the original story and character concepts for the series.

Some additional notes should be added to this however. 1) For clarity's sake, 'Dragon Ball Kai' began airing in 2009, so we've had a series on TV since the end of GT in 1997, but by Kai's very nature I can see why it's not considered “new”. 2) While the announcement lists it as taking place after Majin Buu, that doesn't mean it will actually be after the end of the manga, as both of the two recent films as well as the Jump Special Animation Tour special before them, also take place after that arc but during the 'ten year' time skip prior to the final chapters. This series could very well be in that same area of time. 3) It doesn't pay to be cynical, but it's worth pointing out that GT was originally touted as having Toriyama's involvement as well, but in the end his involvement was very minimal. While it's unlikely that that's true this time as well due to Toriyama's increased interest in the franchise as of late, it's still something to keep in mind.

Needless to say, this is news that I never thought I'd actually read or have the pleasure of reporting on. Dragon Ball Z was arguably my first anime series, is still one of my favorites, and the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole is among my absolute favorite things. To think we're getting another new series...I'm a little numb with excitement!