entertainment

Japanese publisher Shueisha reveals plans to expand 'Dragon Ball' brand

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By Andrew Kane, RocketNews24

Though the "Dragon Ball" series has never been unpopular since its debut in 1984, it appears to be enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years, beginning with the well-received 2013 film, "Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods." The first entirely new animated series for the franchise since "Dragon Ball GT" ended in the late 1990s started broadcasting in Japan in 2015, and with new games, toys, and even a serialized manga, the franchise shows few signs of going away any time soon.

Well now there’s even more good news for fans of Akira Toriyama’s legendary manga series. Shueisha, the Japanese publishing company that handles the popular martial arts manga in all of its glorious mutations (almost as many as Frieza!) announced that it’s dedicated an entire new department to thinking up new ways to promote and create content for the internationally-successful brand. The department was formed in June of this year, and is being referred to as “The Dragon Ball Room.” The company hopes to cash in with devoted, nostalgic fans of the original series, while developing new stories and content to generate interest amongst a younger generation of fans.

The establishment of the new department shows that the company still regards the "Dragon Ball" franchise as a valued intellectual property, and commentators have noted the move recalls similar strategies made to maximize other lucrative Japanese properties like "Doraemon" and "Gundam."

For us common consumers, this hopefully means that the good people at the “Dragon Ball Room” will work to ensure that we fans never want for more adventures with beloved characters like Son Goku, Vegeta, and Chaozu (anybody? no?). In fact, the head of the department, Akio Iyoku, promised in the press statement that it will be “a department that thinks of nothing but Dragon Ball.”

When asked to comment on the story, Toriyama, long known for his somewhat tongue-in-cheek statements about the series and frank pronouncements of his distaste for the rigors of work, expressed delight that he wouldn’t have to do any work himself anymore thanks to this development.

No word immediately on any additional developments, but undoubtedly good news for the millions of Dragon Ball fans across the world!

"Dragon Ball Super" plays on Sunday mornings on Fuji TV in Japan.

Source: Mantan Web

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- All-new Dragon Ball anime coming to TV this July with story by series creator Akira Toriyama -- Dragon Ball “should have ended with the Frieza Saga”, says Akira Toriyama’s former editor -- Young Goku gets turned into adorable limited edition ukiyoe print!

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