The first episode of Dragon Ball Super premiered Sunday and marked the return of Dragon Ball in the form of a new series for the first time in over 10 years. With Earth returning to peace for six straight months, Goku and the others look for more lucrative lives now that the fighting has seemingly ceased. However, somewhere deep in the galaxy Beerus and Whis are making trouble again (or for the first time?). Apparently, Dragon Ball Super takes place the aforementioned six months after the Buu saga, and five years before the first canon film Battle of the Gods.

Dragon Ball Super is an 2015 action anime series, it is produced by Toei Animation, and airs on Fuji TV every Sunday morning.

The character designs of Dragon Ball Super

Taking place after the Buu saga and 5 years before Battle of the Gods, Dragon Ball Super features Goku and friends enjoying 6 months of peace while trying to make ends meet with the fighting having ceased. The episode opens with Goku and Goten working on their farm harvesting crops. Goku having missed the fighting, imagines Frieza, Cell, and Kid Buu and fights the images as he works. Meanwhile, Gohan prepares for life as a married man, while Goten and Trunks look for a wedding gift for Videl.

Goten and Trunks look for a gift for Videl.

THE GOOD: Despite the obvious slow start Dragon Ball Super will have to go through over the next few weeks, the first episode felt like one of the earlier episodes of the original Dragon Ball anime, where everything was super tame, but still was fun to watch. Goku not being the only character of focus (which was a major issue with the later arcs of Dragon Ball Z), was a god send here, which again felt like another throwback to Dragon Ball. Every character but Vegeta (who gets his own episode in episode 2) had heavy focus, even Buu & Hercule had some heavy screen time in comparison to past arcs. I’m hoping this will be a continuing part of the series; heavier focus on more than a single character. And how great are the new opening and ending themes for the series?

Goten preparing a Kamehameha.

THE BAD: The slow start will be a pain, but a tolerable one that we will have to suffer through for at least 5-10 weeks. And given the time lime and the early appearance of Beerus and Whis, there could be a major plot hole error involving Pan, unless of course Toriyama is planning on a time skip being involved before the plot truly gets off the ground.

The Gods of Destruction and their teachers.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Dragon Ball Super’s first episode brings back your childhood in an successful attempt in the opening gate. More diehard anime/Dragon Ball fans, are smart enough to realize that things are going to be really slow from the start, however those who aren’t heavy into anime won’t care, and will continue to watch regardless. The first episode featuring some great focus on a ton of characters besides Goku, which is something I seriously hope becomes a recurring theme in each episode, as that’s what gave Dragon Ball its great reputation before Dragon Ball Z turned things into the Goku show. In fact there were a lot of Dragon Ball throwbacks featured in the first episode in terms of overall direction. Otaku Dome gives Dragon Ball Super episode one an 90 out of 100.