When an anime/manga series peaks?

A

Aelita

New member
This is one of two questions that I had going through my mind when I was thinking about all the goings on in the recent Shonen-Holy Trinity (One Piece, Naruto, Bleach) and to me it seems like a lot of anime series (especially long ones) reach a peak when it is undoubtedly at its best writing and characterization. So I thought I would ask a few of you when do you think an anime series that you liked (or possibly disliked) reached that peak.

I'm going to start with one of my choices.

Dragonball Z-Cell Saga

The main reason is because I felt that DBZ was always Gohan's story and mainly about him taking on the leagacy Goku had previously established in Dragonball. While the Saiyan Saga focused on this Toriyama seemed to kind of lose track with it in the Freeza and Android Saga. When the focus came back to Gohan I felt his ascendence to SSJ and then SSJ2 was one of the most deserving moments in the series. I felt it was also the last arc that at least attempted to use all the extended cast properly. I also think Goku's sacrifice was also done well and a lot of stuff refered back to the events that made the Saiyan Saga so tight.

Anyway, instead of just listing series give reasons so we can have a discussion on this and see what people agree and disagree on.

O-chan
 
I'm going to agree with you because Gohan was my favorite character and they hyped up Gohan so much about him being possibly stronger than goku and just ended up doing nothing with him.

Naruto peaked at 135 then the fillers came.
 
I do agree with you on DB(Z) one. I think the whole Cell & Buu saga were pretty pointless. It didn't felt like Dragonball to me. Those sage weren't bad, but it really have nothing to do with the Dragonball's and having an adventure in it. Also, Super Saiyan 4?!? WOOOOW! Thats pushing it.
 
Not really sure if Bleach has even remotely neared the peak yet. The series has a habit of delving into buildup, spending too long setting up random pieces, like the entire Soul Society arc.

Maybe when they finally stop dicking around in Hueco Mundo and do whatever they're supposed to do for the Winter War.

Assuming Kubo still remerabers he wrote that, or any hanging plot thread dating back to 2005.
 
Which brings me to my next two.
Yuyu Hakusho and Bleach. The reason I bring them both up is because both series are done by Studio Pierrot, have the same director, and even similar plot points (the whole afterlife fighter deal). Problem comes with their stories.
Both Bleach and YYH started off their first seasons with episodic "cases" that developed both the main characters and the supporting cast and established the core foundation of the series. Their second seasons was a "tournament style" shonen story that expanded the cast and developed many of the underlying plot points that were present in the first season. Now here's where they diverge.

Yu Yu Hakusho's peak was the Chapter Black (Sensui) saga where Yusuke and Co. were pitted against a former spirit detective and his group of harbingers. Instead of using a tournament style setting this arc had a more day-t0-day crisis feel to it. Also instead of pitting characters against each other in fist fights in many cases the characters had to rely on strategy, instinct, and wit. Also many of the events in the arc's final episodes changed many of the character dynamics for the remainder of the series. If anything this particular arc proved how much YYH was NOT like DBZ. While the series regressed into the Tournament standard for the final arc it was merely for the purpose to tie up lose enRAB.

Currently I think Bleach's peak was the Soul Society arc because it did everything that YYH second arc did (Tournament arc) and improved upon it with major plot twists in the end. The arc was very much epic but unfortunately I feel where YYH tried to outdo itself each arc Bleach started to diverge from its formula only to retread on old territory with the Hueco Mundo arc.
Having two leading females kidnapped/taken away in the series for guilt trip reasons really insults the female cast of the show. Rukia's story was very compelling but when they repeated the whole thing with Orihime I felt this was just beyond idiotic.
What makes it worse is that I felt Bleach's timeline has just slowed to a crawl. DBZ, YYH, Naruto, and One Piece NEVER took this long to get to the freakin' point. So until Tite Kubo learns a few things about how to tell a story and not just drag things out my opinion stays.

O-chan
 
Find I give you that point, but even in DBGT, Goku becoming S.S.J.4, Vegeta skipping S.S.J.3 and going to 4 and how he done it...I think thats pushing it.
 
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