Lack of Animated Classic's
Netflix is truly a marvelous piece of technology. It allows almost instantaneous access to hundreds upon hundreds of movies and television shows right from your home, an almost unlimited selection for just a few dollars a month. The service offers some of the greatest films that have graced the screen and some of the most influential television shows that have premiered over the years. Nothing could be better for the movie and television enthusiasts. One major problem with the service though is that some major classics are noticeable missing from its library. For me one of the most noteworthy omissions is the anime classic Dragon Ball, whether it is the original television series or the plethora of movies that have spawned from the franchise. The lack of this vital series leaves me wondering, why hasn’t this series been highlighted on Netflix.
Recently I have rediscovered the greatness that is Japanese animation with series such as Sword Art Online and Fairy Tale. After my rediscovery I made it a goal to watch many of the most popular series that have aired over my lifetime. Many of the most noteworthy series from the past 30 or so years are notably absent from the service. Series such as Sailor Moon are completely absent and series such as Naruto only contain the movies. Even worse some series are cut off and are missing vital episodes; Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood for example is missing the last season. The most surprising absence though comes in the form of Dragon Ball. Even before I dove into the world of anime I heard that Dragon Ball was a phenomenon that shouldn’t be missed. Originally airing in 1986 Dragon Ball went on to become one of if not the most popular anime to ever be released worldwide. The widespread appeal was deserved as the series had some of the best writing, action scenes and animation that the industry has ever seen. The series unique blend of comedy and action caused it to last many seasons and span over different series entirely. Counting the original series, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT the series has a combined 511 episodes combining to a total of about 16 seasons. That’s quite a bit of entertainment to miss out on.
I realize there are licensing issues that Netflix must overcome in order to be able to stream any sort of movie or television series but the absence of dragon ball is a missed opportunity. Not Only because of its popularity but because the series has yet to see any sort of streaming release besides streaming it directly from the publisher, Funimation. This is made even more baffling by the fact that other Funimation published shows have made it onto the service such as Fairy Tale and Full Metal Alchemist. If Netflix was able to license this series for its own use it would really be a buff to its sort of lacking selection of Japanese anime.
-Austin Vrbka