For a moment anyway. The JumpLand website is now streaming the three animated shorts done for Shonen Jump’s 40th Anniversary tour. There’re shorts for One Piece, Tegami Bachi and Dragonball! All three videos require you to download a special player screen for them and will be available to watch until January 31st, 2009.
I watched the Dragonball special today after counting down on my calendar for it. It was better than I expected with some really shiny animation that still feels true to the anime and original manga designs, and a writing style and plot set-up that’s certainly evident of Akira Toriyama’s direct hand in it. It’s also bound to be a fan-pleaser with lots of screen share-time between the largerly present cast of characters (Kuririn! *momentary nostalgic fangirlage*). My only real issue: how is Buu and Mr. Satan’s dog the only one who visibly aged in two years? Ah well, toddler Marron, Goten and Trunks are too cute for me to really complain!