The world's very first physical DRAGON BALL STORE officially threw open its doors today (November 14) in Tokyo Station's Ichibangai, drawing massive crowds. But hold up! Over on Japanese X (formerly Twitter), fans are absolutely tearing into the store's main visual artwork, calling it "shoddy" and "lacking quality." The consensus? It just doesn't feel "official."
The artwork sparking all this chatter at the "DRAGON BALL STORE" is none other than the staircase design leading from Ichibangai B1 up to the first-floor store entrance. The official line? These are "newly drawn" illustrations of Goku in various forms, lining the stairwell.
But fans took one look at this series of Goku illustrations and immediately started roasting the "rough" art style. "What is this art style lol? Looks like they ran out of budget at first glance," one user quipped. Another chimed in, "Goku's face is off, his gi lacks wrinkles, and the poses are just weird... totally unsuitable for a store's main visual." The critiques kept coming: "Weird hands, weird chest, weird arm angles, his body looks disjointed.
And is Goku flying forward or up-right? The Nimbus cloud's tail direction makes no sense!"
Even overseas fans couldn't hold back their rage, with one exclaiming, "What is this garbage drawing? This is Dragon Ball, how can it look like this!"
Some netizens are speculating if this dip in quality is due to copyright issues, the passing of Akira Toriyama, or perhaps budget constraints, suggesting the IP's usage is becoming increasingly "casual" or restricted. "Toriyama's original art would have been perfect," one user lamented. "To specially commission new art only for it to be this standard? Unacceptable."
Despite the online uproar over this particular visual, the store's actual opening day saw hordes of fans flocking to check it out. Inside, you'll find five Goku statues—which, ironically, are based on the very illustrations fans are criticizing—still drawing crowds for photo ops.
So while the visual design might be getting some serious flak, it certainly hasn't dampened the enthusiasm for this global first "DRAGON BALL STORE." If you're ever in Tokyo, it's definitely worth a pilgrimage!
via： togetter