Dragon Ball Super's co-author, Toyotarou, confirms that he is giving his manga a new direction by introducing many romantic comedy moments. In an interview for Dragon Ball's official website, Toyotarou revealed that he is the one who wanted to give the current Dragon Ball Super arc a rom-com theme, going in a different direction from what Akira Toriyama usually does.
The Dragon Ball franchise is certainly not known for its romance. Goku and his pals rarely have time for anything besides training and fighting, but this is something that fans accept as part of Dragon Ball's simple but solid appeal. The sequel Dragon Ball Super did not deviate a lot from this formula, as series creator Akira Toriyama still has the last word on anything that happens in the manga drawn by Toyotarou. However, the influence of the young mangaka is finally becoming more evident, as the newest story arc of Dragon Ball Super, which follows adolescents Trunks and Goten as they take up the mantle of superheroes, has a very distinctive feeling compared to the rest of the series.
In an interview for Dragon Ball official website's series "Weekly Dragon Ball News", Toyotarou told fans how the new arc came to be and what was the creative process behind it. He wanted to make a story revolving around Trunks for a very long time, and he was finally given a chance when Toriyama decided to move the focus away from Goku and Vegeta for a while. Toyotarou decided to add some romantic comedy moments too, something that Dragon Ball is not known for. Chapter #88 of Dragon Ball Super clearly shows that Trunks has a crush on Mai, but he struggles to confess his feelings, which creates embarrassment and misunderstanding, just like in every classic romantic comedy.
Dragon Ball Super's New Rom-Com Spirit Is What The Series Needed
Toyotarou also confirmed that there will be more romantic comedy moments coming in the next chapter, which is good news. The reception for the first chapter of the new arc of Dragon Ball Super was quite good. Fans were pleasantly surprised by the new tone of the series, which moved from high-stakes galactic battles to a simpler, more grounded story set on Earth. The new arc looks very similar to the beginning of Dragon Ball Z's Majin Buu Saga, which follows the daily life of Gohan as he attends college in the city. Slice-of-life stories usually work better when romance is involved, and Trunks' infatuation for Mai provides that, with the added value of a high-school setting.
Of course, Dragon Ball's main attraction will always be its grandiose battles between powerful warriors. This Super Hero Arc, however, is a welcomed respite from the franchise's usual formula. The confirmation that Toyotarou is the one who added the romantic comedy elements proves that the young mangaka is trying to bring to Dragon Ball Super whatever innovation he can, and the series will surely benefit from it in the future.
Source: Dragon Ball official website, "Weekly Dragon Ball News", January 2.