Two new promos have aired on Cartoon Network India, one for original Dragon Ball, another for Bardock: The Father of Goku.
As we reported previously, current TV schedules seem to indicate Dragon Ball Super will air in original Dragon Ball’s place this Sunday at 2pm on the channel, although equally its possible these listings are just using Dragon Ball Super as a placeholder.
Nonetheless, while rumours have suggested original Dragon Ball performed poorly when it first aired in India back in 2009 Cartoon Network has been demonstrating confidence in its promos. In the aforementioned promo we see the series being advertised as “a legendary story”:
In the promo fans are also treated to various shots from the early arcs:
Of course the marketing train doesn’t stop with original Dragon Ball, it keeps going for the Bardock special:
What is even more interesting about the Bardock promo is not the hype terminology Cartoon Network uses, but the fact it showcases some shots from the Piccolo Diamao and 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai arcs, it is as if the channel wishes for viewers to stay tuned for September 1st when they will be able to witness both the TV special and the original Dragon Ball series return to India on the same day.
Indeed the promo goes on to point to either the Bardock special by itself or the Bardock special and original Dragon Ball as being the beginning of something:
It may be because of the subject matter of the special, Goku is sent to Earth as his father fights against the forces of Freeza’s empire. Original Dragon Ball takes viewers to where Goku’s story begins on Earth. As such premiering both on the same day seems like a clever business move, but this remains to be seen.
Nonetheless, as mentioned the promo offers brief glimpses into where Goku’s journey takes him in original Dragon Ball:
The special is being marketed as a “blockbuster”, which may suggest Cartoon Network has had major success with the movies (Dragon Ball Z movies 5-9, 12 and 13) it aired in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada last year.
Original Dragon Ball and Bardock: The Father of Goku will receive the same treatment, which should allow both to reach audiences far and wide in India.
So will original Dragon Ball grace Indian audiences within the next two days or will it be another week? Only time will tell, but for sure, exciting times are ahead for all Dragon Ball fans in India.