By Matthew Moorcroft

As a longtime Dragon Ball fan, DAIMA is an exceptionally difficult series to talk about critically. The tragic passing of Akira Toriyama earlier this year looms large over the show, which works as a “back to basics” style affair that blends the adventure of the original Dragon Ball series while also keeping the more heavy lore focus and high-octane action scenes that defined the franchise for years. It’s impossible for me to not have a smile on my face while watching it, and so far is a high point in an already strong season of anime.

Crunchyroll’s recent news that the dub of DAIMA will be officially starting on January 10th means that those waiting for the English version of the series – which, if North American Dragon Ball fans are anything to go by, is a sizable amount – won’t have to wait much longer. Don’t worry, no spoilers for the otherwise great show here, I just want to talk about why you should absolutely be checking this out beyond the simple fact of it being more Dragon Ball.

Obviously, the big reason here is the return of Stephanie Nadolny as Young Goku, who previously voiced him back in the early 2000s and also was the voice of Young Gohan in the original Dragon Ball Z dub. She hasn’t been in a official dub in years however, and her return (first leaked on Twitter and then revealed about a week later in an official press release) has been highly publicized to the point where it’s very likely that if you are reading this article you have probably heard about it. But yep, she’s back, and she sounds just as great as ever. She steps back into the role like nobody’s business, clearly having relished the ability to return and to strain her vocal cords once again. But her distinct vocal cadence – a cadence so distinct that Colleen Clinkenbeard replicated it when she took over the role of Gohan in Dragon Ball Z Kai – and her infectious enthusiasm are second to none. To many, and myself included, she IS Goku, and seeing her return like the cherry on top for this series.

In general, the cast is fantastic across the board. All of the regulars are here reprising their roles, but it’s really the new cast that is getting me excited. Aaron Dismuke, having been in the industry since he was a kid voicing Alphonse Elric in the 2003 adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, plays new character Glorio who is already becoming something of a fan favourite for sub watchers. Dismuke is a great choice for the role, which is something of a Han Solo type character transplated in the otherwise bizarre, wacky world that Toriyama created and he’s just a delight. The other major highlight to me is the ever reliable Morgan Garrett as lead antagonist Dr. Arinsu. While Garrett has never made the splash that some other Funimation VAs did, Garrett is a reliable character actress and has recently begun to really carve out a niche for herself. Arinsu is Garrett’s first real foray into major antagonist though, and through the little bits we’ve heard in the trailer – as well as the episodes that fans got to see back in November – it’s clear she will do an excellent job here.

Time will tell if DAIMA as a whole sticks the landing, but as dub casts go this is a clear sign that the folks over at Crunchyroll are pulling out all of the stops to try and make sure that it hits every mark possible. As for me, I’ll definitely be there day one for it and hope the rest of you are as well.

Dragon Ball Daima premieres it’s English dub on Crunchyroll Janaury 10th.