On July 24th, Toei Animation and Shueisha announced the “Dragon Ball DAIMA North America Tour.” The event was in support of the new series Dragon Ball DAIMA, and would make stops at three locations across North America.
The first stop was at the “Mall of America” in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from November 22nd-24th. Following that, the tour would stop in the “America Dream” mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from December 13th-15th. The final stop would be a Canadian detour, as the tour finished up at the West Edmonton Mall, from February 14th-16th, in Edmonton, Alberta. The tour ended as DAIMA itself began airing its final episodes.
I attended the tour on February 15th, at the West Edmonton Mall. To be completely transparent: This isn’t a complete review, as due to conflicts with my work schedule, I was only able to attend for the last two hours of the exhibition. Thus I missed out on almost every activity, and as a result, I cannot offer a proper review of the experience, and I won’t apply a regular score.
Signs of the tour were visible long before I reached the event grounds, held in the mall’s ice rink. A number of advertisements could be seen throughout the mall, in both digital and print form. As I approached the event grounds, it was crystal clear as to what was being held here. The DAIMA tour was not subtle, as banners and decorations were hanging from two different levels of the building.
For the event itself, admission was completely free. There were a number of different activities to partake in, though the bulk of them were time-sensitive, and I had long since missed out on them.
Most of the exhibit space was taken up by display cabinets showcasing official Dragon Ball figurines. A good number of the cabinets displayed Banpresto figurines from across the franchise history. The real highlight for me was the Ginyu Force posed display.
Also showcased were products by the company Ichibansho Figures, who showcased a line of DAIMA-focused figures, including the child versions of Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Bulma, and Shin, as well as original characters like Glorio. They also had figures for adult Goku and Vegeta as per the first first episode, and a glorious statue of Shenron.
A number of Dragon Ball model kits were on display too, such as products by Entry Grade and Figure-Rise Standard.
In addition to model kits being displayed, there was also a model kit assembly event running through all three days, during which you would be able to assemble and keep a Dragon Ball model kit, under the tutelage of on-hand staff! Neat!
A large merchandise booth stood, where one could peruse a number of action figures and models for purchase, as well as decks for the Dragon Ball Super card game, which had a large presence at the event.
In fact, there was also a Dragon Ball Super: Card Game tutorial area! Much like with the model kit area, they had demo decks on offer with staff on hand to teach you the game, as well as space to play against other newcomers.
The recently released fighting game Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO was on display too, with a collection of stations for fans of the game to try it out. The booth was heavily populated during my time at the event, so it seems to be succeeding in garnering interest in the game. Fans could also collect a lanyard for trying the game, until supplies ran out.
There were a number of life-size statues and cardboard cutouts on display, for the sake of posing in photos with. This included the primary display with the logo for DAIMA, as well as Goku and King Gomah. There were also cutout displays of characters like Glorio, Pansy, Dr. Arinsu, Degesu, and Shin.
The most popular display area though, was a life-sized display of the Nimbus cloud, which visitors could stand atop for a posed picture. Beside it was the only marginally less popular energy aura statue, allowing guests to look as though they are charging their ki.
There were also a number of fun informational displays with trivia and info, as well as QR codes aplenty.
I particularly appreciated the plaque with Toriyama’s announcement of DAIMA, one of the last times he directly communicated with fans before passing. It was a sentimental touch.
In terms of interactivity, the star of the show was the Badge Rally. Fans who took part were given a Dragon Ball DAIMA lanyard, with a badge sheet attached. They could then collect 5 badges, each bearing a different character from DAIMA, by visiting the various activities around the exhibit. If they successfully collected all 5, they would receive an acrylic stand bearing the “Dragon Ball DAIMA North America Tour,” logo, as well as Goku. It seems as though this was meant to be the heart and soul of the exhibit, though again, I was not able to participate.
While this summary explains the bulk of the event, there are a few other odds and ends I was not able to take a photo of. Visitors were able to receive a swag bag and a Goku paper head set, though I am not sure what it contained or how it was obtained, as they were long since out by the time I arrived. I was able to grab a merch book, though.
All in all, the event was cool! I do not regret spending two hours out of my day wandering around and checking out the few events that were still running. I imagine those who got to take part in the Badge Rally, model kit tutorial, and received their swag bag, likely had a fantastic time. If you arrived on time, the event genuinely had enough to do to take an afternoon. For the price of “free,” that is impressive!
Final Score: Pretty Cool!
I do feel sad I was not able to experience the event properly, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of being surrounded by other Dragon Ball fans. If there is another tour in the future, I would highly recommend checking it out! As well, I hope this event succeeds in prompting fans to check out Dragon Ball DAIMA, which has been a thoroughly enjoyable watch. If you’d like to check out our thoughts on the series, you can find the review of the first episode here.
Did you have the chance to attend the Dragon Ball DAIMA North America Tour? If so, how did you like it? If not, would you have liked to attend? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured Image: Bird Studio/Shueisha, Toei Animation
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