It’s hard to believe that Dragon Ball is nearly 30 years old considering the extensive fanbase Akira Toriyama still commands after three decades. But the lines of dedicated fans at the Dragon Ball 30th Anniversary / Akira Toriyama Tribute show in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo proved that Goku and the gang are still going strong to this day. Check out all the cosplay, art, and power-ups after the break!
The Dragon Ball 30th Anniversary / Akira Toriyama Tribute show was curated by Chogrin and Irene Yuen and features beautiful works of Dragon Ball art from local artists. The opening reception took place on November 15 at the Q2 mini Gallery in Little Tokyo, coinciding with FUNimation’s release of the new Dragon Ball movie on Blu-Ray.
▼ A line of dedicated Dragon Ball fans wound down the side of the gallery and around the corner.
▼ The gallery location itself was a modest size, but it was filled with brilliant local art all featuring Akira Toriyama’s works.
▼ Man, now we want a scouter of our own!
Browsing the gallery, there were plenty of works to admire. Let’s take a look at just a few:
▼ Dragon Ball #1 through #7 made by The Slivered Blade.
▼ Clockwise from top left:
Dragon Ball by Riki Takaoka
Fighting ARALE by Naoshi
Rock the Dragon by Kassandra Heller
▼ A Wish to the Eternal Dragon by Eusong Lee
▼ Poop on a stick by Doug Gauthier
▼ Crystalline Dragon Sweater by Eastwood Wong
▼ Absolute Evil by Sean Husbands
▼ Game of Balls by Chet Phillips
▼ Don’t Sneeze by Glenn Arthur
▼ Bulma by Chelsea McAlarney
All of the awesome artwork on display was for sale and there were a lot of popular pieces…
▼ Happy fans buying artwork
…and some really cool Dragon Ball goods as well!:
But the best part of the evening was the power-up and cosplay contest. Fans from all over Los Angeles were invited to show off their Dragon Ball chops and the contestants didn’t disappoint.
▼ Our Dragon Ball MC of the night, breaking down the rules.
▼ The first contestant warming up for the power up contest, where fans were invited to give their best version of a Dragon Ball power up.
▼ AHHHHH!!!!
▼ That’s gotta be over 9,000.
▼ Another valiant effort at the power up contest.
There were plenty of cosplayers around as well, showing off their love of DBZ!
▼ awesome hair + awesome clothes + awesome pose = one cool costume
As you might expect from a Blu-Ray release tie-in, there was lots of free swag for those willing to show off their love of all things Dragon Ball. Despite not being one of the lucky ones to get a free Blu-Ray, we had a great time at the gallery opening. The exceptional Dragon Ball art mixed with the excited chatter of Dragon Ball fans created a really fun atmosphere, perfect for any Akira Toriyama fan.
Now, after seeing our photos, we know you want to go too, so for those who didn’t get the memo, the Dragon Ball 30th anniversary/Akira Toriyama show will be open until December 6 at the Q2 mini Gallery in Little Tokyo (319 E 2nd Street Suite 121 Los Angeles, CA 90012). And if you’d like to view even more Dragon Ball art created by local LA artists or if you’re interested in purchasing any of the pieces you’ve seen here, be sure to visit Q Pop Shop.
All photos (c) RocketNews24 / Khoa Dinh
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