(Welcome to Ani-time Ani-where, a regular column dedicated to helping the uninitiated understand and appreciate the world of anime.)

Anime is more popular than ever before, with big American studios now seeking Japanese studios to collaborate on projects based on big IP, including "Lord of the Rings" and DC Comics. With dozens of shiny new shows coming out every four months, it's hard to justify spending the time watching hundreds of episodes of an older show with limited animation, especially when the things that made them new have been copied, remixed, and parodied to death.

Take "Dragon Ball," for instance. Countless manga and anime, from "One Piece" and "Naruto" to "My Hero Academia" and "Hunter x Hunter," owe their existence to the late maestro Akira Toriyama and his work. Would live-action superhero movies like "Superman" pay homage to classic anime series had "Dragon Ball" not launched a million playground discussions...