So apparently this survey comes from the World Cosplay Summit, correct? Well it just so happens that the location of said event is in Japan. I'll admit that I overlooked the bit about people from 20 different countries, but that still doesn't mean much because it doesn't mean it represents 20 countries, it means that people FROM 20 different countries came to this event. It's not like they went around to 20 different countries for this survey or did it on the web (unless I am misunderstanding in which case you are free to correct me). Just as I said, if the source itself was Japanese then obviously it represents Japan itself more than anything. Do you think that the entire Russian fanbase has the interest or the budget to fly over all the way to Japan for a single cosplay event? As big as it is and as much as people might like to, that's unrealistic and coming from experience I know that as much as I would like to go to some out of states anime event, I'm not gonna be able to and nobody else I personally know will either. All that the site is suggesting is that a specific set of certain visitors from said countries gave their votes (a big event will obviously draw in people from other places regardless) but it does NOT at all indicate the "worldwide" opinion that you have been proclaiming and it's shameful that I almost overlooked this point just because it pointed out "20 countries." In short, it is just as I claimed earlier, even if it is not SOLELY restricted to Japan the vast majority by far consists of the Japanese fanbase. And if we're gonna take a look at Japanese influence then again, One Piece has the highest sales so the idea that DBZ is "by far" the best, if even the best at all is far-fetched considering it is now being outsold in the very country you got your survey from. Don't take the words "20 countries" to mean that every anime fan in every area of all 20 of these countries actually and sincerely believes that this is the top 10 best list of anime/manga. The event's location alone is utter proof that most of those votes came from Japanese fans, and the fact that visitors were present in other countries advertises the influence of the convention more than this "worldwide belief" that you seem to be devoted to.
Now, ignoring the holes in your argument, let's for one second suppose that what you're saying IS right, and that in the end most of the world DOES respect DB/Z as the "best anime/manga ever." That argument STILL relies completely on the notion that a lot of people liking something a lot automatically makes it the best. By this logic Twilight is one of the best stories of all time because it happens to have a pretty huge fanbase. Sure there are huge flocks of people who despise it, but just about as many fangirls are sure to adore it. Again, popularity=/=quality. Otherwise Bleach would automatically be one of the best stories out there even though there are so many flaws with it I feel bad that I really used to be a huge fan of it. The fact that a lot of people could get into a simple story because they didn't need the dedication to keep up with an actual plot in favor of watching a random episode of fast-paced fighting or kid-appropriate adventuring does not mean it is without a doubt the best, it just means that it was convenient for a lot of people to get into. It's not the same with Geass, where if you step into it anywhere past the first like 5 episodes you're lost as all hell. It's not the same with Clannad where if you don't start from episode 1, you don't know or care about any character the way you have to. It's not the same with Steins;Gate where if you don't begin it properly, you cannot appreciate the true value of its story.
DBZ's appeal is that it's easy to introduce to someone and that even if they didn't start from the beginning, they don't really NEED to if they want to see what it is about and that's why it's so popular. But objectively you still haven't given me a reason why as a plot it is superior to all these other stories out there. The fact that you're completely ignoring the examples I have given that shut down your logic and that you focus solely on a single aspect of the argument (which relies heavily on one survey representing the opinion of the entire world) makes your stance very questionable. If you're so desperate to defend DBZ that you resort to stupid reputation negs (on posts having nothing to do with the reason you gave the neg for at that) and flame in every single post then it's clear that you're being blinded by fanboyism more than anything else and desperate to pick me out because you can't stand the idea that not everyone in the world agrees with your opinion. Maybe I wouldn't have a problem if you could actually present your opinion in an educated, well-mannered way but you seem to have this notion that anyone who disagrees with your opinion is wrong and that you're the only person who's right and let me break it to you: not everyone agrees with you and you have to deal with it.
Lol. I don't think it is overrated. And I do agree, it's not as exciting and good as the first time you watched it but it's still good, I don't feel the same way as I did when I watched it the first time but it's still nice to watch the show. It was the first anime to bring me into the anime world. Yeah, I don't really like the style of it either because the people don't have faces like O_O which I like because it's funny but it's still a good show. And lot of manga artists are influenced by the show.
