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Dragon Ball has a wealth of cultural context and inspiration that’s often overlooked because the fights are cool. Though not averse to fawning over animation and allowing for the Rule of Cool, Jelli and Bekinney delve into the world of Akira Toriyama, and discuss lesser-known facts about the worldwide manga and anime phenomenon that is one of the most well-known and popular Japanese pop culture exports of all-time. Want to learn about the cultural importance of moments, literary inspirations behind scenes and characters, production facts, and more? Whether you‘re a fan of Goku, Vegeta, or any of the cast of characters including Piccolo, Gohan, Frieza, or even Broly, there should be something for you to enjoy as we cover all things Dragon Ball, including DBZ, GT, Super, Daima, and more! We‘ll have discussions, guests, interviews, reviews, and commentaries so grab a senzu bean, power up your fan level to Super Saiyan, and get ready to learn about Kakarot and his friends; and of course, thank you for helping us achieve our FINAL FORUM...We hear it‘s over 9000.
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
He's the main character of the show, one of the most important characters in animation history, and a major reason we're bothering to have a podcast, but what do we know about Goku, really?
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they take the first real steps into Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episode 1 of the anime "The Secret of the Dragon Balls" and then have a discussion about the character of Goku.
In this episode:
- Our hosts prepare to leave for their mission
- Brief plot synopsis of the episode "Secret of the Dragon Balls"
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episode
- Brief analysis of some of the pop culture references including Michael Jackson, Madonna, and 80s fashion included in the episode
- Definition of the terms Yokai and Ningen
- Introduction to Japanese honorifics
- Introduction to Goku as a character, including very briefly his Saiyan roots and birth name of Kakarott
- Akira Toriyama's design process in the creation of Goku, including his more monkey-inspired concept, and influences from action starts like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, and other manga and anime characters such as Astro Boy and Merry Melodies and Mega Man
- Goku's literary inspirations from Journey to the West: the character Sun Wukong, a key ally to the Buddhist Monk, Tang Sanzang, the literary character based on Xuanzang.
- Goku's lack of desire in terms of having a wish for the Dragon Balls, and his inner contented nature.
- A discussion of Goku's race
- Goku's abilities (or lack thereof) as a father
- The inspiration behind Goku's Power Pole
- A discussion of whether Goku is overconfident and cocky
- A discussion of whether Goku is a "boring" character and the flat character arc including other examples such as Wonder Woman, and Superman - and the similarities and differences between Goku and Superman
- How Goku's flat character arc contrasts with more traditional growth character arcs such as those for Vegeta, Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, and Bulma, and even less traditional arcs like Frieza and Zamasu.
- and more, including some general pop culture and editorializing, and an argument over whether Goku is stupid.
This is the first full discussion of a topic of many more along the way as we'll uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Welcome Super Elite Warriors to Final Forum! A podcast for the discussion of all things Dragon Ball.
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they begin their journey into Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon as they briefly explain what Dragon Ball is, why they enjoy it, and do some taste calibrations so listeners can get a feel for where our hosts stand on various this-or-that questions as they pertain to Dragon Ball.
In this episode:
- Introduction to our hosts
- Brief description of what manga is
- Introduction to Dragon Ball including the general premise, start and end dates of manga and anime titles
- Akira Toriyama's creation of Dragon Ball and his past history with Dr. Slump
- Acknowledgement of Dragon Ball's inspiration points including Bruce Lee, Godzilla, Ultraman, and more
- Brief discussion of Journey to the West, the main point of inspiration for Dragon Ball, including a biography of the Buddhist monk, Xuanzang, who inspired the story and the character based on him, Tang Sanzang
- Connection between Yokai and Dragon Ball
- Acknowledgment of Dragon Ball's gorgeous animation and fight sequences
- Jelli and Bekinney's first experiences with Dragon Ball via Toonami, including an admission of ignorance about Super Saiyans
- The cultural importance behind Dragon Ball, and whether it was intentional
- Discussion of Goku as a character
- Goku vs. Vegeta
- Favorite secondary characters (Gohan? Frieza? Krillin? Yamcha? Piccolo?)
- Subtitles vs Dub
- Anime vs Manga
- Dragon Ball vs. Dragon Ball Z vs. Dragon Ball Super
- Favorite filler episodes
- Shinsuke Kikuchi vs Bruce Faulconer
- and more, including some general pop culture, just to help you better understand us and where we're coming from with our opinions.
This is the first of many steps along the way as we'll uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular franchise.