Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

Dragon Ball-oween MINISODE - Bekinney’s Top Ten Dragon Ball Character Designs!

Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!
In this special Bekinney-only mini-sode we take a complete break from format, and from breaking down Akira Toriyama's manga and anime smash success to continue our October/Halloween Festivities and on this episode, it's all about looks, because looks are similar to costumes and costumes are a big part of Halloween. AND we've already established that it makes sense so just go with it.
Sure.
So, who will make Bekinney's Top Ten Best-Looking Dragon Ball Character Designs? The pool to choose from is ENORMOUS:
Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Yamcha, Tien Shienhan, Oolong, Puar, Master Roshi, Emperor Pilaf, Nam, Jackie Chun, Giran, Launch, Puar, Ninja Murasaki, Grandpa Gohan, Teen Gohan, Upa, Bora, General Blue, Tao Paipai, Commander Red, Mister Popo, Master Korin, Fortune Teller Baba, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, King Piccolo, Kami, Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, Krillin, Yajirobe, Frieza, Dende, Dodoria, Captain Ginyu, Zarbon, Jace, Burter, Recoome, Guldo, Chi-chi, Android 19, Android 20, Dr. Gero, Android 17, Android 18, Android 16, King Cold, Cooler, Turles, Lord Slug, Super Android 13, Garlic Jr, Trunks, Future Trunks, Goten, Dr Brief, Cell, Perfect Cell, Semi-Perfect Cell, Majin Buu, Dabura, Videl, Babidi, Fat Buu, Evil Buu, Kid Buu, Buuhan, Vegito, Gogeta, King Kai, Supreme Kai, Beerus, Whis, Lord Zeno, Mr Satan, Jiren, Goku Black, Zamasu, Hit, Cabba, Kale, Caulifla, Kefla, Bergamo, Frost, Magetta, Botamo, Top, Dyspo, Cell Max, Moro, Granolah, Gas, Elec....
....and more...?

Bekinney threw all these in a pile and picked out just TEN of his favorites. Who will they be?

And will Bekinney get himself into more trouble than he bargained for...? Stay tuned to find out!

The Return of Godzilla Commentary (Dragon Ball-o-Ween) (S1E24)

Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular! What does Godzilla have to do with Dragon Ball? Listen to FIND OUT!

In this episode, Jelli and Bekinney are joined by Kyle Byrd and Matt Parmley of the Kaiju Transmissions Podcast for a fun break from format and into the world of Godzilla films. It's part of our October/Halloween Festivities where we're taking a break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon and delving into times our franchise's creators have "put on a costume" and worked on other shows and movies. In this case, it's Akira Toriyama's EXTREMELY BRIEF cameo in a Godzilla movie: The Return of Godzilla (aka Godzilla 1984, aka Godzilla 1985, aka Godzilla, aka Gojira).

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney place a call to Byrd and Matt from Kaiju Transmissions
• We each talk about our initial experiences with this movie
• Breaking down the production facts, including director Koji Hasimoto's vision with a Screenplay by Shuichi Nagahara, production by Tomoyuki Tanaka, and score by Reijiro Koroku.
• The effects sequences were handled by Teruyoshi Nakano and we talk about his general philosophy when it comes to making movies
• We discuss how the 1970s treated Godzilla with Terror of Mechagodzilla, and re-releases of Godzilla vs. Monster Zero and Mothra vs. Godzilla
• We mention the inclusion of a script draft that introduced a never-to-appear kaiju named Bagan
• We unveil the history behind the film's genesis, from an idea by Steve Miner and a script from Fred Dekker
• Ishiro Honda's decision to decline the offer to direct based on his ongoing work with Akira Kurosawa
• The film's setting during the Cold War and high tensions between the United States and Russia/Soviet Union and how this affected the film when it came time to dub it and adapt it for American audiences
• Highlighting the differences in the American version, Godzilla 1985
• How the 1976 King Kong film led to this movie being released and influenced the creation of the 20-foot-tall Godzilla Cybot
• We highlight the cast, including Yosuke Natsuki, Keiju Kobayashi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Ken Tanaka, Hiroshi Kamayatsu, and a cameo from director Shinpei Hayashiya
• We discuss the cultural and historical significance of Mt. Mihara, where the film's climax takes place
• The short, Bambi Meets Godzilla, by Marv Newland, which was associated with this film theatrically and for years on television, as well
• ...and more, including some general pop culture, how the movie preceded Jurassic Park, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise....or in this case, the Godzilla franchise....for our special Dragon Ball-o-Ween event!

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Dragon Ball-oween MINISODE - Jelli’s Top Ten Dragon Ball Character Designs!

Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!
In this special Jelli-only mini-sode we take a complete break from format, and from breaking down Akira Toriyama's manga and anime smash success to begin our October/Halloween Festivities and on this episode, it's all about looks, because looks are similar to costumes and costumes are a big part of Halloween. That makes sense right? Right?
Sure.
So, who will make Jelli's Top Ten Best-Looking Dragon Ball Character Designs? The pool to choose from is ENORMOUS:
Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Yamcha, Tien Shienhan, Oolong, Puar, Master Roshi, Emperor Pilaf, Nam, Jackie Chun, Giran, Launch, Puar, Ninja Murasaki, Grandpa Gohan, Teen Gohan, Upa, Bora, General Blue, Tao Paipai, Commander Red, Mister Popo, Master Korin, Fortune Teller Baba, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, King Piccolo, Kami, Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, Krillin, Yajirobe, Frieza, Dende, Dodoria, Captain Ginyu, Zarbon, Jace, Burter, Recoome, Guldo, Chi-chi, Android 19, Android 20, Dr. Gero, Android 17, Android 18, Android 16, King Cold, Cooler, Turles, Lord Slug, Super Android 13, Garlic Jr, Trunks, Future Trunks, Goten, Dr Brief, Cell, Perfect Cell, Semi-Perfect Cell, Majin Buu, Dabura, Videl, Babidi, Fat Buu, Evil Buu, Kid Buu, Buuhan, Vegito, Gogeta, King Kai, Supreme Kai, Beerus, Whis, Lord Zeno, Mr Satan, Jiren, Goku Black, Zamasu, Hit, Cabba, Kale, Caulifla, Kefla, Bergamo, Frost, Magetta, Botamo, Top, Dyspo, Cell Max, Moro, Granolah, Gas, Elec....
....and more...?

Jelli threw all these in a pile and picked out just TEN of his favorites. Who will they be?

Muscle Tower and 80s Pop Culture (S1E23)

Is the Red Ribbon Army a placeholder for the communist armies of Soviet Russia and Communist China? How did the dire state of the Japanese film industries in the 1970s impact Akira Toriyama?

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 35 and 36 of the show, "Cold Reception," and "Major Metallitron" and we dig further into the Red Ribbon Army as well as their current base of operations for this portion of the arc: Muscle Tower

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are preparing for invasion
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
• We talk about whether the Japanese would say the "h" in White
• We introduce the General White character
• Muscle Tower resides in a snowy landscape that Akira Toriyama said was like Siberia, does that mean the setting is Northern Russia?
• The hosts discuss Suno/Snow and where the name came from, whether it was inspired by the anime or if the mangaka gave it to the anime
• We talk about some of the James Bond influences, like You Only Live Twice
• An anecdote is shared from Masako Nozawa about her reaction to the episodes
• We talk about the inspirations behind Muscle Tower, being, surprise Kung Fu Films, namely Game of Death
• We discuss the game Spartan X that was released for Famikon, which was ported to the United States as "Kung Fu" and is inspired by Game of Death, not Spartan X (aka Meals on Wheels) as might be expected
• Surprise, a part of Dragon Ball is inspired by Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee
• We talk about pagodas and their importance in traditional Chinese culture
• Major Metallitron, who is totally not Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator, appears
• We discuss Goku "killing" Metallitron and praying, as Nam prayed in the Tenkaichi Budokai
• We talk about the psychological examination of General White via Muscle Tower as a metaphor and how Goku interacts with that
• We talk about what might have inspired Toriyama to start bringing in so much Western Culture into his manga
• The state of cinema in Japan in the 1970s and how it affected companies like Toho, and bankrupted the studio Daiei, including stressful situations on the set of Gamera films
• We talk about how the desperate state of Japanese cinema in the 70s led to importation of American films
• We remind our listeners about Toriyama's westernized style catching the eye of Kazuhiko Torishima
• Is Dragon Ball (or Dragonball Z) responsible for creating a sort of homogenized Japanese culture that Americans understand?
• Toriyama is at the forefront of bringing Western inspirations to his story, does the rest of the Japanese pop cultural spectrum follow suit? Just ask Godzillla, who brings in references to Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, James Bond, and more ten years after Toriyama had done so.
• The pop culture news shift and how things have sped up over the decades, and an anecdote about Jurassic Park
• Quick aside: is it a problem that Goku uses the Power Pole to skip only the first floor of Muscle Tower? (Answer: shut up)
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

This is a breezy, quick episode, and we hope you enjoy!

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero! (S1E22)

New movie! New animation style! New discussions!

Jelli and Bekinney take a break from Akira Toriyama's manga/anime once again to discuss a NEW MOVIE! 

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney discuss Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero but FIRST
• We have some news items to discuss
• We talk about the collaboration between Swatch and Dragon Ball Z and discuss the watches for Goku, Vegeta, Master Roshi, Frieza, Cell, Gohan, and Majin Buu and which one is an unfortunate miss
• The news items then turns to discussion of the new arcs of the Dragon Ball Super manga that have been completed since the anime went on hiatus in 2019 including the Moro arc and the Granolah arc
• We have a hot rumor about the return of the Dragon Ball Super anime
• Talk then turns to discussion of studio amalgamation and the Warner Brothers-Discovery merger and the fallout from their decisions around HBO Max, including the cancellation of the Bat Girl movie, the reaction from the creator of Tig n' Seek, and the company's staunch refusal to denounce Ezra Miller or delay the Flash movie
• Bekinney discuss the show Megas XLR
• We talk about the upcoming game Dragon Ball The Breakers
• Then we get into the movie, we break down a plot synopsis, and we discuss our general feelings on Gamma 1, Gamma 2, Cell Max, Magenta, Doctor Hedo, Carmine, Beast Gohan, Orange Piccolo, and the decisive bout between Goku and Vegeta
• This is a more loose and goosey episode than usual, as it's more reaction-based and less research-based, but if you're a fan, sit back and enjoy as we delve into some RECENT Dragon Ball items.
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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The Red Ribbon Army Debuts (S1E21)

What happens when Toriyama begins earnestly incorporating Western references into his Eastern mythology-based manga? Do we have the wherewithal to do some psychological analysis?

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episode 34 of the show, "Cruel Commander Red" and we dig into the Red Ribbon Army

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are finally safe(?) on a Frieza Force planet
• We recap Cruel Commander Red and discuss our favorite bits
• Bekinney talks about how Toriyama once again inverts the narrative of Dragon Ball and Goku
• We talk about some of the upcoming references that we will come across such as James Bond, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Terminator, Alien, and other favorites of the eccentric manga ka
• Jelli discusses Goku's new two-fold goal and how he for the first time, has some agency of his own in the story in his pursuit of Grandpa Gohan's Four-Star Dragon Ball
• We break down some of the psychology of Dragon Ball and how Goku is always a positive force who interacts with others who have one major character flaw, and how Goku's nature brings this character flaw to light
• Goku shows us how confidence can overcome doubt, how strategy can overcome strength, how humility can overcome pride, and we're here to talk about that
• Does Dragon Ball have a deeper message? We take a peak at that question
• We discuss how the anime and manga start bleeding into one another a little bit, as this arc of the manga takes place as the anime finally begins airing
• We discuss how the Red Ribbon Army was influenced by the red armies of China, and the USSR as well as the fascist Nazi Party, as well as its fictional sources of inspiration such as from the crime syndicate Shocker of the Kamen Rider series and Spectre of the Bond franchise
• We talk about whether this Red Ribbon Army is a political statement and if Toriyama is propagating some US-Japan alliance propaganda, as well as some capitalism over communism ideals, or if this is just fun nonsense
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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On the Importance of Filler...plus Wedding Talk! (S1E20)

Which episodes of Dragon Ball had to be edited due to the September 11th World Trade Center attack?

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by jumping back into the show, and delving into how filler is important when creating an anime based on a manga. We discuss the episodes "The Roaming Lake", "Pilaf and the Mystery Force", "Wedding Plans?", "The Flying Fortress Vanished!", and "The Legend of a Dragon" and we dig into why filler exists, as well as some of Asian culture's wedding traditions.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are once more drifting through space
• We break down the episodes and scrape where we can, looking for homages and cultural references
• We come up pretty sparse, despite thinking there might be some significance to a roaming lake
• We find some Star Wars and Death Star references, within an episode
• We discuss some of the music and its importance
• We talk about the FIFA World Cup from 1986, which was hosted by Mexico
• The difference between Toriyama's approach to the real world vs the anime is made clear via a reference to Alexander the Great
• We talk about marriage traditions in China and Japan
• A discussion of September 11, 2001 and the attacks on the World Trade Center due to a bit of censorship
• Notes on contradictions between things that appear in these filler episodes and the true canon of Dragon Ball
• The meat of the episode: filler
• Is filler necessary? 
• How much filler is necessary per chapter of manga?
• How does filler work in Dragon Ball?
• We get into the nitty-gritty of tracking how the anime caught up to the manga and also how filler was used judiciously to maintain pace...or not used judiciously until the animators got themselves into trouble, how far behind the anime was than the manga, and how much it caught up when things got dire for the animators and filler became an absolute necessity
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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Dragon Ball Prototypes (S1E19)

What's the origin of Dragon Ball? Did Toriyama ever workshop this idea or did he just plow forward?

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by remaining off the show itself, and delving into some background information on Dragon Ball, specifically, by tackling the genesis of Dragon Ball, and its prototypes via some of Akira Toriyama's one-off manga he created leading up to Dragon Ball's inception

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney encounter a massive power reading in the deep recesses of space
• We talk about WHY we're jumping back, to uncover some of Dragon Ball's genesis
• We discuss the brainstorming between Toriyama and Kazuhiko Torishima (Toriyama's Editor)
• The spark of idea from Toriyama's wife, Nachi Mikami, that clicks a tumbler into place and makes Torishima push Toriyama to create a kung-fu manga
• We discuss the concept of yomikiri manga, which are essentially akin to comic one-shots such as Marvel's What If...? or DC's Elseworlds.
• We talk about the manga Dragon Boy and its similarities to Dragon Ball
• We mention the existence of Viz Media's Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater, a collection of his early works and yomikiri manga spanning his career
• We also shed light on Tong Poo's Great Adventure about a young boy traveling through space and meeting a human girl
• We unveil the similarities between Dragon Ball and his yomikiri Pola & Roid, from 1981
• We talk about the 1982 story Pink: The Rain Jack
• We discuss how Dr. Slump helped Toriyama develop his style and voice and build an audience over the decades
• We discuss the similarities between Akira Toriyama and Peter Jackson, and how one can be somewhat popular from their previous work, before exploding into massive popularity from Lord of the Rings, and how the differ, as Jackson's early works such as Braindead/Dead Alive, Meet the Feebles, and Bad Taste belie his abilities in epic storytelling, as opposed to Toriyama's work very much being in his style
• We discuss how Toriyama is pretty similar to Stan Lee (and Jack Kirby) in creating prototypes for various characters in comics headlined by other characters (ie, Punisher in Amazing Spider-Man or Wolverine in Incredible Hulk)
• We discuss Stan Lee's awesome response to "Who would win in a fantasy fight?"
• We talk about how Toriyama and Torishima's relationship is different from "Batman creator" Bob Kane and his collaborations with Bill Finger 
• We talk about Toriyama's building of a shared universe and how that's similar in some ways to Stephen King's crafting of his Dark Tower franchise
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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Curse of the Blood Rubies (S1E18)

It's a COMMENTARY TRACK!

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by ...jumping off the manga and onto a feature film commentary for the first time ever!

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney find themselves adrift in space
• We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
• We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Curse of the Blood Rubies such as its 1986 release at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, the film's box office, and the production team working on the film
• We talk about the other films released alongside the movie: Gegege no Kitaro Gekitotsu Ijigen Yokai no Dai Hanran (Kitaro of the Graveyard) and Kinnikuman – Seigi Choujin vs Senshi Choujin and talk about Shigeru Mizuki's yokai-based manga (Kitaro) as well as Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada's superhero wrestling property (Kinnikuman)
• We delve into the background behind the Toei Manga Matsuri – Toei Cartoon Festival and its inception in 1969 and other such festivals around the country such as Toho's Champion Festival
• We talk about director Daisuke Nishio and his work, spanning Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, GeGeGe no Kitaro, Kindaichi Case Files, One Piece, Pretty Cure and Halo Legends.
• We shed some light on Toshiki Inoue – the screenplay writer, who also worked on Dr Slump, and live action films including Kamen Rider, Jetman, and work with Hideaki Anno (creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion)
• We talk about composer Shinsuke Kikuchi, albeit briefly, who has worked on Gamera, Doraemon, Getter Robo, Jumborg Ace, and Sister Street Fighter as well as composer Peter Berring, who has a surprising family history
• We discuss the Harmony Gold dub and its method of changing character names as well as the many dubs done by Funimation of the years and how that changed the roles for Ted Cole and Chris Sabat as the voice of Yamcha
• We talk about punny character names
• We discuss the similarities to the studio Ghibli film Castle in the Sky, one of Hayao Miyazaki's earliest film efforts
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual as we react to this wickedly fast-paced film

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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21st Tenkaichi Budokai Manga vs Anime Comparison (S1E17)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by comparing the manga for the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai tournament to the anime episodes. We'll be recapping the storyline and expounding on the similarities and differences.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney find themselves attempting to leave the planet where they've been stuck
• Brief plot synopsis of the Dragon Ball manga for the next several chapters
• Brief discussion of favorite moments from this arc
• Explanation of Krillin and Launch and their name differences Kururin and Lunch
• We expose a character who's in the "background" (he's actually in the foreground) of a panel drawn in by Toriyama who was actually a tour guide during a trip taken by the manga ka to Bali
• We very briefly discuss the importance of the gi as given to Goku and Krillin by Roshi
• We take a look at Toriyama's claim that all women he draws look the same
• We talk about how a Capsule might work if a person were inside when it was transformed
• Launch as a character in the manga vs the anime
• A discussion about a common complaint with regards to the shugyo (training) undertaken by Goku and Krillin
• Discussion of Krillin's innate pessimism and his character development
• We talk about some of the potential differences between the Viz Big version of the manga and the other editions and translations
• We resolve a major plot thread from the podcast's past! (it's a bit of trivia we forgot to answer in a previous episode)
• We continue talking about Akira Toriyama's "all time favorite movie" the count on which is now up to at least 5
• Our main discussion points, the genre known as wuxia, which has many of the calling cards of Dragon Ball, and a discussion of Yamcha and his usage in the manga including his relationship with Bulma vs the way he's portrayed in the anime
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual.

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

 

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