Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

23rd Tenkaichi Budoaki Round of 8 (S3E15)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episodes 136, 137 and 138 : "Tien Shinhan vs Mercenary Tao," "Anonymous Proposal," and "THe Mysterious Hero." ...and the Jelli realizes he wanted to do one more, so we also cover episode 139, "Rematch." We continue discussing the Piccolo Jr. Saga, and talk about characters chasing Goku in his growth.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney make a final approach to a new planet
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments 
• Why Tsuru Senin suddenly reappears now
• Theorizing on the training of Yamcha, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu
• A note about love angles in Dragon Ball and the push-pull between Toriyama and Torishima
• More about Tien's tenme
• Ties between Tao Pai Pai and Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Enter the Dragon
• Briefly delving into Tien's lifelong scar received from this battle and whether we want to draw a correlation between Vegeta's now-infamous consistently injured left arm.
• Talking about the significance of Chi Chi withholding her name
• Ties between Piccolo and tokusatsu
• Jelli takes a totally unusual (sarcasm) side trek into kaiju fandom with a parallel between Shen (Kami's human vessel) and Ichiro Arishima's character Mr Tako from King Kong vs. Godzilla and Japan's salary man culture
• We talk about the sokidan
• An interesting corollary between the anime's use of the movie Zu, Warriors from the Magic Mountain, and Toriyama's own use of a motif from the film
• Talking about whether Piccolo's disguise is acceptable
• A brief discussion of the history of wolves in Japan, including a mention of Haiyao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, and its inspirations from the Emishi people and their conquest by the Yamato tribe, and how the movie draws on the Meiji restoration policy of slaughtering wolves in order to stem the spread of rabies throughout Japan
• A brief discussion of whether Yamcha, Krillin, Ten Shinhan, and Chiaotzu being stated as having trained with Korin and likely drinking the various divine waters undermines Goku's accomplishments in having done so.
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• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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23rd Tenkaichi Budokai Begins (S3E14)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episodes 133, 134, and 135: "Changes," "Preliminary Peril," and "Battle of the Eight." We continue discussing the Piccolo Jr. Saga, and talk about consistency of character development

In this episode:

• Bekinney is crawling around the duct work while Jelli "encourages" him
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments 
• Some notes about the tournament as a whole and our new Budokai Tenkaichi theme: Mysteries
• The significance of everyone's outfit changes: Goku exemplifying his connection to nature, Chiaotzu and Tien exemplifying their commitment to their own values instead of Crane Hermit's, Yamcha's new scars, and Krillin's relative lack of change
• A note about the shift in tone and style
• A discussion of whether the change is a good thing (it is)
• A whole bunch of word play with paper, god, kami, and drawing lotteries or fortunes, and Toriyama's subversion of expectations
• A probably longer-than-necessary discussion of Piccolo saving two children
• A detour into the world of WWE, including the films The Wrestler, and Iron Claw.
• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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Mr. Popo's Training Episode 69 -Nice- (S3E13)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episodes 128, 129, 130, 131, and 132: "Secret of the Woods," "The Time Room," "Goku's Doll," "Walking Their Own Ways," and "Hotter than Lava." We continue discussing the Piccolo Jr. Saga, and talk about another controversial Dragon Ball topic: Filler

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are heading to a new planet
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments 
• Some notes about the episode Quicker than Lightning, on the character of Chuu Lee, and the Sacred Crown (more on this later)
• Talking about delicious desserts, and the cream puff franchise Beard Papa's
• A brief note on the Japanese custom of Yaochun
• Why The Time Room episode doesn't work for us
• Possible inspiration behind Goku's Doll from the Phantos as seen in Super Mario Bros. 2 (or Doki Doki Panic)
• A brief history of Doki Doki Panic, how it became Super Mario Bros. 2, and its connection to the 1987 festival: Yume Kojo 87
• A brief note on the Odango Hairstyle sported by the Street Fighter character Chun Li (as well as many other kawai anime girls)
• An in-depth discussion of Sun Wukong's golden headband, and whether it matters that Goku does not have this feature
• Why we're not going to talk about Kami-sama, Piccolo Jr, the dragon being repaired, or other items that are debuted in these episodes...yet
• Jelli crams in Godzilla references by brining both Godzilla Minus One and Shin Godzilla to the table
• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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The Mr. Popo Episode (S3E12)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episodes 125, 126, and 127, , "Earth's Guardian Emerges," "Eternal Dragon Resurrected," and "Quicker than Lightning." We continue discussing the Piccolo Jr. Saga, and talk about one of Dragon Ball's most controversial topics: Mr. Popo.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are cataloging a new species
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments 
• Trigger warning: This episode contains in-depth discussion of racial stereotypes and problematic depictions of people of color. While it is only our intention to discuss and educate, and not at all to condone, there are non-flinching discussions of potentially upsetting items.
• Why we're not going to talk about Kami-sama, Piccolo Jr, the dragon being repaired, or other items that are debuted in these episodes...yet
• Then we do it, we talk about Mr. Popo
• First, we contextualize his appearance using the setting and similar characters in 1001 Arabian Nights
• Then, we discuss the story of Little Black Sambo, and its popularity throughout the world and in Japan
• We talk about minstrel history
• We discuss whether Mr Popo is a problem
• Jelli crams in Godzilla references by brining both Godzilla Minus One and Shin Godzilla to the table
• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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Kami’s Lookout (S3E11)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episodes 123 and 124, , "Lost and Found," and "Temple Above the Clouds." We begin discussing the Piccolo Jr. Saga, look at Kami's Lookout and discuss what makes the gods of Dragon Ball unique (hint: they suck).

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are on a new planet
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments 
• Talking about getting started on a new saga
• Why the decision was made to go to gods
• Why Krillin, Chiaotzu, and Master Roshi don't get to meet King Yemma or receive an invitation to train with King Kai (aside from those characters not having been introduced yet)
• The meaning of "kami-sama"
• How the upper realm of jokai has existed all this time with nobody knowing about it
• How the nyoi-bo or power pole compares to the vajra, a Buddhist weapon 
• The significance of the bell Korin hands Goku, and its inspiration from Suzu
• The importance of formlessness vs form
• Kami's Lookout - how its appearance mirrors Korin's Tower and draws further on the inspiration from Bespin from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Kami's shrine, or shinden and what a typical Shinto shinden looks like vs that of Kami-sama's
• Freudian analytics
• Why fighting is the bar to meet god
• Parallels to Jackie Chan
• Of course Jelli manages to sneak in references to Ultraman Blazar and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
• Why the gods of Shintoism and Eastern philosophy in general are different from the Judeo-Christian God.
• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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Mystical Adventure Commentary (S3E10)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by ...jumping off the manga and onto our third feature film commentary!

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are nearing the end of Frieza-controlled space
• We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
• We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Mystical Adventure such as its 1988 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: Bikkuraman, Tatakae Ramenman, and Kamen Rider Black Terrifying the Phantom House of Devil Pass
• 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
• Contextualizing the box office of the film
• Shedding light on co-directors Kazuhisa Takenouichi (who worked on Dr Slump, Sailor Moon, One Piece and Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, which is a companion piece to the Daft Punk album, Destiny) and Minor Okazaki (who worked on Doraemon, Dr Slump, Gegege no Kitaro and others)
• Discussing the film's producer: Chiaki Imada and his career at Toei which began with the release of Tower of Lilies
• We discuss the different dubs created for the film by studios such as Harmony Gold, Speedy, and Funimation
• The difference between the 2005 original Funimation release and the 2010 remastered version
• A reference to a Godzilla fan film turned "real" movie, Dragon Lizard Lord Super Monsters
• Really digging into the Speedy Dub
• Talking about Ceyli Delgadillo, the original voice of kid Goku
• Discussing the Mifan Empire seen in the film
• Talking about timelines and continuity
• 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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Demon King Piccolo Manga Review (S3E9)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episode 122, "Final Showdown" and then jumping into comparing the Dragon Ball anime to the Dragon Ball manga. We continue discussing Demon King Piccolo, and talk about Piccolo's regeneration.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are on their way to a new planet.
• We recap the episode and discuss our favorite moments 
• Comparing the manga to the anime, as we do when we wrap up an arc
• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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Goku vs Piccolo and the Path to Heaven through Hell (S3E8)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episodes 118, 119, 120, and 121, , "Prelude to Vengeance," "Battle Cry," "Goku Strikes Back," and "The Biggest Crisis." We continue on with Demon King Piccolo Saga, and discuss the concept of achieving salvation by traveling through hell via the fight between Goku and Piccolo.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are reeling from their call with Frieza
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments 
• Comparisons between the moves here and those seen in some Akira Kurosawa movies, Sanshiro Sugata (1 and 2) as well the Ultraman series with Ultraseven
• Power level tropes being utilized
• Goku fulfilling Uranai Baba's prophecy
• Goku taunting Piccolo using a childlike phrase
• Japanese voice actor Aono Takeshi (for Piccolo) setting a precedent for Sean Schemmel and Chris Sabat by almost passing out in the recording booth
• The trials of The Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Dante Alleghiri with regards to achieving salvation
• Discussing saru, Japanese for monkey, and how monkeys are seen as demon repellants
• Discussing May 9th, Goku Day...or Piccolo Day...
• How monkeys play into Buddhism
• Another pivot, slight though it may be, of Dragon Ball's tone and style
• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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Senzu and Divine Water (S3E7)

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by breaking down episodes 114, 115, 116, and 117, , "Conquest and Power," "Awaken Darkness," "A Taste of Destiny," and "The Ultimate Sacrifice." We continue on with Demon King Piccolo Saga, and discuss the concept of Senzu beans and how they work.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are prepping to return to their adventures, and a surprise call awaits them at the end...
• We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments 
• The story of Emperor Win Shihuang who ruled China in the 200s BC
• The idea of the denshija and how it externalizes Piccolo's innermost fears
• If there might perhaps be a parallel between Pilaf and Majin Buu...or more accurately Babidi
• King Furry's resemblance to Teddy Roosevelt
• The meaning of senzu
• Tautologies
• The origin of senzu from Daoist practices
• Gross.
• The compounding effects of senzu
• Ultra Divine Water or Super God Water
• The root of the terms
• Connections to Daoist fasting
• Discussions of alchemy
• 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, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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2024 March Madness Tenkaichi Tournament (2 of 2) (S3E6)

Jelli and Bekinney continue their break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon, and pivot away from tearing into the manga and anime that are the most crucial parts of the Dragon Ball franchise to have a little themed fun!

In this episode:

• It's TOURNAMENT SEASON! Kick off your shoes, relax, and listen as we break down 32 of Dragon Ball's most popular (?) characters and discuss who would win in a theoretical Iron Chef Cookoff.
• • We take if from the round of 32, down to the Sweet 16, Head into the Elite Eight, jump into the Final Four, and then choose our champion!
  • Who will reign supreme and be declared the number one under heaven in Cooking?

  Join us as we take a break from uncovering the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise and have some March Madness themed fun!