8.6K
Downloads
92
Episodes
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 Apr 26, 2022
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
What is it about elderly hermit masters in Japanese media that causes them to be problematic when it comes to their pursuits of young women?
Jelli and Bekinney return to format and continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episode 14 of the anime, "Goku's Rival" then have a discussion about the character of Master Roshi and his inspirations from cultural and literary history as well as where Toriyama may have been introduced to these concepts via film
In this episode:
- Jelli and Bekinney are adrift in space
- Brief plot synopsis of episode 14 of the Dragon Ball anime
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episode
- A quick aside about the state of the Dragon Ball franchise after the conclusion of the Pilaf arc
- We talk about how Kazuhiko Torishima wanted some changes made and the steps he and Akira Toriyama took to change Dragon Ball to make it more popular including looking at Yoshiyuki Okamura's (aka Buronson) manga hit Fist of the North Star for inspiration in not only tone, but paneling
- We discuss Master Roshi aka Muten Roshi aka The Turtle Hermit aka Kame-Sennin and what all these names mean
- We take a look at the legend of Kume Sennin, a Daoist monk who could once fly through the clouds until impure thoughts made him crash down to Earth (sound familiar?)
- We discuss how Daoism became intermingled with the idea of having concubines and being obsessed with young women
- There's extensive discussion down this line of thought, including the propensity for old men in fiction to be depicted as dirty old men, and a lengthy discussion about where we stand on Master Roshi's lecherous ways as viewers in more modern times
- We talk about the Toshiro Mifune movie The Great Bandit aka The Lost World of Sinbad aka Samurai Pirate which features a lecherous old hermit whose biggest weakness is boobs and discuss whether a young Toriyama may have seen that movie as Mifune was Japan's most popular actor when Akira Toriyama was a child
- (Jelli forgets to recall the name of the movie...and another similar movie known as Adventure in Kigan Castle which ALSO features a hermit helping a swashbuckling Mifune, though much less lecherous this time; apologies to director Senkichi Taniguchi and screenwriter Takeshi Kimura)
- We briefly touch on the legacy of Master Roshi and how a dirty-old-man mentor has become a trope in Shonen manga to this day, including in the popular manga/anime Naruto
- 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.
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Jelli and Bekinney take a break form looking at the creations of Akira Toriyama and instead talk about the man himself! Who is Akira Toriyama? Where did he come from? How did he get into manga?
In this episode:
- Jelli and Bekinney try to escape the caves
- We talk about Derek Padula, an author who has crafted the first English-language biography on Akira Toriyama in his book Dragon Ball Culture Volume 1
- We talk about Toriyama's childhood life
- We learn about Toriyama's early obsession with drawing and animation
- The influences of a young Toriyama are discussed, especially his enjoyment of Showa-era television and movie entertainment including Godzilla, Ultraman, Osamatsu-kun, Astro Boy, Iron Man Number 28, Doraemon and some early manga by creators such as Osamu Tezuka, and Fujiko Fujio despite not being a big reader of manga himself.
- Toriyama's realization that to be a popular anime, you should have a popular manga
- Discussion of how Toriyama writes and creates while watching TV and movies
- We discuss Toriyama's initial years out of college in a salaryman job and how his non-professional attitude caused him to seek out something more fulfilling
- Toriyama's passion for building models and how that allows him to get a 360-degree view of things in order to learn how to draw them
- Toriyama's well-known antisocial tendencies and his desire to live as near a hermit lifestyle as possible
- Discussion of Toriyama's procrastination tendencies
- How a young, budding Toriyama got his first big shot from Kazuhiko Torishima, an editor with Shonen Jump
- The fusion of a manga-ka (Toriyama) who doesn't read manga, and an editor (Torishima) who also does not read much manga, and how that led the two of them to create a unique presentation
- Brief discussion of some of Toriyama's earliest publications in Shonen Jump including Wonder Island, Today's Highlight Island, Tomato Girl Detective, and ultimately, Dr. Slump
- How Arale-chan's glasses became part of her iconic look
- How Dr Mashirito, the villain, came to be designed after Torishima
- Discussion of Akira Toriyama's Crummy Manga Lab, a series of funny, short manga that were intended to semi-jokingly teach people how to be a manga-ka.
- How Toriyama creates Toribot, because of his desire to never be seen in pictures and avoid being recognized by people in public
- Toriyama falling in love, getting married, and how a snafu with press on his wedding day leads to his vow to never show his face in public
- An anecdote from Chris Sabat, the American voice of Vegeta, about meeting Toriyama in a public setting
- We discuss the pros and cons of Toriyama's near-hermitage and whether he owes his fans more
- A comparison between Stephen King's approach to writing and that of our titular manga-ka
- A comparison between Hideaki Anno's (creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion) approach to creation and that of Toriyama
- How Torishima had to push Toriyama along the way to be productive and ultimately create Dragon Ball
- How Yoshimi Kato, Toriyama's wife, helped create Dragon Ball with an off-hand comment to Torishima about the manga-ka's work habits
- A very brief discussion of how Dragon Ball Super is crafted, as a collaboration between Toriyama and his chosen successor, Toyotarou
- and more, including some general pop culture 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.
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
With our March Madness Tenkaichi Tournament behind us and Future Trunks crowned the Basketball Tenkaichi, Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling the first arc of the manga, and then have a discussion of the Pilaf Arc to wrap up their review of the initial arc of Dragon Ball.
In this episode:
- Jelli and Bekinney find themselves trapped after an unfortunate encounter
- Brief plot synopsis of the end of the Pilaf arc and recapping the arc as a whole
- A few words about how this was almost the end of Dragon Ball, including sales figures as compared to Dr. Slump, Toriyama's first manga hit.
- We ruminate on whether the comparisons to Journey to the West will continue, now that the story will be spinning off into more uncharted territory.
- We briefly discuss how Toriyama and Torishima put their heads together to re-invent Dragon Ball moving forward and the lessons they learned from the sales and interest in the manga at this point
- We talk about the "arcs" of Dragon Ball and how they differ between manga and anime, because Toriyama himself has never organized or talked about the story in terms of arcs
- There is debate about the best name for the Pilaf Arc given that Pilaf is a more minor player overall, and we discuss whether it should be the Goku Arc, lumped into the Training Arc (along with what comes next) or dubbed some version of "The Journey to the West Arc"
- We break down the manga in detail, discuss what it did better or worse than the anime, and give some overall scores and ratings
- 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.
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
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 game of one-on-one basketball.
- We discuss the system used for determining outcomes.
- We break down our opponents in each matchup.
- In the Saiyan Region: Will Goku topple Nappa, will Vegeta defeat Caulifla, who will win when Broly encounters Future Trunks? Can Gohan defeat Bardock?
- In the Earthling Region:
- Krillin vs Bulma, Android 17 vs Mr Satan, Yamcha vs Nam, Master Roshi vs Android 16
- In the Villains Region: Can Frieza out-fox Hit? Will King Cold throttle Cooler? Who is more nefarious, Ginyu (in Dabura's body) or Buu? Will Jiren smash Cell?
- In the Deity/Ally Region:
- Who will win when Beerus, Mr Popo, Nail, Puar, King Kai, Kabito, King Yemma, and Piccolo all face off?
- 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 1-on-1 basketball?
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!
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Jelli and Bekinney take a 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 64 of Dragon Ball's most popular (?) characters and discuss who would win in a theoretical game of one-on-one basketball.
- We discuss the system used for determining outcomes.
- We break down our opponents in each matchup.
- In the Saiyan Region: Will Goku topple Tarble, will Vegeta defeat Paragus, who will win when Broly encounters Goten? Will the timeline handle Future Trunks facing off against his younger self? Can Gohan defeat King Vegeta? Can Cabba beat Bardock? Can Kale topple Nappa? Will Caulifla be able to defeat Raditz?
- In the Earthling Region:
- Krillin vs Yajirobe, Bulma vs Chiaotzu, Android 17 vs Ox King, Android 18 vs Mr Satan, Yamcha vs Chichi, Tien vs Nam, Android 16 vs Videl, Master Roshi vs Launch
- In the Villains Region: Can Frieza out-fox Mercenary Tao? Will Hit topple Recoome? Will Zamasu throttle King Cold? Who is more nefarious, Cooler or Pilaf? Who has the mad skills, Ginyu or Dabura? Will Buu beat down Android 19? Will Jiren smash Dr Gero? Can Cell prove to be more perfect than Garlic Jr?
- In the Deity/Ally Region:
- Who will win when Beerus, Oolong, Korin, Mr Popo, Nail, Elder Kai, Supreme Kai Shin, Puar, King Kai, Gregory, Dende, Kabito, Kami, King Yemma, Piccolo, and Jaco all face off?
- BUT FIRST: A little bit of news about the upcoming film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
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!
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Return to Monke. Reject modernity, embrace ape.
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 12 and 13 of the anime, "A Wish to the Eternal Dragon" and "The Legend of Goku" then have a discussion about the Great Ape, Oozaru, and its inspirations from kaiju film and television
In this episode:
- Jelli and Bekinney find themselves trapped after an unfortunate encounter
- A call is placed for outside assistance
- Special Guest: Matt Parmely from the Kaiju Transmissions podcast joins our discussion
- Brief plot synopsis of episodes 12 and 13 of the Dragon Ball anime
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episodes
- Breaking down the most obvious influence of Oozaru, King Kong and his popularity in Japan, which bolstered that of Godzilla
- A debunking of the claim that Kong was Japan's first kaiju via an unearthing of some facts about the films King Kong Made in Japan and King Kong Appears in Edo
- What leads most people to claiming these are Japan's first kaiju films, and what we know to the contrary, despite the films being lost forever due to the bombing of Hiroshima
- A recommendation to check out the book, Kong Unmade, by John Lemay
- How King Kong influence Donkey Kong and Godzilla and Eiji Tsuburaya and Akira Toriyama
- The original name of Oozaru, kaibutsu-zaru, and its meaning
- How the Wolf Man (1941) influenced Oozaru
- Discussion of Sun Wukong's transformation abilities and how those literary roots influence Oozaru as well
- What Eastern mind-sets about one's consciousness and subconsciousness have to say about Goku's transformation
- Why cutting off the tail is the method of de-transformation
- A discussion of how the Oozaru form has ceased to be used in more recent years
- A bit of praise for Dragon Ball GT for bringing the form back to use
- A very brief discussion of what 'canon' is in the Dragon Ball franchise
- How the appearance of Oozaru affects all the characters, even the Pilaf gang, and makes them work together to survive
- What the most memorable moments of the Oozaru are
- How the form does some inversion of tropes and ideas, and potential ideas for how it could further be used for Toriyama's favorite idea of subverting expectations
- A plug for Kaiju Masterclass, an online convention, which includes interviews with Ryhuei Kitamura, Bear McCreary, Shusuke Kaneko, and more creators behind the Godzilla, Ultraman, Gamera, Evangelion, and other kaiju, tokusatsu, and related franchises.
- and more, including some general pop culture, kaiju trivia, and editorializing, as usual.
Join us, and Matt, as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
If you could wish for ANYTHING what would it be? Have you considered the possible negative side effects of your wish? Let's get philosophical.
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 11 and half of 12 of the anime, "The Penalty is Pinball," and "A Wish to the Eternal Dragon" and then have a discussion about the character Shenron, and the concept of being granted a single wish.
In this episode:
- Bekinney deals with his carnivorous ear slug
- Brief plot synopsis of episodes 11 and 12 of the Dragon Ball anime
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episodes
- An analysis of the pinball portion, which is filler and its potential inspiration point from the rock opera, Tommy, by The Who and Elton John's appearance in the movie
- A cultural background on East vs West views of dragons
- How Shenron is the same as and different from traditional Chinese Shenlong dragons
- How traditional Eastern ideas of Dragons lends to the idea of there being magical orbs
- The differences between kanji, katakana, and hiragana and how Toriyama uses these systems to give immediate visual cues to listeners
- Shenron's potential title as the dragon of god and what that might mean for the future
- The significance of the number of toes on Shenron, his antlers, and other aspects of his design
- Where the idea of dragons granting wishes originates
- What a person's wish reveals about who they are, especially each character in the show
- Jelli and Bekinney break down their ideal wishes
- The hosts argue about what immortality means in the context of a wish, including how it relates to potential physical damage and ones psychology
- How the idea of immortality plays into the concept behind the show The Good Place
- How Jelli's wish may tie in to the concept of a character in the Watchmen universe
- How the first wish of the show differs from the rest throughout the duration of the show
- The fallout of this first wish, and how it influences future actions, including a nod given to Dragon Ball GT and a bit of praise thrown the way of that oft-maligned show
- and more, including some general pop culture, Toriyama's use of setting (again), 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.
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
What do mochi-making moon rabbits have to do with Dragon Ball?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 8, 9, and 10 of the anime, "The Kamehameha Wave," "Boss Rabbit's Magic Touch," and "The Dragon Balls are Stolen" and then have a discussion about the character Boss Rabbit/Monster Carrot, and Akira Toriyama's penchant for subverting tropes and expectations. This episode, released just 3 days after the beginning of 2022, features a discussion of Japan's New Year's traditions!
In this episode:
- Our hosts find themselves on a windswept desolate wasteland and report on their findings
- Brief plot synopsis of episodes 8, 9, and 10 of the Dragon Ball anime
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episodes
- Importance of what these episodes reveal about Goku, including his ability to understand and immediately master the Kamehameha Wave
- Goku's inner awareness of his self and his truth
- The cultural influence behind the Bansho Fan and how it plays into the quest of Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang from Journey to the West
- Discussion of the pop culture references from the episodes, including Gamera and how he's a play on Godzilla
- Recommendation to check out Arrow Video's releases of Gamera and Daimajin, particularly and especially Shusuke Kaneko's 1990s Heisei Gamera trilogy of films
- Discussion of Japan's Mochi Making Rabbit on the Moon, including the legend behind the story and how East Asian cultures see a rabbit in the craters on the moon
- We break down the mochi festival that takes place in Japan on New Year's every year
- How the episode may reference the Ultraman Taro episode "The Father of Ultra and Son Big Mochi-Making Strategy" and the kaiju Mochiron
- How Toriyama employs subversion and his ability to craft both familiar and simultaneously unpredictable narratives
- Comparison of Toriyama's use of subverting expectations to those of Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers: Infinity War
- Who is better? David Benioff and Ben Weiss or Akira Toriyama?
- How subversion of expectations can be done well, with an example using The Shining and Dr. Sleep and the books vs the movies, and comparing it to Toriyama's use of the mochi making rabbit on the Moon.
- and more, including some general pop culture, Toriyama's use of setting, 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.
https://bsky.app/profile/finalforumpod.bsky.social
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Fan Service. Love it? Hate it? Unsure what it is?
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they delve further into Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 6 and 7 of the anime ("Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls," and "The Ox King on Fire Mountain" and then have our typical in-depth discussion, focusing on the character of Chichi, and ultimately, the use of Fan Service and sexuality in Dragon Ball and anime as a whole.
In this episode:
- Our heroes (or cowardly hosts) prepare to land on their first new planet
- Brief plot synopsis of the episodes listed above
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the episodes
- Discussion of Fire Mountain and its basis in the Turpan Mountain range which is made of red sandstone and through which Xuanzang traveled.
- Literary inspiration behind Frypan Mountain from Journey to the West, including parallels between the story of Sun Wukong and that of Goku
- We discuss the Ox King and his titles as Demon Ox King and Emperor of Devils, and whether these are official titles.
- How the Ox Hermit of Journey to the West compares to the Ox King and how that influences his relationships to Goku and Master Roshi
- In-depth analysis of Chichi, Goku’s future wife.
- Our ill-conceived notion that she’s a simplistic character, little more than a love interest and wife/mother before understanding how she is more than that
- An analysis of how she fits as Goku’s love interest, including their similar dialects and slightly similar backgrounds
- How Chichi’s initial appearance is inspired by the Ultraman character, Ultraseven; a character created by tokusatsu legend Eiji Tsuburaya
- Recommendations on some Ultraman viewing, including Ultra Q and Neo Ultra Q
- The popularity of Lollicon in Japan in the 80s in particular and how that influenced Chichi’s design.
- Discussion of Lollicon, the Lolita Complex, a term coined due to the popularity of Vladimir Nobokov’s 1955 novel, Lolita, adapted into a 1962 film by Stanley Kubrick
- A discussion about sexuality and fan service in Dragon Ball, and whether the show’s more problematic elements have been acknowledged and/or corrected as the show has pushed forward into new decades, centuries, and millennia.
We try to be unafraid to get our hands a little dirty on this one, and take an unflinching look at one of the more controversial elements of Dragon Ball and in truth, anime in general, and try to contextualize the use of sexuality while also not excusing it when it’s utilized poorly. Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise by analyzing Chichi and the use of sexuality in the franchise.
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
What's in an antagonist? What about Dragon Ball's earliest attempts to get under Goku's skin? Why are we talking about Pinball Wizard?
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they delve further into Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the anime ("The Emperor's Quest," "The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi," "Oolong the Terrible," and "Yamcha the Desert Bandit" and then have a discussion about the antagonistic characters Pilaf, Oolong and Yamcha.
In this episode:
- Our hosts prepare to leave for their mission, again.
- Brief plot synopsis of the episodes listed above
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the episodes
- A talk about whether the sexuality and sexual humor presented in these episodes are problematic
- A quick look at some of the readily obvious differences between the manga and anime
- An explanation of Flying Nimbus and its Japanese name Kintoun, which means Somersault Cloud.
- An explanation of the effects of Oolong's diarrhea pill, including the differences between the English "piggy piggy" and the Japanese "pipipi"
- A look at Emperor Pilaf, and his inner and outer hypocrisy and self-contradictions, most notably his Napoleon complex
- A discussion of what Pilaf's clothing means, including its reference to The Who, Tommy and Pinball Wizard.
- Who are Mai and Shu, Pilaf's underlings?
- We talk about whether Pilaf is a good or bad antagonist.
- Deep dive into Oolong, his name inspiration, from a Chinese tea, his connections to the Tang Dynasty, and his literary connections to the character Zhu Bajie from Journey to the West and how this character normally interacts with Sun Wukong and Xuanzang vs. how he interacts with Goku and Bulma
- Oolong's ability to transform and his connection to Japanese Oni demons
- A debate about whether Oolong is meant to represent communism, Mao Zedong, and/or Kim Jong Il (or Kim Jong Un, or North Korea)
- Yamcha, Bekinney's favorite character, and his connection to Journey to the West via the character Sha Wujing a man-eating sand-demon, who is known more as a river-bound character and how Akira Toriyama is subverting the expectation by having Yamcha be a desert bandit
- Bekinney's assertion that Yamcha is a Jobber
- A discussion of whether Yamcha is a joke and whether that's a bad thing
- Puar, Yamcha's constant companion, whose name is also based on a tea
- A discussion of Yamcha's status as a Lone Wolf, and his Wolf Fang Fist
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise by analyzing these original antagonists