Final Forum Podcast

A meme that has a scene from Lilo and Stitch with Lilo asking for a friend...but it's been edited to look like Bulma asking for a handsome prince and instead of Stitch showing up, it's Vegeta

Life been comin at me fast and furious lately, but enjoy a Friday Funny

This is one of Mr Satan’s greatest physical feats; he doesn’t die after a kick from Omega Shenron. Impressive.

OG DB is great stuff. The manga is ACES.

homer simpson and marge simpson are standing in front of a calendar that says march on it ALT: homer simpson and marge simpson are standing in front of a calendar that says march on it

On the 31st month no less (if you're European)

Something, something, Dragon Ball...

ANYWAY, today I'm thinking about how I genuinely enjoy the Metallica album St. Anger, but I also extra special LOVE it because it reminds me of the summer it came out, driving around listening to it, and being young and actually having joy in my heart.

I remember the Game Boy being launched (ish) and when it was basically the only handheld gaming system that wasn't just blinking lights, and thinking handheld gaming was just garbage....and then thanks to emulators, I've played a few GBA and I've been really impressed.

Majin Buu and Mr Satan from Dragon Ball Z, enjoying being life partners.

Do it for them:

Scouters in Dragon Ball are stupid

(But great from an actual literary technique/writing perspective, humanity just doesn't have media literacy)

Tubi is the last light of hope in a dark, dark world

I haven't even mustered up the strength of will to watch it because I can't handle the existential dread right now.

About a year prior to that in the manga...

I'm not even aware of Toriyama having ever been asked, though I'm sure he would have said something pithy and unhelpful like "I bet it's something!" and leave it just as clear as before he was asked.

TFW you hate your best friend.

Dragon Ball is tied to Journey to the West and is intrinsically Buddhist, so this tracks.

We talk about it all the time on our show & how even as the show "outgrew" being a direct JTTW riff, there's still lots of comparison points & the whole thing is inspired by an innately Buddho-Daoist culture

...it's kind of a "pick your poison" situation, as the manga has some mild censorship and translation woes. (nothing big, you can look up comparisons)

I love both versions so it's hard to pick one to recommend to someone who's experienced everything else.

Manga first for newbies is my go-to though

OG Dragon Ball is closer to Daima in terms of tone and pacing and structure, especially "all of Daima prior to the final fight".

More adventure, less fighting.

Official releases of the anime skew bad, with poor color grading and even improper aspect ratios. The manga fares a little better...

Cultural respect for private grieving.

I've taken to recommending reading it first. It's a fast read, the art is spectacular, and it's really easy (and cheap) to find.

The anime's a tad slow because of 80s/90s anime season episode count, so it can be frustrating for people used to more modern pacing.

The chapter title page for Dragon Ball chapter #288 (DBZ chapter 94) featuring Goku in Captain Ginyu's body riding on kintoun (flying nimbus)

Manga Monday

One of my favorite chapter title pages from DBZ.

Self-promotion Sunday:
We’re a Dragon Ball podcast covering the culture and history behind the series

Be on the lookout for our March Madness episodes where we’ll be pitting the Dragon Ball characters against each other in a tournament, but NOT a fighting tournament. A Dating Game Tournament!

A Valentine of an anatomical heart going Super Saiyan

A bonus one this evening

Happy Valentine’s Day! Enjoy these Dragon Ball themed Valentine wishes

A meme of Vegeta reacting to some poorly designed Valentine treats that suggest he might have some issues with a “pp tiny”

Friday Funny.

Happy Valentine’s Day (tomorrow)!

He's in the driving episode, so he's popped up a few times.

Less "not allowed" and more "the design hadn't been finalized yet".

Toyotarou says EVERYTHING is canon.

This was just wholesome.

Knew the bit about Wukong, but didn't know he was "Oh Gong" in Korean. Seems like most Asian countries stick more with the cultural inspiration (Wukong in China) while Western countries go with Goku. Interesting stuff!

Lots of Dragon Ball moments/characters are inspired by Journey to the West.

It's ALMOST too wholesome to want to really SHIP it but there's no reason you can't have some romance AND be wholesome.

Being short and bald...and feeling like I've been around since almost the beginning, I've always had a soft spot for Krillin.