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cooledtured · 2 months

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Beyond Dragon Ball - Exploring Akira Toriyama's Legacy

Akira Toriyama was a widely famous and talented creator known for his dynamic artwork, inventive storytelling, and iconic character designs within anime. His contributions have left a lasting mark on the industry, shaping the landscape for generations of artists and fans alike.

Dragon Ball, created by Toriyama, is a well recognizable and adored manga and anime series. It follows Goku and the others as they travel through numerous worlds, fighting great challengers and collecting their Dragon Balls. Dragon Ball Z’s combination of action, humor, and unique characters has captured fans worldwide, leaving an enduring influence on popular culture, no matter your age.

While Dragon Ball remains Toriyama’s most well-known work, his contributions extend beyond just this legendary series. Exploring his lesser-known works, such as Dr. Slump, provides an insight into Toriyama’s diverse talents and his broader contributions to design and art overall.

On April 5, 1955, Akira Toriyama was born in Nagoya, Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. He developed a strong interest in manga and drawing from an early age and studied advertising and design at a technical school after high school, topics that would later inspire his artistic approach.

When Toriyama started sending manga to several magazines in the early 1970s, his professional career truly began. His breakthrough was the Shueisha Tezuka Award he received in 1978 for his one-shot manga, “Wonder Island.” This resulted in his first series, “Dr. Slump,” which started appearing in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1980 and became very well-known very fast. His captivating narratives and endearing character designs have set standards for upcoming artists. Dragon Ball transformed the shonen genre by making themes like character development, power increases, and fierce battles more widely accepted.

Dr. Slump

Akira Toriyama produced the absurd sci-fi comic “Dr. Slump,” which follows Dr. Senbei Norimaki, a quirky inventor, and his robot creation, Arale, through an imaginary Penguin Village. The themes of “Dr. Slump” center on friendship and the absurdities of ordinary life. The characters are colorful and unusual, ranging from the super-strong Arale to the strange Penguin Village residents. The manga’s settings and charming characters address themes of acceptance and the quest for happiness, making it one to be enjoyed by all.

“Dr. Slump” laid the groundwork for many elements that would also later appear in Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. It introduced his blend of humor and action, as well as his knack for creating memorable characters. Additionally, certain characters from “Dr. Slump,” such as Arale, have made cameo appearances in Dragon Ball, furthering the connection between the series.

Jaco the Galactic Patrolman

Jaco the Galactic Patrolman” was a manga series written and illustrated by Toriyama. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2013 and serves as a prequel to Dragon Ball, both located in the same universe. The story follows Jaco, an alien member of the Galactic Patrol, as he arrives on Earth to avoid a tragedy. Although “Jaco” is an independent series, it has many connections with the Dragon Ball universe. Particularly, the character of Jaco appears in Dragon Ball Super and interacts with characters from the main series. Additionally, the events of “Jaco” serve as the foundation for certain plot points in Dragon Ball, offering backstory and context for fans of the franchise. While not as well-known as Toriyama’s other works, it is nonetheless a popular addition to his bibliography, providing fans with extra insight into the DBZ universe’s lore.

Sand Land

Akira Toriyama produced “Sand Land” as a one-shot manga, published in 2000. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where water is scarce, the story follows Sheriff Rao and his young sidekick, Beelzebub, as they set out to find a new supply of water and preserve their drought-stricken location.

Themes of environmentalism and cooperation are heavy in “Sand Land.” Toriyama investigates the consequences of environmental degradation and the significance of conserving natural resources. The manga additionally explores themes of redemption as the protagonists face ethical dilemmas and personal struggles along the way. Toriyama’s “Sand Land” is similar to his earlier works because of its emphasis on adventure and companionship, but it stands out for its distinct setting and tone. Unlike the cheerful humor of Dragon Ball or Dr. Slump, “Sand Land” has a more serious and philosophical tone, demonstrating Toriyama’s versatility as a writer.

Video Games

Toriyama has worked frequently with game developers, bringing his creative talents to a wide range of projects. His work on the Dragon Quest series is especially valuable, providing character designs and artwork for multiple episodes. His impact on game design and storytelling is noteworthy, with his bright character designs and creative world-building influencing the visual identity of many games. Toriyama’s involvement frequently increases the appeal of games, drawing fans with his distinct art style and intriguing storytelling.

Notable video game endeavors include the Dragon Quest series, where Toriyama’s character designs have become associated with the franchise. He has also contributed to titles like Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon, and Tobal №1, creating a lasting impression on the gaming industry.

Exploring beyond Dragon Ball is essential to fully appreciate Toriyama’s contributions to manga and anime. His lesser-known works offer insights into his range as an artist and enrich our understanding of his profound influence on the medium.

His innovative storytelling and iconic character designs continue to influence aspiring manga artists, shaping the next generation of creators.

The legacy of Dragon Ball and his lesser-known works persists, continuing to captivate audiences and leaving an enduring impact on the entertainment industry. His work remains relevant and continues to be adapted into various forms, including anime, video games, and merchandise, showcasing its enduring appeal.

Even though Akira Toriyama has recently passed, his creative genius and iconic contributions to manga and anime will continue to resonate deeply with those who grew up with his works. His legacy will be fondly remembered by his fans, evoking cherished memories of childhood and inspiring future generations of storytellers.

#DragonBallZ #AkiraToriyama #Goku #DBZ

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sminny-wew · 2 months

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Dragon Ball is such a unique and interesting series to me. Even if you're only so familiar with it, it's more than likely affected or influenced you in a greater way than you realize. You could know absolutely nothing about Goku, but if someone showed you Goku, you'd know it was Goku. He has a distinct personality, distinct skills, a distinct silhouette. You recognize him even if you don't know him.

I was both a 90s and a 2000s kid, not really a Millennial but not really Gen Z. Right on the cusp of both. So when the mainstream American anime boom kicked off around that time, I was Team Sailor Moon. Of course I was; they were pretty like my Barbie dolls, but unlike Barbie, they got to beat the shit out of evildoers, and I LOVED it.

But as much as that show occupied my attention, I couldn't pretend that Dragon Ball Z didn't catch my eye on some level.

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When I did manage to catch it on Toonami, I couldn't look away. I'd never seen such intense action scenes before. And even if I felt like things dragged on sometimes, when things got good, they got GOOD. I wouldn't have called myself a DBZ fan at the time, but I still understood the hype behind Vegeta, Frieza, Super Saiyan Goku, Future Trunks, the Androids, Perfect Cell, Majin Buu, Gotenks...all of it. I remember my older cousins were really into Dragon Ball Z. One of them had a black and white poster on their bedroom wall with all the Z Fighters. I remember when they would play with me, they'd pretend they were going to fire a Kamehameha at me, and I'd giggle with excitement because they sounded just like Goku.

The show's impact was not lost on American media; you can open YouTube, type "dragon ball references in tv shows" and see for yourself. And that's just in America; Dragon Ball has a massive presence in cultures across the globe, and back in Japan, it was turning out to be a strong influence on the likes of One Piece, Bleach, and shounen manga/anime as a genre.

Growing up as a Sonic fan in the early 2000s, I cannot understate the influence that DBZ had not just on the Sonic series itself, but on Sonic fan content in particular. I'm talking countless videos of Sonic X clips set to audio from DBZ, with Sonic as Goku and Shadow as Vegeta. All the fan art and sprite art of Sonic going Super Saiyan 3. One of the most widely-known fan projects in the community is the Newgrounds animation Nazo Unleashed; animator Chakra-X (who was in high school when he made this thing!!!) took an unused design for Super Sonic that showed up for 3 seconds in the first Sonic X trailer...

...and, influenced by DBZ villains, permanently altered how most people perceive this design: not as a scrapped Sonic transformation, but as his own unforgettable villain. It didn't matter that Nazo wasn't canon, all we cared about was the jaw-dropping Dragon Ball-style fight scenes that Chakra-X gave us. I highly suggest you watch Nazo Unleashed on YouTube if you've never seen it before, it's an awesome piece of fandom history.

(Also quick shoutout to Edwyn Tiong, his performance as Nazo absolutely gave Perfect Cell energy)

And as seen with games like Sonic Frontiers, and characters like Surge and Kit who (as it turns out, unintentionally!!) parallel the Androids, that influence carries on to this day.

Look at the first boss fight from Sonic Frontiers.

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Look at this. Look at this and tell me this doesn't scream Dragon Ball.

The DBZ energy radiating from these boss fights was so hype that people started taking clips from DRAGON BALL ITSELF and setting them to the soundtrack!!! A complete 180 from what people were doing on YouTube in 2008!!

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And this is just the influence of Dragon Ball. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about Dr. Slump, Chrono Trigger, or any of Akira Toriyama's other works to do them justice. All I can really say is that Toriyama went from writing gag manga to inventing modern shounen action tropes without even intending to. We've lost a genuine legend. But to quote the opening of DBZ Kai: "Nothing ever dies. We will rise again."

Rest in peace, Toriyama-san. Yours is a legacy that no one will ever forget, whether they know your name or not. And one of these days, when I'm able to sit down and properly watch through all of Dragon Ball, I'll be thinking of you and what we have because of you.

Thank you for everything.

#akira toriyama #dragon ball #dragon ball z #sonic the hedgehog #media analysis #wrote this up last night and I'm posting it now

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smokeybrandreviews · 2 years

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Cat's in the Cradle

A while back, i stumbled across this manga that was weirdly nostalgic. It reminded me of the stuff i read when i was young, when the only manga adaptations available in the US came through Viz and they were mirror printed at that. I had literally the entire Viz release of Evangelion and, i think, most of their DBZ takes, too. Its been years since I've rad any of them and they’re probably lost somewhere in a Texas attic or some sh*t but those were dark times for us “otaku” as we were once called. Anyway, as i read Cleopatra and the Iron Cross, i was dumbfounded by how ridiculous this entire premise was. I thought it was interesting but, more than that, the art really struck a cord with me. I mentioned the nostalgia but it was more than that. This sh*t looked like the stuff from my childhood. There were only two chapters available, even after a whole ass year since i found it, but those few reads got me wondering who actually created this work. Turns out, it was Manabe Jouji.

Jouji is wildly prolific in the world of manga and anime. Dude has been in the game since the Eighties and that’s how i know him. His art mirrors the stuff that was popular back then, the stuff i grew up. Dirty Pair, Lum, Dragon Half, Akira, even early Shirow, all kind of resemble the prevailing type of the day and Jouji is no different. Obviously, his art has matured considerably over the years but it still feels right at home during the Golden Age of Anime and i can’t get enough of it. I spent a good amount of time, just kind of spiraling down a Jouji hole, coming across some really fantastic stuff but, the one thing which stood out the most and left the strongest impression is the work he’s doing now, partnered with writer, Skyfarm. Now, Skyfarm is nowhere near as prolific as Jouji but dude has several serialized works going at once. They’re all varying degrees of decent but the one that i found to be solid, and the reason for this essay, was the one he’s doing with Jouji called Adventure of the Outlawed Tamer with Beautiful Explorers.

Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His Wild S-Rank Cat Girl, an alternative title this book is also known by, follows a Tamer named Lint, in a fantastical world full of monsters, demons, and the beastkin. Obviously, this is anther fantasy manga because, apparently, that’s my wheelhouse now, but i rather enjoy this one. Lint is an interesting, if a little derivative, lead and the circumstances that lead to his rather unique partnership with hid catgirl companion, Bilena, were some of the funnisest (an adult) situations I've come across in some time. This story, as it’s written and presented, is a true throwback to those Eighties days of excess and i can’t help but smile reading it. I’m not entirely sure how old Skyfarm is, but this cat has a real reverence for the old school content from my birth decade so getting someone who got their start during that time to do the art in Jouji, was a stroke of genius. Seriously, i feel like I'm reading AD Police or Black Magic and i can’t get enough of it.

Admittedly, Outlawed Tamer is tailor-made to my tastes so it might not be for everyone. This thing is incredibly graphic in every way. It’s violent, sexual, and very much detailed in both those aspects. Like, seriously, this sh*t gets real naked, real fast and is unapologetically perverted about it. If you’re a fan of Tsugumomo, especially the later chapters, or Slave Harem, you kind of have an inkling of how raunchy this thing can get. Fortunately, i am a fan of both those books so of course i am good with the content in Outlawed Tamer. Another hurdle to entry is the fact that there are only two English translated chapters available. That’s a plus because, before that, this thing was only readable in f*cking Indonesian. That said, there are only six chapters, total, available so, if you’re like me and had a ton of time on your hands, you can probably Google translate your way through to catch up. I did that with Mynoghra until the English scanlation house decided to seriously pursue the thing. So far, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Outlawed Tamer. If you can tolerate a bit of smut sprinkled in an otherwise compelling world, interesting characters, and a throwback feel, i highly recommended checking this one out. The artwork, alone, is worth taking in the two available chapters, in my humble opinion. It’s only got two chapters in English, six in Indonesian, but the release schedule is pretty solid so i think we’ll get the rest of Adventure of the Outlawed Tamer with Beautiful Explorers fairly quickly.

#Adventure of the Outlawed Tamer with Beautiful Explorers #Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His Wild S-Rank Cat Girl #Datsuhou Tamer no Nariagari Boukentan : S rank Bishoujo Boukensha ga Ore no Juuma ni na Tamers #Manga

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diccolopiccolo · 1 year

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Please pardon the random note, I thought the coincidence was so wild that I had to say hi and mention it: Back, long long ago, when I was a kid in the late 90s/early 2000s I also was (and still am) highly fond of Piccolo. I also had an OC that I shipped with him, and she was also called Iris! The characters differ a lot from there, but seeing that the Piccolo love/ shipping continues with the younger generation AND that randomly our OCs had the same name made me so happy! Keep up the great work! Your art is beautiful and your blog looks really fun! Best of luck with everything! Also, thank you for letting me know about the orange Piccolo.

That's amazing! I have been hyper fixating on Piccolo/DBZ since 2004, and about being apart of the younger generation;

well, I'm 29 years old..

IDKwhy I admire Piccolo's character so much because his personality is so quiet and stoic, but that could also explain maybe why I like him so much?? ALSO, I still think that the Namekians in DBZ are reallllllly interesting and cool. Since Akira made it canon that Namekians are Hermaphrodites/basically slug people, alot of fans have headcanon a lot of unique culturalistic qualities they might have and *ahem* physiological bodily qualities they might also have as well.

But, overall... HE'S SO COOL lol

They finally now made him relevant again in the DB(Super), so I'm a very happy camper.

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This reply is turning into a novel, so sorry in advance, but in regards to your DBZ OC!

That's so cool and WILD that we shared the same name for our OCs, and in DBZ no less!

I would love to know more about your DBZ OC if you are ok to share of course :)

Also, I hope this doesn't sound weird but I think I might know who you are, because I have a big hunch and clues to pin it down. (p.s.: I'm a huge fan of yours!)

THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS and especially coming from you it means a lot!!!! I haven't posted new content about my OC as of late, but she's still in the membrane, and I have loads of new ideas :)

I just want to let you know that your message made me very excited and so happy!!! Thank you again!! <3

#madd replies #iris #dbz oc

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smokeybrand · 2 years

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Cat’s in the Cradle

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brainbubblegum · 5 years

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I always thought Piccolo was the cutest most interesting DBZ character so here he be

#piccolo #dbz #dragon ball #i always admired the Akira Toriyama style but i never drew DBZ fan art because it looked too complicated #and i thought it would come out funny and not look unique in general #but drawing this felt sorta natural #but thats probably because i love humanoid monster characters #brainbubblegumart

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lunasilvermorny · 3 years

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Akito Hayama - Kodomo no Omocha.

I’m back in fan-art land and this time brought some nostalgia from my teen years.

I LOVE Kodocha. It’s one of my favorite anime/manga of all time. (Maybe the manga a bit more than the anime, because the anime is more childish - in a funny way, but still...)

I have never met or talked with anyone (in real life or online) that loved this as well.

And I get it, it’s pretty old and most people were interested in what’s popular at the time, rather than old series, but I fell in love with it. (Hey, DBZ is pretty old too, but we all watched it as kids!)

Anyway, I get that this illustration is probably more for me than my followers, but I really wanted to draw him.

Akito has been such a huge influence on so many OCs that I’ve created, especially Omen, and I think he’s one of the best written characters that I know of. His arc is honestly great.

I really wanted to put emphasis on the eyes, because one of the best things about the manga is the way Miho Obana draws eyes to such beautiful details, which gave it a unique aesthetic.

#my art #drawing #fan art #kodomo no omocha #kodocha #kodocha fan art #akito hayama #kodocha akito

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dragon-ball-meta · 3 years

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Toyotaro’s proof that sometimes having the fans write an official story ISN’T always the best idea.

True. But part of the problem too is that Toyotaro is a little too in love with his own past work. See, his AF manga is really what got him this job. He loved the series, sure. I’m not gonna say he doesn’t. The problem here is that one thing AF showed, and it’s not a problem unique to him, being fair, was that... he really didn’t get the series or characters? Like he just kinda slapped on their GT personalities (which was also problematic but I digress) and just sorta... focused on the Saiyans and that’s it? He also apparently got some pushback for controversial narrative choices he tried to fix via sudden retcons or handwaving, a problem he still has. But he’ll still get self-referential about his AF work, right down to reusing scenes and ideas for fights in Super, and even allegedly reusing line art for characters. (Goku Black, for instance, happens to look a lot like Xicor, his OC, in several panels of Super. He also reused the idea of Vegeta popping in and out of various forms to gain specific advantages for Vegeta vs Goku Black, but apparently forgot his own rule on how popping in and out of Blue without a proper cooldown affects the power increase you get... and besides that, it was actually an idea he swiped from Goku vs Freeza filler in DBZ where Goku was popping in and out of Kaioken during their fight in short bursts to minimize the strain on his body.) I’m all for fans being involved in the process, absolutely, but... not with so much control going to one of them. Especially when they’re not above playing favorites.

#dbs manga #wtf toyotaro?#darksaiyangoku

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yamchaas · 3 years

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Any dbz blog recs? (:

Yes absolutely! I’ll put it under the cut :)

@amdeadinsyd / @fourstarnonsense Really so lovely and also has the funniest/most insightful tags

@namek-ismyprovince The loveliest Yamcha and/or Tien art, but does awesome db stuff in general, including excellent text posts. Ooh and cute fic as well! one time I made a stupid text post and they did this exceptional art x All around a joy to follow.

@housepherae Also does lovely art (the Yamcha volleyball outfit one is a particular fave x) Super nice as well!

@destructodiscs Loves Piccolo, so that’s immediate points and is so lovely and friendly!

@transtien Ultimate Tien blog, does gorgeous and unique art. If you love Tien like I do, you’ll love this! Also rad Yamcha art too! X

@kamesenkuririn Really lovely, really friendly- Loves Krillin and makes a lot of funny posts too, also cute art X

@ninerotz Another brilliant Yamcha fan and does extremely rad art as well X

@unknownuser-15 Not exclusively dbz, but they have such a fun blog and I really enjoy following them!

@masenkoha Big dbz fan and Lovely! <3

@justice-for-yams The url says it all, Yamcha <3

@2bitsin Another rad artist! X

@rayluaza Buff Chichi, need I say more?

@bisexual-trunks An excellent all around dbz blog and what a good url lol

@mequetrefis Is a fun dbz blog and does really awesome art too x, also piccoshin!!

@supersaiyantist Loves Broly so you know she has taste.

@fishkinger The most epic tags in the game, no question.

@cliponpotara Loves Shin and does lovely art as well!

I’m sure I’m missing a few people, but all these blogs are really nice to follow!

#how many times can i say lovely?#lol #dbz #recs #Anonymous

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zerochanges · 3 years

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Robotech: Unboxing + Rant

Anime licensing and localization has come a long way since the dark ages of the medium where you had to track down old fan subbed VHS tapes or hope you can catch some heavily edited version of a show on one of your local networks before cable was even a thing. The latter describes the place in history that Robotech holds, and for many it was a landmark experience and a gateway into anime--and that should have been its legacy whole stop but well, corporate greed is a bitch. I’m sure I don’t have to sit here and explain the myriad of ways license holder Harmony Gold has more or less been super scummy. From downright patent trolling, to blocking any attempt at localizing certain series and even preventing video game releases; they have become infamous in the anime fandom--so much so to the point where I just don’t want to talk about Robotech anymore.

Which is a damn shame! Robotech is legitimately a fairly fascinating and well crafted attempt at bringing over anime for its time. The writing is sharp, the voice acting holds up surprisingly well--and it is some of the earliest known roles for a bunch of now prolific voice actors in the anime dubbing community like Tony Oliver and Wendee Lee. Most importantly however the material is treated with respect, and while a bit clumsy at times, there is an obvious love from the staff being put into the work. It’s easy to see how generations grew up with this Frankenstein of an adaptation and became lifelong fans of anime.

For me personally Robotech will always occupy the same part of my heart that loves the work of Ted Woolsey and other earlier localization figures who took a mess of bland too literal translations (sometimes ones that didn’t even make sense in English) and reworked them with a lot of character and charm despite some really insane restraints of the time. It’s not for everyone, but I do enjoy these early localizations for what they were.

Sadly it seemed Robotech would only be remembered in infamy for Harmony Gold and its (very well documented) downright criminal powers-that-be. Until this past April, where out of nowhere anime fans’ prayers seemingly have been answered. Now the agreement between the three companies is still not fully understood, and it’s hard to say for sure where this will go but for now I like to have goodwill that things will be different from now on. Which is what I want, I easily do love Robotech, and this new agreement brining new Robotech blu-rays is great, but I also want Macross blu-rays too! Hell, I don’t want just that but also Southern Cross and Mospeada releases too, even if they have to be on SD-BD. Over the recent years we have seen blu-rays for all kinds of tangentially related Robotech properties: Megazone 23, Zilion, Orguss, it would be great to have all of Macross as well as the main three series that comprise Robotech to go alongside with them on my blu-ray shelf.

With all that out of the way, I will stop ranting now and show off the most recent Robotech Collector’s Edition from Funimation as well as some comparisons to a past set I posses.

The box itself is absolutely gorgeous and the contents inside of high quality too. The asking price may be a bit steep but for fans it really does pay off.

I was especially impressed with the figure which I had no real interest in (and will still keep stuffed in the box lol) but was shocked to find out it can indeed transform between the three iconic forms of the Veritech fighter.

The blu-rays themselves are housed in a nice sturdy chipboard box and each set has unique art separate from the standard retail release.

Anyone familiar with Funimation’s previous release of the anime series Zillion will easily notice the similar “retro” (or maybe even VHS???) look of the packaging.

I was somewhat annoyed at this graphic design choice when Zillion came out. I love older anime art and want to appreciate it for all its worth. I get how the vintage VHS look is a fun idea but still! Despite saying that however I ended up really liking it for this latest Robotech set. Probably helps that the o-cards aren’t made of the usual glossy paper stock and are instead really heavy and thick cardboard giving them an almost old book type feel.

The interior art for the amaray cases as well as the disc art are all great looking. I was especially impressed with the art used for the Masters Saga set which opted to feature protagonist Dana instead of a mech.

The earlier mentioned chipboard box. The entire set looks great in it but it does lead to my major complaint for Funimation about the packaging; it’s all Macross. Yes, the Macross Saga is great, hell it’s a common sentiment amongst fans that “The Macross portion of Robotech is the best part”. But really what makes Robotech what it is was the mixing of multiple shows. Really bummed out that Southern Cross or Mospeada got no love this time.

The Collector’s Edition blu-ray standing next to the 2013 A&E DVD set, which was the only one I could really find laying around at the time of this writing.

The first of these two images is a screenshot directly taken from the 2013 A&E DVD set, and the second of the two is a screenshot taken directly from the 2021 BD from Funimation. This pattern will be followed for all subsequent comparison shots; DVD on top then BD below it.

The colors really pop when the image is done right--with darker frames advantaging the most while brighter ones are too oversaturated.

Overall there is greater detail and the colors presented better reflect the original animation work in the BD but it isn’t too uncommon for it to look a bit garish and oversaturated at times too.

I’d still say this BD upscale is a noticeable improvement at least from the 2013 DVD set I had on hand but well any fan of DBZ will know the song and dance with Funimation and how they remaster old footage. The similar issue of them working off a copy of a master and not the original film itself probably also is equally in play here as it is for their many botched DBZ sets. I’d also argue this set is a bit too heavy on grain (and I say that as a huge lover of grain) but the oversaturation may be the true culprit behind that feeling.

Overall Funimation’s BD is a nice upgrade but I don’t see myself dipping any more into Robotech unless they actually can recreate the show from the original film master, by this point any more work will just be negligible.

It’s a steep price tag, and the entire series is fairly easy to stream now too if you have a Funimation account, but for the right kind of fan it makes a great piece for your collection. Until next time, let us all hold out hope for potential Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada blu-rays.

#Robotech #unboxing #anime #images

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xfadingstarx · 4 years

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A Bleach Retrospective: In defense of Bleach

These are opinions, please respect that.

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My Journey with Bleach (please skip if you want to go straight to the analysis):

On September the 8th, 2006 YTV’s weekend evening anime programming block (Bionix) aired the first episode of Bleach. I, unfortunately, did not catch this episode, instead, I caught the second episode on September 15th the following week. I was ten and from then on, Bleach fascinated me. It had an interesting concept, tight pacing, catchy music, a good story, and unique character designs. I also really enjoyed how Bleach lacked the same kind of emotional labour that Naruto demanded (as child who survived off of constantly seeking validation from others because of absentee parents, Naruto is way too much work).

My fascination with Bleach got me started in the fandom communities of yesteryear, for I was a child with zero internet supervision. My introduction to fanfiction was because I loved Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Bleach was my entry into poetry (poem at the start of every volume).

But alas, all good things were not meant to last and by the summer of 2009, I was officially done with Bleach. It had felt stilted for some time before then. Over the years, I would gradually revisit bits and pieces of Bleach, but I would not read it in its entirety until months after its finish, about a decade after I had first saw Bleach on my TV. Between the time I stopped reading and the series ended, I became friends with people who didn’t think highly of Bleach and I also started seeing criticism I had made about Bleach in 2011 being repeated by fans on the internet, I started to think that maybe Bleach was bad, but I knew what bad writing looked like —I started reading fanfiction through Bleach fanfiction AMVs on YouTube — and somehow Bleach didn’t sit right with me in the “bad writing category”.

I sit back now, a decade and ahalf later from when I first started and ask, “was Bleach really that bad, and if so, why do I keep coming back to it?”

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What Made Bleach So Good?

Unique story and aesthetics: When Bleach first started in 2001, it was one of the first manga series to talk about souls and death in a poetic way and with such coherence. Bleach clearly knew what it wanted to say about life and death. It also had a very unique aesthetic, very similar to that of “The World Ends With You” or “Persona 5″ — an urban Japanese take on R&B kind of vibe. Also, Bleach had the most “realistic” and minimalist art style amongst the Big 3.

Cool Music: Bleach had cool music, from very solid rock’n’roll and R&B style songs in its OPs and EDs to very funky OST music with lots of pizzazz. Many singers feature by Bleach ended up successful (to varying degrees) outside of anime, eg: Orange Range, UVERworld, YUI, sid, etc.

Versatile tone: Bleach was edgy, there’s no doubt about that. It was willing to show a lot of blood and bodily violence, especially in the manga (eg half of people blowing up and bits of bone still attached). Despite this though, it was not pretentious about its edginess — it didn’t revel in it. To contrast the edginess, there is a lot of humour in Bleach with character interactions. It was able to be laid back enough with its strong characters that it would rely on the characters’ relationships for comedic relief. The post-credit skits and the fillers really helped to add to this overall feel as well.

Maturity of the Story: Bleach was very willing to handle topics that made people think. For example, the Ulquiorra - Orihime subarc was treated with a sense of carefulness about it, as if to reflect Ulquiorra’s own cautious curiosity about the heart. A less emotionally mature story would’ve gone for the cheap rape/torture porn, but instead we are treated to determined strong Orihime, who has found strength through the heart after the death of her brother, clashing with the nihilistic hollow who wants to know if there is happiness outside of emptiness. It’s a very loaded question and one that requires both perspective and life experience to fully understand both parties. As well, Bleach always knew what it wanted to say about life and death as the final conflict of Bleach is between Ichigo, who has accepted his transient life and Yhwach, who is scared of death. And ultimately, underneath all that action, Bleach produced takes on its themes that were hard to relate to unless the reader themselves had a certain level of emotional maturity (eg: 12 year old me got nothing out of the Ulqui-Ori arc, but 20 year old me spent a good 10 mins crying after)

Strong characters: Contrary to popular belief, Bleach does have quite solid characterization. In fact, Bleach is the journey of Ichigo as a character, from grappling with his weakness and pain to finally accepting all the parts of himself and his history in order to defeat Yhwach and protect those he cares about. Even the secondary characters of Bleach receive a sizable amount of backstory and/or development. Bleach also managed to have more proactive female characters. Even the damsel in distress Orihime stands up to Ulquiorra and slaps him. As a result of these strong characters, Bleach was able to rely on them and their relationships to drive aspects of the story (eg Ichigo crying in the Fullbringer arc).

Willingness to Deal with Emotion: Given that Ichigo is an internally motivated character, it was obvious Bleach would deal with emotion at some point in time. Making Ichigo just a normal high school boy also relives the previous edginess. Bleach also clearly too the time to make its readers feel in its early years. We are treated to beautiful panelling and very real displays of strong negative emotions. Bleach is also very good at giving its characters room to breathe and be sad. Eg: moping Orihime, moping Ichigo, etc. As well, Kubo went to extraordinary lengths to break Ichigo down during the Fullbringers Arc.

Interesting Character Designs: Every character in Bleach feels vibrant and unique with their personality showing through in their designs. For example: Shunshi’s sloppily tied up hair, visible stubble, and overcoat-hidden-haori show that he is both easy going and not looking for a fight; meanwhile Byakuya’s neatly pulled back hair and neck covered by scarf show that he is both someone who likes structure and is conservative.

Poetry and Symbolism: Kubo manages to weave poetry into Bleach in the beginning of each volume. The poem was said by the character on the volume. It gave the reader insight to this character and it gave Kubo a chance to flex his poetic chops. Further proof of this is the fact that many people don’t realize that the name “Bleach” refers to the bleaching of soul that is key to the story. Kubo loves to use rain to set sad scenes. It rains when Ichigo fights Grand Fisher, Zangetsu tells Ichigo that he hates the rain, etc. Kubo also specifies that he wishes for the reader to read certain volumes on stormy, rainy nights.

Panelling: Many people like to criticize Kubo for the lack of effort with the Bleach manga, but Kubo has stated that he uses negative space (i.e., foregoing backgrounds) to focus more on his character’s expressions. This not only further proves that Bleach cares a lot about its characters, but it’s done well enough that the average reader likely doesn’t notice the lack of background on the first read through. As well, Bleach has very cinematic panelling. Kubo uses the format of manga well, utilizing the human mind’s ability to fill blanks in with clever panelling to create tone and build tension and the feeling of movement through a scene.

In fact, in finding pages for this analysis, I found myself noticing that Bleach panels very similarly to slice-of-life shoujo but with a boy MC manga like "Horimiya": focus on expression through intimate angles and use of panels and breaks to create mood and the feeling of cinema; whereas something like DBZ panels like a shounen action manga with many hard lines and action shots, instead of a focus on subtle details and emotions.

Some Examples:

Notice now in Chapter 197: The approaching danger, Kubo uses a gradual zoom to build tension and the black background to add intensity and signal to the reader that Hitsugaya is relaying important information.

Here in Chapter 234: Not Negotiation, the immediate close up to Ulquiorra’s eye from the full body shots creates a sense of intimidation and unease with its sudden intimacy. As well, the immediate zoom in from Ulquiorra’s side full body shot to his facial profile creates tension and the change from the dark background to the white face with Orihime releases this tension (very fitting with considering the line for this panel is “but not you”). (This scene also ties into Ulquiorra’s central dogma of “that which is not reflected in my eyes does not exist’.)

Again in the same chapter, this gradual zoom in on the two creates tension that is then release in the next panel and summarily cements Ulquiorra as a terrifying BAMF.

In Chapter 262: Unblendable, Kubo uses the negative space to create a feeling of isolation, similar to how Orihime is supposed to be feeling.

In the same chapter, notice how Kubo creates a sense of intimacy (not in the romance sense) with the relationship of Ulquiorra and Orihime. He creates tension gradually with the zooming into Orihime’s eye and releases it with the zoom out to Ulquiorra. Through this scene, Kubo has shown us that Ulquiorra and Orihime have a tense relationship and with the implication of eye contact through the shots and panel breaks creating both the intimacy and showing Orihime’s defiance.

(Interestingly, I’ve noticed that Ulquiorra and Orihime have a lot of these intimate zoom shot-reverse-shot eye panels)

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What are the Bad Parts of Bleach?

Okay, so by now, you’re probably thinking that I’m ignoring the massive amounts of critique that Bleach gets and don’t get me wrong, while Bleach does have a very special place in my heart, I’m also not maudlin enough to pretend that Bleach was all good.

Pacing:

Pacing in the First Half of Bleach (Karakura Town - Arrancar)

When Bleach first started out the pacing was excellent. Kubo showed great mastery of pace to control the tone and highlight the emotions throughout the first two arcs. Mid-way through the Arrancar arc, the fatigue sets in and it was hard to keep up with, especially since Kubo would interrupt one exciting fight set up to go set up more plot elsewhere (eg Fake Karakura town right as Ichigo and Ulquiorra were about to battle). Whilst looking back and reading it all at once does help with the pacing, it was frustrating if you were reading/watching on a weekly basis.

Pacing in the Anime:

I don’t ascribe to a simplistic belief of “fillers bad” simply because I think that sometimes fillers can be a good thing, for example, since every chapter is ~15-20pp, some character interactions have to be cut for the sake for space, so filler is a great opportunity to add those moments back into your story. For example, a lot of early Bleach fillers are just the people of Karakura town just hanging out. That being said, Bleach does have an unfortunate amount of fillers, with some of them even interrupting tense fights (eg the Beast Sword Arc interrupts Ichigo’s battle with Ulquiorra). However, the padding that the fillers provided did wonders for the transition between Soul Society to Arrancar Arc in the anime. Ultimately, the Bleach anime adaption was a long-running anime made for syndication and that’s okay.

******* Brief Aside: many people like(d?) to point out that Bleach has a very cyclical plot structure. I used to think this way too; however, this is not the case. There are many other long running stories that repeat similar goals. The problem lies not in the idea, but the execution. The main complaint about the Orihime rescue was not that it was uninteresting, but instead that it felt a rehash of the plot of the previous arc. This is largely because the story was not given enough time to breath between similar character arcs. For example, in One Piece, Luffy and Co have to save Nami and by extension, her home village so she can join them; however, the next time a Straw Hat needs to be saved is 227 chapters (2 whole story arcs) later. In between saving Rukia and Orihime, there is only a really an arrancar encounter, a bit of training, cheering up Ichigo, and a Grimmjow encounter before Orihime goes with Ulquiorra, thus making the goal of this arc “save Orihime” in only ~59 chapters vs 227. These two similar arc goals so close to each other does indeed create the sense of repetition.

Pacing from Fullbringer to End:

This is where Bleach really lost a lot of people. If you weren’t gone after the Ulquiorra fight, you probably were by this arc.This arc went at breakneck speed, and ngl, during my first full read through I almost gave up here too. I mention earlier that Ichigo had been broken down in this arc, but it was hard to feel his despair and the weight on his shoulders because there wasn’t enough for the reader to take a beat and breathe. The Thousand Year Blood War, similarly suffered from sloppy pacing, with many readers feeling like story lines of Squad 0 and the Soul King were anti-climactic. As well, this arc started with a massacre and feature the deaths of many fan-favourite characters, and unfortunately due to the pacing, their deaths were not given a sense of gravity.

Missed Opportunities and Forgotten Story lines: Many people felt that Kubo forgot about a lot of his characters after the Aizen arc. Many thought the Fullbringer Arc was going to be a Chad/Orihime Arc. Whatever happened to Uryuu lolol? We all just collectively forgot about him for a large portion of the last half of Bleach. At one point in time, there was a rumour going around that Kubo had written out the story for Bleach and lost it. Idk if there is any credibility to it. However, in a 2017 interview, Kubo did say that he did end the series exactly the way he wanted to.

(If anyone wants to see me write an entire ass text post about Orihime and her treatment in Bleach, please let me know because I will do it)

Too mature:Even though above, I praised Bleach's mature handle on its themes, an unfortunate side effect of this is forgetting that the characters are only 15 at the beginning and for the first half of Bleach. This unfortunately, leads to some readers feeling disconnected from Bleach.

Epilogue: THE DESTROYER OF SHIPS!!! A lot of people hated this ending. Many people felt like the romance was shoe-horned in, others didn’t like the pairings, and there were some people who actually liked it. Personally, I didn’t like it too much, but it was a cute conclusion nonetheless. Since it didn't add anything to the story except for a "where are they now" look and because of that, I low-key felt like it was unnecessary, but w/e.

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Perspective

Making a long-running weekly serialized story is hard and doing it for 15 years is gruelling (obligatory “fuck capitalism” here). Like many artists of long-running manga, Kubo destroyed his health for the sake of publishing Bleach weekly. Kubo on his health after Bleach (photo from AshitanoGin on Twitter):

Given this insight, I think it’s only fair to be respectful and grateful for Kubo’s contribution to the anime-sphere. Also, through his work, Kubo seems to be a very understanding person and artist. I’m sure he knows better than anyone where Bleach went wrong, but there’s nothing that can be done now. Despite him having a twitter, he is not Joanne and doesn’t feel the need to constantly hemorrhage out word of god info about Bleach (and thank god for that).

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Final Thoughts

It’s hard to forget my happy memories when I think about Bleach. It had my first adolescent crush and first OTP. As a result, I think the best way to enjoy Bleach is to take what you want out of it. People always think that something has to be 100% without flaw for it to be good, but that is not true at all. It is totally okay to just like the parts that you like without engaging with anything else. It’s special to you for a reason, you know?

There’s no use in fretting over what Bleach could’ve been, besides, very rarely is the reality better than the fantasy in your head.

I do think though that a lot of Kubo’s issues could’ve been fixed if he planned the story better but not all of us can be “I've been planning One Piece since elementary school” Oda Eiichiro.

Other voices on this issue: here

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Wow. I can’t believe you made it this far down. Congratulations! Thanks for reading my 2:30am non-sober take on Bleach (it only took me 7 hours to write). Here's a cookie <3

#bleach #pro bleach #analysis #writing #characters #ramblings #pro orihime #orihime #ichigo #ulquiorra cifer #hot take #quarantine thoughts #late night #weebshit #criticism #critique #anime review #manga #i'm still bleach

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iamthespineofmybook · 3 years

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DBZOC

I’m not entirely sure why I was thinking of this while at work, but I was, so I’m going to write about it here. As a “child of the 90s,” I was one of many fans of Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, and, as the kind of semi-creative thinker I am, I made my own character for the latter world, prompted by a book I had gotten for a DBZ tabletop RPG (it used pools of six-sided dice to determine damage; the book also had a lot of interesting bits of trivia about the characters in the Saiyan Saga).

When first I created this character, he was named “Yurei Jigoku,” or “Phantom Inferno” thanks to an English/Japanese dictionary I have, and he was also an experimental creation of a Saiyan/Namekian hybrid by way of an alien xenobiologist (who was killed by Frieza) then raised on Earth by Korin.

I recently did a heavy overhaul of this character, both design-wise and backstory-wise, and am going to share this new version in some detail.

Dr. Maeri was the last of her race, the Capcins (a play on capsaicin; they’re a fire-based species and named based on herbs and spices), thanks to the Cold/Frieza Forces. Determined to get some sort of revenge through science, she got some DNA from a wandering Namekian (Lord Slug) and a Saiyan warrior (Paragus), and mixed it with some of her own DNA. This failed a few times (Gero was an amazing scientist to be able to mix four disparate species’ DNA together, even if humans and Saiyans could apparently interbreed, to make Cell on his first try), but just as her masterpiece was taking form, the Frieza Forces found her.

To save her child/experiment, she recorded a quick message and ejected its incubation chamber in a random direction before being killed. Some time later, and about a year before Goku/Kakarot’s spaceship landed at Mt. Paozu, the incubation chamber crashed into the top of Korin’s Tower.

The feline martial arts master was surprised to find a strange red-haired baby with a tail on his roof in the broken remains of a strange piece of high technology. After reviewing the message and consulting with Kami, Korin took the child in and named them “Rosaceae Maeri” (Korin’s original name comes from K’arin, the Japanese name of the Chinese quince, which is of the family Rosaceae), or “Rose” for short (this combines with the child’s mother/creator’s name of “Maeri” to sound like “Rosemary”). And yes, “them,” because Rose’s Namekian DNA made them sexually neuter.

Because of the Capcin DNA, all of Rose’s ki attacks are fiery in nature and they can withstand extremely high temperatures. The Namekian DNA allows for regeneration, though not to Cell’s extent, as well as the ability to photosynthesize, and the Saiyan DNA gives a zenkai boost and access to Legendary Super Saiyan (because Paragus is Broly’s father, so the potential is there). Also, the Namekian and Saiyan DNA interfere with each other so that instead of an Oozaru, Rose just becomes a giant berserker when looking at the full moon.

And that’s basically all I have for this character, but I think it’s a fairly unique origin for a DBZ OC.

#Dragon ball #dragon ball z #original character #oc #saiyan #namekian #original species #korin #nonbinary character #legendary super saiyan #lord slug #paragus #anime

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comicbookuniversity · 4 years

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Dragon Ball Super and the Future

by Bunnypwn Gold

I am a huge fan of Dragon Ball, as I have stated here before and as I have written about in the past. My love and knowledge of this franchise is deep, and I will always be ready to enjoy what it has in store and wrestle with the ideas in it. And right now, it’s a great time to be a fan, because Dragon Ball Super is going strong. The anime has come to a conclusion and/or could come back in the future, and the manga is approaching the climax of its newest story, the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga. It’s amazing for a lot of reasons that I’ll discuss as I respond to this article by Kofi Outlaw, which praises the saga for going back to DBZ style storytelling as a “course correction.” While I agree with several points in this article, I also disagree with the basic premise and argue that the author is only saying these things about the saga because he has not been paying attention to how consistently better the manga has been than the anime of Super. I am using this response to organize my thoughts on how Super has gone so far, the divide between the anime and manga version of events, and the future of the series as a whole, not as a pro or anti stance against Kofi or his article, to be clear.

At the beginning, Kofi criticizes Super for having low stakes and focusing on making Goku and Vegeta the sole focus, increasing their power levels dramatically and leaving other characters to languish. He also said that there were a lot of gimmick fights. Overall, the story structure had changed to reflect this change in character focus and the villains were weak and unmemorable. This new arc, featuring fan-favorite villain Planet-Eater Moro and a range of great battles with his bandits for the Z Fighters to show their stuff, is a return to the DBZ structure, and it features all the brutality and high stakes of the old days. Best of all, it lays the foundations for a new future focusing on other characters.

I have to say, I agree with much of this. The focus on Goku and Vegeta as “Gods” and their super-special Saiyan-ness in the meta canon is really annoying to me. Elements of this were seen in DBZ, as the humans and Piccolo stop trying to catch up to the Saiyans, and it was all GT was about, making that series a big disappointment for me. The first three stories of the Super era are notably low stakes, as well, and I would have liked a little more tension. There could have been more focus on other characters and a larger cast in general, and that certainly would have been enjoyable. And to finish it out, I am very excited for what the Moro story means for the future. The whole thing has a “last chance to shine” feel for the old guard of characters we’ve known and loved for years, Goku is probably going to master Ultra Instinct and thus complete his journey as a martial artist, and it still opens up a lot more about the history and lore of the series to explore in the future.

Beyond that, I have a lot to disagree with. For starters, if you look at the Tournament of Destroyers and the Tournament of Power and just see a bunch of “gimmicky fights” and no stakes, you’re missing the point. I always loved the tournament stories in Dragon Ball, and both of these Super tournaments deliver on that joy. The manga had a lot of important differences with the anime in how these tournaments went, too. Before the Tournament of Destroyers, the manga went through a condensed version of the Battle of Gods events, only offering one extension in the opening to give an actual benchmark on Goku’s strength so we know where we’re starting as a series, an important gift the anime and movie fail to deliver. It then time skips past the Resurrection ‘F’ story, which I think is sad, but ultimately serves the manga’s purposes. After Goku got his God form, the next thing we see, before the Tournament, is Goku training with a new master, showing that he’s back on the path to martial arts excellence. By skipping the Golden Frieza fight, the manga passed on a story that only shows off how cool Super Saiyan Blue looks (a term, by the way, the manga invented because it’s better); outside of showing off this new form, the Golden Frieza story adds nothing. As Goku and Vegeta enter the Tournament of Destroyers, they build a team entirely focused on power, and lose one of their strongest members because of a test of intelligence. To further drive home the point, Goku’s final battle with Hit ends with him realizing that his strength allows him to outmaneuver an innovative and amazing fighting technique, Time Skip. He then forfeits the match so he can have a real fight with Hit later, where Hit can try to kill Goku and has time to train beforehand, which sounds a lot like a DBZ style story. It’s the first step in Goku relearning that technique matters more than power. In the manga, they also gave more love to Piccolo. In the anime, they had him be effectively useless, barely able to fight Frost, a Frieza parallel. The manga had Piccolo fight evenly with Frost, who later shows that he’s almost an equal with Super Saiyan Goku; Piccolo lost because of poison, not because he “could never hope to beat a strong person.” It’s not as cool as it could have been, but it’s more than Piccolo ever got in the anime.

Now, I have to vehemently disagree that Zamasu was a weak, forgettable villain who existed solely as a gimmick. The Zamasu story carefully builds and delivers on the many themes of the franchise that I identify as atheist. Throughout the series, Toriyama repeatedly introduced gods of varying kinds and levels of divinity for the sole purpose of tearing down the illusion of their importance and special qualities. Gods in this world are a verifiable fact, and not only are they just people with a particular job, but every time Goku and Vegeta meet a god, they treat them like anyone else and show them no special respect or deference. Goku and Vegeta are the best exemplars in the series of treating deities like normal people, something the series itself does regularly. It’s one of my favorite parts of the series, as an atheist myself.

So, here we have Zamasu, a deity who believes that he’s uniquely capable and qualified to rule all of existence and that mortals aren’t worthy of life. In the Bible, on more than one occasion, God decided to wash the world clean of humans because they had become too sinful; similar stories exist in other religions and cultures. In this case, Zamasu is motivated by intense and literal hatred of mortals, who he sees as not simply having “become too sinful,” but fundamentally incapable of being anything else. He extends this hatred to other gods who want mortals to exist and do as they please. His rise in Future Trunks’s time to be the almost-almighty God with a Capital G is the antithesis of what the series has said about gods and divinity on every level, and that’s exactly why he’s such an amazing villain. He also checks a lot of other boxes. He uses the power of a mortal who made himself into a god, Goku, to kill the gods and overpower the mortals. He also relies on a mortal, Trunks, to develop his power and another, Dabura, to create the opening he needed to start his plan. In working to bring the downfall of all mortals, Zamasu in effect worships at the altar of mortals and relies on their miracles to succeed, just as Goku has trained with several deities on his path to success.

Trunks is also notable, because growing up, Trunks didn’t have any gods to look to like Goku did. The first “god” in Trunks’s life was Goku, as both his mother and teacher would talk about Goku as their main inspiration for hope. Goku was made into a mythical figure that could have fixed everything, and that’s exactly what Trunks used time travel for, both times he employed the strategy. That’s why Zamasu taking Goku’s body was so impactful, because “hope” came to kill him. Goku’s ultimate failure to defeat Zamasu also tears down the idea of Goku’s “divinity” in the same way as other gods were taken down a notch. This results in Goku calling on Zeno for help. The development of Goku and Zeno’s relationship is interesting and important in setting up the conflict of this story. They become friends because Goku is the only person who treats Zeno like he’s not special, which seems to confirm that Goku’s relationship to divinity is proper. At the same time, Goku doesn’t like Zeno, because he knows Zeno is just a bored shut-in and likely doesn’t understand Zeno’s role. And really, Zeno doesn’t have a role like the Gods of Destruction and the Supreme Kais. He’s in charge because he’s the most powerful and can destroy all of existence with a thought. That’s exactly what Zeno decides to do when he sees Zamasu and the multiverse he had been ignoring, getting rid of everything because he didn’t like how it turned out. Not unlike Zamasu with mortals; in effect, Zeno is the thing that Zamasu wanted to become, and that story ends with his vision of reality being carried out. It was the ingenuity of mortal time travel that made some form of happy ending, because like in every other Dragon Ball story, you can’t rely on the gods for most anything. So yeah, Zamasu is an amazing villain and his saga was brilliant. My main criticism of the manga version was that the setup was rushed, so the death of Future Bulma happened off panel and the death of the rest of the mortals in existence was breezed by. Plenty of brutality and high stakes, if you ask me, though yes, I wanted to see it with my own eyes more.

Then we get into the Tournament of Power, a great tournament story that really drives home the point of the god-centric Super run. The Tournament of Power, if you didn’t guess, isn’t about power. It’s about teamwork, strategy, and skill. In the manga, this is made absolutely clear. The downfall of everyone in the tournament is that they rejected this basic premise or were wiped out by someone who would later meet their downfall for rejecting this basic premise, setting up their incorrect view to be knocked down in the end. Goku brought Frieza onto Team Universe 7 because he feared they would need his raw power, ignoring the possibility they bring in Yamcha or Chaozu for a friendly face that works well with their team. Hit reappears and shows that he has gotten way stronger. However, he loses to Jiren, Goku’s main opponent, in the opening of the tournament because he was relying on that raw power and abdicated the potential of his famed fighting technique. Multiple times, stronger and more arrogant solo fighters regard those fighting as a team as being weak and no threat. The main exception to those relying on teamwork being weak is Gohan, who was very strong and wanted to work as a team. In the anime, Gohan was made inferior to Frieza and ultimately lost trying to beat a lesser opponent. In the manga, Gohan, in his Potential Unleashed state and not as a Super Saiyan of any form, fought evenly with Hybrid Super Saiyan Kefla, who I suspect was the second strongest person on the field, and double-KO’d with her. In the fight, it’s implied that Gohan could go Super Saiyan while using his Potential Unleashed state, but chose not to so he didn’t have to rely on that kind of gimmicky power. It’s incredibly badass and satisfying.

As the fight with Jiren nears its climax, Goku uses a strategy that could kill him in an attempt to overpower the foe who’s stronger than any God of Destruction. This prompts Roshi to step in and admonish Goku with the single most important line in Super. When Goku says he needs more power to beat Jiren, Roshi says, “Hmph…Power, y’say? Plain old fighting strength? Who the heck taught you that? Vegeta? Frieza?” This is a great moment, because not only does it push Goku to go for Ultra Instinct and focus on bettering himself as a martial artist once again, but it pushes back on the worst lessons fans take from the franchise. Goku isn’t cool because of his strength, and he’s not so strong because he can transform. It’s all about that martial artist’s journey, baby. Goku grew up constantly learning new ways to become a better martial artist than he was the previous day, and it was pure passion driving him; he got to where he is because he took every opportunity to better himself, with his transformations just a convenient way for the story to keep upping the stakes. Jiren is the pursuit of raw power incarnate, with indifference and constant dissatisfaction his reward, and all he wants is his dead master to tell him he’s finally a good fighter. He’s everything Goku was becoming, and Goku overcame him by returning to his roots. He was able to fight Jiren evenly with a technique that anyone, theoretically, could learn if they reached the same heights of martial arts mastery, as proven when Roshi uses an imperfect form of Ultra Instinct to trade blows with Jiren. The manga anchors this lesson because it focused on technique the whole time and built towards this moment: Super Saiyan God was just another technique that showed Goku he had a lot left to learn; the Tournament of Destroyers showed how boring life is when you’re so strong you can’t actually test yourself; Zamasu showed how power is corrupting and how the pursuit of it changes you; and the Tournament of Power shows how damaging and literally suicidal pursuing raw power over personal growth is.

And to put the nail on the coffin, Goku doesn’t beat Jiren with Ultra Instinct, but instead beats him by briefly working with Frieza; you can’t master the path of a martial artist in one fight. Android 17 wins the tournament for their universe by playing dead, an age-old strategy, and uses the Super Dragon Balls to wish back all the universes destroyed by Zeno. While that can be seen as lowering the stakes, it’s no more stake-lowering than any other time the Dragon Balls have been used this way in high-stakes stories, and the stakes in this case were the destruction of eight entire universes. That’s pretty darn high. Also, it’s a good time to point out that Zeno was the real villain of the Tournament of Power. He was going to destroy eight universes out of boredom, and then remembered he could instead let one survive by having them Hunger Games for his amusement. There are no stakes, no reason to fight, without Zeno. There’s going to be conflict with Zeno in the future, I’m sure of it.

The anime followed a very different route than the manga, focusing entirely on Goku’s raw power and how cool he is. They added a lot of filler moments to both increase the number of gimmick fights and silly, campy fun, too, which made the whole thing lower stakes and less brutal. As described in regards to Piccolo and Gohan, the anime also made other characters weaker compared to Goku and Vegeta to amplify the impact of their unique transformations. In the Tournament of Destroyers, the anime introduced the idea of Goku using Kaio-ken while Super Saiyan Blue, for no other reason than to let Goku use a bunch more strength after he proved he could win. I won’t get into it, because it’s a tangent, but the entire concept of Blue Kaio-ken is BS, and the DBZ anime is where the proof lies; the Super manga actually touches on that exact thing, since Goku trying something like Blue Kaio-ken against Jiren is what nearly kills him and prompts Roshi to step in. Anyway, the anime also elongated the Zamasu story with a series of gimmick fights meant to show off how cool the three Saiyans were, even though they knew from the start that none of them would beat Zamasu. That story featured a bunch of secretly alive people, too, lowering the stakes and overall brutality of Zamasu as a villain. The time between Zamasu and the Tournament of Power, including the lead-up to the tournament, was spent showcasing filler side stories that make the other characters, ignored for most of Super, look way cooler and stronger than they actually ended up being. For as much as I wanted to see more from Krillin, Tien, and Piccolo in the manga, at least Toyotaro didn’t jerk us around acting like they were going to be way bigger players than they were. And the way the anime presented Goku achieving Ultra Instinct was focused entirely on strength and treating it like a super cool new transformation, which it isn’t. So if you were watching that story, I could see how you come out of Super thinking that it’s less intense, more gimmicky, and glorified one or two characters to the detriment of others. That’s why I think you could only be as impressed with the Moro arc as a “course correction” if you’ve been paying attention to the anime and only just now got into the manga.

This brings and end to what I’ll call Phase 1 of Super and to a time skip past the battle with Broly (which I would argue was for the same reason the Golden Frieza battle was) and into the Moro arc, which I agree is a great story that brings back a lot of things Super wasn’t doing enough of. It even brings back the meta story structure of the Buu Saga, since the first part is a very Phase 1 storyline and the second half, after Goku and Vegeta are defeated, is much more of a DBZ storyline, just as Kofi described. It’s like saying, “Yeah, we want to pivot away from this, we’re done making that point.” Looking at the first part of the Moro arc, you can read it as a way of reinforcing the grand statement of Phase 1, that the constant jockeying for power and strength and the glorifying of a couple people to the detriment of others is a bad way to write a story. The reason that’s important to say is because that’s the way a lot of the meta canon has been going for a while, at least it seems to me; all the fun, original video game stories are about Saiyans and their super special Saiyan-ness and how super cool strong they can get. It’s why GT was such a disappointment to me, and as I said, it stopped several great characters from trying to become better during DBZ. I think Kofi is right to say moving away from that model of storytelling is a good and important shift in the right direction, though I can’t say if it’s for the same reasons. That’s because, if it’s not clear, I think that what Super did along the way in Phase 1, at least in the manga, was better, more important, and more complex than the simple glorification and valorization of Goku and Vegeta, loaded as it was with themes arguing against that model and continual demonstrations of why they need to switch back to a focus on their martial arts journey. The structure of the Moro arc only serves to reinforce and finalize this thematic argument. As it continues, we are undoubtedly in store for some truly amazing fights and a satisfying, climactic battle with Moro for the entire Dragon Gang.

I also want to make a very important point for how the series is moving forward. Kofi says that Toriyama is switching back to this DBZ style story because he “has learned a thing or two from his mistakes.” For one, the massive success of Super doesn’t really seem like a mistake for anyone to learn from. For two, it’s really in poor taste to imply that Toriyama is changing how he’s writing a story because of negative fan reaction. Allegedly, that sort of thing happened with the Buu Saga, which is why Goku came back and we saw Super Saiyan 3, the perfect continuation and parody of the Super Saiyan form, all because the fans didn’t like Gohan’s high school adventures. I don’t think that’s happening again, allegedly, and in my opinion it’s not exactly a good look to say that it is. For three, that almost literally can’t be what’s happening, because Toyotaro has much greater control over the narrative by now. For those who don’t know, the way Super is being created is that Akira Toriyama writes plot summaries, and then lets the different creatives develop it from there, free to add and subtract and move around what they will. The anime team decided to focus on power and how super cool Goku is, and that version of events reflects that. Toyotaro, artist and co-author of the manga, kept his eye on the martial arts journey while executing this long vision of Toriyama’s to introduce new levels of grandeur and warn against getting lost in it, and that version of events reflects that. Over the course of the series, each creative team was given increasingly greater control over the narrative, leading to greater divergences; the two Tournaments of Power might as well be two different stories. By now, in the Moro arc, with no competing anime version of the story, Toyotaro has much more authorial control than when he started, and that will only increase until, as I hope and predict, Toriyama officially hands off the series to Toyotaro’s capable hands so he can write new stories for the foreseeable future. So no, I don’t think it’s very accurate to say that Toriyama learned any lesson because Toyotaro is the one making the important changes in how the story is told, not Toriyama. Keep your eye on the prize, you know; forgetting Toyotaro’s role means forgetting that we can and probably will have new Dragon Ball that isn’t a video game or video game-related story after the passing of Toriyama. I think the long hiatus of the anime reinforces this: Toriyama has said that if the anime team followed Toyotaro’s lead, they wouldn’t make so many art mistakes, and allowing the manga to develop lead time could be a strategy to follow the manga as a source material in the future, rather than continue this confusing dual path.

So yeah, the Dragon Ball Super manga is better than the anime in every way, and judging the series by the anime alone is setting yourself up for disappointment. The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga showcases an amazing villain for the franchise, and it sets up more to explore in a future that values the contributions of the full cast. It also, to my eyes, foreshadows the end of the road for the Dragon Gang we’ve been following so far, and thus a potential new beginning with their successors; I mean, there’s no more time after this between Beerus and meeting Uub to use, and meeting Uub is the moment Goku passes the baton to a successor. This is a time to look forward to that bright future and reflect on the themes the manga has been developing as we head into it, as well as what the two versions of Super mean for the franchise as a whole.

#dragon ball #dragon ball super #Dragon Ball Z #goku #tournament of power #universe 6 #zamasu #goku black #jiren #vegeta #moro #Akira Toriyama #toyotaro #manga #anime #comics #comic books

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abri-chan · 4 years

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I like how you write. When reading one of your fics, I didn’t get bored like I do with other fanfiction. You wrote the characters like they were each unique people with different personalities. Basically, I think your a good writer and I like your way of writing.

Thank you anon! I really appreciate the kind words. 🥰 Characters are fun to write, but some are easier to write than others. It helps to have an aesthetics in mind when writing them.

I'm sure there are many boring fics on Ao3; probably for different reasons: some are just starting to write, some have been writing for 15 years and are so full up their ass they write the same boring fics bc to them writing technique is everything, plot be damned.

But I'm sure there are also a lot of good fics too; but we may not find them bc they may not be the ship we like and people don't search a lot of gen stories either. In an original work you don't care what ship it is, bc you don't know the characters--but fanfiction has the downside (or upside) of searching for exactly the ship you want. Also a lot of writers don't get promoted (for lack of luck or other reasons) and we miss them.

Ultimately I see Ao3 as a positive force in the sense that it's like an online free academy: not every person "attending" will end up becoming a good writer or a published one, but some will and, that's how real academies of art kinda work. It's worth the work of maintaining the place for the few that do become good artists (of writers in Ao3's case). You need to have a place for people to explore, and be willing to accept a lot of bad results before you see something very worthwhile, but when you do it is worth it.

Obviously, there are other positive things when it comes to Ao3, free content in itself and from the fans is liberating. Also the idea that anyone can and should write; you don't have to have a career in writing as an end goal. Being able to form narratives is a skill I believe everyone should learn bc it can be applied to any field really. We're verbal creatures after all, and communication in humans is about narratives. I feel art and music should be something everyone should try to, just to get smarter; the more skills you learn the more dots you connect, and the more interested the connections can be if you connect dots that rarely come together.

---

I also thought fanfiction was meh until I discovered Nora Jemisin's DBZ fics-- old ass geocities websites. It's weird bc I wasn't around at the time, but some dbz fans really saved those links-- many of them broken.

Her fics really had an influence on me in jumping in with OCs right away and exploring the world in a series rather than sticking to small character-character interactions. She really took the canon and built on top of it.

(yeah Nora the Hugo award winner!)

#anime manga rambles #jojo #jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #ao3

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legendarymasterwolf · 5 years

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E3 2019: My Thoughts on What We Saw

Alright, E3 is over this year, which means it's time to go over what we saw and my thoughts on it.

This is late, so some stuff here will be out already.

I'll be going by publisher alphabetically, so first up, we have...

Borderlands 3

I'm so freaking hyped to get lost in this hilarious world again. I've played Mordecai in Borderlands 1, Zero in 2, and Claptrap in Presequel. Still trying to decide who to play as in 3, but right now, it's looking like I'll pick FL4K, since he specializes in long range and has a few cute beasties by his side. Also, we're getting not one, but THREE action skills with each character. Not only that, but you can sacrifice your grenade skill for two equipped skills.

The Children of the Vault look like some worthy successors to Handsome Jack for title of "Best Borderlands Villains", though we'll see how they pan out on release date.

The gameplay that we saw of Moze looks smooth. Heck, everything about this game looks sleek and refined without doing away with the art style. Also, guns with legs.

Anyway, we not only got the gameplay reveal, but also Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary, a new DLC for Borderlands 2 that sets up 3, so I'm scrambling to finish the Handsome Collection on my PS4, which just got a lot more difficult now that I've bought RDR2 finally, along with several other games.

Control

I loved Alan Wake, and this is from the same people, so I’m hyped. The game looks great, has a suspenseful atmosphere, and it seems to play well. I’m looking forward to release date.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reboot

I haven't bought a COD game since "Black Ops 2", though I have played the newer ones with a friend of mine. It looks good visually from the reveal trailer I saw, I'll say that much. No gameplay yet, but I know it'll be gritty, focusing on some of the more shocking moments of the original trilogy, like "No Russian" from MW2 or the nuclear explosion from MW1, so it seems we're bringing in more edge to the series. Still, I'm glad the campaign is back, and I'm interested to see how it will look.

12 Minutes

A twelve minute time loop where you're forced to relive the death of your wife and the only way to break it is to find out why she was killed? Sign me up.

Code Vein

I remember this one from last E3. Still the same opinion, too. Anime style souls game that I might buy for the story, which looks interesting.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

So this looks REALLY good. It's like a deep RPG, deeper than Xenoverse was, with mechanics besides fighting like fishing, and as for the fights themselves, they seem to be more strategical than before, with a healthy dose of classic DBZ fisticuffs in there for good measure.

Elden Ring

A Souls game written by George RR Martin? Don't know too much about it besides that, but it looks cool based on the trailer.

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

Basically, another Until Dawn, but on the open sea during a storm. And I'm totally okay with that.

Deathloop

Another game from Arkane? The guys who made Dishonored? I'll take it. Besides, another time loop premise sounds interesting.

Doom: Eternal

If Fallout 76 was any indication, Bethesda desperately needs a win now to restore faith in their studio. Besides a few of the other games announced at E3 2019 that could do so, there was one that stood out in particular: Doom Eternal. I’ve already played all the Wolfenstein games, with the exception of one upcoming entry on this list, and based on what I’ve seen of Eternal, I’m going to like it due to the similarity in gameplay.

GhostWire: Tokyo

The presentation on the new game from the makers of Evil Within, another series to try now that I have a PS4, was memorable for a few reasons. First off, Ikumi Nakamura, the game’s creative director, was the main presenter and she was adorable. Seriously, it’s probably one of the best E3 presentations I’ve seen this year. I can’t remember the last time I saw one so genuine like hers, plus it helps that the Internet has fallen in love. As for the game itself, it looks great, with people disappearing in Tokyo and it being up to some guy with a bow and supernatural powers to find out why. The reveal trailer was all we got, but still, I can’t wait to play it.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood

The first game I’ve ever preordered, and this comes from a guy who never preorders on principle. It’s a Wolfenstein spinoff with BJ’s twin daughters, so yeah, I’ll buy it. Plus, it’s co-op, so I’m playing this with my best friend. Still trying to decide which twin to play, though. Probably Jessie, since my friend is gonna want to play Soph.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory

Looks interesting, plus the gameplay reminds me of Shadowrun Returns.

The Sinking City

This one’s already out, but it looks good. Hopefully, it’ll be received better than Call of Cthulu before it. Plus, I’m all for a game where the protagonist is losing his mind, like Dead Space.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood

Set in the World of Darkness universe, like Bloodlines, except you're a werewolf instead of a vampire and it's from a different studio. Gameplay was revealed behind closed doors, but it looks good from what I've heard. We don't have too many werewolf games around.

Cyberpunk 2077

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY ALREADY!

Yeah, this might be the first game I preorder for myself, since now we finally have a release date: April 16th, 2020. The new trailer we got gave us a glimpse of a default male V as well as what may be Jackie’s death (please don’t kill off Jackie, CD Project RED, I like him too much already). After V’s employer tries to double cross him, V tries to kick ass with his twin arm blades, which look really unique, before said employer shoots him in the head. The trailer ended with a major surprise: as V comes to in a junkyard, a figure in jeans, a tank-top, and a silver left arm approaches, and kneels to reveal a face and voice that sounds suspiciously like Keanu Reeves.

Yes, that’s right, for those who haven’t heard by the time this is posted, Keanu Reeves is in Cyberpunk 2077 and he’s playing Johnny Silverhand, a legendary rocker in the world of 2077 who may not be what he seems.

After the trailer premiered onstage, Reeves came out onstage to promote the game. He could barely get through the start of his speech, people were that excited to see him in the flesh. There was even a great moment where he described the game as “breathtaking”, to which a fan shouted out, “You’re breathtaking!”, to which Keanu responded in kind. We don’t deserve this man.

Anyway, at the end of his speech, Reeves gave a new look at gameplay as well as the game’s release date. The glimpse was only about 20 seconds long, but still, the new look at the combat, hacking, and what is presumably a digital afterlife or something like that was enough to get me even more hyped for this game.

Seriously, I couldn’t be more hyped. This game is gonna be massive and I just might preorder it.

My Friend Pedro

Switch game, but still looks cool. It’s already out now.

Sea of Solitude

I need to play more games that make me feel like this. The art style looks gorgeous and the theme is depression, so yeah, I may buy this one if I like what I’m hearing.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Honestly, EA's part of the the expo was kind of depressing, especially when it got to Anthem. However, we did get more of Jedi: Fallen Order, and for that, I'm grateful, because this game looks great. Both the combat and lightsaber look slick as does the gameplay in general, and the voice acting is on point, from Cameron Monaghan to Forest Whitaker. We need a good Star Wars game for current gen consoles, and while The Old Republic is still my favorite, that's for PC. Also, while it has been announced that there are no microtransactions in the game, I'm sure EA will find some way to screw it up, but for now, it looks awesome.

Greedfall

I’m interested. Story and premise have me, a mix of 17th century colonialism with horror and the supernatural. Gameplay looks like my kind of jam, and we may be getting romance options too, based on some trailer observations.

John Wick Hex

Gameplay seems unique, plus it’s John Wick. I will always take more of Keanu Reeves.

Grandia HD Collection

I like JRPGs like this one, though it’s for Switch, so I can’t play it.

Way to the Woods

Looks like a cute adventure puzzle game. I might get it for PC.

Wasteland 3

This series looks like tactical Fallout, so yeah, I’m likely to give this one a shot since it looks good.

Blair Witch

A Blair Witch video game? That’s psychological horror?! With an adorable dog companion named Bullet?!?! Yes, please.

We didn’t get much besides a trailer and some gameplay, but I’m eager to see more.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel

Ugh, why is it that last year I was complaining about not having a PS4, now this year I’m complaining about not having a Switch?!

Anyway, this looks great and I want to see more. Especially since I’ve heard it’s going to be scarier than Majora’s Mask.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Looks good on the graphics front, plus the gameplay additions looks promising.

And once again, I can’t play it.

Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Out of all the games on this list, this is the one I want to play most that I can’t play because, you guessed it, I don’t have a Switch.

I loved the original Ultimate Alliance games, so I’m sure the new one is gonna be a hit, what with the new combos, character designs, and references to the MCU, plus it’ll tie us over until Marvel’s Avengers.

Pokemon Sword and Shield

The Pokemon look cute, it is set in the world’s version of the UK, gameplay looks improved, and once again, I can’t play it.

Empire of Sin

It looks cool, plus I need more Mob style games to play. It’s also made by the people who are responsible for the next game on this list...

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

It’s only in pre-alpha, but still, this one looks good. The original is on the Steam store, and there are fan made patches that improved upon what was originally a disaster. The sequel looks like a smoother version of its predecessor, with a few new abilities and mechanics put in. Again, it's in pre-alpha, so the final product will look much cleaner, but for now, I'm excited for its release date.

Shenmue III

First off, I’m royally pissed that Epic stole this one. That being said, the game looks great and I’m looking forward to continuing Ryo’s story on PS4. The gameplay looks great, the atmosphere is enthralling, and the English dub sounds good this time around. Still pissed about Epic, but at least I can play it on PS4.

The Outer Worlds

This still looks great. Since Fallout 76 took a nosedive and kept on going, we need a game like this to get that bitter taste out of our mouths. This still looks like a cross between Fallout and Borderlands, the true New Vegas spiritual successor that we need right now. The companions actually look helpful, have personalities of their own, and the Flaws System sounds really interesting, giving your hero a perk in enchange for a debuff for the whole game. Also the humor is great, too.

Marvel’s Avengers

Yes, the character designs don’t look so hot. However, those can be changed on the road to launch. That aside, I liked what I saw. The gameplay looks great, the voice cast has some top tier talent for the industry, and the promise of more heroes to be added after launch without the attached microtransactions has my attention.

Dying Light 2

I only played the demo for the first one, a game I still need to play, but I liked it enough to want a sequel. The usual free running mechanics look smooth, plus the addition of player choice shakes up the game, making your playthrough unique, so yeah, more of the good old stuff with a few new things sprinkled in.

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Remasters

The remake of FF7 looks AMAZING. The hybrid combat system looks like a dream, plus the character designs look top notch. In addition, the voice cast sounds on point for their respective characters. The hype around this thing was evident from the incessant cheering, we want it that much. We even have a release date: March 3rd, 2020. It’s been a long time coming, but it seems the wait to experience this classic for the second time on a different system will have finally been worth it.

Also, there was content announced for FF14 as well as two remasters: Crystal Chronicles and FF8.

Bet your ass I’m buying the remaster for FF8.

Biomutant

This has been described as Fluffy Devil May Cry. It’s accurate. I didn’t know you’d be able to customize your character, to! Combat looks fun, and it appears there is humor present if the narrator is anything to go by, so I’m interested.

Destroy All Humans! Remake

I never played the original, but I did read about it and hear about it from a friend. From what I’ve seen, the remake looks fun! Good parody of the 1950s and the updated graphics look great. Plus, Krypto seems like a fun, grumpy protagonist.

Gods and Monsters

This looks like a cross between Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Legend of Zelda. Considering it’s being made by the same creators of the former, I can’t wait to see more of this in the future.

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

I’ll be honest, I still haven’t played any Ghost Recon games, so maybe here would be a good place to start. Gotta say, I like the way Jon Bernthal presented. He just seemed at ease onstage. Plus, Bernthal’s dog looks adorable. Bam Bam is the real hero of the Ubisoft press conference.

Anyway, it seems Bernthal is playing Cole D. Walker, one of the antagonists of the game. Didn’t see any gameplay, but still, the game looks good. I need to play more tactical shooters in general.

Watch Dogs: Legion

I played the first Watch Dogs game. Thought it was cool, but overall it was a bit disappointing. I still need to play the second one, but I heard it was a major improvement, even if it wasn’t a financial hit. Still, this one put a smile on my face. The ability to recruit and play as anyone? A sarcastic AI as your companion? A grandma assassin? I will take all of it, thank you.

Also, grandma assassin.

Did I mention there was a grandma assassin?

Can’t wait for March 6th.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

The LEGO Star Wars games were some of the first games I ever owned back when I played on the PS2, so I’m hyped for a collection of all 9 films in one game. We don’t know much beyond the announcement trailer, but hey, I’ll gladly take this one when it comes out next year.

Baldur’s Gate III

A video game that plays like a DND game? I can’t wait. Haven’t played the other games, but I’m sure I’ll be fine once I play that tabletop prequel they mentioned.

Battletoads

It’s an Xbox and PC exclusive, but still, glad this is getting a remake.

Bleeding Edge

This looks like an Overwatch reskin. The combat itself looks unique, though, so we’ll see how it goes.

Gears 5

We got a little more on Gears 5 this time around. We’ve got a look at Kait and how the Locust influence is threatening to tear her apart (that’s what I’m assuming, I’ve never played the Gears games). We also got a new mode, Escape. I might get it, since it’ll be available for PC.

Halo Infinite

If this is what Xbox Scarlett looks like, then Sony might have actual competition for once. This is the best the Halo series has looked in years, and considering how let down some felt after Halo 5, it’s about time. We’re getting the same badass Master Chief back, this time with no AI companion, as Cortana has suffered corruption due to being around for longer than normal and has gone psycho as a result. Regardless, the graphics look amazing and I can’t wait to see how it looks when it releases Holiday 2020.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

I never played the original, but I might have to now, because this looks cute. The art style looks great and I’ll always be interested in games where you fight things ten times your own size. Plus, it seems to run smooth, and just by the sound of the story, it already has my heart.

Psychonauts 2

To cap things off, let’s end with a game I’ve been excited for since I finished the original months ago. The game seems to be coming along great, if the first level is anything to go by. Returning voice cast, new enemies and powers, new environments to explore, Jack Black voicing a Brain in a Jar, need I say more?

Also, this game looks to explore the water curse put on Rasputin’s family, so it will be a more personal and chilling story as well.

________________

So, there you have it. That’s my thoughts on E3 2019, half a month late.

What are you guys excited for? Leave a comment letting me know, especially if there was something I left out!

Until then!

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