#makyo's other stuffs

[duhragonball]

What do You think about Maron, the Krilin's ex-girlfriend? I know she is hated a lot because she looks like Bulma and because of her poor intellect (although it must be admitted that she cares about others), but I would like to know your opinion about it? Why do you think that, without any reason, they introduced a character like her and why make she looks so much like Bulma when they could easily avoid a thousand controversies by even changing the color of her hair?

I think you don't understand the issues surrounding this character.

First off, let me take this moment to clarify something, mostly so I can remember it myself. Krillin's ex has almost exactly the same name as his daughter, and here's how to remember which is which.

Maron (マロン Maron) is the ex-girlfriend.

Marron (マーロン Māron) is Krillin and 18's daughter

The names sound indistinguishable in the dub, but they're spelled differently in English. The ex has one 'r', and the daughter has two. And the names are also spelled differently in Japanese, with a long vowel mark added to extend the vowel in "ma".

The characters have nothing to do with one another, and the naming was likely just a coincidence, since they both tie into the same chesnut wordplay that Krillin's name uses.

Anyway, the ex-girlfriend was introduced first, and she gets one 'r', and the daughter came second, and she gets two 'r's. Convenient.

So there's two major problems people have with Maron. The first is that she's a filler character introduced in a long stretch of filler episodes. By the end of the Frieza Saga, Toei's production schedule was cranking out episodes faster than Akira Toriyama could keep up with the manga. This was always a logistical hurdle with Dragon Ball (and other anime), which was always resolved by padding episodes with filler scenes, or sometimes entire filler episodes. But things got especially desperate around that time, so Toei had to do an unprecedented run of filler episodes to keep the show on the air. And this was how we got the Garlic Junior Saga, the Driver's Ed episode, Mr. Shuu, the flashback to Frieza getting turned into a cyborg, and so on.

It also gave us Maron. The thing is, a lot of people don't care for the Garlic Junior Saga to begin with. It's ten episodes of marking time, Goku's not even in the story, it doesn't even try to fit into the continuity of the show, and many of the plot "twists" just feel like random stuff tacked on to drag out the conflict. Personally, I like the arc okay, but that's mostly because I dig the Black Water Mist and Makyo Star lore. But I do find myself checking my watch in the final leg of the saga. Let's face it, this thing doesn't need to be ten episodes long, and you could easily trim it down to seven if you edited Maron out of the show.

So that's Problem Number One: She's a filler character shoehorned into what was already a filler saga. Her job is literally to waste time, and while there's plenty of timewasting in Dragon Ball Z, Maron is an especially egregious example. For a lot of fans, Maron represents everything wrong with the show, all of the pointless bullshit added in for production schedules rather than entertainment value. Making her a redhead wouldn't have solved that.

Problem number Two is that she treated Krillin like dirt, and fans love Krillin. He's the fucking best. She seemed to like him well enough, but it was impossible for anyone to figure out what she really wanted out of their relationship. Characters would ask her directly, and she would just avoid the question or say "I don't know," like a friggin' toddler. Meanwhile, Krillin's trying to figure out how to propose to her, constantly worrying about whether he's worthy of her, but she doesn't even know anything about him. He takes her to meet his friends, and she flirts with the boys and insults the girls. I don't think she was being intentionally cruel about it, but the message of that arc was that she wasn't taking the relationship nearly as seriously as he was. She was too impulsive and flighty, and indecisive, and Krillin was focused and serious and ready to settle down. The only reason he put up with her for as long as he did was because he lacked the self-confidence to understand that he could do better.

This is why all of his friends were so supportive of him when he told them he broke up with her. They were skeptical of Maron the whole time, and they were glad Krillin had finally wised up to the situation. This was only borne out when she showed up at Kame House again, three years later, trying to rekindle their romance. Roshi told her where Krillin was and why, and she didn't pay attention to any of it. She almost ran off with some complete strangers for no real reason. Then she tried to make out with a turtle. Then she called like two dozen "boyfriends" to pick her up, presumably because she was bored waiting for Krillin to come back.

Roshi and Turtle agreed that they should never speak of it again, and really, why should they tell Krillin about this? Maron's entire visit was a complete waste of time, and she fell in and out of love with Krillin all over again, without even seeing him! Again, this is a character solely created to waste time and make you feel bad for Krillin, and that's not a road to popularity. A new hairstyle wouldn't solve anything.

You say "it must be admitted that she cares about others", but no, I won't admit that. Maron doesn't have the attention span to care about others. She only seems to be interested in "having fun", but in this really vague way that doesn't require any sort of commitment to anything or anyone. I always imagined that she was created as some sort of bitter parody of a real-life ex-girlfriend, like the writers were trying to express their frustration through her.

I find the idea of Maron interesting from time to time, but more as an overlooked curiosity than anything else. A dedicated writer might find a way to get a cool story out of her, but I don't see any takers, and I've got bigger fish to fry. For most fans, I think, she's just a speed bump in Krillin's character arc, which leads into the arms of #18.

Maron's main contribution to the show is "fanservice", which is a term I've never cared for. Maron wears a revealing swimsuit through much of her time on DBZ, but the house-style is poorly suited to that kind of aesthetic. Most of the time she ends up looking like someone tried to make a woman out of stockings stuffed with ground beef. I watch DBZ for gonzo cartoon violence and occasional slice of life stuff. No one was doing me a "service" with all of those lingering shots of Maron's cartoon boobs.

#ask duhragonball #maron #with one r #dragon ball

[thunderjolt]

games i've been playing recently vol. 1

this is going to be a slightly different post; the majority of the posts on this blog are about games i've beaten, written just after beating them. but sometimes, i'm not so lucky! sometimes i'm not as big a fan of a game as i'd hoped, and i drop it. other times, it's not really the type of game you "beat," and i therefore don't really get to write about it as easily. those are the things i've been playing most for the past month or so, and are why i haven't posted on here for a while. so here they are, in rough order

Yu Yu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen

this is a licensed yu yu hakusho fighting game for the mega drive made by treasure. i got really obsessed with it for a little bit, right after reading yu yu hakusho. it's a very unique and strange game - simultaneously extremely of its time and ahead of its time. i was enjoying it so much, in fact, that i kind of wanted to pursue it, but the fact that it's dead even for licensed retro fighting game standards (absolutely dwarfed by sailor moon s and tmnt tournament fighters) discouraged me. maybe someday i'll return to it and try to build a community.

MOON: Remix RPG Adventure

this one made me kind of sad. my friends and i were really looking forward to playing moon, a game from folks who later did chibi-robo and chulip, among others. unfortunately... i couldn't get into it. moon is a very charming and quirky adventure game. the problem is that i find it really exhausting to play. the gameplay mostly consists of wandering around, managing time, and solving very basic puzzles. your character moves slow and the ticking clock threatening to reset your progress is stressful. maybe it's just how i've been feeling lately, but i couldn't get into it, and dropped it. i recommend it to anyone who feels they can get past that stuff, though!

Among Us

who hasn't been playing this lately? a game from 2018 that became a megahit out of the blue when some streamers played it. it's a lot of fun! i think it has some balance issues and overall would rather play something like mafia or jackbox's push the button, but this is also a much quicker and lighter experience that's easier to play casually. and then before you know it, 3 hours have passed.

SEGA AGES Herzog Zwei

herzog zwei is an ancient RTS for sega genesis from 1989, predating even dune ii, one of the earliest genre examples. it's obtuse and slightly clunky and often frustrating, but the SEGA AGES release really alleviates those problems. it has a very charming and funny in-depth tutorial, and lots of information on the sides of the screen to make sure you don't lose track of what's going on. this line has had a knack for making games that have maybe "aged poorly" a lot more accessible and fun without just going "duhhh here's a rewind" and this is perhaps the most shining example of that, turning it into something even someone like me, who doesn't play RTSes can enjoy. now if only i could convince anyone else to buy it so i can get into the multiplayer...

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

3D platformers are something i love in concept, and so rarely enjoy in execution. take Super Mario 64 for instance - the first couple levels are tremendous fun in my book. wide open playgrounds for mario's movement. but as the game progresses, things get slower, more precise, more restrictive, and the fun starts to wear thin. i always hit a wall in these collectathon style games where all of the objectives available to me simply aren't fun. jak & daxter, unfortunately, isn't really an exception. it's a lot of fun for a while, and honestly stays fun for longer than super mario 64, but eventually everything slows down and gets more precise and my desire to play the game disappears. still pretty good though, i wish naughty dog didn't make movies now.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution

it's no secret that i love cards. the pokémon trading card game was one of my first passions, and is still a game i play a lot today (at least when the format had decks that i enjoy. bellelba and brycen-man didn't deserve the ban!) i've never gotten deep into another card game before, though, at least not til now: yu-gi-oh might just have its hooks in me. everything i learn about this game makes me want to learn more, so much so that i even feel motivated to grind even with how slow obtaining cards is in this game. it's such a different game from pokémon but those differences make it very cool and unique in its own right. really excited to play this more with friends and learn the game more

Pokémon Black & White

i have the least to say about this. i've been replaying black & white. i'm at driftveil right now. there'll be a post later where i talk about how much this game means to me and stuff, wait for that

and that's pretty much everything i can think of. might reblog this later and add more if i remember them. hopefully more regular posts soon!

[aurantia-ignis]

Tales of Festival Saturday Summary - 03

When asked if she remembered any cool lines from Asch, Neya said that he went 'TCH'.

As the Abyss party reminisce, Suzuken bemoans that they only talked about miso soup. "So this is Abyss, huh..."

Abyss: Asch's battle

In which we got to see Asch send Luke on and l actually cried TTwTT

Onosaka says that every time, the scenes shown for Abyss are so cool. But because SukiChi is always saying 'ORE WA WARUKUNEE' the gap is really big.

Abyss showed a second scene: A Confession That Didn't Reach

In which Luke sends the party away and they insist that he promises to come back to them alive.

The Zestiria team was last, and Kimura spoke about how he played Symphonia and Abyss, so he had nostalgic feelings about the scenes showed. Suzuken was high key staring at him for that HAHAHA

Kimura explained that they recorded the entire main story before moving on to the skits and subevents that were scattered through the plot.

Fukuen said that she didn't have that many lines in the main story, but that she did great things on the skits.

Suzuken: So you're a Skitter.

Zestiria: Kamui with Mikleo

In the water ruins where Melody of Water plays <3</p>

Suzuken: Fukuen didn't talk in that!

Fukuen: Because l'm a Skitter.

Next was the Tales of Entertainment News, hosted by Nagoshi Ryou (l think?). All the major news websites have already released them by then so l won't list them.

They move on to a game corner with the host, SukiChi, Konitan and Fukuen, to win rewards for the mobile games Rays, Asteria and Ancast.

They had to throw red balls at an enemy Otaota, reprsented by an Otaota basket on a long stick. The number of balls they got in within one minute would determine the level of rewards given.

Rays' rewards included 100 diamonds, a pair of Penlight Sabers for Lloyd, and the Viva Ticket, which gives one confirmed makyo summon.

SukiChi dashes his script onto the floor dramatically to show how ready he is to play, and the other two follow suit. But the moment the timer starts, Konitan grabs the entire otaota stick and lowers it, enabling SukiChi and Fukuen to simply put the balls in the basket.

They get all the balls in, and Nagoshi tries to make a pretence of counting them, but the seiyuu tell her it's okay to just say they won.

Next segment shows the first episode of Tales of Homeroom, a chibi style anime to be aired on Asobi store's premium account.

Ep 01:

Laphicet's compass breaks. He is injured, and other Tales characters are collapsed around him.

Velvet, with glowing red eyes and her therion arm, attacks.

Laphicet suddenly opens his eyes, as if waking from a dream. He is dressed in his school uniform, standing in school.

Yuri suddenly appears from over the wall. He is trying to skip class, and Flynn is chasing him. The two run circles around Laphicet, and Yuri tries to use him as a shield.

Yuri: I know. Skipping school is a crime.

Flynn: Even so, you intend to go ahead with your choice?

(Close up of Yuri and Flynn grappling with each other, in proper proportions instead of chibi. ThefanserviceisstrongLOL)

Yuri: Intend to? I already have.

The two get into a fight, and poor Laphicet is crouched nearby with his hands over his head. Velvet suddenly appears.

"What are you doing to Phi!" She uses her therion arm, sending Yuri and Flynn flying off.

Velvet holds out her hand to Laphicet. Remembering the dream from earlier, he hesitates. When she asks what's wrong, Laphicet shakes his head and allows her to help him up.

As they walk on, Edna and Mikleo are watching them from above. They comment on Velvet being the famed problem transfer student. Edna describes how, when Phi was picked on by Zagi, Hasta and Lunarre, Velvet dived in to beat them up. And when Laphicet was queuing for food, the same three cut his queue. Velvet again appears to attack them.

Edna says that Laphicet is the reason behind it all, so if they recruit him to the student council, Velvet would stop rampaging and peace would reign. Mikleo questions if it'll.be that simple, and Edna pokes him with her parasol.

The episode ends there. The Normin Dance has been adapted as the ED song. Edna sings, Milla is on the keys, Velvet on the snare drum, Laphicet the recorder, Ludger a tambourine, while Mikleo is in the middle dancing.

The next segment is about the Tales of Tour, a 3 day event where attendees spent time in Okinawa with Onosaka, Konitan, Takepon, Iwata and Arai. The video opens with an obvious Marvel film opening parody, where comic strips flash across the screen xD

Videos and images from the tour are showed, and they announce a second Tales of Tour.

They also announce a collab with Yakatabune, a Japanese style wooden boat tour. Ludger, Velvet and Senel will likely be guests or hosts (hence the yukata costumes).

Finally, they announce Tales of Orchestra for the year, with a new key visual.

And next up is the musical segment with Shiina Go.

(Note: l'll post Shiina Go's performance description separately, because l got a bit carried away with the music stuff. Skipping ahead to the talk with Shiina-san)

Shiina-san kept forgetting to speak into the mic, though they'd already told him during rehearsal to take note of it.

Shiina-san was worried about matching the tempo of the seiyuu.

Shiina-san: Life is a gamble

Onosaka: That sounds so cool

(He looked really cool too l'm just saying)

Shiina-san is currently working on Code Vein and doing music for cooking shows. He spoke a little about Chasing Shirley, with its high tempo, sharp sound, hysterical feel of being chased.

#tales of festival 2018

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Z 114

Last time, the Z-Fighters seemed to have an edge on Garlic Junior’s gang, but then they started gettiing stronger, thanks to the pulsing red star overhead.   That’s their home planet, and it makes their power increase the closer it gets.   

That kind of begs the question: Why would they ever leave?   You gotta figure that any Makyans still living on the planet would be even stronger than these guys, because they’re touching the ground.  

But I suspect that the Makyans are incapable of being satisfied.   All they want to do is go to other planets and ruin them for no good reason.    The Makyo Star is useless to them as territory, because it already belongs to them.   All it’s good for is empowering them remotely. 

So yeah, Garlic Junior is huge, just like he was in Movie 1, and he’s even stronger than he was before, too.   And his henchmen are big and strong too.    That’s pretty much why the Makyo Star was invented, I’m pretty sure.   Someone must have realized that if Garlic Junior returned after missing the Saiyans, Namek, Ginyu, and Frieza Sagas, he’d be sorely outclassed by the good guys.   The Makyo Star provides a  way to power him up to without making it seem weird that he was weaker before.   

Though, if the Makyo Star could do this much for Garlic and his men, it makes you wonder why he did all the stuff he did in Movie 1 at that time.   He could have waited just two more years, and he would have been much, much stronger.

During the fight, Vinegar clobbers Krillin and tosses him off the Lookout.  

Gohan tries to save him, but Spice and Vinegar cut him off.

So Gohan gets mad one more time and kills them, this time for good.

And that’s the end of the Spice Boys.  

As for Piccolo, Garlic Junior seems to have killed him.   He’s already thinking about how he can revive his dead father without the Dragon Balls, that’s how confident he is that Piccolo’s dead.  

Which is kind of dumb, because he just dumped a bunch of rubble on the guy.  Piccolo’s tougher than that.  He busts out and expands his body to the same size a Garlic’s super form, just to prove that it won’t help Garlic against him.

Boom!  Take that, you Pilaf-looking mofo.

Same, Gohan.   Same.

Unfortunately, Piccolo’s strength starts to fade out on him, and Garlic takes the advantage.

Krillin guesses that Kami must be in deep trouble in the Shinsenkai, which must be hurting Piccolo as well.

So Gohan jumps in to save Piccolo.   Kind of fitting.

While all of this is going on on top of the Lookout, Kami and Mr. Popo are down at the bottom, where all the former Kami’s are interred.   It looks like a crappy grade school haunted house to me, but let’s run with it.   Popo recognizes the spectre who meets them as the previous Kami, the one who chose the Namekian Kami, our Kami, to succeed him.  

Kami apologizes for his presence here, as the Shinsenkai is off-limits to living Kami.    Apparently no one objects to Mr. Popo being here, so I’m starting to wonder why he didn’t just go down here by himself.   

He explains why he came here, in spite of the rules, but the former Kami doesn’t seem to care.  

Kami tries to make a break for it, but there’s some crystal barrier blocking their path, and Popo recalls that the only way through is to get permission from the guy they just ditched.    Kami says “screw it” and blasts his what through with energy beams.

But brute force alone won’t solve everything.  Part of the reason Kami isn’t allowed down here is because his very spirit may get yanked away just by being in this place.     It’s already started to happen, and parts of his body are fading in and out.   This is why Piccolo’s having such a hard time up top.    Popo is horrified, but Kami refuses to quit, not after coming this far.  

Unfortunately, stubborn courage won’t be enough either.   Soon enough, they run across two more former Kami, who bind our Kami with some kind of slime tentacles.   Tough luck...

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #garlic junior saga #piccolo #gohan #krillin #kami #mr popo #garlic junior #spice #vinegar #the former kami