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

In this episode:

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

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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

In this episode:

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

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are nearing the end of Frieza-controlled space
• We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
• We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Mystical Adventure such as its 1988 release at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, the film's box office, and the production team working on the film
• We talk about the other films released alongside the movie: Bikkuraman, Tatakae Ramenman, and Kamen Rider Black Terrifying the Phantom House of Devil Pass
• We delve into the background behind the Toei Manga Matsuri – Toei Cartoon Festival and its inception in 1969 and other such festivals around the country such as Toho's Champion Festival
• Contextualizing the box office of the film
• Shedding light on co-directors Kazuhisa Takenouichi (who worked on Dr Slump, Sailor Moon, One Piece and Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, which is a companion piece to the Daft Punk album, Destiny) and Minor Okazaki (who worked on Doraemon, Dr Slump, Gegege no Kitaro and others)
• Discussing the film's producer: Chiaki Imada and his career at Toei which began with the release of Tower of Lilies
• We discuss the different dubs created for the film by studios such as Harmony Gold, Speedy, and Funimation
• The difference between the 2005 original Funimation release and the 2010 remastered version
• A reference to a Godzilla fan film turned "real" movie, Dragon Lizard Lord Super Monsters
• Really digging into the Speedy Dub
• Talking about Ceyli Delgadillo, the original voice of kid Goku
• Discussing the Mifan Empire seen in the film
• Talking about timelines and continuity
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual as we react to this wickedly fast-paced film

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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https://twitter.com/finalforumpod