Bowflex
The fact that anyone supports Hillary boggles my mind... I have tested between 130-160 on IQ tests
Note: Id like to make it clear that this in regards to the original Japanese version of the show: uncut, unedited, original music, original voices. Funimation did a wonderful job butchering the series for American audiences and is therefore irrelevant to me and will not be mentioned any further here.
When I originally watched the show for the first time, I was about 15 or 16 sometime around 10 years ago. It was a very magical experience for me. Everything seemed so serendipitous to me then. Having matured and re-visiting the series now with a more discerning and critical eye, Ive come to notice some fundamental inconsistencies and crucial flaws that hinder what could have been the best televison anime ever.
By far the most obnoxious quality of Dragon Ball Z is the internal commentary of the dialogue. Nearly every character outside of the action is a spectator, commentating on the action. This can, and often does go beyond unnecessary and annoying and into the realm of insulting. Nothing happens without someone informing the viewer first. The show would have definitely benefited from omission of this sort of heavy-handed story telling.
Another immediately irritating fault is with the depth of the characters, or lackthereof. They are really rather flat and extremely predictable. I realize cartoons are created primarily for young audiences and they have always been silly and asinine by nature, but I cant help but get frustrated when every single character in the show is governed by shallow impulses, completely oblivious to the concept of logic. Gohan is by far the worst of the bunch. He rarely says anything outside of blurting out names (piccolo-san?) or regurgitating back what someone says to him. Here is an example of this:
Bulma: Gohan we have to go look for the the Dragon Balls.
Gohan: The Dragon Balls ?
That is just lazy, bad dialogue. Yes, you gauche idiot, the fucking dragon balls..thats what she said. Vegeta, who in my opinion is one of the better characters, has a lot of potential, but is also poorly handled. He has a Napoleon complex, entitlement issues, and possibly closet-homosexuality all of which amount to unrelenting standards for himself. He is driven mad with furious ambition to be the best and his pride pushes him ever onward as if it were never enough. Sadly, he neither evolves to be the best, nor goes insane from the pressure; he just comes off as pitiful and delusional. I wish Toriyama would have handled his development differently as he could have been much more. Piccolo is also one of the better characters, and definitely the most logical, but by realitys standards still mentally retarded.
Beyond what was done poorly, is what wasnt done at all. There was a lot of potential for inner conflicts between the good guys, but sadly this was not taken advantage of. You have several proud, egotistical warriors with conflicting often severely spiteful opinions of each other, yet there is no inner turmoil among them whatsoever. I cant count the number of times it seemed only natural for there to be a brawl between Vegeta and Piccolo, or Vegeta and Trunks, or Goku and Piccolo, etc. Sadly, nothing. As for villains, Cell brought up a lot of unanswered questions. What were Cells motives? What was the purpose of the Cell games? Etc.
Next up is script and pacing. The plot is haphazardly written and relies on cheap rewrite tactics. The scenarios and power-struggles are more often not, noticeably formulaic. To Toriyamas credit, Im sure these issues were greatly amplified from the translation of the original manga. As a medium, comics allow for a much greater suspension of disbelief However, since Im talking about the show, they must be mentioned. The pacing in the Freeza saga was where the series really fell apart for me. It was 60 or so episodes that could have easily been managed in half or less. Momentum is often broken, focus shifted to less important expositions. Then, theres this kind of stuff:
The planet will explode in 2 minutes!*
*five hours later
*the planet will explode in 1 minute!*
Unacceptable. The dialogue between Freeza and Goku is also quite atrocious. Its like trading licks but with contrived, repetitive idle chatter, Variations of the same boasts, claims, and reactions. No one that is in a life or death battle talks like that. Geez. Some of my favorite profound pieces of discourse throughout the show include Nani!? [what?] and Baka na [impossible] If I had a dollar for every time someone dumbfoundedly blurted out those two words, Id probably have around $800. I found myself seriously substituting my own dialogue every time this sort of cop out would happen. I guarantee I could turn DB into Faust, if only someone would allow me to rewrite the damn thing.
Lastly, I had a minor gripe with power level and fighting ability inconsistencies, which there were a few of. Its really hard to differentiate VISIBLY between a Kamehameha fired by Muten Roshi in Dragon Ball and one fired by Goku nearly 200 episodes into DBZ, even though Goku is apparently twelve trillon times more powerful. I could expand on this and cite examples, but like I said, its pretty minor. Also, another thing I probably wouldnt have noticed in the manga.
Thats about it for the general complaints. Next Im going to briefly deconstruct the episode I'm currently on, # 188 A Heros Farewell
This is the last episode of the Cell Saga. Gohan has bested Cell and becomes vengeful but ultimately does not act on it. It would have been much better to see Gohan humiliate Cell and to make Cell cling to extreme desperation. It would have been really satisfying to see Cell cry before Gohan looks into his eyes and blasts him to oblivion for his wickedness, but Toriayama chooses a much tamer route.
Suddenly worried, Goku tells Gohan to finish Cell and not mess around. Funny because just a few episodes earlier Goku had the opportunity to kill Cell, but he did nothing and allowed Cell several minutes to reform. This is just one of several critical follies in the Cell saga alone (Vegeta allowing Cell to become perfect, Kuririn not killing Android 18, etc.). I will say that this particular folly is forgiven because it serves to set up a very climactic ending to the arc, as Gokus selfless sacrifice wouldnt have happened otherwise.
So Cell then decides to blow himself up but not before proceeding to TELL EVERYONE HES GOING TO AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT GIVES A COUNTDOWN TO EXPLOSION! By this point Im so frustrated. I already know whats going to happen and its like watching a train wreck. Bear in mind these are just the faults of one episode so you can imagine how much fun I had with the whole series up to this point
So before I get labeled as a hater, Im going to discuss the strengths of the DB series. The music is pretty damn good, and quite suiting. Could have used more variety, but its a television show so youre going to have overused songs. The art is very likeable. I do not like most anime artstyles, nor do I like most American animation artstyles. I do however, really, really like Toriyamas for some reason. He is an excellent artist, both technically and creatively. The designs themselves range from not so good (Garlic Jr. and co., Cells first 2 forms) to tremendously good (Androids), with most leaning more towards the latter end of the spectrum. Finally the shows best quality, and the reason Dragon Ball is so popular is the realization of its universe. Everything from technology to culture, to various races, attacks, religion, etc. is very unique and appealing.
So while there is a lot to rag on, theres also a lot to love. On one hand its cheesy inspiration fodder. On another it is a grand glorification of the human spirit and the will to survive. Its simple, but it carries a vital message. Its kind of dumb, but built around a fantastic moral framework, which elevates it above just entertainment. For every cringe worthy moment there is a jaw-droppingly awesome one. Respect:
http://youtu.be/OHNM7l90EBsc
When I originally watched the show for the first time, I was about 15 or 16 sometime around 10 years ago. It was a very magical experience for me. Everything seemed so serendipitous to me then. Having matured and re-visiting the series now with a more discerning and critical eye, Ive come to notice some fundamental inconsistencies and crucial flaws that hinder what could have been the best televison anime ever.
By far the most obnoxious quality of Dragon Ball Z is the internal commentary of the dialogue. Nearly every character outside of the action is a spectator, commentating on the action. This can, and often does go beyond unnecessary and annoying and into the realm of insulting. Nothing happens without someone informing the viewer first. The show would have definitely benefited from omission of this sort of heavy-handed story telling.
Another immediately irritating fault is with the depth of the characters, or lackthereof. They are really rather flat and extremely predictable. I realize cartoons are created primarily for young audiences and they have always been silly and asinine by nature, but I cant help but get frustrated when every single character in the show is governed by shallow impulses, completely oblivious to the concept of logic. Gohan is by far the worst of the bunch. He rarely says anything outside of blurting out names (piccolo-san?) or regurgitating back what someone says to him. Here is an example of this:
Bulma: Gohan we have to go look for the the Dragon Balls.
Gohan: The Dragon Balls ?
That is just lazy, bad dialogue. Yes, you gauche idiot, the fucking dragon balls..thats what she said. Vegeta, who in my opinion is one of the better characters, has a lot of potential, but is also poorly handled. He has a Napoleon complex, entitlement issues, and possibly closet-homosexuality all of which amount to unrelenting standards for himself. He is driven mad with furious ambition to be the best and his pride pushes him ever onward as if it were never enough. Sadly, he neither evolves to be the best, nor goes insane from the pressure; he just comes off as pitiful and delusional. I wish Toriyama would have handled his development differently as he could have been much more. Piccolo is also one of the better characters, and definitely the most logical, but by realitys standards still mentally retarded.
Beyond what was done poorly, is what wasnt done at all. There was a lot of potential for inner conflicts between the good guys, but sadly this was not taken advantage of. You have several proud, egotistical warriors with conflicting often severely spiteful opinions of each other, yet there is no inner turmoil among them whatsoever. I cant count the number of times it seemed only natural for there to be a brawl between Vegeta and Piccolo, or Vegeta and Trunks, or Goku and Piccolo, etc. Sadly, nothing. As for villains, Cell brought up a lot of unanswered questions. What were Cells motives? What was the purpose of the Cell games? Etc.
Next up is script and pacing. The plot is haphazardly written and relies on cheap rewrite tactics. The scenarios and power-struggles are more often not, noticeably formulaic. To Toriyamas credit, Im sure these issues were greatly amplified from the translation of the original manga. As a medium, comics allow for a much greater suspension of disbelief However, since Im talking about the show, they must be mentioned. The pacing in the Freeza saga was where the series really fell apart for me. It was 60 or so episodes that could have easily been managed in half or less. Momentum is often broken, focus shifted to less important expositions. Then, theres this kind of stuff:
The planet will explode in 2 minutes!*
*five hours later
*the planet will explode in 1 minute!*
Unacceptable. The dialogue between Freeza and Goku is also quite atrocious. Its like trading licks but with contrived, repetitive idle chatter, Variations of the same boasts, claims, and reactions. No one that is in a life or death battle talks like that. Geez. Some of my favorite profound pieces of discourse throughout the show include Nani!? [what?] and Baka na [impossible] If I had a dollar for every time someone dumbfoundedly blurted out those two words, Id probably have around $800. I found myself seriously substituting my own dialogue every time this sort of cop out would happen. I guarantee I could turn DB into Faust, if only someone would allow me to rewrite the damn thing.
Lastly, I had a minor gripe with power level and fighting ability inconsistencies, which there were a few of. Its really hard to differentiate VISIBLY between a Kamehameha fired by Muten Roshi in Dragon Ball and one fired by Goku nearly 200 episodes into DBZ, even though Goku is apparently twelve trillon times more powerful. I could expand on this and cite examples, but like I said, its pretty minor. Also, another thing I probably wouldnt have noticed in the manga.
Thats about it for the general complaints. Next Im going to briefly deconstruct the episode I'm currently on, # 188 A Heros Farewell
This is the last episode of the Cell Saga. Gohan has bested Cell and becomes vengeful but ultimately does not act on it. It would have been much better to see Gohan humiliate Cell and to make Cell cling to extreme desperation. It would have been really satisfying to see Cell cry before Gohan looks into his eyes and blasts him to oblivion for his wickedness, but Toriayama chooses a much tamer route.
Suddenly worried, Goku tells Gohan to finish Cell and not mess around. Funny because just a few episodes earlier Goku had the opportunity to kill Cell, but he did nothing and allowed Cell several minutes to reform. This is just one of several critical follies in the Cell saga alone (Vegeta allowing Cell to become perfect, Kuririn not killing Android 18, etc.). I will say that this particular folly is forgiven because it serves to set up a very climactic ending to the arc, as Gokus selfless sacrifice wouldnt have happened otherwise.
So Cell then decides to blow himself up but not before proceeding to TELL EVERYONE HES GOING TO AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT GIVES A COUNTDOWN TO EXPLOSION! By this point Im so frustrated. I already know whats going to happen and its like watching a train wreck. Bear in mind these are just the faults of one episode so you can imagine how much fun I had with the whole series up to this point
So before I get labeled as a hater, Im going to discuss the strengths of the DB series. The music is pretty damn good, and quite suiting. Could have used more variety, but its a television show so youre going to have overused songs. The art is very likeable. I do not like most anime artstyles, nor do I like most American animation artstyles. I do however, really, really like Toriyamas for some reason. He is an excellent artist, both technically and creatively. The designs themselves range from not so good (Garlic Jr. and co., Cells first 2 forms) to tremendously good (Androids), with most leaning more towards the latter end of the spectrum. Finally the shows best quality, and the reason Dragon Ball is so popular is the realization of its universe. Everything from technology to culture, to various races, attacks, religion, etc. is very unique and appealing.
So while there is a lot to rag on, theres also a lot to love. On one hand its cheesy inspiration fodder. On another it is a grand glorification of the human spirit and the will to survive. Its simple, but it carries a vital message. Its kind of dumb, but built around a fantastic moral framework, which elevates it above just entertainment. For every cringe worthy moment there is a jaw-droppingly awesome one. Respect:
http://youtu.be/OHNM7l90EBsc
