If you could wish for ANYTHING what would it be? Have you considered the possible negative side effects of your wish? Let's get philosophical.
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 11 and half of 12 of the anime, "The Penalty is Pinball," and "A Wish to the Eternal Dragon" and then have a discussion about the character Shenron, and the concept of being granted a single wish.
In this episode:
- Bekinney deals with his carnivorous ear slug
- Brief plot synopsis of episodes 11 and 12 of the Dragon Ball anime
- Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episodes
- An analysis of the pinball portion, which is filler and its potential inspiration point from the rock opera, Tommy, by The Who and Elton John's appearance in the movie
- A cultural background on East vs West views of dragons
- How Shenron is the same as and different from traditional Chinese Shenlong dragons
- How traditional Eastern ideas of Dragons lends to the idea of there being magical orbs
- The differences between kanji, katakana, and hiragana and how Toriyama uses these systems to give immediate visual cues to listeners
- Shenron's potential title as the dragon of god and what that might mean for the future
- The significance of the number of toes on Shenron, his antlers, and other aspects of his design
- Where the idea of dragons granting wishes originates
- What a person's wish reveals about who they are, especially each character in the show
- Jelli and Bekinney break down their ideal wishes
- The hosts argue about what immortality means in the context of a wish, including how it relates to potential physical damage and ones psychology
- How the idea of immortality plays into the concept behind the show The Good Place
- How Jelli's wish may tie in to the concept of a character in the Watchmen universe
- How the first wish of the show differs from the rest throughout the duration of the show
- The fallout of this first wish, and how it influences future actions, including a nod given to Dragon Ball GT and a bit of praise thrown the way of that oft-maligned show
- and more, including some general pop culture, Toriyama's use of setting (again), 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.
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