Kinnikuman ch.343, “Sacred Tag!!”: having done his duty, Mammoth Man is content to let his captain Super Phoenix take over from here. The scene switches to Phoenix and Big Body in the Roman Coliseum. wpb.cdn.cloudpublisher.jp/view2.php?p=wx…#Kinnikuman#ch343
(The ring collapses into the Gates of Hell, but we don’t see Mammoth Man’s body burn up, so maybe there’s still hope for him?)
Phoenix and Big Body are in a tag match against a pair of Choshin. The first knocks Big Body around with some karate chops. This god used to get along well with Phoenix’s patron, the God of Intelligence, so he takes a shine to Phoenix too.
(Phoenix protests that he and the God of Intelligence only used each other out of convenience...but that’s precisely the sort of thing the God of Intelligence would say, so it just makes this god happier)
Phoenix’s opponent formally introduces himself: in heaven he was the God of Reason, but now he has become: Idea Man! Yep.
Phoenix defines reason as intelligence plus ethics (...huh?). In peacetime this can bring about cultural development, but in wartime that’s not always the case. Phoenix thinks intelligence can change the world more boldly because it’s not limited by ethics.
Idea Man summons his partner, and they gang up on Phoenix with a Hercule-Suplex...or a Hercules-Plex (ie a Hercules Suplex)...
In heaven he was the God of Madness, on earth he is: The Notorious! Big Body comes to the rescue, but The Notorious just throws Phoenix at him.
The two gods explain that in heaven many Choshin specialize in singles matches, but they’re famous for being the best tag team. Their team name: Mighty Hercules!
And that’s that. Thematically, I like having a Greco-Roman themed team fighting in the Roman Colosseum. And I like pairing up the God of Reason with the God of Madness. But “Idea Man” is a hard name to get over.
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Toyotaro’s postscript for DBS vol.24 details the creation process of the ch.104 one-shot: originally this was a text prologue he got from Toriyama, which he revised and put into manga form. And now the Super Hero arc is really, truly done: “Look forward to future developments!”
Toriyama also designed the Red Pharmaceutical Company air truck for the Super Hero arc epilogue:
Toyotaro’s vol.24 author’s comment explains how Toriyama’s corrections were typically about how manga ought to be, rather than simply how DB should be. He was a manga artist above all. “I will never forget the approach to manga which sensei taught me, and continue to do my best!”
Dragon Ball Daima, ep.20: it’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for. The fight with Gomah is samey but looks amazing and is over soon enough for Kuu to ascend the Iron Throne, plus other fun wrap-up stuff. Thanks for everything Toriyama, and farewell. #DAIMA #ep20
Since Daima airs at 11:40 PM in Japan, the final episode on February 28th ended right as the date ticked over into March 1st, marking the one year anniversary of Toriyama’s death. So far there’s no word on if this was intentional on the part of the production team, though.
The title ゼンカイ/Zenkai comes from 全開, meaning “full power”, hence the translation “Maximun” (see also the DBZ ending theme ZENKAI Power). I’ll give it another week, but if there’s no further clues on the red letters, I’ll assume it was just about using all 20 dakuten letters
Executive producer Akio Iyoku discusses Daima’s origin: 6 years ago during DBS: Super Hero’s production, they decided to do a new TV series. At first Toriyama’s involvement was going to be minimal, but he really got into it, creating most of it in the end. mantan-web.jp/article/202502…
Iyoku says Daima was intended as a show that parents could watch with their children, so it was made to appeal both to kids and adults in their 30s who were kids back when DBGT first aired. So yes, making Goku and co kids was specifically done to appeal to the GT generation.
While making Goku a kid was seen as making the series accessible to a wider audience, it was Toriyama’s idea to turn the entire main cast into kids too. Toriyama was also concerned many people wouldn’t know DB’s story, hence the general overview at the start of each Daima episode
It’s already November 20th in Japan, which means Dragon Ball has officially reached its 40th anniversary. In case you weren’t paying attention and/or born at the time, here are some highlights from the first 40 years of DB history… #DragonBall40th
1984: gag manga superstar Akira Toriyama concludes megahit Dr. Slump, and in November debuts its follow-up in Weekly Jump. This Journey to the West-inspired kung-fu adventure kicks off as inventor girl Bulma recruits monkey boy Goku to track down the titular dragon balls.
1985: after last year’s tail-end teaser, things begin in earnest. The initial “quest for the dragon balls” arc wraps up in May, and Toriyama shifts gears to a tournament arc (always a fan favorite in his Dr. Slump days) with the lecherous Roshi and Goku’s new cueball-esque BFF.
According to Bunshun Online, Dragon Room head honcho Akio Iyoku has stepped down from Shueisha and established his own company, Capsule Corporation Tokyo. Supposedly he wants Shueisha to keep DB’s manga publishing rights but for CC Tokyo to handle DB games/anime/etc.
As you might imagine, Shueisha is reluctant to part with DB to any extent, and negotiations are still ongoing. According to this article, anyway. Shueisha has apparently confirmed that Iyoku is stepping down, but not confirmed any of the particulars so far.
Bunshun Online reached out to Toriyama and asked if he would be working with Iyoku in future, but Toriyama said he couldn’t comment publicly, only through Shueisha. He also said the company name “Capsule Corporation Tokyo” was Iyoku’s idea, not his own.
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai ep.41: Pissed Myst’s great and the logistics of Dai’s sword are interesting, while the castle’s just there to be knocked down. But it knocks down well. 4/5 #DragonQuest#ep41