Kinnikuman, Gold Mask arc part 1: after defeating the Seven Devil Chojin, it turns out they were just a bunch of underlings working for the Six Devil Knights, who work for Satan himself. The result? Something kinda the same as last arc, but even weirder. #Kinnikuman#GoldMask
The Devil Knights steal the Gold Mask from Kinniku Palace. The Gold/Silver Mask pair were given to the ancestors of the Kinniku Tribe by the gods, and are the source of Justice Chojin Power (somehow). Which means separating the masks robs all the good guys of their strength.
The story of the Gold/Silver Masks is inspired by the fable of the honest woodcutter, with the joke that the Kinniku ancestor only acts honestly by accident. Given all we learn of the two masks later, it’s questionable how much of this tale actually happened anyway
Aided by the magic of the Silver Mask, only Kinnikuman is in fighting shape. Each Devil Knight wears a Gold Mask, and Kinnikuman must find out which has the real one...by wrestling, of course. The first Knight is the brilliantly named Sneagator
Sneagator transforms into a variety of reptiles before finally being revealed as a giant sneaker containing a T-Rex foot. Is this a great series or what?
Kinnikuman wins (of course), but devils don’t die cheap: Sneagator’s dying curse takes Kinnikuman’s life. Thankfully Wolfman rather quickly volunteers to give his own life to revive Kinnikuman. After all, he’d still be dead today if not for Suguru.
Buffaloman set the precedent that Chojin can use their orb-like Chojin Power to swap lives around like batteries (think also of Old Kai and Goku). Before dying, Wolfman allows feisty newcomer Geronimo to cut his topknot in proper sumo fashion.
That right: Geronimo. A character with a troubled history, even apart from the non-PC Native American imagery. But he starts off strong here at least. Wolfman though is pretty much done as a relevant character, at least until his revival series moment in the spotlight.
Anyway, Wolfman dies but Kinnikuman revives to face the next Knight...Planet Man! Tune in next time!
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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
Rewatching the DBS panel, there’s a few things I want to note about the subtitles. They’re fine overall but there’s a few things I think are oversimplified or left out. Going through roughly in order of importance…
When discussing the artwork for New Character 1 and 2, in Japanese Hayashida says how it’s Toriyama’s original artwork, unlike the Piccolo/Pan/etc images that have been developed into full-fledged anime designs. The subtitles instead say it was made before movie production began
Now, it might indeed be true that Toriyama would’ve made the initial artwork before movie production began, but that’s not really what Hayashida is talking about. He’s contrasting this image with the earlier ones shown of Piccolo and co, which weren’t Toriyama’s original artwork
May 15th, Age 767: after three days of rest, Goku recovers from his heart disease (a week earlier than Trunks expected). The situation may be dire, but Goku knows the perfect place where Vegeta and Trunks can finally spend some quality father/son time together... #HistoryofEver
Speaking of quality time, Goku and Chi Chi get a nice moment together in the anime, sharing a kiss far too hot to actually show on screen. Or include in the canon, for that matter.
Alright, so…in the original manga, Goku and Chi Chi are never shown kissing. In DBZ ep.147 they share an offscreen kiss (they later made a figurine based on this). In the DBS anime and manga, Goku claims never to have kissed his wife. Draw your own conclusions.
May 12th, Age 767 (Bad Future Edition): at 10 AM on an island 9km southwest of South City, 17 and 18 begin their assault. Vegeta and co are mowed down, leaving Gohan sole survivor. Even the dragon balls are no use, since Pilaf and co wasted them on a dumb wish. #HistoryofEver
May 12th, Age 767 (Better Future Edition): 19 and 20 appear on schedule, but Our Heroes are ready. Well, Goku gets a bit sick, but Vegeta covers for him. While 19 and 20 don’t last long, 17 and 18 make short work of the gang. And that’s just the beginning of their problems…
Yes, it’s another busy day. May 12th has the honor of being one of the few specific dates mentioned in the series, although the year 767 comes from the Daizenshuu 7 timeline. If there’s any number pun significance to this date, I haven’t been able to find it.