Prediction: sometime soon there's going to be a slice of life spin-off about the domestic life of Krillin (the ultimate Wife Guy) and Android 18 and it's gonna be a smash hit.
I earnestly think they're a great couple! Krillin is just horny enough to forgive Android 18 for mass murder / genocide. But it goes deeper than that. He realizes that she was turned into a killing machine against her will. He has sympathy for her when no one else does.
But here's the exact moment when Krillin realized Android 18 was the woman of his dreams 🦾
From Android 18's perspective, she's already one of the strongest people in the universe. She doesn't covet power either. What impresses her is Krillin's kindness and bravery. The fact that he's NOT the strongest, but is always at the front lines is what makes him really cool!
Krillin chose not to detonate the bombs inside 17 & 18. Later he tries to wish them back into humans (which wasn't possible) then wishes to have their bombs removed. All while assuming 17 was 18's lover, and not her brother. These aren't empty gestures. He's *really* helping her.
This is what impresses Android 18 about Krillin. His kindness and ability to really take care of her. And before you write Krillin off as some weak little simp, remember he's still like the 10th strongest person on all of earth haha.
Android 18 loves Krillin for his kindness and within the framework of this crazy fantasy world it actually makes sense! That's why I think a comic about their life together could really have legs. It actually has a strong emotional core! They compliment & take care of each other!
While I'm here, I just want to say, I think ALL of the main romantic relationships in Dragon Ball actually make a ton of sense! I know Toriyama likes to say he doesn't think things through, but they really really work!
Goku is 100% the kind of person to marry the first person that falls for him and become a teenage dad. And Chichi is exactly the kind of person to keep up her childhood crush for her entire life.
But it's more than that. Chichi and Goku had incredibly bizarre upbringings and family lives. These two can understand each other like no other.
People like to joke about what an irresponsible dad Goku is, but he's fundamentally a good person. Chichi has very good reason to be in love with him.
It's become a meme that "Goku doesn't know what sex is!" But remember that during the Cell Saga, sometime between waking up from his coma and preparing for a probable battle to the death, Goten was conceived. These two had their priorities!
Meanwhile Bulma and Vegeta are far easier to explain. They're obviously great together. People often point out that even if Vegeta can't beat Goku as a fighter, he's got him soundly beat as a husband and dad!
OK. So why would Bulma fall for the bad guy? Cos she's EXACTLY the kind of boy-crazy gal who will fall for the bad boy and tell herself "I can fix him." And in this case ... she does!
Moreover, Vegeta is very much Bulma's prince charming. The man of her dreams. He's literally a prince. And he's the second strongest person in the universe after Goku, who is like a kid brother to her.
From Vegeta's perspective, Bulma is essentially the princess of earth. But more than that, she's the smartest person in the universe. She's incredibly capable. You couldn't find a more impressive partner (who else can build a gravity chamber or time machine??)
Dragon Ball is rarely praised for its romance yet when I look at the marriages in DB, they actually resemble a lot of the successful marriages I've seen in real life! Toriyama often says he doesn't think things through, but his intuition is rock solid. He's a good writer!
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When you read a crotchety old man take from your favorite legendary anime creators, please remember they often ham stuff up for fun in interviews. Tomino is making this face every time he says something provocative. He knows what he's doing!
In that interview he says something to the effect of "If fans really empathized with Gundam they wouldn't enter the anime industry!" That's FUNNY. Ya know?
I don't think he really truly thinks that fans/otaku should NEVER enter the industry. He's just hamming it up for dramatic emphasis to make the point that he wishes people in anime would bring more outside experiences and influences to anime.
My favorite sculpture in all of art history. A sculpture of the Kuya, a tenth century Buddhist priest who helped spread Buddhism in Japan. It's remarkably lifelike, which makes the little figures marching out of his mouth (representing the sutras) all the more striking.
My first day ever in Kyoto I decided not to look up directions to any specific temples, just let fate guide me. The very first temple I arrived at was Rokuharamitsuji, a beautiful, quiet place that happened to be the home of this statue. Seeing it was truly a religious experience
To be clear it was my explicit mission to see that statue. I intended to look up exactly where it was, but wanted to take things easy my first day. It was pure coincidence / providence that it happened to be in the first temple I went to. The first one that just felt right!
Mr Wink is a foil to Hellboy himself. They have a lot in common! They're both scary monsters with super strength and giant right hands who are self conscious about their appearance. Hellboy kills Mr Wink without a second thought because he's so indoctrinated into the human world.
Mr Wink is Prince Nuada's subordinate, but also his friend. Nuada is horrified when he finds out Mr Wink is dead and swears revenge. Meanwhile in the first film, Hellboy's Boss tells him he's a subhuman monster just like the ones they hunt.
Mr Wink lost his arm in the fight against humans. It was replaced with his current mechanical arm. Hellboy was born with the "right hand of doom" that will one day act as a key to the apocalypse.
For your viewing pleasure, here is every single frame of Akuma/Gouki's special intro from the Capcom vs SNK games, presented frame by frame at 8x size.
Right off the bat, Frame 1/18 is quite unusual! Akuma/Gouki is dropping from the sky so he's drawn much smaller in this first frame, to convey distance. I can't recall any other instances of an in-game Capcom Fighting Game sprite playing with size/distance like this!
In Frame 2/18 he's at regular in-game size. Such an amazing anticipation pose! Arm rearing back ready to unleash hell. Front arm adding to the torque covering half the face. One glowing eye exposed. And those perfectly flat side view legs! Those feet! Love it!
Maki Genryusai (源柳斉 真紀) debuted in Final Fight 2 for the Super Famicom in 1993. She is a 38th generation practioner of Bushin-Ryū ninjitsu (also mastered by her good friend Guy). Her father is the current leader of the Bushin ninja clan and her older sister is Guy's fiance.
Maki used to lead a motorcycle gang when she was a student, but stays out of trouble these days. Her rough, charming personality shines through beautifully in her sprite animations in Capcom vs SNK 2. I think her CVS2 sprite is one of the apexes of the medium! #SpriteArt#CVS2
This art is really neat! It strikes me as a very Japanese take on Western Tumblr/Adventure Time style art that was hugely inspired by anime and Japanese games and mascots to begin with. It's deliciously full circle.
Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Is there a name for that late Aughts wave of Millennial driven art that was very Cartoon Network-ey, but also obviously made by people who love Chrono Trigger? Largely posted to Tumblr and DeviantArt?
The first generation of American artists who widely grew up completely immersed in Japanese cartoons and games alongside American stuff. Anime wasn't something they integrated into their style post childhood.