Читать книгу Anime Impact - Chris Stuckmann - Страница 23

1986–Present • Dragon Ball Series

Doragon Bōru

— Derek Padula —

Dragon Ball is the world’s #1 anime.

Without Dragon Ball, I’d be dead.

Both of these statements express Dragon Ball’s power. But before I tell you how Dragon Ball saved my life, let’s explore what Dragon Ball is and why so many fans love to watch it.

Dragon Ball is a story about a monkey-tailed boy named Son Goku and his journey for greater strength. The franchise started in 1984 as a manga, and it is still being produced. At this moment, the Dragon Ball franchise consists of 42 volumes of Dragon Ball manga, 5 volumes of Dragon Ball Super, and over 100 volumes of official spinoffs. There are four Dragon Ball anime titled Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super, comprised of 639 episodes (respectively 153, 291, 64, and 131). There are 19 theatrical animated films, 8 TV specials, 3 OVAs, and 3 live-action films—but fans often wish one of these did not exist, called Dragonball Evolution. There have been 149 video games that have sold over 44 million units, making it one of the best-selling franchises. In Tokyo there are 2 theme park attractions, 1 museum exhibit, and 1 Dragon Ball Café. If that weren’t enough, there are over 15,000 pieces of licensed merchandise, over 25 supplemental art books and data guides, 3 Collectible Card Games, an official holiday in Japan called “Goku Day,” celebrated every May 9, and a global religion based on Dragon Ball’s tenants, called Gokuism, or The Church of Goku.

Dragon Ball is the world’s most-recognized anime and manga series. Dragon Ball’s creator, Akira Toriyama, is the world’s most influential living manga author and the third most famous in history. Dragon Ball Z is the #1 selling anime brand of all time, with over 25 million DVDs and Blu-rays sold in the United States alone. Dragon Ball is the #2 best-selling manga of all time, with 240 million volumes sold in Japan, and a collective 300 million worldwide. A common marketing tagline for Dragon Ball is that it’s, “The #1 Action Anime of All Time!” While this is subjective, it’s also true. In a 2017 poll of Japanese anime viewers, Son Goku’s rival, Vegeta, is the #1 rival in anime history. When you include the anime’s global reach, the franchises’ revenue is near-impossible to calculate.

Despite its top rankings, or perhaps because of it, criticism of Dragon Ball abounds. For example, “It’s a show about nothing but punching and screaming,” and “It takes forty episodes for a single fight.” We are left to wonder, “If it’s so bad, then why is it so popular?” To answer this question, we have to dive into Dragon Ball’s origin.

The story begins with Akira Toriyama as a twenty-three-year-old illustrator who is out of work and living with his parents. One day, while bumming ¥500 yen ($5 USD) off his mom, he goes to the café to smoke and drink coffee. There he reads a copy of Weekly Shōnen Jump and sees an ad for a contest where the winner gets ¥100,000 yen ($1,000 USD) and a publication deal. He has never written a manga, but he knows how to draw, so he enters the contest in hopes of winning the money.

He doesn’t win, but a young editor at Shūeisha named Kazuhiko Torishima notices his talent and gives him a shot. Afterward, he becomes a superstar in the early ’80s when his Dr. Slump manga becomes the best-selling manga in Japan. Dr. Slump is about a dimwitted inventor named Senbei Norimaki who creates a nearsighted robot girl named Arale who has superhuman strength. But after five years, Toriyama feels burned out and wants to stop. Torishima becomes frightened at the idea of losing their cash cow, so he takes a train to Toriyama’s home to discuss ideas for a new story.

After several hours of conversation, they fail to produce. That’s when Toriyama’s wife suggests he make a Kung fu manga, because he enjoys watching Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master and Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon while he works. Toriyama objects, but Torishima insists. A few months later, Dragon Ball is born.

Toriyama uses the Chinese legend of Journey to the West (1592 AD) as his framework. This is a story about a Buddhist monk who travels from China to India to retrieve scriptures. The monk is aided on his journey by a supernormal Monkey King, pig man, sand demon, and a mystical white horse. These characters are the inspiration for Bulma, Son Goku, Oolong, Yamcha, and Bulma’s motorcycle. It also provides the impetus for the first arc of the series where they search for the mystical dragon balls that can grant any wish, similar to the scriptures that grant enlightenment.

Journey to the West is a fusion of Buddhist, Daoist, and traditional Chinese folklore. As a result, the ideals of Buddhist compassion, Daoist truth, and austere forbearance, are baked into Dragon Ball’s culture. Toriyama emulates Journey to the West’s content, use of a narrator, cliffhanger endings, and style of humor. He then combines this with modern Western and Japanese pop culture. These include Hollywood films such as Blade Runner, James Bond, The Terminator, Indiana Jones, and Aliens; Japanese films like Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, generic ninja movies, and kaijū films like Godzilla; plus World War II films containing Nazis, aircraft, and machine guns. He then adds his own interests of motorcycles and automobiles, Japanese comedy shows, and his childhood countryside memories. Most importantly, he incorporates East Asian concepts of martial arts cultivation that enable Son Goku to ascend from a beginner martial artist to a literal god. This cultural fusion is the main reason why Dragon Ball appeals to fans across the world.

Despite this winning formula, Dragon Ball does not start off with success. It isn’t until the emphasis is placed on martial arts action and self-cultivation that Dragon Ball becomes the biggest pop culture phenomenon in Japan. It becomes the primary reason for Weekly Shōnen Jump’s “Golden Era” of sales, from the mid-’80s to mid-’90s, selling 6.5 million copies a week. As a result, an entire generation of children was impacted by this series, and they’ve become what I call the “Dragon Ball Generation.” Their worldview is forever influenced by the worldview of Goku and his friends or, in many cases, his enemies who become his friends. In turn, Dragon Ball inspires future manga authors who go on to become stars. For example, the hit series of Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach are spiritual successors to Dragon Ball. To that point, the creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, says, “Akira Toriyama is a god to me. A GOD!”

Dragon Ball is a success wherever it goes. In many countries it was the first anime or manga to be localized. Dragon Ball breaks open the door, establishes anime and manga as a form of entertainment, and becomes the #1 hit that everyone has fond memories of. In the case that it’s not the first, it quickly becomes the top-selling series.

The North American anime industry owes a lot of its success to Dragon Ball. FUNimation is the largest anime dubbing and distribution company in North America, and the first anime they acquired was Dragon Ball. This was possible because the founder of FUNimation, Gen Fukunaga, had an uncle who worked at Toei Animation, the producer of the Dragon Ball anime, and worked out a deal to acquire the license. Questionable as that deal may be, when Dragon Ball Z premiered in 1997, it quickly became the #1 hit throughout the country and made FUNimation into a hundred-million-dollar company. Fukunaga has said several times, “FUNimation is the house that Dragon Ball built.” In turn, FUNimation has dubbed and distributed hundreds of anime throughout the west. The money that goes into FUNimation from fans goes back to Japan to acquire the rights for more anime, which leads to more anime being produced. So the fact is, without Dragon Ball, the anime industry as we know it would be nowhere near as strong, and many of the anime we love would never have been produced or reached our shores.

It’s because of this that I was able to see Dragon Ball Z in 1997 on Toonami. As a kid influenced by cartoons, comic books, and video games, afternoon TV was part of my daily ritual. But nothing could prepare me for Dragon Ball Z. It was astounding in every way imaginable. The heroic figures that fight for what they believe is right, powerful villains, silly jokes, epic quests, and cosmic adventures in a fantasy realm filled with supernormal powers and science fiction. What more can you ask for? I would watch the same fifty-two episodes on repeat, then again at midnight, and once more on Saturday whenever they’d air them.

Clearly I was a nerd, and because of this I was bullied at school throughout middle school and most of high school. They made fun of me for my appearance, teased me, spit on me, and pushed me against the lockers. This caused me to dislike myself, fear and hate school, become depressed, and fail many of my classes.

But after getting knocked down at school, Dragon Ball Z lifted me up. It taught me to believe in myself. It has an energy and spirit to it. An optimistic ideal that people can change themselves if they work hard enough at it, and to never give up.

Nonetheless, the daily grind wore me down. I was tired, and wished life was like an anime or video game, filled with fun adventures. One day, I tried to run away from home so I could escape the pain. But that only lasted an afternoon because I live in Michigan, and it’s really cold. So, with no other option before me, I tried Plan B.

While dinner cooked on the stove and my parents watched TV, I pulled out a kitchen knife, closed the bathroom door behind me, and held the knife to my wrist.

Killing myself seemed like the best way to end the pain. To end the name-calling, the bad grades, ensuing shame, guilt, arguments, screaming, and endless worry about having to face another day where it seemed no one wanted me.

As I stared into the reflection of my own eyes for one final time, I hesitated. I had the thought, No, I’m better than this. I can do great things. Just keep going … persevere.

The tears rolled down my face as I fell to the bathroom floor. I still had the knife in my hands. I could still do it. Then I thought, No, I can make it another day. I heard my dad call out, “Dinner’s ready!” I wiped away the tears, returned the knife, and acted like nothing happened. I never told anyone.

Only later did I realize what kept me alive. For one, fear. A lot rolls through your mind in that do-or-die moment. Second, I’m a born optimist, and I believe people can change; including those who cause you to suffer. Third, Dragon Ball taught me by example that I have value and hidden potential. That I can be big, strong, and help others. That it’s possible to do great things in life, so long as you endure.

“Goku never gives up!”

Goku taught me there’s a small light buried underneath the lies and notions that other people project on top of us to make themselves feel better. This light can’t be sullied by those types of things, and it’s a light so powerful that it blasts away the darkness. If it weren’t for Dragon Ball Z reminding me of that light, I’d be dead.

Life didn’t magically improve, but after hitting bedrock, I stood back up with a more positive perspective. It was in my junior year when a friend of mine compelled me to “start living DBZ.” By that he meant the martial arts. So I took a Kung fu class. This class transformed my mind, body, and spirit. I became interested in Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian philosophy. I went to Western Michigan University and earned a Bachelor’s in East Asian Studies. I studied abroad in Beijing and trained with the Shaolin monks and tàijí sword masters. I became a different person. Or rather, I returned to who I originally was.

After returning home, I decided to write books about Dragon Ball so that I could give back to the Dragon Ball community and, in turn, Akira Toriyama. By following the example that Goku has taught me, to date I have published nine non-fiction books about Dragon Ball; I have received an apology from the writer of Dragonball Evolution on behalf of the global fandom; I’ve written a live-action web series that gave hope to over thirty-two million YouTube viewers that live-action Dragon Ball can be done right if fans are the creators; I’ve interviewed over thirty official Dragon Ball writers, editors, composers, voice actors, and producers; I’ve discovered countless amounts of lost Dragon Ball lore. I’m now a leading authority on Dragon Ball who is active in the community, delivers lectures at pop culture conventions, and helps fans achieve their dreams every day. That’s the power of not giving up.

My story is not rare. I’ve spoken with thousands of Dragon Ball fans across the world whose lives have been changed or saved by this series. I wrote a book called Dragon Soul: 30 Years of Dragon Ball Fandom that contains 108 stories from fans and professionals in twenty-four countries. It features illustrators, voice actors, cosplayers, musicians, actors, authors, painters, philosophers, business executives, and even a Guinness World Record holder for the largest Dragon Ball collection on earth. All of these people prove that Dragon Ball is more than a simple anime.

Sean Schemmel is the English voice of Goku, and in 2015 I asked Sean to explain Dragon Ball’s popularity. He said, “I worked on Dragon Ball Z for years … but I didn’t understand why it was so popular. I couldn’t boil it all down to Americans liking explosions. Like, ‘Yeah, monster trucks are exciting!’ Because not everybody loves the action part of it. ‘So why is Dragon Ball Z more popular than monster trucks?’ ”

Sean went on to describe how he realized that Dragon Ball has morals, ethics, “Buddhist influences, such as the ‘beginners mind,’ and being positive, always destroying evil within yourself and the world.” He says, “That’s why people get hooked on it, and why you can continue to watch it for the rest of your life and still find more to enjoy. The action might pull you in, but as you grow older and continue to watch it, it’s the story, the way the characters grow, and how that relates back to you, that keeps you so interested in it. And that all has to do with what it means to be human, and your own personal path. So, that’s why Dragon Ball is an eternal series that always remains popular, and why we share it with generation after generation.” Sean added: “I owe my life to Dragon Ball.”

Sean’s not alone. Ryō Horikawa is the Japanese voice of Vegeta. I asked Ryō in 2012 if he felt Dragon Ball was a meaningful series. He said, “I think Dragon Ball is something like the Bible. It has a really important philosophy to it.”

Even so, Dragon Ball’s not perfect. Sometimes the animation can be poor, the filler is frustrating, and yes, five minutes of in-universe time can last for ten episodes. Even the author himself said he simply wrote his manga “as pure entertainment,” and nothing more. But therein lies the irony. Toriyama always does the opposite of what fans expect. In this case, by trying to create a meaningless series, he created one that is meaningful. Once Dragon Ball enters your heart, it never leaves. This series is evergreen. That’s why millions of older fans are re-watching the series with their children, nieces, and nephews, so that they can also experience Dragon Ball’s power.

You owe it to yourself to give Dragon Ball a try. It’s the world’s biggest anime for a reason. The art, music, sound effects, action, and martial arts intensity of the series are incredible. That’s what drew me into it as well. Oh, not to mention the memes! But there’s a lot more than meets the eye. So, while you’re looking at Dragon Ball, every so often, look within. You may find a power inside that you didn’t know was there, and a way to unlock your full potential.

Goku, Vegeta, and their friends teach us that if you can change yourself, you can change the world. So, get out there and enjoy the adventure!

Derek Padula is the world’s foremost professional Dragon Ball scholar. He illuminates the real-world historical, spiritual, and philosophical culture of Dragon Ball to enable readers to better understand the series and empower themselves on their own life journeys. His books include the seven-volume Dragon Ball Culture series, Dragon Soul: 30 Years of Dragon Ball Fandom, and Dragon Ball Z “It’s Over 9,000!” When Worldviews Collide. You can find him at thedaoofdragonball.com