While I fully realize that "Feel the Hatred" was last month's homework assignment, there is something that I feel the need to express. The fact that a live-action Dragonball movie is being made makes me want to vomit profusely. From the time I was twelve years old, I have been a fan of the Dragonball series. Nearly every day at 4 pm, I would rush home after school to catch the next episode of Dragonball Z on Toonami. I was instantly hooked, and I started watching in the middle of the Frieza (read: Freezer) Saga. Now, that's dedication. Thus began my slow descent into Anime fandom. (Save your assumptions; I assure you that they are incorrect.) Several years of Japanese and two visits, including one year of Study Abroad to Japan later, I am still a fan of Dragonball. But, you never outgrow the originals. I think that is why this movie irks me so very much. Someone, I don't really care who, decided it was a good idea to take the Dragonball story and make into a live-action Hollywood movie (read: contrived insult to the original story).

Seriously, though. Can anyone say Bulletproof Monk 2? We have a young, Caucasian male as the hero. Following that, is a young, Caucasian female as the side-kick. (Yeah, and Bulma was never into Martial Arts...She preferred to shoot first and ask questions later.) Chow Yun-Fat playing the wizened, old martial arts master. I'm not sure, but I think the producers of this movie are trying to target a certain demographic... Admittedly, there is no real racial distinction in Dragonball, but there certainly is a cultural one. It is based, albeit loosely, on a famous piece of Chinese literature called Journey to the West. This is emphasized in the settings and characters, which have their basis in Chinese culture.


*gags*

To quote the most recent poster on YouTube for this video, "Looks like a B-grade movie..." *shakes head* For me, Dragonball opened up a new world. It inspired me to draw, to learn about other languages and cultures and to visit other countries. In my opinion, this kind of movie only promotes ignorance of other languages and cultures. It takes those unique cultures, throws them in a blender and serves them to America as one big, jumbled mess. The producers of this movie have taken the base storyline behind Dragonball and thrown Hollywood actors at it, in an attempt to make money. What made Dragonball what it is will not be there. The spirit of Dragonball lives in the linguistic and cultural references, the plays on words, the on-the-edge-of-your-seat action and the unique style of animation that grasped the hearts of children and adults everywhere.

I give this movie one finger up.