Ever felt bad..?

Travis Touchdown · Post by **Travis Touchdown** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:15 am

I feel terrible... that I don't spend enough time watching or doing Dragon Ball related things.

For example, I bought all 9 season sets of Z back in June/Julyish. I've only made it to disc 1 of Season 2 in that time. I haven't played any Dragon Ball game in months. I find that I don't ever make time to read the manga anymore. I feel like it's wasted money. Pretty much all I ever do these days that's DB related is talk to friends occasionally about it and swing by here every now and then. If I'm lucky, I can find the time to watch an episode or two.

CashmanX · Post by **CashmanX** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:19 am

Big Momma wrote:It's because every male would give his left nut to be Tenchi.

QFT.

Oh, Tsunami...

*Swoon*

Big Momma · Post by **Big Momma** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:23 am

SSJ Helldog wrote:I But if you have to give up DB to achieve something greater, just think of it as training. (Warning: This is about to get Ultra-Shounen) Goku didn't become the best by sitting at his computer every day. He was sweating and perfecting his skills. That's the real point of DB, and most Shonen manga: work hard! See results! Raise the bar! Don't just observe; participate! You'll be glad you did.

Fixed for ya

sangofe · Post by **sangofe** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:40 am

SSJ Helldog wrote:I But for now they just make me look immature.

What is the use to care about what others might think of you and what you like? It is a total waste of time and energy, if you ask me.

SSJ Helldog · Post by **SSJ Helldog** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:43 am

sangofe wrote:
SSJ Helldog wrote:I But for now they just make me look immature.
What is the use to care about what others might think of you and what you like? It is a total waste of time and energy, if you ask me.

That is entirely untrue. Professionally, you have to project an image of a completely grown-up individual who only cares for cigars and easy women. And I've only met a few anime fans I'd ever want to spend my free time with.

Gouki* · Post by Gouki* » Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:01 am

Big Momma wrote:
Scarz wrote:
bkev wrote:How can you feel guilty for watching Tenchi?
Every time I watch Tenchi I feel this overwhelming amount of happiness and shame. Considering my taste in anime (or just any show) the Tenchi series should be something I should honestly loathe. It has the one theme that I can not stand in any anime, a harem. A skinny nansy pansy boy sharing a house with a group of gorgeous women who all happens to falls from him. Tenchi mixed things up by throwing in goddess, space pirates, and mad scientists.
It's because every male would give his left nut to be Tenchi.

Yeah, I think not.

The closest thing I have to feeling guilty about liking Dragonball is that... well, I don't. I never feel guilty. I just feel annoyed that no one will play games with me, either because they don't like it or they think I'm too good. It's frustrating.

Kendamu · Post by **Kendamu** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:10 am

SSJ Helldog wrote:Goku didn't become the best by sitting at his computer every day. He was sweating and perfecting his skills. That's the real point of DB, and most Shonen manga: work hard! See results! Raise the bar! Don't just observe; participate! You'll be glad you did.

That's exactly the realization I was talking about on the first page! It's also what's being recorded in my blog. As I said in my earlier post on the first page, I still make time to read the manga and hopefully I'll have the money to buy the DragonBoxes to watch from time to time, but most of my fictional and real-life heroes are strongly connected to adventure and/or martial arts! So, now I'm getting out there and working hard to have just as exciting of a life as them instead of sitting inside all the time watching all my heroes do exactly what I want to do.

Yeah. I whored out my blog. Sorry. Please read it!!

Tweaker · Post by **Tweaker** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:14 am

Not one bit. I have absolutely no reason to regret enjoying the things that I do, because as a critical thinker I can analyze and justify the things I like and why I like them. All of the people who have ever tried to bash me for things that I liked were never able to back up their mocking with any kind of legitimate argument, so I never took them seriously.

Why should I feel bad? Dragon Ball was, by all means, a huge part of my childhood and even that of several of my friends. To a very large extent you could even say it helped shape the kind of person I am today, indirectly or otherwise. That doesn't sound like "immature kiddy bullshit" to me--it sounds like a cultural icon that had a huge impact on not just me or my life, but the entire world. And with good reason, too--it was brilliantly drawn, brilliantly written, and by all means charming.

Something tells me so many people wouldn't like Dragon ball if it was something to be ashamed of liking. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to let the useless opinions of a bunch of complete tools dictate the course of my life, thanks.

kenisu3000 · Post by **kenisu3000** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:46 am

I used to feel insanely guilty about watching DragonBall (the series as a whole), but now I've more-or-less made peace with it. The guilt didn't so much come from my "wasting" my time and money, but from some of the, er, questionable material found mainly in the original DragonBall. Yeah, I still avoid the early stuff whenever I can, and feel dirty as a mud puddle whenever I have to go back to it (for BGM documentation purposes), but the fact remains: there's a lot of bigger and worse things in this world than this show.
Like Chuquita, becoming a DragonBall fan has helped me improve my art style immensely (though I never let the badly-animated episodes influence me), and perusing the manga has taught me how to pace a comic story. I look back on the years this series has "stolen" from me, and at first I'm inclined to regret it, but stepping back and seeing what it's done FOR me rather than TO me really gives a greater scope on why I'm not only a fan, but proud of it.

DNA · Post by **DNA** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:34 am

Wow, some of you guys made me feel less guilty, some of you actually made me feel lucky. I mean, my parents accepted it a long time ago, my close friends all like Dragon Ball, some of them quite a lot (they are all my age gap, at mid twenties), and my girlfriend doesn't mind at all, she has her own anime obsessions.

I don't know, I guess I'm just in a weird phase of my life, I have other things I like like Zelda and Wolverine and fantasy movies and stuff, but I feel like I've been neglecting it all and concentrating too much on a series that's not evolving any more...

About not evolving myself, well, can't do much of that lately, had an accident a few years ago and cannot practice any kind of martial arts or sports any more, lost my drawing skills for good when I was a kid (believe me, I still try but fail miserably), currently am on a shithole of a job, gave up on my writing because Portugal doesn't support comic books, gave up on working on computers because Portugal is too clogged with people who work in computers, heck, gave up on most of my dreams because most of them are going nowhere, it's a bit frustrating... I keep thinking "at least I've got my friends, my bird" yeah... they're all back in Portugal and I'm stuck in merry ol' England, European capital of violence. Lucky me...

Edit: And after writing this, I go down and find a package, it contains my North Kaio's Planet phone strap. I feel a mix of "loser" with awe. Also, I just realized that it doesn't have his car. Disappointment T_T

Innagadadavida · Post by **Innagadadavida** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:32 am

I look at my Dragon Ball fandom in a couple different ways, none of which leads me to shame. First of all I see the product itself as a piece of art and story telling. Its a mixture of several different mediums pieced together to create something spectacular that will envelope you and bring you to it's own world. I like the story, I like the art, and I like the music. So I have my Dragon Ball DVDs proudly displayed on my shelf next to my other animation DVDs. I throw quite a bit of money and energy into my collection and it's something that I place a lot of value and pride upon.

I love animation. Ever since I was a kid, cartoons have always been something that I was fascinated with and I considered watching them less of entertainment and more of a hobby. Today, my dream is to be a part of the animation industry in some form or fashion. I would love to write for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, or any studio that produces cartoons for children. Getting to that point will take a lot of hard work and dedication because it's a competitive field, so I'll work hard and devote myself to becoming better and better at what I love to do. Even if I don't get to be a part of that world, I will always have the option of creating my own independent entertainment and posting it on the internet. "Shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you'll land among the stars," and all that jazz.

I'm fully aware that many people will not understand my interests. My family sure as hell doesn't. But I don't need validation from them. I'm perfectly happy enjoying the things that I enjoy alone, and I get plenty of interaction on the subject here and on another forum. When I go out into the real world, I can focus on normal things and save the rest for my personal life.

And just like what SSJHelldog said, you can learn things from the morals and models set by Dragon Ball, even if you're not the target audience. I try to model my attitude like Goku. I'll try to be strong, never give up, have fun, and screw what other people think about it.

Kendamu · Post by **Kendamu** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:21 am

DNA wrote:I don't know, I guess I'm just in a weird phase of my life, I have other things I like like Zelda and Wolverine and fantasy movies and stuff, but I feel like I've been neglecting it all and concentrating too much on a series that's not evolving any more...

You don't have to focus on evolving stories. It isn't like everyone's waiting for the next chapter in Lord of the Rings or anything and it's not like anyone would've cared if Star Wars only had the original three movies and Lucas never announced all the newer stuff.

About not evolving myself, well, can't do much of that lately, had an accident a few years ago and cannot practice any kind of martial arts or sports any more, lost my drawing skills for good when I was a kid (believe me, I still try but fail miserably), currently am on a shithole of a job, gave up on my writing because Portugal doesn't support comic books, gave up on working on computers because Portugal is too clogged with people who work in computers, heck, gave up on most of my dreams because most of them are going nowhere, it's a bit frustrating... I keep thinking "at least I've got my friends, my bird" yeah... they're all back in Portugal and I'm stuck in merry ol' England, European capital of violence. Lucky me...

That's when you look for adventure in travelling! You might not be able to do all those things, but it seems that a portion of them have to do with where you are. Sure, your job sucks, but given enough time and a modest enough budget and you can get out of a place that has nothing to offer you except chavs and thugs in the park.

caejones · Post by **caejones** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:37 am

Innagadadavida wrote:I look at my Dragon Ball fandom in a couple different ways, none of which leads me to shame. First of all I see the product itself as a piece of art and story telling. Its a mixture of several different mediums pieced together to create something spectacular that will envelope you and bring you to it's own world. I like the story, I like the art, and I like the music. So I have my Dragon Ball DVDs proudly displayed on my shelf next to my other animation DVDs. I throw quite a bit of money and energy into my collection and it's something that I place a lot of value and pride upon.

I love animation. Ever since I was a kid, cartoons have always been something that I was fascinated with and I considered watching them less of entertainment and more of a hobby. Today, my dream is to be a part of the animation industry in some form or fashion. I would love to write for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, or any studio that produces cartoons for children. Getting to that point will take a lot of hard work and dedication because it's a competitive field, so I'll work hard and devote myself to becoming better and better at what I love to do. Even if I don't get to be a part of that world, I will always have the option of creating my own independent entertainment and posting it on the internet. "Shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you'll land among the stars," and all that jazz.

I'm fully aware that many people will not understand my interests. My family sure as hell doesn't. But I don't need validation from them. I'm perfectly happy enjoying the things that I enjoy alone, and I get plenty of interaction on the subject here and on another forum. When I go out into the real world, I can focus on normal things and save the rest for my personal life.

And just like what SSJHelldog said, you can learn things from the morals and models set by Dragon Ball, even if you're not the target audience. I try to model my attitude like Goku. I'll try to be strong, never give up, have fun, and screw what other people think about it.

... Can I abduct you? *
* Not literally. You know, laws and all that.

. *Goes off to scheme* ... *by which I mean "go to class instead of spending the ensuing few minutes to get there on a DB forum"*. ... *maybe*

Big Momma · Post by **Big Momma** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:43 am

SSJ Helldog wrote:
sangofe wrote:
SSJ Helldog wrote:I But for now they just make me look immature.
What is the use to care about what others might think of you and what you like? It is a total waste of time and energy, if you ask me.
That is entirely untrue. Professionally, you have to project an image of a completely grown-up individual who only cares for cigars and easy women. And I've only met a few anime fans I'd ever want to spend my free time with.

Pfft. Screw that. I say GO AGAINST THE NORM! DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!

ESPECIALLY if you're a writer! Let that inner-part of you leap onto the paper! Being a fan of a series like Dragon Ball can do nothing but HELP your creative juices!

SSJ Helldog · Post by **SSJ Helldog** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:59 am

Big Momma wrote:
SSJ Helldog wrote:
sangofe wrote: What is the use to care about what others might think of you and what you like? It is a total waste of time and energy, if you ask me.
That is entirely untrue. Professionally, you have to project an image of a completely grown-up individual who only cares for cigars and easy women. And I've only met a few anime fans I'd ever want to spend my free time with.
Pfft. Screw that. I say GO AGAINST THE NORM! DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!

ESPECIALLY if you're a writer! Let that inner-part of you leap onto the paper! Being a fan of a series like Dragon Ball can do nothing but HELP your creative juices!

Sure, in my writing. But I'm not being paid to write yet. And when I am I'll gladly display my nerd stuff. But professionalism is all about connecting to people and networking. The fact that this thread even popped up is proof that there could be negative consequences to proclaiming your love of DB too loudly. I'm already treading dangerous waters by having no interest in sports. People look at me like I'm weird. It's not like I hide my interests from my friends, but it's not something that belongs in the workplace.

caejones · Post by **caejones** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:32 pm

SSJ Helldog wrote:
Big Momma wrote:
SSJ Helldog wrote: That is entirely untrue. Professionally, you have to project an image of a completely grown-up individual who only cares for cigars and easy women. And I've only met a few anime fans I'd ever want to spend my free time with.
Pfft. Screw that. I say GO AGAINST THE NORM! DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!

ESPECIALLY if you're a writer! Let that inner-part of you leap onto the paper! Being a fan of a series like Dragon Ball can do nothing but HELP your creative juices!
Sure, in my writing. But I'm not being paid to write yet. And when I am I'll gladly display my nerd stuff. But professionalism is all about connecting to people and networking. The fact that this thread even popped up is proof that there could be negative consequences to proclaiming your love of DB too loudly. I'm already treading dangerous waters by having no interest in sports. People look at me like I'm weird. It's not like I hide my interests from my friends, but it's not something that belongs in the workplace.

Now, see, this here is a big part of why I cringe at the word "career". But I suppose I have an LJ for that...

(Ur, or maybe hubpages?

).

Topic-ly, though?
I suppose the fact that I taped Caillou episodes, Pinky and the Brain and DB on the same cassettes when DB was on Toonami already gives me other things to worry about.

I am a little bothered at how huge the tradeoff seems to be between me coming to daizex/working on DB-related things and ... everything else. It doesn't seem like there should be such a huge time cost, there... and yet...

DNA · Post by **DNA** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:42 pm

caejones wrote:I am a little bothered at how huge the tradeoff seems to be between me coming to daizex/working on DB-related things and ... everything else. It doesn't seem like there should be such a huge time cost, there... and yet...

You see, this is what basically boils down to. I mean, I have no problems in my social life, love life, family life or even work life. But I do feel like I should be occupying my time with something else. The problem is not with whatever other people think about me, oh no, that doesn't bother me at all, of course, socially I could have a problem, but seriously, realistically, how many of you are going to an interview and all of a sudden you feel the urge to say "oh yeah, I also am completely obsessed with Dragon Ball!". In all seriousness, our fandom has nothing to do with the fact that we can or cannot live socially, I think we, or at least the more mature of us, can keep things separately, not hiding them, but keeping them on their place. I think my problem is that I always wanted to do more with my life but unfortunately I'm starting to amount to nothing more than an average guy with an average job and an average life... And I feel that maybe if I didn't spend so much time with Dragon Ball related things, I could do more...

saiyangerl · Post by **saiyangerl** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:49 pm

I have never felt guilty. In fact I'm jealous of the time you get to spend on DB related things. I miss the days when I was a teenager with no responsibilites (about 10-11 years ago) and had the time to focus on DB as much as I wanted. In fact I am checking this board from work on my 15 minute break! I don't have too much time to check it at home. I'm usually going to the gym, doing errands, or spending quality time with my fiance.

The thing I've been looking forward to every day from the minute I wake up, all day at work, until around 8pm when things settle down for the past month and a half is when my fiance and I get to sit down and watch DBZ together for 1-3 hours, it varies, depending on what we have going on. As I mentioned in another thread I hadn't watched it in years, busy with life and stuff, and have introduced my fiance to it and we've been watching it from the very beginning starting a month and a half ago. I am sad we only have about 10-12 episodes left. Then we'll probably watch GT which I know is not as good but I've never seen it. And then watch some of the movies.

In between that my fiance wants to watch some Voltron and Robotech, thanks to my Dad pushing off his old VHS tapes on us to check out. He's always trying to get me/us into his stuff and I'm always talking to him about how great DBZ is. My Dad is an avid fan of a lot of the old 80s animes and has seen most of DBZ from when I watched it obsessively in my teens.

My little sister who is 17 but was 10 when she used to watch it with me even is over it and says she can't believe I'm watching it again lol.

Big Momma · Post by **Big Momma** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:52 pm

DNA wrote:I think my problem is that I always wanted to do more with my life but unfortunately I'm starting to amount to nothing more than an average guy with an average job and an average life... And I feel that maybe if I didn't spend so much time with Dragon Ball related things, I could do more...

This is when it becomes a problem. If it is taking time away from something that is ultimately more important.

SSJ Helldog · Post by **SSJ Helldog** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:25 pm

Big Momma wrote:
DNA wrote:I think my problem is that I always wanted to do more with my life but unfortunately I'm starting to amount to nothing more than an average guy with an average job and an average life... And I feel that maybe if I didn't spend so much time with Dragon Ball related things, I could do more...
This is when it becomes a problem. If it is taking time away from something that is ultimately more important.

True. Average is called "average" for a reason - it's what most people end up. If you want to be above average or exceptional, you have to choose a direction and apply yourself. Probably wouldn't hurt to limit your visits to the board to once a day or so, and make sure you're spending much more time improving yourself than being entertained.