If Dragon Ball wasn't based on Journey to the West...?

[NeoKING]

What classical story would you want it based on? Or would you prefer no classical influence at all?

Personally, I'd like it to be based on the Water Margin(???) story. It's one of the Four Great Classics of Chinese Literature(ergo, it's up there with Journey to the West). IIRC, it was the one with 108 [anti]heroes or fighters or so(think the Suikoden series of RPGs) along with it's fair share of baddies. I'd like it because it'd give DB(pre-Z) more battles. I admit, I'm not too fond of DB's humor, so more action is a plus for me.

[Chuquita]

I'd like to see a special containing short skits where the characters parody alternatives to their Journey to the West origins.

I've seen doujinshi that's done this with fairy tales like Cinderella, Swan Lake, and Alice in Wonderland. (Though I guess Swan Lake is more of a theater play than a fairy tale?)

In the Wonderland one, Vegeta was Alice and Dodoria was the Queen of Hearts.

[NeoKING]

Very... strange. I'm surprised Freeza isn't the Queen.

And the idea you are proposing, doesn't One Piece's anime do that every now and again?

[Gaffer Tape]

(Though I guess Swan Lake is more of a theater play than a fairy tale?)

Swan Lake is a ballet. The more you know.

[SonEric84]

I'd like to see a special containing short skits where the characters parody alternatives to their Journey to the West origins.

I've seen doujinshi that's done this with fairy tales like Cinderella, Swan Lake, and Alice in Wonderland. (Though I guess Swan Lake is more of a theater play than a fairy tale?)

In the Wonderland one, Vegeta was Alice and Dodoria was the Queen of Hearts.

Where did you see that? Sounds entertaining, to say the least.

[Chuquita]

Very... strange. I'm surprised Freeza isn't the Queen.

And the idea you are proposing, doesn't One Piece's anime do that every now and again?

Me too. Freeza seems way more suited to the role than Dodoria.
He's a humpty-dumpty type creature in it, actually.
(I'm so sorry! I'm not that knowledgeable in Alice OR Swan Lake. ^^; )

I only really follow OP through the manga, but I am aware that they do Edo Luffy shorts every once in a while.

(Though I guess Swan Lake is more of a theater play than a fairy tale?)

Swan Lake is a ballet. The more you know.

Swan Lake is exclusively a ballet? Interesting. :3
In the doujinshi I saw of that, the Freeza-era cast was putting on the ballet for a show. Freeza was the dance instructor (wearing fish-net stockings) and everyone else was kind of early 90's male and female dance clothes. Goku and Vegeta were trying to out-do one another in terms of moves. They end up as the leads in the show. Goku makes a hilariously awesome Odette and Vegeta's the prince--but then he suddenly sees the moon, transforms into oozaru, and the whole theater is destroyed. It cuts away to the next day with Vegeta being berated about it by Freeza.

I'd like to see a special containing short skits where the characters parody alternatives to their Journey to the West origins.

I've seen doujinshi that's done this with fairy tales like Cinderella, Swan Lake, and Alice in Wonderland. (Though I guess Swan Lake is more of a theater play than a fairy tale?)

In the Wonderland one, Vegeta was Alice and Dodoria was the Queen of Hearts.

Where did you see that? Sounds entertaining, to say the least.

The Cinderella one and the Alice in Wonderland I saw years and years ago and I actually stumbled upon Swan Lake a couple years ago after only seeing a single frame from it years before that.


Here's the cover image to Vegeta in Wonderland:
And what I consider the money shot page for the DB Swan Lake:

I'm trying to look for the Cinderella one, but I can't find it. If I do, will be back to post an image of what that looks like.

Heh, it's gonna bug me now wondering where I left that Cinderella one... ^^;;


Continuing off of alternate beginnings, but leaving this type behind, I've also seen doujinshi where the entire cast is switched places. Instead of it being child Goku and Bulma at the beginning of DB, they've got child Vegeta and Zarbon. It goes through various arcs (Nappa is Kuririn, Ginyu is Tenshinhan, etc) before finishing at Freeza's where they have Goku and company running around in armor and scouters and Vegeta in a Kame gi. This isn't a pure-hearted Vegeta though, he's still the same sneaky guy. He tricks Zarbon early on and doesn't hold back on Ginyu. Goku also seems cheerful despite stealing Namek's Dragon Balls and Chi-Chi's the leader of her own version of the Ginyu Force. Vegeta even has his own Kinto'un.

[Ahiru77]

Omg, those japanese are hilarious.

"Sometimes DB is a clever joke and Vegeta is the punchline"

[SonEric84]

haha Thanks for sharing that Chuquita...they look hilarious. Do you actually own any of those or just have images?

[Chuquita]

haha Thanks for sharing that Chuquita...they look hilarious. Do you actually own any of those or just have images?

I wish I owned them. :3
They're just images I found ages ago back when fan-sites with DB doujinshi sections were really prevalent.

[StarRot]

Here's the cover image to Vegeta in Wonderland:

I ... I must own this!

I honestly can't imgaing DB not being based on Journey to the West.
I suppose if it was based on an epic like Gilgamesh or similar, it could be interesting.

[NeoKING]

Although interesting, those aren't exactly what I was referring to in the original post.

[Godo]

Just for your information, there are two books about Alice In Wonderland and in both books, there is a Queen.
The Red Queen is one, and I can't remember the other (Maybe it's the one with the card knights, fat and all).
So in a continuation of the Alice In Wonderland doujinshi, Freeza can indeed be the Red Queen.

[SonEric84]

haha Thanks for sharing that Chuquita...they look hilarious. Do you actually own any of those or just have images?

I wish I owned them. :3
They're just images I found ages ago back when fan-sites with DB doujinshi sections were really prevalent.

Oh okay. Yeah, doujinshi seems harder to find these days..but perhaps I just don't know the right places to look. I only actually own one that I found on ebay for a good price and it has shorts aimed more toward comedy. I remember one featuring a couple of the guys playing basketball. (Gohan, Piccolo, Goku..maybe Vegeta? I'm not sure where it is right now.)

[StarRot]

Oh okay. Yeah, doujinshi seems harder to find these days..but perhaps I just don't know the right places to look. I only actually own one that I found on ebay for a good price and it has shorts aimed more toward comedy. I remember one featuring a couple of the guys playing basketball. (Gohan, Piccolo, Goku..maybe Vegeta? I'm not sure where it is right now.)

Yo.

Ebay (to name just a few)

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/japanesemanga_co ... ksid=p3686
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Otome-Road?_rdc=1
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/DOUJIN-WEB?_rdc=1

Japanese Stores:

http://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/
http://www.happyotakusite.jp/shop/

Shopping services:

http://japani.s269.xrea.com/directpage/ ... inshi.html
http://www.sosjapan.com

[NeoKING]

So, how about that original topic?

[SonEric84]

Yo.

Ebay (to name just a few)

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/japanesemanga_co ... ksid=p3686
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Otome-Road?_rdc=1
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/DOUJIN-WEB?_rdc=1

Japanese Stores:

http://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/
http://www.happyotakusite.jp/shop/

Shopping services:

http://japani.s269.xrea.com/directpage/ ... inshi.html
http://www.sosjapan.com

I actually meant the days when you could easily find images/scans on DB fan sites. I bought my doujinshi on ebay so I know where to get them...but usually they are pretty high priced. I would like to collect more some day, but thanks for that anyway.

So, how about that original topic?

As far as I knew we were staying on topic...we were discussing a doujinshi that was using a different basis as a story for DB?

I know DB deterred pretty far from it's Journey to the West influence after the original Dragon Ball hunt, so if the story was based on something else who knows how it would have affected the plot? The characters might have had slight personality differences or maybe certain characters simply wouldn't exist at all and we'd have an all different cast. It's interesting to think about, but difficult to speculate because I think it has the possibility of changing things quite drastically.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Easily the best thing I have seen today. I wish I had this, because it looks like it would be great to read.

But as for the original topic...if DB wasn't based on Journey to the West, I don't really know what classical story I'd want it to be based on. Besides, Dragon Ball as a whole doesn't seem to be based on Journey to the West past the first arc. Then, it kind of goes its own Shonen way, drawing from other things like martial arts and then prominently the sci-fi genre in the Cell arc. I would be interested if it was based on fairytales, like the ones that have already been mentioned, or if it had no classical influence, but then, would it still be Dragon Ball? The doujinshis based on fairytales (like the aforementioned Alice in Wonderland one) appear to be looking at Dragon Ball from a more humorous perspective, rather than saying "I want DB to be like this".

[caejones]

Just for your information, there are two books about Alice In Wonderland and in both books, there is a Queen.
The Red Queen is one, and I can't remember the other (Maybe it's the one with the card knights, fat and all).
So in a continuation of the Alice In Wonderland doujinshi, Freeza can indeed be the Red Queen.

There's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", which includes such characters as the Dutchess, the Chesshire cat (SP?), the March Hare and Mad Hatter, the "I'm late for a very important date!" rabit, the Caucus Races, I think it covers the Catarpillar, and the card kingdom with the Queen of Hearts as the "boss" of sorts.
The other is "Through the Looking Glass", which has the general plot structure of Alice making her way through a world that is organized like a chessboard, competing against the Red Queen in what begins a friendly adventure-type thing. I never finished reading this one, but it includes Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, at least. (In the Disney animated version of Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts had a few lines that were spoken by the Red Queen in the books. XD.)

Teheh. Now I know what I'm doing next.

If Dragonball wasn't based on Journey to the West... would Goku's entire nature be different? The whole monkeyboy thing is big enough a part of him that it turned into the "Space warriors" stuff that kicked off Z...

[Wobbuffet]

How about Momotaro?
Goku would be a baby that was found by Son Gohan and his wife inside a peach. When he grows up, he goes to the oni island with his friends (Bulma the pheasant, Oolong the monkey and Yamcha the dog) to defeat Piccolo Dai-oni-oh (does this word even make sense?).
In the next saga, he would find out that he had a brother and he is an alien. In his original planet, everybody is born from peaches.
And so on.

[ssj5goku]

This may be off topic, but, did anyone here know that Journey to the West used to air on TV here in the USA? It was a long time ago, like 1994 or 1995. It was not dubbed but it did have subtitles. It aired every weekday at 10:00pm. It was the 1987 version.