What does Dragonball mean to you in your lives

JAKEMAN · Post by **JAKEMAN** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:07 pm

Though this might sound as abit cliche within fandom but how has dragonball Z GT affected you in your life and what does it mean to you? It can be anything from words you say to events in your life, or the way you feel now after watching it. Now this is probably sounding like some kind of occult speech at the start and I am not talking about it as a life changing experiance to people, what I mean has it brought you closer to friends or family and stuff like that.

In a way the series helped a lot with the relationships I have with my two younger brothers. Seven years ago I had to go into hospital and during that time Dragonball z had started to being shown on cartoon network, by using the show were we all able to keep our minds off needles and hospital things. Like one time I was on the phone to them, I hadn't seen the end of the Ginyu Saga or the Frieza Saga and while I was talking to them they told Kuririn was dead. And I was like "oh my god Kuririn's dead" but they didnt tell me how he died and I spent a whole week wondering what had happened till they gave me the video with it recorded on.

Well its seven years down the line though I am the only anime fan in the family they do both go in and out of different anime series I am watching at the time (They did get into Excel Saga because of the Pedro scenes hehe). And we all can't wait for the new game to come out (and I have got one of them to start reading the dragonball manga

).

The video games aswell have brought us closer aswell everytime a new Budokai game comes we all put our money together and go straight down to buy it. We are all avid fighting game fans and really like it when our favourite shows get fighting game versions of them (Star Wras, ninja turtles you name it hehe)

So thats my little story of how is lovely series means to me in my life what does it mean to you in yours?

SatoSky · Post by **SatoSky** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:30 pm

I won't go into many details about how it affected or influenced me in my life, maybe I'll save that for another time. Dragon Ball is a very important factor in my life. I can honestly say that thanks to Dragon Ball my mind has opened up to many new things. I'm constantly discovering new animes and music to keep myself entertained. It may seem odd, but Dragon Ball helped me through some of the bull that I went through during high school. I no longer have the feeling that the whole world is against me. I don't want to get too personal, so I'll just end it here.

Mr. Announcer · Post by **Mr. Announcer** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:44 pm

Oh man, I hate to sound like the biggest nerd ever but the Dragonball series has had a huge effect on my life. Mostly because it has taken up so much of my life. As any fan knows, watching the entire series and reading the entire manga isn't something that happens in a week.

As an artist it totally transformed my style. My art, while moderately good used to be kind of stale, and lacking in emotion but as I began to draw DB I felt I could use the fairly simple features to break out of formula and become much more expressive. I definitely have a preference for more fun colorful art now and style is even more important to me than technical skill. It was because of the manga that i decided i really was really interested in drawing comics. Toriyama really became my role model in terms of how I wanted to be as an artist even if I may follow a little too closely now....

Speaking of role models, Dragonball also led me to change as a person. I used to be pretty cold and pessimistic because I didn't have a great family situation and I didn't really like people. But after watching Dragonball I really brightened up, it was such a wonderful outlet for me and even made want to be more open with others. I admired Gokuh's character so much that I think it has in some ways made me a better person. I learned not to take things so seriously but to try to be as honest as possible.

Also it was because of my introduction to the manga that I began learning japanese in the first place. I still think it was a horrible reason considering I'm half japanese and should've started much earlier but I could never get down to it before that. I can still remember trying to read volume 2 and having to ask my sister what each and every symbol was. Now I can read Dragonball and most other comics easily, barely ever having to look things up. Even better, I am able to watch the cartoon in its original form and understand it without having to rely on the subs. Strangely I feel it has helped me get more in touch with my culture....

Okay, end nerd-dom, but seriously I don't go a day without thinking at least one dragonball thought and though one day I'd like to move away from it a little, I still enjoy it after being a fan for more than half my life.

Great Saiyaman · Post by **Great Saiyaman** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:53 pm

DB IS my life.

It gives me joy to watch over & over & has opened me up to Anime & Manga in general.

Post by **desirecampbell** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:59 am

Great Saiyaman wrote:DB IS my life.

It gives me joy to watch over & over & has opened me up to Anime & Manga in general.

That's about it for me too.

I can't say enough about DragonBall. There's no way I can put into words how I feel about this awe inspiring story

Chuquita · Post by **Chuquita** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:01 am

I'd rather not type anything too personal, but I do have this; while many shows I've watched over the years have helped me better my artistic ability, dbz's the only one who's gotten me so into writing that I've drastically improved my skills in that area over the past almost 6 years, improved my spelling and grammar and learned lots about storytelling through putting it into practice. As I type this I've written 115 fics.

Also, the podcast inspired me to try out for my school's radio station. I did and had my own hour-long show for the entire semester.

theoriginalbilis · Post by **theoriginalbilis** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:19 am

While DB isn't the most important thing in my life, it pretty much was the only thing on my mind throughout Middle School-early High School. I helped me to make some of my best friends (since some kids my age were into DBZ as well), and we'll still talk to each other on a regular basis, so DB was kind of a icebreaker to me, if you will.

It also inspired me to get more creative with my art, and was one of many factors that made me decide I want to do something with drawing in my life. Before DB. I was drawing cartoony stuff, like WB stuff. And even my serious drawings were horribly disproportioned. DBZ's art style influenced me to study anatomy and add details to my drawings. I also starting to draw original works as well as fanart. So... DBZ has helped me open my mind as an artist.

Nowadays? It's just a fun show that I like to watch now and then. I enjoy popping in an episode or movie to just sit down and escape from reality for a while. It's now a current part of my TV/DVD diet because I'm watching many episodes in Japanese for the 1st time, since I've watched the dub for years and years. So... that's about all I can say. It's goooood stuff.

Daimao · Post by **Daimao** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:39 am

It opened a door for me to a full-fledged career, so...

Yep. Beat that.

Mayuri Furiza Kurotsuchi · Post by **Mayuri Furiza Kurotsuchi** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:09 am

If it wasn't for DBZ, I never would've been as good as an artist as I am now. I don't know how to explain it, but without DBZ, I don't think I'd know how to draw any better than stick figures. It opened up my eyes and coordinated my hands for me.

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:34 am

desirecampbell wrote:
Great Saiyaman wrote:DB IS my life.

It gives me joy to watch over & over & has opened me up to Anime & Manga in general.
That's about it for me too.

I can't say enough about DragonBall. There's no way I can put into words how I feel about this awe inspiring story

Ditto.

Daimao wrote:It opened a door for me to a full-fledged career, so...

Yep. Beat that.

You just watch. Akira Toriyama himself is going to register and "beat that" and then what will you say?

SDHero · Post by **SDHero** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:50 am

Mayuri Furiza Kurotsuchi wrote:If it wasn't for DBZ, I never would've been as good as an artist as I am now. I don't know how to explain it, but without DBZ, I don't think I'd know how to draw any better than stick figures. It opened up my eyes and coordinated my hands for me.

That's definetely similar to my experience with Dragonball. Previous to my friends introducing me to DBZ, I drew in a style that was (whether I knew it or not) moderately influenced by Japanese manga (mainly glimpsed in video game manuals and such). Dragonball seemed like a whole new way of drawing and animating, and the look of the show captivated me even though I had no idea what was going on (you plop down in the middle of the Namek arc and try to grasp the entire show

).

Later on I got as equally drawn in by the story and emotions present in Dragonball, something that was on a scale that I'd never really seen in American animation (and, having now seen more anime, not necessarily there either). It has inspired me in the sense that it opened doors for me artistically, showing me how one could tell a story in both the composition and look of things, as well as the way in which a long form story could be related.

All in all, I can't really imagine what my life would be like without the influence that Dragonball has exerted on it.

Steven Perry · Post by **Steven Perry** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:07 am

Well, this may seem VERY strange, but Vegeta inspired me to start bodybuilding. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have started studying, and wouldn't have a body fat lower than 6%. THANK YOU VEGETA! And Tom Venuto, I guess.

Pictures will be up soon.

TRY AND BEAT THAT!

El_Diablo · Post by **El_Diablo** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:33 pm

Dragon Ball is a series I used to like very much.

Still has place in heart / moved on and all that.

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:36 pm

DBZ has made my life worth living.

Slickmasterfunk · Post by **Slickmasterfunk** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:48 pm

I guess it doesn't mean as much to me as other people but it's definitely a show I've always enjoyed. It was also the first anime I ever saw and eventually led to my latest anime/manga obsession, Naruto.

Sebastian (SB) · Post by **Sebastian (SB)** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:39 pm

Duo wrote:
desirecampbell wrote:
Great Saiyaman wrote:DB IS my life.

It gives me joy to watch over & over & has opened me up to Anime & Manga in general.
That's about it for me too.

I can't say enough about DragonBall. There's no way I can put into words how I feel about this awe inspiring story
Ditto.

Second (or Third) to that.

Daimao wrote:It opened a door for me to a full-fledged career, so...

Yep. Beat that.

Yes & I'm glad it did. Thank you.

Also if it weren't for Dragon Ball, I probably wouldn't be a One Piece & semi-Naruto fan.

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:54 am

Well as I said in another thread once, if it weren't for the fact I was a fan of DB, I likely never would have met my fiance.

Jodaku · Post by **Jodaku** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 12:23 pm

Dragon Ball makes up 1/3 of my personal holy trinity of series that are just my absolute favourites regardless of genre or medium and (others being Metal Gear and Star Wars), and while I really love MS and SW, DB has this intangible magic about it that makes it stand up and maybe surpass the other two in a way I can't explain.

As for what DB means to me in terms of my life, along with MG and SW, it's inspired me to attempt to write fiction (if only for my own pleasure, and not for display), and I've spend a shit load of money on it! And unlike Star Wars and somewhat with Metal Gear, spending time with it (i.e. reading the manga) is a solitary experience, and when going through all 42 volumes, it can somewhat come at the cost of my social life, but when I'm into something as much as DB, I don't care (Yes, the anime rarely comes into my thinking in regards to DB now, I'm a self confessed manga purist. The movies are still fun though, and I'm still partial to a few anime fights and the Bardock Speical the only genuine extension to the manga for me).

future_trunks · Post by **future_trunks** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:03 pm

Well, when I was in 5th grade, Dragonball was huge among kids, and because of that I was able to gain friends and have things to talk about.

Saddly now the biggest Dragonball fans in my school are me and my friend.

Also... having this forum and meeting all of you has changed my life dramatically. It shows me that their are still people out there like me. It shows that I am not wierd for liking a show. It helps when guys at school call a fag and stuff to know that I still have this forum to make me laugh and have fun.

so... thank you everyone for the wondeerful life you have given me.

Grandmaster J · Post by **Grandmaster J** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:11 pm

Dragon Ball is an escape from reality for me. And it always has been. I only watch Dragon Ball when I'm either seriously bored, or just need some time to forget about what's really going on in my life, hence the escape from reality. And it's the only anime I can actually keep going back to no matter how many times I've seen it. And that there my friends is something special. So Dragon Ball does play a big role in my life. It'll always be my favorite anime until I die.