The "New" Dragonball

[Li'l Lemmy]

Hey, everyone! Good to be back. I just returned from a extended visit back home with family and friends, and I've brought back with me a funny story to tell that (in a way) brings things full-circle here at Daizenshuu EX. Listen to this one . . .

Movie 12 will be so popular that FUNimation will buy the rights to create a new Dragonball series.

A friend of mine spouted this nonsense to me in passing a few weeks ago, and it gave me a cheap laugh. When I realized he was being serious, though, the ghosts of Dragonball AF climbed into my head and made me wonder if another generation of fools could buy into a similar rumor. Fear gave me an excuse to start an argument with him, and argue I did; I launched into a longwinded, know-it-all explanation of why it wouldn't ever happen in this space-time continuum . . . all of you know the reasons already . . . and threw as many logical roablocks in his path that I could, topping it off with my own personal assumption that Toei would be too stingy to even consider allowing for FUNi to do something so radical.

The "house of cards" my friend had built up lay scattered over the floor after I'd made my case plain, and with that I felt I'd done my part to stop another stupid Dragonball rumor before it has started. I gave myself a pat on the back . . . for though I'd killed a dream, the greater good had been served in the process; the species of intelligent, thoughtful Dragonball fandom was not extinct after all, and by acting accordingly I had done well by the community in which it thrives . . .

But alas, my victory was so very short-lived.

For where had he heard this news? From a friend of a friend of a friend, who has a sister that's married to the guy who happens to be acquainted with the new intern that works as an aide to one of the head honchos at FUNimation. (It sounds like I'm kidding, yes, but that really is the "source" he gave up.) It turns out he was merely the latest link in an apparent chain of misinformed ignoramuses, and that I hadn't really accomplished anything.

I made ready to decry his ridiculously fictional line of word-of-mouth so that I could get at least some satisfaction, but before I could he piped up by saying that even if he was wrong, there is a new series being made in Japan by Toei anyway: Dragonball "OFF". I immediately challenged him to cite proof, and though he admitted it was a fairly outdated headline, he directed me to a site called "Dragonball X" that had been decked out with pictures and screenshots, episodes descriptions and even trailers to celebrate this news about a year or so ago.

Aside from it sounding like some form of Dragonball porn, I didn't know what to make of the mysterious Dragonball X website, and after running it through a few search engines, I couldn't find an address for any site by that name or any mention of a new series that wasn't the faux Dragonball AF. I went back to my friend to ask if he had in fact merely fabricated the whole thing, but he claimed complete and total honesty in what he both saw and said. However, he admitted uncertainty regarding the name of the site.

Here's where I thought for sure he was backing out of a lie; after all, who can't claim that they heard something from somewhere and conveniently "forget" their source? He started trying to come up with other names for the site in question, and sure enough I figured this was a final desperate attempt to keep the lie alive . . . but suddenly, he started remembering that the site was "Japanese or something," and recalled that the details about the new series were on a display poster written in Japanese text. Eventually he ended up mispronouncing something as dizzen-choo and that's when it all clicked.

Oh, but wait . . . "Dragonball OFF"? I asked him what the hell he meant, and he told me that it really is the name of the new series. I asked him to spell it out, and he spelled it as A-F . . . because apparently, OFF is how you pronounce AF in German (yeah, right)! "It's German," he said. "Don't you get it, dude?"

Heh. Well, just to be sure, I showed him Daizenshuu EX and the images from the April Fools Day prank, and instantly he recognized this as the authoritative source where he'd gathered his info on the new series . . . but somehow, I couldn't bring myself to show him the DragonBall AF: The Prank (Revealed) page. He seems so damned sure of himself that I want him to feel stupid when he discovers the answers all on his own.

So congratulations, Daizenshuu EX; on snagging yet another sucker with the now-infamous April Fools prank.

Cheers!


(Li'l Lemmy, who goes now to watch the new Dragonball series in his mind.)

[Meri]

This is the greatest DBZ-related story I've read on the Internet in a long time. Thanks for sharing that with us!

[unstable_person99]

I also thank you for that interesting story.

[Sebastian (SB)]

This is just hilarious & to still think that this would even go on.

[Li'l Lemmy]

Thanks! I enjoy a community where people can share Dragonball thoughts and stories with one another . . . ah, the ties that bind, hmm?


On a final note . . . he's a good guy, my friend, but the manner in which I've described him in this story makes him seem very gullible and somewhat infantile.

(*This space marks the rather conspicuous absense of where I could have ended the above statement with, "but he really isn't. Really."*)


(Li'l Lemmy the troublemaker.)

[Dayspring]

Maybe it's me, but I thought we were above the whole "OMGWTFBBQ listen to THIS n00b!" stage of fandom...

[Eclipse]

Heh. Heh. Heh.

Now this was a funny story. Hope to hear more in the future!

[Blitzen]

Maybe it's me, but I thought we were above the whole "OMGWTFBBQ listen to THIS n00b!" stage of fandom...

No level of fandom, in any time, space, reality or plane of existence, will ever be above "hahah what a tool!" stories and remarks.

[Jerseymilk]

Maybe it's me, but I thought we were above the whole "OMGWTFBBQ listen to THIS n00b!" stage of fandom...

Oh come on Dayspring, it's a funny little story and really laughing about the unwitting trouble that Daizenshuu caused with it's prank. Plus it also shows how easy it is for miscommunication to happen. It's also a good lesson for us all really. To remember to be careful about our information sources and to make sure we aren't misinterpreting something.

[lost in thought]

. . . but somehow, I couldn't bring myself to show him the DragonBall AF: The Prank (Revealed) page. He seems so damned sure of himself that I want him to feel stupid when he discovers the answers all on his own.

This probably goes without saying, but if it were me, I would crush his dreams like a paper bag. But then, that's just my amusement, seeing a persons whole arguement fall apart on them by revealing the black and white truth to them.

Anyway, that was a most excellent story, and reminded me of a similar story involving my own cousin. This story with him is virtually identical to Lemmy's, except that he doesn't know about this website. He also liked to explain how Super Saiyan 7's have blue hair. How nice.

No level of fandom, in any time, space, reality or plane of existence, will ever be above "hahah what a tool!" stories and remarks.

I agree, and because of that we shall never evolve in that aspect; for I imagine most of us have our Nelson* moments when it comes to the ignorant.

Nelson**
Nelson, as in the Nelson of the Simpsons- the point and laugh boy.

[Li'l Lemmy]

Maybe it's me, but I thought we were above the whole "OMGWTFBBQ listen to THIS n00b!" stage of fandom...

Well, he is a nOOb and he isn't. He's actually the one who introduced me to Dragonball some eons ago, but . . . as the years go by, he's shown himself to be the sort of guy who'll buy into just about any DBZ rumor because he wants desperately for it to be true (so that the series looks as though it's still "alive"). He wants very badly for the series to continue now that it's ended for sure, so something very official-looking like the glorious April Fools prank was absolutely the holy grail he had been looking for.

As for me telling the story purely for the point-and-laugh factor? Hmm . . .

Oh come on Dayspring, it's a funny little story and really laughing about the unwitting trouble that Daizenshuu caused with it's prank. Plus it also shows how easy it is for miscommunication to happen. It's also a good lesson for us all really. To remember to be careful about our information sources and to make sure we aren't misinterpreting something.

And that's exactly why I did it. The whole lesson thing. (shifty-eyed sideways glance)

It was never meant to be just a cheap laugh, even if it does give us one. At any rate, I shall endeavor to (probably) limit myself to one mock-the-moron post per year as per my (imaginary) negotiations with the officially unofficial Daizenshuu EX litigators, who have been nothing but professional in their pursuit of a fair and equitable arrangement. (flinches, then turns to Dayspring) Oww. I agreed, already; stop poking me with that stick.

This probably goes without saying, but if it were me, I would crush his dreams like a paper bag. But then, that's just my amusement, seeing a persons whole arguement fall apart on them by revealing the black and white truth to them.

And if it were me, I would crush them too. But I'm being told what to do by my sensitivities toward other people . . . I'm just too @#$%ing nice, dammit!


(Li'l Lemmy, held hostage by his inner child.)

[Chaos Saiyajin]

I had to tell someone off about AF the other day...What a fucktard!

Oh yeah...Nice story, Lemmy!

[DBZ MAN]

It would be funny if Toriyama just surprised us one day saying "I'm continuing Dragonball!!" And he had us on when he said he said he was never interested in going back into it.

And of course he would never call it AF

[Panda]

So many stories...

I was mildly entertained Lemmy, good job and I imagine your friend sees the humor in it to.

I've always had a group of folks that were a typical anime-fad crowd and beign an anime-veteran (so to speak) for 8 years now I could easily tell them off or fasleify their evidence but it's beyond my nature to do so. I tell them that if they are passionate than it's true.

While not a black and white answer like most of you prefer it is the full truth that if you love something with all your heart than in no way are you actions or feelings against it wrong. I have high respect in my towns anime community for this.

(I'm siding with Dayspring, if you haven't caught my drift yet)

[Li'l Lemmy]

While not a black and white answer like most of you prefer it is the full truth that if you love something with all your heart than in no way are you actions or feelings against it wrong. I have high respect in my towns anime community for this.

This is true.

I made fun of him in a sense with that story, but my intention wasn't really to highlight his ignorance or point out that he was wrong. I don't condemn the guy for his wishful thinking in the slightest; I wish I had that sort of faith, as a matter of fact. I just thought the circumstances had come together in a way where it was almost fashionable to poke fun at the resulting situation.

Heh. Believe me, Panda, this wasn't meant to be taken too seriously. I don't throw myself into a community routinely looking for ways to make fun of anyone, least of all my own friends; if that's how I came across here, then the error is mine, and I'll kindly beg for you and Dayspring both to forget I said anything at all.

Of course, I agree with you in every way . . . which is why even though I argued with my good friend about why I don't personally believe that a new series is forthcoming, what you said is along the lines of why I didn't actually show him the page explaining the April Fool's prank. He still believes in a future series like Dragonball AF, and I guess there's really no harm in that.


(Li'l Lemmy, the apologetic.)