Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Gridlock » Sun Feb 05, 2023 3:56 pm

Not, really no. I am currently re-reading the DB manga in its color version, which is being released for the first time in my country (we are currently on volume 9) and still play various games from time to time. However, I have to admit that I am a casual reader of Super manga. I don't get excited about new chapters, but I read them as they come out. I just don't think about them much after, just something that will occupy my mind for 20 minutes every month. I don't even care if they make an anime out of it. Personally, DB movies every 2-3 years would be enough for me for the rest of my life. I also completly ignore Heroes, it's just not my thing.

So yeah, I'm a rather casual fan at this point, but still a fan.
Last edited by Gridlock on Sun Feb 05, 2023 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by bkev » Sun Feb 05, 2023 4:29 pm

Hmm... I think this is a decent question posed. And it's not necessarily one posed with malice, more to get people thinking.

To be honest with y'all, I still -- all these years later -- habitually check this forum to see what's going on. But I didn't watch any Super past the first tournament arc, really. Not because I was aghast or anything, more because I found myself indifferent to it. With age, I find myself less invested in anime in general. DB is just a part of that.

But I'm still here from time to time, which must mean something. I tend to check out the movies when they're new, but that's about it for me. Every few months I might throw on an old episode and smile, but I see no need to hyperfixate on DB the way I did as a youth. I'm turning 30 this year and that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to like cartoons, but it does mean it takes a lot more for one to suck me in than it did at 20, let alone 9.

I think it's a more natural progression to outgrow some interests than people think. For me, DB happens to be one of those interests I've mostly left behind. Like Star Wars, it's something I can turn to for comfort, but you don't find me glued to every new piece of media within.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Metalwario64 » Sun Feb 05, 2023 6:20 pm

I still love and watch Dragon Ball. One day I will read the whole manga. It's just I don't spend much time here lately because a lot of things have happened in life and I've been busy elsewhere, but I did spend a bit of money on the crummy Walmart Blu-rays of Z so I could watch the dub in a better way than the bricks (I have my own issues, but I eventually grew very tired of the disappearing lines in the early episodes and some errors made on the dub in the bricks have been fixed like incorrect lines and missing sound effects).

Only did that because I lost most of my singles in a move years ago, and I don't have much money. I'd like to rewatch Super sometime too.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Gaffer Tape » Sun Feb 05, 2023 8:12 pm

bkev wrote: Sun Feb 05, 2023 4:29 pm I'm turning 30 this year and that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to like cartoons, but it does mean it takes a lot more for one to suck me in than it did at 20, let alone 9.
It feels like just yesterday that you were 16! :cry:

I'm certainly not done with DB, although it does oftentimes feel like an obligation. Tuning into Super the TV series every week felt like a hug obligation, and I was so happy when it was over. When I finally caught up with Super the manga, I found its monthly pacing much better. It's regular enough that I'm never out of it but not an all-consuming chore. That said, there were definitely parts of the Granolah Arc that still felt like a chore to get through. But on the other hand, Super Hero was one of the highlights of my year last year.

I certainly can't ignore DB right now because it's my job. But when that it is the case, it becomes less appealing to engage with it for fun, if you get me. If you spend most of your working time reading it, watching it, writing about it, nitpicking and analyzing it, it's harder to relax with it. When you step away, you want to do anything else. So I really hadn't read Dragon Ball purely for fun in nearly a decade when I decided to do a read of the manga the summer before last. And I very much did enjoy it just as much as I always have.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by TheGreatness25 » Sun Feb 05, 2023 10:29 pm

Nah. Dragon Ball (Z in particular) dominated a huge portion of my childhood. And being a nostalgic person, I'll never forget it. I pretty much still enjoy it, though clearly don't follow the latest. I do wish it was over so that I could put it all in one neat box, but I'm fine with it just going on and on I guess.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Rafa Fast » Mon Feb 06, 2023 2:35 am

Definitely not, aside from Sonic X and Studio Ghibli movies, it's literally the only JP Animation series I consume (and japanese comic-wise as well)
There's something in Dragon Ball that I just can't feel in any other Japanese production, I really can't tell what it is but It just holds my interest to this day, making it my favorite franchise of all time alongside Sonic The Hedgehog (explanation for Sonic X here)
I really can' explain why I don't have any interested in other japanese series, I don't dislike them, but everytime I try to start watching one I suddenly stop in less than 10 eps and never touch it again, I can't tell if it's because I feel bored or something but it just doesn't give me enough interest, but Dragon Ball does somehow, and it's since I was a kid as well, and no, I don't believe it's nostalgia because I also watched other JP series at the same time I started watching DB, and even at that time, DB was the only one that made me thought "Damn I can't lose a single chapter of this", so yeah, I put nostalgia totally aside, for me there's something in this Toriyama's work that no other Japanese production have.

But for this post to not be a letdown as many here expect to see someone who have problems with the franchise...well...yeah, I have at least 2 problems with it

1: As I said, Sonic The Hedgehog is my favorite franchise of all time alongside Dragon Ball, and one aspect I love in Sonic is how it's undoubtedly a series for all ages, kids, teenagers and adults, can all enjoy the blue hedgehog, as there is no "adult only" stuff in the series, and I really, really would like to say the same for Dragon Ball.
But unfortunately, I can't, specially for its first stories, as said by JulieYBM, I also don't like to sit through the scenes with overuse of sexual stuff, or as called, fanservice, and even though I don't consume other Japanese stuff, I'm totally aware that this is also present in a huge majority of other JP productions, and it's something I really don't like, it's a major problem in the first arcs imo.

Don't take me wrong, I have nothing against sexual jokes, but for me it's only okay when they are restricted to lines, and as well, not overused, DB didn't used to do that, as you had a huge amount of explicit moments. For me it's really funny when you have Goku revealing that Jaco told him about Bulma's sagging breasts, that made me laugh tears, for me it's totaly safe and fine to have stuff like this, because it's not shameful, it's a gag line, it's not something you should care about.
But now, Roshi wanting to see Bulma's panties and she revealing she's naked, Goku realizing that Bulma have no balls, Yamcha seeing Bulma completely naked, the panchi-panchi or something scene, the Maron scenes, are they really meant to make us think that they are funny? Because the only thing that they make me think is that this is definitely not a series that I should watch with people around or else I would feel completely embarrased, and yeah, they are annoying for me, Path to Power is a example, you have a awesome fight between Goku & Yamcha going on but then the camera cuts out to Bulma's panties for no reason.

And yeah, I know DB couldn't also be for all ages due to the Brutal scenes, but honestly? I have no issue with kids watching them, I was only 5 when I saw things like Piccolo punching the hole in Goku's chest, the Makankosapo on Raditz & Goku or Freeza being cut in half, and for me they were cool, yeah, probably your mom would complain about the brutal scenes, but at least they aren't moments that you would feel embarrased with people around watching it alongside you, that's why I'm in favor of brutal scenes but not sexual scenes, and better, they are relevant, for example, Tenshinhan losing his arm will be important as that will prevent him from using much energy and lead to his death, and it's not convenient, but now tell me, will Roshi seeing a naked woman add anything to the story? (I know I know, that helped Yamcha win against the Invisible man, but I mean, couldn't Tori think of anything better?)
That's pretty much it, If I was hired to rewritte DB, the first thing I would do would be get rid of every single sexual scene. And I'm really happy that since the Piccolo Daimao arc this element has been underused more and more, to the point that it's almost inexistent in Super, so the day they decide to never do them anymore, for me it will be a definitive win, won't miss it, Super Hero (Movie) showed the perfect way to make sexual jokes imo, the Bulma scene, there was nothing explicit on it, it was only Bulma wishing for a buttock augmentation and that's it, that is a scene where both me and my aunt could watch and laugh together, something that would be different if something explicit was show, hope that's how it will be like in the next stories and onwards.

2: The Videogames, for me the series is pretty weak videogame-wisely, I don't mean that they are bad, but that they lack originality.
Another thing I like a lot about the Sonic series is that it literaly offers you tons of content, the games, the animated series, the comics, the movies, all of them have their own original stories, it's all something you would take years to see in a entirety, but how about Dragon Ball?
You have GT, Movies, Heroes, but also have Comic, Animated Series and Video games... telling pretty much the exactly same stories, that's another problem I have with DB, it's not as vast in content as it could be, and I understand it, it's a comic, and they need to adapt it into a animation, that's fine, but why the heck they need to do that with the Video games too?
The Huge amount of games retelling Z, I don't get it, they already showed us that they are capable of making original stories with games like Shin Budokai Another Road, FighterZ, Legends, Gaiden.
I know that creating original stories doesn't mean that they all are going to be good, but at least for me it's more interesting to see not so good original stories than seeing Raditz-Boo retold again, if I want to see Raditz-Boo I'll watch the TV series or read the comic.
Retelling Raditz-Boo is good for 4 games, but for more than 20?
That is something that really makes me have not so much interest in the video games, when I come back to them is mostly when they add new stories in Xenoverse 2 or to see the amazing animation recreations in Dokkan Battle, or the WHAT-IFs or Heroes itself (it's a card game, so not really).
If someone asked me if I got hyped when Kakarot was announced, I would definitely say no, because it's not only gameplay or graphics that makes me interested, but also the story (when it have one), and unfortunately there's no way I can get hyped for a story that I already saw multiple times, that's why unlike the majority, I wouldn't be interested if SEGA decided to make a remake of Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, two very praised sonic games, Because I want new stuff.
(Edit: won't even talk about the fact that they wasted 5 years retelling again Raditz-Boo in a failed remaster, at least in the middle there was Battle of Gods and Episode of Bardock, but still...)

So in summary, No, I'm definitely not done with the series, at least comic and animation-wise, because videogame-wise, maybe, fairly. For the "If everything stopped tomorrow", that would demolish me, I don't want another dark age again (Post-GT & Pre-BoG), even though I like new stuff coming out fast (as monthly new comic chapters), I can accept new stuff taking years to come out (as it was the almost 4 years animation gap in between Broly and Super Hero; Heroes promo animation not considered), but a full decade and a half break? Just no.

That's pretty much it, as usual, sorry for long post.
I simply wouldn't want to imagine my life without Dragon Ball, thank you Akira Toriyama (1955-2024), you are now immortal.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Kendamu » Mon Feb 06, 2023 5:44 am

Nah. I barely post but I still keep up with the Super manga and reread Dragon Ball from random points pretty often.

My girlfriend is also really into Dragon Ball and martial arts training so I have someone to share that love with in my daily life. We also play XV2 together to hang out and talk while completing PQs and strategizing with language we use in the dojo.

I also randomly watch FighterZ streams. I don't understand much but it looks rad and I respect the practice it takes to do those combos and stuff.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Kunzait_83 » Mon Feb 06, 2023 10:23 am

I mean... no more than I was in 1997, when GT first ended?

With all my "nerd" interests and hobbies, I go in cycles: I do a stretch of time on one thing for a bit, then another thing, and so on. Dragon Ball's not much different in this regard. I'm no more "done" with DB than I am with horror movies or video games or what have you. I'm sure it'll find its way back in my rotation of stuff periodically, as it has reliably enough for the last 30 years now.

bkev wrote: Sun Feb 05, 2023 4:29 pmWith age, I find myself less invested in anime in general. DB is just a part of that.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by JulieYBM » Mon Feb 06, 2023 10:47 am

I just finished marathoning Kamen Rider Faiz (written entirely by Inoue Toshiki) the other day, so I seem to be in a bit of a Kamen Rider cycle again. This, of course, was brought on by me being in a Avatarou Sentai DonBrothers cycle (also written entirely by Inoue Toshiki), so it's funny how these things can tie into one another. Meanwhile, I've also been keeping up with some of my favorite web authors, like Alyson Greaves of The Sisters of Dorley fame. Outside of the monthly comic Dragon Ball really doesn't take up that much of my hobby time these days, which is a bit of a relief since it's not exactly the most well-written franchise in the world. I'm still looking forward to the next animated series, though, I'm excited to see from the production staff have in mind! I'm really hoping Tomioka Atsuhiro returns to write episodes! Tomioka's work on Dragon Ball Super was a lot of fun. Keeping up with his Pokemon work for the past ten years has been a ton of fun, too. I wish Dragon Ball would loosen up its writing restrictions because I think there's plenty of room to toy around with the series more if different voices were given greater control (like Tomioka or even asking Matsui Aya to return).

Good grief, it really has been 25 years for me.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Majin Buu » Mon Feb 06, 2023 11:04 am

I'm not done with Dragon Ball, I'm just not invested in anything past the original manga and anime run.

I've never needed more Dragon Ball than that so I didn't watch the new movies or Super until the pre-release buzz/controversy surrounding SuperHero intrigued me enough to finally jump into the whole thing- And that was more out of intellectual curiosity than genuine enthusiasm (I had read enough about modern Dragon Ball to not go into it with any high expectations). Some of it ended up being better than I expected (namely the Tournament of Power), but ultimately I only found Battle of Gods and SuperHero good enough to justify the entire revival.

I got used to Super and the stuff it introduced enough to where I don't hate that it exists anymore like I used to; but like others have said, I'd be fine if they stopped making new Dragon Ball stuff.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by LoganForkHands73 » Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:34 pm

Eh, like a lot of people, I go in and out of phases. Considering that I probably got into Dragon Ball at a later point in my life than some of you, I managed to stay really into it for a pretty long time, but there comes a point where there's not much else to read or say about it. Dragon Ball was, after all, designed to be a story without much substance. Now, I certainly think there is plenty of untapped depth in the writing, art and worldbuilding which is why I still occasionally make long posts about it. But we have a three-decade-old manga/anime franchise, one of the most widely popular in the world, that's pretty much been analysed to death already. I'd like to see more discussions about Dragon Ball's cultural inspirations and interactions with other media, which users like Kunzait and Yuli Ban have made many excellent posts about already, I guess because they serve as reminders that Dragon Ball is only a single fibre of an enormous tapestry rather than the prevailing narrative of it being the single most important and influential thing in the world ever.

As much as I would like to discuss more serious politicised topics, I just don't think Dragon Ball is the right conduit for it. I mean, there was a period when pretty much every single thread here, no matter how innocuous, devolved into some kind of histrionic political frenzy which was quite exhausting (I guess it was mostly COVID anxiety flaring up tensions, I'm glad it calmed down since then). Ultimately, what ever comes of it? We just hear again and again and again that Dragon Ball has historically problematic portrayals of minority and LGBT characters, as well as a few other questionable elements. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. Taking umbrage with the more recent media that still fall into the same pitfalls, I understand and am totally willing to engage with, but bringing up how awfully Toriyama portrayed Muten Roshi, General Blue or Mr. Popo in 198-fuckin-8 for the billionth time is just tedious at this point. It happened, it was kinda shit, we'd all probably like to move on but there aren't many places to move on to.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by GreatSaiyaman123 » Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:38 pm

Somehow, Dragon Ball is the only franchise that I've never gotten tired of, even though it's the most limited. I don't think I'll be done with Dragon Ball until Dragon Ball itself is done, which I expect to happen within the next 10 years if they pick up the pace again (If they don't pick up pace, then at least I don't see the main story going past my lifespan).
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Kaboom » Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:57 pm

I've been essentially done with modern Dragon Ball for like 5 years now. The last thing I indulged in that I actually enjoyed was the DBS Broli movie (after having already given up on both versions of the DBS series), and even mainly just because it "feels" more like a classic Z outing than anything else. Everything else with the "Dragon Ball Super" name attached can go back into the flaming dumpster it came from.

But in spite of the last near-decade of almost non-stop crappage, or perhaps because of it, my love for the pre-2013 material is still burning bright. Heck if anything I've gained an even stronger appreciation for most of it, especially the previously lopsidedly lambasted parts like GT. In the meantime, I've even found ways to use DBS and my frustration over it as fodder for creative outlets.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Majin Buu » Fri Feb 10, 2023 10:18 am

Kaboom wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:57 pm But in spite of the last near-decade of almost non-stop crappage, or perhaps because of it, my love for the pre-2013 material is still burning bright. Heck if anything I've gained an even stronger appreciation for most of it, especially the previously lopsidedly lambasted parts like GT.
Same here. Super's existence partially rehabilitating GT's reputation among some of the Western fanbase has been an interesting trend to watch. It's merely divisive now as opposed to near-universally despised like before.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Peril » Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:04 am

My interest comes and goes. Sometimes I'm like "oh cool. I remember why I like this" But...most of the time I'm like "It's garbage. Why do I like this again?" I think my heart stayed with og Dragon Ball and Early Z.

But the reason why I don't leave completely is probably fan content. Not all fan-content though, I lean more towards speculative stuff over transformation/power level wankery. Plus being a fan doesn't really cost me anything so it is mostly stress free. But for a long time I went years and years not even thinking about dragon ball. :crazy:

When DBS:Broly came out, I think thats when I finally decided to at least stick my toe back in.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by VegettoEX » Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:10 am

The nature of my relationship with the franchise is constantly evolving, and this is my biggest recommendation for everyone: either let it go, or take it in a new direction.

It's probably no surprise to hear that because of Kanzenshuu that I've personally never "let it go", and then by extension, it's probably also no surprise to hear that I'm always both looking for and actually doing something new all the time.

I don't get much personal enjoyment or fulfillment out of "reviewing" aspects of the actual fiction itself. I've taken a stance in saying that I don't think it's worthwhile to do individual chapter reviews of Super, for example, and instead we do full arc reviews once they're done (both television series and now into the manga-original arcs). Whatever "fun" there is in reviewing things, I get those jollies out once in a blue moon through those podcast reviews.

I don't even actively watch or read the series that much anymore. And by "much" I mean "ever". I can't remember the last time, other than the most recent manga arc for review, that I've intentionally sat and re-watched an episode or a movie, re-read an arc, etc. Been there done that.

So if I'm not reading or watching it, what am I doing? There's all the usual site stuff: keeping up with news, etc. That's evergreen for me. But what else?

My anime music video (AMV) involvement has gone through ebbs and flows over the years. Even when I was most heavy into AMVs, this franchise wasn't actually my highest priority to use, but it certainly popped up from time to time. Most recently I actually kicked out TWO videos with this franchise (both in 2022 -- a "how do I edit again?" kind of video, and a more focused thematic one), and I actually did get a ton of personal fulfilment out of that!

But for me it seems to always come back to research. That's been my favorite part ever since I discovered the franchise back in 1996. I just need to learn more all the time. I need to learn, I need to confirm, and I need to share.

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This is my basement table right now. I'm in the middle of a giant purchasing/researching/documenting project working through the original promotion of Dragon Ball GT (if you're a patron, check out a little behind-the-scenes stuff!). Even as someone who's been in to this franchise since GT was actually still new and actively airing in Japan, even I've never seen some of this material before. To actually track down, confirm, document, and ultimately share how this series was announced in Weekly Shonen Jump and then promoted in partner magazines like Animedia is utterly fascinating and gives me that original sense of wonder and amazement.

I'll never be done. There's always something I want to learn and something I can't find the answer to out there, which means ore ga yaranakya dare ga yaru.
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Koitsukai » Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:54 am

I was done with the franchise from like 2001 to 2013.
I'll be done again once the revival is over. Coming back at it from time to time, like I did during the first decade of this century, I never got past one or two weeks invested on the franchise back then, though.

But for good, nah. Never.

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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Thanos » Sun Feb 12, 2023 1:50 pm

I've come to accept I'm in it for the long haul. I'm almost 33 and have been a fan since I was 10. Virtually every other interest, opinion and sensibility in my life has evolved or completely changed, but somehow my interest in this franchise remains solid. I still feel excited with every new release. It's something of a mystery to me because I can't even articulate what I like about it so much. I just do. At this point it's just part of my identity--though by no means does it dominate my life in any meaningful capacity (in other words, I like to think of it as a healthy enjoyment) and many days or weeks go by where I barely even think about Dragon Ball, but I know if somehow I completely lost interest or stopped following Dragon Ball completely something would feel missing.
Yuji wrote: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:31 pm [...] but there's something unequivocally charming about a work of fiction that's self-aware about the fact that it's just mindless entertainment and isn't afraid to push boundaries or to challenge itself.
I really think there's something to that. I was introduced through FUNimation's edgy, "90's wrestling/nu metal/energy drink" version and when I began to grow out of it and lose interest, the original Japanese version with all its self-aware charms hooked me back in for good. It managed to withstand my edgy teenage years with its "yeah, this is an extremely absurd children's cartoon, so what? You know it's still pretty cool" vibe rather than super-muscly, noble and selfless super heroes fighting over anachronistic Deftones songs.
Thanos before Thanos was cool.

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BootyCheeksJohnson
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by BootyCheeksJohnson » Mon Feb 13, 2023 4:54 am

Something will always pull me back in, even if just for a short time.

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Kokos
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Re: Are you done with Dragon Ball?

Post by Kokos » Wed Feb 15, 2023 3:02 pm

I check on the series every once in a while, currently the manga. I like to stay updated on the facts and new stuff, whether they interest me or not. So DB is kind of like an old friend in that way :mrgreen: I'm not that invested in it anymore but I'm fine with that, for me it's not a reflection of modern DB. I think it's because DB was always more of a child thing for me that I loved so much, other things came in its place but the memories stayed. That keeps some interest going.

I will say though that I really enjoyed and still enjoy FighterZ, Arc Systems did a great job on that game.

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