Suushinchuu
| Suushinchuu | |
|---|---|
 Suushinchuu Website Circa 1998 | |
| Founder(s) | Sherwin Abesamis ("Wuken") |
| Launch | 27 January 1996[1] |
| Final URL | wuken.tierranet.com |
| Status | Defunct |
Suushinchuu (further subtitled as "an unofficial Dragon Ball website") was an amateur, fan-created website founded 27 January 1996 by Sherwin Abesamis (who went under the username "Wuken"). The site takes its name from the Japanese approximation of the Chinese pronunciation for the four-star Dragon Ball.[2] Suushinchuu was a redesign and rebrand of Abesamis' original "Wuken's Homepage".
Suushinchuu closed in November 1998[3], with Abesamis moving into a contributor role on toriyama.org.
Abesamis was an active participant on alt.fan.dragonball and within the #db IRC channel, and wrote the first notable English-language FAQ for Dragon Ball: Final Bout[4].
Features
Latest News
The "Latest News" archive provided regular updates on the Dragon Ball franchise with a focus on the original Japanese version and its associated products. Various international products, including America's then-ongoing syndication run of the Dragon Ball Z television series and Viz's monthly releases of the manga, would also be highlighted when appropriate. News would occasionally be semi-editorial in nature, and would also sometimes include visitor reviews and tips.
Suushinchuu was notable for following stricter news research and independent corroboration than other Dragon Ball fan websites of its day.[5] Publications would be listed in full by name with accompanying cover artwork, release dates, and (when available) links to purchase; in particular, Suushinchuu would regularly cite V-Jump coverage by name and specific issue.
Image Album
Suushinchuu's multi-page "Image Album" featured Abesamis' own scans from various books, posters, and other merchandise.
Listening Booth
Abesamis was an aficionado of Dragon Ball music, regularly discussing, documenting, and reviewing it both on the website and in USENET posts of the day.[6]
Suushinchuu's "Listening Booth" section provided dozens of Dragon Ball-franchise songs in low-bitrate MP2 format (roughly equivalent to AM radio). The format was chosen over the then-emerging MP3 format as a convenience and allowance for users of lower-end computers (while MP3 provided better compression at smaller file sizes, it was also more CPU-intensive), and also to not serve as a legitimate replacement for readers and listeners purchasing the original, legitimate CDs they were sourced from.
Abesamis cited and cross-referenced Glenn Wang's "Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z FAQ" where appropriate while distributing and documenting Dragon Ball music.
Links
Abesamis maintained a sizable resource with links to other Dragon Ball websites of the day, including professional/corporate websites from the various companies behind the series, as well as fansites (both general in nature and those dedicated to specific niche topics within the larger Dragon Ball fandom).
Legacy
Suushinchuu remained a fan-favorite and fondly-remembered website[7], and served as a direct inspiration for future generations of website creators.
Web Addresses
References
- ↑ "Disclaimer From Wuken". Suushinchuu.
- ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Suushinchuu.
- ↑ "Suushinchuu" (30 November 1998). alt.fan.dragonball.
- ↑ "The Dragonball Final Bout Frequently Asked Questions File" (11 November 1997). GameFAQs.
- ↑ "Latest News: Policies on News Submission". Suushinchuu.
- ↑ "Dragonball Z Hit Collection BEST: 'Never Ending Story'" (26 February 1997). alt.fan.dragonball.
- ↑ "2002 - Death of Anime Websites in Review" (27 January 2003). Anime News Network.
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