Welcome to the Fantasy Zone
This Zone is dedicated to the lesser known elements of anime hosted by the cast of Victory Script.
What weapon is the best?
Who will win in this Death Battle?
Is this costume practical?
You name it, it's all covered here in the Fantasy Zone!
Anyone who remembers watching Pom Poko got some giggles out of the fact they have enormous testicles and scrotums, well there's a more in depth reason why Tanukis in Japanese mythology are depicted in that way.
Anyone who is familiar with Kitsune knows that it's a trickster yokai with many tails who can trick people by different transformations; the tanuki share similar abilities only they do so with their enormous testicles, kneading it like dough to form the shape they desire impersonating humans as well as making it into raincoats, using them for drumming and even weaponizing them. They are referred to as pranksters but most comes down to just attempting to buy alcohol, in fact if you've ever seen a chubby tanuki statue it comes with several traits that all have meaning.
A hat to protect against bad weather
Big eyes to perceive the environment and make good decisions
A Sake bottle to represent virtue
A big tail for steadiness and strength
An enormous scrotum for financial luck
A promissory note that represents trust and confidence
A big belly for bold and calm decisiveness
And finally a friendly smile.
All these traits are said to bring fortune.
The real tanuki isn't as well endowed as it's yokai suggests, they actually look kinda cute.
The Japanese even have love for the normal raccoon, they were introduced to Japan in the 70s following the success of Rascal the Raccoon, an anime character who at the time was more popular than Mickey Mouse. It didn't last as raccoons didn't make good pets so they ended up joining Japan's eco system with a major agriculture bill.
So that's a little history on Tanukis, the animals with literally the biggest balls.
To offer something to my often overlooked Western Cartoons, I present some alternative genres to look at.
All of these will be top ten lists along with some history.
Here are our genres
Pink Cadillacs of California
Toy Commercials of Power
Really Desperate Celebrities
Groovy Mysteries
Teenage Radical Animal Squad
Monsters are Still Cool
I can be Japanimation to!
Dinosaurs are Always Cool
Not Looney Tunes
Stupor Heroes
Clearly not for Kids
That's not what Happens in the Game
The Movie was Better
Animals They be People
Zero IQ Required
Non English Speaking Production
Hand Made in Britain
Afrotastic
Canadian Eh?
What are you?
Artistic Disaster
I'm a ten year old you can trust me
Our next TV Season will be Animated
We did it before Pixar
Needs more edge not that I care
Babality
Teenage Dirtbags
War what is it Good for?
It's what I go to School for
This Remake respects the Original?
If you want me to cover one of these genres, feel free to leave a comment.
This will run alongside Project 1000.
Time for another character ranking, this time on DBZs Movie Villains.
This will cover the 13 original movies in the Dragonballz run, no specials or Super films, they will get a future rank, and main villain only, no lackeys.
Garlic Jr is the only villain who also appears in the main series and yet that was also filler. I best describe him as a roided Emperor Pilaf, a little incompetent when you realize he basically defeats himself.
Dr Wheelo there isn't much to him, a former scientist who just wants a body to steal, he surprisingly looks the least threatening.
Turles I wish was with Nappa and Vegeta, he's a brutal fighter with some vicious attacks.
Lord Slug is dumb with a dumb weakness, doesn't give nameks much to be proud of.
Cooler started as a more competent Freiza but ultimately became Freiza by the end.
Meta Cooler didn't feel like an upgrade as he was mass produced so his impact is not that great in the movie.
Android 13 felt like the Android final boss we deserved until we got Cell. Ruthless and brutal and punches Goku in the balls.
Broly is probably the best movie villain ever produced, it's no surprise he was built into the canon for Super but his motivation is pathetic.
Bojack having to follow Broly and 13 and the fact that it's another over roided character is just a tired concept by this point and we need some creativity.
Broly MK 2 is not what I meant, he feels less intimidating now and you kinda think that Gohan should've won.
Bio Broly is embarrassing nothing more.
Janemba thank you, you actually have a villain that is good enough to be canon and better than Majin Buu.
Hirudegarn felt like a homage to Toriyama's Chrono Trigger as it feels like a reject monster design, still it's rare to see a proper kaiju in DBZ.
Garlic Jr 6.8/10
Dr Wheelo 5.9/10
Turles 8.7/10
Lord Slug 4.3/10
Cooler 7.3/10
Meta Cooler 5.9/10
Android 13 8.5/10
Broly 8.9/10
Bojack 7.0/10
Broly MK2 7.2/10
Bio Broly 1.3/10
Janemba 9.6/10
Hirudegarn 8.0/10
Okay this has nothing to do with Dragonball Kai but I do want to talk about this part of the franchise.
Everyone knows how useless Yamcha is, he couldn't beat a Saibaman, outclassed by pretty much every fighter in the franchise, even when he does get screentime it pretty much ridicules him.
But a "What if" manga story puts Yamcha on center stage as he not only prevents his own death but completely changes history in the Dragonballz universe up to the end of the Cell Games.
This happens when a boy dies in the real world and gets reincarnated as Yamcha, but since he retained memories of the events of the whole of Dragonballz he sets about changing history by turning Yamcha onto a different path, agreeing to train with Roshi, preventing his own death and even going to Namek to have his potential unlocked.
It's a bizarre manga but it gives some sympathy to a character who is otherwise dead weight among a group of planet destroyers.
Anyone with an interest in racing games may have at one point played Wangan Midnight or Shutoku Battle on the PlayStation; a few years ago an anime series surfaced about the exploits on the Highway of these drivers but what if I was to tell you it was based on true events?
In 1982 a racing club was formed known as Midnight Club, but it was governed by some strict laws within; first the car you use has to be capable of doing over 250 km/h as it was common for most races to run at 300 km/h, this was to avoid police who had speed limiters at 180 km/h in those days.
All meetings took place at Midnight until Dawn at the Bayshore Wangan route hence the title of the franchise. Members would often use classified coded local newspaper adverts to arrange meetings away from the eyes of Police. Members would also go by titles as to avoid being identified by their real names.
Membership is small and if you are a danger to the public or other members you were kicked out as it is club policy not to endanger the public.
The anime features prominently two cars known as the Devil Z and the Blackbird, an old gen 1 Nissan Z and a Porsche 911 respectively, both cars were in the real Midnight Club.
Above is a replica of the Devil Z as shown in the anime, Below is the real life Devil Z.
But this Club doesn't have a happy ending. In 1999 an encounter with a Bosozoku gang, (basically a neon lit Hell's Angels) ended in a massive highway accident killing two and injuring six others. The club disbanded afterwards and never reformed as their code of safety for the public was broken and the disgrace was too much for them. Surviving members tend to keep quiet about Midnight Club, either staying away from cars or do car tuning as a profession.
It's legacy gave birth to other Street Racing Clubs and I dare say a certain Street Racing movie franchise, heck Dominic Toretto's cursed car is basically an American Devil Z.
Regardless, all Street Racing culture exists because of Midnight Club and the real Wangan Midnight.
