Sudden Memory

*watching Dragonball Kai subbed*

A long time ago, my mom bought me a DBZ coloring book at Vons in Fontana on Baseline in the year 2000/2001.

Multiverse theory, creation, and gods

Multiverse theory, creation, and gods

Pokemon: Arceus was born from an egg and created the universe and all Pokemon according to Sinnoh legend.

Zelda: The goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore created Hyrule and possibly the entire world Hyrule is in.

Termina: It is unknown who created the parallel world, but Four Giants protect it from evil when they are summoned.

Dragonball: Again, there is no legend of creation, but the Kais have been around in various forms and power levels for millions of years.

Tenchi: No specific creation event is mentioned. However, the Chousin/goddesses Washu, Tsunami, and Tokimi were "born" having ultimate power. They manipulate many things in this universe.

Earth/Real World: If one is to consider scientific findings the canon of this universe, then there is no agreement on a creator/creation event though the universe is billions old and is described in too much depth to summarize here.

The RW, Tenchi, and DB universes are probably about the same age while Zelda and Pokemon, at least according to their various legends, are younger. In our epic, then, not all creation events/beginnings were at the same time. They were born out of each other, which is why they are connected but still separate. This leads to the possibility that there is one or more ultimate beings above the multiverse that each universe's gods would bow down to.

There are special people who are allowed to travel between universes. Examples of this include the Happy Mask Salesman Link encounters in Hyrule and Termina and Neo, who encounters Giovanni in the Pokemon world and Ash and Co. in Hyrule. Skull Kid and Link could also be ones, but this is unconfirmed as they are only known to go between Hyrule and Termina, which already have a close connection. The same is true of Exzavier, but this can also be explained by his great power due to his parentage. Although the HMS's possession of a Mario mask is an in-game nod to the Mario franchise, for our purposes this only shows that he has been to that universe.

The question then arises why these people exist. The answer is they have no purpose. They just are there, and they do what ever they want to for what ever purposes they want.

Multiverse Theory

Times are a changin'

So wow. I have been a Dragonball fan for ten years already. I first started watching it back on Toonami in the summer of 2000 right before high school started. I used to make fun of it with my friend in seventh grade (Dragonballz was funny back then I guess), and I loved staying up to midnight to watch the "uncut" episodes on Midnight Run. Then the next summer I came across some tapes at Wal Mart of the new saga where Gohan is a teenage superhero in a trashcan and cape. I started begging my mom to buy them every time they came out, and I'd call my friends and race down there as soon as they were out of summer school. We'd sit around in the living room of the house we always hung out in and watch the six episodes. It was memorable and so much fun. I have fond memories of that time. There was just something about ripping off the plastic wrap and popping them in the VCR.

Starting last year they started airing Dragonball Kai, a series where the filler has been cut out and it is set to be around 100 or so episodes. Gone are the days where we have to wait for them to be dubbed and released here. Technology has allowed people to capture the episodes streaming live on Japanese television. Then teams of people subtitle them and release them online to stream around the world. It's crazy for me to think about that. Funimation is releasing Blu-Ray discs starting in May, and they are airing it on the Nicktoons network in May also, I think. I do want to get that network to watch it because I am not buying Blu-Ray (I don't even have a DVD player, just my computer). I want to see Funi's job on it, but I love the fact I can watch it online less than a week after it airs in Japan. It's amazing.

I also watch (when I remember) Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari, a show by the creator of the Tenchi universe about his younger half-bro Kenshi who gets dragged into an alternate universe. It's an OAV, and I don't know if Funi will ever pick it up since they have the rights to Tenchi now (Geneon/Pioneer left the anime game a while ago). Doesn't matter, though. Fan subs work fine, and the quality is usually really good. It's way better than the fansubbed DBZ tapes I bought back in 2002 at least. My VCR ate the first Broly movie even. I never saw it until last year when I streamed it (guess where?) online. Now don't get me wrong. I support the official release. I have all of the orange bricks and am patiently waiting for the Dragonball sets to get cheaper so I can collect them, too. I would even buy the Dragonbox sets if I could afford it. For now, though, I'll have to stick to watching it online. Which is so cool.

Just like Gohan here.

DBE: some thoughts

So I was watching a YouTube a video review of Dragonball: Evolution when I started to think. As a movie based on Dragonball it sucked so hard you couldn't even really begin it to compare it to the original. But as an original, I did indeed manage to enjoy it as crazy as that sounds. The one thing I wish: that it was longer. I feel the whole Yamcha/Bulma thing could have been done waaaaay better. Also, Goku/Chi-Chi could have been a wee bit deeper but oh well. It was still cute. The plot could have been drawn out more to make more sense and be deeper, but I liked it. Many modern movies fail at all levels so the fact that this was barely above that should be telling enough. I still want the DVD just 'cause. I would also like to see a sequel. Granted this is not exactly "Dragonball", but crap. It was a decent movie, especially from Fox. I wasn't completely pissed that I paid money to see it, including my bro's ticket.

So yeah. That's all.

Plot

So:

Tenchi and Gohan in the past are born with powers that make the Goddesses interested in them. They allow the boys to face the Triad hoping one or both will prove to be the power higher than them that they are looking for. They fail, however. Washu, in an attempt to seal away the Triad, has to also give up her powers. She turns into a humanoid and spends 20,000+ years in the third dimension, where she meets her husband, has a son, befriends Naja, clones Kagato, and creates Ryoko and Ryo-ohki. Her powers and essence are the gems that she gave Ryoko, but she can not use them fully, at least in her current state. Washu cannot use them either due to her becoming the entity we all come to know. When the time comes, Tokimi is able to release the seal on her sister since her powers are no longer holding the Triad prisoner. She had to wait to do this because she still wanted to find the beings. Her powers are basically split up between the three gems, holding the Triad in place, and Washu herself though the last one has the least amount of power. What about the gems? I don't know to be truthful. In the anime she is able to turn into her Choushin self and tells Tokimi to release her and Tsunami because they need to contain Tenchi before he rips the universe apart with the powers he is not ready for. Anyway, I'll just say they have her power, but they are not the sole source or container of it.

The boys are reborn thanks to Tokimi though she keeps this from Tsunami. Their powers eventually catch the Goddesses' eyes hence their interest in Tenchi and Gohan (from afar). The key to controlling their powers is being well-rounded (having all four virtues). They use this to beat the Triad finally. At the same time, their powers are not given to them by the Goddesses because they cannot create something more powerful than them. They cannot even beat the Triad. All they can do is contain the beings as explained, but this even fails eventually. So why do they have these powers if they are not the higher beings? A lot of fans have speculated on the real version of Tenchi being an avatar, a manifestation of the kami in this plane. I rather like that idea so I may hint at it. Maybe.

Random information that needs to be sorted

Dragonball

1. Mr. Satan's real name is Mark
2. Gohan can go SS but doesn't need to, and transforming will not blow up the planet
3. Gohan is probably the strongest at the end of the Buu Saga before he settles down
4. None of the movies are considered canon

Tenchi Muyo!

1. Tenchi is possibly the kami the Chousin were looking for, even though he only has the ability to generate 3 Light Hawk Wings
2. The gems that are the source of Ryoko's power contain Washu's goddess powers as she sealed them up and turned herself into an infant to grow up and gain knowledge from scratch in her quest
3. In her current form, Ryoko cannot handle the gems' full power, but after she evolves past some point, she will be able to make Light Hawk Wings herself equal to the power of Tsunami.
4. Washu is oldest, then Tsunami, and then Tokimi
5. Tokimi is the most powerful goddess
6. Ryoko eventually has a daughter, and so does Ryo-ohki
7. Tenchi has a son and a daughter later on
8. Washu and Tsunami/Sasami care about Tenchi too much and thus don't care if he is who they were looking for for so long. They just want to stay with him and see what happens. He is only a possibility, and more can come along. Basically. stop and smell the roses.
9. Tenchi marries all of the girls and goes to Jurai to be emperor eventually
10. Kagato was a clone of Naja, Washu's BFF from the Academy. He expelled his girl part and eventually kidnapped Ryoko and trapped Washu in the ship she built, the Souja until Tenchi destroyed him.
11. Mihoshi is a descendant of Washu

Canon, my way

So here it is official and final: the canon of both Tenchi Muyo! and Dragonball Z for my epic crossover The Triad Saga

Dragonball Z

-Majin Buu saga happens as normal

-The Broly movies don't happen, even though Gohan made a joke about them in Triad: Revelations.

-Gohan is the legendary Super Saiyan, something not mentioned in the series as the Broly movies don't occur.

Tenchi Muyo!

-Tenchi Muyo! OVAs 1 and 2 happen, and Daughter of Darkness occurs not as an offshoot in a manga series based on OVA 1 alone but after the fight with Clay and the visit of Azusa and his wives.

-OVA 3 DOES NOT occur (since it wasn't out when I started, and it contradicts what I had in mind too much to be incorporated plus Kiyone is in my story, even though she is not a character in the OVA at all.

-Tenchi Muyo! in Love is not part of the continuity of Tenchi Universe and instead happens before Mayuka arrives (simply because I needed a bonding point namely time travel for the lead boys to relate over. This means his mother is Achika I guess and not Kiyone Masaki (not to be confused with Kiyone, the GP detective).


Both series are AU since they could not exist together in the same dimension, as I forced to be true. Also, the gangs keep in touch after the battle and stay friends. Plus Tenchi actually does choose one and not marry all of them as originally intended by K-sensei.

My latest creation

The beginning of my newest story that came to me one day during chem lecture. The only thing I miss about that class is the free time to write and brainstorm ^_^

Birds, singing sweetly, watched the world from their spots in the blooming cherry blossom trees. Morning was dawning again peaceful as ever in the quiet rural area of Okayama. Spring was in the air, and all of the animals nearby were acting as such. As the warming sunlight started hitting the royal log guardians, they started off their day the same as always from their post as watch trees for the Masaki household.
“Looks like it’s going to be another beautiful day,” the one with red markings, Kamidake, said hopefully.
“That it does,” his companion Azaka agreed simply. Of course, their peace was very soon interrupted by sounds from the home they were guarding. Since they were used to this, neither felt too ruffled by it. In fact, it helped add to the effect that the day was in fact beginning anew. Life here on Earth sure was different from that on planet Jurai, but that is part of the charm this place had on everyone. Of course, the charm of a certain Earth boy was stronger hence the reason for the return of all of the girls after the defeat of the imposter Kagato.
For a brief period of time, the boy had been alone the way he had been before the infamous space pirate showed up. Like a magnet, he attracted all of the strange alien females back to him, even the one who was most concerned with her career and promotion. Soon enough they faced an even bigger threat-his mother was the target of an A-Class criminal in the past. The gang was forced to go to 1970 and save not only her and Tenchi but themselves as well. Their history was now so entangled with his their entire present and future would be altered further than anyone of them would wish. Luckily that all turned out for the best, and the six girls and the one brought them together continued to live out the new version of normal. Despite it all, every single one was happy, even Kiyone who would complain about her partner nine times out of then when her name was mentioned.
Inside the Masaki residence, Tenchi was trying his hardest to evade detection on this Wednesday morning. His school had just started on their spring time break, leaving him stuck at home every second of the day with his gaggle of female suitors. Thankfully only two of them were really persistent. He imagined it could be much worse if Mihoshi and even Kiyone had the hots for him the way the princess and pirate did. Heck, even Sasami would more than he would want to handle. She was half his age anyway and would need to spend some time growing up before he would ever begin to see her as anything other than a little sister. The genius rogue scientist who only looked like a little girl could tease him enough, but she seemed more absorbed in her work than anything. She was also mostly forgiving if he was the one to enter her lab without permission. It seemed only he and Sasami could really get away with that. Kiyone probably would be in the clear as well, but she rarely had the time since she had to hold down a part time job and keep her duties of a Galaxy Police officer along with keeping her partner from getting them fired. Mihoshi seemed to better at that than finding any bad guys.
The young Masaki boy ducked down the stairs as quietly as he could, not wanting to alert Ayeka or Ryoko to his exact location. Sometimes he swore he got more exercise running away from them than he got training with his grandfather. He also had to concede that it was because of his training that he was able to hide so well. Their loud arguing over who got to sit next to him at breakfast could be heard upstairs clear as day, and he took the opportunity to use his good standing with Washu to duck into and hide in her lab. The door shut quietly and quickly behind him, and he took a moment to breathe before venturing any further into the vastness that was her other dimensional work place. The red head was quite amazing, he had to admit. She could do practically anything with her intellect and skills, including destroying the universe. Hence she was kicked out of the Academy not more than a month after being inducted and swearing to use her inventions for the pursuit of peace. Like all things too good to be true, this lasted not very long.
When the coast seemed to be clear enough, he took a few steps forward, somewhat hoping to find her. With no school to worry about attending for a few weeks, his homework load was almost nothing. His only distractions were training and the girls. At this point he needed a distraction from his distractions. A strange tank on his left caught his attention for it held some unknown creature definitely not from Earth. The small brown blobs floated freely, but their tank seemed too small for them. Tenchi, though, had never been a fan of keeping animals contained. He hated the zoo when he was kid. Of course, maybe that was partially influenced by the time he went with his mom and dad and an elephant stole his favorite hat right off his head, taunting him by dangling it above the three-year old with its trunk.
“I see the Mass have you interested, Tenchi,” a small voice startled him from behind. Spinning around, he saw the one he was looking for.
“Little Washu,” he started uneasily. She must have thought he was odd the way he was staring. She only stared thoughtfully at the animals.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of keeping these guys here forever. I was planning on moving them when I finished my latest invention.”
“Your latest invention?”
“Yes. I decided to take a break from building all-powerful galaxy destroying rays and focus on something more useful.” After that, she began to walk, probably heading back to her current project. He followed silently, curious as to what it was. Even she had a changed a little bit if she was making things that would actually be of help instead of threatening life across the stars. The large contraption made him stop dead in his tracks, memories of their time and space adventures flooding his mind. Her laugh echoed through the lab and destroyed that train of thought. “Don’t worry, Tenchi. This thing will be idiot proof when it’s done. Even Mihoshi couldn’t mess it up.”
“So what is it then?” he asked as he moved closer for inspection. In the center was a platform of sorts where one would stand. Above it looked like those transporter things from that American TV show Star Trek, and the machine branched out from there.
“This is an interdimensional transporter. It has the capability to transfer anyone into another dimension of their choosing.”
“But Washu, don’t you remember what happened last time we took a trip through dimensions?” he asked, alarm very clear on his face and in his voice.
“I already told you not to worry, didn’t I?” A keyboard popped up, and she began to type away. “Whoever uses this won’t have to worry about endlessly drifting though dimensions. It will latch onto their brain wave pattern and be able to bring them back no problem.”
“That sounds pretty neat, Little Washu.” Next thing he knew, her Washu dolls A and B were upon he shoulders, agreeing with him and cheering her on. All he could was sweatdrop.
“Just think, Tenchi. It isn’t enough to be able to explore this dimension and know everything there is to know here. Imagine what else could be out there existing parallel to our sense of reality. The possibilities are endless.” With a thoughtful expression, he let her words play in his mind as he studied her project.
“Tenchi, are you in here?” the voice of the space pirate suddenly echoed louder than the short one’s laugh. His expression dropped to one of horror.

Dragonball: Evolution review

So I finally went and saw the movie today, a mere five days after its initial release (I wanted to see it on Friday but work sucks...). There were four other people there besides me and my brother. Guess I should have taken the hint. Just kidding. I liked it.

What was good

- the score
- the story idea
- the stuff from Dragonball as fan service
- "Rule" by Ayu
- the acting for the most part
- the special effects (ki blasts, Kamehameha, and Shenlong especially though Oozaru looked pretty good)

What should have been better

- the length of the movie

Only one gripe, huh? Well, it's a pretty big gripe. The whole plot felt very rushed. One minute Bulma (Emmy Rossum) was calling Yamcha (forgot the actor) names, then two scenes later they're talking and they almost kiss. Goku (Justin Chatwin) and Bulma barely have time to develop any sort of friendship, but they're magically close enough to care about each other. Goku and Chi Chi's (Jamie Chung) romance was better. They already knew each other from school, and it was obvious Goku had a huge secret crush on her. She seemed like she saw him, too, the same way his Grandpa Gohan did. So that was good there. I prefer this version of Chi Chi to the anime/manga one. Much less bitchy and spoiled, much nicer and gentler. And cool. And she was pretty cute. *Ahem* Anyway.

The climax of the movie didn't feel like a climax. It was over, and I thought to myself, oh they won didn't they? However, I did like the Oozaru idea, and I can see why they left questions about it open. Sequel potential anyone? Mai was pointless except to look good in her outfit and do some covert stuff Piccolo (James Marsters) could have done on his own if he wanted. Plus Roshi died too easily.

Emmy Rossum captured Bulma's attitude well. She felt like Bulma. Yamcha was okay. He was only missing his shyness of girls. I think he should have been a little nervous at least. I mean, he didn't have Puar so something else to make him feel like the bandit except that he was a bandit would have been good. Plus! Goku didn't say "I'm not ready for this." Fox listened to the fans on that too. Goku did still doubt himself, but it was much less than I thought. I mean, he was an angsty teenager who grew up with kids thinking he was different. In the manga he grew up alone with just Gohan. The first person he really met was Bulma so no one ever called him a freak or treated him badly. Being in high school around brats would make anyone unsure of themselves in my opinion. But he still had the general Goku attitude. And the hair (fan service). Roshi was almost perfect. He was a perv with a dirty magazine, he grabbed Bulma's ass twice, and his laugh was so Roshi. Plus his shirt was of a manga chick posing. When it came down to it, he got serious just like the manga/anime. When real danger is coming, Roshi does become serious.

Unresolved

Who was the original Oozaru?

Why did Mai take Chi Chi's blood (unless I missed it)?

What is Piccolo going to do now?

Overall, I liked the movie. It took things from Dragonball, turned it movie friendly, and put a new spin on the DB universe. It was a fresh spin, a what-if that was surprisingly better thought out than I imagined it would be. I hope they make a sequel because I'll see it. I'll probably end up owning the DVD when it comes out. If they could have slowed it down to allow for better character development, it would have been ever better. Even still, good job Hollywood. You didn't totally fuck up.

I've been trying to gather my thoughts on this for a while

So what happens when you start something and then come back to finish it seven years later? It defies your original plans but for the better. You grow older, you read more, you learn more. You become better at what you are doing.

I started a story back in 2001. In those days my love was for two shows currently on Toonami, Cartoon Network's anime block on weekday afternoons. My best friend Jon told me of some commercials advertising some guy walking up steps holding an umbrella as snow fell. It was from a movie he saw when he was younger. It was Tenchi Muyo! However, it was severely edited. As I watch it now in its uncut form, it is so much more hilarious. Tea means sake, and a certain space pirate has no qualms about fighting the princess in the buff. Also, said princess is actually a very likable character even though I used to hate her for no reason (maybe because I've always been a Tenchi/Ryoko fan).

I also started watching Dragonball Z after making fun of the show with Jon, calling it Dragonballz. I started mid Namek Saga when Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan set off for the planet. I still remember Chi-Chi fretting over her son and Krillin making fun of Gohan's bowl cut. I remember Goku transforming for the first time and Vegeta's tears over the life that was stolen from him by Frieza.

Then over this past summer, I stayed at UCR for my internship. I've always been slow to make new friends and more of a quiet person than someone to go out clubbing and drinking (though karaoke night was fun even if I didn't sing or drink anything but soda). I usually spent the nights in my room watching YouTube videos of Gohan and Videl. Don't know why so much but I did. My long dormant DBZ fan reawoke, and I started buying DVDs left and right. Now I nearly have all of DBZ and half of DBGT plus about half of the movies. I've been online reading more and more, finding out I knew nothing (such is life as you grow older, I guess).

Then recently for some curious reason I started to watch Tenchi again. Not really to my surprise, I remembered very little of the actual OVA storyline. I own all of the Tenchi stuff, even GXP and the Mihoshi special, but since they're all in storage, I watched the OVA on...you guessed it, YouTube. I also grabbed Tenchi Forever and Manatsu no Eve from the "shed." So I've been reading up on Tenchi lately and damn, I really knew nothing of the series. I don't even remember the third OVA, which came out here in 2005. I bought it and watched it all. There are three series, three movies, and a spin-off. There are many novels and manga though the mange is not considered canon. There are also four versions of canon between everything. Tenchi in Tokyo, the final series, is its own canon. Tenchi Universe, the second series and the movies Tenchi Muyo! in Love and Tenchi Forever are another canon. Once it was my second favorite series, but now I think it's my fav. They make Ayeka more snooty and annoying, which I don't like, but overall it wins me over. Plus it also has going for it the fact Tenchi actually does choose (if not in words) one of the girls, my favorite character.

When it comes to the OVA, there are two versions of canon. One is the original creator. It includes OVA 1, 2, and 3, GXP, and the Mihoshi Special. The other is by the woman who wrote the first OVA. Hers includes OVA 1 (and 2 according to one site), her novels, and Manatsu no Eve aka Daughter of Darkness (based on one of her novels). She does not include the Mihoshi special, and she is the one who designed the characters of Kiyone Makibi, Mihoshi's partner and Achika Masaki, Tenchi's mom, both of whom are from the universe series.

So confused yet? Me too. The OVA world is more intricate and has much more back story. Apparently the creator had been thinking of his Tenchi universe since he was in high school. I know how he feels then as my own original creation is not exactly simple. I started my original story the same time I started writing fanfiction, so it took a backseat for a while. This is precisely when I started the story I opened with.

Now why have I spent so much time talking about Tenchi? Simple. Because I knew none of the above when I started. All I knew was Tenchi was royal and hella powerful. Washu was a goddess with sisters Tokimi (who was interested in Tenchi) and Tsunami, who had merged with Sasami. Yosho was really Katsuhito, Tenchi's gramps and the princesses' half-bother. Ryoko was Washu's daughter, and episode 13 left us all going what next? So I made stuff up. I also turned Gohan from DBZ into the Legendary Super Saiyan, even though many consider Broly, the three movies of him, and that idea to be non-canon. Also, it kind of seems evident by the last episode before the time skip to ten years later that he and Videl were probably a couple at that point (or just really friendly). But my story went onward anyway.

I made up my own canon for Tenchi (this is what I wanted to get to most). I liked certain elements from all of Tenchi-verse so I combined stuff. My canon, the one used in the Legend of the Triad series, is as follows:

-OVAs 1 and 2 happen (3 wasn't even out in Japan at that point)
-Tenchi Universe happens but the character backgrounds stay the same so no new intros to them except Kiyone, who comes looking for her former partner and is coupled with her again (poor Kiyone :O( )
-Tenchi Muyo! in Love happens
-Daughter of Darkness happens
-Triad Saga happens and they all meet the Dragonball peeps

Looking back, I wish I hadn't included Mayuka from DoD, but she's important in her own way now and I couldn't remove her just as I couldn't remove Mirai Pan and Mirai Trunks. Granted this makes Tenchi older than Gohan...but I'll ignore that because it isn't a core fact here. They have to face each other, their feelings, and save the universe...again. Their ages are of least concern, I think.

I also created several own characters and made up the background of Kiyone. She needed one, man. Next to Ryoko, she's my fav Tenchi girl. It explains why she is career driven and not infatuated with Tenchi (without her liking Mihoshi that way, which is cool and all but...no).

So yeah. I have spent so much time on this planning since August. I'm glad I waited to finish it because now it will what I wanted. It will be my master work of fanfiction. I will be proud when it's all over. I can't wait for that.