#jo wallice

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Here’s a story about my cat who is a Lil Pump fan.

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guitars are weird

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Here are some stoner jokes.

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a video about scientology

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Here’s a though I had about whales.

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Why is Bulma and Vegeta’s Romance so Captivating??

I think Vegeta and Bulma have one of the most interesting fictional romances, and judging by how many Vegeta and Bulma fans there are on the internet I don’t think I’m alone. My hypothesis is that there are four key reasons why the romance is so captivating: power, danger, mystery, and character development.

Vegeta and Bulma are the definition of a power couple. Bulma is a legendary scientist. Vegeta is the second most powerful hero in the entire Dragon Ball series. Both of them have a huge influence on what happens in the story. In contrast, Goke and Chi-Chi aren’t a power couple. Relative to Goku, Chi-Chi has a minimal impact on the events in the story.

When Vegeta first shows up, he is dangerous. He kills a bunch of characters, and it’s not many years later that Vegeta and Bulma start dating. Dangerous romance has always been intriguing. Certain stories base their entire plot around a girl loving a dangerous boy (Twilight).

Brilliantly, Toriyama doesn’t wast a lot of time divulging the details of Vegeta and Bulma’s romance. It’s mysterious. Trunks is the evidence, so we know what happens, and there are some cute moments between the two of them, but there are never any dates. This mystery has led fans to fill in the gaps themselves. Combine this mystery with the two details I brought up before (power and danger) and you have the foundation for really interesting stories and art.

Finally, the character development the romance represents is extremely captivating. Good character development is hard to find,  but people love it. I think the reason why a character’s changing personality and goals are so captivating is because humans change so much in real life. Vegeta changes so much in Dragon Ball, and seeing him turn from sociopath to good guy is really cool. It’s especially cool because his romance with Bulma seems to be what brings him the furthest along. Likewise, Bulma grows up from being a teenager, and Vegeta seems to be the culmination of that growth.

To summarize; power, danger, mystery, and character development are the three things that make Vegeta and Bulma’s romance so interesting.

Side note: I’ve been writing a lot on Tumblr, and I’m working on a book. If you’d like to keep up with me follow this blog. I appreciate all the support I’ve gotten from this community.

Thanks, Jo :)

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The Best of Bromance: Goku and Vegeta.

!!SPOILERS!! I love a good bromance. There’s something great about two heterosexual men going on a journey together, changing, and growing closer together through adversity.

I think Goku and Vegeta are a CLASSIC bromance. I think there are three characteristics that they nail, and make for a CLASSIC bromance: they’re the last men standing, at least one of them experiences a deep personal change, and the personal strength of one is highlighted by the other.

At the end of Dragon Ball Z, when Kid Buu is literally destroying the multiverse, it’s only Goku and Vegeta who can oppose him. Just like Frodo and Sam being the only two left of the Fellowship, Goku and Vegeta are the only fighters who can stand up to the ultimate evil. This ‘last men standing’ situation causes two of their character motivations to mix. They’re loyalty to each other and to the greater good is what brings them to this point.

Vegeta is a despicable villain when we first meet him. His goal is to kill everyone on Earth when we first see him. A few hundred episodes later, Vegeta has a family and is trying to save Earth. Goku is there for 95% of this transformation, and it a makes their friendship more believable.

Goku is an incredibly forgiving person. He is the one who talks Krillin out of killing Vegeta. Contrasting Goku and Vegeta allows us to really see how kind Goku truly is. Vegeta also allows us to see how powerful Goku is. When Vegeta shows up on Earth he can easily kill everyone, except Goku. Goku’s physical strength and kind spirit are highlighted by Vegeta.

Again, I think there are three core aspects to a good bromance: being the last men standing, the deep personal change of one character, and the way one character’s strengths are highlighted by the other. I think Goku and Vegeta are a perfect example of an awesome bromance.

Here’s my essay on Bromance in Attack on Titan if you’re interested: 

https://jo-wallice.tumblr.com/post/161538143899/classic-bromance-in-attack-on-titan

Side note: I’ve been writing a lot on Tumblr, and I’m working on a novel. If you’d like to keep up with me follow this blog. I appreciate the support I’ve gotten from this community.

Thanks, Jo :)

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Dragon Ball Z’s Brilliant Use of Anti-Heroes.

Dragon Ball Z stood out for many reasons when it first aired on Toonami. It’s art style, music, continuous story, and violence all set it apart form typical action cartoons. Although, I think what really made Dragon Ball Z feel like so much more than a superhero cartoon was its anti-heroes. The nuanced reasons why they fight and change makes the show feel much more mature and complex than its contemporaries. 

Piccolo feels dangerous when he and Goku team up to fight Raditz, and the situation feels more and more dangerous when you realize that Raditz is a threat to everyone on Earth.

When he starts training Gohan you see Piccolo develop, but there is still an unpredictable nature to him. Again the stakes feel raised simply by the fact that Piccolo is choosing to help Gohan, and the characters both feel more nuanced as they grow closer together.

Vegeta during the Frieza saga feels even more unpredictable. Will he kill Krillin and Gohan? Will he kill Frieza? Will Goku have to kill Vegeta? The insertion of an anti-hero makes everything feel much more dangerous and unpredictable.

Side Note: I’ve been writing a lot on Tumblr, and I’m working on a novel. If you’d like to keep up with me follow this blog. I really appreciate all the support I’ve been getting from this community!

Thanks, Jo :)