Thanks. That's a bit of a problem with Abridged series, as they are often deconstructed, and it treats the series with a certain amount of the ridiculous, with a tremendous amount of bias.
Both of us are irritated by how Goku's dismissed as a father, without considering the big picture in the series.
So true about DBZA. I used enjoy the series but I've soured on it for a lot of reasons. Personally, I can't help but see a certain level of duplicity from TFS with their "this is a non-profit fan based parody" but then they started selling merch and they removed the "non-profit" part of their disclaimer. My feelings on IP/Trademark is a little complicated but honestly you can't say that what they were doing wasn't a little shady. That said, my biggest issue is (as you alluded to), how they made the series ridiculous, and a lot of people ended up taking how the series portrays the characters as how they really are. You can say the blame is with the people who do that, but I don't really buy that excuse. They certainly benefit from that situation and to my knowledge, they did nothing to discourage the perceptions/beliefs that they themselves popularized. But enough of TFS-bashing, lol.
Funnily enough, the older I get the more I sympathize with Goku as a father. I'm not a father myself, but I've seen other fathers in my family interact with their children. All things considered, I think Goku did his best given his situation. The only exception I can think of is when Goku refused to be revived after Cell's defeat. But even that I also understand. Goku already died for a second time. After a heroic sacrifice caused by Gohan's stupidity too, meaning that Goku being revived would remove the consequences for that action). More importantly, I think he realized that he can't keep saving the world and he wants Gohan to step up and be "the man of the house". Of course, the Buu Saga and the post-Z stuff (both GT and Super) undermined all that, but that's beside the point (also lol).
I fully concur, I think though that Goku should have been revived and retired. He's been wanting to retire since the Piccolo Jr battle. Gohan isn't a pacifist but Goku is. So Gohan should have been allowed to step up, while Goku retires with Chi-Chi.
That said you're definitely on point with TF I have the suspicion that they were paid to subvert and deconstruct Goku as their work came out at the exact same time that Sarkeesian and others did.
Never thought about TFS as paid actors, but I wouldn't be surprised. From what I can tell, they were on "that" side of the culture war. Also, I gave DBZA credit for having good production value for a parody (which was how it skyrocketed while similar parodies like Yugioh Abridged fizzled out). But now that you mention this angle, I wonder if the production value was too good.
I know about their politics, as to the production value, it struck me from the start and how every major outlet and yt people started promoting them.
I must admit that the suspicion always lies with how they promoted Vegeta as intelligent and Goku as brain-dead when it was the reverse in the actual DBZ series. Goku was brilliant while Vegeta was pretty idiotic and evidently inbred.
Take this all with a grain of salt because it's been a LONG time since I watched DBZ and my memory may be wrong...
Good article, but I'm inclined to disagree on this point: "She wants Gohan to live a normal life in peace, a sentiment that is proven right through the series". I'd say it was proven wrong. There were quite a few early fights where Gohan nearly died and starting his training sooner would have made a big difference given how fast he learns and a lot of important fights later where Gohan was pretty much sidelined because he hadn't kept up his training. Para pacem, para bellum.
Frankly, it's one of the more frustrating things about his character arc for me: Gohan (eventually) gets trained up as a proper successor, with even greater power and potential than Goku himself, saves the world... Then somehow ends up practically a noncombatant not long afterwards.
I'm not saying that a normal life with wife and family aren't worthwhile, but there's an undeniable sense of wasted potential there and it casts Gohan in a rather poor light whenever he can't protect his family and it's still always Goku saving everyone. AFAICT, adult Gohan never surpasses his father. That's pretty sad, given the hopes that Goku had for him. Fathers usually want their sons to be better than they are, more accomplished, not just to have an easier life than they did.
I agree about Gohan, it’s just we don’t tend to blame Chi-Chi and it was really out of character for her to repress Gohan’s potential and even him to do that. We’ve plans to analyse the characters throughout the series and their reactions and characterization.
Good article to detox from the DBZ Abridged / Team Four Star-made memes thrown around by kids who I doubt actually watched the actual show.
Thanks. That's a bit of a problem with Abridged series, as they are often deconstructed, and it treats the series with a certain amount of the ridiculous, with a tremendous amount of bias.
Both of us are irritated by how Goku's dismissed as a father, without considering the big picture in the series.
So true about DBZA. I used enjoy the series but I've soured on it for a lot of reasons. Personally, I can't help but see a certain level of duplicity from TFS with their "this is a non-profit fan based parody" but then they started selling merch and they removed the "non-profit" part of their disclaimer. My feelings on IP/Trademark is a little complicated but honestly you can't say that what they were doing wasn't a little shady. That said, my biggest issue is (as you alluded to), how they made the series ridiculous, and a lot of people ended up taking how the series portrays the characters as how they really are. You can say the blame is with the people who do that, but I don't really buy that excuse. They certainly benefit from that situation and to my knowledge, they did nothing to discourage the perceptions/beliefs that they themselves popularized. But enough of TFS-bashing, lol.
Funnily enough, the older I get the more I sympathize with Goku as a father. I'm not a father myself, but I've seen other fathers in my family interact with their children. All things considered, I think Goku did his best given his situation. The only exception I can think of is when Goku refused to be revived after Cell's defeat. But even that I also understand. Goku already died for a second time. After a heroic sacrifice caused by Gohan's stupidity too, meaning that Goku being revived would remove the consequences for that action). More importantly, I think he realized that he can't keep saving the world and he wants Gohan to step up and be "the man of the house". Of course, the Buu Saga and the post-Z stuff (both GT and Super) undermined all that, but that's beside the point (also lol).
I fully concur, I think though that Goku should have been revived and retired. He's been wanting to retire since the Piccolo Jr battle. Gohan isn't a pacifist but Goku is. So Gohan should have been allowed to step up, while Goku retires with Chi-Chi.
That said you're definitely on point with TF I have the suspicion that they were paid to subvert and deconstruct Goku as their work came out at the exact same time that Sarkeesian and others did.
Never thought about TFS as paid actors, but I wouldn't be surprised. From what I can tell, they were on "that" side of the culture war. Also, I gave DBZA credit for having good production value for a parody (which was how it skyrocketed while similar parodies like Yugioh Abridged fizzled out). But now that you mention this angle, I wonder if the production value was too good.
I know about their politics, as to the production value, it struck me from the start and how every major outlet and yt people started promoting them.
I must admit that the suspicion always lies with how they promoted Vegeta as intelligent and Goku as brain-dead when it was the reverse in the actual DBZ series. Goku was brilliant while Vegeta was pretty idiotic and evidently inbred.
Take this all with a grain of salt because it's been a LONG time since I watched DBZ and my memory may be wrong...
Good article, but I'm inclined to disagree on this point: "She wants Gohan to live a normal life in peace, a sentiment that is proven right through the series". I'd say it was proven wrong. There were quite a few early fights where Gohan nearly died and starting his training sooner would have made a big difference given how fast he learns and a lot of important fights later where Gohan was pretty much sidelined because he hadn't kept up his training. Para pacem, para bellum.
Frankly, it's one of the more frustrating things about his character arc for me: Gohan (eventually) gets trained up as a proper successor, with even greater power and potential than Goku himself, saves the world... Then somehow ends up practically a noncombatant not long afterwards.
I'm not saying that a normal life with wife and family aren't worthwhile, but there's an undeniable sense of wasted potential there and it casts Gohan in a rather poor light whenever he can't protect his family and it's still always Goku saving everyone. AFAICT, adult Gohan never surpasses his father. That's pretty sad, given the hopes that Goku had for him. Fathers usually want their sons to be better than they are, more accomplished, not just to have an easier life than they did.
I agree about Gohan, it’s just we don’t tend to blame Chi-Chi and it was really out of character for her to repress Gohan’s potential and even him to do that. We’ve plans to analyse the characters throughout the series and their reactions and characterization.