Back when I was a kid, I used to watch this Japanese cartoon every weekend about grown men beating each other to a bloody pulp. That’s probably true for practically every boy my age, born in the nineties. It was called Dragon Ball Z. What I liked best about it, compared to other cartoons, was how the characters kept improving. The main character, Goku, might get his ass handed to him during one episode, but for the next five episodes he’d train and he’d return stronger. Heck, he might even die, and he’d just keep working out in the afterlife, only to raise himself from the dead so he could settle the score.
It was all about the struggle to overcome insurmountable odds. Some of the best Dragon Ball Z episodes and specials out there have the heroes losing, because it builds the anticipation for when the villains eventually get their comeuppance. This is why specials like ‘Bardock – The Father of Goku’ and, ‘The History Of Trunks’ still remain fan favourites, despite the fact that the heroes don’t come out on top. Recently the artist, Akira Toriyama, responsible for creating these characters and the various storylines, has passed away, aged 68. His creation not only became a worldwide sensation, it also inspired other artists to create their own cartoons, where it was all about the characters’ struggle and growth over the course of large story-arcs. More importantly, amongst fans his work instilled values such as hard work, persistence and self-belief. Want to be better than the other guy? Better do some pushups at five hundred times gravity.
Instead of TikTok, kids would be better off watching some Dragon Ball Z. Because it seems nowadays, everything’s about money and material wealth. For some, that’s all they care about. ‘Why study,’ one student told me, ‘if I can just get rich by doing Amazon dropshipping?’ About two years ago or so, I clearly remember one sixteen year-old having dollar-signs in his eyes, thinking of trying his luck in crypto. Far too many are taken in by a bald-headed scam artist with a vague British accent, who used to brag about his expensive rides. When the Bugattis and Lamborghinis eventually turned out to be rentals, the confidence artist felt no shame whatsoever. He flipped it on its head and went, ‘Renting is the smart move: it’s cheaper than owning!’ Sadly, many young kids bought into his act, hook, line, and sinker. Eventually they’ll see it was all a fiction, but it will take time, and it will be quite painful when they come to realise they’ve been duped.
I certainly don’t claim to know the answer to life, the universe, and everything. But I know that anything worthwhile usually entails struggle and hard work. The odds will often seem insurmountable, and, from time to time, they’ll be precisely that – insurmountable, meaning you won’t win every time. That’s how the game is played, and I didn’t make up the rules. But if some Japanese artist can draw up some cartoons and be known all around the world for his work – spending his life doing what he loved, then there’s probably hope for us yet.
Kind regards
Vincent J. Dancet