Son Go Ku vs Sun Wu Kong

Kartun has been reliving her childhood and rewatching Dragon Ball. Watching the series now evoked a different feeling than I had then. Then it was more character-based, sometimes I didn’t really understand the content. Now, I marvel at Akira Toriyama’s creactivity - the way he combined humour with action.

As I watch, I can’t help comparing Dragon Ball’s protagonist, Son Go ku to the original Sun Wu Kong from Journey to the West. Just how similar or different are these two characters?

Let’s examine the similarities first:

1. Both have the same name, whether it’s written in Japanese, Chinese or English.
2. Both can fly and fly fast!
3. Both have a tail that resemble that of a monkey’s.
4. Both uses the Power Pole - which can extend or shorten according to the owner’s wish.
5. Both follow a few masters - Goku (Muten Roshi, Karin sama, Kami sama & Kaio sama) & Wu Kong (San Zang & a certain fellow who taught him magic)
6. Both are powerful, skilled in fighting.

Now we look at the differences between the two characters:

Son Wu Kong	Son Go Ku
1. Has the ability to change to 72 different forms.	1. Has the ability to change to 4 different forms.
2. Can conjure up many different things (magic!)	2. Can blast “ki” – eg. Kame Hame Ha
3. Very hairy – resembles a big monkey	3. Not a single strand of hair on his body except the crown on his head.
4. Mischievous, capable of evil	4. Innocent and child-like
5. Wears a ring around his head to prevent him from doing mischief.	5. No ring around his head, except the halo above it after he died.

6. Flies very fast, over several cloud nimbuses in 1 second.

6. Owns a flying nimbus.

There are of course more similarities and differences that Kartun cannot think of. Maybe the reader can suggest?

The Dragon Ball Movie

Hmmm… I’m not sure whether this rumour is true but if it is, what is Hollywood thinking? According to most of the sources, this is only a Dragon Ball movie, not Dragon Ball Z. Which means, no Vegeta, no Cell

Here’s a picture of Gokou:

Of course, we recognise the “turtle” symbol at his back and the supposedly hmmm… dragon ball on his hand? Gokou is played by an actor called Justin Chatwin (Lost). The rest of the cast are as follows:

• Jamie Chung as Chi-Chi
• Emmy Rossum as Bulma:
• Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi - I’m looking forward to this!!
• Joon Park as Yamcha
• Eriko Tamura as Mai
• Texas Battle as Carey Fuller
• Luis Arrieta as Weaver
• Randall Duk Kim as Grandpa Gohan
• Ernie Hudson as Master Mutaito
• Shavon Kirksey as Emi

Kartun has no idea who are Mai, Carey, Weaver, Master Mutaito and Emi. I supposed they are characters developed by Hollywood to fill in the stories. Not mentioned in the list of cast is Kuririn, Gokou’s best friend! How can a Dragon ball movie be Dragon Ball without Kuririn. I wonder who’s gonna play that part…

The movie is said to be directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow. It should be in the theatres by April 2009. Although I can’t totally agree with the cast, I don’t think I’m giving this movie a miss. It’s a Dragon Ball movie. Of course kartun will go!

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Genre: Comedy

Running Time: 85 min.
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Raja Gosnell
Writer: Analisa Labianco, Jeff Bushell

Synopsis

Chloe, a diamond-clad, bootie wearing Beverly Hills Chihuahua enjoys her luxurious lifestyle so much, she hardly notices Papi, a hilarious Chihuahua

who happens to be crazy for Chloe. But when the most pampered pooch gets lost in Mexico with only a street-wise German Shepherd to help her find her way home, Papi heads south of the border--joining forces with a motley crew: three dogs, two humans, a sly rat and a nervous iguana--to rescue his true love.

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Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Three-Disc Collector's Edition)

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is visually arresting and packed with interesting characters, though even at two hours its story feels rushed. Ron Perlman's Hellboy -- tasked with stopping an indestructible army led by a vengeance-seeking fairy prince -- seems to race from set piece to set piece, which is a shame given the amount of work that went into creating various locations and creatures. Still, the movie looks great, and moving to the small screen helps disguise less good sequences like the patently back-lot New York City street during a tree god battle.

Though the packaging boasts three discs, the third is a digital copy of the film, leaving the movie and featurettes on what's really two discs. The Collector's Edition also comes with a Golden Army warrior figurine, creature design sketchbook, poster and more.

DVD Bonus Features:

The Good: The Troll Market tour is amazing. A huge amount of work went into creating the set, and director Guillermo del Toro lets no intricate amount of detail go unnoticed. That's enough to make me wish the bulk of the movie had been spent there. Hellboy fans will want to check out "In Service of the Demon," more than two hours of behind-the-scenes documentary (not including the now-standard featurettes on pre- and post-production). More casual viewers will be relieved to know "In Service to the Demon" is broken into short, easily digestible chapters.