Akira Toriyama and Ordinary Angels
It was a tragic week in the world of anime/video games as acclaimed creator, Akira Toriyama, most known for creating the Dragon Ball series, passed away. Toriyama was the main character and monster designer for the Dragon Quest video games series, along with being the creator of its manga series. The Dragon Quest video game, which was originally called Dragon Warrior in the U.S., was what pretty much got me into the swords and sorcery fantasy genre. Akira Toriyama played no small part in my fascination with the fantasy genre, which now is a huge part of my adult life as I am trying to become a successful fantasy author. Outside of that, Dragon Ball Z was one of the earliest anime that I watched. Along with everything else, he designed the characters for one of the best JRPG video games ever created in Chrono Trigger. The outpouring of sadness from fans and some of their stories in how his works affected their lives was quite something. Akira Toriyama will surely be missed.
My wife and I also watched a really inspirational movie class “Ordinary Angels.” It was based on a true story of a struggling hairdresser in Louisville, Kentucky, who meets a widowed father working hard to care for his two daughters. With his youngest critically ill and waiting for a liver transplant, she rallies the entire community to help. It was a tear-jerker for sure seeing the struggles that the family goes through, but then seeing so many in the community helping. Hilary Swank was fantastic as the lead and really commanded the screen. The story itself though shows how regular people can create miracles, and it was great to see.
The story of Ordinary Angels and the works of Akira Toriyama show that individuals who are complete strangers can reach and connect with others in mysterious and beneficial ways. In Ordinary Angels, one person who helped clear snow said that he never met the little girl who needed the liver transplant, but it was a great thing to help her. I have never met Akira Toriyama, but his works have helped shaped me in ways that he most likely never knew.