2024 is turning into yet another Annus Horribilis. The earthquake that happened in Japan on the first day of 2024, followed by a runway collision at Haneda Airport that killed five Coast Guard officers in the line of duty was already bad enough. Funimation being assimilated into Crunchyroll made things worse. And now, Warner Bros is disbanding Rooster Teeth because they are no longer profitable. But the real deal has to be the death of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, whose other works included Dr Slump, as well as artwork contributions to Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger and Blue Dragon.
Akira Toriyama died on the 1st of March, 2024. But his obituary was revealed seven days later. Japan is like a tortoise when it comes to announcements about several high-profile obituaries. Now that Akira Toriyama is dead like Koichi Sugiyama, who died in 2021, expect Koichi Sugiyama and Akira Toriyama to appear in the "In Memory of" section of the Dragon Quest XII credits.
When Red Vs Blue first came out, there was no YouTube, let alone no MySpace. Now that Rooster Teeth is disbanding due to lack of profitability, the fate of the final season is looking uncertain. Hopefully Phil Spencer will acquire the rights to Red Vs Blue because this web series was based on Microsoft's Halo franchise. Then Red Vs Blue can have the poetic ending it finally deserves.
If 2024 is the year our childhood starts dying, then we probably need to let go of zeitgeist nostalgia, because Isaiah 43:18-19 says that we should forget the former things and not dwell on the past because God is doing a new thing by making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Given that the turmoil that began in 2020 is going to get worse in the coming days, Isaiah 43:18-19 is going to be even more relevant now than ever before. To quote Dr Strange in Avengers: Infinity War, "We are in the Endgame now."
Farewell Akira Toriyama, and thanks for all the Kamehamehas, Fusion Dances and Dragon Quest Slimes.
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