The Gaijin's Tale

Tikal has spent years dreaming about Japan. Shaped by manga and anime from an early age, he finally makes the decision to leave everything behind and travel to the country that has defined so much of who he is.

The series follows him through that journey in real time, capturing his first encounters with Japanese culture, society, and daily life as a gaijin, a foreigner navigating an unfamiliar world with no safety net and genuine stakes. Each episode documents a new stage of cultural immersion, from the small disorienting moments to the larger questions about identity and belonging that living abroad tends to surface.

Running beneath it all is a more personal ambition. Tikal's deepest hope is to meet Toriyama Akira, the creator of Dragon Ball, a figure whose work shaped his childhood and his sense of self. The series holds that goal carefully, letting it drive the emotional current without turning the whole project into a fan pilgrimage.

Produced by RTBF and shot in 2022, this short-form documentary series works because Tikal is a genuinely engaging presence. His curiosity is real, his affection for Japan is specific, and the series gives that authenticity room to breathe.