Synopsis: As people in the city try to figure out what just happened, a crowd gathers around the two crashed Saiyan pods. As the pods open and the Saiyans step out, Piccolo and Gohan, Yamcha, Kuririn, Yajirobe, and Tenshinhan and Chaozu all sense their menacing power and realize that the Saiyans have arrived earlier than expected. The crowd in the city gathers around the Saiyans as the shorter one (Vegeta) remarks that this 'Earth' seems promising after all, and the taller one (Nappa) suggests they give the Earthlings a little 'greeting'.
Without further ado, Nappa raises two fingers into the air and causes a large explosion of energy, one large enough to be seen from space and powerful enough that it incinerates the whole city instantly, as well as sending shockwaves that can be felt from far away by our heroes. Nappa wonders if perhaps his greeting was a little too warm after all, and Vegeta tells him to leave it at that – if he blows up much more than that, he may damage the resale value of the planet. Nappa agrees to that and remarks that they have to find the Dragon Balls and get their wish granted first anyway, something Vegeta remarks could be lost if one of them was in the city that he just blew up. Realizing his mistake, Nappa apologizes, but Vegeta thinks they should just find the one that killed Raditz and find out about the balls from them. The pair check their scouters, and Nappa is surprised to find so many readings over 1,000. Vegeta soon finds the two strongest readings right next to each other however and says that's likely to be Raditz's killer and perhaps Kakarot's son as well, so the two head there, with Nappa noting that the gravity is so low that he feels like he's weightless. As everyone senses the Saiyans on the move, Yamcha, Kuririn, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu all start heading towards Piccolo and Gohan as well, though Tenshinhan tries to convince Chaozu to stay behind. At Kame House, Bulma, Roshi, Oolong, Puar, and the turtle all watch the news which is reporting the Saiyans arrival as a presumed earthquake, noting that all cities in that area are currently unable to be reached for more information. Realizing that the Saiyans have arrived at last, Bulma grabs her rebuilt scouter to find out where they are, with Oolong objecting that there's nothing they can do even if they know where they are. Roshi dejectedly agrees, saying that the Saiyans' powers are far beyond anything they can deal with. Bulma prays for Goku to get there quickly, as Goku is shown to still be coming down the Serpent Road as fast as he can. A short time later, birds and other animals flee the area Gohan and Piccolo are in, as if sensing the impending fight. Piccolo tells Gohan not to be afraid as they've grown far stronger in the last year, but Piccolo himself begins to worry when he senses multiple other strong power levels approaching them from various directions. As Kuririn arrives, Piccolo laughs and asks if he's come to watch the real fighters, but Kuririn says he's been training for this past year as well. Piccolo acknowledges that he does seem a little better at least, and asks if the others are coming as well, which Kuririn confirms. Gohan recognizes Kuririn as someone he saw at Kame House before, and Kuririn congratulates him as looking way tougher and more like his dad did as a kid than when they first met. Gohan knows that Kuririn must be strong as well as his dad always described him as 'small but tough', causing Kuririn to grumble. As Kuririn asks Gohan how training with Piccolo was, Gohan starts to say that Piccolo isn't near as bad as everyone says, but Piccolo interrupts their talk to point out that they're no longer alone. As all three look up at the sky above them, they see the Saiyans floating above them. As Kuririn shudders over how evil their energy feels, Nappa remarks that they headed towards two powers but now there's three people, prompting Vegeta to ask Piccolo if they were preparing for them after they land. Review: Well, those city folk are dead. And the hilarious irony that I'm going to be jumping ahead to now because I'm liable to forget if I don't is that they uh...they're gonna be staying dead. Yeah, the heroes kind of forget that this happened moving forward as far as we're able to tell (and it's likely that Toriyama did as well). Oops... Right now of course, our heroes have bigger fish to fry, and Nappa certainly wastes no time illustrating just how big of a fish he is, and by proxy, how big of a fish Vegeta is as well. We saw how overwhelmingly powerful Raditz was, but now we just saw a guy blow up a whole city at once. Wait, you might be saying, we've already seen a feat like that before. Didn't King Piccolo also casually blow up a city? Well, you'd be right, he did. I don't know for a fact that Toriyama remembered that moment, but I'm almost inclined to think that he did, because he makes some efforts here to make this feel more impressive still. Whereas Piccolo fired a large blast from his whole hand, Nappa just casually lifts two fingers. Whereas Piccolo blew up a significant portion of a city, Nappa eradicates the whole thing completely, razing it to the ground so that only their space pods are left untouched. The biggest difference however comes in a panel where we don't even see any characters – just the explosion itself being clearly visible from space. While we don't get a comparable shot of Piccolo's attack, this is more than effective enough to show just how powerful Nappa is. And here's the kicker – the big brute is clearly taking orders from the smaller Saiyan, Vegeta. If Nappa is strong enough to destroy an entire city with the flick of a few fingers, and he's not even the one in charge? That's bad. That's really, really bad, for our heroes. Right away, Toriyama makes it clear that the Saiyans aren't infallible however, or at the very least that Nappa isn't. His blowing up the city is terrifying in scope, but it shows that he doesn't think things through when that could have damaged the planet enough to hurt it's value on the planet market (Vegeta's all about business, as we all know, clearly), but it could also have destroyed one of the Dragon Balls that they need to wish for immortality. We've never seen what it would take to actually destroy one of the balls, but we do know that Shen Long himself can be killed, so...that's actually a realistic concern, now that I think about it. Another small moment that spells how bad this could be for our heroes is Nappa remarking that the gravity here is so low. Yeah, that's something I don't think the manga ever brought up before now – while Goku was able to use higher gravity to train and get stronger, this lower gravity just means much more ease of movement and less stress on these Saiyans while they're on Earth. It's like the opposite of a home team advantage, the visiting team is starting off with practically everything in their favor. Once we get to a shot of our heroes preparing to go towards Gohan and Piccolo's location as the fight is about to get started, you might notice a curious omission. When the Saiyans arrive, we see Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu, and Yajirobe all react. When we see them heading to the fight, we see Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu. Huh, that's weird. Yajirobe's missing... It's also a little sad to see Roshi lamenting on the sidelines that there's nothing he or any of the other non-fighting characters can do to help at this point. I realize Roshi retired from actually competing and fighting often after the King Piccolo arc, but it's always been a little odd to me that he didn't get the invitation to train for the arrival of the Saiyans as well. Yes, he's old, and it's possible his gains wouldn't be near as much as the other, younger characters, but c'mon – this is a guy who's still blown up a moon before. You'd think any improvements he could make would certainly be worth trying to go for, and he's already trained at Karin's before too, so just take him along with you to train with God! But alas – that's not what we got. After a brief but fun interaction with Gohan and Kuririn, the Saiyans show up on the scene as well, and the first two to exchange words with each other are, of all people, Piccolo and Vegeta. People who know these characters' history with each other will find this funny; people who know that they're voiced by the same actor in the English dub by FUNimation probably find it even funnier. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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Synopsis: As the Saiyans grow ever closer to the Earth, Goku finishes up his training on Kaio-sama's world at last. To test Goku's ability to use the 'Genki Dama' (Energy Sphere) technique, Kaio-sama throws a large brick around his planet at super speed, and after Goku channels energy into his fist, he hurls the energy at the brick, causing a large explosion and destroying it instantly. Kaio-sama is surprised but pleased to see Goku use the technique so well, praising him for mastering the technique so flawlessly. Kaio-sama then reminds Goku that the technique is extremely powerful however, in that it borrows energy from all life on a planet, therefore one made on Earth would be much more potent than the one he just made here – so much so that, if he's not careful, he might even destroy the very planet he's trying to save. Kaio-sama makes Goku promise to use the Genki Dama only once and only as a last resort, and Goku promises to try making due with the Kaio-ken alone first. As Kaio-sama tells Goku that the time of battle is almost here as the Saiyans should be arriving on Earth the next day, he makes a sudden and horrifying realization – when he calculated how long it would take the Saiyans to reach Earth, he forgot to consider how long it would take Goku to get back there himself. Goku, apparently under the impression that Kaio-sama could send him back instantly, starts to fret about how it took him six months to get to Kaio-sama's from Earth, but Kaio-sama says it should only take him about two days now that he's trained and that he'll have Kami meet him at Enma's to pick him up. Goku thinks that's still leaving the Earth at great risk for a whole day, and Kaio-sama admits to making a mistake, and tells Goku to contact his friends and have them wish him back immediately. Goku is confused as to how he can do this, and Kaio-sama tells him to simply touch his back and reach for them with his mind. Goku does as instructed, and is able to telepathically speak to Roshi, who just so happens to be on the toilet at that time. He explains the situation to Roshi, who is horrified to hear that the Saiyans are arriving more than a month earlier than they expected them to. Goku asks them to wish him back immediately, and Roshi agrees to before asking how Goku's training went. As only one side of Roshi's conversation can be heard by them, Bulma, Oolong, Puar, and the Turtle all worry that Roshi has finally gone senile, especially when Roshi finally walks out of the bathroom with his pants down and tells them to bring the Dragon Balls quickly. As Goku's friends prepare to wish him back, Kaio-sama fixes Goku's gi for him, making it look as good as new. Goku notices that they feel much lighter than before, and Kaio-sama also notes that it should now deflect small attacks as well. Goku is relieved that Kaio-sama didn't put him in clothes like his own, though Kaio-sama did put his own kanji on the back of Goku's gi unbeknownst to him. At Kame House, Roshi and the others have summoned Shen Long with the Dragon Balls, and the dragon asks them for their wish. Oolong floats the idea of asking him to take care of the Saiyans, causing Bulma to ask if he'd really just leave Goku dead like that. Oolong thinks Goku would be fine and they could just wish him back in another year, but the dragon says that he would be unable to grant such a wish in the first place – his wish-granting powers cannot surpass the powers of the God who made him. With that, Roshi asks Shen Long to bring Goku back to life, and the dragon agrees. Elsewhere, Gohan and Piccolo stare up at the sky, with Gohan noting that it was just day a few moments before. Piccolo realizes this must mean they've finally wished Goku back to life, which must also mean that the Saiyans are closer than they thought. Goku's halo disappears from over his head, and Kaio-sama congratulates him on his return to life before telling him to hurry. Kaio-sama tells him to do his best but not to get cocky and think that he can just get brought back to life again, and Goku says he already knows that he can only be wished back once. Goku thanks Kaio-sama for everything and promises to come back and see him if he does die again, and leaps off of Kaio-sama's planet and back down to the Serpent Road. Kaio-sama remarks that he's never known anyone as pure as Goku or anyone from the living world able to become as strong as he has, and wishes his student luck even if his sense of humor wasn't up to par. Back on the Serpent Road now, Goku marvels at how light he feels between his new gi and no longer being on a planet with ten times the gravity of Earth, but wastes no time, flying as quickly as he can now to get back to Enma's. The next day, at 11:43 AM, two alien pods crash land in a city on Earth. The Saiyans have arrived at last! Review: Both the manga chapters and the filler anime episodes that I've covered – they've all been leading to this moment, as this very chapter marks both the end of the second phase of the Saiyan arc, as well as the beginning of the third and final phase. Buckle up folks – it's about to get crazy from here. Kaio-sama's training unfortunately continues the new trend that started with Kami of us not really seeing what Goku's new training is like, though between the two I'd say this one is definitely the stronger. With Kami, we see practically NOTHING outside of the anime, here we at least get a little bit, though it's still woefully less when you think back to training arcs like Roshi's training. We see why Goku is so much stronger now (having to get used to gravity much higher than he's used to, which is effectively just the newest variation of weight-based training when you think about it), but whereas Roshi didn't teach him any actual techniques, Kaio-sama does...and we have absolutely no idea what Goku went through to learn them. We don't really get anything on the Kaio-ken yet in this chapter, but the function of the Genki Dama is explained as borrowing energy from life around you rather than channeling it yourself – that's so counter-intuitive to how energy attacks are usually done that I can't help but wonder how hard that was for Goku to learn, much less master. At any rate, it is pretty funny that the highest god we've yet seen in the series makes such a basic mistake as forgetting to factor in travel time for Goku to get back to Earth. If this doesn't speak towards the general standards of godhood in the Dragon Ball world, I don't know what does. Beyond that though, this is the start of another trend we're going to begin see happen in Dragon Ball – Goku arriving late so everyone else has to hold down the front line in his absence. I guess we sort of had that in the King Piccolo arc as well, but there Goku was the first one to fight back and got taken out of the equation for a bit first, so it's slightly different. Actually, I guess the entirety of the Saiyan arc, counting Raditz as well, kind of builds off of that structure as well, since Goku along with Piccolo fought before we even saw any of the other fighting cast besides Kuririn. I also can't not laugh that Roshi's on the pot when Goku contacts him about the Dragon Balls. It's a poop joke, but somewhat more tasteful and sophisticated than the kind we usually get from Toriyama, so...kudos, I guess? Look, we've all been on the toilet when the phone rings and know how annoying that can be, this is basically the psychic conversation equivalent of that. The chapter's not without it's odd choices alongside the rest of this new setup however. Look no further than Goku's new gi to see an example of what I'm talking about. Kaio-sama gives Goku new clothes (which is seemingly a new power that anyone with psychic abilities can do now, I guess – Chaozu should become a tailor), but he notes two new features of them (other than the new symbol placed on the back of it) – they're able to repel small attacks, and they're far lighter than his previous clothing. The attack repelling is a neat idea, but considering that the two Saiyans Goku is on his way to fight are said to be stronger than Kaio-sama himself, it's a little dubious to think that there ARE going to be any 'small' attacks. Not to mention the fact that, spoiler, this feature is never going to come into play at all. I'm not sure if Toriyama had plans for this and then forgot or changed his mind or what exactly. The other feature of them being light also seems weird, as Goku still has the blue undershirt – you know, the one that's weighted clothing. So...it serves no purpose now, I guess? Granted, it probably wouldn't have been heavy enough to serve as an effective training method anymore now anyway, but it still seems weird to just turn them light and keep them for no reason. I guess Toriyama just liked the design choice and stuck with it moving forward. Another slight oddity comes in the form of Shen Long's wish granting, though this is more of a retcon than anything else. Oolong floats the idea of wishing the problem of the Saiyans away, and Shen Long says that he can't do that as it would go 'beyond the power of the God that made him'. In previous summonings, Shen Long has been treated as all powerful – there's said to be no wish he can't grant, and his only drawbacks are that he can grant only one wish before you have to wait a whole year, and that he can be killed and rendered a moot point. Here however, we learn of a wish that he flat-out can't grant and the reason that he can't, putting a clear limitation on the power of the Dragon Balls that never existed before. For what it's worth though, I'm perfectly okay with this. Yes, it's a change to what we previously knew, but it's a change that will continue to allow stakes to be raised and tension to occur in the story as it moves on. The Dragon Balls being literally all-powerful when Dragon Ball was far more comedic based is one thing, but as it starts taking itself somewhat more seriously, that presented a problem, and I can't say I blame Toriyama for this change at all. With Goku brought back to life, it's easy to see that the story is about to start moving again far quicker than it has been for some time, and the bullet point to that is highlighted by the chapter closing on the Saiyan pods finally crash landing. There's no turning back now – it's time to see if our heroes preparations to fight these two aliens have been anywhere near enough. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Close Encounters of the Saiyan Kind Synopsis: After successfully catching Bubbles the monkey, Goku asks Kaio-sama what he should do for his training next. After Kaio-sama makes a few jokes that go over Goku's head, Goku questions if the god is really that strong at all, prompting a voice to come out of nowhere and chastise him for saying such a thing. An orb of light flies up and knocks Goku over before revealing itself to be a small cricket like being, which introduces itself as Gregory and continues to chastise Goku for speaking ill of the highest god in the universe. As Gregory tries to make his point, Kaio-sama continues to laugh at a pun he just made, and decides that Gregory will give Goku his next training session. Goku is disappointed as he really wanted to train with Kaio-sama directly next, but Gregory is looking forward to putting Goku in his place. Kaio-sama summons a large mallet out of thin air and tosses it to Goku who is surprised to find out how much it weighs. Kaio-sama tasks Goku with chasing Gregory and hitting him with the hammer, saying that once he's achieved that, then Goku will get the direct training he wants. Gregory thinks Goku will never be able to catch him and flies up into the air before flying back and forth towards Goku, faster than Goku can react, knocking him down with small blasts of energy each time. Seeing that this is going to take some time, Kaio-sama decides to take a break with Bubbles. Goku continues chasing Gregory down, knocking many holes in the ground of Kaio-sama's planet and wrecking Kaio-sama's car with the hammer, but just can't seem to catch the cricket. Back on Earth, Gohan continues his training with Piccolo, proving able to dodge some of Piccolo's blows now but still getting caught off guard when Piccolo chastises him for getting cocky. Piccolo knocks Gohan down from a large cliff face, and though Gohan survives the fall, he can't get back up the mountain on his own. To irritate Piccolo into at least talking to him, Gohan begins a word game where he calls out the names of various animals, asking Piccolo for the next one, but Piccolo ignores him. At Kami's sanctuary, Yamcha and Tenshinhan and Kuririn and Yajirobe all spar while Chaozu watches from the sidelines with Kami and Popo. Back on Kaio-sama's planet, Goku still can't catch Gregory, and Kaio-sama finally calls for a time out for dinner. As he eats, Goku says he can't believe how fast Gregory is, and Kaio-sama tells him that while he may have gotten used to the gravity here now, he still needs to get much faster to stand a chance against the Saiyans. Goku asks Kaio-sama if he knows anything about the Saiyans, and Kaio-sama then remembers that Goku said he himself was a Saiyan. Goku admits that despite that, he doesn't really know much about the race as he came to Earth as a baby. Kaio-sama decides to give Goku a quick rundown of Saiyan history as he knows it. On Planet Vegeta, there existed two races – the Saiyans and the Tsufruians. The Tsufruians were much smaller than the Saiyans, only being about half the height of them or humans, but they possessed a high level of civilization and technology. The Saiyans in comparison where a much smaller race, but their bodies were bigger, and they were both stronger and more aggressive, with their tails being one of their most noteworthy features. One night, the Saiyans attacked the Tsufruians, and although the Tsufruians fought back with their weapons, they were eventually stomped out by the much stronger Saiyans, especially once they utilized the full moon to transform into even more powerful and monstrous Oozarus. Once they had conquered the planet, the Saiyans took Tsufruian technology for their own and set off into space looking for more fights, eventually joining forces with richer races that paid them with money and more technology to go conquer other planets for their own, thus allowing the Saiyan race to prosper as well as to find more of the fighting they so craved. Eventually, this led to the process of sending out babies, like Goku, to weaker planets to conquer and return home one day. Planet Vegeta it seemed had it's own Kami, much like Earth, however, and he too was disgusted with the Saiyans' behavior, eventually using his powers to summon a mass of asteroids to collide with Planet Vegeta, causing it to explode and putting an end to most of the Saiyan race. Goku is outraged by the behavior of the Saiyan race and says he isn't anything like them, and Kaio-sama calms him down, reminding him that with the death of his brother, only two more Saiyans remain other than Goku himself. Goku is more determined than ever to protect the Earth and defeat those Saiyans, and eagerly asks Gregory to get back to training with him. Kaio-sama works on fixing the damage done to his car as Goku finally figures out a way to hit Gregory – he tosses the mallet as hard as he can in one direction and runs to grab it, catching the cricket off guard and managing to lightly bop him on the head. Gregory praises Goku for figuring out how to get him but claims to be unharmed (a claim rebuked by the large bump on his head), and Kaio-sama gets excited, thinking that Goku might finally be the one to master the Kaio-ken technique that he created. As Goku's real training begins at last, all of his friends on Earth's training continues, as the Saiyans grow ever closer. Review: As the Saiyan arc prepares to reach the beginning of it's final act, there was one more bit of filler that seemed worth covering, for a couple of different reasons. It also once again sets us a bit back again as far as progression goes in some cases (the episode shows the conclusion of the Earthling heroes at Kami's, as well as Goku beginning his training under Kaio-sama properly), but in this case that's definitely a small price to say. With most of the previous filler, they're stories that are easily forgettable as they're never referenced again, and they generally are pretty easy to tell that they're filler, even if you don't already know that those episodes are. With one major exception – the Hell episode – they also don't change anything for the anime moving forward either. This episode however features two elements that change the future incarnation of the anime for some time, and the first, smaller part of it is often forgotten to be filler, even by me. And that first element is the character of Gregory the cricket. Yeah, for anyone out there who's only familiar with the anime version of the Dragon Ball franchise, it might come as a surprise that Gregory doesn't appear in the manga at all – Kaio-sama's only friend (or attendant...are they supposed to be kind of like Popo, actually?) in the manga is Bubbles, and likewise, that's the only test Goku has to take before actually training with Kaio-sama. Gregory goes on from this initial appearance to show up in most appearances of Kaio-sama moving forward however, basically making him feel like a natural part of the cast. This lead to his presence being kept in the re-cute Dragon Ball Z Kai years later, and I believe he's even spotted once or twice in Dragon Ball Super as well – he may as well BE canon at this point, truth be told. This is something I'm fine with too, honestly. I like the lil' guy, and he's certainly more of a character than Bubbles is, so I'm fine with his continued inclusion, but maybe that's just me. That said, I also honestly forgot that this was the episode that Gregory made his first appearance in. The real reason I wanted to cover this episode was because of Goku's Saiyan history lesson courtesy of Kaio-sama. A lot of this material has been somewhat replaced or become less important over time, but for a big part of the original run of the anime side of Dragon Ball, this explanation became the basis of what we knew about Saiyan history. Hell, the Tsufruian part of the backstory becomes the main story idea for not one but TWO future installments in the franchise – you could even say it inspired the now current Granolah the Survivor arc in Dragon Ball Super's manga. That said, some of this material is going to get amended or thrown out very quickly as well. While Kaio-sama's story gives the Saiyans the starring role in their own villainy, the very next story arc in this series is going to be taking some of that away – while still leaving the Saiyans as evil bastards, mind you – and giving it to a different character, a character who will also be replacing the 'Kami of Planet Vegeta' as well. Real world wise, the answer for these discrepancies is easy – Toriyama hadn't made up his own take on the story yet and told it in the pages of the manga, and Toei came up with something of their own to fill the span of an episode. In universe wise though, it does raise the question of why Kaio-sama told a partially false story to Goku. Did he lie to him to keep him away from part of the truth? Given what we get with him later in the next arc, that's definitely possible. It's also possible however that he was just mistaken and isn't 100% aware of certain elements of the story he's telling either, given that another storyline as well will also reveal that he's not always paying the most attention to planet's in his...jurisdiction, we'll say (though a bunch of that's also jumping forward quite a bit, and I'm not entirely sure Planet Vegeta was in his jurisdiction to begin with). It could be a little bit of both as well. When Goku hears this story, this also gives us another look at an important element for Goku's character moving forward, and that's his displeasure with what he's hearing about his own ancestry and people. The Saiyans seem to represent the absolute worst kinds of people that Goku has come up against in his life, only taken to an 11 out of 10, and he definitely wants no part of anything to do with them. Unfortunately however, fate's not leaving it up to him, and he's going to have to confront the remaining Saiyans very soon, as well as his own feelings on being a Saiyan in the future as well. Until next time! Favorite Scene: I'm tempted to choose the Saiyan history lesson, but honestly? I laughed at Yajirobe biting Kuririn's ass during training. Next Time: I feel for Roshi here. All my important phone calls seem to come in when I'm in the bathroom too. Synopsis: Kaio-sama asks Goku how long he has to train with him, and Goku explains that he's not sure how long he was running down the Serpent Road – he just knows he has to get back to Earth before the two Saiyans on their way get there. Kaio-sama knows of the Saiyans and thinks Goku definitely has a big problem on his hands, and uses his antennae to detect when the Saiyans should be reaching Earth. Kaio-sama thinks they have about 158 days before that happens, which Goku worries won't be enough. Kaio-sama assures him that should be plenty of time however, claiming that over a hundred days of training with him is equivalent to a few thousand years of training on Earth.
Goku is excited at this prospect, but Kaio-sama cautions him that even after this training, there's still no guarantee he'll win against the Saiyans – after all, the Saiyans on their way to Earth are both even stronger than Kaio-sama himself is, so for Goku to stand any chance, he's going to have to surpass his newest master. To start Goku's training, Kaio-sama calls back over his pet monkey Bubbles and instructs Goku to get used to the intense gravity of the planet first by chasing and catching Bubbles. Goku tries to chase the monkey but still struggles to even move, so he stops first to remove the weighted clothing he usually wears, surprising Kaio-sama further that he's been able to do as well as he has while wearing such things. Goku does a bit better chasing Bubbles once he's lighter, but still can't seem to catch the monkey. He tells Kaio-sama he's not sure he'll ever be able to do it, so Kaio-sama tells him to go home then. Goku asks if he can get something to eat as he hasn't eaten in six months, so Kaio-sama agrees to get him some food though he's surprised a dead man can be hungry in the first place. Goku eats all of the food brought to him despite saying it doesn't taste great, insulting Kaio-sama, before asking the god if he doesn't get bored on a small planet like this. Kaio-sama chastises Goku, explaining all of the things that a sophisticated mind such as his own can enjoy on even a planet this size, including his latest hobby of driving. With his stomach now full, Goku gets back to trying to catch Bubbles, but this time Kaio-sama instructs him to put the weighted clothing back on first. Goku objects that he can barely move with them on due to the gravity, but Kaio-sama says it'll make his training that much more potent, while also explaining that the gravity of the Saiyan home world is about the same as this. Kaio-sama asks if Goku can even comprehend what the Saiyans are really like as a result, but Goku assures him that he can given that he's a Saiyan as well, surprising Kaio-sama. Back on Earth, night falls and Piccolo and Gohan stop training for the day, with the young boy sporting a swollen eye. Piccolo says that at least he's not a crybaby anymore, and Gohan laughs weakly. Gohan asks Piccolo if it's true that he fought his dad once before, and Piccolo says he's going to fight him again once the matter of the Saiyans is taken care of. Gohan says that his dad always used to say that this Piccolo wasn't nearly as bad as the previous one, and Gohan thinks that his dad was right, though he knows his mom and grandpa are still scared of him. Annoyed by this, Piccolo tells Gohan to go to sleep, and as the boy rests, Piccolo scowls at what he's just been told. Forty days pass, and Goku finally manages to catch Bubbles back on Kaio-sama's planet. Kaio-sama is surprised that Goku pulled it off so fast, and wonders if he might be the one who can master the Kaio-ken, a devastatingly powerful technique that Kaio-sama created but couldn't master himself. Kaio-sama hypes Goku up and asks him if he's ready for real training now, before suggesting that they have some tea first. On Earth, Kami tells Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu, and Yajirobe that they've surpassed him now, and instructs them all to go continue their training on their own down on the Earth. Elsewhere, Gohan and Piccolo continue their training as well, with Piccolo noting that Gohan is finally starting to gain some control over his power. On Kaio-sama's planet, Kaio-sama knocks Goku away, telling him to try even harder. Back on Earth again, at Kame House, Baba tells Roshi and Bulma that not even she can predict the future this time. As everyone's training continues and the Earth's future hangs in the balance, the two Saiyans grow closer and closer to the Earth. Review: With this chapter, we finally start to see what exactly Goku's training with Kaio-sama is going to entail, at least in terms of the sort of things he's going to have to do. First and foremost, he's going to have to get used to a much more intense gravity level than the one he's used to back on Earth. This fits right in line with what we've already seen him do with Kami's training, or at least found out about after the fact, with the weighted clothing. Really, this feels like both a much more drastically over-the-top version of that already crazy notion, mixed with the idea of getting used to the thinner air, something that Goku already had to do with both Karin and Kami's training. It's the kind of crazy thing that absolutely wouldn't work in real life, but makes perfect sense as a method to get stronger in a series like this one. A lot of Kaio-sama's training seems to be directly inspired by Goku's training with Kami in fact. I don't know whether or not Toriyama saw or heard about any of the anime filler showing Goku's training, but 'catch the monkey to get used to high gravity' definitely feels at home beside the likes of 'dodge lightning while wearing a crown that makes you a lightning rod'. There's also the fact that Goku now has to get far stronger than his master if he's going to stand a chance in the coming fight, something that was heavily implied during the training for the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai but is stated outright here. Sadly we never do get to see Kaio-sama fight, but based on what we have here, I'm guessing he falls somewhere between Raditz and Nappa in terms of strength, and that's not too shabby for a chubby little catfish guy honestly. And can I just say again that I love the stupid humor with this character? The part of him mentioning all of the things he can enjoy while on his tiny planet is great, and honestly I think it gets even better with knowledge we'd only have later via the new age of Dragon Ball material, because now it comes off like a coping mechanism. It's so good. This chapter also gives us a nice moment with Piccolo and Gohan, with the latter almost seeming to offend the former's sensibilities by suggesting he's 'not that bad after all'. It's interesting to find out that Goku has talked to his son about Piccolo at all honestly, much less that he's seemingly praised him as not seeming to be nearly as bad a guy as King Piccolo before him. It definitely puts Piccolo in a light that I don't think he was prepared to be seen in – he still views Goku as an obstacle that he has to overcome, so to find out that Goku seemingly just looks at him as a great rival is definitely disquieting for him. This coupled with Piccolo's displeasure with how he needed Goku's help to win a fight, his uneasiness at having killed Goku in such a manner, and the uncomfortable feeling of his own demise potentially not being far off, all mix together to weigh quite heavily on the villain's mind. This is definitely the first time we've ever seen a character go through a process like this. Every other 'villain to friend' story we've had before this were either characters who were rough around the edges but not really evil, or their change happened extremely quickly. Tenshinhan definitely had some growing pains in the anime, but in the manga he basically turns over a new leaf almost immediately. With Piccolo though, it's definitely a slower process. As the chapter draws to a close, we see everyone's training continuing but getting to a point of wrapping up as well. The Earthlings have all learned all that they can from Kami, and even sport weighted clothing of their own now to boot. Gohan is finally starting to get a hang of using some of that immense hidden power within himself. And although Goku is shown to get blasted away by Kaio-sama – in what is again sadly the closest we've ever seen to Kaio-sama fighting – Kaio-sama considers him a candidate to learn a technique that not even HE can use...which honestly does sort-of bring into question how he came up with it in the first place and how he knows it's even viable at all. That said though, it certainly dangles a big carrot above the audience's head – just what is the 'Kaio-ken', and will it actually be something helpful for Goku? There's only a little more time to find out too, as those pesky Saiyans just keep getting closer...and closer...and closer... Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Fourteen year old Shizuku Tsukishima lives in a small apartment with her sister and parents, all of whom are focused on their jobs and studies. Shizuku however spends most of her time reading, and she starts noticing the same name before hers on all of the library checkout cards – Seiji Amasawa. Shizuku begins to grow curious about Seiji, wondering who he is and if they're anything alike. The next day, Shizuku walks to school and immediately goes to the library, finding a book that hasn't been checked out before – but it's been donated by a 'Doctor Amasawa'. She asks the librarian if she knows who that is, but she says she doesn't and suggests that she asks an older teacher. Yuko, Shizuku's friend, finds her and drags her outside, where the two talk about the rewritten lyrics Shizuku has written for 'Country Roads', which they intend to sing at the upcoming graduation ceremony. Yuko also reveals to Shizuku that she's received a love letter and doesn't know what to do about it as she already has a crush, a crush Shizuku quickly deduces is on a boy that she's friends with named Sugimura. The two girls talk about Sugimura as they walk home, but Shizuku realizes she's forgotten her book on the bench and rushes back to school to get it. There, she finds a boy she's never seen before reading the book, and as he returns it to her, he teases her about the lyrics, putting her in a foul mood for the rest of the day, a mood that only gets fouler as her sister Shiho pesters her about school. The next day, Shizuku sets out on the train to take her father's lunch to him at his library job, and is surprised when a large, fat cat sits next to her on the train. When the cat gets off at the same stop as her, she follows it and is eventually lead to an antique shop that she's never seen before. Heading inside, she spots a statue of an anthropomorphic cat and meets the old man that owns the store. The old man tells her a little bit about the statue, telling her it's name is the Baron, and Shizuku is enchanted by the statue. Realizing that she's running late now however, she quickly rushes off to her father's library. Once there, the boy that made fun of her lyrics rides up on a bike and hands the lunch box that she'd forgotten at the antique store to her. She asks him if the old man is his grandfather, but the boy rides off, this time teasing her about the size of the lunchbox. Shizuku gives her father the lunch and decides to check out another book, once again finding that it's been previously checked out by Seiji Amasawa. As she wonders about this mysterious boy, her mind wanders to the boy that's teased her twice, outraging her – there's no way it'd be someone like him! The following day, it's pouring down rain as Shizuku leaves the house and meets up with Yuko. Yuko tells her she's decided not to reply to the love letter due to how she feels about Sugimura, and when Sugimura comes up in class to brag to Shizuku about his good grades, Shizuku tries suggesting that he study with Yuko sometime. Yuko gets flustered and drags Shizuku away, and the two girls head to the teacher's lounge to ask about the book donated by Doctor Amasawa. A teacher there remembers the doctor's full name as well as the fact that he has a son attending the school, Seiji Amasawa. As they leave, Shizuku sees the boy that teased her again, and starts to freak out wondering if it really could be him after all. After her friends tease her about her fixation on Seiji Amasawa, Shizuku goes to the antique store again, unaware that Sugimura has stopped Yuko to talk to her. Shizuku is sad to find that the antique store is closed at the moment, but upon seeing the owner's name (Shiro Nishi) on a plaque outside, is relieved that the boy must not be Seiji Amasawa after all. As she leaves, she sees through the window that the Baron statue appears to be missing. Later that night, Yuko calls her and reveals that it was one of Sugimura's friends that wrote her the letter and Sugimura tried to push her into going out with the friend, hurting Yuko and outraging Shizuku. After school the next day, Shizuku talks with Sugimura, revealing to him that Yuko has a crush on him. This causes Sugimura to likewise reveal that he has feelings for Shizuku, but Shizuku turns him down as she doesn't want to hurt her friend. Running home, Shizuku breaks down and cries before ultimately changing out of her uniform and heading to the antique store again. It's once again closed, but she sits and talks with the cat from before, venting about how much things are changing now that she's getting older. Eventually, the boy that teased her shows up, revealing that the cat is a stray that goes by many names (Moon and Muta most often), and inviting her inside. Once inside, she sees that the Baron statue is still there just in a different location, and the boy tells her that his grandfather plans to never sell the statue at all. Shizuku witnesses the boy carving wood into pieces for a violin, and he reveals his dream is to be a professional violin sculptor. She compliments his work but he insists that he's not that good yet, and when she asks him to play one, he agrees to only if she sings. Shizuku reluctantly agrees, and as he begins playing 'Country Roads', she sings along, soon being joined by Nishi and his friends as they return home. As Shizuku is properly introduced to the grandfather, Nishi reveals that the boy's name is Seiji Amasawa, confusing a blushing Shizuku who frets about him not matching her mental image of the boy who read the same books as her at all. As the pair bickers, the old men laugh. As night falls, Seiji walks Shizuku home and invites her to come visit again soon, also revealing that he wants to go study violins in Cremona, Italy after graduation. Shizuku is impressed that he already knows what he wants to do, but Seiji confesses that it's still not that easy, as his parents are opposed to the idea. As Shizuku heads into her house, Seiji reveals to her that he actually liked the lyrics she wrote and encourages her to continue writing. Shizuku heads to bed, stopping only to ask her sister when she knew what she wanted to do with her life, with her sister's only answer being to get into a good school and figure it out after that. At school the next day, Sugimura apologizes to Yuko for trying to force her to go out with his friend, and Shizuku finds that there are already rumors spreading about her being out at night with a boy. These rumors only get stronger when Seiji comes to the classroom to talk to her, and as everyone teases her, she drags him along to the school's roof to talk. Seiji reveals that his parents have decided to let him go to Cremona after all, to study for two months under a friend of his grandfather's, and if after two months the friend doesn't think he has what it takes, he'll give up on his dream and go to a normal high school. Shizuku is impressed and encourages him, admitting to being a little jealous as she still doesn't know what she wants and just wastes all her time reading. Seiji confesses that he noticed her reading all the time and wanted to get her attention, which was why he started checking out and reading all of the books he thought she might read before she could so that she'd hopefully start noticing his name in them. Now that he's gotten her attention and it's time for him to leave, he's sad that he waited this long to talk to her. Shizuku's friends interrupt the two's bonding moment, and as she chases them away, she begins to cry. Shizuku visits Yuko later that night to talk about everything with Seiji, and as they talk, Shizuku realizes that her and Seiji are more alike than she realized, and decides that she needs to put herself to a similar test to the one he's undertaking. She decides to try and write a story that's been coming to her mind lately and finish it within the two months he's away, so she can catch up to him. She immediately begins work on a story she calls 'Whisper of the Heart', even going as far as to ask Nishi for permission to base it on the Baron cat statue. Nishi agrees to this, with one stipulation – he wants to be the first person to read the story when she's done. Shizuku agrees even though she's worried it won't be very good, and Nishi compares writing to a geode he shows her, explaining that nothing is a diamond until it's polished and refined. Shizuku's writes her story about the Cat Baron searching for his lost love in a fantasy world alongside a character seemingly based on herself, and researches various subjects related to her story at the library as often as she can. On one of those research trips, Seiji comes to tell her that he's leaving the next day as well as to wish her luck, and the two sit together in silence, her writing and him reading, before eventually parting ways after holding hands briefly. As Shizuku begins focusing more and more on her writing, her school work and chore upkeep both begin to suffer, worrying her teachers and her mother both after she gets called to a meeting at the school. When Shizuku's mother reveals to Shiho about her grades, Shiho begins harassing her about needing to focus and study already, culminating in an argument that their father breaks up upon coming home. He calls a family meeting, and while Shizuku won't reveal to them what it is she's doing, he can see that whatever it is is incredibly important to her. He convinces his wife that they should support Shizuku for now, but warns her that she'll have nobody to blame but herself if things go poorly. Later that night, Shiho tells her sister that she's moving out soon, so Shizuku will have the room to herself after that, telling her that she really should study more seriously as well as whatever it is she's doing. After finishing her story, Shizuku quickly takes it to Nishi for him to read, asking if she can wait downstairs as he does so. Time passes, and after he reads her story, Nishi tells her that he really liked it. Shizuku objects, saying that she knows it's a mess, but Nishi tells her that it's just like that geode and needs polishing to truly shine. Shizuku breaks down and cries from all the stress she's been under, and Nishi sits her down and tells her two stories. First, he explains that Seiji once got even more distraught when he didn't think the first violin he made was good enough. Then, he tells her a longer story – the true story of the Baron. Nishi explains how he found the statue at a cafe in Germany, when he was in love with a woman named Louise. The two begged the cafe owner to sell the statue to him, and the man finally relented under the condition that Louise buy the statue's mate, a female cat Baroness, so that the statues could be reunited one day. Shortly after, World War II began, and Nishi had to leave the country. After the war ended, he went back to Germany but was never able to find either his lost love or the statue. Shizuku apologizes for making him talk about such a painful past, but Nishi thanks her for giving his feelings new life in her story, encouraging her to keep writing. Nishi drives Shizuku home, and realizing that she needs to learn more about writing, she promises her mother to study harder and get into a good high school. The next morning, Shizuku wakes up early and sees Seiji outside her window, rushing outside to meet him. Seiji has her hop on his bike, and the two ride and talk together, with Seiji revealing that his master thinks he has a lot to learn but could become a truly good violin maker one day, so Seiji plans to go back there and continue studying after graduating. As they struggle up a hill together, they eventually reach Seiji's 'secret spot', where he often comes when he needs inspiration. As the sun rises, Seiji reveals that his grandfather told him everything and he apologizes for not being here to help her, but Shizuku says he did plenty by inspiring her to try. Overcome by the moment, Seiji blurts out a proposal to Shizuku, saying that they should get married someday when he's a violin craftsman and she's a writer, and Shizuku agrees, prompting Seiji to confess his love outright. As the credits roll, 'Country Roads' plays and Shizuku and Seiji ride the bike together again, as Yuko and Sugimura meet up after school to walk home together, suggesting that there may be romance in their future as well. Review: When it came time to choose something to review to mark the occasion of the blog's one year anniversary, I knew that I wanted to cover something very different from what I was currently reviewing. I also knew that I wanted it to be something stand-alone – something that I would review once and be done with, so that I wouldn't necessarily have to revisit it out of necessity a year later to prepare for reviewing the next installment of it. As such, I turned my eyes towards anime films that are unrelated to any particular series that I planned to review one day. I initially had chosen something out of the works of Mamoru Hosoda, as he's one of my favorite directors when I think of stand-alone animated films. But then, at the last minute, I remembered this movie and how much it means to me. And after re-watching it, I'm all the more certain that this was the right decision, because there's just no over-stating how much this film touches me. Hell, my now default avatar wherever I go, that represents both myself and this blog as a whole, is a Picrew recreated drawing of myself in Shizuku's 'Lofi Girl' meme form. It only feel right to make my first anniversary review be about the film that inspired that branding choice, so without further ado – let's talk about Studio Ghibli and Yoshifumi Kondo's Whisper of the Heart. Oh, but as one last quick footnote – I did write this review based entirely upon the English dub of the film, so if there are any errors present based on that, then I take full responsibility for that. The story of Whisper of the Heart is a simple one, especially compared to many of the other films in Ghibli's catalog. There's no magic, no fantasy, no talking animals – well, okay, there's one talking animal, but only in the lead character's imagination. Despite the Baron's popularity however, he's not the main character. His creator however, Shizuku Tsukishima, is, and she's one of the most compelling leads in any of the studio's films. Shizuku is a girl trying to live out her life to it's fullest by doing the things that she enjoys, but she's at an age just at the precipice of adulthood, at least in the vein of our world's expectations of young people. She's just about to enter high school, which means she's at the point that society – and her family – are all expecting her to start figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Unfortunately, Shizuku doesn't have any natural inclinations towards school or normal career paths, or at the very least, she hasn't put much thought into such things yet. The one thing that Shizuku does know is that she loves to read, particularly fairy tales, and she's even begun to dabble in writing. It's her love of reading that first brings Seiji Amasawa to her attention as she begins noticing his name on the checkout cards of all the books she's reading at the library. The two meet, and while at first chafe in each other's presence – or at least she does with him – they quickly form a bond built upon their shared interests. And it's through that bond that Shizuku first begins to realize what it is she wants out of life. The character of Shizuku is an excellent stand-in for anyone who's ever felt drawn to express their creative side, and her journey through-out this film is so perfectly parallel to what most of us seem to experience that it's almost uncanny. At first, Shizuku isn't reading or writing because it's what she wants to do for a career, it's just something she does for fun. She does these things because she likes to do them, but that's as far as it goes – she doesn't even really consider herself that good at it, scoffing away compliments towards her writing as not being great, and explaining away her reading as just reading fairy tales. This is something that most creative types seem to go through at least a few times, especially earlier on in their lives. Meeting Seiji changes all of that however. It's through her interactions with him, and seeing how he already has his life figured out that she starts to realize that it's possible to make your interests your dream in life as well. She comes to realize that if what she truly enjoys is reading and writing, then why shouldn't she give writing a more earnest try than she ever has before? Shizuku makes the brave decision to give it her best shot, but rather than making thing's easier...this actually starts to make things harder. Despite how glitzy and glamorous the allure of fame may look to people sometimes, the world actually is built against supporting the dreamers and the creatives of the world. For every person that makes it, there's another substantially larger group of people that never do. Seiji knows this, as he's already a little further down the path of creativity than Shizuku is. He's already started to try and make his dream a reality, and as such, he's already started to become plagued by both personal and social issues that try to prevent him from carrying on. His parents don't want him to chase his dream, and would much rather he follow a normal path and just go to a good high school and get a normal job. As soon as Shizuku starts to focus on her writing, her own family (in particular her sister, who has already started down the 'normal' path) start to stress her out over the same thing. Seiji also deals with an even worse barrier, self-doubt. He doesn't think that he's nearly as good at making violins as people tell him he is, just as Shizuku constantly downplays her own writing ability. The difference between the two with this struggle however is that Seiji's already been through what Shizuku is just now really starting to fight against. He knows his own brain is telling him he's not good enough, and he's learned to ignore it, at least in part. As Shizuku writes her first story, she struggles with that concept, and it's that exact struggle that makes her so identifiable. While I've gathered that it's a fairly common problem among writers, I'm going to be speaking for myself now, and my own experiences in life. Growing up in a small town in Arkansas, the town where I still live even now, I well know the frustrations of how the world seems to be stacked against dreamers. Whether it was writing or acting, something else that I used to have an interest in, there are constantly forces out there telling you that you can't do it. That you're not good enough. That you need to be realistic. Sometimes those words come from a good place, from someone who is sincerely trying to help and warn you what the world is like, but more often than not, they come from people trying to keep you down. And even when they come from people who care and that you care about, those words are a poison that only serves to feed and bolster that self-doubt that lingers inside. The voice of your own brain trying to tell you that you're not good enough, and that you should just quit, and go down the same path as everyone else, even if it hurts your very being to do so. That's where the character of Seiji's grandfather, Shiro Nishi, comes in. Nishi is the supportive voice that every creative type needs to find if they can, whether that comes in the form of another person, or a side of themselves that they need to try to listen to more often. Nishi doesn't sugar coat how hard things can be at times, as he's been no stranger to hard times himself. What he does do is tell Shizuku the truth, that she does have talent, and that she's made an incredible first step just by focusing and finishing a first draft for a story. He tells her that nobody's first efforts are perfect, far from it in fact, and that the real work only begins once you've made that attempt and can then begin to polish and shine your work afterwards. This is something that I'm admittedly still struggling with myself, proof that I need to listen more to the Nishis in my life and my own internal Nishi. I've talked a lot about what this film's story and themes are and not much about it's animation – that's because it's Studio Ghibli, and even with this being one of their lesser talked about features, that means it's pretty much guaranteed there's multiple reviews all over the internet gushing about how pretty it is, and rightly so. I also haven't talked much about it's plot overall however. The film's plot is pretty simple and on the nose – a girl discovers that growing up is making things change for her, both on a personal and social level, and she starts down the path to discovering what she wants out of life. Whisper of the Heart's simplicity is part of it's beauty. As stated before, there's no magic here, no fantasy that's not contained entirely within Shizuku's imagination – it's simply the story of a young creative receiving that first dose of inspiration to create and running with it. When I first saw this movie, I was in a relatively similar place, though I was a good bit older than Shizuku already. I knew that I wanted to be a creator of some kind, but I wasn't sure that I had it in me. I wasn't sure that I could ever do it. It's something that I'm still struggling to do even now. But seeing a character discover that part of themselves for the first time, to see them struggle with the same issues and challenges that I'd been dealing with for much of my entire life was very much like looking in a mirror. Whisper of the Heart is a masterpiece beyond even the expected standards coming from being a film attached to the Ghibli name, and it's easily my absolute favorite film out of any that the studio has ever produced. It also bears the significance of being one of only two films ever directed by someone who would only ever direct this film for the studio, with the other film being a sequel (of sorts) to this film to boot. Yoshifumi Kondo was a master of his craft, and it's clear from looking at all the heart that he put into this movie that he had already been through everything Shizuku was experiencing himself. Sadly, Kondo died only a few years after this film's release. It's an absolute shame, because if this was his first work, then there's just no telling exactly how far he would have gone with further films had he been granted the opportunity. He was already gone by the time I discovered this film, but I still miss him greatly every time I think about this movie. This movie is one of a select few films that are my absolute favorites of all time, animated or otherwise, and it means the world to me. Shizuku's discovery was like looking back at how far I had already come; Seiji's journey was realizing just how far there still was (and is) to go; and Nishi's encouragement and wise words remind me to take things slow, to be prepared, but to also never, ever give up on my dreams. That's a lesson that grows more important with each passing day and each new trial. It's a lesson I think more of us need to take to heart. Until next year! Favorite Scene: The scene where Shizuku sings Country Roads while Seiji plays his violin is absolutely touching, and encapsulates a lot of what the movie itself is telling us. Shizuku doesn't think she's good and is eventually convinced to try; Seiji doesn't think he's good either, but he's already willing to give it his best shot; Nishi wants to do his best to support them, at all costs. Simply beautiful. It's funny how much time flies as you get older. People always told me that, and I never really paid that much attention to it until I hit my early 30's. Now I realize it more and more with each passing day. A year ago, I posted the very first review on AniManga Travelogue. It was something I'd been considering doing for some time before that, and it was something I officially announced a few days prior to that. Looking back in just that brief span of time, it's both amazing to realize how much can change in even just a year's span of time – some good, and I'd be ignoring the elephant in the room if I didn't say some bad too. I won't dwell on or dive into that here, but anyone that follows me on social media knows my stances and beliefs on things already. I started this blog as a way to finally do something with my fandom again. I've been an online presence, albeit never a big one, for well over a decade now, approaching two in fact. In that time, I've done many things and worn many hats, but the one thing that never changed was my desire to write. Whether it was my desire to craft original works (something I'm still slacking on, unfortunately), or to put my own thoughts and beliefs into words (something I'm becoming more and more adamant about every day), the written word has always been my most precious means to communicate with the world. It's been my connection to the vast world outside of the small town where I live, and it's something that I always have, and always will treasure. That's more true now than it's ever been. And it's something I intend to keep doing. When I started this blog a year ago, I honestly didn't know how long I'd be able to keep at it. I've done blogs before, and they've always petered out in one way or another. This time however, I've stuck with it. There have been various lull periods caused by real life and real world issues, but by and large, I've made it a year into this and I'm still going. In a year's time, I've covered everything from the very beginning of the Dragon Ball manga all the way to just before the Saiyans' arrival in Dragon Ball Z – that's roughly four years worth of it's original run done in a fraction of the time. I've also realized exactly how lucky some works have to be to get to get a full run as well, courtesy of following the rise and fall of The Hunters Guild: Red Hood. As with everything in life, fiction is never certain, and it can be a crapshoot to see exactly where you're going to end up on any given day. At the end of the day though, I love creating. I love experiencing people's creations. I love pouring my heart and soul into stories, and allowing people's hearts and souls into mine via their own stories. That's what I hope to continue to bring into the AniManga Travelogue project as we keep trucking along through the world of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball and beyond, wherever else that might lead us. And speaking of wherever else, check back later today for a special one-off review written to celebrate the blog's anniversary. To everyone that's read my reviews as I've gone along, thank you for your support, and to everyone else who may have just now found me, I thank you for your time as well. Thanks for the support everyone. It means more to me than I can ever say, truly. Until next year! Synopsis: Gohan continues his training with Piccolo, but no matter how hard he tries, Piccolo is able to block or evade every one of his attacks. Piccolo tells him not to try to see him but to feel his presence, but Gohan complains that that doesn't make much sense. Piccolo blasts him with eye beams saying that if he has time to complain then he has time to train, reminding Gohan that they only have six months left now until the Saiyans arrive. As such, he tells Gohan that any moment he's not eating or sleeping will be spent fighting Piccolo. Gohan thinks that sounds crazy, but Piccolo says all he has to do is get stronger than himself, his father, and the Saiyans on their way to Earth. He attacks Gohan again, telling the boy that he's just itching to kill him if he lets down his guard. In the afterlife, Goku continues running down the Serpent Road and eventually slows down to catch his breath. He wonders if he's even going to find Kaio-sama before the whole year's up, when he suddenly realizes that he's come to the end of the Road at last! The only problem however is that he doesn't see Kaio-sama there, or anyone or anything else for that matter. Looking up, Goku sees a small round shape floating high in the sky above him, so he leaps up to get a better look at it, finding a small planet with a house and road on it. Goku is excited, thinking this must be Kaio-sama's place for sure, when he suddenly finds himself dragged violently to the ground of the small planet. Goku struggles back to his feet on the small planet, finding that his whole body feels like it's made of lead or something. He soon spots a small monkey watching him and assumes that this must be Kaio-sama. He introduces himself to the monkey and asks for training, and when the monkey begins prancing around and making noise, Goku imitates him, under the impression that this must be Kaio-sama's style of training. As Goku does this, he's spotted by a short, catfish like man who is confused to see someone imitating his monkey. Goku asks the man who he is, and the man pretends to be warding off the bites of flies, saying that there's always so many of them around. He reveals that he is the 'Lord of Worlds', AKA Kaio-sama, causing a surprised Goku to ask who the monkey is then. Kaio-sama explains that that's his pet, Bubbles, before going on to chastise Goku for not laughing at his joke, comparing 'Lord of the Flies' to 'Lord of Worlds'. Goku doesn't get it and Kaio-sama assumes he's just too nervous to laugh, so he hits Goku with another joke about wearing shoes to cover pig's feet. Though Kaio-sama laughs at his own joke, Goku still doesn't get it, so Kaio-sama tells him that there's nothing he can teach him if he doesn't understand a joke as good as that one. Goku fakes a loud laugh, pleasing Kaio-sama, who agrees to train Goku after all if he can pass his test – make him laugh. Goku objects saying that he's not a comedian, but Kaio-sama tells him it's the only way he'll train him, and warns Goku that he's sophisticated so he only laughs at good jokes. Goku struggles to think of anything, saying that he doesn't even know what comedians read other than maybe comic books, and the wordplay between 'comedian' and 'comic' causes Kaio-sama to double over with laughter. Kaio-sama says he'll train Goku to become the best comic in all the worlds, but Goku says he came here to learn martial arts. Kaio-sama says he should have said that in the first place then, and tells Goku to attack him so he can see what level he's at. Goku says he'd love to but he's still struggling to move, causing Kaio-sama to ask if he's from Earth. When Goku says he is, Kaio-sama explains that the gravity on his planet is ten times that of Earth's, so it's no wonder Goku is struggling to move. He tells Goku to jump as high as he can, and although Goku gets high off the ground, he laments that he can't jump nearly as high as he usually does. Kaio-sama however is impressed that he's able to jump as high as that in gravity much stronger than what he's used to, and thinks that Goku is going to be a very interesting student indeed. Review: The chapter opens with Gohan and Piccolo's training (which you might recognize as already having been adapted into the end of the previous anime episode), but the real story of this chapter is Goku finally reaching the end of Serpent Road. It might seem like it's taken some time to get here, but remember, those extra story beats for himself and the others only existed in the anime. In the manga, this is only the fifth chapter since he started running down Serpent Road, and pretty much all of it happened off-screen. In the manga's version of events, Goku doesn't run into any problems along the way. On the one hand, I can see how this would be preferable in some ways, as the idea of running down a really, really, REALLY long road that takes six months to get down would be challenging enough in it's own right. It also makes it perfectly understandable that we don't see much of it, because there wouldn't really be anything to see – just Goku running. At the same time though, that basically shoehorns Goku out of the story entirely, and also wastes the setup that Toriyama himself brought up (the idea that falling off the road and through the clouds leads to Hell). So Goku not having any story here feels off as well. Ideally, I've always liked to think that at least the part of him falling to Hell happens, though nowadays even that notion has gotten a little more complicated thanks to newer material showing us a Hell that doesn't 100% fit with the version the anime gave us. Either way though, with Goku finally reaching Kaio-sama's, we're treated to a whole new location and even better, a brand new character dynamic at last too. Kaio-sama's tiny planet is funny enough on it's own – of course a God as high leveled as a 'Lord of Worlds' would have a world all to themselves, but it being this tiny little thing barely big enough to do anything with is great – but even this tiny planet comes with a big cost in terms of it's gravity. I'll touch more on that in the next review, but for now it's already an interesting and unexpected twist. As for Kaio-sama himself? Oh man. What's NOT to love about this guy? He's basically a living dad joke, and if you're a fan of humor so bad that it's funny (sometimes at least) like I am, then this character is a godsend. I won't lie, there's a decent chance that this character might have influenced my own comedic process given how often I do the same thing he does with Lord of the Flies – reference one thing in a way that's barely connected to something else and expect it to be funny – though I'd like to think that I'm much, much better at it. Don't we all, though. His personality and appearance both make Kaio-sama seem like he's not this great martial arts master that Goku has been told he was, but people not being what we expect them to be is already old hat by this point in Dragon Ball, so it's probably not much of a surprise that there's more to this guy than first appears. Will his training be enough to make Goku stronger though? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The end of training draws near...! Synopsis: As they begin their training, Piccolo thinks that Gohan at least looks more capable than when he last left him, and challenges the boy to come at him as best as he can. Gohan leaps in to attack Piccolo, but Piccolo is easily able to dodge all of his attacks and knock him away. He has Gohan repeat the effort but it ends the same way, and Piccolo tells Gohan not to watch for his movements but to feel them. Gohan thinks that's easier said than done, and Piccolo hits him with eye beams, telling him that if he has time to whine then he has time to fight, further saying that every moment Gohan isn't eating or sleeping now, he'll be fighting Piccolo. Gohan thinks he'll die at that rate, but Piccolo tells him to get stronger than – stronger than him, stronger than his father, and stronger than the Saiyans. In the afterlife, Goku continues to run the Serpent Road which still doesn't have an end in sight. Up on Kami's sanctuary, Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu, and Yajirobe all continue their training as well, though Yajirobe slacks off a lot in comparison to the others. Kami and Popo approach the group, and Kuririn asks them how long it'll be before the pair trains them personally. Yamcha likewise says it's been two months since they arrived and they still haven't received any of the training Goku did, and when Kuririn requests that they receive the same regiment, Kami insists that he taught Goku nothing. The group wants to know exactly what Goku did while he was up here however so they can get stronger, and Popo insists that to do that, they must know themselves and know their enemies – everything after that should come naturally. The group doesn't understand and continue to press Popo, who eventually takes them to the time room where Goku trained once before. Popo explains the room to the group as well as explaining that Goku trained here once before too, but Yajirobe bows out, deciding to eat instead. Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu all focus as instructed, and soon find themselves in a delapidated city that they don't recognize – in fact, it doesn't even appear to be Earth that they can tell. A skeleton soon falls to the ground near them, and they recognize from it's tail and armor that it's a dead Saiyan. The group explores the area, seeing the remains of many other Saiyans, with Kuririn surmising that some kind of battle happened here. Tenshinhan and Yamcha are eager to test out their powers on any survivors, and unbeknownst to them, a pair of Saiyan survivors are already watching them. One Saiyan scans the group with his scouter, determining that the four of them together only add up to a power level of 1,507. The two Saiyans think they can waste some time with the group, and disappear. The group continues to wander around, not finding anything or anyone to talk to. Kuririn says that if this really is the Saiyan's planet than they shouldn't take them lightly. Chaozu wanders over to look at something in a window, and is taken by surprise when one of the Saiyans grabs him by the head. Tenshinhan immediately tries to help, but the second Saiyan attacks him before he can move. The Saiyan holding him easily kills Chaozu before their eyes, tossing his body aside like a ragdoll. Enraged, Tenshinhan rushes the pair of Saiyans, but quickly finds himself unable to do anything to them either. Tenshinhan gets grabbed by one of the pair as well, and Yamcha throws his Sokidan in an attempt to save him. Tenshinhan is able to use the distraction to get away, but the blast doesn't do a thing to the Saiyans, much to Yamcha's horror. Starting to realize what they're up against, Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Kuririn all fire a Kikoho, Sokidan, and Kamehameha at the pair of Saiyans, hoping to take them down. A large break in the ground appears as the dust clears, and the group wonders if they really managed to take the Saiyans down in the end. Suddenly however, they hear the voices of the Saiyans laughing from somewhere, before one of them leaps from the hole before disappearing before their eyes. Distracted by the first Saiyan, the second one reaches up and drags Kuririn through the ground, and Yamcha and Tenshinhan are forced to listen as Kuririn is beaten before seeing him get killed before their eyes by a reappearing Saiyan. The two Saiyans challenge Yamcha and Tenshinhan to keep fighting as they're curious to see who the third to die will be, and the pair put everything they have into a final, large Sokidan, and a Shishin no Ken/Kikoho combo technique respectively. The attacks cause much of the building they're in to crumble and trap the Saiyans, before hitting them both full force. Yamcha and Tenshinhan, drained of all energy, are once again certain that they've finished off these Saiyans and avenged their friends, but now realize what truly horrific powers the Saiyans wield. Before they can escape however, the two Saiyans appear once more, proving to still be alive after all, and finish them both off with quick energy blasts. The group all awaken back in the time room with Kami, Popo, and Yajirobe watching on. Kuririn is happy that they're all still alive, and Yajirobe says they've all just been standing there in a circle this whole time anyway. Popo explains that their bodies remained here but their minds went on a journey so that they could learn what Kami was trying to impart to them. Yajirobe asks how fighting the Saiyans went, and the group admit that they've severely overestimated their own powers while underestimating the Saiyans. Kami further explains that the Saiyans they just fought were nowhere near as strong as the ones on their way here now, and asks if they feel like running now. The group is scared naturally, but they all agree to keep training and get strong enough to fight even the Saiyans on their way now. Down on Earth, Gohan and Piccolo's own training continues, with Gohan slowly learning how to perceive Piccolo's movements and dodge them. Up on the Serpent Road, Goku continues running, while out in space, the two Saiyans even stronger than any that our heroes have yet encountered, continue their way towards the Earth. Review: After multiple episodes focusing on what Goku and Gohan are doing, it's finally time for the anime filler machine to shine a spotlight on the other characters again...and in true Dragon Ball Z fashion, it uh, it doesn't go so well for them comparatively. See, the whole idea of these filler episodes are to help flesh out what happens to the characters between when we last saw them in action and when we'll be seeing them in action again. We know Goku's going to have to get a lot stronger, because he's the lead character who we fully expect to come back in and save the day – he can't do that if he doesn't improve. We know we're going to have to see Gohan come into his own – he can't do that if he doesn't go through a LOT of growth compared to how he was when we first met him. Piccolo is likewise going through a growing period, designed to change him from an opposing force into one that as at least allied with our heroes. For the rest of those heroes though, there are no lofty expectations for what they're going to be doing. And for fans who are already familiar with the series, that know where they're going next, there's not really much in the way to build them up to either. So all that's left to them is to grow stronger. It's likely one of the reasons their training is covered the least in the manga as well, along with the fact that their training is training we already partially saw prior with Goku. It's all a bit of a shame really too, because these are characters we've had the longest. Every single one of these characters, even freakin' Chaozu, we've had around for a good bit longer than we've had Piccolo and especially longer than we've had Gohan, but the story is already doing everything in it's power to sideline them. As much as I love Dragon Ball, this is definitely one of it's weakest aspects, and it's something that I feel like the next generation of manga artists, like Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto) and Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) definitely learned from to varying degrees, as they all endeavor to do at least a little better with their supporting casts. My issues with where this is leaving and leading the remaining Earthling heroes aside however, this episode still manages to be an entertaining enough ride just on it's own. There's a great horror aesthetic to the proceedings that we don't get a lot in the franchise, with only really one notable exception in the future I can think of that outdoes even this one (and it's canon to boot). The lesson our heroes learn here is an important one as well – they seem to be banking on their training making them strong enough to handle the Saiyans, especially with the likes of Goku, Gohan, and even Piccolo joining them as well. As a result, they're both thinking too much of themselves (or at least what they can become) while also thinking too little of the Saiyans. This is an understandable enough mistake for them to make, as out of the four of them, only Kuririn has seen a Saiyan in action. Even then, all he saw was the bare minimum – he got smacked aside by Raditz, saw Goku go through the same, and then only saw the aftermath of Goku and Piccolo's fight with the Saiyan. None of them truly have any idea what they're actually in for beyond the vague notion of 'the enemy is strong'. They needed to learn just HOW strong these Saiyans are going to be and just HOW outclassed they are at the moment if they're ever going to take their training seriously enough to have even the slightest hope of improving enough. This is sadly basically the lot that the supporting cast has been thrown to now however, in that they're always going to be one step behind what Goku and other characters are offered in terms of improvement. Goku trained at Karin's during the Red Ribbon arc; the other heroes don't do so until after King Piccolo. Likewise, Goku trained at Kami's after King Piccolo; our heroes are only now doing so in preparation for the Saiyans. This one step behind nature of their improvement was always going to leave them lagging behind even more than anything else unfortunately, and it's going to end up showing in their overall performance as well. Again, this is something that I feel like later authors who grew up on Dragon Ball improved with – they learned to take characters down different but equivalent paths for improvement rather than leaving them to go down the same path as the main hero just at a later date. All of that said however, if someone was coming to this episode completely blind without any of the knowledge of where it's all going, I think they'd enjoy it far more than an older, somewhat jaded on the state of things fan would, as it really does make it's point brutally clear to our heroes – it's time to put all their efforts in. Until next time! Favorite Scene: Everything with the past Saiyans is like something from a horror movie, but I especially like when one grabs Kuririn from underground and drags him down. Next Time: Everyone's a comedian, even the Gods. Synopsis: After being caught up in the storm on the ocean, Gohan washes up on a different beach, where he's found by a young boy and girl who think he might be dead. The boy starts to look for anything worth money that Gohan might have, eventually finding his sword just as Gohan wakes up briefly before fainting. The kids take Gohan back to their 'home', introducing themselves as Rom and Chiko. Gohan asks them where they are, looking around the dilapidated house, and Rom says that Gohan is welcome to stay with them as long as he likes, with Chiko explaining that without any parents around, it's up to all of the kids to take care of themselves. On a nearby road, a van full of adults drives towards the cottage, as Rom explains that two years prior, a gigantic tsunami ravaged this area, swallowing up the city. As a result, the abandoned city is full of kids who don't have homes or families anymore. Gohan tries to explain that he does have a family, but a whistle alerts Rom and Chiko to the arrival of the van, and they grab Gohan and run. The adults get out and start to enter another building that the three kids have run into, with Rom using a rope swing to escape with Chiko from the roof to a nearby tree stand. When he turns around, Gohan is almost captured by two adults, but Gohan escapes and leaps over to the tree stand by his own power, surprising the siblings as well as the adults. Rom explains to Gohan that these adults come by at least once a day trying to capture them, to put them in 'jail'. Gohan wonders if it's really as bad as all that, but the conversation is interrupted by a slightly older girl almost being captured by the adults before being rescued by a newly arrived teenager named Piegoro. Piegoro tells the adults to leave, and when three of the adult men try to rush him, Piegoro easily takes them down with his attacks. As Piegoro and the girl escape, all of the children start throwing rocks at a woman that came with the men, though she pleads with them to stop and to come with her, where they'll get new clothes, a clean room, and a hot meal. Chiko thinks that sounds good, but Rom tells her it's a trick, and Piegoro tells the adults that they don't need their help and are just fine on their own. All the children shout in agreement, and the adults are left with no choice but to leave. Rom introduces Gohan to Piegoro, and Gohan quickly seems to get along with all of the orphans, happily playing with them and getting to know them. A short time later, Gohan is taken to a nearby town and asked to cry as a distraction while the children steal lots of food from a nearby vendor. The ruse is quickly figured out, and Gohan flees along with the orphans, back to their cottage. The kids talk about how they're growing up just fine without parents, although Gohan can't help but think about and miss his. That night, Gohan steps out with the intention to leave, while Piegoro keeps watch from a tree and is plagued by memories of the tsunami. Gohan explains to Piegoro that he's not actually an orphan and was on his way back home when he ran into Rom and Chiko, and his explanation is overheard by the orphans who wake up. Gohan apologizes, but the kids aren't mad – in fact, they want to hear about Gohan's home. Piegoro knows where Mt. Paozu is and promises to show Gohan the way to get there in the morning, and hearing about Gohan's home life makes all of the kids talk about the things they miss and don't miss, like school. Piegoro says that if they go to the institution that they can go to school if they'd like, but none of them like the sound of that. In the end, all of the kids agree to go with Piegoro to take Gohan home. The next morning, everyone is keeping watch for the adults arrival, but they seem to be running late. They finally see the van coming however and prepare for another fight, with the kids immediately pelting the men with rocks. Piegoro hijacks the van, intending to use it to escape with all of the kids, but they're quickly surrounded by multiple cop cars. The kids try to fight off the adults, but eventually they're all captured save for Gohan and Piegoro. Looking back at the kids, Piegoro begins to wonder if living on the run isn't right for them after all, and grabs Gohan's hand, escaping with only him by stealing one of the adult's cars. Gohan wants to know why Piegoro abandoned everyone, and Piegoro angrily and sadly explains that he finally realized he wasn't actually helping them by turning them all into delinquents like himself – they all had dreams and things they wanted to do. He also recognizes that Gohan is incredibly strong, and tells Gohan to take care of his mother, before driving off into the distance. Now a short distance from his home, Gohan quickly rushes towards Mt. Paozu, eventually coming within a short distance of his house. As Gohan thinks about what he has that those other kids don't however, he finds that he can't just return home like this. Running away from the house, Gohan is eventually spotted by Piccolo from the air. Piccolo asks Gohan what his mission is, and Gohan says he has to get stronger and help save the Earth. With that, Piccolo takes Gohan back to begin his training properly at last. Review: After a handful of episodes focusing on Goku's adventures in the afterlife, the anime staff apparently decided it was time to get back to Gohan again, which resulted in the last episode that unfortunately only seemed to exist to eat up time and get things in motion for this episode. Now that we've actually gotten here though, was that setup worth it? The answer is actually an emphatic yes. Don't get me wrong, the previous episode was still a big waste of time overall, and they could have done something much more interesting for it's runtime and ended with a shorter variation of events to get Gohan where he was – I mean, he ends up stranded on a beach only to end up stranded on a DIFFERENT beach at the start of this episode, c'mon – but this episode is enjoyable enough that I'm glad we have it at least. Basically, each of the Gohan episodes has endeavored to teach the sheltered young boy a lesson. His encounter with the robot taught him that he was going to have to toughen up if he wanted to survive, and he did so. His brief time with the dinosaur taught him that even being strong isn't always enough and that sometimes bad things happen, so you have to toughen your heart at least a little bit to be able to withstand them, and he seemingly did just that – we certainly haven't seen him crying every five seconds in a long, long time now. And this latest adventure with the orphans came with a lesson as well. Before I touch on that lesson though, let's look at the kids and their story itself. There's not a whole lot given on the situation, but enough is done to make their characters understandable. After their town was ransacked by a tsunami, it caused all of those children to end up orphaned, seemingly including the eldest of them, Piegoro. Piegoro is rough around the edges, and chafes under the watchful eye of adults, and takes it upon himself to 'rescue' all of the other orphaned children, taking care of them himself as best he can rather than letting the adults take care of them. He does so because he thinks it's what's best for them, because it's certainly what was best for him. Gohan's arrival eventually causes uncertainty about that notion however, as Piegoro can see the kids talking about what it was like back when they had families and went to school. In one kid's case, they didn't even GO to school, because the tsunami hit before they were of age. It's not delved into too deeply, and honestly his change of heart is a little bit rushed, but it seems clear that Piegoro himself quickly learned a lesson here as well – what's best for him isn't necessarily what's best for everyone. And so, he ends up abandoning the kids to be taken into foster care, where they'll be raised to become proper adults instead of delinquents like himself. It's more than a bit harsh, and again, the episode definitely could've benefited from some more time spent with Piegoro and his changing thought process first, but ultimately what they're trying to express here is him doing something for the kid's own good that the kid's themselves don't like and don't understand – basically, he's acting just like a parent. This is also why he makes sure to escape with at least Gohan, because Gohan does have a family to get back to. It's a bittersweet end, and seeing Piegoro leave on his own, you can't help but wonder what becomes of him in the future. This is jumping way ahead, but honestly, I always wished we'd seen Piegoro one more time in a future run of filler episodes, in the Saiyaman portion of the story. Him having ended up in a rather rough situation and encountering Gohan again, possibly without either of them really recognizing the other at first, would have made for an interesting episode for sure. But alas, this is another filler episode that never comes up again in any shape or form. And as for the lesson Gohan himself learns this time? Gohan finally gets what he's wanted all along, he's almost back in his mother's arms at his comfy home, but now he knows that there's a lot of kids that don't have what he has. He realizes that Piegoro's last bit of advice to protect his mother is something he's going to have to do, and fast, as the Saiyans are a problem that's not going away. In fact, they're getting ever closer, and if Gohan is going to protect his mom, then he's going to have to protect the planet itself. And for that, he needs Piccolo and the training he offers. There's still quite a bit of maturing Gohan is going to have to do in his life, but at last, he's hit that first step that really makes him the character that he is and the character that so many fans love. Until next time! Favorite Scene: The antics with the orphans is probably the most fun of the episode, in particular them escaping from the town with food in tow. Next Time: The Saiyans are here! Well, okay, not THOSE Saiyans. Other Saiyans. Synopsis: On a rainy night, Gohan does math inside of a cave while thinking back to living with his mother and father before all of this started, and misses his old life and his parents greatly. As it starts storming heavier outside, Piccolo thinks back on the fight with Raditz and how it took Goku holding Raditz still for him to hit his opponent with the Mankankosappo. Piccolo focuses his power and splits a second body of himself off from his main body and begins to spar against it through the night. The next morning, Gohan has built a raft and is sailing down the sands of a nearby desert with it. A large bird flies overhead and tries to capture him, but Gohan is able to easily avoid it, though it pushes him through an area that ends up breaking his raft and stranding him on a beach near the ocean. Gohan runs into the sabretooth again but ignores it, instead marveling at the size of the ocean. Gohan runs along the edge of the beach to try and see how far it goes, eventually finding no way off of it as night falls once again. Another day passes as Gohan continues to try to find a way off of the beach, and the next night, Piccolo resumes training with his body double. At Goku's house, Gyu-mao arrives to give his daughter some food in the hopes of making her feel better, but Chi Chi doesn't want to leave her house due to her worry for her son. Back on the beach, Gohan continues running and tormenting the poor sabretooth, and eventually finds his wrecked raft, realizing he's come back to where he started. Climbing a nearby mountain, Gohan realizes that the beach he's on is actually part of an island entirely surrounded by ocean. Realizing what direction his home must be from here, Gohan draws plans in the sand. As Piccolo's body double training continues, Gohan begins gathering trees and builds his new boat, as well as food, all under the watchful eye of the sabretooth. As Gohan finishes the boat, he assures the sabretooth that he'll be back soon as he just wants to see his mother for a bit first, and sets out onto the open sea. As Piccolo's training continues, he suddenly senses Gohan leaving the area, and his body double combines back into his body. As Gohan floats on the sea at night, a storm starts to rage overhead, putting the boy in a perilous situation. As the ocean churns beneath him, he tries to tough it out and keep the boat from capsizing or sinking as he can't swim, as Piccolo searches for him from the sky above unbeknownst to him. A twister ultimately knocks Gohan from his boat, leaving Piccolo with no idea where the boy is or if he's still alive out there, as the Saiyans grow ever closer and Goku continues running down the Serpent Road. Review: You might remember how, a few episode reviews ago, I commented that an episode's title barely addressed what the episode was actually about. I also noted that said episode was basically a series of scenes strung together to reach a runtime, with the end goal really being just setting up for the next episode in line. Well, this episode could be considered an improvement over that one in that the title here kind of fits better as at least part of it pertains to the entirety of the episode and not just it's ending...but there's no getting around the fact that this episode also just exists to prepare for the next one. There is some neat things here, both action and character wise. Seeing that Gohan misses his mom even after getting much stronger is a nice touch, and it makes sense – remember, this kid is FOUR YEARS OLD. Of COURSE he misses his mom. It even follows that he'd use his newfound survival skills to try to find some way to get back home. It's also great to see him mess around with the sabretooth some more. Beyond that though, this is largely all material we've already seen with him. We know he can survive in the wilderness now, so seeing large sections of him just running around a backdrop, even if the backdrop is a little different now, doesn't really do much to engage or keep your attention. Then there's Piccolo's portion of the episode. The training we've seen him do up until now has mostly been mental, largely built around meditation seemingly. This makes sense as he's training on his own, he doesn't have a sparring partner the way everyone else does. This presents a problem when Piccolo puzzles out that one of the biggest drawbacks to his most powerful technique is that it takes too long to charge, and is apparently too slow to hit someone if they're that much faster than him. So how does Piccolo get around this? ...He buds off a second body and starts fighting against it, both to try to get stronger and faster himself, while also trying to see if he can find ways to make the Mankankosappo more workable in a regular fight. ...Huh. Piccolo's ability here is neat, don't get me wrong, but it's a little difficult to tell what exactly the idea behind it might be. Is it like Tenshinhan's move? It kind of looks like it, though I'd say visually it looks closer to his initial four-armed technique than how we saw his version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu did. If it's not that, is it meant to be something similar to the budding off that lead to the original King Piccolo? This seems even more unlikely as the new second Piccolo doesn't seem to have any difference in personality or character at all. There's really nowhere for this move to have come from, it's just something that the anime writers decided he could do, and they ran with it. It's cool, but inherently bizarre. Like I said back during the Goku V.S. Tenshinhan rematch, Dragon Ball just doesn't seem to know how to make a clone technique work well. And that's really all the episode brings us, Gohan trying to find a way back home, and Piccolo trying to figure out his own weaknesses. These are both things well worth exploring, but I don't think this episode pulled it off at all to be honest. It really just feels like it wanted to get Gohan away from where he was so that it could teach him the lesson he's going to be learning next time, and it got so focused on that that it didn't really do much with it's own runtime for THIS episode. It's a shame too, because the next episode I always remember as being really, really good. Until next time! Favorite Scene: Gohan tormenting the poor Sabertooth is great, arguably better than him doing the same with the dinosaur ever was. At least the Sabertooth halfway still wants to eat him. Next Time: After a robot and a dinosaur, Gohan's next life lesson comes from...orphans? |
About the AuthorAspiring author and big anime/manga fan, just trying to do my best in the world. For more details, go to About Me. Archives
September 2022
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