Synopsis: Goku wakes up aboard kinto'un, still flying through the sky in search of the four-star Dragon Ball. Seeing that the sun has risen already, he stops to take a drink from a river before checking the Dragon Radar to see if he's gotten closer to the signal it picked up. It detects that he has just a little bit further to go, so he happily hops back onto the cloud and continues his travel. A short distance away, a soldier wakes up as well and exits the house he was sleeping in. His commander, Colonel Silver, accosts him for sleeping in so late, saying there's no time to waste. The scared soldier apologizes and gets into his truck, while Silver explains that Commander Red has been urging them to find what they're looking for as fast as possible: it seems another group of soldiers, Brown squad, has already found theirs. As the soldier drives away with another soldier, a dog man, in tow, Colonel Silver says what it is they're looking for: Dragon Balls! Shortly after, the two soldiers are poking around in the wilderness trying to find where the Dragon Ball could be. They don't have much hope as they've already been searching for twenty days without finding it, but they don't have much choice but to keep trying. Their search is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Goku, who hops off kinto'un and checks his radar again. The Dragon Ball is close! As he starts to poke around as well, the soldiers threaten him but stop once Goku almost effortlessly finds the six-star Dragon Ball that's eluded them for close to a month. Goku is surprised the two guys know about the Dragon Balls, and the human soldier demands that Goku hand it over if he wants to live. Goku sticks his tongue out at the man, who promptly grabs hold of him only for Goku to kick him and send him flying away. The dog soldier fires his gun, but Goku is able to dodge the bullets with ease, landing before the soldier and punching him hard in the gut, before sending him flying with a kick as well. Goku is disappointed that the Dragon Ball he found wasn't the one he was looking for, but figures he may as well keep it for now. The human soldier gets back up and quickly radios Silver, telling him what happened. Rushing out of the house from before, Silver spots Goku overhead and fires a rocket at him, destroying kinto'un. Goku is angry at the loss of his gift from Roshi, but Silver demands that the boy tell him why he's gathering the Dragon Balls and how he was able to find one so quickly – even the Red Ribbon Army's radar is only able to locate an approximate location. Goku says he has nothing to tell the guy who destroyed kinto'un, but Silver smirks and takes off his coat, telling Goku not to underestimate a Colonel of the Red Ribbon Army. Review: At long last, we're entering one of my favorite, and one of the most important, story arcs in the Dragon Ball franchise – the Red Ribbon Army is here. You might think I'm exaggerating, but while this arc isn't perfect, I do really enjoy it quite a lot. It's a longer arc, and for some it might outstay it's welcome, but after the relatively straight forward arc's before it, I feel like this really was the best direction for the story to go next. It sees us through multiple locales, utilizes characters both new and old in various ways (though admittedly, the pre-existing cast may be a little too underutilized here), and it gives us a bunch of really great fights. It even gives us a crossover with Toriyama's previous manga series, Dr. Slump – now THAT'S gonna be fun to talk about once I get there. I also stand by this being one of the most important story arcs in the series as well, because it's the only one that directly causes a later story arc to happen. Most of the story arcs in Dragon Ball are fairly stand-alone, with really only the two Piccolo arcs and the Saiyan to Freeza arcs being directly related to one another. Usually, an arc's connection to a previous arc is superficial at best, mainly reliant on characters appearing that we've seen before or something being mentioned that happened in the previous story. This arc however ends up setting up an arc that won't happen for a long, long time afterwards, and while it was definitely not on Toriyama's mind at the time of writing this particular story arc, it can't be denied that without the Red Ribbon Army storyline, there is no Androids/Cell storyline. There is no Gohan coming into his own as a fighter (at least not as we get to see it), and considering how popular that particular story beat is, it's a shame that this story that is a direct predecessor to it is so slept on. But that's the fate of original Dragon Ball, sadly. But enough about what's still ahead, let's talk about this chapter in particular. As much as I go on about loving this arc, this opening chapter itself doesn't really give much to talk about, as it's mainly just setting up the new conflict of someone other than Goku looking for the Dragon Balls. Even with this bare-bones setup however, we do get somewhat of an inkling that this won't be like the previous Dragon Ball hunt. Last time, the gang didn't run into someone else who wanted them until the very end of the journey (Yamcha doesn't really count because he only started to pursue the Dragon Balls after his run-in with them), and the various mentions of the Red Ribbon Army certainly bring to mind a more formidable force than Pilaf and his two cronies. It also makes a huge difference that, at least for now, Goku is going to be all alone in this fight, he won't have anyone else's smarts to help cover up for his own weaknesses. Luckily for Goku however, he's gained a lot of strength since the last Dragon Ball hunt, and certainly since the last time he was on his own. While Goku kicking away mooks with ease isn't anything we haven't seen before, him dodging bullets fired from extremely close range is a whole other league from him taking them head-on and surviving due to it being for gag purposes. You could almost say Goku is too overpowered already actually, and I think Toriyama may have realized this, hence his decision to take kinto'un out of the equation, even if only temporarily. Goku might be strong, but he's not infallible, and it's going to be really hard to get around to the other Dragon Balls if he has to go the whole way on foot. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Colonel Silver, Goku's next “great” challenge!
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Synopsis: A brief opening shows a castle surrounded by a dense forest, where it's said an extremely beautiful princess has been sleeping for several millennia. As the princess slumbers, a number of demons are shown to be around her and the castle, seemingly keeping guard... Picking up where the last film left off, Goku has split off from Bulma and the others and makes his way to Muten Roshi's island, intending to seek training from the old hermit. Like in the main series, Roshi isn't interested in training Goku for free. Before his terms can be set however, their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Kuririn, who is also seeking training from the old man. Things play out mostly the same as in the main series until the price of Roshi's training is brought up. Rather than leaving the judgment of a proper girl to the boys, Roshi instead asks for a particular girl – the 'Sleeping Princess of Devil's Castle'. Long ago, so the legend says, there was an extremely beautiful young girl who was kidnapped by a lecherous demon and locked up in his castle. Thousands of years passed without anyone coming to save her, and the girl is said to have continued to sleep all alone in a dark room in the castle. Kuririn asks if the girl is really that pretty, and Roshi says that legend says that those who have seen her are so taken by her beauty that they are rendered unable to move. Elsewhere, a blonde woman is shown to be reading a book also describing the princess, and smirking. Roshi tells the boys that whoever manages to bring the princess back to him will win the right to be his pupil, and the boys enthusiastically agree. Kuririn asks where the Devil's Castle is, and Roshi points far to the west, telling them of a range of five mountains called the Devil's Hand. Goku thinks this will be fun, while Kuririn vows not to get beaten by such a runt. Goku starts to call kinto'un, but Roshi stops him saying that using it would be an unfair advantage over Kuririn who has no such ride, and tells them both to get there by using only their own bodies. The boys agree, though Kuririn makes it a point to tell Goku that this is a race so if he sees Goku in any danger, he won't be helping him. The boys begin, and Kuririn promptly trips Goku before diving into the water to get a head start. Roshi laughs as he watches, thinking about the Sleeping Princess. Goku quickly overtakes Kuririn's swimming speed, though Kuririn is able to take the lead once more due to being chased by a hungry shark. The boys continue their race, on foot through a long field, through forests, and even over a bridge where Kuririn tricks Goku once more, cutting the bridge and leaving Goku presumably to die by falling into the river below. With his rival that he just couldn't manage to outrun taken out of the race, Kuririn takes a load off by catching a ride with a bus, and eventually even riding on the head of a buffalo leading a stampede. Out of nowhere however, Goku catches back up and runs right past the herd, surprising Kuririn. Back on his island, Roshi is relaxing and listening to the radio while looking at one of his dirty magazines, when Bulma shows up and surprises him. It seems she, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar decided it was time to pay Goku a visit since it's summer vacation, but they're disappointed to hear that Goku isn't there. Bulma deduces that Roshi must've sent him off for something indecent, but Roshi says he sent him along with another prospective pupil to the Devil's Castle (though he catches himself and tries to explain it away as a theme park). When Bulma asks where that is, Roshi gives them the same directions he gave Goku and Kuririn. At long last, Kuririn reaches the peak of a mountain just outside of the Devil's Hand, and is saved from falling by Goku, despite Kuririn's earlier assurances that he wouldn't do the same for him. Goku points out the Devil's Hand, and the two rush through the horrifying looking landscape, searching all over for the castle. Goku finds what seems to be an entrance through a giant fanged mouth sculpture, and the boys go inside of it. Inside Devil's Castle, a mysterious voice tells it's master that the sun has finally gone down, it's master merely laughing Traveling via plane, Bulma and the others have reached the area of the Devil's Hand as well, but they're not alone. As Yamcha notes how hard it is to fly through such thick fog, the plane is suddenly attacked by flying demons who break through a window, forcing the plane to spiral down to the ground. Now inside the Devil's Castle, Kuririn remarks about how scary everything is, as he even gets spooked by an immovable statue. The statue's eyes however turn to follow the boy's progress as they go further inside, unaware that they're being watched by someone, seemingly a human. As a monster movie plays on a TV, Bulma wakes up in a luxurious bedroom, separated from the others. As she turns around, she comes face to face with a weird looking little man, before the castle's master, Lucifer, introduces himself. Bulma is immediately taken by how handsome the man is, but when he asks how she is she says he's been treating them terribly as guests by having 'demons' attack their plane – that's going too far, even if this is a haunted house. Lucifer laughs and apologizes, inviting her to a dinner party to make amends. Bulma agrees as she is starting to get hungry, and Lucifer motions to his butler, the strange man from before, who leaves to 'make preparations', starting with grabbing a gigantic needle. As Lucifer starts to escort Bulma to the dining room, Bulma asks where Yamcha and the others are, and the small man remarks that they didn't seem as appealing. Goku and Kuririn eventually come to a large room, where they are suddenly run over by a hoard of marching demons. A large red one wielding two weapons and a ribbon stays behind, and while Goku demands the Sleeping Princess from him, a tiny winged demon starts biting his leg. The tiny demon keeps interrupting Goku and Kuririn's efforts to ask the larger one where the Sleeping Princess is, and eventually the larger demon begins to attack them just as the marching army storms back through as well. Kuririn is able to trip up the army while Goku deftly dodges the larger demon's attacks, and he even succeeds in sending the demon flying into a pillar before returning to help Kuririn fight the other demons. Though the boys are successful in defeating a large amount of them, the larger demon begins another counterattack on Goku using it's ribbon, and Kuririn takes this opportunity to escape. As Lucifer escorts Bulma, he asks her how old she is, and she responds happily that she's 16. The short man carrying the needle remarks that it's been a long time since they had vintage 16-year-old, catching Bulma off-guard. Lucifer explains he's talking about the drink that will be served tonight, and they finally arrive at the hall which, in addition to being filled with demons, has a large ornate hole in it's ceiling, and a stairway leading to another luxurious looking bed. Bulma starts to think that this all looks a little too real even for a masquerade party, and Lucifer introduces everyone to Bulma, describing her as their “guest” for the evening. This causes all of the demons to clap and laugh uproariously. As Bulma is seated in a throne, Bulma once again asks where Yamcha and the others are, only for Lucifer to reiterate that only “delicious” guests are brought here. As Bulma spots the large needle again and starts to get the idea, Lucifer's face turns demonic and he says that, for the first time in a long time, they'll be able to toast with a young girl's blood. Strange ropes restrain Bulma to the chair, and she cries out for someone, anyone, to come save her, and her cry is heard by Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar, who are all wandering the castle. Meanwhile, Kuririn, who had been attempting to either find the Princess or get out of the castle, is captured by a pterodactyl like demon. Goku hears his cry and chases after him, abandoning his fight with the demons from before. Kuririn bites the pterodactyl demon's foot and starts to fall, and Goku at last calls for kinto'un, flying to save Kuririn just in the nick of time, leaving the pursuing demons behind. Goku tries to sit Kuririn on kinto'un, but he falls through and has to be saved a second time, prompting Goku to chastise him for thinking bad things all the time. Watching all of this, the large red demon points to it's feet and channels it's own method of flying, a pair of fireballs, and along with a group of flying demons armed with guns, they renew their attack on Goku and Kuririn. As the chase continues, Goku eventually flies back through the area where Kuririn kept falling, and leads the red demon to it's demise when a large creature that kept trying to eat Kuririn emerges for a third time to eat the demon instead. Back in the castle's hall, the small man is dabbing at Bulma's chest with gauze in preparation to drain her blood with the large needle. Lucifer continues speaking to his demons, saying that tonight is the night that they'll finally wake the Sleeping Princess from her five-thousand year slumber, and her radiance will grant them eternal darkness. He proposes a toast to the Princess, and two demons overhearing this start to protest somewhat, almost getting caught by the others. Before Bulma's blood can be drained, Goku and Kuririn crash-land through an exploding wall and land in the curtained bedchambers, and Lucifer orders his men to protect the Princess. Kuririn starts to search desperately for her, but all he and Goku can find are a large blue crystal the size of their heads. Out of nowhere, the blonde lady drives through on a one-wheeled motorcycle and introduces herself as Lunch before making off with the diamond known as the Sleeping Princess. Lucifer orders his men not to let any of them escape as Goku and Kuririn start to pursue Lunch, Goku not hearing Bulma or the two demons cries for help. One of the demons approaches Bulma and says that he's Yamcha, but the other demon has already reverted to Oolong, causing Puar – who had been transformed into just a demon's head to make Yamcha look like a demon – to revert as well, leading to all of them being captured. As Lunch tries to make her escape, her hair causes her to sneeze and crash upon returning to her blue-haired form, and Goku grabs the Sleeping Princess, happy at first that this means he'll be able to get training at last. To his dismay however, Lucifer has taken Kuririn hostage and will kill him if the Princess is not returned immediately. Goku returns the diamond much to Kuririn's surprise, and the demons rush Goku and try to take him out, eventually succeeding when the tiny winged demon from before bites Goku's tail, draining him of all his strength. Kuririn watches with dismay as the boy he himself had tried to leave to die is beaten for saving him. With everything back in order, Lucifer restarts the ceremony to awaken the Sleeping Princess, and opens the hole in the ceiling to allow moon to bathe the diamond in light. Bulma has been restrained in the chair once again, while Goku and all of the others, including Lunch, have been stuck in a wall being watched by the tiny winged demon. Oolong curses Kame-sennin, wondering how any of this is a theme park, while Lunch just wonders where she is. Oolong asks Puar what he's doing, and Puar notes that the full moon is pretty. Hearing that, Goku glances up at the moon and starts to transform into a giant ape much to the horror of his friends even as his transformation frees them and forces the tiny demon to flee. Lucifer takes hold of the now red Sleeping Princess, smiling until he hears Goku's roar. Goku chases his friends and smashes things along the way, and eventually captures Lunch. Kuririn mentions that Goku's tail seems to be his weakness, so he and Yamcha latch onto it and weaken him just long enough for Puar to turn into a pair of scissors and cut off the tail, returning Goku to his normal form. Lucifer is confused by what just happened, but his assistant tells him that the sun is beginning to rise, meaning their work is almost at an end. While Goku wakes up outside and realizes his clothes and tail are gone, Lucifer reveals the true purpose of the awakened Sleeping Princess is to serve as a power source for a gigantic laser he's going to fire at the sun and destroy it, leaving the land in eternal darkness that will be perfect for monsters like him and his men. Before he can fire the laser however, Yamcha, Kuririn, and Goku (now clothed in Oolong's overalls) rush in and attack. Goku and Kuririn dodge energy balls fired at them by Lucifer while Yamcha takes out Lucifer's assistant and frees Bulma, who yells for Goku to take out the laser before it's too late. Goku charges a kamehameha and fires it just as Lucifer hits the button, and the laser unfortunately seems impervious to Goku's attack as it begins to charge. Goku's kamehameha destroys the surrounding floor however, and everyone is forced to retreat. As the laser falls, it's aim is thrown off, and instead of firing at the sun, it fires at Lucifer, killing him instantly, as well as destroying much of Devil's Castle. The next morning, Yamcha and Bulma congratulate Goku on a job well done, and Kuririn shyly tries to thank Goku for saving him. While everyone is happy to have survived, it's revealed that only two mountains of the Devil's Hand remain, resulting in a peace sign like appearance. Goku and Kuririn return to Roshi's island with Lunch in tow, and the old man mistakenly believes that she must be the Sleeping Princess despite Kuririn trying to tell him what really happened. Roshi praises the boys and says he'll make them his finest pupils, and takes Lunch inside so that she can get comfortable. While the boys celebrate, Lunch sneezes and reverts back to her blonde form briefly, firing a gun at them until a passing bee makes her sneeze and change again. Lunch asks if she did anything bad, but everyone slowly takes a few steps back away from her. Review: Phew, that's one lengthy synopsis. As you can probably tell from it, this movie was leagues beyond it's predecessor in terms of what it brings to the table, and as a result brings a lot more to detail and talk about. It also makes for a much more thrilling experience in my opinion, as a good chunk more of this movie is entirely original...though I certainly wouldn't say it absolutely sticks it's landing either. Right away, you'll notice this movie picks up right where the last one left off. This is a narrative device that we'll see just once more before the movies take an entirely different approach moving forward, and while the other movies are a little more ambitious, it's a little sad to see this go away honestly. The movies developing their own similar but uniquely different storyline from the main series was something that would have given the movies a more connected and thriving life of their own I think, though it's easy to see why that wouldn't have been as easy to do once they reached a certain point. I'll touch on that when we get to the third film however. In addition to continuing off of the last film, this movie also slides itself fairly well into the narrative of the main story as well as it can. The next big thing for Goku to tackle was finding a girl for Roshi, and this movie picks up that narrative torch and runs off with it into an entirely different direction than the original manga's take, and somehow manages to end in roughly the same place the manga did anyway. It's pretty impressive, actually. The entire backstory for this movie, the Sleeping Princess, might not be that much deeper on the surface than the previous movies' hook, but it does give a lot more room for a narrative to unfold around it. Having a princess that's connected to some old legend is a great hook for a series like Dragon Ball, and having it turn out to be a bait-and-switch situation allows for even greater dangers to unfold than the ones we already had at hand. What starts off as a rather mundane quest to 'get a girl' suddenly becomes 'let's stop these demons from blowing up the sun', and that's just wild. It's not without it's drawbacks though, namely why nobody seemed to question how the Princess would still be alive five thousand years after she was supposedly taken. Nothing in the legend says anything about a spell or a curse being placed upon her, just that she was kidnapped. So even if she was alive somehow, she would be absolutely ancient, older even than Roshi, which probably puts her well out of the range of interest for the old-timer. Even once the reveal is made though, that then just leaves another problem: why has it taken Lucifer this long to try to blow up the sun? He's had the Princess this entire time seemingly, and all it took was a full moon to charge it. Nothing implies that particular night is special beyond a regular old full moon, it's not like it was a blood moon or anything. Bulma's blood is also inconsequential to their plans as all it would've been would have been a nice drink to have after they achieved their goal. It's just weird that this all happened right as Goku and everyone ended up going to the area, and even weirder that he had only NOW tried to do anything. Lucifer's a more threatening villain than Gurumes, but man is he stupid. There's not really much I can say about most of the established cast in this movie as most of them are basically the same as they were in the previous one and the main series, though I do want to mention that Lunch's introduction, as well as the introduction of her sneezes, are so much better than what was done with her in the main series. It's not even a contest. Sure, she never really explains that she changes when she sneezes, but considering her explanation in the original basically amounts to “Oh yeah, that thing you just saw me do, that's what happens when I do the thing you just saw me do”. It's like night and day. It's interesting that Roshi has Goku and Kuririn set out specifically on their own two feet as well, something he didn't require them to do when searching for a girl before. I think it's pretty likely that in this version, he probably viewed this task of bringing him a girl as the first act of their training itself rather than something that came before it, because that's the sort of requirement or limitation that he does all throughout their actual training. This is further reinforced by their race featuring some of the same varied sort of running and threats that their milk delivery training does. Realistically that's probably just another way the movies always pull from the source material thematically, but it still makes this section work really well as early training for the boys. Another weird thing though is Bulma and everyone else showing up on Roshi's island, as it presents a weird bit of conundrum in regards to how much time has passed. Their visit in this movie is probably inspired by the throwaway line during the 21st Budokai where Bulma mentions they tried to visit Goku during his training but missed him due to Roshi moving them to another island, but in that scenario it's never said exactly when they tried to visit him. It could have been at any point during the months Goku spent training, and that works fine. Here though? It's only been a few days probably since Goku split off from them, but they already say they miss him and wanted to drop by. Given how much time apart these characters often spend from each other, that just doesn't really work. As soon as we reach Devil's Hand and then Devil's Castle, the movie's aesthetic changes entirely, and it looks great and unique as a result. Gone are the big, open, brightly lit areas we've been accustomed to so far in the series, and in their place are dark, gothic looking structures and areas that feel almost at odds with Toriyama's character designs. Rather than clash however, these leaves the whole area feeling as unnatural and otherworldly as a place filled with demons should, and really adds to the atmosphere of the rest of the story moving forward. Eventually we're introduced to our main two threats of the movie, Lucifer and an unnamed (in the film itself at least) big red demon. Of the two, the big red demon probably gets more actual screen time as well as serving as a more direct threat, leaving Lucifer a bit lackluster in some ways. It doesn't help that his hair is designed to look vaguely similar to Goku's for some reason, and considering how often that design is going to be copied over to new characters later on, it's little wonder the character tends to be a bit forgotten in the grand scheme of things. The red demon however lends itself well to some great fight moments in the film, from it's dual-wield weapons, to it's own method of flying, and especially it's attacking ribbon. It's almost a shame when he gets chomped. Where Lucifer does finally get to shine is in the film's closing acts, which is unfortunate because this is where the film's originality starts to peter out unfortunately. After a promising moment where Lucifer uses Kuririn as a hostage against Goku, everyone is captured and imprisoned...just like in the Pilaf arc. Goku sees the full moon and starts to transform...just like in the Pilaf arc. Goku's rampage threatens the female member of the group in particular, and he's only stopped due to his tail being cut off...just like in the Pilaf arc. Don't get me wrong, the first movie had a ton of scenes that were ripped almost verbatim from the manga. But this movie, outside of it's opening act (and then later in it's closing moments), was almost entirely original, so to see it so blatantly ripping off the source material again grinds everything to a halt, and honestly feels almost like a slap in the face. This is especially true when you realize all of this basically happens just to get everyone back where they were before: facing off with the demons to stop them. The only thing that's really changed is who's in possession of the Princess, so overall it really just feels like a pointless few minutes, and it's a shame. Thankfully, the movie manages to redeem itself somewhat with the reveal of Lucifer's grand plan of blowing up the sun. This naturally is somewhat taken from Roshi blowing up the moon at the tournament, right down to Bulma (in the place of the announcer) fretting about the wrong sorts of things were that to occur. Unlike the previous material though, this is changed up ever so slightly to where it feels less obnoxious by comparison, and as a result it saves the movie from the hole it just dug itself into, at least a little bit. Overall, this movie is a drastic improvement over it's predecessor in just about every way possible. Even it's closing act skewing a little too closely to the source material isn't enough to fully detract from that, and it likely feels all the worse only because of how good and original the material preceding it was. The film's greatest strength is definitely it's gothic dressings, and it's something that I think the overall brightly colored Dragon Ball universe could use a little more of every now and then. Maybe one day we'll get that horror themed Dragon Ball arc. Maybe one day. Until next time! Favorite Scene: The whole section where Kuririn tries to outrun Goku is an absolute delight, especially with Goku continually catching up to (and sometimes even passing him) despite Goku taking the less speedy path in some cases. Next Time: Tie a Red Ribbon around the old oak tree, it's been- Synopsis: Velou marvels at the size of the camp fortress, the Ironworks, and is immediately greeted by Debonair Diamond, a tall, muscular woman who serves as the conductor/instructor for the Ironworks. Grimm catches Debonair's attention and says she has three camp hopefuls if they can handle them, and Debonair says there's no passenger limit at all. She recognizes Tylty and Mylty as people who have failed the exam before, but invites them aboard anyway, shaking hands with Velou and warning everyone that they depart at noon. As she rushes off, Velou notes that her hands felt abnormally hot. It's explained that the camp fortress Ironworks is a mobile training center whose only passengers are those hoping to join the Hunters Guild. Candidates board at Borderport, the only station on the travel line, and then make a three month trip back to the guild headquarters – if they pass the training program over the next three months. Only those who pass Debonair's regimen are allowed to reach the guild, and she spends the three months making everyone build their bodies and minds, all while teaching them the basic skills they'll need as hunters. At noon, a final status of the Ironworks is checked before they start their voyage, and Debonair speaks to all of the passengers, reminding them that their destination is Site Citadel, the location of the Hunters Guild HQ and an island that's not on any map. There are no stops along the way, and anyone that wishes to leave may do so at any time, but while they'll be given a boat, they'll have to row all the way back themselves in shame. In the first training room, Velou asks Tylty and Mylty about the training since they've been through it once before, but their talk is interrupted by a large man with an iron jaw, Bikjoe Bonkers. Bikjoe harasses the twins about not having tried the last time, thinking they'd have given up after failing before that. Tylty retorts that they were scouted for a job, but Bikjoe scoffs and asks if Velou is their little brother. Bikjoe introduces himself to Velou and says this is his fifth shot at camp, which makes him Velou's senior, but Velou quickly realizes that means Bikjoe's already failed four times in that case. Bikjoe gets annoyed and says scrawny people like them don't have a chance in the first place, and if they want to get an edge, they need to bulk up like he has. He then turns and gives the same advice to an old man, and ridicules him for even trying at his age. Velou asks what age has to do with it, and the old man named Bremen reveals that his family was taken by a werewolf, so he wants to become a hunter to get revenge for them. While Bikjoe laughs and walks off, Velou introduces himself to Bremen and tells him that they've got that goal in common and that age doesn't matter, and the two shake hands with Bremen wishing him luck. Debonair speaks to the crowd and keeps her words short, telling them that the regimen at the camp is a simple one: they're going to train their bodies, minds, and hearts to their peaks. A montage is shown of various training methods – pull-ups, weapon assembly, tightrope walking, pulling carts, cooking, and cleaning – while she reminds them that she's not going to baby them, and will knock them down as much as possible with the expectation that they pick themselves back up. She encourages them to leave if they need to – a sight that Velou notes some taking advantage of as time passes – but says that if they give their training their all, then over the next three months they'll turn their squishy bodies into steel. And indeed, Velou notices his body starting to gain musculature in the mirror. A week into the training, Velou is exhausted and almost unable to eat, even though Debonair tells him he's doing good and offers up her own special meal regimen for him. Velou forces himself to eat, but much as Tylty and Bikjoe cautioned him, he ends up throwing it back up, with Velou cursing himself for wasting food and the life of the fish themselves. Hearing a splash, Velou looks out the window to see another boat leaving the Ironworks – this time it's the old man Bremen, and the two exchange saddened looks as Bremen begins to row away. Back in the mess hall, Bikjoe too notices that he hasn't seen Bremen around lately, and says he knew he wouldn't last. Velou returns however and takes his seat, wolfing down all of the food that Debonair gave him, thinking that he doesn't have time to feel down, resolutely reminding himself that he's going to become a Hunter. On a small island a short distance away, three beings watch the Ironworks pass by. The witch Cinderella, sitting atop a massive werewolf's head, asks the unseen third being if they think Velou will get stronger. She cautions them not to get their hopes up, as Velou is merely a stand in that doesn't have what it takes to be a star, no matter how much they set the stage for him. Everything is riding on him regardless though she thinks, and she turns to the third person, revealed to be the thought-dead mayor of Velou's Kasoka village, telling him that he'd worked so hard to raise him too. Review: Well THAT certainly ended on a bombshell, didn't it? While this chapter doesn't have quite the same level of questions being asked as a certain previous chapter, nor does it have the same level of lore dropping, it's solid enough in it's own right and still gives us quite a bit to chew on. Let's start off with something I'm not a fan of with this chapter though, that being Kawaguchi's paneling in regards to showing what's going on around Velou. They've been pretty good about this sort of thing so far, and maybe it's just me, but this time around there were a couple of times that I didn't realize something due to how it was explained or shown to me. The main case is with the Ironworks itself, where I for some reason was under the impression that it was more-or-less a ship – a gigantic, box shaped ship, but a ship regardless. That said, as it turns out, it moves along a gigantic railway system that goes over the water, rather than it actually sailing. While neat, this wasn't really explained very well in my opinion prior to it being shown, and it also kind of hurts the idea of the guild headquarters being on an island that can't be found. Seems like it'd be a simple matter of following the rail if you ask me... Secondly, there's the giant werewolf (which I'll come back to later on) and the island at the end of the chapter. The way the werewolf's head is positioned, I had to do a double take at first to see if the island was an island at all or if it was just part of the werewolf's body, but based on it's shape I don't think that could be the case at all. There's also a panel where we see what appears to be toes poking out of the water far ahead of it's head, so I guess the werewolf is just lounging in the water and resting it's head against the island, or something? Again, maybe I'm just not processing what my eyes are showing me right here or something, but it's the first time I've had that problem with this manga, so it felt like it bears mentioning. Other than that though, the rest of the chapter was straight-forward and fun, especially with the introduction of Debonair, a character that probably settles the author's preference in women: he likes them big, and he likes them strong. Respect. It's through meeting Debonair that we start to get more of a picture of what the Hunter's Guild is like. To gain entrance to the guild you have to prove yourself strong first and foremost, and it seems like beyond that there's no real criteria to meet for the first test other than making your way to Borderport. Anyone may apply, be they male or female, young or old, and you can seemingly apply as many times as it takes until you pass or eventually give up. While this makes it seem easy on the surface, it's made clear quickly that this training is quite tough, and very few people pass. I mean, we already saw what the twins were capable of last chapter, and they failed last time – it's clear that this isn't a test that just anyone can pass. Debonair seems like she's going to be a fun character though, and I hope she ends up sticking around even once they reach the guild. As stern as she is about the training's toughness, she seems to really want everyone to pass if they can muster it based on her remembering those who tried and failed before, and how she seems to be fairly supportive of Velou. There's a bit of a mystery to her as well, with Velou noting her hands being abnormally hot – a hint of her power, or perhaps of something going on with her body like with Grimm's small stature? - so whether she sticks around much longer or not, there's definitely more to her than meets the eye. There are also a number of other unnamed Ironworks staff briefly shown in this chapter, and while they all have unique designs from one to the next, none of them jump out at me as characters we're going to be focusing on, so for now they're just something to keep in the back of our minds lest they do turn out to be important somehow. No, the other two characters introduced in this chapter that merit some discussion are Bikjoe and Bremen. Bikjoe is the character that's likely to be sticking around for a bit longer if I had to guess, as he seems to be filling the 'big, dumb oaf' role that any shonen worth it's salt is bound to have somewhere in it's roster. He certainly seems like the kind of character with way more bark than bite anyway, though it's going to be interesting to see just what he is capable of if he does end up making the cut this time. That iron jaw – if it really is his bottom jaw and not just part of his clothing – almost definitely has some sort of story behind it, I'd wager. Bremen however is a bit of a mystery, as I can't help but wonder if there's more to him than what we get in this chapter. He's introduced as a seemingly kind enough old man who has a thirst for vengeance due to his family being taken by werewolves. At the absolute least, he serves as an analogue for Velou, showing that people of all ages might have reason for wanting to become a Hunter, as well as being someone else who knows loss at the hands of these monsters. We don't really know what Tylty and Mylty's backstories are, to say nothing of the brash Bikjoe, so having someone with so much in common with Velou, someone that he makes a connection albeit briefly with, along for the ride makes sense. But then, he doesn't make the cut. He's unable to keep up with the harsh training of the Ironworks, and leaves of his own accord. This makes a great emotional throughline with how much Velou is going to have to grow and change to overcome this challenge. ...But is that all Bremen is? I could end up barking entirely up the wrong tree here, but I have a theory – not one I'm completely on board with myself, but one that does seem worth mentioning – that I'll be getting into in just a moment, so bear with me folks. At the end of the chapter, just as Velou's resolve is renewed, we get the scene with Cinderella, a giant werewolf, and of all people, the Mayor, watching the Ironworks go by. What in the holy hell are THESE three characters doing just lounging around so close to Velou's current location? The giant wolf doesn't appear to be Lycaon that I can tell – if he is, he's curiously rather silent this time around – so there's at least one other werewolf of somewhat comparable size out there. Cinderella appears to be playing some sort of board game that looks like a weird mix of chess and tic-tac-toe against nobody in particular, and the Mayor seems to be writing a letter. What. In. The. World. IS. This? Don't mistake my words for anger either, because I am absolutely loving this wild turn of events so far, and I can't wait to see what's going on. Now, this is where my theory comes in – what if Bremen was the Mayor in disguise? Hear me out. The pair don't really look that much alike outside of both being old men, their facial hair, outfits, and even their noses don't seem to match one another's. But this is a series that's already established itself as taking place in a world with magic, not to mention the Mayor is now seen being buddy-buddy with Cinderella – it's not that far out of left field to assume that such a disguise would be pretty easy to achieve with magic. And seeing as how it would have been a fairly innocent spell with no ill intention behind it, it may not have been picked up by Grimm or Debonair or anyone else at the Ironworks, even if they had the capability to detect magic. There's also a few other curious points of evidence for this theory. First, Bremen says a werewolf 'took' his family. He doesn't say that one killed them, just 'took'. This curious word choice could be alluding to how his wife was actually turned into a werewolf, and how the events that resulted from that caused him to lose his village, as well as Velou who is now charting his own course in life. Both that statement and his statement asking Velou and himself to both give their best are seemingly bolded for emphasis as well. Finally, the reveal that the mayor is even alive at all only comes after we see Bremen leave. This could just be how the chapter played out, but it's also possible that the reveal was only possible once “Bremen” was out of the picture, the disguised Mayor having made sure Velou was going to do his best and that he was going to be okay for the time being. Again, I'm not 100% on board with this theory myself, since even with the evidence presented, it makes an awful lot of assumptions about what's being provided to us here. I could be on to something, or I could be so completely off base that it's not even funny. Only time will tell, I suppose, as the only thing we do know for sure is that the Mayor is alive, and there has to be something more going on than what we've even seen so far. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Chapter 8 Synopsis: The announcer calls for one more round of applause for the victorious Jackie Chun, as he presents him with the prize money of 500,000 zeni. Jackie accepts his prize and walks back into the waiting room area, where Goku and Kuririn are waiting to congratulate him as well. Jackie tells them both that they did very well too, and leaves, wishing them good health until next time. Kuririn hopes that Roshi watched the whole tournament like he said he would, and Goku and Kuririn head off to try and find him, with Goku walking feebly from hunger. Hiding in a bush and waiting for them to leave first, Roshi painfully rips off his Jackie Chun wig and changes back into the clothes everyone saw him wearing earlier. He can't believe he's gone through so much trouble for his students, but seeing how they've grown, he thinks it was worth it. Elsewhere, Goku and Kuririn have met up with Bulma and the others, and are looking everywhere for Roshi. When he eventually walks up to them on his own, Bulma asks him where he's been, and he explains that he was watching the fights from further in the back and just now got back from the bathroom. Kuririn is excited to know if Roshi saw them both fight, and Roshi tells them how proud of them he is. Kuririn thinks that Goku was so close to winning the whole thing that if it hadn't been for how hungry he was getting he would have, but Goku says he's pretty sure he would have lost anyway because of how good Jackie Chun was. Roshi tells them that Goku is right – as good as they are now, there's always someone else out there who's better, so they can't be satisfied staying like they are now. They have to keep pushing further, their true training is only just now beginning. When Goku and Kuririn readily agree, Roshi wonders if he could have just told them this in the first place and saved himself the trouble... Roshi then says that he'll treat them to dinner as a reward for how well they did today, an idea that really excites a ravenous Goku. He even invites Yamcha and the others to join them, and they agree though Bulma warns him that he better not be planning to ask for something perverted in return later. At a nearby restaurant, Goku eats enough food that Yamcha is sure would have fed about fifty other people, and ends up costing Roshi 470,000 zeni, almost his entire tournament winnings. Later that night, everyone loads up in a car and Yamcha asks Goku and Kuririn if they're going to continue training as soon as they get back. Kuririn says yes, but Roshi insists that he's already taught them everything he can, and says they should make their own paths now. Goku decides that this is the perfect time for him to look for his grandpa's Dragon Ball then. Kuririn doesn't know what that is, and Goku simply explains that it's the only thing his grandpa left him, and searching for it should be a great way to get into more fights, a notion Oolong wants no part of. When Roshi asks Kuririn what he's going to do then, Kuririn says he'll stay with Roshi for a bit longer, and Roshi mentally scoffs – he'd wanted to have the place to himself with Lunch. Yamcha offers to take everyone the rest of the way back to Roshi's place, but Goku asks if his stuff is in Roshi's suitcase. Roshi says it is, so Goku pulls out his nyoibo and his bag, saying he'll just set out from here. He calls kinto'un down and hops onto it, readying to leave, but is stopped by Kuririn who offers to go along with him after Oolong tells him that searching for the Dragon Balls is tough. Goku turns him down however as Kuririn can't ride kinto'un. Bulma asks Goku if he knows how to work the radar she gave him, and Goku says he does. He waves goodbye to his friends as he sets off into the wide world once again, this time all on his own. Meanwhile, Yamcha and the others have to resort to driving all the way back to Roshi's place, due to Bulma having lost the airplane capsule. Oops! Review: And so, much like the end of the previous arc, we close this one out with a bit of a cooldown chapter before we move on to the next big thing. Honestly, that's always been something I've liked about Dragon Ball. There's a lot of merit in giving your characters at least a slight rest before you send them charging off right into the next thing, and it's something I wish more series would do nowadays, honestly. That said, it does leave me without much to talk about that I haven't already talked about throughout the course of this arc, so I'll be brief. Bulma asking Roshi where he's been this whole time only for him to give the lamest explanation possible and everyone buying it is about par for the course at this point, I think. As smart as Bulma is, even she can't pierce the masterful deception that is Jackie Chun. I do love Goku and Kuririn just immediately accepting Roshi's speech about continuing to train however, making him wonder if he really even had to go through with all of this after all. It's hard to say with Goku honestly, as I posited before that even if he'd won, he had to try just hard enough to get it that he may have still realized there was further he could go. In that situation, it's likely that that lesson would have also filtered down to Kuririn, who lost to Chun and also wouldn't want to continue lagging behind Goku. Overall though, I think it's good that Roshi erred on the side of caution and entered the tournament himself, just to be sure. And let's be honest – Goku may have lost the tournament, but he got to spend the prize money exactly how he would have even if he'd been crowned champion, so can we really say he lost at all at the end of the day? As the story moves into it's next phase, we're once again temporarily ditching characters that aren't going to be needed for it. In multiple ways, this is Toriyama's greatest weakness as an author. He creates characters for one exact purpose, and once that purpose is served, they're either completely removed from the story over time, or they're left to languish on the sidelines, not really accomplishing any more than continuing to exist. On the one hand, it's commendable that at certain points, he realizes this and just scales the cast down to what's needed, a trait he doesn't utilize the greatest in his modern writing sadly. On the other hand though, he's created so many really great characters that it's sad to see some of them not continue to get utilized. We were only just introduced to Kuririn for example. It would've been nice for a big reveal to show that he now is capable of riding kinto'un, or for Bulma to give him a vehicle capsule of some sort, so that he could go on Goku's journey with him. But nope – Goku's going to be going through a good chunk of this next arc solo. That's not all bad though. We've seen pretty well what an oddball Goku is around others, but that's just it – he's always been around other main characters. This is going to be the first time we'll be seeing him set off on his own, so that in-of-itself should prove interesting. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Goku and Jackie Chun rush each other, each intending to strike one final blow and win the match. Both competitors leap into the air, flying towards the other with flying kicks. Both attacks land, with Goku kicking Jackie in the face and Jackie likewise kicking Goku in the face. Both fighters fall backwards, landing on the ring, seemingly knocked out. The announcer starts a ten count, and though both fighters regain consciousness quickly enough, neither of them are able to get back onto their feet before the ten count has passed. The announcer brings up an old tournament tradition saying that if a match ends without a winner, the first contestant who can stand, smile, and loudly proclaim their victory will be declared the winner. Both Goku and Jackie Chun struggle to get to their feet, with Goku eventually managing it first. He smiles, but before he can finish declaring his victory, he falls back over, unconscious. As Goku sleeps, Jackie finally manages to get back onto his own feet, and successfully declares his victory. The winner of the 21st Tenkiachi Budokai is officially Jackie Chun! As the crowd cheers but Goku's friends feel dejected, Roshi thinks to himself how thin the margin for his victory really was. The only reason he took less damage from Goku's kick than Goku did from his was because Goku's legs were shorter, and therefore Roshi's kick struck deeper. He thinks of how proud he is of his student for pushing him so far however, as nobody ever has before. Goku wakes back up in time to hear the announcer once again proclaim Jackie Chun's victory, and Jackie confirms to the boy that he did indeed lose. Goku is disappointed but quickly gets over it, and happily asks Jackie Chun if he'll fight him again someday when Goku has trained and gotten even stronger. Jackie Chun reluctantly agrees, while Goku's friends continue to cheer for him even after his loss. Review: At long last, the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai comes to a conclusion, and the victor actually wasn't our lead at all! Despite this chapter being fairly light on actual content, it does provide a good little bit to talk about, and first and foremost is that very notion. I talked a lot back during Goku's match with Namu about how Namu didn't stand a chance ultimately, because Goku was the main character and thus of course he was going to win. While that was certainly true in it's own right, there was no way we weren't going to see Goku get to the final round at least, we've now found ourselves in a situation where at the end of the story, that didn't hold true at all. While Toriyama made sure to tell us why it might be a good thing for Goku to lose early enough on, we were treated to a match that was so close, so down to the wire, that it almost didn't happen at all. Looking at it from that perspective, where there's two different narrative elements telling us two very different outcomes, this match definitely would have had people on the edge of their seats when it was originally coming out for the first time. I think those are two very important elements to consider when analyzing Dragon Ball that a lot of fans overlook. First of all, is trying to look at it in a way that's detached from everything that comes out after what part you're currently on. With a series as long and as old as Dragon Ball, it's almost literally impossible to do that completely – hell, I'm certainly not pulling it off here. But so long as you remind yourself that a bunch of this was designed to keep young Japanese children on the edge of their seats from week to week, wondering what's going to happen, you'll likely start to find that a lot of your annoyances with certain elements of the story don't matter or bother you as much as you think they do – so long as the story's ending sticks the landing anyway. And for this story arc, I'd certainly say that it sticks it. The other important thing to remember is something that only fellow writers or story enthusiasts are likely to notice or care about, but I do feel like it's important, and that's giving the readers what they want or expect versus giving them something that goes against that. In this case it's a little more muddied, since both the prospect of Goku winning and the prospect of him losing have both been made to feel like good endings for his character. If he wins, he wins; if he loses, he learns the lesson Roshi wants him to learn, and we'll thus get to see him go on many more adventures and get stronger and stronger as he goes. Even with that said though, the expectation lingering in the back of your head is probably still one of Goku's victory. We've not truly seen him fail yet after all, and even Roshi is constantly being surprised by how good he is, so maybe Goku will win and be surprised enough by how hard he had to fight to get there that he'll still learn the lesson, proving Roshi's fears unfounded. In a lot of ways, the expectation is to have Goku win. But we don't get that. We instead get him losing, albeit by one of the narrowest margins imaginable. While the story made sure to brace people first with how this could be good for him, it's still the opposite of your basic expectations. This is the balancing act that I feel every author finds themselves performing many, many times in their career or hobby. What does the audience want versus what does the story need? If the audience gets everything they want, does it feel deserved and does the story still function that way? If the audience doesn't get what they want, will they still feel fulfilled by what they're given instead? There are really no absolute right answers here. It's down to luck just as much as it is skill, as even some of the most celebrated authors of all time have some narrative decisions that fans have decried as lackluster. Whether he was conscious of doing it or not, I feel completely assured that Toriyama was thinking about these things as he decided how to end this tournament, and thankfully it seems like his gambit paid off – I have never once in my nearly 25 years in the fandom ever heard someone say they wish Goku had won the 21st tournament for any reason whatsoever. With all that heavy authorly talk out of the way, there's one last thing I'd like to say in regards to how Goku lost. After how big things got – literally – with the giant ape versus full power Kamehameha scene, I mentioned that Toriyama was going to have to scale things back down now since there wasn't going to be a way to outdo himself there. He did so perfectly, and by having Goku's loss now be tied to something completely incidental, something that there's nothing he could do about even if he realized what was going on, it makes it easier to stomach his loss no matter how much you may have been rooting for him. It allows him to lose the match without necessarily having lost the fight – he's clearly at least almost Roshi's equal in strength now, so if he'd been even just a little bit older and taller, this may have ended differently for him. Fate's fickle that way, isn't it? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: On the road again – Goku's next journey begins! Synopsis: In a brief flashback, Velou remembers using the mayor's axe ever since he was young, primarily to split firewood. He assures the mayor that he can take over that job from him to repay everyone in the hamlet for all that they've done for him. The mayor agrees, with an odd look on his face, saying that from now on, Velou will be the one to... Velou is suddenly shook awake by the shaking of the vehicle he and Grimm are riding in. Grimm is looking through a book and tells him he was moaning in his sleep, and Velou simply says that he was dreaming. Looking out from the cart, Velou sees the wide open land and sea as the strange contraption they're riding on, a Tractor Hermit Crab named “Amber” (essentially a giant hermit crab with a cart for it's shell), as they head for a town right at the entrance of the Hunters Guild, Borderport. Velou marvels at a what he thinks is a giant walking tree, but Grimm dismisses it as simply a giant that's passing through. It's been one week since the events at Kasoka Village, and Velou swore that he would become a Hunter so that he could go out and hunt werewolves to protect the scattered villagers. Grimm surmises that he's decided that to protect them he'll have to protect the whole world, a notion she says sounds more like a child's dream than anything else, but it's good enough for now. She promised to take him to the guild, and Velou stares down at the mayor's axe as he promises himself that he'll never let another disaster like that happen again. Grimm knocks on the window of their cart and tells the driver, Tylty, to stop so they can have breakfast. As they eat, Grimm asks Velou if that axe really belonged to the mayor. Velou says it did and was for cutting firewood, which makes Grimm all the more surprised he was able to cut open a werewolf's stomach with it. Velou explains that winters in the village were harsh, so he spent plenty of time cutting firewood for everyone, resulting in him knowing very well how to handle an axe. Grimm says that that does explain a few things – splitting firewood is very efficient for building strength, and she's even heard that there's a kingdom somewhere that uses it as a training regimen for new knights. Velou for some reason takes this to mean that it was his bond with the villagers that helped him defeat the werewolves, and Grimm simply says that's one way to look at it, sure. She thinks to herself however that it wasn't just that. She still suspects the axe is made of wolfonium, and wonders why the mayor had something like that. The village also attracted the attention of the Red List, targets the guild has labeled as 'kill on sight', and it was Lycaon, the alpha werewolf, and his partner Cinderella that showed up no less. Between all of that and Velou seemingly receiving knight's training, and her of all people being called in to eventually lead the boy to the guild...what was really going on in that hamlet? Velou interrupts Grimm's thoughts to ask her about the plan to exterminate all werewolves that she mentioned before. He's interrupted however by the driver of their cart who is now serving them breakfast, Tylty, who says it's way too soon for that, as only full guild members get to to hear about the plan. He starts to say it's way too soon for someone like Velou to think about getting accepted, only for his younger sister Mylty to hit him from behind. She tells him to just serve the food, and apologizes to Velou, saying that her brother gets a sharp tongue with people he trusts, a fact that Tylty denies. Mylty notices something in the distance coming towards them, and Velou again marvels at the sight of an Armored Crab, a species of giant crab that uses it's foamy spit to stick various things to it's body as armor. Tylty says this one has a tank stuck to it's shell, and Velou has no idea what that is. Mylty asks Grimm what they should do since it's alone and not firing at them, and Grimm says they should be able to leave it be as Armored Crabs are usually timid and harmless. The road they're on leads to the outskirts of the bay however, so they should lead it back to the wild. Without warning however, the tank's cannon turns to face them and fires, destroying their crab's cart. Tylty says someone must be piloting it, and Velou looks closey and spots a smaller crab coming out of a human skull sitting on top. While Tylty and Mylty are shocked that Velou can see something so small so far away, Grimm explains that the smaller crab is a Plier Crab, a clever creature with prehensile claws that loves to eat humans. She permits the siblings to use force and asks them to take care of this for them. Velou asks what they should do, and she says for him to watch and learn, also deciding that this is a good time to explain her body to him. She puts it simply, saying that a witch placed a hex on her and turned her body into that of a child's. When on the hunt, she can use an item called a Layer Clock to transform into an adult, but it only lasts for three hours and can only be used once a day. Once used, she's also entirely spent and unable to fight for a while. She's not worried however as Tylty and Mylty should be more than able to deal with their current threat. She's quickly proven right as Mylty is able to shoot through the tank's small visor and ricochet the bullet around inside, forcing the crab to crawl back to the top of the tank where Tylty waits. Tylty praises the crab's shot, before cutting it to pieces with a pair of short swords, saying that it's not personal, it just picked the wrong targets. Velou is amazed to see that it's not just Grimm, all the guild's Hunters are amazing, but Tylty explains that they're not Hunters at all. He and his sister both flunked out of the training camp that they're now taking Velou to, and now they work doing odd jobs for the guild. Tylty says about two hundred people apply for each camp, and out of those only about three or so pass, as only those who can survive the harshest training earn the right to join. As Velou frets about whether or not he can pass something that the siblings failed, they come upon a large, cube-like building with silly monster faces drawn on it, built above the water. As they explain that this is the Ironworks, the guild's mobile research facility, a large muscular woman ponders how many will survive this round of recruitment? Review: After the massive amount of worldbuilding presented to us in the last chapter, it makes sense that this one would take things a little bit slower. That said, we're still presented with a good bit more information on this world and how it works, while getting things moving in the direction needed for the next story arc. Right off the bat, we're treated to the reveal that this is a world full to the brim with monsters and fantastic creatures, not just the aforementioned werewolves and witches. Dragons were previously mentioned to have been wiped out, but there are still giants and monster-sized crabs. It's a little weird I admit to see Velou marveling at these things given the way he's been up until now, but I guess his ire is directly towards werewolves after all. To be fair, even after one attacked, he hasn't really been shown to be all that gung-ho about taking out all the witches. The crabs in-particular are utilized in an interesting way, as we're shown three different types of them that all have a different relationship with humanity. The first, the Tractor Hermit Crab, is used as a tool by the guild, seemingly showing that in the right hands at least, some of these monsters can actually get along just fine with humans, and can even be beneficial to have around. Only time will tell of course if this is a trait unique to the Hunters, or if general populace in other areas outside of Kasoka are able to use creatures like this. The second, the Armored Crab, is a big creature that could be dangerous, but is generally more afraid of people than people are of it and can be safely lead out of the way of human territory. It's not helpful, but is seen as more of a nuisance really than a threat. The third however, the Plier Crab, is a dangerous creature that despite it's small size will happily kill and eat a person – heck, it even uses a skull as it's home! I could be wrong, but I suspect that the reason we get three different species of the same animal is to show a greater degree of difference in human/monster relations than what we've had so far. Will we see more creatures that help out humans in some way? Probably, if I had to guess. Will we even see some monsters that fight on the side of humans? Well...that one's a little harder to put money down on. While we do get at least one mystery answered (for the most part, and I'll touch on that in a bit), there are plenty more mysteries that still remain, particularly the true nature of the Red List. Grimm's suspicions about Kasoka Village and Velou grow further as well, as there's still the question of how an axe likely made of wolfonium ended up in such a place, and why Velou was being taught to use it in a way that amounts to knight training elsewhere in the world. Was the mayor, or perhaps even Velou's parents, from this distant kingdom originally perhaps? I don't think we'll get everything answered anytime soon, but I have a hunch we'll get something more soon enough, because I'd imagine Grimm is probably going to take Velou's axe from him to have it examined at some point once they're at the guild. The characters of Tylty and Mylty aren't as fun as Grimm and Velou are, nor are they as interesting as any of the werewolves we've had thus far, but I don't think that's their point. I think they exist mostly to show us just how rigorous a Hunter's training really is – if these guys are this good just from the training they got, but still didn't manage to pass, then that says a lot about these tests. And especially considering the little tease we get of who's going to be giving the exams at least at first...whoa mama. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Chapter 7 Synopsis: While the announcer prepares to announce Jackie Chun as the winner, Goku's friends lament his apparent death. Jackie tells them not to be so melodramatic however, and points to the edge of the ring, where Goku is laying naked but alive. Goku's friends are overjoyed, and Jackie reveals the true target of his attack – the moon! The announcer glances up into the sky and sees that Jackie's claim is true, he's really blown away the moon with that massive Kamehameha, and Jackie assures them that this means Goku will never turn into a monster again. The announcer frets about what the loss of the moon could mean, annoying Jackie greatly. He tells the announcer to start counting before it's too late, but it already is as Goku stands back up, ready to continue the fight again. The announcer halts the fight however, allowing Goku to leave the ring just long enough to put on some clothes, Kuririn offering to give him his gi. As they change clothes, Kuririn putting on his original Orin temple clothing, Kuririn asks Goku how long he's been able to turn into a monster, but finds out that Goku has no idea about any of it. Kuririn decides to leave it that way, especially since Jackie seems sure the lack of moon means Goku will never transform again. As Goku steps back into the ring, he sees all of the damage to the arena and wonders if a typhoon came through while he was asleep. The match starts again with Goku complaining about being hungry, and Jackie trying to attack him with another Kamehameha while his guard is down. Unfortunately for Jackie however, he's spent too much energy and can't fire another one yet, making Goku realize that that also means he can't use that other electric attack either. Goku is overjoyed and launches a Kamehameha of his own that forces Jackie to leap into the air to dodge, allowing Goku to jump after him and kick him, seemingly out of the ring. As Goku's friends cheer and the announcer declares Goku the winner, Jackie calls everyone's attention to the fact that he's not actually rung out yet – at the last second, he kicked his foot hard enough into the side of the ring to stick there, and is strenuously holding himself up by just that foot so that he doesn't touch the ground. Goku remarks that the old man is really stubborn, and Jackie says he refuses to lose to a child. Jackie remarks that he can tell Goku's energy is about spent as well based on that last Kamehameha, so it seems like things will have to come down to who can hit the other one the hardest. Goku agrees, and while Jackie frets about how he's going to pull this off with so his energy so short...wait, short, that's it! An idea comes to mind, and he launches towards Goku once more, with Goku lunging right back at him. Review: After the excitement of the past couple of chapters, this one unfortunately returns things to how they were before. I think that's by design though, since really, there's not an effective way for Toriyama to outdo the previous high of 'giant ape monster versus huge energy beam'. He needed to effectively ramp things back down a few notches so that the actual finale to the fight could still feel pretty impressive, and thankfully the fight has been going on long enough that he has the perfect answer for how to do that – they're getting tired! Hey, don't knock it, it works. While that does work well enough however, it doesn't change the fact that the chapter does have a few issues here and there though. First off, while it makes sense that the announcer would be somewhat less torn up about Goku's apparent death than his friends would be, it seems weird that his next step is to declare Jackie Chun the victor. Wasn't killing against the rules? Unless there's some sort of loophole where if the person that died was themselves trying to kill people, this just seems weird. By now though it should be obvious – nobody's ever going to actually lose one of these matches by rules violation, so basically as long as it's cool or dramatic in some form or another, it's going to be allowed. Secondly on a more minor note – though it's really weird to think about it in that way – there's Roshi's destruction of the moon. Not only does this have absolutely no effect on the world at large going forward, despite how catastrophic to society such a thing would be in real life, there's also the fact that none of that is brought up what-so-ever. No, the announcer's only concerns are for moon festivals, moon pies, and the poor, unable-to-transform werewolves. Well, at least his last concern is actually valid, as we'll later see... You might be thinking I'd have an issue with Goku leaving the ring to change clothes not being counted as a ring-out, but oddly enough, I'm fine with that one. It's ordained by the announcer, Goku leaves and comes right back without having any time to unfairly rest or anything of the sort, and really, what's the alternative? I can't see the rest of this fight having quite the same oomph if he's naked. My biggest problem of all with this chapter though is the ring-out fake-out with Roshi just barely staying in it by stabbing his foot into the ring's side. That's basically pushing the plausibility of things just a little too far for my own personal tastes, and just feels like we're stretching this fight out even longer once more for no real reason. Despite that though, there IS a certain symmetry to Goku seeming to have won after a long, drawn out fight, by the same maneuver that Roshi almost won it right away with. Maybe that's what Toriyama was going for ultimately, was for a brief moment making you think it had ended how it began only in reverse. Looking at it from that angle, I can forgive it a little bit I suppose, especially considering what we actually get as a finale is much, much more satisfying. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The winner of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai is...! Synopsis: Goku's transformation into a giant ape has left the crowd speechless and the announcer wondering if this is some sort of technique, but Goku's oldest friends know better. As the ape breaks free from the Bankoku-Bikkuri-Shou, it lands back on the ring and starts to smash the building behind it, stomping and throwing pieces of building around like toys. The crowd starts to scatter, with only Goku's friends and the announcer remaining, while Jackie frets about not being able to run away without getting disqualified for leaving the ring. Kuririn shouts to Goku that he can transform back now before he ends up killing the whole audience, but Goku throws a piece of building at him. Yamcha tells Kuririn that it's no good, when he's like this, Goku becomes a real monster. Hearing this, Jackie thinks that there's only one way for him to put a stop to this before someone gets hurt, or worse. Yamcha tells Puar to turn into a sword and cut off Goku's tail when he grabs it, but Oolong stops them, saying that it looks like Jackie Chun has a plan of his own. Taking off his shirt and buffing out (as Roshi did at Fry-Pan Mountain), he yells that he's going to use a Kamehameha at full power. Yamcha yells that that will probably kill Goku and tries to run in to stop Jackie, but it's too late. The Kamehameha fires, Goku and the arena are enveloped in light, and a loud cracking noise fills the air. As the dust settles, Jackie laments that he had no choice and this was the only way. To the horror of Goku's friends, Goku is nowhere to be seen, seemingly blown away by the Kamehameha...and killed. Review: Well, this chapter took a darker turn than one would have expected from the series up to this point, didn't it? While we certainly had Goku and his friends in danger in the first arc, the source of the danger was usually still just silly enough to not be taken too seriously. By the time they got to the Pilaf crew, not only were those villains not the most threatening in the world, the real threat turned out to be from Goku himself. Even once that threat was established however, it was dealt with quickly enough and in a peaceful enough way that there was never any true feeling of how dire the situation was. Here, that situation is inverted. There's no quest for anything here, there's no villain – hell, even our main antagonist at this point is also one of the good guys – this was just a competition to test their skills out in. And yet, it's seemingly ended in the death of our main character? Talk about mood whiplash. Granted, I can't say for sure how likely it is that a lot of people, even kids, would have thought Goku was actually dead here or not, but the way the scene is set up, especially with how it ends the chapter with a cliffhanger, is definitely designed in a way to try and make you feel like it was possible. It certainly would have gotten people talking at the time if nothing else, I'm sure. That's jumping ahead a bit though, because before Goku's seeming demise, he realy should have been disqualified already. Nothing was ever stated as such, but I can't imagine attacking the audience isn't considered a violation, and the way Goku's throwing around pieces of building, someone is sure to get hurt. There's also the fact that, while he somehow miraculously lands in the ring and not outside of it when he first transforms, his foot is shown going through the building next to the ring. That's clearly a ring-out. Once again, Goku is saved from losing the boring way by plot armor. In the ensuing chaos, it's understandable enough that none of Goku's friends wonder where Roshi has ended up once Goku transforms, but you'd think that at least Yamcha, who was the most skeptical of Jackie Chun in the first place, would have reverted back to thinking he was Roshi once he sees him transform. Unless Yamcha now thinks all old martial arts masters can take on huge muscular forms, which at this point... On the other end, Toriyama actually shows a bit of brilliance himself by showing the true target of Roshi's Kamehameha in the same panel as the ape Goku, but I'll touch on that next chapter as it's a whole discussion in of itself. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Goku's dea – wait, no, false alarm. Synopsis: The announcer comments that the match has gone on long enough that the sun is starting to set, while Goku and Jackie disagree about who's winning. Yamcha and Kuririn feel certain that the match is going in Goku's favor. Roshi thinks to himself that he really does have no choice but to use 'THAT' move, he just hopes that Goku's youth will help him survive it.
Jackie apologizes to Goku and tells him that he's about to lose. Goku can't see how that can happen since the announcer said he's ahead, but Jackie tells him that the move he's about to use has only been used on one other person before, and that person was Goku's grandfather, Son Gohan. Goku is shocked to hear this, and Jackie wastes no time prepping his attack. He channels his energy into an electric aura around his hands, stunning everyone watching. With a yell, he launches the Bankoku-Bikkuri-Shou at Goku, and the energy grabs hold of Goku, holding him in mid-air while essentially electrocuting him. As his friends watch in horror while Goku screams in pain, Jackie tells the boy to say mercy quickly, or he may even die. Goku refuses, and Jackie tells him he's really serious – this technique could kill him if they're both not careful. Yamcha and Kuririn both shout for Goku to give up, and Goku reluctantly agrees, and Jackie praises him saying that not even Gohan lasted this long against the attack. Before Goku can finish saying mercy however, he looks up at the sky and spots the full moon rising. To the horror of the Goku's oldest friends and the crowd, and the confusion of Jackie and Kuririn, Goku once again transforms into a monstrous ape! Review: We're finally entering the closing act of this fight and story arc, and while certain aspects of this fight have been repetitive lately, it still holds up as the best fight the series has yet thrown at us. All throughout this match, Roshi has seemed like he wanted to end it quickly and to put Goku down, perhaps not with as little effort as possible, but certainly without having to go to extremes. No matter what he's tried however, Goku just keeps getting back up. He's proven to be far more resilient, far smarter (at least, at fighting), and far stronger than Roshi had ever dreamed. This seems to make Roshi all the more determined to win – if his pupil is already THIS strong now, what could he become in the future if he still has something to strive for? I think it's with that idea in mind that Roshi actually uses a two-fold attack here. The main attack is of course the Bankoku-Bikkuri-Shou (a ludicrously named attack that's a reference to an old Japanese variety show, if I recall correctly), but I don't think it's an accident or just exposition that causes Roshi to mention Goku's grandfather here as well. Back when they'd just started their training, there was a moment where even Goku was winded and seemed like he wanted to quit. Roshi was able to light a fire under him then by telling him that Gohan had underwent the same training, and that had spurred Goku on to try even harder. How strong Goku is now is a direct result of how seriously he took his training after Roshi told him that. Now Roshi is betting on the same thing working once again, though it's a little bit different this time around. Whereas before mentioning Gohan was meant to make Goku keep going, here it's meant to make him give in. Not even Gohan could withstand this technique, so how could Goku? This is only meant to ultimately make Goku want to try that much harder in his training afterwards of course, as that's been Roshi's goal all along, and is even shown by him praising Goku for holding out in the attack longer than Gohan had. He wants Goku to lose, to feel like he has to better himself, but to also feel good about how far he's already come. Unfortunately, Goku's stubborn nature starts to get in the way of Roshi's goal, but even that doesn't throw a monkey wrench into it the same way that...well, an actual giant monkey does. Goku's tail growing back in his first match may have seemed like a sudden thing at the time, but I think it was done there precisely to give some distance between it's re-growth and the return of Goku's ape form. If the tail had grown back at some point during Goku's training, especially if it happened off screen, there wouldn't have been as much of a surprise factor for Yamcha and the rest from the first arc. At the same time, if it grew back during Goku's fight with Namu, that would have still been way too close to his fight with Jackie. Placing it where he did, Toriyama was able to give us just enough time to think that we weren't getting the ape again yet, only for him to pull the rug out from under us when we are indeed getting the ape again. He's a crafty one, that Toriyama. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Roshi resolves himself once more to do whatever it takes to take his student down, while Goku starts to act like a silly monkey. Jackie attacks him, but as with Jackie's Sui-ken attacks against Goku earlier, Jackie now can't hit his opponent at all. Goku keeps dodging until he eventually uses his tail to pull Jackie's feet out from under him, allowing Goku to leap onto his face and scratch it up like an animal. As Jackie stands back up and Goku laughs and says that was his Monkey Attack, Jackie laments that Goku is starting to get cocky now. He starts to gesture with his hands, proclaiming that this next move will win him the match. Goku watches and gulps nervously, and is caught off guard as Jackie's eyes flare, and he starts to hypnotize the boy with a lullaby. As Jackie finishes the lullaby, Goku falls to the ground, dead asleep. Jackie reveals this was his 'Min-Min-ken' attack, though the announcer wonders if hypnosis can really be called a technique, which Jackie protests saying it is since it has a fancy Chinese name. The announcer worries how underwhelmed everyone will be if the match ends this way, and Jackie again protests that it's not his fault if his opponent was stupid enough to fall for it. With no other objections, the announcer starts his ten count. From the crowd and from backstage, Goku's friends yell loudly for him to wake up, but it doesn't seem to be doing any good, with Roshi himself claiming that Goku won't wake up until he gives the signal. He thinks to himself that this was all worth it, as now Goku will see just how much further he has to go in his training. At the last second, Bulma thinks of one last thing that might work, and yells to Goku that it's dinner time. The young boy wakes up instantly, running around and looking for his food, much to Roshi's dismay. When Goku asks the announcer where dinner is, the announcer happily tells him he can eat all he wants once the fight is over. Ready for his food, Goku says he'll just have to win this quick, and Jackie agrees that it's time they end this. Goku attacks Jackie with his Janken, but Jackie manages to block every blow. Jackie says he's well familiar with that technique, surprising Goku since he thought it was his grandpa's secret attack. Goku says he'll try it one more time, and Jackie lets him, but is caught off guard when Goku throws a 'rock' attack while yelling 'paper', catching a fist to the face. Jackie is knocked down but gets back up, marveling at Goku's brilliance. It's risky, but it looks like he really has no choice but to use 'THAT' technique after all... Review: While this chapter is fun enough, the fight is starting to feel a little bit dragged out in all honesty. I think that's because, for the most part, we're just hitting the same story beats again in this chapter that we did in the last one. Roshi tries a technique on Goku. It works, only it actually doesn't. Goku gets back up, and manages to slam Roshi with an attack he's just now come up with on a whim. Roshi is staggered, but manages to hold on and swear that this NEXT move is really gonna be the one to end the match in his favor. Don't get me wrong, it's still plenty entertaining, it just feels a little bit like we've been here long enough to where it's time to move on to something new, which thankfully the next chapter is primed to do. I do like that Roshi's so desperate at this point that he's trying to do anything and everything he can think of to just put Goku down on the ground for ten seconds and claim victory, right to the point of just putting him to sleep with hypnotism. The announcer questioning if this really counts as fighting is great too, because I had the same question. What is this, Anything Goes Martial Arts from Ranma ½? In what might come as a surprise though, I actually don't mind the technique itself, nor do I mind everyone cheering to try to wake Goku up. Unlike with Yamcha shouting to try and tell Goku exactly what Jackie's doing, this is something that possibly would have been happening even without the presence of Goku's friends. There's a big enough crowd there that at least some of them are probably rooting for the boy too, so there's probably some of them yelling at him to wake up to. There's probably also people yelling in Jackie's favor. Either way, there's enough noise going on that everything is going to be attempting to wake Goku up, so Bulma ultimately pulling it off by yelling 'Dinner!' just feels like the yell out of all of them that finally did it rather that actual interference. That's just me though, your own mileage may vary. And even though it's ultimately just more of the same, I do get a laugh out of Goku landing a hit on Roshi simply by yelling the opposite of what he's actually going to do, and Roshi praising him as a genius for it. That's just stupid enough that it's great. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Goku's going ape! Again! |
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
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