Synopsis: As Grimm tosses another captured applicant into the brig and gets more replacement cuffs from a guard, she finds it curious that Merrio and the others still haven't come to interfere. In the fourth floor hall of the Ironworks, we see why as a large mustached man with an eyepatch holds Migael in a headlock that's knocked her hood off. He says he's always hated religious types as they have no expenses and thus get to keep any money they get as income. Spotting Migael's predicament, Nulo starts to use the elixir from before again but is stopped by Merrio. Merrio talks to the man and says he assumes he's wanting to extort them since he's taken a hostage, and asks him to release her so they can talk – otherwise, he and Nulo will have no choice but to attack. The man introduces himself as Mosko Cobbs and apologizes, saying he got so angry that he acted without thinking. Releasing Migael, he claims that he's not their enemy, bu their ally or savior even. He surmises that they're gathering human resources to pass the test in a way that will allow everyone to pass and praises the idea, but ays he's taking an even longer view. Mosko explains that he took this test so that he can stage a takeover of the guild and turn it into his very own company. As the guild has a near monopoly on monster hunting, if he takes it over that will give him plenty of clout to negotiate directly with countries and even religions and grow it into a business beyond anyone's wildest dreams. He even floats the idea of weaponiszing wolfonium further and changing the very face of war and the power balance of the world, something that can't be done so long as the guild keeps it's crafting a closely guarded secret. Merrio thinks to himself that it's precisely because of people like Mosko that they do keep it secret. A small group of people walk into the hallway behind Mosko, and he introduces Merrio and the others to his new subordinates, saying he just hired all of them to work for him. He tosses large bundles of money on the ground and says he'll take Merrio and his team up on their cause and even pay them, so long as they agree to work for him. Merrio says there are lots of things he could say and he's not even sure where to begin, but is interrupted by one of Mosko's men, a man with a bruised and battered face that recommends they don't say no. Merrio realizes that refusal means Mosko resorts to force, a fact Mosko doesn't deny and even praises Merrio for realizing. He tells Merrio that he's exactly the sort he wants working for him, and claims that the most useful and practical tools are money and violence. Merrio responds however by saying that working for Mosko is the last thing he'd ever want to do. Mosko becomes enraged and says that he's their superior now, but Nulo says he isn't. Merrio tells him that Mosko is simply psyching himself up however, almost using a form of self-hypnosis even. Migael has heard enough however and says she'll stop him and casts another spell, a Sanctuary Priestess Defense Art called Touch of Love. The magic forms long bars that try to wrap around Mosko, but the man proves to be surprisingly agile for a man his size. Nulo launches an attack of his own by aiming a kick at Mosko's face, but Mosko catches his leg with his hand and scoffs, asking if the elixir is Nulo's only worthwhile ability. Mosko then throws Nulo into Migael and incapacitates the both of them with chops in the neck before turning to face Merrio. Merrio says he was hoping not to use this and reaches into his jacket, grabbing something that makes a noise similar to a gun's. He runs at Mosko but Mosko catches him and tells him not to pull a gun in an enclosed hall, chastising him by saying guns were against the rules anyway. What Merrio pulls the trigger on however turns out to be a mist blower rather than a gun, and as the mist blows into the air between them, Merrio declares his victory. Mosko asks him what he's talking about as his mustache suddenly appears to grow out of control. He freaks out but Merrio tells him it's harmless and merely a distraction, as he then sprays both of Mosko's shoes with the mist blower. Mosko's shoes promptly mold over and cause him to trip, allowing Merrio to then spray him down with the blower repeatedly, resulting in Mosko becoming trapped in a mold cocoon against the wall. As Mosko apologizes lamely for his actions while Migael and Nulo get back up, he asks Merrio if this is some sort of magic or something. Merrio says he's just a humble scientist, a mycologist (a research of fungi and mold) to be specific, and opens his coat to show various vials filled with mold that he describes as his slime associates. He carries various types with all kinds of abilities, such as the blackbrush mold that looked like hair; the slippery tree mold that made Mosko's feet slip' or even the ironeater mold that ate the buckles on his shoes. Mosko says it's disgusting to call molds 'friends', but Merrio says he gets that a lot when people ask him about his work. He explains that he decided to join the guild as an experiment to find out if his research can be used as a useful tool for hunting monsters. Mosko mocks him and asks if that's really something worth staking his life on, and Merrio says it's no different than Mosko's own ambitions in the end. As such, he decides to tell Mosko their plan, shocking Nulo and Migael. Merrio says that's the whole reason he bothered fighting Mosko in the first place, though he does remind the man that they have handcuffs and can easily toss him into the brig themselves and never come back for him if they see fit. Merrio asks Mosko's group if they'd like to join them as well, though cautions them that they'll be equals and nobody will be paid, but they all readily agree. On the roof with the brig, forty-five minutes have passed since the start of the test, and Laurell tells them there's still been no sign of their friends. Just then however, Merrio and a new girl walk up and ask if either of the cops are there, and when they see that they're not, they free Velou, Bonkers, Porschen, and three others that were in the brig. As they leave Merrio tells Velou that they managed to recruit six more people themselves by using Velou's plan, but Velou says Merrio's slimes have also proven to be really useful so far and the plan wouldn't be working without them. Merrio says he's pleased to hear that. In the second floor training room, Velou says they've gotten the information they needed, and between both of their original two teams, they've managed to recruit six more people from outside the brig and three more from within, bringing their total numbers up to fifteen. With roughly an hour left in the test, Velou says it's time to make a counterattack to take away more of the handcuffs from Grimm and Debonair. Review: It feels good to be right. I feel pretty vindicated that I predicted that the mold we started seeing pop up last chapter was a result of Merrio's involvement, though what I didn't expect was for this chapter to make me actually start to like the guy. In a short time he's come a pretty long way from 'guy who's scared of leftovers', though I still wonder what the heck is up with that. If anything, now that we know what he's all about, you'd think he'd love them since they could end up growing stuff once they start to go bad. What I didn't predict was the exact method that he'd use to create mold, or that he'd actually be a scientist. It's an interesting background and reason that he presents for wanting to become a Hunter, and I'd daresay he's the one most befitting of passing the test now other than Velou. Nobody else that we've been introduced to has given us a concrete reason for wanting to pass the test, so it's going to be interesting over time to see what everyone's individual reasons are. That is, except for Mosko. We have his reason, and holy crap – if the job was to just make Capitalism: The Character, then bravo Kawaguchi, you succeeded in spades. The character is slimier than any of the mold that Merrio works with, and it's almost a little disappointing that if this works out he'll pass as well. I did figure there was a reason we saw his design so clearly a few chapters ago though, and I guess this is why. There's a couple of other characters we see just enough to get a look at their designs too, so I'm expecting we'll get their names and perhaps their unique skill sets in the following chapters. One interesting tidbit we get amidst all of this is that the guild closely guards the process by which wolfonium is made, which helps explain why Velou had never heard of the stuff, and also why Grimm is so surprised the mayor and thus Velou had an axe seemingly made of the stuff. If the material is as strong as they're building it up to be, I can certainly see why they wouldn't want it to get out into the general population too much, though you have to wonder how good of a metal it really is for anything but werewolf slaying. After a relatively good showing in the previous chapters, it's a bit of a shame to see Migael and Nulo get discarded so easily in this chapter, but it allowed us to see what Merrio was capable of, so it's worth it in the end really. I was somewhat surprised to see the guards do nothing to prevent the captured candidates from being freed too. I criticized Velou for telling Laurell as much as he did, but inexplicably I guess it was fine after all? Weird. With their team more than doubled in size and the plan back on track, it's going to be interesting to see how Velou and everyone plans to attack Grimm and Debonair now. Will they head out and try to ambush them? Will they wait for them at the brig and try to catch them in their surprise that nobody's jailed now? Or will they try something else entirely? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Chapter 12
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Synopsis: During their planning, Velou thinks back on a game he and other kids used to play in the hamlet, he explains it's similarities and differences from Cops and Robbers to everyone else: one person would dress up like a werewolf and put on a tail, and the other kids would try to steal the tail. He says that's what they need to play rather than Cops and Robbers – so as not to allow themselves to be treated as prey, they need to go after the tail, or in this case, the handcuffs. Velou shouts out to everyone that Debonair has four pairs while Grimm has five, and Debonair figures out that it's the cuffs they're going after. She praises them for a good plan, but wonders how they plan to achieve it as she turns to attack Porschen. Flashing back again to the planning stages, Velou rationalizes that there's no way the two Hunters can carry enough cuffs for all thirty people. He figures they'll only have a handful each at a time, and it's the staff who puts them in jail that give them new cuffs to replace the ones they've used in exchange for the captured applicants. Porschen agrees that that makes a lot of sense, and Merrio thinks there'll be a limit to how many people one 'cop' can arrest at one time, so they should take advantage of that fact. Velou thinks they have two plans to make the cops lose their ability to arrest people and everyone pass: they can either cut off their supply route, or they can get more allies to swarm the cops (though he suspects they've planned for the latter). Bonkers thinks that might not work, and Porschen says the biggest problem is time. Migael reminds them that the time limit is two hours, and Bonkers thinks it'll be really hard to block their supply route for that long. Velou has something to say about that however.... As Debonair tries to attack Porschen, Porschen manages to dodge out of the way with acrobatic movements. As Debonair praises her however, she then notices something odd – her belt appears to be eroding away. Merrio says the time is now, and Porschen uses her wires to steal Debonair's handcuffs. As Velou heads for Grimm who is still dealing with Bonkers, she realizes what they're up to. With her hands still tied up in one of Porschen's wires, she backflips and kicks Bonkers in the face, pulling Porschen towards her in the process. Porschen passes the cuffs off to Nulo Xao, but Velou and Porschen end up crashing into each other, with Grimm knocking Bonkers on top of them. 'Three down' she thinks and turns her attention to the others, but Migael blocks them from getting to her, Merrio, and Nulo by casting a barrier, the Tower of Divine Favor. Debonair says it reeks of magic and says it's a hex, but Migael says it's God's blessing. Merrio tells the other two to pull back with him, leaving Velou, Porschen, and Bonkers to be arrested and put into the brig fifteen minutes into the test. Velou watches as one of the Ironworks staff hands Grimm more handcuffs, confirming his suspicion about them. Grimm asks Debonair if she can break the barrier, but Debonair says Migael upped it's durability at the expense of how long it lasts. That said, she doesn't intend to wait around for it to fade away either, and she melts an alternate route for them into the floor. As the captured three watch the Hunters leave, Laurell (the guard that supplied Grimm with more handcuffs) compliments them on their plan even if it didn't work out. He asks them if they're going to be okay now that their friends abandoned them, but Velou insists that everything is still going according to plan. Back in the planning circle, Velou told the others that he didn't think getting captured was a big deal actually. Bonkers doesn't get it but the others agree – the two hour limit is only to make the test seem like it's a long time, but their pass-fail status is only determined at the very end of it. So long as they're not in jail at the end of that time, they pass. Bonkers reasons that that means all they have to do is steal the cuffs and block their supply at the very end then, but Nulo points out that they don't know for a fact that any of Velou's theories are correct yet. Velou agrees and says the only way they can find out for sure is to get arrested and see for themselves. He says nobody has to agree with his plan, but he wants to try and help as many people pass as possible, as he thinks the more forces they have to fight the werewolves, the better. Porschen says she doesn't really care about Velou's dream, but she does think his plan makes sense, so she agrees. Migael agrees as well, as if they can keep taking handcuffs and escaping, it'll make the risk to each of them go down dramatically. While Bonkers doesn't seem very enthusiastic, he too agrees in the end. Porschen then suggests they split into teams, with Nulo suggesting they make it two teams of three – while one squad lets themselves get arrested, the other three will run. This will allow the arrested team to rest and think of a more concrete plan, while the rescue squad can scout allies from everyone that left before, and come back to free the captured three when the time is right. Velou thinks this is the best plan of action, as they can switch back and forth between going for the cuffs and then leaving and coming back to free the prisoners later. Velou explains this plan to Laurell who thinks it's a good one, but wonders if they can really pull it off as he doubts everyone will be into the idea of cooperation. Proving his point, Tylty refuses to go along with it when Migael finds him and his sister hiding in the coal storage room. She is taken aback since she thought he was Velou's friend, but Tylty denies that. Merrio says that Tylty's plan of hiding near coal that Debonair won't be able to use her power near is an interesting one, but then asks him what happened in the last test that he failed. Tylty says they were betrayed, though none of them were blameless as everyone was constantly deceiving each other, and in the end they all drug each other down. Tylty says it's too risky to make teams and that good hunters tend to also be good liars. He asks them for proof that Velou won't betray them in the end or them betray him, and says that there's no more fragile bond then one built on trust. Merrio listens to him but says that in the short time he lived with Tylty, he began to build a little trust in him, as he was always kick to remove the leftovers that frightened him. He says that Tylty has a point that trusting others is difficult however, and he, Migael, and Nulo leave Tylty with his thoughts to find someone else to team up with them. Back at the brig, Laurell notices mold suddenly growing out of the cell and down across the floor, not seeing that Velou is holding on to something. As Merrio and the others leave Tylty, they spot some mold growing into a window in front of them. Nulo asks if it's a message from Velou, and Merrio says it is, saying that it being green means that the two Hunters do get replacement cuffs from the staff just as they thought. This means they'll go for Plan A: cut off the supply route! Review: This was certainly a wordy, convoluted chapter, and while it makes for a hell of a hard time trying to describe it all, it was definitely really fun to read and gets me hyped for the kinds of things the author might have planned for the future. Unfortunately, whether or not we'll get to see that future is really still up in the air, and I'd be lying if I said this level of detail – as well as their continued reliance on flashbacks – didn't worry me greatly. As shown at the end of last chapter, it seems like Velou and the other's plan to go after the cuffs rather than trying to run and hide really is the biggest part of their plan, though exactly how they plan to go about it is something even they hadn't fully determined in the amount of time they had to talk. It's pretty brilliant of them to use the fact that getting arrested doesn't mean a thing so long as you're out at the very end of the test to their advantage, and not in the way you might expect. They purposefully allowed some of their number to get captured for intel purposes, something that as far as we can tell, the Hunters don't seem to have picked up on yet. I'd be surprised if Grimm at least doesn't think there's more going on here than what it seems though, as she knows that Velou is a schemer. Everyone's distrust of each other, even as they work together, is palpable as well. While they've all been in this together, the way introductions are handled shows that they haven't always had time to get to know each other outside of direct roommates, so there's not a lot of things tying them together outside of liking Velou's plan. All six of them were on the same page of not thinking running and hiding was the right answer, and while that's a flimsy premise to build a team on, it's a start at least. Tylty doesn't seem to think so though, and while I don't think he can really be blamed given what apparently went down during his last test, I still can't help but feel this is going to come back to bite him in the butt. Either they're going to fail again, or he's just going to feel like a jackass when the only reason everyone passes is because of Velou convincing the others to team up. I mean, his plan of hiding near the coal is great for keeping Debonair at bay, but it's not going to do a thing to stop Grimm from catching him. As smart as Velou is however, I'm not sure it's really such a bright idea to tell the guard Laurell all about their plan, as the only thing he doesn't seem to have told him so far is about the mold (more on that in a bit). The guards are technically on the Hunters side, not theirs, so what the hell man? Nothing was ever said that the guards wouldn't interfere, and I assumed that even if the other applicants show up to free the prisoners they'd probably have to deal with the guards first, so...this just seems like an idiot ball moment if I've ever heard of one. We're also treated to a display of Migael's powers at last, and if I'm not mistaken Merrio's as well. My prediction that Migael was going to be a magic user seems to have been dead on, though it's curious that Debonair describes it as a hex while Migael insists it's a blessing instead. Is there actually a real distinction between the two? Or is Migael actually privy to magic in the same way that witches are somehow? I'm really curious to find out at some point in the future hopefully. In the case of Merrio, I'm not entirely sure but I think the mold might have something to do with him. It's possible that the mold is some sort of item that Velou and them have gotten hold of previously and are now using, or even another elixir from Nulo, but I think this might be Merrio's power somehow or another. In addition to the mold used to send him a message, there's also the moment where Debonair notices her belt eroding away from the stuff. It's right when the belt snaps off that Merrio tells Porschen to strike and take the handcuffs, seemingly indicating he had prior knowledge that it was about to happen. While that could easily be true with it being an elixir, that makes twice that the mold has popped up with him specifically. That can't be a coincidence, rather I think it's the author's not-so-subtle way to start showing off his powers before finally explaining them to us, much in the same way they teased Debonair's abilities when she shook Velou's hand. I'd also be willing to bet we'll find out in the next chapter one way or the other. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Chapter 11 Synopsis: As Goku ascends to the fourth floor, he's surprised to find what appears to be an artificial outside, complete with a pond, trees, and even a small house by the pond. Before he can try and figure anything out however, a series of kunai are thrown at him, forcing him to jump back out of the way. He calls out to whoever tried to attack him, and a loud voice laughs, congratulating him for reaching the fourth floor. He says he won't be going any further however, as now he faces someone that has never been defeated, or even seen, by any opponent. As the voice goes on, Goku looks around for the source of the voice but ends up having to dodge a series of shuriken. The voice praises him for his ability to dodge, but Goku carefully figures out the direction the shuriken came from and throws a rock into the trees, hitting his hidden opponent – the ninja that had been with White previously – and causing him to fall out of the tree.
The ninja praises Goku's “beginner's luck”, but Goku insists it wasn't luck at all, though the ninja insists that there's no way a child like him could have correctly deduced where he was without it. The ninja says he'll prove it, and throws out a smoke bomb, distracting Goku while he makes his escape. The ninja's voice booms out again as he challenges Goku to find where he's hiding now. Goku walks a little further into the woods and points out the ninja pressed up against a tree and hiding behind a US flag. The ninja is horrified to realize he held up the wrong side, and quickly flips it over to show a tree design instead, but seeing as Goku already saw him... The ninja says that child's play is over, and he's going to show Goku a REAL ninja concealment technique now, telling Goku to cover his eyes and count to thirty. As Goku does so, the ninja creeps away, but once Goku gets to eighteen, he turns around to ask what comes after it, outraging the ninja who was in the process of hiding beneath a fake rock. He chastises Goku for ruining his brilliant plan, calling him too stupid for it to have worked on him anyway apparently, and tells Goku the next numbers. He warns Goku that now he'll have to use his ultimate concealment technique, and warns Goku that he'd better count all the way to thirty this time. Goku does so, and to his surprised delight, he turns around to find the ninja nowhere to be found. Soon however, a weird noise catches Goku's attention, and he spots a bamboo shoot sticking out of the pond's water. Hiding in the water and breathing through the bamboo, the ninja swears that Goku will never find him this time. Goku promptly runs into the house by the pond however, and returns with a boiling kettle of water that he pours down the bamboo shoot, scalding the ninja's mouth and forcing him back above water where Goku declares happily that he found him. The ninja chastises Goku harshly saying that he could have been killed, and swears that now he'll show Goku what happens when you scald a ninja. He says it's time to attack but instead starts to run away, challenging Goku to keep up with a ninja's speed if he can. Goku says he'll never lose at speed and chases after the ninja, starting to catch up almost immediately. The ninja throws back some caltrops that Goku steps on, hurting him and causing him to stop. The ninja says he'd like to see Goku chase him now, but Goku quickly chases him again, now wearing geta (a type of traditional Japanese footwear that elevates the foot off the ground) to avoid stepping on them. The ninja curses him again and goes all out running, but Goku ends up winning the foot race. The ninja pants and scowls saying he'll never let Goku leave here alive. Watching from his room atop the tower, White praises the ninja (now revealed to be named Purple) for is unparalleled skills, but he can't believe how stupid he is. Review: While Metallic was an all new type of foe for Goku to face off against, Purple is the return of an older type that we haven't seen in some time. A sort of pompous guy who pretends to be more skilled than he really is, Purple is very much the second coming of Oolong, which might explain why I enjoy him so much. While he's certainly skilled in his own respect however, Purple just doesn't hold a candle to the sorts of things that Goku is already capable of at this point in the story, and constantly spouts disbelief that someone other than him could be so good. Actually, this sort of character will end up being used again for a much more remembered character, but more on that guy far, far later. The entire punchline of Purple's character is that despite being a ninja, therefore being an extremely skilled warrior who knows very well how to kill people, he's just...so, so incredibly stupid. I have a feeling this guy might be one of Gero's least favorite colleagues if they ever met, because holy crap is he dumb. When you even make Goku seem to be the more intelligent person by comparison, that's really saying something. It's hard to pick a favorite moment of stupidity for him as well, as they are both numerous and hilarious. If pressed to pick though, it's a toss-up between the US flag bit and his hiding in the pond, probably leaning more towards the latter. The flag bit really is funny though, especially considering the US doesn't even exist in Dragon Ball in the first place, so...lots of questions to ask here. Toriyama's usually good storytelling using all of the panels at his disposal shows a rare moment of weakness in this chapter, as it's not made entirely clear where Goku suddenly gets the geta. The anime polishes this scene a little by having him retrieve them from the same little house where he got the kettle, which is probably what was always intended, but on the page it just appears that he suddenly has them for no reason. I'm also not quite knowledgeable enough to say whether or not geta would really help you deal with caltrops or not, so let's just roll with the assumption that they would. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Goku, who is amazed that Metallic is still standing, quickly dodges a stomp from the large man, only to be immediately caught afterwards by a powerful punch that sends him flying into the opposite wall. From the top of the tower, White thinks that this match has been decided, while the ninja remarks that it actually ended up taking two minutes, a whole minute longer than it usually takes Metallic. Before Metallic can deliver the finishing blow however, Goku leaps back up and slams into his chin with a powerful headbutt. The surprise attack manages to knock Metallic down, but it also results in Goku grabbing his head in pain from how hard Metallic's face was. The ninja is surprised that the boy still has fight left in him, but White laughs and says all he's really managed to do is really make Metallic angry.
As the large Metallic gets back to his feet, Goku remarks that he should have entered the Tenkaichi Budokai. Metallic responds by telling him it's time to die, and opens his mouth wide before firing a rocket at the young boy. The rocket explodes, and it appears to have blown Goku to pieces, much to White's delight, as well as putting a hole in the wall. From behind a pillar, Goku remarks that that was a close one. He couldn't tell for sure what just happened, but it almost seemed like that guy shot a Kamehameha out of his mouth. Goku decides that if it's come to that, he'll use one as well. Popping back out from around the pillar, Goku reveals that he's alive, and as Metallic charges him once more, Goku fires a Kamehameha directly at the man, enveloping him in energy. To Goku's shock and horror, when the dust clears, he appears to have blown off Metallic's head, the boy being too naive to notice the circuitry and wires poking out of Metallic's neck, or the now bare patch of metal across one of his pecs. White and the ninja are astounded by what they've just seen, wondering who in the world this kid really is. As Goku closes his eyes and asks for the man he 'killed' to rest in peace however, one of Metallic's arms seems to move. Goku thinks he must be seeing things, but the arm suddenly fires off it's fist, catching Goku full in the face. The other arm swings down to punch him as well, and Goku repeatedly has to dodge his now headless opponent's attacks. Goku remarks that he doesn't think this guy is normal, and White loudly proclaims that the boy can finally see Metallic for what he truly is, an indestructible robot. As Goku prepares to give the robot everything he has however, a noise issues from Metallic's body and his attacks cease. Goku wonders why he stopped moving, and the ninja wonders if his battery is dead, with White looking on in horrified surprise. Goku runs up the stairs while remarking that there are a lot of weird people in the world, and White tells the ninja to get to the fourth floor to defend it immediately. Review: This is one of those chapters that actually becomes far more interesting way down the line than it is initially here, and unlike a lot of other things that I'm fairly certain I'll remember to talk about when the time comes, this one I'm not sure I will, so I'll go ahead and jump way, way ahead in the story for a moment. As long time fans know, the Red Ribbon Army arc gives way to the Androids arc in the 'Z' portion of the story, by way of a surviving Red Ribbon scientist by the name of Dr. Gero. Gero's whole gimmick is that of advanced technology, primarily that of cybernetics and making advanced human weapons. As such, Metallic definitely falls under the jurisdiction of Gero. He's a humanoid weapon, just as the Androids from later on are, and yet, he's never referred to as one, nor does he have any sort of 'Android #' name. He's just Metallic. That in-of-itself isn't that strange, but it does lend itself easily to curious questions. Was he just wholly separate from the Androids program, despite being pretty similar to some of the other fully-robotic examples such as 8, 16, and 19? Does he actually pre-date them, making him a far earlier creation than even 8? Or is it possible that he is technically one of the never-seen Androids 1-7, and is informally referred to by a different name due to not being what the doctor considered a true “success”, at least structurally? That last one's probably a bit more of a stretch since 8 got a number and even he is deemed a failure, but who knows. At any rate, Metallic makes for an interesting foe in that he's one that we end up being left entirely uncertain if Goku could have even beat him. By the chapter's end, the only reason that Goku even wins is that Metallic runs out of battery power, with the implication being that White forgot to change them. I don't know what's funnier, a death machine being powered by batteries, or the fact that a military general forgot to change them being the only reason the thing is stopped. Either way though, Metallic kept on coming even when Goku blew the robot's head off, so there's a good chance the only ways Goku would have put him down for good would have been to either happen to destroy wherever his batteries are located, or destroying him entirely. With how much damage the first Kamehameha did, it's hard to say for sure whether another one would have done much more to him or not really. And...well, really that's about all there is to talk about in this chapter. There's more bits of White and the ninja talking, but none of it really adds anything overall, and we'll be dealing with the ninja more directly in the next so many chapters, so I'll hold off on talking about him until then. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: As Goku starts to head inside the Red Ribbon base, General White contacts him via the tower's intercom, welcoming him to 'Muscle Tower'. He asks Goku what brings him here, and Goku says he's here to rescue the mayor. White tells him that in that case, all he has to do is go through the door in front of him and walk up the stairs, as the mayor is on the top floor of the tower – that is, if Goku can reach the top. Goku thinks that won't be a problem at all, and lets himself in through the door. Waiting immediately on the other side are four off-duty Red Ribbon soldiers. The biggest of them asks White if they can kill the boy, which White confirms. The large man thinks Goku won't even be a warm-up, and tries to casually kick Goku, but Goku dodges and kicks the man instead, sending him flying into the opposite wall. Shocked, two of the other soldiers try to attack next, one with his fists and the other with a knife. Goku is unfazed however, and takes them both out with one hit each. The last remaining soldier fires his gun repeatedly at Goku, and swears he got him, but Goku had merely left behind an after-image before appearing behind the soldier, taking him out as well. Watching this from beside White, a man dressed as a ninja remarks that that was an after-image, an incredibly advanced martial arts technique. White is impressed, and asks the ninja if he thinks Goku will get all the way up to the top. The ninja says that's impossible, as nobody has ever defeated the third floor's guard, Metallic. Besides, even if he does somehow, he'll have to deal with him on the fourth floor. White thinks this is a shame, as he could have used a little work out himself. Now on the third floor, Goku rounds the corner and runs into Metallic, just after the large, imposing man was forewarned of Goku's arrival. Metallic points to another staircase and says that it's the way up to the next floor, but unfortunately he can't let Goku get through him. Goku marvels at the man's size and asks if he gets to fight him next, while White and the ninja make bets about how long this will take, the ninja thinking it'll take Metallic all of a minute to finish the kid. Wasting no time, Metallic throws a punch at Goku, but his fist only connects with the floor. Having leapt out of the way, Goku lands on Metallic's shoulder and punches him hard in the face, knocking him down to the ground. Goku thinks he can move onward to the next floor now, but Metallic gets back on his feet and grabs Goku in both hands from behind. Metallic threatens to squeeze the life out of Goku, so Goku uses all of his strength to force the hands apart and leap away. Goku warns Metallic that he's going to hit him for real now before sending a flying kick into the massive man's chest, one hard enough to send him flying back into the opposite wall. This time however, Metallic doesn't fall down, surprising Goku. Review: I mentioned before that there was a very video game formula like feeling to Goku's trek through Muscle Tower, though I neglected to mention what seems to be another obvious inspiration for this part of the story – Bruce Lee's final film, Game of Death. Given Toriyama's penchant for kung-fu movies back in the day, it's probably not all that surprising that he'd take inspiration from one of the most well-known and legendary films of the genre. General White inviting Goku inside despite having no doubt heard what he'd done to Colonel Silver is a continuing theme of this army underestimating Goku at every turn. It's only much further into the story arc that they start to realize they can't take this kid lightly – if only they'd been paying attention to the world at large, they might have heard about the final match of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai and been a little more cautious from the get-go. It's also in this arc that we first get to see Goku just continually mowing down people who try to take him down rather than just one-shotting one or two mooks at a time, and I can't lie, there's just something immensely satisfying about watching him take down soldier after soldier after soldier with ease. Thankfully this isn't the last time we'll get to see that either. The ninja, whose name we'll be getting shortly, makes such an abrupt appearance in his very first panel that I actually had to backtrack to make sure I hadn't missed him. No, he really does just appear out of nowhere in a panel with White, with no indication that White had ever called him in or anything. I can only assume this was done on purpose to make him seem even more ninja-like, like he just appeared there out of thin air. Or maybe Toriyama ran out of page space and just went with it. I'm inclined to believe the former though. And then of course, we come to the Schwarzenegger-shaped elephant in the room that is Metallic (perhaps better known to dub fans by the FUNi name of Major Metallitron, or if you just read Viz's manga, Full Metal Jacket). One glance at him and one can immediately see the Terminator inspiration in his design. When you think back to when this series was first coming out, it makes perfect sense that Toriyama would put an 'Ahnold' looking character into the series, especially in the form of someone that Goku just doesn't seem to be able to make stay down for very long. Like with the previously mentioned inspiration for the character, there's more to Metallic than meets the eye, as Goku will be learning very quickly...in the next chapter. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Terminator 2: Goku Day Synopsis: From his own Red Ribbon outpost base, Muscle Tower, General White angrily asks his men why it's taking so long to find a single brat. He orders them to find him at any cost, saying he doesn't care if they kill him or not, they just need the Dragon Ball and the radar that he's carrying. Two soldiers search through the snowy area and wonder if the kid was really on board the crashed plane at all.
Meanwhile, a young girl has managed to drag Goku all the way back to her home, where she and her mother allow Goku to warm back up in a chair by the fire. Seeing that Goku is waking up at last, the girl calls her mother over and give him some hot chocolate and welcome him to Jingle Village. The girl's mother tells Goku that he's lucky her daughter found him or else he would have frozen to death out there, and the girl asks Goku what he was doing out there anyway. Goku explains that he was looking for a Dragon Ball when his plane fell out of the sky, and the girl and her mother both flinch in fear at the mention of a Dragon Ball. They fearfully ask him if he's with the Red Ribbon, and Goku asks what that is, as the last guy he dealt with was talking about it too. Back out in the snow, the pair of searching soldiers have spotted the trail the girl left behind while dragging Goku. Having been caught up on what's going on by the mother and daughter, Goku can't believe someone else is searching for the Dragon Balls just like he is. He wonders what they could want them for, and the mother says that nobody knows. The girl asks Goku why he wants them, and Goku says he's only looking for a particular one. He brings out the one he has as an example, and explains the one he's looking for has four-stars in it, but when all seven of them are gathered together, a giant dragon appears and grants you one wish. The mother says it must be the wish that the Red Ribbon wants, and whatever they'd wish for can't be anything good. Goku says there's supposed to be another Dragon Ball somewhere nearby, and the girl says they already knew that – when the soldiers weren't having any luck looking for the ball, they'd recruited the men of the village, including the girl's father, to search for it as well. Goku asks why they didn't just kick them out, but the girl insists they're too strong for that, and even if they wanted to, the Army has already taken their mayor hostage in their base. Goku says that he'll go beat them up as thanks for them saving him, but the girl insists that he'd be no match for them. Just then, the pair of searching soldiers arrives, having followed the trail back to the house. They demand Goku give them the Dragon Ball, while Goku asks if either of the men are the girl's father. The girl says they're with the Red Ribbon, so Goku quickly takes them out with a series of punches and kicks that can't even be seen. He then rushes off into the snow, but quickly returns due to how cold it is. The girl loans him her snow clothes and the girl's mother tells Goku to please be careful. Goku finally notices the cold, white stuff all over the ground and asks the girl what it is, and she's surprised he's never seen snow before. Goku then runs off towards the Red Ribbon base, as the girl and her mother worry if the weird little boy they've just met is going to get killed. Goku charges head first towards Muscle Tower and is spotted by some of the guards out front. One of them radios General White and says they think they've found the kid, and White orders them to shoot to kill. They comply, but Goku deflects all of their bullets with the nyoibo, before extending it to take them out and then launch himself onto the first floor of the tower. Seeing this, White is impressed, but laughs and says that the kid will never be able to reach the top of the tower. Review: After covering some anime-original material for a while, it's so nice to be back to the manga again, I won't lie. While the anime is my preferred viewing experience for Dragon Ball as a whole, there's something far easier about the manga when it comes to reviewing. At any rate, after the disappointing start with Colonel Silver, the Red Ribbon Army storyline is finally getting going for real with the introduction of General White and Muscle Tower. This is the first mini-arc in the Red Ribbon storyline, and it's probably one of my favorite parts of the arc other than the very last one. There's something very video-game like to the proceedings within this tower, which makes it both easy to follow and enjoyable to watch. It's filled with colorful characters galore too, a good handful of them proving a challenge for Goku in some way or another, which is good since White himself is...well, not one. However the Red Ribbon Army determines it's rankings, it can't be entirely based on strength, because nothing about White seems to suggest he's a fighter. He certainly looks like even Silver, a mere Colonel, probably could have taken him out. Yet somehow, this guy has managed to rise to the rank of General. It sort of makes you wonder what the inner workings of this army was really like, doesn't it? Other new characters introduced in this chapter include the unnamed girl and her mother that save Goku from freezing to death. The little girl is only unnamed in the manga however, as the anime gives her the name of Suno – either that or it comes up later in the manga and I've forgotten. Either way, there's not a whole lot to say about the characters other than it's sort of nice to see Goku interact with normal people every once in a while. Also, Suno is adorable, and in another author's hands, I could easily have seen her being another contender for 'who will Goku end up with' instead of just Chi Chi. But romance not being Toriyama's forte, perhaps it's best that idea never got toyed with at all, actually. This chapter marks the first time that the idea of just what it is the Red Ribbon really wants is floated in the manga, though really it's not that hard to figure out what their wish would be (at least, on the surface...). Of course a giant military organization that's already trying to take over would be interested in just wishing for the world instead of keeping fighting for it. It does sort of make you wonder what the world government is up to during this arc though. Are there other unseen factions of the Red Ribbon fighting with them offscreen somewhere? Does this arc actually take place in the middle of a war we never get to see? Questions abound, really. On a final note, Goku not knowing what snow is and being interested in it is pretty adorable too. Guess it stayed pretty warm all the time where Gohan lived. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Colonel Silver, shown working out with and ultimately breaking some really heavy weights before also taking out some strong boxing opponents, seems like a tough opponent for anyone to face. A watching soldier tells Silver that Red wants to see him, while Goku, who was barely saved by kinto'un, finally awakens after being thrown away from Pilaf's ship exploding. He wonders who the heck those guys were anyway. Silver pays a visit to Red, and is commended for his work in getting the six-star Dragon Ball for the Army. Red warns him not to get cocky however, as he requires all seven of the Balls if he is to wish for world domination. He brings up the radar map and shows that there are still four more Dragon Balls out there that they need, and orders Silver to get them at all cost, even his own life. Red and his men then move back out to search for the next Dragon Ball. Meanwhile, Goku uses his own radar to find a Dragon Ball as well, but stops first to catch something to eat in a nearby forest. This endeavor results in him having an encounter with a monkey mother and child and saving them from a hungry panther, with a whole group of monkeys providing him with food as thanks. The Red Ribbon's radar also indicates a Dragon Ball is somewhere in the forest, so they go on the move as Goku finishes up his meal and takes a nap. Sensing something strange, the monkeys check out a strange ball in a tree – the five-star Dragon Ball! When the orb glows, it freaks out the monkeys, causing the ball to fall to the ground before them. Goku awakens a short time later to find the monkeys all gone, and that the Dragon Ball appears to be moving according to the radar. The monkeys, having taken a liking to the strange ball, have taken it with them and are playing with it. Back on Roshi's island, Roshi is helping Kuririn get in some training when Lunch calls them inside for snack time. While they all enjoy some shaved ice, Roshi chastises Kuririn for being tired from such a low level of training, and the discussion turns towards Goku. Kuririn wonders if he's still searching for the Dragon Balls, and Roshi remarks that he never would have guessed that the orb he had back then was actually one of the legendary orbs. He tells Kuririn and Lunch an old legend about the Dragon Balls that he knows. The legend states that long ago, there was but one larger Dragon Ball, bestowed upon humankind by the Gods. The people built a holy temple around the Dragon Ball and worshiped it, and times were peaceful. One day however, evil sprouted within the hearts of humans, and some attempted to use the Dragon Ball for selfish gains. A war broke out, angering the Gods who then divided the Dragon Ball into seven separate Dragon Balls, scattering them around the world, so that nobody could use the Dragon Balls recklessly anymore. However, greedy people continued to search for the Dragon Balls, and over the years there had even been some who obtained great power by gathering them together, making them incredibly in demand artifacts for those who know of them, even today. Lunch wonders what sort of wish she'd make given the chance, and Kuririn remarks he'd wish to get even stronger. When they ask what Roshi would wish for, he drools in anticipation of such a thing, but tries to claim that he doesn't have anything at all he'd wish for even while he thinks of Lunch's panties. Back in the forest, the monkeys continue to play with the five-star ball, while the Red Ribbon Army begins to ransack the forest to search for it. Two soldiers talk about getting a big reward from Commander Red if they find it, when one of the monkeys accidentally drops the ball, allowing the soldiers to spot it. Before the soldiers can grab it however, the baby monkey grabs the ball again and the monkeys retreat back into the forest as the soldiers open fire. The soldiers radio back in to Silver, who curses them for not grabbing the ball before they got away. The men begin to burn the forest with flamethrowers to force the monkeys out of hiding, while Goku continues to look for the ball as well. Coming across the soldiers, Goku tells them to stop destroying the forest, and takes out a trio of soldiers with ease. Silver is enraged that none of the monkeys they've caught so far had the ball, when one of the soldiers comes back to warn him of a monstrous child who has appeared and is attacking them. Goku and Silver meet at last and are about to fight, when the monkey mother and child swing by overhead with the Dragon Ball. Silver calls for a gun from one of his men and fires at a branch, causing the pair of monkeys to almost fall into a cliff. As Goku catches the monkey mother by her tail, the baby drops the Dragon Ball into a river below, carrying it who knows where. Review: While the previous episodes flourished in expanding upon a lackluster portion of material in the original manga, this one ironically languishes from the task of having to pull things back in a direction to line up with the manga. And it certainly shows as well, to the point that an entire sub-plot – or exposition drop, more like, and one that hasn't aged well with further material – had to be created as well just to drag things out a bit longer. Everything in this episode in regards to Goku and Silver's hunt for the next Dragon Ball feels incredibly stale for some reason, lacking entirely in the fun that pervaded throughout the last few episodes. I'm not sure if it's the lack of another established character like Pilaf, or the fact that the Dragon Ball is in the hands of unspeaking animals, but some piece of the puzzle is definitely missing this time around. What's worse is, I'm pretty sure the Dragon Ball count at this point is off by one, based on my memory of the other Dragon Balls we're going to see gathered. I could be wrong on that front though, given that I incorrectly remembered that it was the previous Dragon Ball (the one Pilaf had) that ended up in the wilderness where it would be found like in the manga, when it was in fact this Dragon Ball. Oops. One useful nugget of information to come out of all of this is how cruel Red really is. Even for the soldier who just successfully brought him a Dragon Ball, he shows just as much impatience and willingness to kill him as he does praise. All he cares about is getting the rest of the Dragon Balls and his wish, nothing more. Of course, the way they're playing him up as a bigger threat himself is pretty funny given what we'll learn about him in short order. The main thing in this episode that I wanted to talk about however is also the only reason I even covered this episode here – Roshi's story about the origin of the Dragon Balls. As any fan of Dragon Ball can tell you, not a bit of the legend he tells Kuririn and Lunch about is accurate to what we later learn (though the part about a Dragon Ball being split to make other Dragon Balls does ironically come up again later, but that's Super-era material – we'll talk about that MUCH later). This highlights the inherent risk of making filler, anime-original material for an ongoing series like Dragon Ball was at the time. While some filler can expand upon material that was barely present in the manga, other filler can create entirely unique situations or stories that later become impossible to work within the larger narrative. This is a much smaller case of the latter, as even Roshi states that this is just a legend, suggesting that nobody knows whether it's true or not – but still, there's no getting around that this is the first instance in the series of anime original material just not working within the manga's narrative. Really though, it's hard to entirely hate any scene that plays Dragon Ball Densetsu. Kami, I love that song. Until next time! Favorite Scene: Roshi telling the legend of the Dragon Ball's origin. Hey, it might be inaccurate, but it plays Dragon Ball Densetsu as an insert song, and I'm all about that. Next Time: Alright, enough of that side-quest. Let's storm Muscle Tower! Synopsis: Goku and Chi Chi hurry back to Chi Chi's village just in time to see Pilaf's ship fleeing from the scene, with Silver's jet in hot pursuit of it. With both ships almost knocking them from kinto'un, Chi Chi ends up causing their fall due to grabbing Goku's tail, prompting Goku to have to call kinto'un back to save them. Pilaf, pleased to have gotten the real Dragon Ball at last, is still worried about the enemy that seems to be chasing them at a distance, while Silver speculates that the airship must belong to some rich person with too much spare time on their hands. He doubts that they're an adversary of any real importance, but still calls in more of the Red Ribbon's fighter jets to assist him in taking out the ship so they can retrieve the Dragon Ball. The remaining soldiers in the village try to pack up their tanks and leave but are stopped by Goku and Chi Chi's attack. With the soldiers stopped, Goku asks them where Gyu-mao is, and one of the soldiers points out the net holding Gyu-mao just as the gigantic man is finally able to pull himself free from it. One of the soldiers tells the others not to get involved, and they all quickly throw capsules containing fighter jets and rush off to aid Colonel Silver, leaving Goku and Chi Chi to tend to Gyu-mao. Silver runs into a problem however when the airship mysteriously disappears all of a sudden. He orders his man to take them above the clouds, but the airship is nowhere to be found – that is, until it reappears from the clouds below and gets a sneak attack on Silver's jet, opening fire on it without warning. Pilaf jubilantly declares victory as Silver's plane is shot down. Back in the village, Chi Chi bandages up Gyu-mao while Goku asks who did this to them. Gyu-mao has no idea but speculates that it might be someone he once wronged, given what a terrible guy he used to be, saying he has no right to complain if someone came back for revenge. Goku says they must have been strong if they were able to take Gyu-mao down though, and Chi Chi just wishes they hadn't attacked on the day of her and Goku's wedding. Gyu-mao apologizes to Goku for letting the wedding ceremony get interrupted, but Goku confusedly says that he wasn't there, confusing Gyu-mao even further. Meanwhile, Silver and his pilot, having survived the plane crash, get picked up by the other Red Ribbon fighter jets, and Silver calls back in to RR headquarters to request assistance via the army's Dragon Radar in locating where the airship has gone now. Goku inhales much of the food that was meant for the wedding ceremony while Chi Chi tells Gyu-mao that Goku was with her up until now. Gyu-mao wonders who the others were then, and Goku wonders if they were looking for the Dragon Ball. Gyu-mao says that he already gave that to Goku and his other friends before, but Goku explains that there are actually seven of them and he's looking for a different one, one that was a memento of his grandpa's. Goku checks the radar and sees that the ball has already moved really far away and starts to leave, but Chi Chi objects, asking 'what about the wedding?'. Goku says he'll come back later and they can all eat it together, before hopping back onto kinto'un and jetting away, leaving Chi Chi to yell after him that a wedding isn't food. Gyu-mao consoles his daughter, saying all they can do is wait for Goku to get back his grandfather's memento. The Red Ribbon HQ's radar picks up the now stationary Dragon Ball reading somewhere in a large desert, but Silver can't see how it could possibly be there unless they threw it away, as the airship is nowhere to be seen. Red insists that the radar is accurate however, and orders Red and his men to find the Dragon Ball immediately. Goku soon runs across the same problem, finding that despite his radar's reading, he's not seeing the airship or the Dragon Ball anywhere nearby. Silver grows frustrated, thinking that if the ship crashed, they should have found wreckage by now. The only answer could be...but it couldn't be that. As some Red Ribbon soldiers dig in the sand and wonder if HQ is too reliant on the radar, a few of them get sucked down by quicksand, soon landing in a holding cell in Pilaf's underground base. Pilaf questions the men and offers for them to join him instead, but Mai interrupts when one of their cameras picks up Goku just above them in the desert. Goku continues to be confused by the radar's readings, while Silver discovers that none of his men are answering his radio call. When Goku runs towards one of their cameras, Pilaf briefly worries that they've been caught, but Goku simply pees on the cactus camera. When Silver spots Goku down below instead of his men he questions what's going on, but doesn't have time to do anything about it before gun turrets pop out of the ground and open fire on both Goku and Silver. Silver's hunch was right, there's an underground base in this desert! Goku gets sucked down into one of the cells while Silver calls back in to headquarters for backup, only to be told to be on standby. Pilaf taunts a captured Goku who demands they give him the real Dragon Ball, but Pilaf instead sends an attack robot into Goku's cell. Goku promptly takes it out with a single Kamehameha, as well as blowing a hole in his cell. Before Pilaf can respond to that however, Silver begins to attack the underground base with everything his jet and remaining men can muster, damaging much of it. Seeing no other choice, Pilaf and his crew start an escape effort with only the Dragon Ball in tow, but they run into Goku in the base's corridor who starts chasing them. The escaping Pilaf crew hit buttons as they run, stalling Goku with a continuing series of dropping walls, until they finally manage to get back into their airship and escape from the base, unaware that Goku has caught up and has grabbed hold of the outside of the airship. To Pilaf's horror, Silver's reinforcements have arrived, and countless fighter jets surround the airship as soon as it's airborne. They all open fire upon the airship, destroying it and sending Goku flying off in a matter of seconds. Pilaf and crew escape the destroyed ship with the Dragon Ball thanks to parachutes, but on the ground below Silver and his men wait with guns trained on the trio. Once they land, Pilaf begrudgingly gives up the Dragon Ball, while Goku is nowhere to be found. Review: If the previous episodes were a setup to showcase just how rough the Red Ribbon Army could be, then this episode was definitely the payoff to show just how badly in over his head Pilaf was, and how much trouble Goku is about to tackle. I've harped on quite a bit about how much better the anime's version of events are for setting up this arc, and here at what is essentially the finale of this new material, I'm still astounded by how much better it is. Everything about the Red Ribbon Army in this version is a much better showcase for how things will be moving forward, and while a lot of credit still has to be given to Toriyama – the manga was much further along by the time these episodes aired, so they had a much better idea of what the Army was going to be like than Toriyama did when originally drawing the events these episodes extend upon – the anime staff still deserves a lot of kudos for putting this all together so cohesively. If one didn't know that this was largely filler, you'd almost never guess. The Gyu-mao and Chi Chi part of the storyline is wrapped up pretty quickly all things told, and that's probably for the best. Though they had no way of telling at this point in the story, Goku needs to have as little contact with Chi Chi as possible to make a certain story point later work better, and all things told what they bring to the table here has already been accomplished, so it was time to move on. There was one interesting bit early on in the episode with them though, when Goku and Chi Chi are almost knocked off of kinto'un. Goku is able to keep them aloft for a little bit by grabbing the tail-like end of kinto'un. I'm not entirely sure this ever happens in the manga, so I'm not really sure if it would work like that. I assume if you're able to ride it though, it'd probably work? Hmm. The real story of this episode is seeing the three-way grab for the Dragon Ball between Goku, Colonel Silver, and Pilaf who has obtained the six-star ball. Pilaf's craftiness is more than enough to stave off either enemy for some time, but he quickly proves to be completely outclassed in tenacity by them both as well. He knew how much of a challenge Goku was going to be and maybe because of that he paid more attention to him when he should have been putting all of his efforts against the unknown threat the Red Ribbon represents. Oddly, Pilaf never does seem to figure out who they are, nor does Shu and Mai – as big of an organization as the army is as we'll soon find out, you'd think Pilaf and gang would have heard of them somewhere before. Unfortunately, this brings Pilaf's involvement in the arc to an end (or until it's very end, again depending on how you divy up the arcs). We won't see them again until the next time they appear in the manga. Shame, that. Until next time! Favorite Scene: Goku peeing on the cactus camera. Classic Dragon Ball, pure and simple. Next Time: We finally find out the origin of the Dragon Balls! ...Kinda. But not really. Synopsis: The Red Ribbon Army continues to track the Dragon Ball that Colonel Silver was after as it moves away from his location, and Commander Red orders them to contact Silver about it immediately. At the rate things are going, he's sure he'll be ruling the world very soon indeed. Having finished with the shopkeep, Silver moves out. Meanwhile, Goku continues pursuing Pilaf to get back what he thinks is the four-star Dragon Ball from them, but he notices something strange on his radar – even though he's right behind him, it shows that he's moving away from the Dragon Ball currently. Goku thinks the radar must be broken after all, but now that he knows where the ball is, all he has to do is take it back from them. Inside the ship however, Pilaf and crew have realized they were tricked when the glass orb they thought was a Dragon Ball is broken. Already enraged by this, Pilaf is further angered when he sees Goku peeking in through one of the airship's window and opens it to give the boy a piece of his mind, resulting in Pilaf being sucked outside by the air pressure. Goku chases after Pilaf on kinto'un and tells Pilaf he'll save him if he gives him back the Dragon Ball, and Pilaf starts to tell him it was a fake, but stops short to instead beg Goku to save him. Goku catches him and takes him back to the airship to make him fulfill his promise. Pilaf orders Shu and Mai to put the fake Dragon Ball back together while he stalls Goku, and once it's “fixed”, they hand it over to Goku, instructing him to be careful with it, especially once Goku notices the cracks. With that taken care of, Pilaf and crew fly off in their airship to look for the real Dragon Ball, and in the process cause Goku to drop the fake. Goku chases after it on kinto'un, but the ball breaks as soon as he catches it, confusing Goku greatly. Elsewhere, back at Mt. Frypan, a reformed Gyu-mao lives in peace with the villagers rather than terrorizing them. His daughter, Chi Chi, dreams of the day that Goku will come back to see her again. Seeing his daughter despair, Gyu-mao has a local psychic divine where Goku is, but the old lady gets distracted by an ant coming for her lunch, causing the father/daughter pair to misinterpret her saying “he's coming closer”. Chi Chi is sure that Goku is coming to take her as his bride, and though Gyu-mao thinks it might still be too soon for that, he readily agrees to prepare the wedding immediately. As Gyu-mao announces happily to the villagers that his daughter will be getting married, Colonel Silver and his men chase after the bird with the Dragon Ball in the air. The bird is eaten by a pterodactyl before they can get to it however, and the pterodactyl is in killed by Gyu-mao with a boulder. Gyu-mao carts off the pterodactyl intending to serve it as dinner for the wedding, and before Silver and his men can chase after the now ingested Dragon Ball, they quickly go into hiding from a strange approaching airship. Mai tells Pilaf that things have gotten worse as there's no way they can take on someone like Gyu-mao, but Pilaf refuses to give up, though he is terrified of Gyu-mao's reputation. The villagers prepare whole-heartedly for the wedding much to Gyu-mao's delight, though they soon spot Pilaf's airship. Pilaf orders them to attack but Mai stops him when they see everyone waving and holding a banner welcoming Goku. At first Pilaf is annoyed that they'd ever think they were Goku, but then he grins, coming up with a plan. Gyu-mao hurriedly searches for Chi Chi to tell her the good news, but can't find her. The old psychic lady tells him that Chi Chi went to a nearby hillside to pick flowers, and Gyu-mao is pleased at how lady-like his daughter has become. Back in the airship, Pilaf has Mai make a Goku mask and orders Shu to put it on and pretend to be Goku so they can trick everyone there. Shu doesn't think it will work, but Pilaf thinks it's the perfect plan. Gyu-mao rushes out to meet Goku, as do all of the villagers, while Pilaf and crew are confused by all of this 'wedding' talk. Gyu-mao wonders who the other two are, and Pilaf and Mai introduce themselves as Goku's 'friends'. Goku, searching for where Pilaf and crew have gone, starts to get hungry. He makes a pitstop to eat some apples from a tree and ends up running into Chi Chi. Chi Chi thinks Goku must have come here for her after all, though Goku continues to not understand what marriage is. The two eat apples together, while back at the village, Shu secretly protests to Pilaf that he can't marry someone he's never met before. Pilaf orders him to play along until they can get the Dragon Ball. Gyu-mao apologizes for Chi Chi being so late, and Pilaf orders Shu to say that he's hungry so that they can get out of here soon. Gyu-mao agrees that they can start the banquet now while they wait for Chi Chi, and the villagers bring in a ton of food, including the cooked pterodactyl. Gyu-mao tells Goku not to hold back but Shu tells Pilaf that he doesn't think he can eat that much. Gyu-mao overhears and misunderstands, and tells Goku to eat some of the pterodactyl instead. He tells Goku not to be shy and ask for whatever he wants, before patting Shu on the back and sending him flying, knocking the Goku mask off of his head. Pilaf quickly distracts Gyu-mao so they can put the Goku mask back on Shu's head, but all of the villagers see what happened. Before anything can be said however, the banquet hall is suddenly attacked by tanks. Gyu-mao says he doesn't know who's doing this but vows that they'll pay, and Pilaf says this is the perfect opportunity to take the Dragon Ball for themselves. Gyu-mao storms outside and fights the Red Ribbon Army tanks, and Silver's men worry this might be too much for them to handle. Silver however grabs a big gun and shoots Gyu-mao in the face with it, blinding him with the gunk that explodes out of the bullet. A tank then shoots a giant net, capturing Gyu-mao on the ground. With Gyu-mao incapacitated, Silver orders his men to begin searching the village. Back at the banquet hall, Pilaf crawls out of the pterodactyl with the Dragon Ball in hand and starts to flee the Red Ribbon Army's advance. They barely manage to escape back into the airship with the Dragon Ball in their grasp. Meanwhile, Goku and Chi Chi continue to spend time together, but Goku falls asleep as Chi Chi talks. The pair soon notice smoke coming from Chi Chi's village, and Goku recognizes the Pilaf airship as it starts to rise into the air. He tells Goku to hop onto kinto'un, and the two race back to the village, unaware of what's happened there. Review: The search for the six-star Dragon Ball continues to be a far more frantic affair in the anime version of events than it was in the manga, and while there's something to be said for over-complicating things perhaps, I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer the anime on this account. None of the Dragon Balls that we actually got to see get hunted down in the first search were that easy to acquire, so it just seems more fitting for even the first one to be more of an ordeal this go around as well. It's also commendable in a way that this expanded version of the story both manages to tie in the previous search by way of including Pilaf, but also giving time for Gyu-mao and Chi Chi to shine a little more. That is, in effect, a bit of a double-edged sword though, but like so many things I bring up here, that's discussion for another time. For now though, it's nice enough to see some familiar faces again. The Pilaf gang taking advantage of Goku's naivety is perfectly on point for both them and Goku himself. It makes perfect sense for them to try and deceive Goku with the broken fake, though to Goku's credit, even he starts to wonder if something was wrong from the very second he sees the cracks. At least, as much as Goku ever would wonder about something like that anyway. It also sets it up perfectly for them to try and take advantage of Goku in a different way once they realize Gyu-mao and everyone is expecting the boy's arrival. Putting a fake Goku head on Shu and expecting people who know him (because let's not forget, the Pilaf gang has no way of knowing that it's only Gyu-mao out of the entire village present that has met him before) to fall for it is so hilariously dumb that it's only made even better by it working entirely. Gyu-mao, I...I have so many questions for you. The frantic Dragon Ball search is made better by how all-over-the place it ends up as well. In the course of less than a minute, it goes from chasing a bird, to now it's in a pterodactyl's stomach, to now it's in a dead, cooked pterodactyl's stomach that's in the care of Gyu-mao, the 'demon king'. The fact that even Silver is a little worried about dealing with someone like him says it all, and while Gyu-mao never does quite live up to his potential as a threat, it's still pretty impressive that Silver and his men are able to deal with him without too much trouble overall – again, it's certainly a more impressive first outting for them than what they received in the manga. Overall this changed opening act is definitely giving more meat for us to chew on than what their corresponding chapters did, but can it stick the landing? Let's hope so. Until next time! Favorite Scene: The disguised Shu actually managing to trick Gyu-mao into thinking he's Goku is priceless. Next Time: I wonder if Pilaf bought his airship from the same place Wonder Woman got her plane? Synopsis: A quick rundown goes over the 42nd Final Debarkation Exam that Velou and his fellow Hunter applicants must pass – in a manner similar to the game 'Cops and Robbers', they must avoid being captured by the 'cops' Grimm and Debonair, and if they're able to not be in 'jail' at the end of two hours, they pass. They're allowed to use whatever tools or weapons they wish, though killing is forbidden. Debonair, who dumps water on herself to cool down after fighting the giant manta ray, further adds that if you do end up arrested, a free robber can tag you to set you free. She also says that she and Grimm won't leave the roof for the first five minutes, giving them a head start to run and hide as needed. The applicants wonder how in the heck they're supposed to get away from someone as strong as her, and she says she can practically hear the gears turning in their heads. She declares a start to the exam, and many of the entrants, including Tylty and Mylty, begin running. Six applicants, including Velou and Bonkers, stay where they were standing however, surprising Grimm and the fleeing applicants. Velou says that running right now is a bad idea, to which the others remaining agree. He says there's something contradictory about the test, and just running away for two hours probably won't work, so he wants to confirm something if he can. Tylty shouts back that it won't matter what he confirms if he gets arrested, and Velou asks him to come free him if he does, to which Tylty objects that there's nothing in it for him. Merrio says there is however, as if Velou has the same idea as he does, they might all be able to pass. Debonair is impressed by their thinking, but Velou says they're not sure yet, so Mylty and Tylty should run if that's what they think is best. Merrio asks Bonkers if he's thinking the same thing as he and Velou, and Bonkers agrees that it's probably 'something like that'. One of the other applicants, a large robed woman named Migael Gagia, tackles Velou in a hug and praises him for having so much courage and facing this test so bravely, even after going through all of the harsh training at such a young age. She proclaims that someone will surely rescue them, and that God will grace them all with divine protection. As Velou introduces himself and tries to get free from her hug, the other applicants at their sides react in various ways, and Mylty and Tylty decide to run after all. Debonair says that she can tell the six applicants that stayed are planning something, but she won't ask them what: she'd rather they show her what it is through action. She tells them they still have three minutes left before her and Grimm begin their attack, so they can use that time for a strategy meeting if they'd like. Velou thanks her, and Grimm accuses Debonair of spoiling them. Debonair says that they're thinking for themselves and making decisions based on those choices, which is harder than it sounds. The test is designed to see what they can do, so she wants to let them do just that. One of the applicants, a girl named Porschen “The Juggler”, says they need to make their plan quickly while they still have time, cutting off Merrio as he tries to introduce himself. Velou says that this test has felt off to him from the very start. It's supposed to test their ability to become Hunters, but the requirement is not getting caught, as if they were prey themselves. As such, he thinks there has to be something else going on with the exam. As such, what they really have to do is... The three minutes pass just as Velou volunteers himself to do 'that part', as it was his idea after all, and Debonair announces that they're about to get started. Velou says that he knows there's still some stuff they couldn't figure out, but asks everyone to go along with the basic ist of it all. Debonair and Grimm move out, with both women looking incredibly imposing especially Grimm who says this will be a 'massacre'. One of the six applicants, a man named Nulo Xao, says he'll occupy the instructor, while Migael and Porschen say they'll all give it their best shot. Xao takes a secret elixir he calls Liufeng Xiang, which allows him to yell and produce a shockwave of wind that blows the approaching Debonair back. Porschen then uses a long wire and her flying circus wire arts to ensnare both Debonair and Grimm, pinning the former's arms against her body while grabbing the latter by her wrists. Bonkers takes the initiative to jump in and aim a powerful punch at Grimm, but Grimm and Debonair ask them all I they really thought a dinky rope would stop them. As Debonair begins to burn through the wire, Grimm delivers a powerful knee into Bonkers' armored chest. He manages to take the blow, but says that they're wrong: They didn't think this would stop them at all, as Velou goes on the attack. Flashing back to the three minutes that the applicants were making a plan, Velou says that what they really have to do is make it so that they can't be arrested. Bonkers thinks that's obvious but the real question is how. Porschen and Migael both agree that it has to be 'that', annoying Bonkers who doesn't quite get it yet. Velou says it's the special rule they tacked onto this test, and Merrio says it was likely added so that they would catch the contradiction – either that or it's a trap. He explains that a normal game of cops and robbers would never make for a proper test due to how much better the two Hunters are, so they added a weakness expecting the applicants to find and exploit it. Merrio thinks their best bet is to do just that while planning for a way to counter the Hunters' response to said attack. Velou says that if they handle this like any other fight, they have very little chance of winning, but they all have reasons why they need to become Hunters. Back in the present, Porschen notes that the rope was just a distraction, as she counts five sets of handcuffs, saying that as they thought, the Hunters have a way of getting more. The plan: go after the handcuffs! As Migael and Xao rush Debonair and Debonair's sights set on Porschen, Velou reaches out for the handcuffs. Review: This chapter managed to go in ways I expected, while also going in ways I didn't at the same time. We were introduced to the concept of Cops and Robbers, complete with handcuffs, as a test last chapter, and at that time, I thought the deal was going to be them realizing that they couldn't avoid getting caught and thus the loophole was about 'who's in jail at the end'. I even wondered if maybe Velou would pretend to put up a fight only to allow himself to be captured first so he could get a better look at the cell's interior, leading to him allowing everyone to escape right at the very last second. Instead, the crux of the test is the handcuffs, which I'm not entirely sure how to feel about. It's nice to be caught off guard and not know exactly where the story is going to go, but at the same time, it seems to be going for a more difficult setup than may have been warranted here, especially with the series being on the ropes right now. One can only hope this gamble will pay off in the end. Beyond that, the rest of the chapter is chiefly about introducing us to more new characters, and showing at least a little bit of what they can do, or at least what their personality is like. It's hard to say how many people will pass at this point in time, but I'd wager a guess that at least most, if not all, of the six participants that take part in Velou's plan are probably a shoe-in. The one's I'm not sure about are Tylty and Mylty, who do run instead, as well as a bald eye-patched man shown off in one panel who apparently also ran. Since they're not taking part in the big plan, they seem more expendable at the moment, but then again, Velou does say that if this plan works, they might all pass. If that happens, we could be seeing a fairly large size of new members for the guild, which could be both good and bad. A big part of the strength of series like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are the size of their supporting casts, but over time that also becomes a bit of a weakness. When you have too many characters milling about, it can be hard to fulfill the wishes of fans of any given character while also being true to the story. It can also make it easy to run out of character archetypes and start repeating yourself, something that will be really noticeable if all of the characters are still hanging around all of the time (something One Piece manages to sidestep fairly well by having much of it's background cast change from arc to arc, with only the main crew or other characters related to a major story continuing onward immediately). We can only hope the author has all of this in mind right now. It's really just the five characters (three of which are new) that remain alongside Velou and take center stage this time however, and almost certainly secure focus and a likelihood of their passing the exam. First up is Migael, a robed, religious woman, who's build certainly seems to fit right in with the likes of Grimm and Debonair. Hell, it's a wonder they don't pass her right then and there actually. Sadly, we don't get to see what she's capable of in this chapter, we only get a glimpse at her overbearing motherly and devout personality. If I had to wager a guess, I wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be a mage type character of some kind, not necessarily capable of magic – that could be something that's exclusive to witches in this world – but with charms and the like. Secondly, we're introduced to Nulo Xao, a man who seems to be a practitioner of Chinese herbal medicines and remedies, some of which can even be used in combat. We don't get a lot of his personality this go around sadly, so it'll be interesting to see more of what he's like as time goes on. Third and finally, we're introduced to Porschen and her wire abilities. She's probably the most evenly balanced of the new characters, as we get to see what she can do as well as a little bit of her personality. She looks like she might not be that much older than Velou, but she's already quite skilled and can control wires pretty handily, enough so that she manages to get the drop on two skilled Hunters. She also seem sto have a somewhat serious personality at least when it comes to getting things done, but the look on her face while in battle suggests she might have a battle-loving side as well, though probably not to the degree that Debonair does. Sadly, while the new characters are introduced, we still don't get a ton on what the characters introduced before-hand can do. Sure, Bonkers is a tank, but we don't really know how strong he is at combat yet. And Merrio? All we know about him is that he seems to be quite the intellectual, and he's afraid of leftovers. I was really hoping we might get to see more of what he's capable of this chapter, but with the exam still going on, we might get to see him, Bonkers, and Migael all take a little more part in the action next time around. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Chapter 10
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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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