Synopsis: Roshi is surprised when Bulma gives him the diamond, especially when she says it's probably worth several billion zeni. He starts to contemplate how long it'd take him to spend that even if he went to a strip club every night, but Kuririn asks him to please not spend it so frivolously considering they almost died to get it back. Roshi insists that it was just a figure of speech, and thanks Bulma and asks if it's really alright for him to have it, because he won't give it back if she asks for it later on. The turtle says it'd be best for him to hold onto it for safekeeping, and when Roshi asks if he's implying that he's untrustworthy, the turtle simply says 'yes'. As Roshi and the turtle bicker, Lunch – still in her blonde from when the Red Ribbon soldiers attacked the island – pulls out a machine gun and tells everyone to stand still if they want to live. She orders Roshi to give her the diamond, and when he does, she takes the Red Ribbon aircraft that Bulma and the others just came back in and flies away. Bulma is at a loss and says she thought Lunch was one of them, but Kuririn says that's only the blue-haired one. When Bulma tells them to go get her, Roshi tells her not to fret, as once Lunch sneezes she'll turn back into a good person and come back on her own, causing Kuririn to have to at last explain to Bulma what the deal with Lunch is. Searching for them from the sky, General Blue finally locates Roshi's island. He grabs some rope and says he's going to be taking their lives as well as the Dragon Balls before leaping from his own aircraft and landing on the sand behind Kame House. He watches as everyone discusses what to do now, with Roshi noticing that Lunch shows no sign of coming back anytime soon after all. Goku says he's going to go look for the next Dragon Ball, and Bulma asks Roshi for another plane, but he says he doesn't have any other vehicles. When Bulma asks how she's supposed to get home, Roshi asks if she wouldn't be happier living with him, a notion she rejects immediately. The turtle offers to swim her home if she's not in a hurry, and Bulma wonders why these things aways happen to her. As Goku asks Roshi to look after the Dragon Balls he already has for a while, much to Kuririn's objection about the army coming back for them and Roshi's assurance that he'll handle them if they do, Blue readies the ropes he brought with him. Tossing them into the air, he then uses his psychic powers to cause them to wrap around Goku, Kuririn, Roshi, Bulma, and even the turtle, tying them all up and rendering them powerless. Blue steps into the open and asks them how they like round two of his powers before letting himself inside Kame House to look for the Dragon Balls. Bulma is cerain they're all about to be killed, and try as he might, Goku can't seem to break free from the rope. Kuririn asks Roshi how he, the invincible old master, could get caught as well, and Roshi says his guard was down. He further reflects that Blue seems like an impressive fighter, as not only did he manage to conceal his presence from him, he somehow tied the ropes in such a way that they can't call upon their strength. Blue steps back out onto the beach with Goku's bag and all three Dragon Balls in his possession. Bulma asks him what the Red Ribbon is scheming with the balls, but Blue says even he doesn't know as nobody has been made privy to the Commander's plans. He thanks them all for taking such good care of him and says he's leaving them a present in return – the Army's most powerful time bomb that he sets to go off in five minutes before setting it next to them. He calls back out his capsule jet and starts to leave, but Bulma pleads for her life, saying she'll even join the Red Ribbon Army. When Blue says the Army has no use for women, Roshi asks if they need an old man instead. Blue flies off in the jet, leaving them all to die. As everyone continues to struggle and try to get free from the ropes, they realize they only have two minutes left when suddenly Lunch – now back in her blue-haired form – comes back. They quickly ask her to get rid of the bomb, but she can barely lift it and suggests putting it into the trash. Goku asks her to get the rope off of him, and though she can't untie it, she eventually manages to cut Goku free with a knife. Goku rushes and grabs the bomb, throwing it into the air just before it explodes. Wasting no more time, Goku calls down kinto'un and chases after Blue despite Roshi's warning for him not to rush off so blindly. As Goku follows after Blue's jet, the scenery beneath them starts to change as they head further inland. Review: As I mentioned in the last chapter, everything going into this one seems like it's setting itself up to be the final stand for General Blue. He's going deep into enemy territory, he's completely outnumbered with no way to call for backup, and after how long we've been dealing with him, it really feels like this is the end for his character. Especially considering how we've already seen him get shown up in terms of strength. As it turns out though, that doesn't seem to be Toriyama's plan at all. Blue's caution in the face of enemies both known and unknown actually gains him the upper hand in this chapter, and he manages to do what nobody else in the Army has done thus far, and that's actually succeed at taking Goku's Dragon Balls away from him. At the end of the day, this is his most impressive showing yet. The rest of the characters, well, they don't fare as well in this one. There's nothing bad with what's done with them per say, it's just very clear that this chapter is Blue's show and they're just guest stars in it. Even Lunch who got possibly the first really good showing in her last appearance is back to the norm here, though it is interesting that Kuririn notes that she's not really part of the team at all when she's in her blonde form. This sort of tense, 'are they on our side for real or not?' feeling is something Toriyama will exploit quite a bit as the series grows a bit more serious and fight oriented, but for now it's just a witty observation based around Lunch's dual personalities. Speaking before about how this was Blue's best showing yet, two moments definitely show that off better than other. First, how in the hell is he able to jump from an aircraft that high in the sky and land on the sand without dying or at least hurting himself – though I guess that's not THAT outlandish at this point, given that we've seen how high Goku and Kuririn can jump into the air. At the same time though, it's pretty impressive that he lands without making enough noise to be caught immediately. Even Roshi is impressed that he was able to hide his presence, which even when the sort of super-sense that will later become ki sensing in it's roughest stages at this point, that's still quite the feat. Not really sure how knowing just how to tie a rope to prevent someone from breaking free is in that same ball park though. Blue had better enjoy this short time where he's at the top of the world though, because for the next three chapters, things get...well...you'll see. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Something Slump this way comes...Hoyoyo!
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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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