Synopsis: As they fly through the sky in their plane, Goku asks Kuririn if he thinks the person they're going to see can really tell them where the last Dragon Ball is. Kuririn is certain they can, as he says Roshi is barely ever wrong. Yamcha asks Goku if he really wants to go ask for help stinking as badly as he does and wearing such tattered clothing. Goku says it's the only set of clothes he has, so Yamcha decides they should stop in a city somewhere first and get Goku new clothes, lest Baba turn them away before they can even ask her anything. Once landing in a town, Yamcha and Kuririn take Goku to a clothing store, and put him in a rather dapper but silly looking outfit that Goku objects to immediately as his friends laugh and say that maybe Baba will feel sorry for him if he looks like that. The tailor asks Goku how he likes the clothes, and Goku says he'd rather have something like what he always does, so the tailor says he'll recreate that same pattern for him. Goku makes sure to tell him to include the Turtle kanji on the front and back, as well as leaving a hole for his tail, and Yamcha tells him to make sure he uses his cheapest fabric. The tailor says it shouldn't take him anymore than an hour so while Yamcha and Kuririn decide to kill time in a nearby saloon, Goku decides to head out and get Upa so he can tell him how close they are to getting all of the Dragon Balls and wishing his father back to life. Goku returns to the land of Karin and calls out Upa's name. Upa is overjoyed to see that his friend is alive after all, and Goku tells him how he beat up the Red Ribbon Army and almost has the Dragon Balls. Goku takes Upa away from Karin on kinto'un, and the boy says he's scared because he's never left home before. Goku tells him it'll be alright, saying he never left his home until recently either, but that there's a whole bunch of really fun things out in the world. Upa asks Goku if he thinks he could ever get as strong as him, and Goku doesn't see any reason why not, suggesting he have his father train him once they revive him. Back in the small town, Yamcha tells Goku his clothes are ready and Goku introduces Upa to his friends, with Kuririn slyly tells Goku that he thinks Upa's a pretty cute girl. Goku asks Upa if he's a boy, and Upa confirms, causing Kuririn to scowl and Goku to brag about how he's finally getting better at telling boys from girls just by looking. Goku changes out of his ruined clothes right there in the street, even scratching his privates, causing Yamcha to loudly chastise him. Once changed into his clothes, the group sets out once more. The group has trouble finding Baba's palace from the air as all they can see is desert, but eventually Kuririn spots a group of biuldings to their right. The group lands and immediately notice they're not the first ones there, as a large group of people is already standing in line outside of the palace. A ghost suddenly floats over, and Goku asks it if this is the “Ball-Seeing Crone”'s house. The ghost corrects Goku, and instructs them to get in line and asks if all five of them are together. When Yamcha confirms this, the ghost seems pleased for some reason, and tells them that it'll call for them when it's their turn. Yamcha wonders why everyone in the line looks so tough, but Kuririn thinks they're probably just friends that train at a martial arts school together. Not everyone in the line seems tough either, as a rich older couple soon exit the building, pleased that Baba was able to tell them where their gold pickling stone was left. The ghost leads the way for the group just ahead of Goku and friends, and a short time later, cries of pain can be heard coming from further into the palace. The group returns, beaten and bandaged, as they leave the palace, much to Yamcha and Kuririn's horror. The ghost tells them it's their turn now and doesn't answer when Yamcha asks what happened to the previous guys. They're eventually led to an inner building, with Upa saying that he's scared. They're then introduced to Uranai Baba, a tiny old lady floating on a crystal ball, who comments how young they all are. Goku asks if she's the “All-Seeing Bone”. Baba angrily corrects him that it's “All-Seeing Crone”, and Goku says that's a weird name, outraging Baba who says it's her job, not her name. Goku asks if she can tell them where something is, and Baba says she will for ten million zeni. Yamcha and Kuririn are taken aback by the large amount of money, and when Baba realizes they don't have it, she tells them to follow her. Baba leads them further in to another outside area, where a small attached fighting ring is surrounded by water. Baba explains that she's going to have them fight her five champions one by one. If they win, they get to fight the next champion, but if they lose, one of their companions has to try. If they manage to defeat all five of her fighters, she'll tell them where their lost object is, free of charge. Yamcha and Kuririn feel more assured now as they realize the previous group must have been beaten in a fight, and Kuririn smugly brags that the three of them did pretty well in the recent Tenkaichi Budokai. Baba laughs and says this should be fun then. Review: It's been so long since we've really seen Goku in a situation that calls out his complete and utter lack of social norms, so it's entertaining to see that make a big comeback in this chapter. Granted, I wouldn't want to wear the outfit they initially put him in either, but at least I don't run around naked and scratch myself in public. Not anymore, anyway. A good half of the chapter is spent on the interaction between the characters in this way too, and it's really enjoyable to just see the characters hanging out together again when they haven't been together in so long now. I also get a laugh out of Yamcha asking the tailor to make sure he uses cheap material – guess he's footing the bill on this one, and Bulma didn't give him much of an allowance. It's nice to see Upa again too, as this storyline could have very easily been carried out with him only being seen again at the end when things were resolved, but thankfully Toriyama decided to throw the kid a bone. This unfortunately might lead new fans to think the character is going to be a bigger part of the ensemble cast, but...not really. And pour one out for the pat-pat gag, as it seems to have been laid to rest by this point, with Goku being able to tell boys and girls apart without it. You'll be missed, inappropriate touch joke. In it's place we get the brief reign of potentially bisexual Kuririn, something else the series never sees fit to really delve into – though in all honesty, it was probably just meant as a throwaway joke without any real implications about Kuririn's sexuality. It is Toriyama, after all. There's a fun reoccurring gag with Goku consistently getting Baba's title wrong, very similar to how he usually gets the Turtle's name wrong. He eventually has to be corrected by Baba herself that it's not even her name but her title. Huh...a character more well known by their title than their name...that sounds very familiar for some reason... And that finally brings us to Baba herself. She's a fun character design for sure, seemingly being even shorter than Kuririn and spending almost all of her time floating on a crystal ball, but it's her powers and her personality that make her a fun addition to the world of Dragon Ball. Psychic powers are something we've only seen delved into once so far with Blue (I'm not counting Turbo since he's a character from Dr. Slump originally), and there it was used in an entirely different manner. Baba's abilities seem to fall far more firmly into the support category. Her personality is far less benevolent than our heroes would have hoped for as well, with her only using her powers for large amounts of money or if you can defeat her warriors. I'd imagine this could have all been resolved way quicker if they went back and got Bulma as I'm sure she's good for it, but that'd be less fun. Fighting it is! Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Kuririn, Upa, and Puar V.S. Edward Cullen
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
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
Categories
All
|