Dragon Ball Super Episode 45 Review

Yeah, yeah...another one a day late. This time was because of sickness, I swear. Oh, and yeah, I was wrong about it being a 2 parter... it's a trilogy! Well, let's get a move on with the review!

So, to start, the animation in this episode seemed really good to me. Again, I only watched it once, but it seemed fine to me. The music was...Dragon Ball Super. Just kinda bland, in my opinion. The voice acting was as spot on as always. All in all, the Presentation was great.

Now the back story on the water and such WERE revealed this week, and it was pretty satisfactory. The fights in this episode were pretty great as well. And the stakes going into next week are...actual stakes. The story was solid to me.

So let's talk about cool things... like Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks! While the Super Saiyan 3 form may not be useful anymore...or ever, now that I think about it...I still think it looks cool, and I'm all for letting characters besides Goku and Vegeta doing stuff. Speaking of which, Jaco did something useful! ...then ran like a scared child, but still, he DID something! And honestly, anything involving Purple Vegeta is just cool, in my opinion. ...even if he is just acting like Buu arc Vegeta...

But what about the negatives? Well...the music for one. While not terrible, I do wish they would make it great. Besides that, not much. Anything else would really just be nitpicks, or judging something that may be revealed next week.

So all in all, a very enjoyable episode with some great action, some funny moments, excellent character bits, and stuff for everyone involved. Honestly, just about everything I look for in a typical Dragon Ball episode. But my thoughts may change in the conclusion next week, in episode 46!

I am The R2 Dude, and this is The R2 View.

Dragon Ball Super Episode 44 Review

Well, here goes my first episode review for Super. Sorry it's a day late, I'm pretty lazy. I would like to remind people that I am going off fan subs, so I can only be as accurate as them. Also, this is not an in depth analysis of the episode, just a simple thoughts review on what I saw. So let's begin!

Right off the bat, let me say that I did enjoy the episode. I didn't expect a two parter among these stand alone "filler" episodes, but I'm glad we got one. And yes, this is technically only half of the story, so keep that in mind. I'm glad that they focused on Goten and Trunks for this episode, even if I do wish they'd age the models just a bit. But it's good to see characters that haven't had as much focus as of late get some time in the spot light. Also, the bit with Trunks and the sword made me chuckle quite a bit.

The enemies in this episode were...not in it much. They seem to be criminals in space that stumble upon a power to great for them to handle. Speaking of said power, that purple goo stuff seems very interesting, and what it did to Vegeta at the end was pretty cool. As a gamer, and someone who understands the real reason Super was made, I started to think of the possibilities this goo could hold as an enemy in a game. And I am psyched to see Purple Vegeta in action next episode!

The animation in this episode seemed pretty good to me, though I mostly pay attention to the subtitles and the key moments, so I'm not the best to ask. I was impressed with some key fight moments though, so there is that. The music is...Dragon Ball Super. It's there, but not as good as the original score of Dragon Ball and Z, in my opinion. The acting is as top notch as always...as much as I can tell since I don't speak Japanese. And hey, I've finally gotten use to Kid Trunk's voice. It really threw me off at the beginning of Super, but it's all good now. All in all, looks and sounds good.

But not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Nothing's perfect, and neither is this episode. I honestly felt that this episode's pacing was a little off. Not as bad as Z, mind you, just a little slower than the majority of Super. Also, not enough of the villain or even the supporting alien's backstories were really given. I don't know much more about these characters than I did before watching the episode, though this may be fixed by next week, since it IS a two parter. Besides that, not much to say negatively.

So my final thoughts? This was an enjoyable enough episode, though it's true greatness or lack thereof will have to wait until next time. Still, glad to get a little mini arc before the meat and potatoes of Future Trunk's return! So I'll see you next time, in episode 45!

Oh, and apparently Japan has announced dvd's and Blurays through episode 72! If that sticks, we'll have more episodes than GT! Just wanted to comment on that...

I am The R2 Dude, and this is The R2 View!

My thoughts so far on Dragon Ball Super

April of 2015: I watched Dragon Ball Kai episode 99, the final episode of Dragon Ball released in English at that time. I planned on watching the Buu arc in English when it was released, but until then, I had finally finished watched every episode of Dragon Ball, Z, GT, and Kai that I could. It was a bitter-sweet moment, to finally finish a show that, even though I was relatively new to, had quickly become my favorite show of all time. Dragon Ball, for me, was over.

One month later: DRAGON BALL SUPER, AN ALL NEW ORIGINAL ON-GOING ANIME SERIES, WAS ANNOUNCED TO AIR BEGINNING THAT SUMMER! ...I chose a VERY good time to become a fan...

So I've been watching Dragon Ball Super fan subbed every week since it started airing, and decided it was high time to start posting episode reviews here. However, first I needed to get up to date a it, so here's a quick look at the 3 sagas so far, and how I liked them.

THE BEERUS SAGA

The Beerus Saga is essentially a retelling of Battle of Gods, my favorite Dragon Ball film. And it's... kind of a pale imitation. Don't get me wrong, there are still some good things in this saga, and even some things done better than the movie. But most of the story is practically identical, if not overly prolonged, some of my favorite moments have been removed, and the animation at points... Episode 5, need I say more?

All in all, the Beerus Saga was enjoyable enough, but the original film is still MUCH better. However, it's short enough and has enough good bits that I would still recommend watching it through if you plan on watching Super at all.

THE FREEZA REVIVAL SAGA

...or whatever you want to call it. Again, an adaptation of the film Resurrection F...at this point I was questioning the whole "new and original" aspect to this series, but I continued. And man, was I happy I did! I honestly think this adaptation may be even better than the original film. Ginyu, Gohan's return to training, Krillin's awesome moment: all moments only in the series. The only major flaw I have is that they didn't push it far enough with new material. That and the animation, of course. 

All in all, the Freeza Revival Saga is quite good. There is more than enough differences to make watching this saga more than worth it, even if you've already watched the film.

THE UNIVERSE 6 TOURNAMENT SAGA

I loved just about every part of this saga. The story is FINALLY original, the new characters are a lot of fun and fit right at home, and there's enough small twists to make watching this saga quite exciting. Even the animation is better! The only real negatives would be the quickness of some of the fights, and the animation in some areas, but I think the Pros DEFINITELY outweigh the cons! 

All in all, the Universe 6 Tournament Saga is excellent, truly Super finally finding it's identity and coming into it's own. Definitely watch this arc!

So that's my brief thoughts on Super up to this point. Now get ready for weekly episode reviews, starting hopefully tomorrow. ...As long as I don't oversleep...

Oh, and the next saga? FUTURE TRUNKS' RETURN! While Krillin is my favorite character, the Trunks/Androids/Cell Saga is my favorite saga! So it's safe to say I AM PUMPED! 

I am The R2 Dude, and this is The R2 View!