Dragon Ball Anime Reviews: The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai

Hey, this also got put up quickly! I doubt the next part will be that quick, though. But enough about next time's review, this is about today's review!

Standard disclaimer time: I watched the Japanese version, I use my own terminologies, and my views and opinions are not everyone's and there is no right or wrong opinions. We good? ...too bad.

STORY

Goku heads over to train at Roshi's, but first he has to find a hot lady for Roshi. ...Goku is not very good at finding hot ladies... But then Krillin makes his debut! YAY! Well, Krillin also wants Roshi to train him, so they both head off to find a hot lady. Eventually they find and bring back a pretty woman named Lunch, who Roshi happily accepts, making Goku and Krillin his students. But it turns out that Lunch has a bit of a split personality, so Roshi can't be too perverted to her. Well, the training begins, and Goku and Krillin are delivering milk, plowing fields, doing construction work, and swimming with sharks just to name a few of the things. After around 8 months, however, their training comes to an end and they're allowed to participate in the Tenkaichi Budokai, a world martial arts tournament. Roshi also enters, albeit under the disguise of Jackie Chun. Roshi wants to make sure that Goku and Krillin don't win because he knows that doing so would go to their heads and cause them to stop training, and a martial artist should always be aware of their always being a stronger opponent out there. Well, the tournament takes place, many fun and interesting fights happen, and eventually it's down to Roshi and Goku. Goku puts up an incredibly strong fight, even growing back his tail and becoming a giant ape again at one point until Roshi destroys the moon, but in the end Roshi wins. He tells Goku and Krillin that they need to always be vigilant in their training, and then takes them out to eat... spending almost all of his winnings on Goku's meal.

POSITIVES

While the humor is still very much here, the focus shifts more toward fighting in this arc. I'm not saying that's always a good move in a series, but it's an important event for the this franchise. We get to see the foundation of Goku's training in this arc, and it's really the cornerstone of the entire franchise. Almost every arc after this in some way incorporates the lessons that Goku learns from Roshi here, and even the ones that don't is connected to ones that do. Krillin is my favorite Dragon Ball character, and his transformation in this arc is astounding. When we first meet him he's rude to Goku, says he only wants to train to impress girls, and is willing to cheat and lie to pass the training. However, it's soon revealed that this is all a front by Krillin put on because of the bullying he received at Orin Temple. He tries to act like them to Goku... but Goku is such a good and kind soul that's still incredibly strong, that Krillin soon realizes that he doesn't have to do any of that to get strong, and instead decides to just be his true self. He even gets his chance at a little revenge when he fights one of his bullies in a preliminary match, and wipes the floor with him. Krillin started the arc as Goku's rival, but ends it by being Goku's best friend. Roshi is another character that gets fleshed out in this arc. While he's still a giant pervert, we get to see why he's such a revered martial arts master and how much he does care for his students. Lastly, the animation and music are as good as ever, and that final fight in particular really nailed both.

NEGATIVES

Honestly, Lunch is a waste here. She's used for just a couple running jokes and as an explanation as to who makes the food. Lunch gets more development later, but here she's just a waste. Besides that not a lot. Some jokes aren't that great, but it's all subjective. Again, just not a lot negative I can say here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While the first saga set up the original main characters, introduced the Dragon Balls, and established the comedic tone, this arc is almost the real beginning. As I've said, so much that is introduced here becomes series standards, and Goku's training will define him for the rest of the franchise. Apart from all that, it's just a great tournament arc that doesn't wimp out and let the hero win, which I found refreshing when I first watched it. A lot of fun all around with this one.

Next time we cover 50 episodes as we begin the long trek through the Red Ribbon Army. ...I'm sure these guys will NEVER be important again...

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

Dragon Ball Anime Reviews: The Pilaf Saga

Hey, this didn't take that long! What do you know? Anyways, this is indeed my first of probably several Dragon Ball Anime reviews, so buckle up for power house excitement! Or ignore me, I'm cool with either.

First the usual disclaimer stuff. These are my opinions and not yours. If your opinion matches? Cool. If it doesn't? Also cool. There's no right or wrong with these. I'm reviewing these based on the Japanese version with the official FUNimation subtitles, so don't be surprised if I say stuff different than the dub's version. Lastly, I use my own crazy names and terminology scientifically crafted to piss off both the dub fans AND the sub fans! So let's get to it!

STORY

Son Goku is a small boy living alone in the mountains... until Bulma shoots him! Goku gets over being shot quickly enough and agrees to go with Bulma to hunt down the 7 Dragon Balls. Once you gather all 7 Dragon Balls Shen Long comes out and you get to make a wish! Bulma obviously wants to wish for a boyfriend because she is incredibly shallow. But our two heroes are not alone in the hunt. Pilaf and his minions already have one ball, and they want the rest for TOTAL WORLD DOMINATION! Not only that, but the desert bandit Yamcha has also heard of the Dragon Balls, and plans to steal them so that he can wish... not to be afraid around girls. ...poor Yamcha... Well, Goku and Bulma meet a perverted old man, a perverted young pig, and many more perverts and oddballs on their quest, even forcing the pig into forced servitude just for laughs! But in the end, it's that pig, Oolong, that saves the world when he wishes for a pair of girl's panties! ...it makes sense in context. The day is saved... until our heroes plus Yamcha are captured and sentenced to death. However, it turns out Goku is a WEREMONKEY! He goes all giant ape and destroys the castle, Yamcha and his friend Puar cutting off Goku's tail to return him to normal. So in the end, Bulma and Yamcha decide to stay with each other, Oolong tags along to be a pervert, and Goku flies off on his Kintoun to live with the perverted old man! What a happy ending!

POSITIVES

I LOVE these early episodes. It shows the seeds of greatness in all the characters. ...except possibly Puar, but the poor little guy always gets the shaft... Goku is pretty dumb and seems to only follow Bulma's orders... but he still stands up for the weak and innocent, even defying Bulma to bring Turtle back to the ocean. Don't get me wrong, he's definitely not a saint or anything, but he's got a good heart. Bulma is INCREDIBLY selfish in this early arc, and willing to use her body to get what she wants, but she quickly develops a legitimate friendship with Goku that will last forever. Oolong is a perverted little kid (Seriously, he's like 9 here), but he's ultimately the one to save the day. He is forced to follow Bulma and Goku, but in the end stays with them willingly. ...mostly because he wants to perv on the girls in West City, but hey, baby steps. Yamcha is a bandit, and the first real threat Goku faces. ...stop laughing, I'm serious. However, he puts everything aside to save both the world and Goku by the end. He even gets over his fear of girls eventually! Apart from the characters, I find the humor to be pretty spot on throughout. Humor is subjective, but I find it all pretty funny here. Pilaf and his gang in particular are hilarious every time they're on screen.

NEGATIVES

Ok, about the humor... I find it all pretty solid, but I know some people have a REAL issue with potty humor. Simply put, if potty humor offends you, this isn't the saga for you. Watch the Blood Rubies movie or Path to Power instead and move on to episode 14. Apart from that, I personally don't really have any negatives. The Rabbit Mob episode was kinda unnecessary and the pinball part at Pilaf's was... interesting, but I don't hate either of them. My only real negative would be more in how certain events would relate to things much later in the series, not anything about this arc itself.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I love the Pilaf saga. When I started watching Dragon Ball I didn't start at Z, I started at the true beginning, which is right here. Finally getting to watch these episodes in Japanese, I was pleasantly surprised at how much funnier it was to me. Not that the dub was bad, but it definitely censored a lot of the cruder jokes. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to you, of course. Also, I was happy to hear the Japanese voice actors nailing their parts even from the beginning. I'm having so much fun, and can't wait to continue!

And speaking of, next time we look at the heart of Dragon Ball, fighting, with the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai! The training, the matches, the life lessons, and, of course, my favorite character... KRILLIN!

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

Dragon Ball Special Reviews: The Games Trilogy

Here we are, with the finale of my Dragon Ball movie and special reviews. I originally planned one final part where I discuss what I want from future movies and discuss what I liked... but I figured that I pretty much did that in the reviews themselves. Sorry if you're disappointed. But hey, we got a new movie coming December that looks AMAZING! Anyways, let's get to it.

Standard disclaimer here. These are my opinions, I use my own terminology that mixes dub and Japanese names, and I don't have a third point to add here. Oh, and I call this the Games Trilogy because they were released in or for video games. OK? Moving forward!

YO! SON GOKU AND HIS FRIENDS RETURN!!

We start with Videl telling Gohan via Skype about the party Mr. Satan is throwing and urging him and his family to come. With the promise of food, Goku agrees. As it turns out, EVERYONE is invited! ...accept Tenshinhan and Chaozu. Yes, I know why, and we're moving on... Anyways, during the party two pods land nearby. It's Vegeta's brother Tarble! And Tarble's wife Gure! As it turns out, they're on the run from Avo and Cado, two henchmen of Freeza that have grown AS powerful as Freeza! ...Goku and Vegeta figure it could be good practice for Goten and Trunks. After a funny enough battle, Avo and Cado fuse into Avocado, and begin messing up the place... so Goku quickly just shuts him down. Then they all celebrate, even Avo and Cado, over food. The end!

Ok, I love this special. I REALLY do! ...but there is essentially nothing of substance. Even Tarble, Vegeta's brother, was ever only used in ONE game and a mention in Battle of Gods, and then never seen again. Heck, this special never even got an American release! Which is a real shame, because this special is a lot of fun. It also has an amazing new opening animation for Cha-La that makes me so happy...

PLAN TO ERADICATE THE SUPER SAIYANS

So this is a remake of a full motion video game made from a special made to help kids in Japan beat a Famicom game by spoiling the entire plot! ...Everybody got that? So there's some gas killing everybody on Earth, so Goku and the gang try to punch it to death! ...that doesn't work well. So Bulma saves the day. Then Goku and the gang head to a nearby planet to kill the guy responsible by punching him really hard! ...that does not go well. Then Goku realizes they can win by punching REALLY hard! ...and that time it works. So the day is saved, they return to Earth, and I question my sanity.

...so, this special isn't good. But I'll be honest, I still like this special. It's a guilty pleasure, but I enjoy the action and animation of this special. The music is pretty good too. When it comes to pointless action, you can do worse than this special.

EPISODE OF BARDOCK

It turns out, Bardock DIDN'T die! He got sent to the ancient past! ...ugh... Anyways, Bardock is saved by some stupid looking aliens and healed. He shows his thanks by abandoning them and living in a cave. Well, Freeza's ancestor Chilled arrives to kill all the aliens, and Bardock goes Super Saiyan for the first time to save them! ...seriously. Oh, also they are apparently on ancient Planet Vegeta or something.

...yeah, this special REALLY sucks. It has next to no story, what little there is is annoying or insulting, and it ruins Bardock's character! I'm sorry if you love this special, like I know a lot do, but hey, like I said, this is just my opinions.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Honestly, these specials aren't that great, but they're still a lot of fun. These kinds of specials aren't really here for story, they're here to sell video games. And hey, it worked. And hey, we can always use some more Dragon Ball animation.

So what's next for me? Honestly, I think it's time for me to re-watch the entire series in Japanese. So next time I'll be talking about the first Dragon Ball Saga, the Pilaf Saga!


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