Episode 190 "I'll Fight Too"

The Summary

Today's episode begins with a crisis: A plane with a bunch of people is about to crash into the city. When all seems lost, who comes to save the plane, the people and the city?

The Champion of Justice…
The Protector of the Innocent…

The Great Saiyaman!

Surprisingly, The Great Saiyaman sticks around to answer a few questions for the press. Upon being asked who he was and why he chose this particular city as his home, Saiyaman hops on top of the plane and busts out the Saiyaman Rap.

No one likes it.

Later on, while Gohan is at Bulma's, he explains why he (Saiyaman) is competing in the World Martial Arts Tournament. Bulma is rather surprised that two separate girls have blackmailed him on two separate occasions. During this conversation Vegeta decides that if Gohan entered the Tournament, so would he. Besides, what would Vegeta like better than to defeat the offspring of his greatest rival.

When all of the sudden there is a great booming voice from the sky, "I'll fight too." No its not God, nor is it any of Dr. Gero's creations trying to root out another one of Dr. Gero's creations for the purpose of absorption…it's GOKU!

After a brief explanation that he can visit for a day, Gohan rushes to Master Roshi's to tell Krillin the news. Only to be caught up in a movie shoot for The Great Saiyaman: The Movie. After wasting some time and upsetting the director, Gohan finally reaches Master Roshi's to tell Krillin (who has grown out his hair) about the tournament. At first Krillin refuses until his wife tells him to enter because she's going to enter for the prize money as well.

Krillin's wife is Android 18.
They have a daughter, Marrin.

So after Gohan tells Krillin and Piccolo, he now has to convince Chi Chi to let him fight.

At first… she says no, but when Gohan says that the prize money would be just like a BIG Scholarship (1st place gets 10,000,000 Zeni) Chi Chi flips her lid saying that of course he can fight in the tournament, even if it means missing some school to train.

The Review

Well, I must say before giving my take on today's episode that it feels good to be doing some literary work for the DBZN again. Thank goodness FUNimation got off their butts and finally got the new season released on Toonami. I don't know how much more their version of the Cell Saga I would have been able to take….

Animation:

Remember back in near the end of the Cell Saga I made the comment that they must have shifted animation teams in the TOEI studio? They must have liked them, a lot.

You know what… So do I.

The animation in the Heaven's Tournament / Buu Saga has been AWESOME. The colors are crisp, the detail is sharp and the animation is fluid. It's so amazing to sit back and compare the animation / design techniques that were used in the first saga's of DBZ to the techniques currently employed at this phase of DBZ.

On a personal note of interest, I'm rather intrigued about TOEI's almost complete revamp of Vegeta. His face is almost entirely different, with more "darkened" features and what seems to be a higher contrast in his eyes. The technical aspects of the new Vegeta are very well done, as he seems much more "Dark" in his movements as well. However, I rather miss the Vegeta from the Cell Saga already.

The animation is great, and even their "Low Quality" moments, which DBZ is notorious for (Sudden shifts in core animation styles within an episode, and I'm not talking about the very common shifts between "normal" and "Chibi" modes).

Animation gets:

7 Dragonballs out of 7

Choreography:

Though most reviewers do not trouble themselves with analyzing the animated camera angles and thus the "Story Boarding" of the episode, I personally feel that this is almost as important as the animation quality itself as both are intertwined.

TOEI really got themselves on track for the last few episodes. There are some very well thought out sequences, including when Gohan as Saiyaman decides to cut his "Stuntman" career short when he realizes it's late. Very fluid and the transition from "Free Fall" to "Saiyaman Power" is very well done. Perhaps my personal favorite in this episode is when Gohan is flying back to his house contemplating how he's going to convince Chi Chi to let him fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament. I loved it.

Choreography gets:

7 Dragonballs out of 7

Music:

Sadly, I was rather disappointed when I found that FUNi didn't keep the original music from the Heaven's Tournament / Buu Saga. Though in the earlier episodes they did keep some, by today's episode is what back to FUNi's now famous DBZ Theme music.

It could be worse… they could have something else I can't think of at this moment. It's not bad, but it's nothing spectacular.

Music gets:

4 Dragonballs out of 7

Dialogue:

This is one of the DBZ episodes where I just could not stop laughing at some of the things that were said. The first dialogue that got me rolling was between Gohan and Krillin when Krillin asked Gohan if he "really was gonna be wearing that..."

Gohan's response:

Are you kidding? I'm at the pinnacle of style! I think you've lost your sense of fashion by being kept away on this island for so long.

"I'm at the pinnacle of style," that's so classic. I think Gohan has a secret inner-fascination with the Ginyu Force, because with responses like that, he could have been Ginyu Man #1.

The next, which is my personal favorite so far said on DBZ is when Gohan talks to himself about the possibility of Chi Chi not letting him fight in the Tournament:

The Great Saiyaman, son of Goku, will not be appearing in today's tournament on account of his mommy wouldn't let him fight.

I still laugh every time I repeat that in Gohan's over-dramatized Saiyaman voice.

Dialogue gets:

7 Dragonballs out of 7

Plot:

The plot in the beginning of this series is rather slow to develop. No real developments will be occurring until we actually get into the tournament itself. However, we have seen some mini stories going on; Gohan trying to keep his powers secret and the development of Saiyaman, as well the introduction / re-acquaintance of old characters from the Cell Saga. We even got to see Dende today. So I feel that things are moving along nicely.

Plot gets:

6 Dragonballs out of 7

OVERALL

How can you not love these episodes? So far there has been enough action to satisfy my cravings, while providing some very funny dialogue, which has generally been rare in FUNi's version of DBZ. The animation is great and everything comes together in a fairly neat little bundle, minus the music problems.

I think it's a great episode that you should have watched instead of read about. (For those who watch and read, I thank you for your continued patronage.)

The Celestrian gives today's episode:

6 Dragonballs out of 7

-The Celestrian