Episode 50, "Freeza's Do-or-Die Full Power! Shenlong, Heed this Wish "
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: At full power, Freeza attacks Goku ferociously. However, Goku is unimpressed. The planet continues to break apart. Kami tells Kaio that the Dragon Balls are almost all gathered so that Yamcha and Tenshinhan can be wished back, but unfortunately Chaozu can't. Kaio confirms that the Earth Dragon Balls can wish more than one person back to life and probably on a different planet. Kaio asks if somebody whose life was shortened by stress can be wished back. When Kami says it could work, Kaio suggests that Saichoro could be brought back, and thus the Namekian Dragon Balls. Gohan brings Bulma back to Goku's spaceship. Freeza realizes that Goku is stalling for time, but says it's pointless, since he'll kill the others eventually. Bulma wants to leave Namek while they still can, but Gohan pleads for them to wait for Goku. As Popo summons Shenron on Earth, Goku fires a Kamehameha at Freeza on Namek.
Comments:
50 episodes! Wow, 50 episodes of DB Kai. 50 episodes into DBZ, Goku was stuck on the outside of his spaceship with glue and hurdling towards a star. 50 episodes of this, Goku's fight with Freeza is coming to a close. Kai's pacing is amazing, isn't it? You want a smoother, streamlined, version of DBZ? This is that.
But, look, I'm not entirely sold on it. Kai feels more like a promotional tool than a real retooling of the show. It has done it's job by reigniting my interest in the Dragon Ball franchise, but it's not really my preferred version of DBZ. Hey, maybe I'm stupid and caught up in nostalgia, but I doubt it, because I'd be more than willing to recommend this version to a lot of people. I might even get a set or two at some point. But right now, Kai is just a tool for me to travel down memory lane.
As for this episode, we get a creative idea from Kaio, trying to get Saichoro back so they can use the Namekian Dragon Balls. You'll see next episode what exactly how he plans to use Namekian Dragon Balls. At this point, though, it's likely not to wish Chaozu back. In fact, I don't see a reason to wish any of the losers back to life. I mean, look, their lives are basically about martial arts, right? But they're way out of their league with all the most powerful fighters, so why bother coming back? They'll probably be able to keep their bodies in the afterlife forever, so they should just enjoy themselves. I guess it would be a little boring living on that small planetoid with Kaio, though, especially if he's going to keep cracking bad puns.
Bulma's being a bitch, wanting to abandon Goku, but I can't say I wouldn't want to do any different. Goku could easily escape from this situation anyway, but he's staying to fight out of his own desire to. He can't expect his friends to cater to every selfish whim of his.
Overall Score:
3 out of 5
