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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 64 Review

Episode 64, "No. 17, No. 18, and…! The Artificial Humans Awaken"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Kuririn spots Dr. Gero/Artificial Human No. 20 entering his laboratory and lets out ki to warn everyone. Inside, Gero activates Artifical Humans 17 and 18, a young man and young woman. Piccolo and Tenshinhan arrive, but Kuririn informs them Gero is already inside. 17 snatches away the control that could deactivate him and destroys it, not wanting to be deactivated again. Vegeta and Trunks arrive. Vegeta wants to challenge the Artificial Humans, but Trunks wants to retreat. Vegeta instead blasts the door to the lab down. Trunks confirms that the androids before them are the ones that plagued his future. Gero orders the pair to attack, but they disobey. 18 wonders about the No. 16 in the lab, but Gero demands she stay away from it. When Gero threatens to shut them down, No. 17 shoves his hand through him and then kicks his head off. He finishes Gero off with a stomp. Trunks transforms into a Super Saiyan and fires a blast that destroys most of the lab, but 17 and 18 come out unscratched, and activate 16. 16 is aloof and doesn’t respond to their questions, but confirms he was created to destroy Goku. The androids all decide to go find Goku, despite having disobeyed their creator. Vegeta is angry for being ignored and flies after them, landing next to them on a mountain side road to challenge them. read more

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Some Thoughts On: Dragon Ball Kai (English Dub) Episodes 27-39


Dragon Ball Kai‘s dub continues on a pretty consistent quality well into the Namek episodes. It’s a good thing, too, since these are probably the episodes I’ll be getting on Blu-Ray, just in case I want to skip some of the filler in this story arc when rewatching my Dragon Boxes. I can just supplement those sets with these. Kai isn’t a meal, it’s an ingredient, I say.

The good work put into the scripts is clear, especially with the dialogue of certain characters. There are far less "jokey" lines, making characters like Freeza or Kuririn less comical. What’s more, there seems to be specific phrases the Japanese script uses that are used in the dub script that really win me over, providing an experience that is very close to watching the Japanese version of the show. I have very few complaints with the lines I’m hearing. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 34 Review

Episode 34, "Theory of Avarice"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Ed, Izumi, and Sig are detained by the military as Archer welcomes Kimbley and Tucker (who had been with Greed’s group) back into the fold. The military mercilessly slaughters Greed’s men as they try to escape. Armstrong arrives and takes on one of his number who reveals he was also in the Ishbal war. Ed manages to slip away from the soldiers using alchemy. Greed and his remaining cohorts hide in a cabin, where they’re confronted by Lust and Gluttony. Al is cut loose (with Martel still in him) and Greed leaves as his men try to take on the other homunculi. Running through the woods, Greed comes upon Dante’s house and enter. Greed is welcomed by Lyra and shown Dante’s apparently bisected body. An alchemy array under him activates, causing him to spit up red stones, weakening him. Seeing the light of the alchemy, Ed enters the house and confronts Greed, who he assumes killed Dante. When Greed refuses to tell Ed where his brother is, they do battle again, with Greed in his full armored form. This time Edward realizes Greed’s shield is made of carbon and uses alchemy to get past it. In the heat of a charge, Ed stabs Greed in the chest with a blade formed on his arm and Greed is mortally wounded. Dying, Greed reveals that he already set Alphonse free, and tells Ed that the homunculi can be weakened by parts of the bodies of the people they were intended to come back as. Then he dissolves into a pile of red water. As the sun rises, Ed can hardly believe he’s killed. Martel seperates from Alphonse. Later, Ed, Al, and Winry leave Dublith. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 33 Review

Episode 33, "Al, Captured"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Greed’s gang subdues Alphonse and take him off. Edward searches around town for him while Izumi asks Dante about what happened. Dante shows Izumi a matchbook from The Devil’s Nest. In Greed’s lair, his henchmen reveal that the military turned them into chimeras. Greed introduces himself to Al and asks him about his body, wanting to obtain the secret to eternal life, but Al refuses to tell him and attacks him with alchemy. However, Greed is unharmed, and shows Alphonse that he can come back from seemingly fatal injuries. Suddenly, Izumi and Sig arrive, demanding Al be returned. Meanwhile, Edward runs into Major Armstrong who tells him that the military is also looking for Al and planning to raid the bar. Izumi beats up Greed’s henchmen, but is unable to take down Greed, who easily brushes off her attacks, tranforming parts of his body into hard armor. Edward arrives as the military closes in on Archer’s orders. Ed engages Greed in a fight, but makes little headway, Greed unveiling his fully armored form. The military storm in, with Kimbley betraying Greed. Greed is forced to retreat, taking Al with him. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 32 Review

Episode 32, "Dante of the Deep Forest"


 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Izumi protects Wrath, despite his own attacks against her, and he escapes. When Ed and Al give chase, they run into the Bradley-disguised Envy and Douglas/Sloth. They’re questioned about homunculi, but deny knowing anything, and walk off. Sloth is revealed to have Wrath within her liquid body. Scar confronts the outcast, who explains that his brother came to him. He says that peoples’ lives are in his tattoo. Roy and his group confronts the refugees. In the crowd, Lust kills Yoki in a way that provokes the crowd. Back in Dublith, Izumi ejects Edward and Alphonse from her home, telling them they are no longer fit to be her students. However, on the way to the train station, Sig informs them that now they’re equals, and they run back to seek her advice in how to return their bodies. Greed and his gang trek through a forest, and Greed takes off in a different direction. Izumi instructs the brothers to go find her alchemy teacher, Dante, to get medication for her. When they arrive, they’re welcomed by Lyra, who is now Dante’s pupil. Greed and his gang show up and prepare to capture Alphonse. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 62 Review

Episode 62, "Piccolo’s Assault! The Missing No. 20 and the Future Gone Eschew"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Hoping to get back to his laboratory, Artificial Human 20 attempts to evade Vegeta and the others by hiding among hte rocks. Attempting to flush him out, Vegeta fires a ki beam that 20 absorbs, and then the Artificial Human escapes. Knowing he can sneak up on the fighters and absorb their energy, No. 20 decides to attack Piccolo, reasoning he’s the next most powerful to Vegeta. He attacks, but Piccolo telepathically alerts Gohan, who saves him. After taking a senzu bean, Piccolo prepares to square off with 20. He easily dominates 20 in combat, surprising everyone. Meanwhile, Trunks returns from the future and sees the head of 19, who he doesn’t recognize. He heads over to where the others are and reveals that these androids are not the ones he knows. Frustrated, Artificial Human 20 fires at the craft Bulma arrives in. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 31 Review

Episode 31, "Sin"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Roy and his crew prepare to leave Central for the refugee camp Scar was sighted at. At the camp, Rick and Leo look for Scar, who is in the outcast’s house. The oucast comes in and recognizes his tattoo. In the Southern HQ, the face off is broken when Izumi attempts to escape, but the child is taken from her. Armstrong blocks her path. The lizard man reveals his boss’ interest in the brothers, but they drive him off, along with Kimbley. Envy reveals himself to the child and gives him lesser stones to feed on. The child begins to remember things. The brothers encounter Armstrong who faked injury. Izumi is reuinted with the child again and they escape the building. Going back to the meat shop, Winry reveals to Ed and Al what Sig wouldn’t. On Yock Island, Izumi takes the child where she transmuted her dead child. When it came back wrong, she sacrificed the entire thing to the Gate. In the present, she attempts to kill the mystery child. Ed and Al arrive to the child choking Izumi and attack, but Izumi tells them off. The child is revealed to indeed by a homunculi, born from a failed transmutation. Greed arrives on the island, but Envy is already there. Before they can engage in a real fight, Juliet Douglas, Sloth, arrives as well. Greed and his group retreat. The boy, Wrath, explains he was trapped in the Gate and took posession of Edward’s arm and leg when he sacrificed them years later after Izumi sacrificed her son. However, angry that the homunculus has his brother’s limbs, Alphonse attacks him. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 61 Review

Episode 61, "No Chance of Victory Against No. 19! Super Vegeta Arrives Late"


*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: As Goku has his energy drained from him by No. 19, Vegeta arrives, as smug as ever. After taunting the Artificial Humans, Vegeta transforms into a Super Saiyan, amazing everyone. He explains that during training, he became so enraged at himself for not keeping up with Goku, that his anger transformed him. Vegeta dominates 19, who tries to take advantage of him by grabbing his hands, but ultimately has his hands torn off. 19 tries to escape, but Vegeta fires a "Big Bang Attack" that destroys him. Artificial Human 20 escapes into the high rocks and everyone gives chase. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 30 Review

Episode 30, "Assault on South Headquarters"


 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: At a refugee camp, Yoki spots Scar. Scar and Ishbalans are allowed to stay there with the other people. Yoki runs off to tell the military, hoping to gain his position back. Back in Dublith, Ed and Al chase the mysterious boy, but are approached by a strange lizard-man. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer and Armstrong arrive in Dublith, looking to find Izumi. After chasing off the lizard-man, the brothers find the boy on a rooftop. Edward figures that if his arm was brought back from the Gate, that Al’s body could be, too. Armstrong captures the boy for Archer, who reveals the homunculi’s identifying mark, the tatoo of the ouroborus. Juliet Douglas recieves word from Yoki about Scar. The lizard-man calls Greed, who has Tucker and Kimbley with him. Greed dispatches Kimbley to retrieve the boy. Izumi angrily chides the Elrics, but collapses and is taken to the doctor. The doctor reveals that Izumi is missing several internal organs, making the brothers realize she committed the same taboo they did. Izumi escapes with her husband and walks into the Southern Headquarters, using alchemy to make her way to the mysterious boy. Sig reveals to Winry that Izumi sacrificed her organs in a bid to bring their son back to life. Ed and Al confront Izumi inside, but then Kimbley and the lizard-man arrive, as well as the Fuhrer (Envy in disguise). In the refugee camp, Scar investigates the home of an Ishbalan outcast, and finds the same tattoo he has on his arm on the wall. read more

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