Episode 13, "Surprise"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Angry at the recent events, Gomah orders Dagasu shut off Lord Warp. Meanwhile, Goku and the gang's ship crashes onto a planet of giants. There, they're attacked first by giant hamsters, then a giant dog, then a giant grade-schooler. They are barely able to escape by using their ki.
Comments:
"Surprise", indeed! Surprise: an episode of nothing but stupid bullshit!
We've seen giants in Dragon Ball before. The Fake Namek filler, GT, Anilaza in Super. I guess Toriyama wanted a dedicated giant planet, though, because that's what this padded-to-fuck episode is about. Giant hamsters, giant dog, giant ticks, giant child. Small wonder. The idea of a giant planet is not a bad one in of itself, it's very adventure-y, the kind of thing you'd see in early DB, and the concept has some charm, but here it just feels like a waste of time. Do I really care if Goku beats the big kid for no reward or advancement of the plot? Eh, not really.
But hey, at least we have a new MacGuffin: unobtanium! I mean, majilite! Apparently it's a material that powers the vehicles and allows for flight in the Demon Realm. It can even be used as a decades-holding energy source! Wow-ee. That sure is convenient. But at least it gives us a scene with Bulma and Panzy interacting, which is cool, since they're kind of similar in their love for tinkering with machines.
Aaaaand that's about it. This episode was a real drag, a big step down from the previous one. If it weren't for the introduction of the star metal, it'd probably be entirely skippable. Probably my least favorite episode thus far. I hope we kick things into gear next time.