Episode 110,"Who is the World’s Greatest?! A Battle Royal Match to Decide!!
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Kaioshin is perplexed and dismayed by the behavior of the three Saiyans, who all relish the prospect of fighting strong opponents. Dabura volunteers to be the next stage opponent, and goes into a room to meditate to be at full power. However, Gohan, whose turn it is next, becomes impatient waiting for him. At the Tenkaichi Budoukai, the officials are having trouble deciding what to do now that many of the fights have dropped out. Mr. Satan, high on confidence, suggests having a Battle Royal, where all remaining fighters battle at once. However, Mr. Satan begins to lose his nerve when faced with the reality of having to take on four opponents who will likely team up on him as the champion. Killa tries to team up with Mighty Mask (Goten and Trunks), while Jewel attempts to broker a deal with 18, but Goten, Trunks, and 18 have no interest in the offers. Angry, Killa and Jewel attack their respective deniers and are immediately knocked out of the ring. Mr. Satan thinks himself lucky to only have two opponents, but that attitude fades when he sees Mighty Mask and 18 exchange blows above the ring.
Comments:
We get a bit of a slow down with this episode, which only covers Chapter 453 and some of 454 of the manga. Maybe we caught one of the International Version episodes, because they kept in Dabura's meditation and the scene where Goten and Trunks fool the Budoukai announcer in the shower room (by the way, how stupid is that guy?). However, believe it or not, the speculation over what to do with the tournament, Mr. Satan's idea, and the rumination of the officials over it is all directly from the manga, so maybe there's not as much filler as you suspect.
However, I notice by the titles of upcoming episodes that we're not getting to Gohan's fight with Dabura until Episode 112, which is kind of a pisser. I guess they do need to get past the Budoukai finale, but it's a pain in the ass to wait for that fight, which is one I enjoy.
It must have been a really strange experience for the average Budoukai attendee that year. I can imagine that with the tournament having changed a bit, the price for a seat is expensive, and you want to see as many fights as possible for your zeni. The first fight was a single punch long, the second one ended in the strange green guy surrendering after a few moments of nothing, the third one was really cringe worthy brutal, the fourth was interrupted by two other guys, and then nearly every fight left the tournament. The home viewers must be absolutely livid because Piccolo destroyed the cameras (filler that wasn't shown), and the sponsors must be freaking out. But hey, a battle royal finale, that sounds neat, huh?
You have to love how Mr. Satan comes up with this idea because he thinks it will be really entertaining for the audience, as he is a showman, but then he completely fails to realize that, as the champion, it's likely that everyone will just gang up on him. Fortunately for him, that doesn't happen, but his situation doesn't become any less dire, because the remaining fighters with him include 18, Goten, and Trunks. For the time being, of course, they're ignoring him, but he's got to be soiling himself in fear seeing their fighting moves.
The musical score is, as usual, all over the place, in terms of quality, but I can't say there was any track used significantly poorly as far as placement in scenes. I just get tired of hearing the same "generic wacky hijinks music", even if it does apply in some cases. I do, however, really like that big, adventurous sounding piece they used when the fighters entered the ring for the final bout. It's very reminiscent of Kikuchi's score from this period of material in Z.
Overall Score:
3 out of 5
Please keep comments thoughtful and on-topic.