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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 104 Review

Episode 104, "A Troubling Premonition… The Appearance of a Mysterious Warrior!!"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Mr. Satan realizes he will be humiliated if he fights Trunks in the exhibition match awarded to the Junior Division Champion. He attempts to fake an injury, then decides instead to make it look like he’s lost on purpose to look like a good sport. He invites Trunks to give him a playful "tap" to start the match, which sends Mr. Satan flying into a brick wall. However, the World Champion recovers and laughs it off, playing it up for the crowd, even though he’s genuinely in pain. The act goes over well and the crowd is convinced. The fighters eligible for the regular division gather, and Kuririn is concerned that there aren’t any worth opponents outside his group of friends. However, there are a few interesting characters in the mix, including two mysterious men clearly not from Earth, two pale men with strange marks on their heads, and a disguised Goten and Trunks, playing a fighter they knocked out so they can compete with the adults. Drawing numbers for the matches, it’s decided that Goku will fight Vegeta in the first round. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 103 Review

Episode 103, "Everyone is Shocked! Goten and Trunks’ Super Battle!!"
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Gohan and Videl are stuck behind waiting for new punching test machines while Goku and the others move ahead to watch the Junior Division of the Budoukai. Goten and Trunks easily work their way through the competition, much to the exasperation of a mother whose two sons are unlikely enough to face them in the competition. Naturally, the two young half-Saiyans make it to the final match, but have trouble keeping to the agreement made about not becoming Super Saiyans. Ultimately, Trunks manages to get a victory by ring-out. Mr. Satan frets about facing the Junior Champion Trunks in the exhibition match awarded to him.
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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 102 Review

Episode 102, "The Dragon Team, All Assembled! Son Goku has Returned!!"
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Videl’s ability to fly improves drastically after some practicing. Days pass and Goku’s friends and family gather to meet him at the Tenkaichi Budoukai. When Goku appears before them, he’s surprised to finally meet his youngest son, Goten, who looks identical to him. Trunks and Goten are both disappointed that they can only enter a children’s division of the tournament. Goku and friends try to hold back when registering on the punch test machines, but have trouble. Vegeta doesn’t bother, however, entirely destroying one.
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The Debate That Got Me Ejected From Kanzenshuu Forums: Is Gohan Out Of Character In The Cell Games?

 "I don’t need this shit."

 

PART I: The Preamble
 

I’ve been a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise off and on since about the time Dragon Ball Z first broadcast in syndication in September of 1996. I didn’t immediately latch onto the show. It took a while. A friend of mine, Jon Oakes, who I used to play SNES with at his house (I had a Sega Genesis, and we alternated homes for playing), introduced me to the series, and I didn’t quite latch onto it until I started watching it on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. When I started branching out into different types and titles of anime, I kept pushing the DB franchise back, exploring the more complex and compelling narratives of shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, and Cowboy Bebop. And after all, I would argue, the English version of Dragon Ball Z was so poorly done it was impossible to stomach the show except with subtitles, and I didn’t even have a DVD player until around 2001. By then, I looked at my DB fandom as an object of nostalgia at best and embarrassingly poor childhood taste at worst. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 101 Review

Episode 101, "Gohan’s the Teacher! Videl’s Introduction to Flight"
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: After informing Kuririn, Artificial Human 18, and Piccolo about the Budoukai, Gohan tells his mother about his father returning to the living world for a day. Gohan begins training with Goten, discovering that he can also become a Super Saiyan, but asks him to keep it under wraps when Videl arrives to learn how to fly. Both Videl and Goten need to be taught to use Bukujutsu, but first Videl has to be taught how to use her ki. Eventually she manages to levitate, while Goten masters flying handily. Vegeta is aghast that Trunks can also become a Super Saiyan at his age. Videl arrives for training one day with shorter hair, as suggested by Gohan for safety during the tournament. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 100 Review

Episode 100, "Found Out! The New Hero is Son Gohan"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Gohan is enjoying his double life as high school student and superhero Great Saiyaman, but his heroics catch the attention of Mr. Satan’s daughter, Videl. After the rescue of a baby dinosaur from a cruel circus trainer has them on opposing sides, Videl figures out who Great Saiyaman really is and blackmails Gohan into joining the Tenkaichi Budoukai, At Capsule Corporatation, Gohan replaces his helmet with a scarf and tells Bulma about his situation. Vegeta wants to compete in the tournament, as well. Surprisingly, so does Son Goku, who talks from the afterlife through Kaio. Goku says that he’ll be given a special one-day permission to return to the living world and looks forward to competing in the Budoukai. Gohan is overjoyed by the news. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 99 Review

 

 

Episode 99, "7 Years Since That Event! Starting Today, Gohan’s a High Schooler"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Seven years have passed since the defeat of Cell, a feat that was credited to Mr. Satan, whose city of residence is now named after him. Son Gohan, now sixteen years old, begins attending Orange Star High School in Satan City. There he meets Videl, Mr. Satan’s inquisitive daughter. While he tries to stay inconspicious, his habit of stopping criminals leaves him looking for a way to disguise himself to avoid attracting attention. Bulma constructs a uniform he can transform into at the push of the button and he begins a crimefighting career as Great Saiyaman. read more

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