Doctor. wrote:I think the whole "visions of the future" plot point does not need to be in the special. It does nothing to help the plot besides making Bardock care slightly more about Goku and help him deduce what Freeza's real plan was, both of which could have happened with other means. It also brings unnecessary destiny themes into the series, which is something that constantly grinds my gears. Bardock seeing the battle between Goku and Freeza makes it seem like it was predetermined that Goku would get so far and, thus, a certain part of his effort is negated as a result.
It is a point I thought about in the writing process, and I almost addressed it, but I ultimately didn't have much to say about it, and the video already had enough content anyway. Ultimately, I decided that, while it could have been implemented better, it is still a necessary component to create the tone of the story. It creates a sense of dread, not just for the audience, who already know what's going to happen, but for the character. It makes it much more eerie than it would otherwise be. So I agree with you, but I still think it's an overall positive addition.
Saikyo no Senshi wrote:I didn't care about the battle power thing, but I can see your point. The special overall had a good script, good acting, good music, but in the animation department it was meh. Nothing bad, but nothing great either. That is where it loses some marks for me.
Seeing the responses in the comments thread, I must conclude that either battle power fans are voracious to jump onto these types of discussions, or I probably just didn't make the point clear enough. But it's less about the battle power itself and whether or not it can be justified, but more about how it impacts the story and keeps it from falling into those prequel fanservice traps I discuss. I feel that making Bardock the second-strongest Saiyan really undermines his plight as a low-level nobody just trying to survive. And if the cringeworthy premise of Goku's father of all people getting psychic powers and being the only Saiyan to stand against Freeza is smoothed over by his complete failure and erasure from history, then him being second only to Vegeta seriously threatens to topple that precarious position. Then again, it's small potatoes compared to what Episode of Bardock does to him, but that's definitely part of the reason I wanted to make those comparisons are clear as possible.
But for some reason, everyone in the comments section is only interested in the "Zenkais" and whether or not it's plausible when that's really what I was least interested in.
