Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone between and beyond, and welcome to week 70 of the first Dragon Ball rewatch of the decade.
We're doing five episodes a week, and we'll be watching every single episode of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. All 508 episodes. Plus the TV specials and the movies.
I encourage you all to watch in Japanese with subtitles, especially if you have never done so before, but watch along in whichever way brings you the most joy.
Another late posting this week. Sorry.
It's also once again a fairly trivia-light thread.
I'll try to aim for beefier trivia sections when I have a bit more free time. (KBABZ should be back soonish too, hopefully, so that should help us along with trivia quite a lot. )
Previous thread: Week 69 (nice) (DBZ 144-148)
Next thread: Week 71 (DBZ 154-158)
Anyway, without further ado...
Episode 302 - How I Have Waited For this Day!! Cell’s Prologue to Perfection (DBZ episode 149)
Dub title: He's Here
Originally aired 22nd of July 1992
Kai equivalent: Episode 73 - This is the Power of a Super Namekian! No. 17 vs Piccolo
Written by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Episode director: Daisuke Nishio
Animation supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama
Piccolo and No. 17 continue their even battle, with neither of them giving an inch. The island is destroyed by this tremendous collision of power, and crumples into the sea. Having finally completed the artificial humans’ emergency deactivation controller, Bulma takes the infant Trunks and hurries to Kame House in her plane. While No. 17’s energy never falls no matter how much he fights, Piccolo is gradually losing stamina. At this point, the powered-up Cell appears.
Anime-only/filler content: Extra dialogue between Goku and Gohan, extensions to the Piccolo vs 17 fight, Dr. Brief tending to baby Trunks.
Episode 303 - The Suicidal Counterattack Proves Ineffective! Piccolo’s Flame Burns Out!! (DBZ episode 150)
Dub title: Up to Piccolo
Originally aired 29th of July 1992
Kai equivalent: Episode 74 - Run, No. 17! Piccolo’s Suicidal Resistance
Written by: Aya Matsui
Episode director: Kazuya Hisada
Animation supervisor: Mitsuo Hashimoto
As he appears before Piccolo and No. 17, Cell has already acquired tremendous power. Kuririn flies off to meet Bulma, in order to get the artificial humans’ emergency stop controller just a little bit sooner. They have to destroy the artificial humans before they are absorbed by Cell!! Piccolo faces Cell so that the artificial humans could escape, but before Tenshinhan’s eyes he is pierced through by Cell’s energy blast.
Anime-only/filler content: Gohan trying to run to help Piccolo (and Goku stopping him).
Episode 304 - One Final Remaining Hope… The Silent Warrior No. 16 Takes Action!! (DBZ episode 151)
Dub title: Silent Warrior
Originally aired 5th of August 1992
Kai equivalent: Episode 74 - Run, No. 17! Piccolo’s Suicidal Resistance and Episode 75 - Unmeasured Power! The Silent Warrior No. 16 Makes his Move
Written by: Aya Matsui
Episode director: Mitsuo Hashimoto
Animation supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama
At God’s temple, Goku and the others sense that Piccolo’s ki has vanished. Goku stops Gohan as he tries to fly off, unable to tolerate this, since if he goes it will just increase the number of victims. Meanwhile, having defeated Piccolo, Cell beats No. 17 around, trying to absorb him. At this point, No. 16 steps in. It turns out that his power is formidable enough for him to be able to battle evenly with Cell. He rips off Cell’s tail, so that Cell will be unable to absorb No. 17 and 18. But Cell regenerates his tail, since he has Piccolo’s cells.
Anime-only/filler content: Goku punching Gohan when he tries to go to fight Cell, extensions to 17's fight with Cell, Trunks playing with the Androids' shutdown remote.
Episode 305 - No. 17 is Swallowed… The Transforming Cell is a Super Gourmet (DBZ episode 152)
Dub title: Say Goodbye, 17
Originally aired 12th of August 1992
Kai equivalent: Episode 75 - Unmeasured Power! The Silent Warrior No. 16 Makes his Move
Written by: Aya Matsui
Episode director: Yoshihiro Ueda
Animation supervisor: Tadayoshi Yamamuro
In order to protect No. 17, No. 16 has challenged Cell to battle. Unleashing power on par with Cell, No. 16 uses his special attack, the Hell’s Flash, to finally inflict huge damage to Cell! But Cell survives, and succeeds in catching No. 17 off-guard and absorbing him. Transforming as he gives off violent ki, he blows No. 16 away with a single blow. Cell then uses No. 17’s voice to try and pressure No. 18 into merging with him. In order for No. 18 to escape, Tenshinhan prepares himself for death and unleashed the Shin Kikōhō against Cell.
Anime-only/filler content: Goku and Gohan commentating the Cell vs 16 fight, Cell getting used to his new body.
Episode 306 - Tomorrow I am Going to Pulverize You!! Goku’s Challenge (DBZ episode 153)
Dub title: Sacrifice
Originally aired 19th of August 1992
Kai equivalent: Episode 76 - Tenshinhan’s Do-or-Die Shin Kikōhō! Save Your Brother-in-Arms, Son Goku
Written by: Hiroshi Toda
Episode director: Daisuke Nishio
Animation supervisor: Yukio Ebisawa
Even Cell is unable to move at the rapid fire of the Shin Kikōhō. No. 16 and 18 escape during this time. After Tenshinhan uses up all of his energy and Cell is about to finish him off, Goku teleports there. He challenges Cell, saying that he will definitely defeat him in one day. Saving Tenshinhan and the barely alive Piccolo, Goku teleports to God’s temple, while Cell chases after No. 18. Vegeta and Trunks then finally emerge from the Room of Spirit and Time.
Anime-only/filler content: Chaozu asking Yamucha and Roshi to help Ten.
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Interesting trivia:
- At this point in time in the manga, Cell curbstomps Vegeta, Trunks begins powering up to his new, bulked-up form, and we learn Trunks's origin story.
- We'll talk about Trunks: The Story when we get to the Trunks TV special, in six weeks.
- Funimation's script for Z episode 149 mistakenly refers to the Room of Spirit and Time as the Pendulum Room.
- Z episode 151 features the one and only time Imperfect Cell is drawn with teeth.
- Funimation's script for Z episode 151 has 16 explain that Cell couldn't absorb him because he's "a different model", not because he's entirely cybernetic.
- In the end-of-episode narration in Z episode 152, the narrator once again refers to the Room of Spirit and Time as the Pendulum Room.
- Funimation would later reuse the name Sacrifice for their dub of Z episode 25.
- In addition to Funi's scripts seeming to have even more obvious problems in these episodes compared to the last several, the episode titles are once again nothing to do with the original Japanese titles (whereas the past few weeks' Funi episode titles were mostly just a shortened version of the Japanese titles). It's possible they once again didn't have Simmons' translations to hand when they were producing these episodes and it'll improve some time in the next few weeks.
- There are 15 redrawn shots in Kai episode 73, there are 14 in episode 74, there are 7 in episode 75, and there are 15 in episode 76.
- At the end of this week's viewing, you'll have seen as much Z as there is (original) Dragon Ball... Not that there should be distinction between the two, of course.