The resolution of the fight is ultimately a classic Dragon Ball subversion of an escalating situation - Goku can't damage Botamo, and Vegeta says even SSj won't be able to do anything; Piccolo worries that Goku will tire out if the fight keeps up, and they agree that the only way is to burn his stamina on an all-out attack that might take out his opponent; and after a dramatic pause...Goku pushes Botamo over and flips him out of the ring. An easy win in the end, much to the chagrin of his colleagues.
I find the end of the fight quite funny thanks to Vegeta and Piccolo's build-up, although I remember thinking on last reread that it would have been a little snappier without the very final movements in tossing Botamo out--so that he'd be more matter-of-factly dropped off the edge of the ring. But that's nitpicking a joke I think mostly works.
Frost vs. Goku was a sleeper hit for me last time. I basically love it. It's not Toriyama-level action, but it's a highlight of
Super, combining unique, memorable movement like Frost wrapping his tail around Goku's leg and propelling himself around him for a kick, and engaging character beats like their cocky back-and-forth, with Goku using his experiences with Freeza to call Frost out and owning up to his own Freeza-esque bad habits of holding off on higher forms. Whis deflecting debris is also an energetic side beat. Even the standard back-and-forth martial arts are given spacious panels and a sense of speed the series tends to let up on as its chapters become denser in the more serious arcs and as Toyotarо̄ grapples with higher page counts. It's good fun, and one of the things I first think of when I think of the arc.
I enjoy Piccolo's put-off reactions to Goku and Frost's blunt dismissal of his chances, as well as his commitment to holding out as well as he can. It's a very brief fight, but it at least has that unique dynamic to it.
Jaco's immediate withdrawal of his objection once Champa threatens him got a laugh out of me last reread.
In 超 #33, he'll tell Freeza that he prefers to rule with an iron fist as well, so he's neither an opposite nor a simple copy.
People get hung up on this line, from what I've seen, because it doesn't quite seem to match the background of an unscrupulous sports fighter given to Frost in the manga. I'm not sure it fits his anime background any better though. Maybe he's just saying what Freeza wants to hear. Plus, he does rely on force, in his way.
I guess I should also address the issue of Toyotarou using reference ("tracing", as claimed by the uncharitable). I guess the first direct example of a panel looking like another panel from Dragon Ball, where it isn't a direct callback to something obviously relevant (which I recognise, anyway) is Frost's reaction to Vegeta kneeing him in the gut - it's very similar to Goku's reaction to being kneed in the gut by Raditz in DB #197.
This one goes a touch too far to me, and in general I think obvious references like this only tend to serve as a distraction. I don't find them a deal-breaker, but they're a con for me--and I'm thankful they tend to drop off as the series goes on. They're few and far between in the ToP and Moro arcs, at least. I don't particularly find it to be a moral issue when they're
DB-related, because ... surely the intent isn't to hide any of them--they'd be immediately obvious to fans. I can only assume that they're both a shortcut for Toyotarо̄ and something he thinks someone might get a kick out of or at least tolerate, but whatever potential positive impact references as obvious as this are suppose to have is lost on me. Again, not something that ruins the series, but a weakness/something I'd rather not see.
That said, the panels leading up to that, with Vegeta kneeing Frost? Quite good; flipped back through it before responding. I can't imagine he really needs references that overt. I suppose the other thought might have been "Well, I can reuse this
DB panel or have my own, potentially weaker version," but I'd rather the potentially weaker, unique one every time.
It runs a gamut, though. There are some things that are simply traditional
DB visual tropes, established through Toriyama's own repetition of them throughout the series, and what separates a reference gone too far and simple fidelity to a style he's hired to emulate can be a subjective line. I can only say that this particular Frost panel crosses it for me, as a few others throughout the series do.
Piccolo's tame withdrawal is a little bit of a head-scratcher; I figure some of it is just the fact that his purpose is served by helping expose Frost's cheating so that Goku can be re-admitted. Thinking 'in-Universe' for reasons to withdraw, I guess he can salvage some of his pride by "officially" being the winner thanks to Frost cheating, rather than having to go up against him again, getting decked for real and taking a loss...
Vegeta forces him out, right,? I get the feeling that beat is in there to emphasize Vegeta's animosity toward Frost, as a proxy for Freeza, as well as to somewhat comically cap off the Piccolo dog-piling. Guy can't catch a break, but in the moment, it's true that he was no match for Frost anyway. His nod also seems to indicate that he understands Vegeta's desire and is willing to acquiesce.
Vegeta vs. Magetta is very amusing. My favorite part--again having just flipped back through--is Vegeta taking a blow on the head after Goku tells him to try lifting Magetta up, unaware of how heavy he is.
Magetta sobbing in the background, being comforted by Botamo, is apparently recreated in the interstitial in closer detail; it's cute to be able to think of these little gags as having actually happened in the main story (and some of them definitely have, like Goku accidentally molesting the Galactic King, which is directly referenced in 超 #43).
In my mind, any interstitial that isn't a character roster, which crop up later, and which doesn't explicitly break the fourth wall, happens. Enough explicitly happen that I feel this is well-enough backed up.
Vegeta vs. Cabba is enjoyable enough for its space, and, while the pay-off won't come until after the climax, Vegeta choosing to reduce his chances in the subsequent fight in order to show off Blue to Cabba as a motivator does wonders for his part in the arc and the cozy little adventure that it is.
Re: The new Blue aura that debuts this chapter: I feel this is simply Toytarо̄ devising a way to visually differentiate it from other forms now that it's clear they'll be remaining in the series, without having to rely solely on tone. I'm not sure when he would have been made aware of Rosé, but having a distinct aura to help differentiate those two tone-using forms would have been especially important. For what it's worth, I like the globules he adds to Blue's aura a lot, and think they add something even in the colorized version where their primary purpose (differentiating forms in black and white) isn't needed. The globule-aura is my preferred look for Blue--a form with amazingly little visual consistency between different mediums and designers.
I guess it would be similar to when Kaio does it for Goku (and keeps up the 'fashion line' by sending new outfits from heaven).
