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by Yuji » Sun Dec 20, 2020 11:52 am
A pleasant chapter and good introduction to the next arc. I share the disappointment that we once again seem to be stuck in the 10-year time period, especially after the relevance of Oob and the conclusive atmosphere of the final bout, but I am once again cautiously optimistic about the Granola arc. If anything, it will be entertaining.
Disappointing likewise is the disappearance of the Grand Kaioshin's memories from Mr. Boo. I was hoping they would serve as the catalyst for some sort of development for the character in future arcs, but I suppose that I should be happy the character got a power-up and sufficient enough spotlight in order to drive the plot forward in the Moro arc for a character that Toriyama seems thoroughly uninterested in using.
Merus' revival and his subsequent reincarnation in a mortal body is a development that I like. It does not let the character get away with breaking the cosmic rules of the universe he lives in, but it also not an unnecessarily mean and depressing ending for him; it also allows for his reappearance in future arcs as an ally of the dragon team if Toyotarou and Toriyama were to be interested in revisiting the character again. I also particularly liked that Shin offered to give up his life for the sake of Merus, but I wish the Kaioshin had played a bigger role in the arc, especially considering the role his senior had - an interaction between the two would have been nice.
Beerus' punishment is apt, and it once more is an adequate punishment that humiliates the character without bordering on the realm of mean spiritedness. Some fans likely wished for something grander to come out of the Grand Priest's decision, such as Beerus' erasure or demotion, but I am content with this development; anything harsher could risk upsetting Dragon Ball's ethos as a light-hearted and consequence-free world. On the other hand, I dislike the way Beerus has been continuously portrayed in the manga. He seems stuck in a constant grumpy, stressed and selfish mood, which is highly inconsistent with his Battle of Gods portrayal if anything else, where the character was seen as much more carefree and sympathetic. I'm much more of a fan of how the character has gradually mellowed out in the anime, even if his growth is much more overt and melodramatic than it should be at points. While you can feel the character has grown to have some affinity for Goku & co in the manga as well, he still feels far too hostile and grouchy; no hint of good will in his words, and barely any in his actions.
Granola's design, as fans pointed out, seems straight out of Dragon Quest. He seems to be strong considering how he easily defeats the OG artificial humans who have been powered-up with OG-73's data, but it seems also that he's unaware of who the OGs are; it is Oatmil, staying in the shadows for now, who seems to be the brains of the group and the one with the connection to the artificial humans.
Last edited by
Yuji on Sun Dec 20, 2020 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.