Post
by Jodaku » Fri Jun 09, 2006 9:47 am
Sorry if this is a necro-post, but this thread is only slightly older than week and I really want to answer this thread question.
My favourite aspect of DB is, like the others have said here already, are the characters, or rather, the relationships they have with each other.
You’ve got the mentor/student relationships, father/son, brothers, best friends, rivals etc. it's probably the best thing about the series and it’s a joy to watch them develop and they provide some great moments, but what I love more are the more subtle relationships that exists in the series like Gohan/Vegeta and Vegeta/Piccolo. They’re not obvious, but if you read through all of their interactions throughout the series, you see the relationships are there.
While it’s in Gohan’s personality to care for and to respect people (especially his elders) and to put his life on the line for them, Vegeta seems to grow to reciprocate those sentiments towards him. I think it was MajinVejitaXV who described them as distant uncle/nephew relationship, and think that’s fairly accurate. They save each others lives during the course of the series, while Vegeta even says sorry to Gohan for being a ‘liability’ during the battle with Cell, and seems genuinely disappointed in Gohan for his lack of progress between the Cell and Buu years (he comments on this on number of occasions), like a uncle would be of a nephew after showing so much promise as youngster. Hell, Vegeta even expresses remorse when he thinks he’s indirectly responsible for Gohan’s death, and expresses even more disgust at Buu for actually killing him (as he thinks).
Then on the other hand, Vegeta and Piccolo are like the two gangstas of the series, and while they threaten to fight each other a few times, they also give each other a number of verbal nods of respect (just before Freeza and his father arrive on earth, Vegeta more or less demands that everyone suppresses their Ki while immediately saying: “The Namek’s already done it, now there’s a warrior”, while Piccolo gives Vegeta a number of props throughout the Cell saga) My favourite scene between the two of them (and just one of my favourite scenes throughout the whole series period) is just before Vegeta blows himself up against Buu, he asks if he’ll see Goku again, and Piccolo essentially says ‘I’m going to tell you straight: no, you won’t even exist.’ and Vegeta is just like “Oh well.” I love that scene, just love the straight shooting between the two of them; no arrogance, distain or either of them being condescending, just real talk like the men they are.
