Dragon Ball Rewatch, Week 27 - DB episode 121-125

[MasenkoHA]

Something I want to talk about is what an utter clusterfuck the dub’s way of handling the whole Kami/God/Guardian of the earth thing

First Karin refers to Kami as Kami and Yadjirobe seems familiar with the concept of whatever a Kami is but declares he’s not real (essentially replace all instances of Kami with God and the dialog makes sense)

but THEN in the next episode all dialog refers to the character as the Guardian of Earth but nobody seems to know what a Guardian of the Earth is

And THEN everyone suddenly seems to know what the guardian of the earth is and the big revelation is Kami is the Guardian of the Earth!!!

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Popo's martial arts philosophies are both interesting and easy to understand. These are good lessons to impart to the children watching.

Most certainly. I like how it was phrased in the Blue Water dub (tranquil as the sky and quick as a lightning bolt). It's a good lesson for kids to have initiative while also having a relaxed mind. When I was learning to drive this was both relevant and inspirational.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Episode 121 - Son Goku’s Greatest Crisis!!

From this episode we see the escalation of stakes in Goku and Daimao's battle. In the beginning there is still some hand and foot combat between the two, and some strategic fight choreography, particularly from Goku, but in the latter part of the episode we see the collateral damage caused by this conflict. Daimao's cockiness at more than one occasion thinking Goku is defeated adds to the excitement of the fight and seeing the payoffs of Goku's training. The moment of silence as Goku prepares a Kamehame Ha and the sudden switch to music playing once he has jumped out from the ditch emphasizes the shock for both Daimao and Piccolo and the hype for Goku making a comeback.

The trickery shown by Goku by flipping his Kamehame Ha to blast Daimao from behind and tumbling about and kicking Daimao from beneath were great moments that showed his unpredictability. Daimao shows some strategic moves himself by flicking pieces of the crumbled tower at Goku and zapping the ground beneath him causing his knee to sting, although Daimao's real impressive moment is not his combat technique, but what follows.

The moment where Goku and Daimao look exhausted worked well as a calm before the storm and as a point for expectations to be subverted by the escalating conflict, especially with the televised reports of their fight giving a sense of increased danger for mankind. Once Daimao appears to be powering up tension is built, but when we see the scenes of hospitals with shattered glass windows and the King's Castle the seriousness of the situation becomes apparent. The obliteration of the area around the King's Castle unsurprisingly didn't destroy Goku but it was nice to see Tien's exhausting efforts to rescue Goku bring them closer as friends.

As the fight continues there are stronger shockwaves, which add to the feeling of danger and make Goku's survival all the more a relief as no opponent has been such a threat to him.

Episode 122 - The Final Gamble!!

While this episode has a much slower start than the predecessor it is undoubtedly the most important in this arc thus far. Not only do we see more of Yamcha, Bulma and Lunch and Yajirobe's perspective during these tense moments we see Daimao's ruthlessness. After Daimao's initial shock at seeing Goku survive and still be imposing he threatens Goku in the lowest way possible by saying he will gruesomely murder Tien if he moves at all, and flings rocks at him with his breath.

Once Daimao drops Tien we get to see some more great strategic technique from Goku as he prepares Kamehame Ha to launch himself before punching a hole through Daimao and ending the battle. Tien's concern as Goku is falling fast towards the ground and Yajirobe catching him were good character moments as they show how his former enemies have become friends.

In addition the Kikuchi track played as Yamcha, Bulma and Lunch look for Goku emphasized the uncertainty they have over what happened to Goku to juxtapose with Tien and Yajirobe knowing he's alright and looking after him. Goku sleeping in Yajirobe's car as episode ends.

Episode 123 - The Secret of the Nyoi-Bo

In this episode we see a return to the adventurous feel of the series. While Goku and Yajirobe's quick return to the top of Karin Tower made the feat of reaching the top somewhat more mundane it was good for setting up Goku's next quest. Overall this episode gets off to a slow start but there were some nice moments of celebration such as the announcement of Daimao's defeat with a cheerful Kikuchi track to accompany it and the tears in King Furry's eyes expressing the gratitude he has for Goku knowing he was the one who defeated Daimao.

The sense of adventure is fulfilled by the revelation of something greater - the idea there is a guardian of Earth above and adds to the intrigue of this world knowing there is always more to discover. In addition the extra obstacle of Goku needing to find his Nyoibo added some extra fragility to the increasing intensity of Goku's fights as it teaches him the need to keep valuables safe.

As Goku believes things are slowly getting back to normal Piccolo Jr's conquest continues to linger in the background and retains the tension as this arc lends itself as a predecessor to the next.

Episode 124 - The Temple Above the Clouds

A wonderful adventurous episode, which shows Goku's greatest journey to date with some neat character moments in for good measure. In particular an aspect that makes this series so endearing thus far has been the differences in opinion between characters.

The humorous juxtaposition between Goku's excitement running up the Karin Tower and the ever careless Yajirobe nearly falling off emphasizes how important the goal of reaching Kami to the former. Karin on the other hand very casually walks up to imply that he may be used to climbing the tower at such a daunting altitude. Tower giving Goku a bell also demonstrates the confidence he has in him and trust that Mr Popo will allow him to meet Kami.

The scenes at Kame House give us some more lighthearted character moments with Oolong joking around with Lunch, and Bulma and Yamcha playing chess. The paparazzi storming the house looking for Goku offered a great payoff for Daimao's defeat, especially after all the time this series has built up Goku and his training. Oolong's jealousy and act of morphing into Goku to get all the girls' attention only to get hammered by Bulma was also very funny.

Conversely there are some ominous scenes, which show a young Piccolo Jr at night wandering around and causing havoc within a happy family home and realizing his power after he blasts their Dog. This scene was quite disturbing by contrast as it reminds us that the threat of his father's reign lives on and while Goku is away the rest of our heroes lives are on the line. Goku himself endures his own hardship from a more natural threat in the form of lightning, which strikes him as he climbs higher on the Nyoibo trying to reach Kami's Lookout.

Once Goku reaches the Lookout he continues to showcase his skills by using his tail to swing onto the ladder leading to the top. The motif of there always being someone stronger comes to the forefront when Goku reaches the top, meets Mr Popo and becomes assured that fighting him and proving he's ready to meet Kami will be no easy feat.

Episode 125 - God Appears!!

Another great training episode on both a physical and philosophical level. We see Mr Popo not impressed with Goku enough to let him see Kami, despite Goku's insistance to stay and continue training excited by the opportunity. Tien also shows commitment to his craft as he is seen out on the sea training and thinking of his next encounter with Goku despite the two of them being friends now.

Mr Popo's teachings were very inspirational and a great point of development for Goku's skills that will become important for future fights. The need for him to take hints and learn from himself is very relevant to life. Additionally the tales about Kami's strength add to the mysticism surrounding him. Goku's ability to realize where he had gone wrong in his attacks on Mr Popo thus far based on his past experiences training with Muten Roshi was good to see as it shows some reverence for Roshi and what he taught him.

The sense of reward is enhanced by Kami's decision to meet Goku, although unfortunately Goku wasn't given the warning he looks like Daimao so it was initially an unpleasant experience for our hero, although after being flicked backwards Goku learns his lesson. In the midst of all this the scene about Piccolo Jr threatening more people in the forest serves as a constant reminder for the danger he causes, especially in Goku's absence.

Kami's tale about being rejected by the previous guardian was a compelling turn for his arc, and made Goku's request for him to restore the Dragon Balls and Shenron all the more admirable as it shows him wanting to right the wrongs of his dark half.

In sum a intriguing and exciting episode that leaves much to look forward to as this arc wraps up.