Dragon Ball Rewatch, Week 21 - DB episode 91-95

[Robo4900]

Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone between and beyond, and welcome to week 21 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.

A lot of big moments this week. Goku vs Kuririn, Roshi vs Tenshinhan... Big things!
And, of course, we're now moving into 1988... The last year OG DB had to itself (and the year in which the last OG DB movie was released); the name change to "Z" happened in early/mid 1989. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Previous thread: Week 20 (DB 86-90)
Next thread: Week 22 (DB 96-100)

Anyway, without further ado...

Episode 91 - A Sudden Turn-Around!! Kuririn’s Great Strategy
Dub title: Counting Controversy!! / Krillin And Chiaotzu! Head To Head!
Originally aired 9th of December 1987
Episode director: Daisuke Nishio
Animation supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama

The Kamehameha that Kuririn fired hits Chiaotzu head-on! Angered, Chiaotzu uses his psychic powers to prevent Kuririn from moving, and attacks him! But Kuririn realizes that Chiaotzu releases his psychic powers through his hands, and instantly throws out a math question! He then defeats Chiaotzu as Chiaotzu tries to use his hands to do the calculations!! That night, Goku is attacked by Tsuru-Sen’nin! However, Tenshinhan enters and stops him, vowing that he will defeat Goku in their match!!

Anime-only/filler content: Chaozu's spinning technique, Crane flashing back to his troubled relationship with Tao, everything after Bulma puts Kuririn in his place regarding math. Additionally, all cutaways to Yamucha in hospital are filler.

Episode 92 - Wai~t! Here’s Son Goku!!
Dub title: Goku Enters the Ring / The Strategy Of The Movie Star's Manager!
Originally aired 16th of December 1987
Episode director: Kazuhisa Takenouchi
Animation supervisor: Yukio Ebisawa

Goku’s turn has come at last! His opponent is the popular action star, contestant Panput! But Panput’s manager is afraid of Goku’s strength, and right before the match he tricks Goku and takes him away! As Goku is on the verge of losing by default, through Lunch’s help he barely manages to make it to the match on time! The match then begins, and Goku wins in the blink of an eye! Goku has already acquired strength above the level of an ordinary human!!

Anime-only/filler content: The first twelve minutes of the episode, including pre-match sparring and Goku being misled by Panputto's agent.

Episode 93 - Evenly Matched!! Tenshinhan vs Jackie
Dub title: Tien Shinhan vs. Jackie Chun / An Even Match!
Originally aired 23rd of December 1987
Episode director: Daisuke Nishio
Animation supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama

The first match of the semi-finals ends up being a matchup of Jackie Chun versus Tenshinhan! Before the match, the two both burn with fierce fighting spirit!! The match then begins! Jackie uses a multi-fold Zanzōken, but Tenshinhan splendidly breaks through it!! Having made light of Jackie, Tenshinhan is overwhelmed by his strength! Meanwhile, seeing that Tenshinhan possess power greater than he imagined, Jackie begins to feel that a new age is coming!!

Anime-only/filler content: The entire first half of the episode before the match begins, Jackie using the Mirror Image Technique.

Episode 94 - Ge-ge-ge!! The New Tsuru-sen Technique: Taiyō-Ken
Dub title: Stepping Down / The Mysterious Young Tien
Originally aired 30th of December 1987
Episode director: Yoshihiro Ueda
Animation supervisor: Tomekichi Takeuchi

It’s the blazing white-hot match of Jackie versus Tenshinhan! Tenshinhan gets serious, and uses the Taiyō-Ken! Flinching at the flash, Jackie is downed by a knee kick! After standing back up, Jackie tries to persuade Tenshinhan to walk on the true path. But Tenshinhan realizes that Jackie is Kame-Sen’nin, and fires a Kamehameha of all things! Jackie deflects the Kamehameha, and jumps down from the arena, willingly receiving an out of bounds loss!

Anime-only/filler content: Once again the entire first half of the episode.

Episode 95 - Fight!! Goku vs Kuririn
Dub title: Goku vs. Krillin / Brave Young Heroes
Originally aired 6th of January 1988
Episode director: Kazuhisa Takenouchi
Animation supervisor: Mitsuo Shindo

Having won through Jackie’s out of bounds loss, Tenshinhan is completely unable to understand what has happened! He then willingly meets with Kame-Sen’nin and questions him on his reasons! Kame-Sen’nin says that it is because the time has come for him to gradually turn the era over to the young heroes. He then again tries to persuade Tenshinhan to walk on the true path. Tenshinhan’s heart has begun to gradually turn. At the tournament grounds, Goku and Kuririn’s very first fight has begun! The two fight at full force, not holding back!!

Anime-only/filler content: The first three minutes showing Tenshinhan's loss of resolve while punching water barrels, the Gang trying to guess the outcome of the next match, Kuririn's flashback to training, Goku and Kuririn fighting DURING Roshi and Tenshinhan's conversation, Goku and Kuririn stopping their fight so the Gang can pick sides again.

-

Interesting trivia:

• In "The Case of Being Reincarnated as Yamcha", Chaozu knowing how to count is what tips off the person in Yamucha's body that Chaozu isn't himself either.
• Toriyama never planned out the results of each Tournament: they were determined as he wrote the fights themselves, which he found more exciting.
• The flashback sequence showing the Crane Hermit and Tao Pai-Pai's history together was silent in the Japanese version; the Funimation dub invented a conflict between them that ultimately led them to become estranged, which runs counter to a lot of other things shown about Crane and Tao's relationship. Blue Water's script is more faithful to the Japanese, though it does have added dialogue about how much Crane loved his brother, and their close bond; none of the nonsense about their growing apart from the Funi dub, though.
  • In the Japanese version of episode 92, Bulma shows some interest in Panputto, and Lunch says that she doesn't like his type. Funimation changed this to her and Bulma arguing about which of his films is the best. Blue Water's script stays faithful to the Japanese version here.
  • In episode 94 of the Funimation dub, the scene where Goku and Krillin talk about the Announcer's sunglasses is instead changed to generic "Jackie will win!" dialogue. It's the first time a manga scene has had its content completely changed to something else entirely unrelated. Blue Water's script is faithful to the Japanese version.
  • Later that episode, in Japanese, Tenshinhan says "I'll show you something interesting", to which Jackie asks "Would it happen to be a dirty book?", which Tenshinhan is shocked and annoyed by, "Why would I show you that?!". Funimation changed this to Jackie repeating himself further, telling Tenshinhan he's making a mistake by serving Crane, and Tenshinhan saying he's actually correcting one. Blue Water changed this to Tenshinhan saying "Start preparing for your funeral." to which Roshi responds "Another dirty fighting move, Tien?", to which Tien says "I! DO NOT! FIGHT! DIRTY!"
• Yamucha's nightmare about Kuririn is actually quite prophetic.
• Funimation's title card for episode 93 misspelled Jackie Chun as Jacky Chun on the original release. The "Remastered" release corrected this.
• The Panputto episode is the first "manga-canon" episode to have more than half the episode comprised of filler. In the manga it was only a single chapter in length, the shortest of any Tenkaichi Budoukai fight.
• The Goku vs Jackie and Goku vs Kuririn fights are the only fights in the Tenkaichi Budoukai that take place in the evening, however both of these are anime embellishments: in the manga they take place in the afternoon.
• Mezase Tenkaichi plays for the last time in Dragon Ball episode 95. Both dubs are missing the song, though Blue Water's dub somewhat covers up the silence by adding additional atmospheric SFX (mostly crowd noise).

Episode summaries, airdates, and titles courtesy of Kanzenshuu's episode guide. Filler breakdowns and Dragon Ball logo provided, and trivia co-written, by KBABZ.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

The part where Tenshinhan goes to Roshi in ep 95 and questions as to why he willingly gave up the match by ringing himself out is by far one of my favorite moments of this particular stretch of episodes and the original series as a whole, as i mentioned in the last rewatch thread this is really where the change in Ten's life starts to come in. If anything i believe he felt that Tenshinhan had so much more potential as a young martial artist than serving under the likes of bad people like Crane Hermit and Tao, and this makes it all the more powerful because it's one of those times where we see Roshi as a wise sage martial arts master and more than a pervy skirt chasing geezer intended as comic relief. It's really a great bit of character interaction that shows further how Ten is moving away from the training and way of life he'd known since a young age, and it's all the more poignant to see after he'd been portrayed up to that point as a ruthless person as things like crushing Yamcha's leg after already being K.O'ed during their battle previously showed.

This is hands down my favorite bit in terms of OG DB after Goku defeating Piccolo Daimao and his victory over Piccolo in the 23rd Budokai, and by far some of Roshi's best scenes.

[MasenkoHA]

I just want say Pamput has one of the worst/most baffling voices in the English dub. He’s suppose to be this pretty boy movie star who can also kinda fight but for some reason Sonny Strait voices him like some generic mook?

I don’t know if I buy that Toriyama doesn’t plan out the results. Maybe he wasn’t entirely sure if he was going to have Goku win or not but it seemed a given he would have Goku face off against Jackie Chun in the 21st Budokai and Tenshinhan in the second.

[KBABZ]

I just want say Pamput has one of the worst/most baffling voices in the English dub. He’s suppose to be this pretty boy movie star who can also kinda fight but for some reason Sonny Strait voices him like some generic mook?

I don’t know if I buy that Toriyama doesn’t plan out the results. Maybe he wasn’t entirely sure if he was going to have Goku win or not but it seemed a given he would have Goku face off against Jackie Chun in the 21st Budokai and Tenshinhan in the second.

To me it's logical for both. Goku and Roshi are the strongest people there, so of course they'd make it to the finals. I'd imagine this would have more applicability to the more off-beat matches, like Krillin vs Bacterian or Yamcha vs Hero. I also think this applies more to the short-term as well, where Toriyama didn't figure out HOW each fight would go and ultimately conclude, which again is somewhat visible in the structuring if you read the manga.

[MasenkoHA]

I just want say Pamput has one of the worst/most baffling voices in the English dub. He’s suppose to be this pretty boy movie star who can also kinda fight but for some reason Sonny Strait voices him like some generic mook?

I don’t know if I buy that Toriyama doesn’t plan out the results. Maybe he wasn’t entirely sure if he was going to have Goku win or not but it seemed a given he would have Goku face off against Jackie Chun in the 21st Budokai and Tenshinhan in the second.

To me it's logical for both. Goku and Roshi are the strongest people there, so of course they'd make it to the finals. I'd imagine this would have more applicability to the more off-beat matches, like Krillin vs Bacterian or Yamcha vs Hero. I also think this applies more to the short-term as well, where Toriyama didn't figure out HOW each fight would go and ultimately conclude, which again is somewhat visible in the structuring if you read the manga.

I mean, I can buy he didn’t have every little detail planned out as far as techniques used and how a character would win but it seemed fairly obvious that Kuririn would beat a joke character in his quarter final match, that Goku and Jackie Chun would make it to the final match, even Nam beating Ranfan seemed like a narrative given.

Same with the 22nd Budokai other than, maybe, the uncertainty of if Kuririn or Chaozu would win their match every outcome up until Goku and Tenshinhan’s fight seemed expected. There’s no way it was ever going to be anything but Goku vs Tenshinhan in the final match.

[MyVisionity]

Kuririn versus Chiao Tzu was a good match. I like seeing Chiao Tzu's vampiric traits put to use (his hard head, psychic powers, counting weakness etc.) I like Kuririn's final attack "What's nine minus one?" "Haaaa!" (ha=eight).

I thought the Panputto episode filler was well done. I enjoyed Roshi's attempts at impressing the teenage girls. I also like Lunch helping out Goku with the thugs and getting the ice cream for him. Goku taking out Panputto real quick was a nice way to show just how far Goku had evolved as a fighter.

I like the gang cheering on both Goku and Kuririn at the same time.

[Robo4900]

Episode 91...

The Yamucha-dreaming-of-Kuririn-dying fakeout was really stupid IMO.

Otherwise, Kuririn vs Chaozu is a solid fight. Especially since Kuririn wins with the power of maths!

The "Now answer this sum!!" stuff is pretty silly, but I do like it. Especially with the payoff when Bulma kind of eats Kurirni's lunch on it later.

Also... Crane Hermit's maths training is really mean. Poor Chaozu.
Chaozu is a dick, but... Man, Crane is mean.

Crane's attempt to kill Goku is a good scene, though doesn't really deliver any new information... It's clearly filler.

[KBABZ]

I'm not sure if it's this block of episodes or not, but I really like the scene where Goku nonchalantly confirms that he killed Tao. The way he sort of unassumingly says so, and is genuinely confused and curious as to why that's such a big deal, is something I relate to from my own experiences.

[Robo4900]

I'm not sure if it's this block of episodes or not, but I really like the scene where Goku nonchalantly confirms that he killed Tao. The way he sort of unassumingly says so, and is genuinely confused and curious as to why that's such a big deal, is something I relate to from my own experiences.

I believe that was in the last batch, but indeed, it is a neat little moment.

[Robo4900]

Man, I always forget how good the 22nd Tenkaichi is.

Tenshinhan vs Jackie is such a great fight; I dare a "Z-only" fan to watch that and not be interested in DB... Not just because of the fight itself, though! There's so much going on there...
I'm watching the Goku vs Kuririn episode right now, and while that fight is fun, the scenes with Roshi and Tenshinhan that we're intercutting with are the real meat of the episode IMO. Such great scenes. I don't know how the dubs handle these scenes, but in Japanese, the performances are amazing.

And then the episode takes a turn for the awesome as Lunch shouts her support for both Goku and Kuririn and we have the re-emergence of Mezase Tenkaichi!
Somewhat bittersweet in a way, though; this is the last time we hear Mezase Tenkaichi in the anime. Still... Awesome song.

That's me all caught up.

[KBABZ]

I don't know how the dubs handle these scenes

I thought it was fine and memorable normally and got the point across very well. But as you all know, I'm biased.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Just catching up now, but this is indeed a solid batch of episodes that I don't see why fans who might have previously only watched Z wouldn't enjoy the fights.

Worth noting Episode 93 features something rarely discussed about the Blue Water dub - their light use of profanity with Kuririn saying "knock that dirty scumbag into next week" during Tien and Jackie Chun's fight.

Full reviews to follow.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Episode 91 - A Sudden Turn-Around!! Kuririn’s Great Strategy

This was a good action episode as we get some great tension between Kuririn and Chaiotzu. From the beginning both character preparing beams, Kuririn doing a Kamehame Ha and Chaoitzu using the Dodonpa was exciting. The latter shocked the whole stadium, including Goku and Jackie Chun who didn't see it coming. The moment Kuririn surprised Chaoitzu and striked him from behind added another layer to this tension, and it becomes more unpredictable who will get the upper hand. Likewise Chaiotzu saving himself from the brink of ringout by hovering over the spectators, although this left him exhausted. The eerie Kikuchi music played emphasizes the shock both fighters endure while fighting and witnesses the surprises the other has had to offer during their match. Unsurprisingly Chaoitzu shows that he has even more by using his psychic powers on Kuririn's body.

The development of Master Crane's story was also neat. His desire to take revenge on Goku for what has happened to Tao Pai Pai is emphasized by the sombre Kikuchi music played. Chaoitzu comes across more naive as the fight continues as Kuririn realizes he can only paralyze him with his hands so Chaoitzu stops, although he tries to do the same trick again and gets a ringout. There is some good banter between our heroes in the hospital scene to alleviate the serious stuff, including a funny moment where Bulma tries to outsmart Kuririn with a set of calculations. As always the Goku and Kuririn moments are very charming.

We get another enjoyable chase scene towards the end with a masked father that Goku and Kuririn chase, and Roshi, knowing it will be no good, tries to stop them. This masked fighter unsurprisingly turns out to be the Hermit Crane. Tien breaks up another fight and turns our attention to the next exciting fight between himself and Goku, in the next episode.

Episode 92 - Wai~t! Here’s Son Goku!!

Another fun filled gag episode featuring a new interesting once off opponent for our hero Goku. At the beginning we have some good slice of life with Goku stuffing his face in the restaurant and asking for more. The fact Goku's next opponent is a movie star that Bulma has a crush on named Pamput is another fun moment showing the contrast between how Goku thinks and how his friends raised in civilized society think, as the concept of a movie star would be completely alien to Goku. Ramput shows great confidence through doing exercises in the hotel room, which builds him up slightly although unlike previous opponents there is nothing particularly foreboding about his presence and to an extent there is an expectation for him to be a gag foe considering what is on the line for him as a celebrity fighting a kid. The best humorous moment in this episode was Roshi talking to girls and feeling left out when they go over to Goku and Kuririn despite him previously telling the girls that he was their master.

In addition to this we get some great payoff for Goku's training with Roshi as the former terrifies the latter at how fast he has become in his combat tactics. As said previously the fear of threat to Pamput's image becomes a conflict within this episode as his representative witnesses Goku and seems petrified by his skills and how he could potentially beat a public figure with ease. In light of this the subplot of Pamput's representative tricking Goku into thinking the tournament was moved to a different location and driving away with him made for some decent tension leading up to the fight. Lunch once again presents herself as a force to be reckoned with by chasing the car Goku was in and ending up fighting the drivers in an alley way, leading Pamput's representative to beg for forgiveness.

The aforementioned tension heightens when the match is set to get underway and Goku ends up jumping from car to car, although if you have seen the series all the way up to this point his arrival just in time is a bit predictable. That said Goku coming through the audience just as he was about to be disqualified was funny and a highlight of his race to get to the arena in time. The fight likewise is quite gag oriented, Pamput breaks down a wall, wooing Bulma and Goku one shots him, bursting the bubble of this amazing movie star Bulma has in mind. It is at this point in the series we see Goku grow into the respected warrior he will be going forward. Tien's excitement at knowing facing Goku will be a challenge and Jackie Chun's comment that he no longer has the perspective of the common fighter sets our hero up to be the extraordinary warrior we know him to be.

Episode 93 - Evenly Matched!! Tenshinhan vs Jackie

At the beginning this episode has some good suspense moments with Tien and Crane Hermit being skeptical about Jackie Chun's identity. This in addition to everyone wondering where Roshi has gone and Jackie Chun being petrified about being caught signals the end is coming for the disguise storyline. While some of the Roshi jokes have been overdone, particularly about him being a pervert him going to the souvenir shops because Bulma said all the girls would be there was funny enough as it ties in to the "will he, won't he get caught" subplot, especially considering he goes identifying as Jackie Chun.

For the most part this is a slow moving episode briding the gap between fights, although once Tien and Jackie Chun's fight starts we get some good action between the two for the remainder.

The fight starts off with a lot of evasions and good back and forth beatdown techniques from both Tien and Jackie Chun in the air. Tien also demonstrates his smarts in combat by not being fooled by Jackie Chun's Afterimage, and being able to land fight back on his feet after being knocked into the air. In sum a quite good episode for building up the tournament and the various high points yet to come.

Episode 94 - Ge-ge-ge!! The New Tsuru-sen Technique: Taiyo-Ken

With a mix of suspense over Jackie Chun's true identity and the surprises of himself and Tien's action-packed fight this is a nice well rounded episode. From the beginning the scene with Yamcha in hospital, looking at his feet to show apprehension to get back into the arena sets up the excitement for the ongoing matches. This desire to even be involved is heightened when the nurse brings in a radio for Yamcha to listen to the fight live. The aforementioned fight between Jackie Chun and Tien has some good choreographed martial arts and a few moments of smart tricks, particularly from the latter. The first surprising tactic comes from Tien jumping out of Jackie Chun's sight towards the sun and launching an aerial strike, although that doesn't knock this old master out for the count just yet. Once Jackie Chun is knocked to the side of the ring there is some good shot composition, which begs the question of whether he actually got a ringout, though unsurprisingly that wasn't the case despite it being a tense moment for him alone. The struggle between Tien and Jackie Chun when they are wrapped around each other and the former tried to headbutt the latter out of the arena was a tense but good moment for this fight. In addition Tien shows he is full of surprises, particularly with his use of the Taiyo-Ken (also known as Solar Flare), which blinded the whole arena, including Jackie Chun. We see Yamcha apprehensive to hear as the countdown for Chun is set to begin Chun gets up and some good punching between both with great velocity ensues. There was a funny moment where the Hermit Crane tries to expose Chun as Roshi by pointing to a girl and Chun being disappointed its not an attractive girl. Jackie Chun's final surprise however was his sudden forfeit, which leaves some suspense going into the next episode.

Episode 95 - Fight!! Goku vs Kuririn

An enjoyable episode with a fun fight between Goku and Kuririn and neat subplot involving Tien's investigation into who Jackie Chun is. Following on from the last fight the audience still seems shocked by Jackie Chun's forfeit, looking at him in shock, although Tien, still frustrated from not being allowed to continue the fight and have a satisfying victory remains adamant to learn more about his foe. Tien's frustration is emphasized by punching water containers and remembering the fight. We also see a thirst for battle, although not as severe from Goku who looks excited preparing for his fight against Kuririn, although his good friend looks scared. Kuririn shows awe watching Goku doing his exercises and looking confident. The Kikuchi jingles playing as Goku and Kuririn emphasizes the tension over friends become enemies. The subplot of Tien sneaking up behind Roshi unpacking his Jackie Chun outfit and being frustrated at him hiding behind that disguise was entertaining, and added some suspense to juxtapose the fun of Goku and Kuririn's mostly friendly fight. This fight involved a lot of punching, kicking and blockig from both Goku and Kuririn to show that they have both come a long way. During the fight the Kikuchi track playing was quite adventurous to highlight the fact these are two friends who have been loyal and had a lot of great journeys together. Goku shows great resilience by being able to land on his feet with ease just when Kuririn was able to knock him down in the air. Somewhat surprisingly Kuririn has some tricks up his sleeve, the most prominent was inhaling air and levitating while Goku trying to knock him out in the area, leading his friend's attack to miss. All in all a very enjoyable fight and some great anticipation is built for the next episode as they look excited towards the end of the episode.

Now to catch up with this past week