Dragon Ball ep 88 - Come On, Yamcha! The Fearsome Tenshinhan!

Yamcha is a badass.

 Using his Shin-Rogafufuken, he puts Tenshinhan on the ropes!

Muten Roshi, Goku, and Kuririn are all surprised at how far he's come.

Junpei Takiguchi April 17, 1931 – August 29, 2011

From Anime News Network: "Voice actor and narrator Junpei Takiguchi passed away Monday, August 29 at 7:33 a.m. due to stomach cancer. He was 80 years old.

Takiguchi's best known voice-acting role was Dokurobee, the head of the Dorombo Gang in the Yatterman franchise from the first anime series to the 2008 remake and even Takashi Miike's live-action film. He was also Uranai Baba and other roles in the Dragon Ball series. From 1992 to July of this year, he narrated the popular railroad travel program Burari Tochū Gesha no Tabi on NTV for a total of 958 episodes.

Services will be held for relatives only at the request of the family."

We'll miss your voice. Rest in peace.

Dragon Ball ep 87 - Showdown!! Yamcha vs Tenshinhan!

"Oh? I never expected your entire Turtle Dance Club to survive... It would seem the preliminaries consisted of nothing but dancers."

Dragon Ball ep 86 - It's Decided!! The Eight Warriors!

In the preliminary rounds for the 22nd Tenka-ichi Budokai, Son Goku must face a Champion of that very tournament. A legendary warrior, Chapa-o - whose very name makes Yamcha and Jackie Chun nervous - once won the Tenka-ichi Budokai without ever being hit!

Dragon Ball ep 85 - I'll Make It Through!! Preliminary Survival!

Dragon Ball ep 84 - Aim to be the World's Best Martial Artist!!

"Whenever I ride in a plane I feel like hijackin' it!"

Dragon Ball ep 83 - Hurry to the Tenka-ichi Budokai, Goku!

It has been three years since the 21st Tenka-ichi Budokai, the fall of the Red Ribbon Army, and the battle at Uranai Baba's palace. Yamcha, Kuririn, Muten Roshi, Bulma, Oolong, Puar, and Lunch are eager to get on their way to Papaya Island - where the 22nd Tenka-ichi Budokai will be held. Yamcha and Kuririn are eager to show off their new skills, while Bulma is excited to see Son Goku again. "Goku's probably on his way to the stadium as we speak!"

Dragon Ball ep 82 - The Ferocious Beast, Inoshikacho

We rejoin our hero exhausted from his intense training. Traveling the world, as Kame Sen'nin instructed him, Goku has faced a variety of challenges: a couple wastelanders and their magic gourd, a jealous, homicidal martial arts teacher, and the King of the Demons (or... something...)... not to mention all the OTHER stuff he did! (Use your imagination here, folks.) Now Goku is tired and hungry.

Review: Dragon Ball, the Goku era (episodes 1 - 81)

I haven't been reviewing episodes on an episode-per-episode basis, because I don't have much to say that wouldn't repeat itself after awhile. On a mass of episodes, I think I can more concisely put forth my feelings about storylines, animation, and music without being too much of a fanboy (granted, this blog is nothing but fanboy wank, so there's likely to be lots of that too...). So here we are, my first "review" of the blog.

Dragon Ball ep 81 - Goku Goes to the Demon World (extra)

I left something out in the write up yesterday that I really wanted to get to, so here it is.

 Back at Kame House...

Dragon Ball ep 81 - Goku Goes to the Demon World

In a mysterious unnamed kingdom (Dragon Ball filler, why don't you ever name these places?), the gate into the Demon World has been opened. And Princess Misa has been kidnapped...!!

Goku's Traffic Safety and Goku's Fire Fighting Regiment

Today's Dragon Blog is going to be a little different. Instead of doing my usual overview of an episode of Dragon Ball, I'm posting two very rare Dragon Ball specials! Goku's Traffic Safety and Goku's Fire Fighting Regiment - both made in 1988 (same year I was born! woof!), to show in Japanese classrooms so that children would actually pay attention to what they were being taught (or so the teacher could get a ten minute smoke break).

Goku's Traffic Safety

In "Goku's Taffic Safety", Bulma is having a birthday party at her house... in Miyako (a term I'm not sure about or what it means, but the subtitles are pretty bad in this thing, admittedly; they call Oolong "Buyon") and the whole gang is invited. Along the way, a cute blonde traffic agent teachers Muten Roshi and Kuririn about traffic safety - while Goku meets Suno (you remember Suno?) who teaches him about using crosswalks. Goku is pretty bad about traffic safety.

Bonus points if you can spot Namu's cameo.

Goku's Fire Fighting Regiment

In "Goku's Fire Fighting Regiment", Goku, Yamcha, Kuririn, and Muten Roshi are members of the local fire brigade. Set in some alternate universe in which they fight fire instead of each other, Goku teaches children why they shouldn't play with fireworks, leave gas stoves plugged in, or smoke in bed. It all culminates when Bulma (who doesn't appear to know the rest of the gang) sets her apartment on fire during an earthquake.

Something interesting about these "specials" is their inconsistent use of character designs. Specifically, Goku's Traffic Safety; While it uses Bulma and Yamcha's post-time skip designs (which are used during the Tenshinhan and Piccolo Daimao sagas), it uses the shorter, rounder 13 and 12 year old Kuririn and Goku (from the first half of Dragon Ball). The second special appears to use the taller, less rounded 15 year old Goku, however.

Dragon Ball ep 80 - Imperial Match! Goku vs. Ten Long

Dragon Ball ep 79 - Kinkaku and Ginkaku's Man-Eating Gourd

A small village is suffering from drought. Worse still, is the villager's monthly terror; two thugs named Kinkaku and Ginkaku. The brothers force the villagers to give them tribute by way of food and drink. And if they don't comply, they kill the villagers... in a creativity grotesque way. They use their magic gourd to turn them into sake.

Dragon Ball ep 78 - Shen Long, Again

Goku and Upa have all 7 Dragon Balls. Upa thanks Yamcha, Puar, Kuririn, Bulma, and Kame Sen'nin for helping him so much, and together Goku and Upa fly off to the Land of Karin... to summon Shen Long!

Dragon Ball ep 77 - Pilaf's Great Strategy

Pilaf is closing in on victory. With Goku's weakness revealed, and their new Mobile Suits, the Pilaf Machines, in tow, he, Shuu, and Mai are certain they cannot lose. They reflect on the hard times they've gone through to get this far: Their Castle destroyed by Oozaru Goku, their flying base blown up by the Red Ribbon Army, and always the kid is there to foil them... but not this time!

Dragon Ball ep 76 - The Identity of the Masked Man

Shuu and Mai, the lackeys of Emperor Pilaf, spy on Son Goku from afar (using space satellite technologies). They aim to steal his 6 Dragon Balls, using their new Mecha Suits! And it is they who have the last dragon ball -- kept hidden in a box with blocks the Dragon Radar from finding it! Through the monitor, they learn that Goku has a weakness... his tail!

The Gods smile on Pilaf-sama this day.

Dragon Ball ep 75 - A Clash!! Powerful Adversaries

The final battle of Uranai Baba's palace is underway; The mysterious old man fighting for Team Baba, and Son Goku fighting for Team Bora. And they appear to be evenly matched! After struggling against each other for minutes, they break apart quickly -- then Goku launches back at the old man, into a furious assault! The two engage in a fierce melee, with each fighter's hit being matched by the other's, until finally Goku lands a kick!

23

I might not get a chance to sit and watch Dragon Ball today, as it's my 23rd birthday, and I'll be spending time with my extended family and friends for a good portion of the day! But I thought it was relevant to make a post about this; As of today, I am the same age as Son Goku at the beginning of DBZ.

and, one can assume, the same age as Goku in DBZ movie 1, "Return My Gohan!!" (aka "The Dead Zone")

I'll be back tomorrow, with more DB overviews! Bye-cha!

Edit: My pal and friend of the blog, AMF1390, drew me an awesome gift that I have to share (as it has relevance to the blog and I love it)!

Thanks, buddy!

Dragon Ball ep 74 - The Mysterious Fifth Man

Akkuman unleashes the Devil Might Beam! An attack so vile, so deadly, that no one can survive it! It takes the merest traces of evil thoughts, and expands them until the victim explodes!!  This is why Akkuman is so very feared!!! And the beam is headed straight for our hero, Son Goku!

Dragon Ball ep 73 - What is the Deadly Devil Might Beam?!

Dragon Ball ep 72 - Meet Son Goku! The Devil's Toilet

Goku is the Devil's Toilet? ...Alright, Japan.

Uranai Baba gives Yamcha a chance to concede defeat, before fighting the next warrior in the Devil's Toilet - where falling off the edge of the slender arena means certain death, via the poisonous lake below! But Yamcha, though nervous, wants to give it his all!

Dragon Ball ep 71 - A Bloody and Desperate Battle!

Son Goku tracks down Kame Sen'nin and Bulma, as per Kuririn's request. Bulma is reluctant to go with Goku, despite him saying Yamcha's life may depend on it.

Dragon Ball ep 70 - Attack! We Five Fighters

Kuririn fights first, in the battle against Uranai Baba's five fighters. Perhaps as a bad omen, Kuririn is confident that he can take out all five fighters himself. Baba, amused by Kuririn's certainty, calls for her first fighter: Dracula Man.

Dragon Ball ep 69 - The Possibly Cute Uranai Baba

Dragon Ball ep 68 - The Last Dragon Ball

 Battle Jacket Black aims his photon cannons at Son Goku. Once and for all, Black intends to eliminate that boy who has single-handedly dismantled the Red Ribbon Army.

Dragon Ball ep 67 - Commander Red Perishes!!

 Today is not Commander Red's day.

Dragon Ball ep 66 - The Red Ribbon Army Desperately Fights Back

Commander Red waits for Tao Pai Pai's return with Son Goku's Dragon Balls. He has his men shut off their Headquarter's defense systems, so that the assassin can get in untroubled. Unit 84, a man in an aircraft, is assigned to wait for Tao and escort him back to the base. But Unit 84 shouts in horror suddenly, and then goes offline. The soldiers are confused, and so they bring up the visual monitor to see what is happening.

Dragon Ball ep 65 - Go, Goku! Commence Assault

Commander Red eagerly awaits Tao Pai Pai's return, so that he may have five Dragon Balls. With only two balls left, Black relishes that the world will soon belong to the Red Ribbon Army. Meanwhile, with Bulma's Dragon Radar in hand, Colonel Violet finds the 7-Star Ball. Now there's only one Dragon Ball left to find... or so Red thinks.

Bonus Content!

Here's some extra screenshots I took for episodes, which didn't fit into my blog post about them.

Son Goku with the 4-Star Ball, in Gohan's house.

Originally from episode 1.

(amazing how much more descriptive these reviews have become)

Dragon Ball ep 64 - The Final Tao Pai Pai

Tao Pai Pai rushes to the top of Karin Tower, intent on closing the gap between him and Goku that, he believes, was caused by the Super Spirit Water. Upa is worried that the assassin will succeed, pleading to Goku, "Are you sure it's okay to let that assassin drink the Super Spirit Water?!" "If Tao Pai Pai is going to drink the Super Spirit Water, then I'll..." "You have something better in store?!" "I'll eat food!"