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Today's episode is mostly talking.
So much talking.
And then talking about reacting.
It's like the Cell Games are just a back door pilot for Cell's Late Show.
(Which, to be fair, I'd totally watch.)
Ahem. Anyway.
It's like the Cell Games are just a back door pilot for Cell's Late Show.
I know I kid around a lot (especially on the Kai recaps, which have gotten a lot sillier than back in DBZ, because I'm repeating myself), but this episode feels like the exact episode everyone watched who made the wise crack about Dragon Ball being more about talking about fighting than actually fighting. Which might seem strange, right? I mean, DBZ episodes 177 and 178 are classic, solid episodes of Dragon Ball Z. And that's the heart of the issue.
Dragon Ball Kai actually doesn't cut as many scenes as it cuts frames. I mean, it does both, but often I'll have episodes of Kai that contain two episodes of Z, without cutting more than a three minute filler scene a piece. So how they're actually fitting the episodes into 23 minutes is less with "filler" being cut, and more to do with the original episodes pacing being thrown out.
On some episodes, altering the pacing works really well. But on others, it just feels like you're watching DBZ with Fast-Forward pressed down. This episode might be one of the most glaring examples of the latter. The Peanut Gallery reaction dialogue scenes are stitched together at such a spritely pace, and the action scenes are boiled down to split-second punches and kicks, that gives you a sort of narrative whiplash. It seems like the second a talking scene ends, the action is almost immediately shelved by yet more talking, because everything is happening at a frog march.
And without going into too much more of it on this post (I'm doing a big Dragon Ball Kai 2009 review after the Cell Games ends, so look forward to it), this is why you should watch Dragon Ball Z, always, over Kai. Not 'cus censoring or switched voice actors or different music, even though those can be legit complaints. But because the original narrative weight of these episodes produced by the very talented Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z production team is nearly all lost on this amateurish attempt at a "director's cut". (Which DBZ's director isn't involved in.)
Ahem. Anyway.
Mr. Satan talks all kinds of shit, and says after Goku is killed, he'll fight Cell again.
"He still doesn't understand how outmatched he is?! He's truly the world champion..."
"... of fools."
(Calm down, David Caruso.)
(Calm down, David Caruso.)
Between all the yacking, an awesome fight is happening. How awesome?
Pretty fucking awesome.
Which, naturally, everything then has to comment on.
Which, naturally, everything then has to comment on.
(Uuuuughhhh.)
Finally, Goku and Cell decide to stop dancing around it and power up to their full strength. Naturally, everyone is blown away by just how powerful Goku has gotten. Except for Gohan, who, in contrast, doesn't see what the big deal is.
COULD THIS BE FORESHADOWING A POTENTIAL...
...TWIST?!
But as Goku said ten days ago, it's Cell's match to lose! Despite Son Goku earth-shattering strength, Cell's strength from the monstrously strong Saiyans, wisdom from the clever Piccolo, and wicked cunning from the evil Freeza, make him into one truly dangerous foe!
And how best to display such utter feats of strength, wisdom, and cunning?!
Which he follows up, brilliantly, with the exact strategy that Freeza lost with, on Namek.
Finally, Cell thinks to use something Goku will have no defense against...
... his own signature attack. Wait.
Christ, Cell, are you even trying?
Naturally, Goku easily evades Cell's Kamehameha while drawing it away from the Earth.
"I thought your name was Cell, not The Fat Jew. Do something original."
"How's that?"
Oh.
What's cut?
Oh.
What's cut?
DBZ 177, Miss Pizza and the Satan Squad's dialogue is nearly all removed.
And also the best joke in the episode.
On top of that, cool parts of the fight get axed, too.
In DBZ 178, more fight is cut.
And Kaio-sama's dialogue scene is cut, too.
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