SAIYAN ARC (#001-#035)
Episode 001 (Mini Gokū wa Obotchama! Boku Gohan Desu) aired on April 26th, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Daisuke Nishio and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
–Pretty great storyboarding from Nishio.
-They thought this would still be considered a DB episode, not a DBZ one, hence the #154 on layouts.
-I can’t help but notice the DB opening easter egg before the title card. Since it’s a Nishio entry, I can see this coming.
–Love it.
-The canon part is very well-executed in this episode…
-… but unfortunately, the filler part is what ruins it for me.
-I get it, Gohan is only four… but, did we really need to see him getting lost in the forest, bumping into the same saber-tooth tiger from episode 1 of DB, and most of all, did we really need to hear his crying for OVER 10 MINUTES??? Not only it’s distracting, but also super annoying.
-So… Goku says he’ll be back home, so that Chichi isn’t worried, but then he changes his mind and decides to go to Kame House anyway. What a massive jerk.
–This is where the power level spiel began. I already miss the previous 153 episodes…
-This episode introduces Kikuchi’s M7XX (Cha-La-Head-Cha-La soundtrack). It’s not bad, but I’d be able to appreciate it a lot more if it weren’t for its OVERUSE throughout these early episodes. A few BGMs are great, such as Piccolo’s themes (M711 and M712), M732, M738A and M743. Others are pretty good (M707, M721, the slowed-down M723, M726, M735 and M742), while others are either generic or plain mediocre: M727 has been used so many times it doesn’t even belong to Vegeta’s character anymore (to be honest, it’s also my least favorite Vegeta theme), M740 has become a super generic battle theme and “Gohan’s Crying theme” is one of my least favorite Kikuchi BGMs for its huge sappiness.
Episode 002 (Shijō Saikyō no Senshi wa Gokū no Ani Datta!) aired on May 3rd, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama and Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Osamu Kasai and animation supervision by Katsumi Aoshima.
Key animation: Katsumi Aoshima, Hideko Okimoto, Kiyoshi Matsumoto.
–Kasai‘s board is quite solid, with tons of creative backgrounds. Outdated, yet creative.
-Aoshima isn’t my favorite supervisor, but that sketched shading is quite cool.
-Something tells me Krillin and the others consider Goku breeding more surprising than finding out his real origins.
–Raditz explaining how planet Vegeta was destroyed. This is the only plausible theory at this point of the series. Any filler bit of it would cause a plothole as big as planet Vegeta…
–They forgot to draw Raditz’s mouth in the recap. That’s cruel.
–I hate Aoshima’s missing tooth.
–Repeating the same shot of Raditz dashing four times is a bit too much.
-I’m going to rephrase what I stated at the beginning of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai arc: Goku’s friends are very sloppy. They await 5 years to see each other again. They never met halfway through, because that’s how real friends behave. How bloody convenient, since they meet the same day Raditz lands on Earth.
–Such a clever move from Goku to put his DB on top of Gohan’s hat. It’s not like nobody ever tried to steal the DBs in the past, as leaving it to a helpless kid is simply the right move.
–It’s 100% true Son Gohan told Muten Roshi about his grandson in the past, but why telling Goku only now about him hitting his head as a kid? Just after Raditz’s arrival? Isn’t is a bit convenient?
-The audio mixing is so weird, with some BGMs sounding either high- or low-pitched.
-Needless to say, repeating or looping the same tracks over and over isn’t helping, either.
Episode 003 (Yatta! Kore ga Chijō Saikyō no Konbi da!) aired on May 10th, 1989.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and animation supervision by Mitsuo Shindo.
Key animation: Tadayoshi Yamamuro, Teruhisa Ryu, Noriko Shibata.
–The title card looks so Digimon-esque. Makes sense, since both animes are produced by Toei.
-This is the first time it’s stated DBs cannot resurrect people who died more than once. This detail will be very important later on.
-This time it’s Muten Roshi who’s excited to see Goku and Piccolo joining forces. Sort of relates to the audience’s reaction back in 1989.
–Power levels are BS #1.
-Wow, Toriyama sort of takes advantage of Krillin’s misery.
–Using the Dragon Radar isn’t a bad idea, but I think Goku could easily sense Raditz’s ki, since the latter doesn’t know how to hide his own ki.
–Can relate.
Episode 004 (Pikkoro no Kirifuda! Gohan wa Nakimushi-kun) aired on May 17th, 1989.
Script by Toshiki Inoue, storyboard and direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Tomekichi Takeuchi.
Key animation: Tomekichi Takeuchi, Yoko Iizuka, Masako Misumi, Masahiro Shimanuki, Kazuya Hisada.
-Very solid storyboarding and direction. First colors in the new series.
-I sort of like Piccolo trying to open a friendly conversation with Goku about being Waku Waku.
-However, Goku’s response is a great touch: for the first time he isn’t excited to fight Raditz at all, and he actually fears to face his opponent. That’s such a mature choice, considering Goku’s usual Waku Wakuism for battles.
-First time hearing Toshio Furukawa screaming ‘Makankosappo’. Never gets old.
–Takeuchi’s quite weird necks.
-Both the anime and the manga portray Raditz as an unstoppable and flawless foe. Unfortunately, he has one flaw: he’s an idiot. EVEN Goku, who isn’t a super genius, realized he had to overcome his tail weakness, whereas Raditz, his OLDER brother, never bothered to train his tail. As we’ll see later in the series, Vegeta and Nappa don’t have this weakness, which makes Raditz look like a complete dolt.
-Sadly, Goku is a bigger dolt than him. His brother kidnapped Gohan, threatened to kill every earthling, including him, but even so, he lets Raditz’s tail go after hearing his fake pleas.
Episode 005 (Gokū Shisu! Rasuto Chansu wa Ichido dake) aired on May 24th, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
–How to maintain details without drawing squares or triangles. Love it.
-Needless to say, in both its anime and manga renditions, Raditz’s death is brutal and painful. Wednesdays bloody Wednesdays.
-Back in the old days, Bulma actually cared about Goku’s health.
-I have a theory: Piccolo killed Goku with his Makankosappo, and was content with it. However, this can be viewed as a short-lived satisfaction, as he’s shown not being happy or even celebrating after Goku’s demise. I believe his change of heart started right here. Choosing to train Gohan is a follow-up.
-“The Saiyans are set to arrive within a year… depending on how many fillers we’ll be forced to watch.”
-Not a pretty well-directed conclusion.
–Goku fought without his boots on, right? Right.
-“Goku, don’t give up. By the way, what’s with that hole on your chest?”
–Onto the infamous redhead Vegeta. Perhaps Toei didn’t know which colors Toriyama would chose for the characters. PERHAPS.
Episode 006 (Enma-sama mo Bikkuri Ano-yo de Faito) aired on June 7th, 1989.
Script by Keiji Terui, storyboard and direction by Mitsuo Hashimoto and animation supervision by Yukio Ebisawa.
Key animation: Yukio Ebisawa, Takahiro Yoshimatsu, Hiroshi Takeuchi.
–Hashimoto and his bloody transitions.
–This transition is also great. Played for comedy, but executed right.
–HAHA.
–Goku is a polite lad.
–This is a correct observation.
–Alliteration.
-There it goes again, Bulma’s awful habit of blaming others for something they didn’t do. Krillin’s comeback is good, though.
-Bulma and Muten Roshi are just the worst friends ever. Not only they do force Krillin to tell Chichi what happened, but Bulma is basically okay with Krillin suffering the consequencies. What a bitch. Krillin is indeed Goku’s best friend, but… Goku actually met Bulma and Muten-Roshi first. Not if they’re exempt from such a responsibility.
-Speaking of Chichi, this episode starts off her flanderization as a character. Even though it wasn’t Toriyama’s idea, Toei decided to turn a tomboyish and innocent martial artist into an obsessed, frustrated, annoying, obnoxious and unpleasant housewife. It’s commonly played for laughs, but it’s an unfunny, unnecessary and repetitive trope.
–Witnessing a mother’s paranoia isn’t funny.
–Piccolo already figuring out the outcome of Chichi’s obsession.
-By the way, this one is for those who keep saying “Piccolo is Gohan’s father”.
-I don’t really know how being dead works in DB. Goku is tired after flying for a while. It’s odd.
Episode 007 (Kyōryū to Sabaibaru! Gohan no Tsurai Shugyō) aired on June 14th, 1989.
Script by Keiji Terui, storyboard and direction by Minoru Okazaki and animation supervision by Minoru Maeda.
Key animation: Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Takeo Ide, Masaki Sato, Hisashi Eguchi.
–Sato likes drawing Piccolo more like a demon. No wonder he’s his most popular character.
–The narrator being edgy in the recap.
–Piccolo suggesting Gohan to curse his own fate like he does. That’s deep.
–Krillin acting like death has no consequence. He’s kinda right, and yet.
–Kami-sama’s speech is also really deep, even though it’s better developed in the manga…
-… since the BGM used here sounds completely wrong. Why didn’t they keep it silent???
-Gohan is four. I GET IT. Although, it isn’t necessary to hear his crying all the time. STOP IT.
-Well, considering Krillin should tell some bad news to his late friend’s wife… yes, of course it would be shocking. Needless to say, the following moment is all kinds of awkward.
–Says the mother who spoiled her child. To think that she used to praise Goku all the time in the previous arc…
Episode 008 (Tsuki no Kagayaku Yoru ni Dai-Henshin! Gohan Pawā no Himitsu) aired on June 21st, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida.
–Shida has nothing to envy Studio Junio.
-If it weren’t for the 2nd half, I’d probably hate this episode.
–Yamcha’s desert making a cameo. Nice callback.
–HAHA.
–Mayumi Tanaka talking with herself again.
–I feel Piccolo shouldn’t peer at Gohan peeing.
–Katada’s stocky legs on Goku.
-I know Krillin getting scolded for not telling Chichi the truth was in the manga, as well, but Koyama enjoys putting Krillin in a bad light a lot, anyway.
–Bulma’s cheap moralism.
–No, she isn’t. A normal person wouldn’t fire a machine gun at their friends for calling his attention. Shit, she’s a pain in the ass. At least, Lunch had the excuse of sneezing all the time.
-Seriously, why would Toei turn Chichi into an obnoxious pain in the ass?? She was actually a fun character in DB.
-Of course, her reaction to Goku’s death is shamelessly played for laughs. It would be tragic in reality, but then again, death almost has no consequence in this show.
Episode 009 (Gomen ne Robotto-san Sabaku ni Kieta Namida) aired on May 3rd, 1989.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Osamu Kasai and animation supervision by Katsumi Aoshima.
Key animation: Katsumi Aoshima, Hideko Okimoto.
–Good storyboarding from Kasai, overall.
–Gohan losing his balance after his tail was cut off. Nice callback.
–Gohan is more cultured than his father. That’s a decent way to show it.
–Super Divine Poison in the end.
-The music direction is terrible: from using Gohan’s Crying theme THREE TIMES to the cheerful M721 while the predators are attacking Gohan.
-Bloody slow-motion EVERY FUCKIN’ WHERE.
-As a whole, this filler is extremely boring. Clearly, having Gohan constantly whine all the time isn’t of much help, either.
–I wish I could turn off my brain like the robot does after watching this…
Episode 010 (Naku na Gohan! Hajimete no Tatakai) aired on July 5th, 1989.
Script by Keiji Terui, storyboard and direction by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and animation supervision by Mitsuo Shindo.
Key animation: Tadayoshi Yamamuro, Teruhisa Ryu, Noriko Shibata.
–Rather solid storyboarding, overall.
-If I’m not wrong, Yamcha is the only Z-fighter to have a real job, beside fighting. At least in the anime.
–Yamcha being Waku Waku to take part in a baseball brawl.
-Normally a sentence like “My friend is dead, whatever” would be a problem in any other case. Not here, since death has nearly no consequence.
–Can relate.
-Gohan’s progression as a character is viewable, as not only he can now survive all by himself in the wild, but he’s a bit less of a scaredy-cat than before. Just compare him moving a snake from his apple with a few episodes ago. Quite a difference.
-It’s a viewable progression, yet not that gradual. The anime doesn’t completely solve Gohan’s lack of evolution in the manga, because it happens too quickly. There’s already a considerable gap between episodes 9 and 10, and such a gap was never filled to begin with. Here Gohan is ALREADY shown getting used to the wild. No inner conflict, it just happens.
-Even though this filler teaches him the harsh law of nature, it is not enough if they fast forward his progression.
-Reusing Nakatsuru’s dinosaur and Eguchi’s running Goku BANK animations.
-Bad music placement: the slowed-down M723 is used THREE TIMES, especially in the end when Gohan witnesses the remains of the herbivorous dinosaur. Sure, it’s a dramatic moment, all we need is a cheerful BGM. What were they thinking??
Episode 011 (Uchūichi no Kyō-senshi Saiya-jin Mezameru!) aired on July 12th, 1989.
Script by Toshiki Inoue, storyboard and direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Tomekichi Takeuchi.
Key animation: Tomekichi Takeuchi (uncredited), Yoko Iizuka, Masako Misumi, Masahiro Shimanuki, Kazuya Hisada, Kiyoshi Matsumoto.
–So Yamcha is itchy when he’s excited. Good to know.
–Nappa licking Yedi’s blood is a bit amusing.
–Vegeta and Nappa’s evil laughter in the end is just hilarious. BEST PART of the episode.
-Let’s be honest: the fandom remembers Arlia only for TeamFourStar’s parody. This filler doesn’t show interesting characters or some particularly impressive action, since they were never a challenge for Vegeta and Nappa.
–Vegeta and Nappa’s indifference sums up my thoughts on the unnecessary romance subplot.
–Gohan using ki out of nowhere. And the training with Piccolo would only start 6 episodes later. What’s going on??
–According to this filler, Vegeta and Nappa can breathe in outer space. Tell me about Freezer, then.
–Oh, Lunch is still alive??? Well, I guess it’s time for her to finally have a point in this series, right? RIGHT??
The first Dragon Ball Z movie (Doragon Bōru Zetto Ora no Gohan o Kaese!! or Dragon Ball Z: Return My Gohan!!) was released on July 15th 1989. Script by Takao Koyama, direction by Daisuke Nishio, executive production by Chiaki Imada and animation supervision by Minoru Maeda.
-The structure of this movie doesn’t follow the infamous ‘formula’ (with movie tropes, such as Goku saving the day, Piccolo saving Gohan…), as a result it turns out to be one of the most unique DB movies.
-Kikuchi’s M8XX soundtrack is perhaps one of his strongest. It’s such an added value to the movie: from M806, a slower version with more trombone of Shenlong’s theme, M802 the classic ending theme of the regular series, M810, one of the best themes of Piccolo, M816 the “Super Saiyan Goku” theme, M813 and M818 to the memorable battle tracks like M809, M811 and M814. One of his best compositions, as well as one of the most popular.
–Nishio’s direction is great: from his use of lighting and competent sense of scale, to his battle choreographies. Such a strong output.
-The sketchy flashbacks are another great touch. One of them is also a callback to the 2nd DB movie.
-Contrary to popular belief, Garlic Jr. is a pretty decent villain. He’s one of the very few villains who actually makes something concrete like asking Shenlong for eternal life.
-His henchmen (the Spice lads?) are rather fun characters. They’re not generic bad guys and have so much character, unlike the Spice boys…
-I really like that secondary characters get some action, like Chichi and Kami-sama. Once again, the fact this movie isn’t a ‘Goku time’ is a big advantage, and for once, it isn’t him who gets to defeat the villain., but Gohan by using his power to send Garlic Jr. back to his own Dead Zone.
-This is also one of the very few times the villain doesn’t die (since Garlic is immortal), which gives new material for a story arc.
–The intoxicated Gohan montage is a bit weird and random, but I really enjoy it. The insert song M804 sounds pretty nice, too.
-Of course, there are a few similarities to the “Raditz arc” from the regular series: Gohan gets kidnapped, Goku and Piccolo join forces to defeat the enemy, they take off their weighted clothes, and even share a similar conversation.
-This movie doesn’t follow the formula, but Koyama cannot help but humiliate Krillin. Not only Gohan pees on his head, and he gets hit by a pillar, but also he doesn’t get a single bit of action. In a movie where even CHICHI gets some. Why the hate??? Why such an obsession??
-And that’s why they shouldn’t have let Gohan hold a DB on top of his hat. Which brings me to believe even Chichi was okay with it. The moralistic parent WAS actually OKAY WITH PUTTING HER CHILD IN DANGER.
-Although, Garlic’s henchmen could’ve easily stolen the DB without being forced to kidnap Gohan.
-At Garlic’s castle, first Gohan is scared and keeps crying, then he’s shown playing tag with Nikki. Just imagine what would happen if he was ACTUALLY scared.
-Speaking of DBs, I need to address the infamous beginning scene, with all of them attacking Piccolo. Let’s recap what happened:
1) Garlic’s henchmen attack Piccolo.
2) They fire energy blasts at him.
3) They think they killed him.
4) Then Garlic mentions Piccolo died, which means Kami-sama died, too.
5) Garlic orders his minions to find the DBs.
6) DBs still WORK because they’re both alive.
7) EVEN SO, the bad guys are surprised to see Kami-sama alive.
This is dumb: they used the DBs anyway, which makes the beginning scene completely pointless.
Episode 012 (Hebi no Michi de Inemuri Gokū ga Okkochiru) aired on July 19th, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Daisuke Nishio and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida.
–Bulma looks evil with her scouter on. Charmingly evil.
-“Lunch to the audience“.
-This filler shows for the last time why the relationship between Tenshinhan and Lunch can’t work: he doesn’t care about and/or for her so much that he ignores her all the time. As for Lunch, her blonde self wants to “eat him”, whereas her blue-haired self doesn’t care about it, just like Tenshinhan. Even the relationship between Kale and Caulifla has more convincing roots than this one.
-Shall I say it? Lunch’s purpose here is just an excuse to show her with her original clothes on, with her green top and yellow shorts. Fanservice with double meaning.
–So never…
-As for Gohan, at first he wants to go home (ONLY NOW after staying alone for months), but then he’s shown chasing that dinosaur. What are his priorities again?
Episode 013 (Te o Dasu na! Enma-sama no Himitsu no Kudamono) aired on July 26th, 1989.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Mitsuo Hashimoto and animation supervision by Yukio Ebisawa.
Key animation: Yukio Ebisawa, Hiroshi Takeuchi.
-At least the anime displays the Home of Infinite Losers design. Fair addition over the manga.
–Wandering souls squeaking like mice.
–Ebisawa’s Pinhead Gohan never looked worse.
-Unfairly enough, this is the first time in the series for his own Vegeta, who isn’t known for being the character he draws better.
–Lunch has nothing to give as a character anymore. Just let her perish. Her sneezing gag stopped being amusing in 1986.
-Okay, now Gohan is just acting a jerk towards the saber-tooth tiger.
-As for the HELL filler… it’s a bad filler: uninteresting, boring and so dull I don’t even care for it. It goes on and on and on…i.
Episode 014 (Amāi Yūwaku! Hebi Himesama no Omotenashi) aired on August 2nd, 1989.
Script by Hiroshi Toda, storyboard and direction by Minoru Okazaki and animation supervision by Minoru Maeda.
Key animation: Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Takeo Ide, Masaki Sato, Hisashi Eguchi.
–The Fantastic 4 at full force to save a mediocre filler.
-Is it me or is this the first time Goku makes an aesthetic appreciation towards a woman??
-Of course, mistaking Princess Snake for Kaio-sama is 200% in line with Goku’s attitude.
–HAHA.
-I don’t know how to feel about this, but the “perverted” sax theme during Princess Snake’s debut sounds off.
–Technically, Goku is dead. Didn’t they see the halo above his head??
–If Goku could fly to escape from Snake, then how about flying to reach Kaio-sama’s place instead of running??? Fillers contradicting the source material.
Episode 015 (Pikkoro kara no Dasshutsu! Arashi o Yobu Gohan) aired on August 9th, 1989.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Naotoshi Shida.
-Some pretty nice storyboarding. Brings up a rather pleasant atmosphere.
-The recap shows the unfiltered shot of Vegeta and Nappa from last episode.
–Piccolo sparring with himself is easily the best part of this episode.
-My theory is that they wanted this filler just to make Furukawa yell ‘Makankosappo’ once more.
–M518 in the end.
–Reusing clip from episode 12 and Eguchi’s Goku running.
-An entire minute of Piccolo using the Makankosappo against Raditz from episode 4. We watched it, too. We don’t need to refresh our memories that bad.
-As a whole, this filler is pointless. Gohan wants to go home, and that’s pretty much it.
–No matter how intelligent he may be for his age, I’m fairly sure Gohan couldn’t build a raft or a boat all by himself.
–says Toriyama to Toei.
Episode 016 (Hashire Gohan! Chichi no Matsu Natsukashi no Paozu Yama) aired on August 16th, 1989.
Script by Keiji Terui, storyboard by Katsumi Aoshima, direction by Mitsuo Hashimoto and animation supervision by Katsumi Aoshima.
Key animation: Katsumi Aoshima, Hideko Okimoto.
–Aoshima‘s storyboard is a decent surprise.
-It’s kinda interesting to hear Takeshi Kusao (Trunks’ seiyu) as Piegero.
-I’m realizing I might be bashing these filler episodes quite a bit. The point is I also care about execution and layers of interest/annoyance/boredom, but apart from that, the main flaw here is that the show basically distracts the audience from the real matter, that is the Saiyans’ forthcoming arrival. Clearly, having Gohan laugh at the orphans’ inanities isn’t of much help.
-The orphans are super forgettable one-hit characters. They go around stealing and messing things up, but apart from that, they’re incredibly bland.
-Piegero, the orphans’ leader, isn’t much better. Even though his decision about leaving the orphans behind for their sake is fine, it’s also rather inconsistent: wasn’t he the one who was 100% okay with them becoming delinquents, and was also rejecting any help whatsoever?
-The cops are depicted as the bad guys here, but they’re simply doing their job. Whereas the kids throw rocks at them, and we’re supposed to be rooting for them??
-Slow-mo…
Episode 017 (Asu Naki Machi! Shōri e no Tōi Michinori) aired on August 30th, 1989.
Script by Hiroshi Toda, storyboard and direction by Osamu Kasai and animation supervision by Mitsuo Shindo.
Key animation: Tadayoshi Yamamuro, Teruhisa Ryu, Noriko Shibata.
–The graphics of Yamcha and Tenshinhan’s simulated death look pretty effective.
–Kami is a troll. Aono nailed it.
-I like that they remembered Popo isn’t a pushover.
-It seems like Krillin and Yamcha don’t really care for Chaozu’s (simulated) death.
-It also seems like Hiroshi Toda doesn’t know how to humiliate Krillin, yet. Beating him to a pulp isn’t enough, he should take notes from Koyama: the Saiyans should’ve peed all over his head.
–The pterodactyl from the very first episode making a cameo.
–The design of the two fake Saiyans is just awful.
-Shindo’s corrections look less appealing than usual and the animation is lackluster.
–What’s wrong with them??
–If it is true, it’s a cheap shot from both Popo and Kami-sama. When Goku arrived, Popo immediately tested his skills, while Krillin and the others are shown training normally.
-The idea of an alternate scenario isn’t bad, but I wish it were far better executed. It has those flaws I despised in the original series, such as bloody repetitions and camera hits.
Episode 018 (Shūtennn Hebi no Michi! Omē Kaiō-sama ka?) aired on September 6th, 1989.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
-Really solid storyboard and direction from Ueda.
-This is probably the most entertaining filler of this arc. All we needed is some more action.
–I guess, like father like son…
-Apart from that reference, the most noticeable is Piccolo using a Bankoku Bikkuri Sho facsimile against Gohan, who becomes an Oozaru just like Goku did in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai.
–Piccolo’s blood is FINALLY purple, and this episode aired a few weeks before he found out his real origins.
-I guess I shouldn’t overlook Piccolo apologizing for removing Gohan’s tail once more. Slight change.
–Goku believing Bubbles is Kaio-sama… that’s something he’d do, yeah.
–Reusing some Oozaru clips from the eighth episode.
-Theoretically, Gohan throwing a tantrum against Piccolo would add up, but in actuality, he was unconscious when Goku died, so how could he know the true murderer of his father?
-So… the space pod that brought Goku as a baby happens to be located in the same place Piccolo and Gohan are training. Convenient.
–This pod can cast a full moon in HD.
-And Piccolo destroys it. As also confirmed by him, it was Goku’s pod. Too bad it would reappear 20 episodes later, fully intact… filler, you had one job. Always contradicting the source material.
Episode 019 (Jūryoku to no Tatakai! Baburusu-kun o Tsukamaero) aired on September 13th, 1989.
Script by Hiroshi Toda, storyboard and direction by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and animation supervision by Tomekichi Takeuchi.
Key animation: Tomekichi Takeuchi, Yoko Iizuka, Masako Misumi, Masahiro Shimanuki, Kazuya Hisada.
–It’s self-explanatory that Piccolo is less evil than before, but when did Goku tell Gohan about it in the past? Gohan was frightened by him when they first met.
–Kaio-sama’s life is rather dull…
–Goku proudly claiming his Saiyan origins…
-… which he constantly denies in movies. Maybe the writers didn’t row in the same direction.
-Apart from Kaio-sama‘s vision, Takenouchi’s direction isn’t that great.
Episode 020 (Yomigaeru Saiya-jin Densetsu! Gokū no Rūtsu) aired on September 20th, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Mitsuo Hashimoto and animation supervision by Yukio Ebisawa.
Key animation: Yukio Ebisawa, Hiroshi Takeuchi.
–The colored manga panels towards the end are so great.
–Kaio-sama laughing at terrible puns.
-“Crickedicolous.”
–The infamous “Hump de Bump”.
–This is ugly. And I used to believe babies were too skinny in DB Minus…
-Good lord, how big can Koyama’s bitterness towards Krillin become?? Not only he doesn’t manage to land a hit on Yajirobe, but he also gets his butt cheeks bitten. I know it’s a reference to the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, but seriously, it’s TOO MUCH.
–WA WA WA.
-As for Kaio-sama telling Goku about the Saiyans, he states the divine Providence summoned a bunch of meteors, which collided with Planet Vegeta, thus causing it to explode. I know it’s a little too soon to introduce the evil space tyrant, but… isn’t Kaio-sama supposed to know every detail?
Episode 021 (Ide yo Shenron! Saiya-jin Tsui ni Chikyū Tōchaku) aired on September 27th, 1989.
Script by Keiji Terui, storyboard and direction by Minoru Okazaki and animation supervision by Minoru Maeda.
Key animation: Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Takeo Ide, Masaki Sato, Hisashi Eguchi.
-First episode to use M8XX (fourth movie soundtrack).
–Finally they got Vegeta’s colors right.
-Maybe the anime spoils it a little bit, but I quite like they’re constantly showing Piccolo’s gradual change of attitude towards Gohan.
-It sounds selfish, but Oolong’s idea isn’t stupid on paper, as he wishes Shenlong to defeat the Saiyans without needing any bloodshed, but the dragon declines, as it cannot grant a wish that goes beyond Kami-sama’s powers…
-… which brings an interesting doubt: the dragon can resurrect people, but Kami-sama cannot. Could it be that Shenlong is actually stronger than its own creator?
-So… two episodes ago Kaio-sama stated Goku basically spent half a year to get to his planet, but for some reason, he stopped calculating how many days he’d take to travel back upon the Serpentine Road. It isn’t contrived, but feels a bit weird, especially for a deity like Kaio.
-Of course, this brings up another massive DB trope, that is removing Goku from the main battle until his arrival at the right moment. Sadly, they would abuse this trope quite a bit in the forthcoming material.
Episode 022 (‘nna Baka na!! Tsuchi kara Umareta Saibaiman) aired on October 11th, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
–Takenouchi‘s storyboarding and direction are pretty great in the 2nd half.
-Ryo Horikawa sounds so calm compared to his grumpier tone on Vegeta of these recent years.
–Nice harmony cel.
–Power levels are BS #2. Even Vegeta realizes it.
-Both the anime and the manga depict Krillin as slightly taller than Gohan, who is only 5. Just for a gag.
–Curb Puar’s enthusiasm.
–Curb Chaozu’s enthusiasm, while we’re at it. I bet nothing terrible will happen to him.
–I don’t really get Piccolo and Kami-sama’s astonishment after finding out they’re Namekians. I mean… did they never look themselves at the mirror? At the very least, the latter doesn’t mention ‘the antennas’ like in the manga, who is just as stupid as the audience discovering Piccolo’s identity without his turban on.
–The filler with Yajirobe confirms that humans who are not known characters are total dolts.
Episode 023 (Yamucha Shisu! Osoru Beshi Saibaiman) aired on October 18th, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Katsumi Aoshima.
Key animation: Katsumi Aoshima, Hideko Okimoto, Yukio Ebisawa (uncredited), Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru (uncredited), Takeo Ide (uncredited).
-Unlike the manga, in the anime Bulma and the others already find out Yamcha died, whose grief gives more impact to his death.
–The TV broadcast mentioning the Tenkaichi Budokai is an interesting callback. They also recall Piccolo Daimao, which is okay.
-Slow-mo.
–Piccolo’s massive eye.
–The title already spoils Yamcha’s death.
–Yamcha is the last to arrive and the first to die. I guess Toriyama hates him more than Vegeta.
–Power levels are BS #3. The Saibamen being as strong as Raditz basically demonstrates how much of a joke he is as a fighter.
–While Yamcha protecting Krillin is nice of him, sometimes I feel he’s wasted as a character. He doesn’t even get to fight the two Saiyans, and gets killed by a Saibaman’s self-destruction.
Episode 024 (Sayonara Ten-san! Chaozu no Sutemi no Senpō) aired on October 25th, 1989.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard by Osamu Kasai, direction by Tatsuya Orime and animation supervision by Mitsuo Shindo.
Key animation: Tadayoshi Yamamuro, Teruhisa Ryu, Noriko Shibata.
–Kasai’s board is fine, albeit not a fan of his output.
–Furukawa’s delivery of this line sounds badass.
-I like that Piccolo is still training Gohan on the battlefield.
–Piccolo showing a little bit of respect towards Chaozu sacrificing himself is also nice of him.
-Of course, Suzuoki’s ‘CHAOZU’ is screamed with so much pain and sorrow.
–Muten Roshi reacting calmly to Yamcha’s death because death has no bla bla…
–Orime’s direction mainly focuses on Tenshinhan’s grieving.
–Shindo’s corrections look appalling.
-Limited animation, with bloody ’80esque repetitions.
-Back then we saw Tenshinhan breaking Yamcha’s leg, Piccolo Daimao blowing rocks at Goku’s limbs and Piccolo Jr. torturing Goku. Each of these moments is executed so brutally and totally give the idea of PAIN. Ironically, though, Nappa breaking Tenshinhan’s arm is nothing compared to the aforementioned bits. It looks far less bloody and painful, and only Chaozu is shown being horrified by it. As though they thought “he’s been disarmed, whatever”.
–Chaozu’s sacrifice is indeed noble, but to no avail. By now he’s been pointless in every single circumstance.
Episode 025 (Tenshinhan Zekkyō!! Kore ga Saigo no Kikōhō da) aired on November 1st, 1989.
Script by Hiroshi Toda, storyboard and direction by Daisuke Nishio and animation supervision by Tomekichi Takeuchi.
Key animation: Tomekichi Takeuchi, Yoko Iizuka, Masako Misumi, Masahiro Shimanuki, Kazuya Hisada.
-Shit, this is actually disturbing. Definitely makes Tenshinhan’s grief far more painful than it was in the manga.
–It’s kinda strange to hear Horikawa say ‘Goku’.
-Even though the fillers around him may appear as pointless in hindsight, we have to consider the different contexts: facing two fierce Saiyans isn’t the same as being chased by a tiger or a dinosaur. So… Gohan being scared is 100% reasonable. After all, he’s only 5.
–Goku’s got a bad feeling… yet they use a cheerful M706.
Episode 026 (Hitasura Matte Sanjikan! Dangan Hikō no Kinto’un) aired on November 8th, 1989.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard by Kazuhisa Takenouchi, direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
–The big insult. And Vegeta laughing behind Nappa’s back is priceless.
–Piccolo keeps on motivating Gohan, despite his initial disappointment.
–Recycling clips from previous episodes.
–Yes, he is. Because it’s a Koyama episode.
–The last two Senzus… to think that Karin had a bowl filled with Senzus long ago. Did Yajirobe eat them all?
Episode 027 (Boku ni Makasete! Gohan, Ikari no Daibakuhatsu) aired on November 22nd, 1989.
Script by Toshiki Inoue, storyboard and direction by Mitsuo Hashimoto and animation supervision by Yukio Ebisawa.
Key animation: Yukio Ebisawa, Tomoya Iida, Takenori Kudo.
-For the first time, Gohan volunteers to fight Nappa, and even manages to land a kick on him, sending him flying. That’s some great stuff.
–Yes, which means power levels are BS #4.
–Piccolo sacrificing himself for Gohan is one of the most popular deaths of the series. For a good reason, because it’s the result of a year spent around these two characters: the reincarnation of Daimao giving his life to defend his former enemy’s son. That’s a powerful moment and M424EXT sounds like an appropriate BGM.
–Ebisawa’s corrections have visual limits…
–And that’s why Raditz is an idiot. Even Goku overcame this weakness.
-Hey, so they do remember the late Lunch.
–Chichi’s ordeal is just pathetic.
Episode 028 (Saiya-jin no Mōi! Kami-sama mo Pikkoro mo Shinda) aired on November 29th, 1989.
Script by Hiroshi Toda, storyboard and direction by Minoru Okazaki and animation supervision by Minoru Maeda.
Key animation: Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Takeo Ide, Masaki Sato, Hisashi Eguchi.
–Eguchi‘s sketchy sacrifice of Piccolo.
-Sato basically bringing Toriyama’s original drawing to life.
-With Piccolo and Kami-sama’s death, the series is trying to give more importance to the consequences of death for the second time. Ironically enough, Piccolo and his reincarnations are involved in both of these instances.
–His arm, not his back.
-Goku’s arrival deserved a more appropriate BGM, not M707.
-This is the episode that brought the infamous ‘over 8000/9000‘. Was it really that worthy of being a meme??? Also, power levels are BS #5.
Episode 029 (Tōsan Sugē ya! Kyūkyoku no Hissatsuwaza · Kaiō-Ken) aired on December 6th, 1989.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
–Smug.
-Why is this bit kinda romantic? “Let’s go fight elsewhere“, “‘kay, honey.”
–Koyama doesn’t. 12 more movies are enough.
-In the middle of the fight, we get to watch two ditzes have an argument. What were the priorities again?
Episode 030 (Genkai o Koeta Atsui Tatakai! Gokū Tai Bejīta) aired on December 13th, 1989.
Script by Keiji Terui, storyboard and direction by Tatsuya Orime and animation supervision by Katsumi Aoshima.
Key animation: Katsumi Aoshima, Hideko Okimoto.
-The iconic battle begins, and Goku and Vegeta strike their trademark poses. Even though they’re overused by Toyotaro in the DBS manga, I always enjoy their use.
-FINALLY, the first official Waku Waku of DBZ.
-About Orime’s direction, it’s rather decent, mostly in the 1st half…
-… but for being the beginning of one of the most iconic battles of the series, I dislike a few aspects of it.
-Whether it was his idea or not, making bodies glow while powering up is just as dull as using white flashes.
-I’m fairly sure Toriyama doesn’t draw panels in a specific way just because. The sparkle on Goku’s eye feels so generic here, unlike in the manga.
-The animation isn’t that great, either. While I praise Aoshima for his productivity, I’ve personally never been a fan of him as a supervisor. Ever since he started adopting excessive slow-mo in his episodes, I’ve felt his output was not as compelling as it was once.
–Lunch being addicted to alcohol after Tenshinhan’s death is actually pretty dark, but unfortunately, knowing this is her last appearance in the series doesn’t affect me at all. I never cared for this character, because she was never a true character: her purpose was either for mere fanservice or for obnoxious sneeze gags. Of course Toriyama forgot about her, she doesn’t deserve to be remembered.
-The irony around her is she can’t be considered an actual character, despite having TWO split personalities.
Episode 031 (Ima da Gokū! Subete o Kaketa Saigo no Ōwaza) aired on December 20th, 1989.
Script by Toshiki Inoue, storyboard and direction by Daisuke Nishio and animation supervision by Tomekichi Takeuchi.
Key animation: Tomekichi Takeuchi, Yoko Iizuka, Masako Misumi, Masahiro Shimanuki, Kazuya Hisada.
-Great storyboarding, direction and choreography.
-This portion of the main battle is a massive step up over last episode: the choreography, the gestures, the expressions, the Kamehameha–Galick Ho beam struggle… such amazing stuff.
-Every attack is actually felt, as both Goku and Vegeta feel real physical pain, especially in the former’s case, due to a 3 times stronger Kaioken gradually damaging his body.
-And that’s why Gohan could never transform into an Oozaru without the REAL full moon.
–Takeuchi’s Dumbo ears.
Episode 032 (Sentō-ryoku Jū-Bai!! Bejīta Dai-Henshin) aired on January 17th, 1990.
Script by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, storyboard and direction by Yoshihiro Ueda and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Taiichiro Ohara, Akio Katada, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
–Solid storyboarding and direction.
–Clever transition.
-It feels kinda weird to hear a BGM different from M1020 when Goku charges his Genkidama (then again, M3 would come out several months later).
-Insert an obvious joke about Goku steal… borrowing other people’s techniques.
-By the way, shouldn’t he also ask for Muten Roshi’s permission each time he uses the Kamehameha??
-It happened again: Oozaru Vegeta smashing Goku’s legs manages to look far more painful than Nappa cutting off Tenshinhan’s arm.
–This can be easily viewed as a Japanese idiomatic expression.
-I’m uncertain: is Chichi’s constant fainting played for laughs? If so, stop it. If not, stop it either way.
Episode 033 (Shinanaide Tōsan!! Kore ga Gohan no Sokojikara) aired on January 24th, 1990.
Script by Keiji Terui, storyboard and direction by Mitsuo Hashimoto and animation supervision by Yukio Ebisawa.
Key animation: Yukio Ebisawa, Tomoya Iida, Takenori Kudo.
–Such savage subtitles.
–After this, Yajirobe is factually more useful than Chaozu. #decisiveYajirobe.
-While this anime-exclusive moment may sound out of character for THIS Chichi, I actually find it decent. She was a martial artist in DB, after all.
-Apart from a nice-looking background and a black and white “metaphor of Goku’s bones breaking” (?), Hashimoto’s direction is a bit forgettable.
-To put it simply, Ebisawa CANNOT draw Vegeta and female characters. They look downright awful.
-During this rewatch, I never criticized his animation for being rigid, but I actually bashed his stock and boring poses and mediocre timing. This is just weird.
–I’m not sure whether this counts as Oolong abuse. He probably had it coming.
–Because Vegeta would find him and kill him anyway, you stupid twit.
–As for Krillin quickly mastering the Genkidama, it’s kinda jarring. It’s not too problematic, but Krillin being already able to control a considerable amount of genki sounds a bit contrived.
Episode 034 (Ute Kuririn! Negai o Kometa Genki-Dama) aired on January 31st, 1990.
Script by Takao Koyama, storyboard and direction by Minoru Okazaki and animation supervision by Minoru Maeda.
Key animation: Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Takeo Ide, Masaki Sato, Hisashi Eguchi.
–They fixed the Genkidama from the NEP.
–Ide’s bloody expression.
–The Genkidama of the whole world. That’s a nice depiction.
–Great comeback.
–This was in the manga, too, therefore it doesn’t count as Koyama’s material. Krillin was nearby Vegeta. Although, I’m sure he’d come up with something if Toriyama didn’t think of it.
-I wish they used a more dramatic BGM (M818, maybe) when Vegeta gets struck by the Genkidama, instead of a generic M742.
–Were they drunk??
–Hmm, I don’t buy it. Much like Krillin controlling the Genkidama, Gohan being able to bounce it back sounds jarring, too. The Genkidama hits anything. Although, Goku probably lied to Gohan in order to encourage him.
Episode 035 (Kiseki o Okose! Sūpā Saiya-jin Son Gohan) aired on February 7th, 1990.
Script by Hiroshi Toda, storyboard and direction by Daisuke Nishio and animation supervision by Masayuki Uchiyama.
Key animation: Masayuki Uchiyama, Taiichiro Ohara, Naotoshi Shida, Tetsuya Saeki.
–Pretty great arc finale. Nishio‘s board and direction are compelling enough.
–Yajirobe saving the day once again.
–Son Goku’s Redemption Day during Gohan’s transformation. Too bad it’s the last time we hear such underrated track.
-The idea of a half-breed Saiyan being able to control oneself in his Oozaru form is indeed a positive. Gohan stops his rampage once he hears Goku’s voice. Too bad they decide to screw this up in a forthcoming film.
-Aw, no Waku Waku? Doki Doki.
–Goku sparing Vegeta’s life sounds all kinds of wrong, but it’s just what you’d expect from his Saiyan nature: he views Vegeta more as a challenge than as an actual enemy.
–I agree. Toei turned her into a psychopath.
–Animal abuse. Don’t shoot the messenger – they say. Chichi is dense enough not to understand it.
-More specifically, Yamcha was killed by a Saibaman’s self-destruction, Chaozu and Tenshinhan sacrificed themselves to defeat Nappa, who only got to eliminate Piccolo. Vegeta killed nobody on Earth.
SAIYAN ARC – FINAL THOUGHTS: 7,5/10
-Good beginning (#001-#008), bad middle (#009-#017), but gets better again.
BEST EPISODE: episode 31 (the best section of the iconic Goku vs Vegeta, both animation- and story-wise)
WORST EPISODE: episode 9 (in general Saiyan arc fillers are mediocre, but this one is just lame: nothing interesting occurs and Gohan’s constant whining is obnoxious. The music placement is also questionable)