Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
In its third episode, Dragon Ball Super has at last moved onto adapting the plot of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods in earnest. As fun as previous episodes were, their fixation on silly self-contained adventures wouldn't have stayed fresh for long, so it's as good a time as any to finally jumpstart the main plot. Towards this, Episode Three acts largely as a bridge to lead into larger events, and it serves its purpose well enough. But I'd be lying if I said it packed the same memorable charm seen in the show's first two installments.
When I first learned that Dragon Ball Super's initial arcs were going to retell the events of the franchise's recent theatrical films - Battle of Gods and Resurrection F - I was less than impressed. Since then, I've warmed up to the idea considerably, but that doesn't mean I don't still understand how others could see it as a disservice to fans. After all, these movies just came out. Seeing them get effectively retconned and retold so soon feels weird, especially after Toei Animation pegged them as an official continuation of Akira Toriyama's story. People have already seen their events play out in theaters, so why repackage them for television? On the other hand, a TV series will have more time to do these stories justice, without the limits of a cramped theatrical runtime. Regardless of the wisdom behind it, Episode Three gives us a good taste of what to expect from this adaptation: an expanded storyline told with inferior animation.
Though scenes repeatedly jump from one character to next, Beerus and Whis are the episode's clear focal point. They return home to ponder the identity of the mysterious Super Saiyan God over a scrumptious dessert. With a little help from the absent-minded and adorable Oracle Fish, they eventually decided the surviving Saiyans on Planet Earth are their best lead. Learning that one of the Saiyans, Son Goku, defeated the galactic tyrant Freeza shocks Beerus and he decides to meet the mighty hero first. Whis locates him on Kaiō's planet with his crystal ball staff, and they prepare to set off. Observing the God of Destruction's movements are the Gods of Creation, Elder Kaiōshin and East Kaiōshin. We've seen these two react to Beerus's destructive deeds in past episodes, and by now their routine is getting a bit old. They keep freaking out about Beerus being awake, retreading the same ground over and over. At least now they've begun to actually respond to his actions, coordinating with Kaiō to make sure Goku doesn't find out about the cat deity, since he'd surely try to fight him. Meanwhile on Earth, Bulma's birthday party reunion is underway, and she's none too pleased that Goku and Vegeta have skipped out on it to train.
From here on out, it would be best to get used to Beerus and Whis stealing the show. Their dynamics are always fun. In this episode we see Beerus react with subdued annoyance to having his dessert spilled and get comically startled while taking a bath. Of course, plenty of other characters have their own share of amusing scenes. Krillin and Android 18 make their first appearance in Dragon Ball Super in an appropriately low-key situation. After getting caught in a traffic jam, they ditch their vehicle and fly off, meeting Yamcha, Puar, Tienshinhan and Chiaotzu along the way to round out the remaining cast's reintroductions. As people arrive at Bulma's party, my favorite scene from the episode takes place when Gohan and Videl show Piccolo their marriage photo. The stoic alien warrior is aghast to see that he blinked in the shot, which I found absolutely hilarious. In comparison, seeing Master Roshi perv on women - this time gawking at beach-going babes with binoculars - has all but lost its charm. He's become a self-parody at this point, and the same can be said for Chi-Chi and her overbearing house wife persona. They were fine enough in the first episode, but come on Toei. Give us some variety with these characters.
Normally, I'd talk a little more about the episode's animation highlights, but there really isn't much to comment on here. It was a visually boring episode. Like usual, the shots were composed and framed competently, but there simply weren't many interesting moments for the staff to animate. Likewise, nothing stood out as notably good, while there was plenty of bad to go around. Scenes from Bulma's party came across as cheap and lifeless compared to their Battle of Gods counterparts, mostly because of the excessive use of still frames. Overall, it felt like a huge downgrade from not just the movie, but even the first and second episodes. That being said, backgrounds still looked quite nice, particularly the cityscape Krillin flew through with his family and Beerus's uncanny temple. On the audio side, the music blended together to the point that I can't remember a single track that played during the episode. The Japanese voice actors continue to shine in their roles, of course, although there is one sad exception. Though I didn't pick up on it during the first two episodes, Jōji Yanami's performances as the narrator and Kaiō - roles that he's held for decades - have sounded drained recently. He simply doesn't lend energy to scenes that call for overactive reactions, such as when Kaiō gets paint dumped all over him and yells at Goku for wiping his face with a dirty rag. Though I still admire his performance and perseverance, his age is clearly catching up with him.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Retellings are infamously tricky to pull off. Fans pick up on any change that doesn't jive well with the original work, and any discussion of a remake's merits soon becomes mired in comparisons. So far, Dragon Ball Super hasn't completely sold me on its version of Battle of Gods. The television reimagining has lost too much of the film's whimsy. I especially miss the scene where Beerus eats breakfast inside a hall immersed in a tranquil otherworldly Aquarian. It was drenched with atmosphere, and the Dragon Ball Super equivalent feels like a poor imitation in comparison. And of course, the animation is leagues below what the movie had to offer. But with an open mind, I'll wait and see what kind of effort Toei Animation puts into retelling the film's more prominent scenes. In the meantime, Dragon Ball Super's third episode is by no means terrible. There simply isn't much here to win over those who think Battle of Gods should have been left alone.
Episode Score - C
Past Episode Reviews:
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.