Here's a bit fun of trivia about my time watching this show: I had dropped Z after finishing the Android Saga and skipped straight to GT and Super. After a while, I decided to come back to Z and finish what I had started, convinced that the worst had already passed and the Boo Saga couldn't possibly be any more terrible than the Android Saga... I was wrong.
The "Sailor Moon" Episodes
The story begins after another time-skip, Gohan must live through an ordinary high school student life while keeping a secret identity as a super hero and getting into Unresolved Sexual Tension with Mr. Satan's daughter.
These first few episodes are perhaps the best of the entire arc and are just delightful to watch. This series spends so much time being so dark and gloomy and focused on non-stop fighting, there was hardly ever any time to breathe and let the characters enjoy themselves. Sadly, it doesn't last long and all goes downhill once the main "plot" (if I can even call it that) kicks in.
"He's just standing there... Menacingly!"
Suddenly, there's a tournament. Goten and Trunks can become Super Saiyans, without a single shred of explanation, training or build-up. It kinda makes you wonder, if it was that easy, how come Kid!Goku never managed to do it? It gets worse: Piccolo is then matched up against Kaioshin, the God above the God of the Four Gods... Because of course, Dragon Ball needed more.
What makes this extra terrible is that Piccolo, sensing this god's Ki (Man, I'm sure as hell glad Super isn't canon... right?), withdraws from the battle and Shin goes on to be one of the most useless characters ever, having little to no relevance in the story and doing nothing but freak out all the time.
"Oh no, Videl is being smacked... Let's do nothing!"
Next up, Videl is put against Spopovich. Whatever notion I had that Videl was a smart character went down the drain here. She keeps hitting him, at one point snapping his neck, and never once considers simply dragging him off the ring. "Man, hitting him repeatedly isn't working, what should I do? I know, I'll hit him more!" Predictably, it ends terribly for her.
While Videl receives one of the worst beatdowns in the entire show, the other characters all watch and stop Gohan from intervening, because apparently, the tournament is more important than Videl's life. "Don't worry about her Gohan. No matter what happens, she'll live!" Says Goku while Videl is having her head crushed.
Why does nobody intervene? Why doesn't the announcer disqualify Spopovich for clearly trying to murder Videl? Why does Gohan do nothing for so long? Man, the sense of morality of this fucking show.
Plot-Induced Stupidity Round #2
Gohan is then matched up against Kibito, Shin tells the other characters that no matter what happens, they should not intervene. They ask why and Shin explains that he intends to use Gohan as a bait so he can find Babidi. The other characters laugh and tell him there's no need to do that, because they can either ask Uranai Baba or use the Dragon Balls to locate him. And so, Shin kills Spopovich and Yamu before they even have a chance, Uranai Baba reveals the location of Babidi and Shin kills him as well, The End!
...At least, that's what would've happened if Shin had a brain. But since he doesn't, Babidi gets more than half the energy he needed to revive Majin Boo. Way to go, Shin!
As if that weren't enough, Gohan, Goku and Vegeta all enter Babidi's spaceship despite Shin's warnings that it was a trap to steal their energy. There, they meet enemy after enemy who Shin freaks out and swears to heaven are the most powerful beings in the whole universe, shortly before the main cast kills them with little to no effort.
Goddammit, Piccolo. You withdrew against this, you oughta be ashamed of yourself.
Final Thoughts
The first few episodes are nice enough, but once the story starts proper, it's just a repeat of the Cell Saga, plot hinging heavily on character stupidity and Worf Effect to progress. If anything, these initial episodes at least have a sense of coherence and stakes, which will all be lost promptly.
Boo Saga - Before Majin-Vegeta
Here's a bit fun of trivia about my time watching this show: I had dropped Z after finishing the Android Saga and skipped straight to GT and Super. After a while, I decided to come back to Z and finish what I had started, convinced that the worst had already passed and the Boo Saga couldn't possibly be any more terrible than the Android Saga... I was wrong.
The "Sailor Moon" Episodes
The story begins after another time-skip, Gohan must live through an ordinary high school student life while keeping a secret identity as a super hero and getting into Unresolved Sexual Tension with Mr. Satan's daughter.
These first few episodes are perhaps the best of the entire arc and are just delightful to watch. This series spends so much time being so dark and gloomy and focused on non-stop fighting, there was hardly ever any time to breathe and let the characters enjoy themselves. Sadly, it doesn't last long and all goes downhill once the main "plot" (if I can even call it that) kicks in.
"He's just standing there... Menacingly!"
Suddenly, there's a tournament. Goten and Trunks can become Super Saiyans, without a single shred of explanation, training or build-up. It kinda makes you wonder, if it was that easy, how come Kid!Goku never managed to do it? It gets worse: Piccolo is then matched up against Kaioshin, the God above the God of the Four Gods... Because of course, Dragon Ball needed more.
What makes this extra terrible is that Piccolo, sensing this god's Ki (Man, I'm sure as hell glad Super isn't canon... right?), withdraws from the battle and Shin goes on to be one of the most useless characters ever, having little to no relevance in the story and doing nothing but freak out all the time.
"Oh no, Videl is being smacked... Let's do nothing!"
Next up, Videl is put against Spopovich. Whatever notion I had that Videl was a smart character went down the drain here. She keeps hitting him, at one point snapping his neck, and never once considers simply dragging him off the ring. "Man, hitting him repeatedly isn't working, what should I do? I know, I'll hit him more!" Predictably, it ends terribly for her.
While Videl receives one of the worst beatdowns in the entire show, the other characters all watch and stop Gohan from intervening, because apparently, the tournament is more important than Videl's life. "Don't worry about her Gohan. No matter what happens, she'll live!" Says Goku while Videl is having her head crushed.
Why does nobody intervene? Why doesn't the announcer disqualify Spopovich for clearly trying to murder Videl? Why does Gohan do nothing for so long? Man, the sense of morality of this fucking show.
Plot-Induced Stupidity Round #2
Gohan is then matched up against Kibito, Shin tells the other characters that no matter what happens, they should not intervene. They ask why and Shin explains that he intends to use Gohan as a bait so he can find Babidi. The other characters laugh and tell him there's no need to do that, because they can either ask Uranai Baba or use the Dragon Balls to locate him. And so, Shin kills Spopovich and Yamu before they even have a chance, Uranai Baba reveals the location of Babidi and Shin kills him as well, The End!
...At least, that's what would've happened if Shin had a brain. But since he doesn't, Babidi gets more than half the energy he needed to revive Majin Boo. Way to go, Shin!
As if that weren't enough, Gohan, Goku and Vegeta all enter Babidi's spaceship despite Shin's warnings that it was a trap to steal their energy. There, they meet enemy after enemy who Shin freaks out and swears to heaven are the most powerful beings in the whole universe, shortly before the main cast kills them with little to no effort.
Goddammit, Piccolo. You withdrew against this, you oughta be ashamed of yourself.
Final Thoughts
The first few episodes are nice enough, but once the story starts proper, it's just a repeat of the Cell Saga, plot hinging heavily on character stupidity and Worf Effect to progress. If anything, these initial episodes at least have a sense of coherence and stakes, which will all be lost promptly.
Rating: 2/5