Dragon Ball Super and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Funimation
We’re back with another episode of Everybody Fears Beerus, and while this one may not be filler… it’s not all that interesting either. Oh sure, it’s the first big punch up we’ve gotten in the series, but we already saw it like five years ago. Well who knows! Maybe I’m being unfair and they’ll do something interesting with it instead of just needlessly recreate it almost scene for scene! Toei not cheap enough to do that… right? Okay they probably are, but maybe they’ll throw in a bit of Vegeta and Bulma to make up for it! Let’s find out!!
The episode begins where the last one left off; namely with King Kai shitting bricks over Lord Beerus landing on his planet and hoping that Goku can keep his head down long enough for the God of Destruction to lose interest and be on his way. That’s either a great deal of optimism on King Kai’s part or more likely a desperate prayer out of desperation that the guy can for ONCE in his life listen to someone else when they tell him to stay out of it. Credit where it’s due; Goku DOES manage to maintain a modicum of self-control by staying out of sight, but considering that Beerus can sense power levels… yeah, it was kinda pointless to try and hide behind a brick wall. Goku comes out and tries to be affable, but King Kai is not impressed and starts to… “correct” his behavior.
Seriously, can I get a show where it’s just King Kai trying to teach Goku some manners? They could call it My Fair Saiyan!! That, or The Taming of the Goku.
Dragon Ball Super and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Funimation
We’re back with another episode of Bulma’s Birthday Blowout, and… yeah, I’m not gonna beat around the bush on this one. We’re in straight up filler mode and not the fun kind like watching Vegeta eat a giant octopus. Sure we get little snippets of Goku training on King Kai’s planet and Vegeta being awesome, but for the majority of the episode we’re dealing with Goten, Kid Trunks, and The Pilaf Gang doing pointless shenanigans while we wait for Beerus to make it to King Kai’s planet. Ugh… even Yamcha would be more interesting to follow, but I guess we have to follow what happened in Battle of the Gods… even the uninteresting parts. Oh well. Let’s get started…
The episode begins with Beerus and Whis who remind us that they’re on their way to King Kai’s planet and that it’s going to take some time to get there, but at least they manage to have some funny banter back and forth before they leave the episode completely. Come to think of it, one of the best aspects of this show so far has been the dub which manages to stay pretty sharp and even somewhat self-aware for those who’ve been following the series since the beginning. Now not all of the dialogue hits as is the case with pretty much any dub (except Yu Yu Hakusho and I will FIGHT YOU on that!), but for something that has all the hallmarks of a cheap cash grab to milk the fans of the franchise (the weak animation, the fact that we’re picking up RIGHT after DBZ ends, the constant fan service) I think they’re managing to at least get the character interactions right. Speaking of which, we get even more of the Sean Schemmel Comedy Hour as King Kai has notices Beerus’s B-line straight for his planet and is bemoaning his lot in life while Goku stays as oblivious as ever.
“Boy, King Kai! It’s not often that I see you shitting bricks like this. Did YOU forget it was Bulma’s birthday too?”
Dragon Ball Super and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Funimation
We back with another episode of Dragon Ball: The Next Generation. Wait, didn’t they already do that with A Hero’s Legacy? Anyway, the last episode managed to get a lot of point from me for giving us a decent side story with Vegeta and his family, but it started to turn for me once we started focusing again on Beerus and what we KNOW he’s gonna end up doing in just a few episodes. Sure, if you HAVEN’T seen the two movies that came out already then it might be a bit more interesting to watch the guy wreck shit across the galaxy, but I can’t bring myself to care about that half as much as I care about watching Vegeta awkwardly trying to be a decent father. So does this episode give us more character moments that reveal or expand upon what we already know about our heroes, or will this instead focus on keeping the plot train running as it heads towards a conclusion we’re all already aware of? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins with Lord douchebag… I mean Lord Beerus, on his way back to his Space Palace; all the while trying to remember what it was he saw in the dream he had in the last episode. Spoiler Alert: It’s Goku. Also, this marks the point in the series where I start to notice those heavily criticized animation shortcuts this show seems to be famous for, and… yeah. Whenever they go for medium shots of the characters, the detailing takes a HUGE nosedive and it makes the whole production look cheap which PARTICULARLY sucks considering how good the original shows looked. Now this kind of streamlined approach to the detailing can work for LONG shots (you don’t want something small to have too many lines), but at this distance it’s incredibly noticeable.
Dragon Ball Super and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Funimation
We’re back with another episode of Dragon Ball Z-2: Electric Boogaloo! While the first episode didn’t quite get the ball rolling as much as it should have, there’s still a HUGE amount of potential for where this series can go. Do they pick up the pace with episode two, or is it gonna take a bit longer for this series to find its groove? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins with a recap of Beerus’s horrible destruction in the last episode (he may have only destroyed half of a planet but that doesn’t bode well for the OTHER half!) and Goku going off to visit King Kai now that he’s free from his familial responsibilities. That doesn’t matter though because it’s VACATION TIME MOTHER FUCKERS!! The Briefs family, which consists of Bulma, Vegeta, and Trunks, are heading out to a tropical resort to spend some quality time together and to hopefully get Vegeta to drop his scowl for maybe five seconds. Too bad they couldn’t convince him to wear his pink shirt, though he probably had that destroyed several years ago.
“How you doing up there buddy?” “THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS DOES NOT NEED YOUR CONCERN!!” “Love you too dear!”
Dragon Ball Super and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Funimation
As many of you might know, Dragon Ball Z was a HUGE part of my life and is one of the most important series to ever exist; not just for me but for an entire generation who grew up with these characters and what they represented. Goku as the Super Man for the modern era who was always there when we needed him and has the biggest heart imaginable. Vegeta as the manifestation of our own sense of pride and anger; reforming as the series goes on and always being taught the folly of his ways. Gohan trying to live up to the legacy of his father and trying to find his place in the world while having more than enough potential to be whatever he wanted if he could just open up and tap into it. These stories resonated with a lot of people, and while it wasn’t always great (it started fading fast during the Buu saga), it was always important, so bringing back an official series after so long is a pretty big deal; especially now that it’s back in the US with an official Funimation dub for old fans and new fans alike (though I’m PRETTY sure most who are gonna see this are in the former category) to enjoy the way we enjoyed DBZ back in the day. First though, a mea culpa. I had every intention of reviewing this series as it was originally coming out with the subs, but it became clear pretty quickly that I simply didn’t have enough time to devote a recap series of that in anything resembling a timely fashion, so I decided to wait until the dub was released and do a recap of that instead. Seems appropriate though considering I’ve never known this series outside of the dubbed version, so why would I start watching the Japanese version now? Sure… that will work as an excuse. ANYWAY! Does the return of Dragon Ball usher in a new era of anime once again ruled by Toriyama’s iconic series, or is this a desperate move to squeeze a few more dollars out of a dying cash cow? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins with the new opening sequence which was specifically done for the English dub and as far as I can tell is just a cover of the song from the Japanese version of Super. It’s honestly not that big of a deal for me considering that the openings and closings were never something that connected with me in the original series either like similar shows I love from that era (Yu Yu Hakusho, Case Closed, etc), so I’m not gonna knock points off just yet. It looks cool at least featuring plenty of well-choreographed action, though I’m annoyed that we’re STILL going with the Chi-Chi as a nagging wife jokes in 2017… or whenever the hell this came out. It couldn’t have been any earlier than 2015, right? The opening also confirms we’re not picking up pretty much right after the Buu Saga, give or take a few years as Gohan looks like he’s out of high school but Goten is still rather young.
THEY’RE BACK! THEY’RE FINALLY BACK!! NO, I’M NOT GETTING OLD!!
Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media
Episode directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi
Welcome back to another episode of Everybody Loves Rei! So it’s become clear that the writers here have decided that the Rainbow Crystal arc will primarily be about the other Scouts working through their love lives; a concept that MIGHT work if they could come up with good ideas on exploring that and they have yet to prove that that’s gonna be the case. Still, maybe they can succeed with Rei where they failed with Ami and were merely underwhelming with Makoto? Is this a new leaf for the arc that started off really well, or will we just have to ride this out until we finish up with all this filler? Let’s find out!!
First two minutes of the episode, and BAM! Rei’s grandpa gets hit by The Dark Crystal and starts turning into a monster! No bullshit! We know that Zoisite is gonna turn SOMEONE into a monster, so might as well get it done upfront! Unlike all the other times he’s done this though, the transformation doesn’t complete as Grandpa Rei apparently has powers that allow him to resist the Dark Crystal and keep his Rainbow one intact (which I don’t THINK he’s aware is inside him, but I’m not certain about that). Still, while the attack wasn’t quite what Zoisite wanted, there’s no doubt that the transformation process has begun and that Grandpa Rei will turn into the monster, albeit at a slower pace (similar to Joe the Crane Game Troll from episode 25). On top of that, this JUST SO HAPPENS to be the night that Grandpa Rei takes on a bum for an apprentice named Yuichiro who at first looks like a lame knock off of Spike from Cowboy Bebop. What, was Crazy Gramps not enough to carry this episode?
Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media
Episode directed by Harume Kosaka
We’re back with another episode of When Makoto Met Motoki! While I would definitely prefer more episodes where she’s performing Double Knee Facebreakers of baddies, the creators would rather focus on her Tragic Love StoryTM which is the case here as they move full steam ahead on her trying to hook up with Motoki. Oh well, I’m sure it’ll end up being fun considering this is still a Makoto episode (she IS the best), but are the writers up to the task considering how badly they dropped the ball on the last Ami episode? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins with Makoto having to run her ass through a thunderstorm due to the dumbass meteorologist getting the weather prediction wrong, and while planning her revenge on those at Channel Four News she runs right into someone and lands flat on her ass. Mere seconds before she pile drives the motherfucker on the concrete, she looks up and sees that it’s her one true love (or at least the replacement for her one true love) Motoki; the super hottie who works at the arcade.
“I’m so sorry! Can I help you-“ “Out of these wet clothes?” “Come again?” “If you insist!!”
Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media
Episode directed by Yuji Endo
We’re back with another episode of Reading Rainbow Crystals! When we last left our heroes, it was on a particularly weak note as the show had REALLY botched an Ami episode which is a shame because she doesn’t get as much of the spotlight as she should. Now it looks like we’re already going back to focusing on the destined romance of Usagi and Mamoru which isn’t completely devoid of intrigue, but doesn’t feel as necessary as making sure the other Scouts remain a prominent part of the series rather than becoming background objects. Still, does the show manage to give us another really strong episode in the Rainbow Crystal arc, or was the last episode a warning of mediocrity to come? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins in the bowels of Hell Corp where Queen Beryl is giving her usual speech about the incompetence of her underlings, and frankly it’s becoming clear that she’s starting to phone these in. She’s gotten so used to failure that she can barely muster the energy to destroy Zoisite’s self-confidence with her expert tongue lashing, yet doesn’t seem all that interested in taking direct action or to come up with a plan that’s at least SOMEWHAT different from the last twenty or so that have failed. At least with Jadeite, there was a bit of variety in the schemes! Here, they’re just throwing goons at the Scouts and getting surprised when yet another one gets its ass handed to them!
“Oh do whatever you like. I’m sure you’ll fail once again and we’ll be right back in the same place next week.” “I hate to see you so dejected, but then I also like how you’re not threatening to rip my large Intestine out and then choke me with it.” “Oh it’s all about YOU isn’t it?”
Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media
Episode directed by Takao Yoshizawa
We’re back with another episode of Japanese Rainbow Brite! So far the Rainbow Crystal arc has actually been pretty solid with stories that focus more on characters and the other Scouts rather than only Usagi fighting whatever overly designed punching bag the bad guys see fit to throw at her. It really seems to be what the Nephrite era SHOULD have been but didn’t really manage to live up to. Can the show continue to make the most out of what can be accomplished with the new arc they’ve set up? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins with a meeting in the bowels of Hell Corp as Queen Beryl is demanding a progress report from Zoisite and Kunzite; neither of whom have much to show for their efforts as Zoisite managed to lose one of the Rainbow Crystals and Kunzite hasn’t done shit.
“I assure you my queen that we are doing everything in our power to get the Rainbow Crystals.” “Do I look like an idiot to you?” “I beg your pardon.” “It’s a simple question. When you look at my face, do you think that it belongs to that of an idiot?” “…No?” “Then why are you lying to me as if I don’t know how often you update your Facebook page?” “…Well, I mean…” “SEVENTEEN UPDATES IN ONE HOUR, KUNZITE!!”
We’re back with another episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, but it’s not just ANY episode! We are at the end of season three which had one stated goal of winning back fans after the less than stellar first two seasons! Did they manage to not only succeed in surpassing the first two seasons but in also outdoing their finales? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins by recapping what had happened at the end of the last episode, mainly that Sailor Saturn was about to nuke the planet to kill General Smooze (also known as Master Pharaoh 90) and no one was particularly happy about that. Sailor Moon is still somewhere inside General Smooze’s goop of evil, but I’m sure she’ll be just fine! I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself…
The Reviewers Unite 