Monday, October 10, 2016

'Dragon Ball Super' episode 61: 'Zamasu's Ambition- Human 0 Plan is Revealed'

OK, so first things first, it seems I got the order of events wrong in regards to the whole body stealing thing.  I got the impression that Zamasu had killed Goku first, but in reality, he used the super dragon balls to make the switch and then killed Goku afterwards.   Truth be told, I kind of like my way better.  It's a bit more macabre, and with it being Halloween season and all, it seems like it fits better.  I guess I just latched onto the reanimated corpse idea and clung to it in any way I could.

Of course, that confusion is just the precursor to this episode, which gives a more detailed explanation of how Black exists and how killing Zamasu in Goku's time period didn't do anything (even though it was established that that wasn't how time travel worked, but you know what I mean.)  It's very heavy on the timey wimey ball.  Keep in mind, this god already exists in a different universe and then you throw in jumping between alternate timelines where completely different events occurred and it becomes very convoluted.

This episode has plenty of solid wham moments as the two villains reveal the extent of their actions.  It seems that Zamasu is intent on killing not only mortals, but the gods as well.  More than that, the two announce that they've already succeeded on that particular front.  Whether they mean the gods of this timeline, this universe, or literally all of the gods in the multiverse is still unclear.  Like I said, it's very convoluted.  I do have a hard time buying that they could kill Zen'o or that Beerus and Whis would fall at their hands, but we may find out more later.

I was also surprised to hear that they destroyed the super dragon balls.  It's a little strange that they would be destroyed so soon after they were introduced, but I have a feeling that it won't stick.

It somewhat undercuts the aforementioned moments to be honest.  Between the time travel and the multiverse, I could easily see the reset button getting hit to some extent.  If the dragon god still exists, he could probably create a new set.  Could they use the regular dragon balls to wish back the super dragon balls? That would be interesting to see.  At the very least, the reveal reinforces what heavy hitters these two villains are...or one villain is...

The action was solid.  The episode didn't utilize the 3 on 2 format as much as I would have liked, but we do see enough to show that the heroes are still at a disadvantage.

That isn't to say that they don't steal the show.  One of the most memorable moments, hands down, is Goku's rampage after hearing about what Black did to Goku's family.  He manages to give both Black and Zamasu a good beat down despite each of them individually being more powerful than he is.

It was especially surprising to see Black react to getting hit like a normal enemy would.  More often than not, he toys with his enemies and lets them get in a shot or two (both for psychological torment and to gain strength) but here, judging by the look on his face, Goku legitimately got the upper hand.  It doesn't last long, of course, and Black does get a power boost as a result, but it was certainly nice while it lasted.    

The other highlight centers on Future Trunks.  True, he's on the receiving end of a pretty brutal "the reason you suck" speech, where Zamasu lays the blame at his feet for going back and saving Goku from the heart virus, thus leading to Zamasu's campaign.

Both Vegeta and Trunks call BS, but it was a more effective monologue compared to some efforts by villains to screw with the hero's head.

In some ways, Zamasu isn't wrong, but at the same time, he already had a contempt for mortals and the events on Babari would have still been the same, so it's quite possible that he would have done this anyway, but that's a hypothetical.

The speech was nice (and a great way to really tie the two arcs together), but Trunks' response was nothing short of epic.  In true saiyan fashion, he achieves a new form after swearing that he's going to kill Black himself.  The fact that the scene was set to "Desperate Assault" definitely helped, as that track is inherently awesome.  It's a nice twist too, as that is usually played to convey hopelessness, but now it's a rousing piece to show that the tide is turning to the heroes' favor.

What form does Trunks hit? I don't know.  It's not super saiyan 3 (or 4), nor is it super saiyan god or blue.  The latter is to the show's benefit as that would have been ridiculous.  There's a hint that he's at least starting to tap into that energy as there is a blue layer in his aura, but his hair is still yellow and his eyes go all white, giving another shout out to Broly's legendary form.  I'm not even sure what we would call this form...ultra super saiyan 2? Legendary super saiyan 2?

Now, admittedly, this doesn't do anything to address the "Zamasu can't be killed" problem (though the teaser suggests that there's a workaround *cough*banishhimtothedeadzone*cough), but it was still a jaw dropping sequence and I look forward to seeing the new form in action.

For those waiting for that big, dramatic villain monologue where all is revealed, this gives it to you.  Those more well versed in time travel mechanics may have a better grasp of the flow of events, but you'll likely tilt your head a lot.

It looks like this arc is reaching its conclusion.  It'll be sad to see it go, but all good things must come to an end.  This was certainly a fun ride and I'm fairly certain that the resolution will continue that trend.






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