Even with the episode devoting the first 6-7 minutes to the pre-fight stare down and verbal exchange, there's not as much tension as you'd think there would be. It's odd, as this franchise usually does that so well. Having Goku start to sound like Black at points was a nice touch, but that's about all we see to suggest that Goku is still the villain of the piece.
Toppo's righteousness doesn't come through either. As I said, it's a lot of grandstanding. I never got the sense that he was a genuine hero. He makes one mention of Goku being the impetus behind the tournament, but after that he just sings his own praises. It got a little annoying, to be honest. I was almost expecting Goku to make some reference to Zamasu, but that never happened.
When the fight does begin, it feels a bit on the hollow side. I suppose it's tough to keep that momentum after several episodes of fights, but it's been done before. It isn't even that Toppo isn't a formidable opponent. He gives Goku a run for his money as a super saiyan, dislocating his shoulder and getting him into a deadly bear hug. When Goku does go blue, Toppo still manages to hold his own, so props to him. The fight just didn't wow me the way others had.
Of course, the fact that the high priest cuts it short doesn't help matters. It was a gutsy move on his part, as even the two Zeno's want to see the fight continue. A lot of viewers have brought up the fact that there's something fishy about this guy and this scene helps prove it. He is able to convince the two omni-kings that it will be better to hold off until the tournament proper and they agree to call it there for the day.
It was nice to see Goku back in his cheerful and friendly mode. His offer to shake Toppo's hand for a good fight and to let him know that he was looking forward to the rematch was oddly heartwarming. Alas, he gets rebuffed, as Toppo is still convinced that Goku is evil. I'm not sure why Goku is confused by this, it isn't like he did much to rebut the accusation when it first started getting thrown about. Maybe if he had acted confused earlier, it would have helped sell the idea that he's not a bad guy to the others, but that's just me.
With that matter settled, the high priest announces that the tournament will begin in less than two days. This doesn't leave the universes much time to put their teams together, but that's the way of it.
Goku, for his part, isn't fazed by any of it, which annoys Beerus to no end. The bickering was oddly one of the stronger elements of the episode. It's weird how the show's initial big bad is more concerned than the hero, and he doesn't hesitate to point this out.
It did seem like Goku was acting out of character. You'd think his first impulse would be to hit the hyperbolic time chamber and get his training on. After all, he knows that there are fighters out there stronger than him and that they'll all be gunning for him. If nothing else, you'd think he'd be excited about the idea, but he comes off more as bored than anything else. Considering the fact that fighting is the one thing that's supposed to hold Goku's attention, it was surprising to see.
Overall, this episode was a disappointment. Maybe the break gave the impression that this fight would be bigger, but it felt mostly like padding. Even the ideas that the last episode introduced weren't followed through in a satisfactory manner.
Hopefully, the next episode will mark an upswing. There won't be fights, but we could use something to break it up a little, quite frankly. Instead, it looks like the focus is going to be a strategy session, as Goku and the others try to decide who will make up the remaining team. Granted, we know who it's going to be, but strategy discussions are always interesting to watch.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
No comments:
Post a Comment