By Jason Nimer
Only a few months after Dragon Ball GT season one came out on DVD, I find
myself here, reviewing the show's second season, despite my general distaste for
the series and how poorly it fits into the Dragon Ball universe. I'm not alone
in the anti-GT camp; I'd estimate no less than 75 percent of Dragon Ball and
Dragon Ball Z fans have as much use for GT as I do, which is to say none. The
reasons for the unhappiness with GT are many and varied, but if you're
interested, feel free to check out my review for season one
HERE.
From this point on, I'll assume that you've either read my season one review
and/or are familiar with the series as a whole. Of course there will be
spoilers, but since the show has been around for more than a decade and to learn
everything about the program, one would only need to read a message board full
of angry Dragon Ball purists. Think the Capt. Kirk vs. Capt. Picard debate, only
slightly nerdier.
Anyway, because of the awkward ending to season one, season two's first
episode gets right to business. We last saw Pan, Goku's granddaughter,
attempting to talk some sense into Goku, who has transformed into the "Golden
Oozaru," which is a kind of hybrid of a Super Saiyan and the Saiyan giant monkey
transformation, which hasn't been seen since the Saiyan arc of DBZ. Pan manages
to soothe the mindless, rampaging beast and Goku, back in control, harnesses the
power and ascends to the level of Super Saiyan 4. It's a bit weird for this
transformation to be included in season two, since season one's box art featured
the character despite his absence in those episodes. "Super Saiyan 4?!," you
might be asking, but I'll get to that in a minute.
The fight with Baby Vegeta only lasts a few more episodes past this point,
and the last two story arcs, concerning Super 17 and the Shadow Dragons, both
begin and end right in this set. It's too bad that they are so completely
ridiculous. I'll only mention them briefly, as they are rather short with
regards to the episode count. The first introduces Super 17, a new android
created by both Dr. Myuu and Dr. Gero in hell. This gives the story an excuse to
reintroduce villains like Freeza, Cell and a host of others. It is kind of like
the Batman miniseries "The Long Halloween," were we see nearly every enemy
together for one last hurrah. The difference is that the Batman comics were
actually interesting. The rogue gallery here feels more like a shameless
cash-in, rather than an important or compelling story as it could (and should)
have been.
As if that wasn't enough, the final arc of the series finds Goku fighting
seven Shadow Dragons that were supposedly created by overuse of the Dragon
Balls. All seven are totally unremarkable bad guys, and the fighting never comes
close to the emotional tone found in Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z. What's worse
is that each enemy describes which wish created him or her, and the mandatory
flashbacks pepper these episodes. So-and-so dragon was created in by Oolong's
wish for ladies' undergarments. So-and-so dragon was created when Goku was
wished back to life after the Saiyans arrived on Earth. You get the point. I get
the feeling that the arc's intent was to be both exciting and wistful, but
again, it feels like a shameless cash-in. And the flashbacks only served one
real personal purpose - to make me wish I were watching Dragon Ball Z rather
than this crummy show.
As a kind of bonus, season two also includes the only GT movie, A Hero's
Legacy. It follows one of Goku's decendents long after the characters we know
and love have passed on. Pan, a child at the beginning of GT, is now a
grandmother, indicating that a good amount of years have passed since the end of
GT. Goku Jr., as he is called, is a bit of a wimp, but a visit from the spirit
of Goku challenges him to be brave. It is all pretty lame, but probably worth
watching at least once.
Ok lets talk about Super Saiyan 4. If you don't know what this level looks
like, try to imagine the least impressive, strangest transformation you can
think of. Got it? Super Saiyan 4 is ten times worse. The three previous Super
Saiyan levels turned a Saiyan's hair blonde; the more hair, the higher the level
(Super Saiyan 1 really only makes the hair stand up, while Super Saiyan 3 makes
it grow into a pseudo-ponytail). For Super Saiyan 4, the characters grow a
pinkish fuzz over their arms and midsection, save for the center of the chest,
giving them an inverted Austin Powers look. The hair returns to its original
color (black in most cases) and the trademark Saiyan feature, a tail, grows
back. This transformation, along with the Golden Oozaru, mark the point where GT
goes from being a mildly entertaining series to a sad, shark-jumping mess that
can't hold a candle to the original(s).
Beyond just looking dumb, the transformation breaks a long-standing rule in
the Dragon Ball universe. Way back at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta
explains how reflected light from the moon reacts to a gland found in all
Saiyan's tails. This transforms a Saiyan into a giant ape. In GT, Goku and Baby
Vegeta are duking it out on Shin's (Supreme Kai) planet, and Goku transforms by
utilizing the light from a distant planet Earth. Something tells me that since
there was a specific, scientific process for a Saiyan's ape transformation by
utilizing the moon, the Earth and its reflection can't and won't produce
anywhere near the same reaction. And only Goku is able to achieve the new level
for a bit. Baby Vegeta has a possessed Bulma build him a machine that produces
the Super Saiyan 4 result. You read that right; Baby Vegeta hits the level, but
only because Bulma gives him training wheels, so to speak. I couldn't tell you
why exactly this makes me nuts, but it does. Soon after Goku makes the
transformation, Pan says something along the lines of, "Wow that looks cool."
No, Pan, it doesn't. Not by a longshot.
In the season one review, I managed to find one nice thing to say about the
series - the opening theme, "DAN DAN Kokoro Hikareteku," is one of Dragon Ball's
best and catchiest songs. I'm breaking rank with the fandom as a whole here, but
"Head Cha-La," the opening theme for about 2/3 of DBZ, is an annoying, obnoxious
tune with arguably the stupidest, most nonsensical lyrics (translated from
Japanese, of course) of any anime I've seen, with the exception of Eat-Man's
theme. GT's opening theme is a lot like the theme for the 1980's program "Heathcliff,"
in that the songs for both are instantly lovable, even though the show that
follows is absolutely awful.
The positive aspect I'll point out for season two is equally as unimportant
as the theme song, but a positive aspect nonetheless. GT's last episode, titled
"Goodbye Goku Until We Meet Again," is the series' third attempt at forcing the
viewer to reminisce about earlier, better series, but this time - third time is
the charm, I guess - it works. After Goku defeats the final Shadow Dragon, he
hops on Shenlong's back and the two fly off into the sunset. Before they take
off, though, they do a fly-by on almost every major character (and some not so
major) as Goku waves goodbye. Its nice to see these characters again and it
gives the series an emotional and heart-warming end. There's a lot of debate
over whether Goku is alive or dead at the end of the show, but it doesn't
matter; the final episode manages to do what the other 63 weren't able to -
connect longtime fans to this new chapter while stirring the emotions associated
with seeing a friend for the very last time. It is all at once sad, beautiful
and powerful. If only the whole series had been as good as this single episode,
GT would be an accepted entry into the mythos, rather than a red-headed
stepchild to the other Dragon Ball stories.
I'm a sucker for everything Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball action figures line up
five deep on half the surfaces in my home. My desk at work is inhabited by
Dragon Ball bobbleheads and I've ordered the four sets of ultra-premium Dragon
Ball Creatures models direct from Japan. Every last volume of the original manga
is lined up on a shelf and has been read beginning to end no less than five
times. My bedroom is home to a giant sized Vegeta wall scroll and an imported,
poster-size Dragon Ball calendar. I own every Dragon Ball video game ever
released in the states, no matter how terrible. I have my very own scouter
headset and Dragon Radar device. My left arm is covered in a Dragon Ball tattoo
sleeve. I'm a big fan, to say the least. I purchased both seasons of Dragon Ball
GT, not because I enjoy them, but because they are parts of the whole. With all
that in mind, I refuse to recommend the GT DVDs to anyone who isn't at least as
a big a Dragon Ball fan as I am. On a positive note, it is only a month or two
until the feature film, Dragonball: Evolution, is released in the U.S. How is
that positive? Well, soon Dragon Ball GT will only be the second worst thing to
happen to the franchise since its start nearly 20 years ago.
Final Rating:
