'Dragon Ball Daima' Episode 2 Review

TV & Film

Nov 1

Dragon Ball Daima comes into full swing with its second episode. How will our heroes react to becoming small, and how does it build on the setup in the first episode? Let’s find out!

Warning: This review will contain spoilers for the second episode of Dragon Ball Daima.

The episode picks up right after the end of the first. Gomah’s wish is granted, but since he is a newcomer, he is not allowed his extra two wishes, and Shenlong and the Dragon Balls scatter. Though Gomah is frustrated, he takes advantage of this wish and kidnaps the now-infant Dende, taking him to the Demon World.

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Goku and company have just been turned into children, and hilarity ensues as they react to their new bodies. Some take it better than others, with Bulma and Chi-Chi commenting on how young they look now. Regardless, it is quite an adjustment for our heroes. Kaioshin tells Goku that he senses a dark presence at the lookout. Goku tries to fly there but is quickly thrown off balance due to his new size. Instead, Kibito uses his Kai Kai to instantly teleport everyone near him there.

Once they are at the lookout, they are informed by Mr. Popo that Dende has been kidnapped by two pointy-eared individuals, one of which is Degesu. Kaisohin reveals that Degesu is his brother. Goku decides that they must rescue Dende immediately, so Kibito quickly teleports and comes back with Kaioshin’s spaceship. However, they soon realized it was not in working order. Goku suggests they get Bulma to fix it, so he once again tries to fly off to fetch her but again loses his balance. Kibito uses his teleportation ability to bring Bulma and Vegeta to the lookout. Bulma looks over the ship and says it will take her two days to fix it.

Two days pass. Goku continues his training so that he may get used to his new body. He regains his flight abilities but is not used to his shorter combat range. So, he ventures off to Karin’s tower to get his Nyoibo. He asks Karin where it’s located, and he tells him Master Roshi has it. Goku once again flies off to Kame House and discovers that his legendary weapon is being used as a clothesline.

Goku returns to the lookout and eats dinner with his friends. During their feast, however, a spaceship lands, and out of it comes another pointy-eared individual from the Demon Realm. This one, however, seems to be on the side of our heroes. He introduces himself as Glorio and invites Goku and Kaioshin to come with him to the Demon Realm. Vegeta wants to come along as well, but the ship only seats three people. Bulma says that she’ll be able to fix the ship faster using Glorio’s ship as a reference. So, Goku, Kaioshin, and Glorio are off to the Third Demon World.

The story has definitely picked up a bit in this episode. Though there are no major fights just yet, it is clear that the focus is on adventure and world-building at this time. There are some minor hiccups, however, such as Dende being turned into an infant despite supposedly being the same age as Gohan. However, this may stem from another inconsistency that is present in the manga in which, towards the beginning of the Buu arc, Dende appears to be a teenager, but towards the end, he appears to be a child again. Also, it is interesting that Gohan and Trunks are left with sitters despite both Bulma and Chi-Chi remaining at the lookout. Perhaps due to their younger age, they can’t take care of them? Speaking of Goten and Trunks, the telepathy between them was also an interesting touch that perhaps could be built upon in future episodes.

Animation-wise, it’s pretty solid. The designs for the younger characters are rather adorable, but they, too, present some questions. Both Kuririn (Krillin) and Master Roshi are presented as bald, and while it may seem plausible that Kuririn shaved his head from an early age (as his head is shaven by the time he is 13), Roshi is said to have gone bald in his old age, so why he is being presented as bald at seven or eight is a mystery. Popo having horns as a young child is also interesting. It would have been nice to see some of the younger characters look more similar to their Dragon Ball era designs, but what we do have is a nice blend of the two.

The music is also quite good. Though it has yet to be as memorable as Sumito’s score for Dragon Ball Super or the late Shunsuke Kikuchi’s score for Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Kōsuke Yamashita’s score is appropriately cinematic and will surely come into its own as time goes on. The theme, “Jaka Jaan,” however, is already an earworm. Zedd, KEEN, Yukinojo Mori, and C&K did an amazing job keeping the spirit of Dragon Ball alive in the theme itself while also making it feel modern.

Lastly, the voice acting is once again solid. Masako Nozawa does a good job as Kid Goku, though it’s clear that her age is affecting her ability at times. What is surprising is that she Is one of the few who appear to be voicing the big and small versions of their characters. We have Yumiko Kobayashi as min Kaioshin, Yudai Mino as mini Vegeta, Tsubas Yonaga as mini Trunks, Tomohiro Yamaguchi as mini Piccolo, Aki Kanada as mini Kuririn, Ai Kakuma as mini Chi-Chi, Mai Nakahara as mini Bulma, Nobukai Kanemitsu as mini Master Roshi, Toru Sakurai as mini Mr. Satan. Shiho Amura as mini Majin Buu, Erina Goto as mini Dende, and Kimiko Saito as mini Kibito. While some of these are definitely understandable, it is puzzling why they had new voices for some of the characters, such as Mayumi Tanaka not being mini Kuririn despite voicing him as a child before. Nonetheless, they all do excellently in their respective roles, with Mino even sounding like a young Horikawa at times. Koki Uchiyama does an amazing job as newcomer Glorio.

Overall, episode two is definitely a step up from the previous episode and establishes the series as more of a slow burn, focusing more on adventure and world-building than the barrage of action the franchise is known for. However, here’s hoping we get a bit more punches being thrown in episode three!

Rating: 9.5/10

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