Dragon Ball Daima 1×13 Review: “Surprise”

Dragon Ball Daima episode 13, titled ‘Surprise’, decided to focus on more worldbuilding as Goku and his friends continued their journey toward the First Demon Realm.

Having acquired the Second Demon Realm Dragon Ball and trekking toward the First Demon Realm to procure the final Dragon Ball (unaware Dr Arinsu was already in possession of said magical orb), it made sense that the incoming arrival of the Z-Warriors worried King Gomah. He was so desperate that he ordered Degesu to shut down the Warp Lord to prevent Goku and the rest from entering his domain.

According to Degesu no one had ever done such a thing. Degesu was clearly worried when he pulled the level to fulfill King Gomah’s orders. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of consequences turning off the Warp Lord will invite.

On their way, the spacecraft suffered yet another malfunction, causing Goku and his friends to crashland on a strange planet. Everything was quite big in the area and it took a minute for Neva to realize they were stranded on Planet Mega, home to giant beings called Megaths. Everything was gigantic here, from the hamsters attacking Goku and some of the crew to the child Megath and his dog the Z-Warriors had to face. I liked how the larger size of their foes made things difficult for the two powerful Saiyans. Goku and Vegeta were durable enough to withstand being thrown around, but the giants were a pain to actually hurt with their attacks. Also, I think they weren’t into actually hurting a child, even if the child towered over them.

And yes, I agree that Goku and Vegeta should be capable enough to carry the spacecraft to safety, especially when the engine gives out. I also feel Goku should use more of his Instant Transmission skill. However, Dragon Ball Daima has a story to tell and the creative team needs to figure out ways to amp up the stakes. The narrative can’t have Goku teleporting to quickly address certain situations. I get that Goku not doing so can be frustrating, but I also understand the lack of Instant Transmission for narrative purposes and the overall comedic vibe of the current anime series.

Being on Plant Mega allowed the story to introduce a bunch of creatures. The cuteness of the huge and vicious hamsters prevented Goku from attacking them. 

We got to know that the Megaths had a social structure, complete with sending their kids to school. As for a Megath not ruling the Demon Realms, it’s explained away by stating how Megaths were laid-back beings and didn’t seek conflict. The kid Megath attacking the Z-Warriors was more so about his curiosity and wanting to swat away bugs because that’s what our lead characters looked like to him.

Also, Planet Mega was the second most dangerous planet to be in. The first area was Planet Giga, which housed beings Gigaths who were even larger than the Megaths. Maybe we will get to see a Gigath or two down the line.

Knowing that Bulma was going to accompany Goku and the rest, I was wondering how the writers would handle her and Panzy sharing screen time as, in a way, their “position” in the team was similar due to both being mechanics. In my opinion, the creative team did a good job of writing their interactions. ‘Surprise’ showed the two women working together with Panzy teaching Bulma about how certain machines worked and Bulma sharing her tools and skills with Panzy to hasten the repair process.

According to Panzy, the spacecraft was powered by an energy source called the Majilite. It reacted to acidic water and was capable of producing energy for 30 years. Not only that, we also learned that the bottom of the Third Demon Realm formed the sky of the Second Demon Realm. From what I understood, the bottom was basically acidic water, and it changed colors leading to the sky of the Second Demon Realm changing color, too.

Frankly, the Dragon Ball Daima anime doesn’t need to add such details. It could just focus on battles and the fandom would remain appeased. However, I do appreciate such details to help enrich the world the Z-Warriors are trekking across.

With Glorio remaining in contact with Dr Arinsu, let’s see if she can find a way to get the Z-Warriors to the First Demon Realm so she can have all three Dragon Balls in her possession and enact her plan.

What did you think of Dragon Ball Daima anime episode 13 ‘Surprise’?

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Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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