Dragon Ball Daima 1×18 Review: “Awakening”

Dragon Ball Daima anime episode 18, titled ‘Awakening’, continued to raise the threat level for our heroes. I know everything will be okay by the end. But the tension is still palpable.

If there’s one thing Dragon Ball Daima has been consistent about, it’s the surprises. I have been watching the Dragon Ball IP for decades now, and I don’t think I have ever been pleasantly surprised by the events that have unfolded over such a long period of time the way Dragon Ball Daima has surprised me. In my opinion, the writing in Dragon Ball Daima is one of the best, if not the best, when it comes to the DB franchise making me excited about what will happen every week.

With Goku tapping into his Super Saiyan 3 form in the previous episode, you would think his current transformation would mean the end of his battle with Gomah. Even though Gomah’s able to withstand some of Goku’s attacks, it’s clear that the Super Saiyan 3 form is a bit too much for the gigantic demon to handle. However, as ‘Awakening’ progresses, you will begin to feel uneasy about the threat posed by the Third Eye.

I liked how Majin Duu (after getting a boost via the large chocolate cookie Majin Kuu threw at him) joined SS3 Goku during the fight. The jump in power level due to the sugar rush even made Majin Duu elongate his “hair” to kind of copy Goku’s SS3 design.

But things took a turn for the worse when the sugar rush ended and Majin Duu was swatted away by Gomah. And with the confrontation again turning into a 1 v 1 battle between Goku and Gomah, the Third Eye refused to surrender. The fact that Gomah was more powerful than freaking SS3 Goku was something I wasn’t expecting.

What the heck was Goku supposed to do now?

Well, Neva decided to step in before Gomah could land the finishing blow. Neva used his mysterious magical abilities to empower Goku and helped him unlock his… drum roll… Super Saiyan 4 form!

I’m not kidding when I tell you that the Super Saiyan 4 reveal caused so much drama in the Dragon Ball fandom. We haven’t seen such a transformation in anime since the ’90s during Dragon Ball GT (which is considered non-canon). From what I understand, going Super Saiyan 4 is the highest level a Saiyan could reach after controlling the dreaded Great Ape form. SS4 has popped up in numerous video games over the years, but DB Daima is the first time since DB GT that SS4 has been presented as canon in anime. Numerous fans have been incredibly patient and their patience was finally awarded through the latest episode.

Now, I get that seeing SS4 further messed up the already convoluted canon of the DB franchise. However, in my opinion, some long-running franchises aren’t supposed to have “canon” or concrete power scaling. Some franchises are all about offering entertainment and an excuse to release more merchandise with new character designs. Lore be damned. And I do think the Dragon Ball IP is one of those franchises. You aren’t supposed to take it too seriously. Just sit back and enjoy.

The tides turned in Goku’s favor as he showcased his immense power boost against Gomah after turning Super Saiyan 4. I liked how the rest of the fighters sans Vegeta (my poor guy!) continued to help Goku where possible against an incredibly OP foe, with Glorio and Piccolo even trying to buy Goku a few more seconds to charge his Kamehameha.

Fans know that a battle is about to end when Goku charges his Kamehameha or the Spirit Bomb. And with the Kamehameha hitting Gomah, I thought the fight had been won and we finally could focus on Dr. Arinsu and the three Dragon Balls. But boy was I wrong. The freaking Third Eye gave Gomah yet another boost in power and made him larger than before. Even Goku mirrored the audience’s reaction by basically going WTF?!!

Other than the battle, the episode also took some time to show Dr. Arinsu ordering Glorio to bring the two Dragon Balls in possession of the Z-Warriors to her. It was time for Dr. Arinsu to use the magical orbs to make a wish. With her initial desire involving making the Demon Realms stronger than ever before, I think it made sense for her to change her wish after seeing Gomah becoming OP with the Third Eye. Understandably, Dr. Arinsu wanted to become stronger than Gomah, defeat him, and then rule the Demon Realms herself.

It’s revealed she had Glorio learn Namekian so he could summon Porunga and make a wish on Dr. Arinsu’s behalf. While trusting Glorio to such an extent was an oversight by someone as smart as Dr. Arinsu, I can kind of see why she had a minion learn an ancient language instead of herself. I mean, this wouldn’t be the first time a villain thought they could never be betrayed by a minion.

‘Awakening’ ended on a very tense cliffhanger. Glorio did make a wish but we don’t know what he wished for because he was talking in Namekian. With how he remembered the time he’d spent with Goku and the others while retrieving the Dragon Balls as he prepared to make the wish, you know his heart wasn’t into giving Dr. Arinsu what she wanted.

As far as my theory goes, I wouldn’t be surprised if Glorio wished for Goku and the rest of the Z-Warriors to return to their adult forms. Getting their adult bodies back will definitely help our heroes do better in battle. However, even then Gomah’s too powerful. That’s why my second theory is that we will get to see Vegeta and Goku use one of the Demon Realm bugs to fuse and become Gogeta, Vegito, or an entirely new Fusion Form.

With only a couple of episodes left, I can’t wait to see the heroes be triumphant and what other surprises the anime has in store. Also, I would like to learn a bit more about Glorio and why he agreed to work with Dr. Arinsu in the first place. The Z-Warriors also have to confront him about his supposed betrayal.

Before I conclude my review, I have to highlight how the camera switched between Goku and Gomah’s POVs during some of the battle moments to show what they witnessed. It made for a nice creative flourish. 

What did you think of Dragon Ball Daima anime episode 18 ‘Awakening’?

Let us know.

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.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary