The Story
So Far: Goku (hero of Dragon Ball, now all grown up) has fallen,
terribly wounded in the struggle against Nappa and Vegeta.
Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien, and Chaostzu are dead, leaving only
Yajirobe, Kuririn (Krillin, to American TV audiences) and
Gohan in reasonably good shape.
This
is the opening chapter of what fans of the DBZ anime refer
to as the "Namek Saga". Why Namek? It's the home
planet of Piccolo, and the location of another set of Dragon
Balls! If Gohan, Kuririn and Bulma can retrieve them, then
they'll be able to wish their dead friends back to life. Of
course, it's never that easy . . .
The fifth volume of DBZ showcases exactly why fans the world
over have flipped for the series. Huge fight scenes, men of
honor making tough choices, and well-constructed suspense
all play into a wonderfully rendered science-fiction canvas.
More of the emphasis here is on humor and character development
until the introduction of Frieza, one of the most ruthless
villains in the DBZ pantheon.
It's
in this volume that we also get our first inkling of Vegeta's
deeper character. After Goku makes a surprising decision at
the outset of the volume, we get to see how Vegeta begins
to develop. Long-time fans know what I'm talking about. Vegeta
remains one of my favorite characters, and a large part of
it is because he actually grows a great deal through the course
of the larger narrative. He's always an ass, but his motivations
are interesting. That starts here.
Also
fun is the spotlight on Gohan. Still very much the hen-pecked
little boy, his greater resolve begins to poke through. Gohan
has a long way to go yet, but his interaction with Kuririn
is entertaining and thoughtful.
Although
Volume 5 is more of a pause from the protracted action that
marks the series, it's an essential chapter and good, solid
reading. There's not much bad you can say about Toriyama,
and that holds true here.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. His
other surly DBZ favorite is Piccolo.
Email Troy at psikotyk@aol.com.
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