Dragon Blog DAIMA #36: Maximum

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 20 Review
"Maximum"

Article by Sean Wilkinson,
a.k.a. The Animeister

This post will be pretty short, and many of you have probably already said or thought all of the criticisms I have of this final episode, but please give me your energy and grant my wish by clicking the Follow button to Become A Ticketholder for real, commenting at the bottom of this post, helping out my ad revenue as you read so I can keep my eye on the ball, and following me on BlueSky, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest news on my content.

Much like the "Awakening" episode two weeks ago, "Maximum" begins with the end of the previous episode, eager to get straight to the action. Much like a season or series finale episode (which it is), "Maximum" also holds off on the OP until said action is concluded, using it as a credits piece similar to how it was used in "Conspiracy" (the slow instrumental transitioning into the main song was pretty cool). And much like "Awakening" (and "Gomah" and "Betrayal"), "Maximum" was mostly stall action with Power Level Tennis thanks to the Eye Of Playground Hax letting Gomah fill the screen with confusing, sparkly bullshit between screen-shaking punches to the face and gut at the massive simian fists of Super-Saiyan 4 Goku...again, but as an adult now. Gomah even walks off the most Kamehameha of all time putting a hole through his torso (and all three layers of the Demon Realm) because the final boss has to have regeneration and/or immortality now; it's practically Dragon Ball law as of the Cell Saga.

Unfortunately, "Maximum" ironically failed to live up to its eponymous potential. No Join Bugs were used (even though we've been waiting sixteen episodes for them to pay off), Piccolo got rocked two hits into the "whack Gomah three times in the back of his head" plan, rendering him virtually useless in the series as a whole, Gohan never showed up in an active role, and Goku being able to do Four at will was never explained in a way that makes sense in any context.

But in a fun turn of events, Majin Kuu stepped in to pick up Piccolo's slack, beating Gomah with Arinsu's book like he's an Attitude Era heel with a steel chair until the Eye popped out and Glorio crushed it underfoot.

For a moment, I was genuinely disappointed that the Eye didn't merge with Gomah's arena to become some kind of Lovecraftian golem, but what happens later is slightly more terrifying and funnier.

Instead, Kuu finally gets the credit he deserves (and a cape to make him look awesome) when he is appointed the new Demon King With Sour Recoome and All the Pizza Toppings. He also appoints Arinsu as his VP and starts handing out Ministry positions like he's Oprah on Favorite Things Day (except for Hybis, even though he volunteered, because he doomed everyone for a hat). As with Kami at the end of classic Dragon Ball, Goku turns down a position so the Dragon Team can go home, but not before picking up some magilite from Panzy and making a return trip to the bug shop.

Oh, and Marba shows up to Mafuba Gomah into a genie bottle with Degesu (it looks kind of like a Room Of Spirit and Time inside with a Buu-like house where they get to play video games for the next century or so).

As expected, Bulma buys the entire batch of Beaut Bugs because Bulma buys beauty in bulk (and bathes with Bejiita, BTW).

But (I promise I'm done with the B-literation now) in a final, terrifying instance of Toriyama taking the piss out of the divine, it turns out that the Bug shop proprietor made the Tertian Oculus...and at least two more, though she only ever sold the one because they're too expensive.

Yeah; I'd be horrified, too.

And disappointed.

And maybe a little pissed that I dared to expect tighter, more polished, more satisfying writing from a final passion project with multiple years of production time. It would be wrong of me to devalue what might be the final franchise contribution (Toriyama probably left more story notes, and the post-credits scene at the shop is enough to hint at some kind of continuation, but we'll see) of the godfather of modern shōnen by chomping at toxic rumors of creative interference and the animators working from an unfinished story.

But maybe someone could have cut down on the lore dumps, plane crashes, and pointless action, and made sure that everything made sense and got a satisfying payoff‽

Speculation doesn't matter anymore, and unless Toyotaro has plans to bring the Demon Realm back in the Super manga, neither does DAIMA, so please give me your energy and grant my wish by clicking the Follow button to Become A Ticketholder for real, commenting at the bottom of this post, helping out my ad revenue as you read so I can keep my eye on the ball, and following me on BlueSky, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest news on my content.

Animeister,

Out to Sea.