I was planning on writing up the latest JOJO’s episode today but - - ¡qué lastima! - - it’s apparently been delayed until the end of the day. Go figure with Japanese television, right? Well, what better way to combat a terrible wait for a new show than to revisit an old favorite, sitting comfortably there on the shelf…?
Actually, I suppose this juxtaposition makes for some worthwhile comparison points. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Stardust Crusaders’ team dynamic, and Goku’s band offers an interesting counter example here. Last time, I said I was looking forward to the new line-up, since our hero was essentially trading one team [Bulma/Yamcha/Oolong ] for another [Roshi/Krillin/Launch ] that actually has a markedly different dynamic.
== TEASER ==
The key here is that all four players are good foils for each other. The Stardust Crusaders have that for the most part, but I still think Kakyoin doesn’t serve much purpose. He isn’t even a straight man for these other big personalities to bounce off. More importantly, if you put him in a given situation, there’s no guessing how his response will differ from Jotaro, Joseph, Polnareff or Avdol.
Contrast that with these guys, and how Goku and Krillin essentially serve as Goofus and Gallant during Roshi’s drills - - and you’ll start seeing there’s a bit of method to Toriyama’s madness. This could’ve just as easily been a training arc where Goku goes through the rote paces of learning another skill, but the pointed inclusion of Krillin as a foil makes all these familiar scenes funny. While I opted to combine these episodes for a double write-up because there isn’t a ton of plot between them, I was still highly entertained, and that’s chiefly due to that added character intrigue.
There’s even further intrigue for each drill, too, because Roshi will act differently (either as the sage or the letch), depending on whether Launch is around, and then Launch will act quite differently depending on whether she’s sneezed or not, and so on. Thus,, unlike with Kakyoin, there’s a clear and unique identity to how each team member will react to a situation (finding a hidden rock, delivering milk, etc), and then how they’ll interact will clearly change depending on who’s with whom. And again, that's the definition of a team dynamic, and DRAGON BALL handles it quite shrewdly.
Watch “Milk Delivery " and “Find That Stone!” decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode.
from Anime Vice Site Mashup http://ift.tt/1tIYOxX
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