REVIEW: ‘Dragon Ball DAIMA’ Episode 13 — “Surprise”

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13, “Surprise,” sees the heroes heading for Demon World One with their recently acquired Dragon Ball in tow. But unexpected circumstances will put them off course, and into the path of some truly titanic-sized dangers.

This week’s episode opens in Surpeme Demon King Gomah’s throne room. Gomah (Shôtarô Morikubo) is furious to learn that Vegeta has defeated Tamagami Two. In his ensuing panic, he orders Degesu (Jun’ya Enoki) to disable Warp-Sama, making it impossible for the heroes to reach Demon World One. While Degesu is reluctant, he follows the order and disables the conduit between the Demon Worlds.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13 Opens On a Confusing Note.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13‘s opening scene comes with a bit of confusion. One can reason why having Warp-Sama disabled for a long time would be bad, but for a brief span doesn’t seem like it would be a hindrance. The show has repeatedly emphasized how difficult it is to acquire passage between worlds, so having him shut down—barring an unexpected catastrophe—shouldn’t be a problem. And there is no indication that the flying fish can’t be turned back on at will, making the resistance to the order more confusing.

Whether as an unindicted side effect of Warp-Sama’s shutdown or pure coincidence, a storm immediately besets the heroes’ plane, inflicting damage and causing them to crash land. As Bulma (Mai Nakahara, Birdie Wing: Golf Girl’s Story) and Panzy (Ai Fairouz) work to repair their damaged vessel, the rest of the group begins to explore the area surrounding their ship.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13 delivers the first moment where Panzy’s handiwork is combined with Bulma’s technical know-how. It’s charming to see Panzy discover the magic of Capsules and Bulma learn from the less experienced technician about systems specific to the Demon World. It’s great that the series doesn’t inject any competition between the two, choosing to let them marvel and learn from each other.

Oversized Threats Reign in Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13.

The heroes soon discover that they have crashed in an area of the Demon Realm where everything is huge. The scale of the danger is made clear when the group is nearly overwhelmed by a herd of giant hampsters, setting off an adorable slugfest between mini-Saiyans and giant furry monsters.

The oversized threats the group contends with for the remainder of the episode lead to many funny moments. The animation wonderfully leans into the absurdity of the sequence. Seeing the perpetually angry Vegeta desperately fending off oversized rodents is the best visual gag the franchise has had since he and Goku (Masako Nozawa) fought worms in Majin Buu’s belly.

The bulk of the chaos the heroes have to weather comes from a dog-like creature. Picking up the heroes’ scents, the creature playfully chases them and causes unknowing destruction for the beleaguered heroes. Seeing ki-blasts fired off, only for the dog to respond with happy barks as it interprets the attacks as play, is smile-inducing.

As the threats scale up, eventually causing the group to flee from a titan-sized curious child, the show balances the sequence’s danger with its ridiculousness. Despite Vegeta and Goku’s raw power, mass and momentum say that a swat from a giant is a really bad thing for them. It is also surprising how smart the sequence is in some respects. Its recognition of physics in some moments feels good, especially when it adds to the wild ride the group is forced to endure to escape.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13 doesn’t completely stick the landing, as there are a few moments when obvious resolutions make some of the danger feel unnecessary. Goku’s failure to remember key abilities he has, like his Instant Transmission technique, is a glaring oversight. It’s nothing unusual for the franchise, but it still hurts slightly once you notice it.

As the heroes depart the planet, Neva (Hiroshi Naka, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance) informs them that this is only the second most dangerous area in the Demon Realm. With Warp-Sama still down, it seems likely that the group will soon have another unexpected detour.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13 delivers an enjoyable story. The fun, frantic action moments deliver lots of silly excitement, sure to bring a few laughs. Sprinkle in some solid character moments, and the story entertains, even as it brings little plot progression.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 13 is streaming now on Crunchyroll and will arrive on Netflix next week.