Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 review: The conflict is established in an effective way

Modified Oct 19, 2024 04:32 GMT

Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 review and more (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 debuted on Friday, October 18, 2024, at 11:40 pm JST. This second episode continued where the first one left off, establishing that Goku and his friends were turned into kids and Dende was kidnapped by Degesu and King Gomah, resulting in the main cast having to find a way to head there, which is shown throughout episode.

This Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 review focuses on analyzing the anime’s storyline, production quality, casting choices, and other elements. The goal is to assess the series' quality thus far and also conclude if it's doing justice to the legacy of author Akira Toriyama and the franchise as a whole.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers and reflects the author’s opinions.

Reviewing Dragon Ball Daima episode 2: Evaluating the latest episode of this legendary franchise

Dragon Ball Daima episode 2: A brief synopsis

Bulma as a kid in the most recent episode (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 started, as mentioned earlier, presenting how Goku and his friends were turned into kids and how they reacted to this situation. Moreover, Degesu and Gomah are denied two more wishes since this is the first time they use the Earth Dragon Balls and also choose to kidnap Dende, who was turned into a kid.

Goku, Piccolo, and the Supreme Kai arrive at the Lookout, and Mr. Popo informs them of what happened, with Shin stating that heading to the Demon Realm is near impossible because of the logistics. However, Kibito brought the ship the Supreme Kai used years ago and Bulma was tasked with improving it so they could head to their objective.

There is also a subplot of Goku getting used to his shorter body and trying to train to adjust his fighting style and flying abilities, resulting in him heading to Korin's Tower and Kame House to find his trusted weapon, the Nyoibō. The remainder of Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 featured Glorio's introduction and his request to Goku to defeat King Gomah, resulting in those two and Supreme Kai heading to the Demon Realm.

Narrative review of Dragon Ball Daima episode 2: A great development of the starting conflict

Goku and Vegeta as kids (Image via Toei Animation).

In terms of storytelling, Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 did a solid job following up the events of the previous episode, especially in terms of fluidity. Every scene that happens here is a direct result of what happened before, which is something that is key when telling a story and also serves to establish the conflict that is heading to the Demon Realm.

Perhaps the sole gripe that could be had at the moment is that there is no information on what happened to Gohan, who, on paper, was affected by Gomah's wish as well. Goku already mentioned that he was busy studying so there is a chance that he could be written out of the story or the people at Toei are setting up Gohan to have a bit of focus later on.

Be that as it may, this episode also made a logical showing of Goku having to adapt to being a kid again and realizing that he cannot fight as he did as an adult. It was a smart decision and the introduction of Glorio leads to the proper beginning of the story and also shows, through the Supreme Kai, that there is a mystery surrounding this character.

Dragon Ball Daima episode 2: Reviewing the production, animation, soundtracks, and voice acting

Goku training as a kid (Image via Toei Animation).

This episode was quite important for the voice cast since several main cast members had new actors because of the obvious age change. By and large, the presentation was quite good and fit with the nature of them being kids now, although it is bound to be divisive in the coming episodes.

When it comes to the animation, there is an argument to be made that this episode was a lot less flashy when compared to the first one but didn't have any decline in terms of quality. The visuals are still quite good, and the characters move with a lot of naturality, but it was a bit more relaxed than the first episode.

Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 continues to have a solid soundtrack that fits with the franchise's lighthearted and positive feeling. Moreover, this episode saw the official debut of the opening and ending, which pleasantly surprised the fandom, especially considering the moments they pay tribute to the legendary author, Akira Toriyama.

Final thoughts

Dragon Ball Daima episode 2 has done a good job establishing the conflict, which is the journey to the Demon Realm and rescue Dende, while adding a few new mysteries, such as Glorio's secrets. It might be less flashy than what the first episode offered but makes sense when considering the scenes and moments that took place.

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Edited by Bharath S