Wow. What a quick resolution to this mentally scarring event.

I just... you had something, then you completely dropped the ball. This needed leagues more time. It didn't need to be wrapped up in a tiny little bow immediately. What the hell?

Ok. Yeah. Vegito's a shit parent. Suddenly everything about Bra makes sense to me. 1 Respuesta(s)

I'd like to think it's Pan raising a good question about the U16 Gohan, rather than her own dad. I mean, if he really cared about his daughter, wouldn't he step in, Vegito be damned? It makes you think about just how different the U16 Gohan is from the U18 one. They aren't as similar as we think.

And yes, Gohan did encourage her to fight Kakarot and let Vegeta egg her on, but that was only after he insured that the Saiyans wouldn't kill her; he also knew Pan wouldn't be happy with herself if she forfeited before fighting. As he says, Pan is more like his father than him. U16 Gohan on the other hand, while he did warn Pan, didn't seem to think that U16 Pan would lose to Bojack... despite knowing very well that Full Power SSJs don't stand a chance against him. Sure, he told her he wasn't a nice person and said she needed to be careful, but even he couldn't beat Bojack as Full Power SSJ. You think he would be more against it. Arrogance? Fear of Vegito? Who knows. But it does get you to think. 2 Respuesta(s)

At first, I didn't get why people are so mad about Gohan threatening Vegeta. Till I realized something... however you feel about Vegeta firing a big bang in two weaker fighters' direction, depends on if you agree with his characterization in Super... or if you preferred how he acted in GT.

Yes, surprisingly there are people who argue his development in GT was better than Super's. Now, I'm not talking relevance here. Even those people know he might have well dropped off the face of the Earth if we're going by his place in the story. But his personality and attitude did entice a good number of people. He was no longer held back by his pride and a drive to be better than Goku, he was more caring and loving towards his family (hell, he even showed concern for Goku at multiple points), and he was definitely more practical- he's the first one to suggest fusion instead of being embarrassed by it, and he takes Bulma's shortcut for SSJ4 not to catch up to Goku, but to gain enough power to fight the Shadow Dragons.

Obviously, the arguments against it, besides relevancy, are that he has lost his passion, or that they simply took that kind of development to the extreme. He can come off as too much of a wet blanket to some viewers.

On the other hand, we have Super's version, which despite what people say, does give a reason why Vegeta is still out to be better than Goku- It makes him stronger for his family and new home, and is still a goal for his life. Plenty of pride, still driven to be better than Goku, but not emotionally and mentally crippled by that drive. Vegeta might've admitted Kakarot was better than him, but would that truly mean he would give up trying to catch up to him entirely? Super and its fans would argue no. Thus, Super's interpretation paints him as much of a fighter as ever. He still hates shortcuts and is still resistant to fusion, he's as caustic to Goku as he always is, and his moments with his family are more... suppressed. Still there, but not as particularly out in the open.

The arguments against this Vegeta are that, even with his reason, Vegeta's character has stagnated... even regressed. He's a better fighter, but has worse character development.

Basically, GT Vegeta is a lover, not a fighter. Super Vegeta is a fighter, not a lover. And that lends itself to how you may feel about his actions.

Well, actually that's not entirely accurate. There are people who'd like a softer Vegeta but hate GT, and vice versa with Super. But it does depend on just how much "softer" you believe Vegeta would become after the Buu Saga.

Personally, I would prefer a mix of the two- there's no reason we can't have Gt Vegeta's development while still giving him the drive and strength of Super's GT. In that case? No, I don't see him firing that Big Bang. However, Salagir's interpretation, while it does show Vegeta having his softer moments, does lean towards a harder Vegeta. It's something to keep in mind, otherwise he probably would've wanted this chapter rewritten. I believe it does make sense for DBM Vegeta, but not other versions.

— 

It is a legitimate question about why U16 Gohan didn't save Pan... but I think that's the point. In U18, Gohan is still the strongest. But in U16, Gohan is now outclassed by two extremely powerful fighting-obsessed saiyans. As some have suggested, it's entirely possible that Vegito's presence has affected far more than we've initially seen. Some are saying Vegito would've stopped Gohan. Hell, we still haven't gotten to the point that Vegito turns on everybody. Or perhaps it has to do with a sort of arrogance gained from having those incredibly powerful saiyans around. Perhaps U16 Gohan has become complacent. U18 Gohan did go to the saiyans to bribe them so that Kakarot wouldn't kill Pan. Then again, it was after U16 Pan's death... To make a long story short, it's posing such a question and getting us to think about the potential answers, because it will eventually show us why the other Gohan didn't save the other Pan, in a way that either validates us or surprises us. I mean, I hope anyway.

Overall, a damn good chapter. Great art, great action for what was shown, and I would indeed argue great writing. Even with my reservations of the rest of the series, I find this to be my favorite chapter.

Think fast, chucklenuts!

Guys, there are better ways to decide who gets the last donut.

If I might ask, where is the story this was based from? I will not spoil, I just want to compare between the two, see how it adapted from writing to comic. 2 Respuesta(s)

Alright. I've been pretty harsh on this comic in the past. However, after having a go around and finding some... pretty awful webcomics, I've decided to go back and look through this again. Being able to read it all together at once, I can say that this comic is pretty good. I've even alleviated on Bra (ultimately I think her characterization is one of those risky ones that people either love or hate), whom I was more frustrated with in the past... to put it nicely. However, I think there's one thing really holding this comic back, making mountains out what are more likely molehills... and it's unfortunately something I don't think the writers can really control. The release schedule.

Now, releasing one page at a time makes sense. It's a fan work and no one's getting paid, of course they aren't able to release it like Jump does- they arguably can't even do it like the monthly chapter stories can. That's all good and understandable... but then you add on the specials. I can understand when they release specials in between main story chapters. Gives them some time to get organized and whatnot. However, the hard truth is that it does hurt the comic's pacing. It's the best way to make sure the main story keeps consistent with its quality, but there's no escaping the fact that it also brings that story to a grinding halt for a special that could end up dead on arrival. Worst case scenario of course, but even when the special is good, it can risk losing interest in the series by how long they sometimes take... especially if there's more than one in between main story chapters.

Take for instance, the majin attack arc- the comic already moves very slowly since it releases one page at a time, but with the specials that wait extends even longer. It's easy to forget that Bra's attack is only three chapters, practically nothing to read through in one go, but an agonizing wait for those who experienced the chapters as they released. Except it wasn't just her chapters, it was also the three specials that popped in between them. What probably would usually take three months or so instead ballooned into an entire year. And with those three chapters being Bra cruelly killing off other competitors and even her family, it's easy to see how experiencing that at a snail's pace could inflame people's... feelings about her. This isn't even counting the majin attack in general, which has gone on for three years now.

The biggest tragedy is, outside of release, when you can read without the specials, the pacing is fine. It actually moves the same speed as any shonen comic, maybe even quicker. I just hope someday we can figure a better way to prepare chapters, cause as of now, doing it like this might actually hinder more than help.

All that being said... this is the best damn chapter for me. Hands down. The style is different, but it looks great and can still capture the feeling of dragon ball fighting. And it's shaping up to be a nice character piece on U18 Pan and why she wants to be a fighter. Also, this Pan is adorable. It's helped by the fact that this will be a done in one, unhindered by the usual pacing problems.

Looks like U18 Bra won this Shakashuri Blowdown.

You know, this whole situation is reminding me of something, but I can't put my finger on it... oh, I know!

18-Bra: Listen, we don't cotton to freaks around these parts. Scram, weirdo!
16-Bra: Oh yeah? I don't poly-cotton to coping tropes, even my own, so why don't you split?
18-Bra: Looks like I already did. You're the sad figment of my twisted psyche's tragic dividend. You're the un-me, I'm the real me. You wanna be me?
16-Bra: Kiddo, I was the real me when you were still in my short pants.
18-Bra: Hate to break it to you, but I wore them first. Me bequeathed thee the psycho-pathological hand-you-downs.
16-Bra: So you're the one who stained them.
18-Bra: Whoever found it browned it.
16-Bra: You'd like me to be you, wouldn't me? But it's too late, you snoze, you loze.
18-Bra: You sleept, you weept.
16-Bra: You nappah, you get slappah.
18-Bra: You slumber, a cucumber.
16-Bra: You catch up on some zeds, you get outta my heads!
18-Bra: You slumber... hammmmmburger Idontwannatalkaboutnothingelse- HA!
16-Bra: Listen, this multiversal tournament is not big enough for two girls named after womens' underwear.
18-Bra: You couldn't SEEK your way out of a CARDBOARD BAG.
16-Bra: Yeah, I know, cuz it would be an EGG.
18-Bra: Ooo, this gal might be better than me.
16-Bra: You're right, I am better than me.
18-Bra: Look, buddy, know when you're defeated. Accept your defecation.
16-Bra: No, thanks, I'm full cuz I eat pussies like you for breakfast.
18-Bra: Look at you, you look so superficial, you probably judge things by their physical appearance.
16-Bra: Oh yeah? Your mom is so shallow, she probably thinks this quip is about her.
18-Bra: You're about as deep as a bowl of soup, and your tongue is about as sharp as a soup spoon.
16-Bra: Hey, say what you want about me, but lay off the soup.
18-Bra: If you love soup so much, why don't you marry soup?
16-Bra: Because I'm already married, to fighting.
18-Bra: Yeah, only a blind girl would marry you.
16-Bra: I know everything you're gonna-
18-Bra: Say. And I know everything you're gonna-
16-Bra: Don't.
18-Bra: Oh yeah? Well, when God was passing out insight you thought he said that when God was passing out holy prophets, you thought he said oily faucets cuz your soul has diarrhea...of the mouth...faucet.
16-Bra: Are you so dumb, you even answer rhetorical questions?
18-Bra: I don't know, do you?
16-Bra: We can play this game all night.
18-Bra: First of all, it's daytime. And this, is no game.
16-Bra: Checkmate.

Though I've had my gripes with the story lately, I can respect the art here. It's hitting Bra harder than Gohan or Grand Supreme Kai because it's coming from her- it's her insecurities and doubts coming to life.

Ok, yes, one-sided fights that have the villain winning for multiple chapters while mercilessly torturing and killing our heroes are nothing new to DB. But here's the thing.

A single chapter was released practically every week back when the original manga was written. Things may have gone on for several chapters, but those chapters were also released in their entirety and the one sided fight practically ended in about a month or two. DBM does not have that luxury, they post a single page every few days to the point where a single chapter lasts almost a month and a half- including the cover page for the damn chapter. Because of this, you have amplified pacing problems from the original series immensely. This fight started a year ago and still hasn't come close to ending. It doesn't help that the what-if chapters are still being released in the middle of the ongoing mini-arcs and fights- a practice that should have been abandoned years ago- which only increases the pacing problems even more. Yes, technically when you look back, now that we have (or will have) all the pages, so we can read it all at once, but that comes with its own slew of problems just for the mini-arc itself. Including the fact that the universe chapters still interrupt the fights anyway (seriously, I have never seen a more asinine crutch of a writing practice), the fact that Bra is a intensely contested character, and that the chapter is way too gory in killing the "hero" characters (far more gratuitous than the original manga was), and you have an overly bleak and dragged on chapter that everybody wants to end already and makes everyone wish Bra would just die.