Episode 55 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on March 18, 1987 and known in the English dub as Penguin Village, does two very different things in twenty minutes. First General Blue returns from the sea for his revenge and holds all of Kame House hostage with nothing but a rope; then the chase that follows takes Goku straight into another comic. The "N'cha!" of the Japanese title is Arale Norimaki's greeting, and Penguin Village is her home.
Summary
Back from the pirate cave, Goku, Bulma and Krillin rest at Kame House. Goku wants to set out again in search of his grandfather's Four-Star Ball, while Bulma has had enough and would like to fly home in Master Roshi's plane, which Launch has just taken off with, along with the diamond. Outside, out of sight, waits General Blue. Using his psychic powers he brings the ropes to life, and they lash out and tie everyone up. Goku tries to break free, but a rope grabs his tail and drains his strength.
Blue calmly gathers the Dragon Balls the group has collected, starts a five-minute time bomb and pops a capsule to summon his jet. Before he leaves, Bulma tries to save her skin by offering to help him, and even Roshi volunteers; Blue scornfully turns them both down and flies off. The countdown ticks away amid gags and panic until, with a minute to go, Launch walks back in, dark-haired and sweet again. At first she thinks it is a joke, then she unties Goku, who hurls the bomb out of the window seconds before it goes off.
Goku jumps on the Flying Nimbus and gives chase. Blue cannot believe his eyes when he finds the boy on his tail, and the two push to top speed until they are flying over a strange island. It is Penguin Village: Arale is racing the Gatchans, while at the Coffee Pot café Akane, Tsukutsun, Obotchaman and Peasuke chat about spring break. With a blast from his engines Blue knocks Goku off his cloud, and the boy lands right in front of Arale. The general is so busy gloating that he never sees the mountain ahead of him, and crashes straight into it.
Our take
The first half is Blue at his best: cold, theatrical, able to win without lifting a finger. Grabbing Goku's tail is a smart callback to his old weak spot, and the bomb scene, with everyone tied up and Launch walking in at the last moment, is built to make you laugh and hold your breath at once.
Then the episode changes skin. The Penguin Village crossover is Toriyama's gift to readers of his previous work, and the anime takes it seriously: colors, background characters and even music come straight from Dr. Slump. For a Japanese viewer in 1987 it was like meeting old friends again, and the switch is so sharp it feels like a deliberate change of channel. This is where the saga allows itself a breather before its most ruthless villains arrive.
Trivia
- The episode adapts the second half of chapter 80 and chapter 81 up to page 13 of Akira Toriyama's manga. It drew a 25.8% ratings share in Japan.
- Penguin Village, Arale, the Gatchans and the other locals come from Dr. Slump, the manga Toriyama serialized before Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball had taken over the Dr. Slump anime's time slot on Fuji TV.
- In the manga Blue ambushes the group outdoors; in the anime they are all inside Kame House. The long countdown and the aerial chase were also stretched out for TV.
- In the Japanese version Bulma even offers to join the Red Ribbon Army, and Blue replies that they have no need for women.
- Several of Shunsuke Kikuchi's music cues from the Dr. Slump anime are reused in this episode.
Did you know? In the original Japanese, Master Roshi stays silent when Blue shows up, privately thinking the man is truly dangerous, because he had not sensed his presence at all.
Characters
- Goku
- Bulma
- Krillin
- Master Roshi
- Launch and Turtle
- General Blue
- Arale and the Gatchans
- Akane, Tsukutsun, Obotchaman and Peasuke