The sixth episode of Dragon Ball, first aired in Japan on April 2, 1986, is a full-blown night-time farce. The Japanese title, "Midnight Callers", fits perfectly: there are plenty of uninvited guests, everyone wants the Dragon Balls, and everyone tries to grab them while the others sleep. Funimation's dub retitled it "Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls".
Recap
Night falls in the desert and Oolong produces his only capsule: a rather grimy double-decker camper. Bulma heads upstairs for a shower, complaining all the way, while downstairs Goku explains to Oolong what the Dragon Balls can do. Outside, Mai and Shu are prowling around on Pilaf's orders. Shu tries to plant a bomb under the camper, but it sticks to his hand and the pair have to try again later.
On the other side of the vehicle, Yamcha and Puar are listening in. Circling the camper, Yamcha catches sight of Bulma naked through a window, screams and runs. Then inspiration strikes: with the Dragon Balls he could wish never to be afraid of girls again.
Inside, Bulma finds out Oolong has no clothes to lend her and goes to bed, threatening anyone who dares enter her room. Oolong serves drinks laced with a sleep-inducing herb, and Goku is out cold. The pig creeps upstairs to steal the balls, and maybe something else, but Yamcha and Puar are on their way in too. Puar turns into Goku to lure Oolong outside, while Oolong has turned into Bulma: the two shapeshifters end up unmasking each other. Meanwhile Yamcha sneaks into the bedroom, lifts the blanket to grab the "balls" and finds himself staring at Bulma's chest. He panics and flees.
In the morning Mai and Shu finally get the bomb in place, set for one hour. Bulma has nothing else to wear but a bunny costume. As the group sets off, Yamcha attacks with a rocket launcher and destroys the camper. In the rematch Goku knocks out one of his teeth, and the bandit, seeing himself in a mirror Puar has turned into, retreats in despair. Mai and Shu, convinced the bomb has already gone off, climb into the wreck to look for the balls. It explodes with them inside.
The group is stranded again, but Yamcha comes back, apologizes and gives them a car. It is not a selfless gift: the car hides a radar that lets him track them. His plan is to let them gather all seven balls and steal them at the last moment.
Our review
The episode is built like a stage farce: one location, night-time, doors and windows that characters keep slipping through with conflicting plans. Director Kazuhisa Takenouchi times the entrances well, and the moment Puar-as-Goku and Oolong-as-Bulma size each other up is one of the saga's best gags. The rest of the humor is brazen and dated, but true to the spirit of the manga.
Underneath the farce, Yamcha takes a step forward. His wish, not money or power but the chance to talk to a girl, makes him instantly likable and hints at where his story is going. The rigged car is a smart touch too: Yamcha stops being an enemy to defeat and becomes a patient tail, a presence that will follow the group all the way to Pilaf's castle.
The Mai and Shu scenes, including the bomb stuck to Shu's hand and the final explosion, are anime additions. The bunny costume, on the other hand, comes from the manga and plants a small seed: it pays off in the town adventure of episode 9.
Trivia
- The episode drew a 20.8% share in Japan, the lowest among the first seven.
- Yamcha's rocket launcher bears the German word "Vorsicht", meaning "caution", as on real Panzerfaust warning labels.
- According to the narrator, Goku has now been away from home for a week.
Did you know? Puar says he has been at Yamcha's side for almost two years: the desert bandits were a well-oiled team long before they met Goku.