Episode 117 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on November 20, 1991 and titled Krillin's Proposal in Funimation's dub, closes the Garlic Jr. Saga with a romantic comedy. With the demon gone, Krillin can finally think about himself and Maron, the girlfriend he introduced to his friends at the start of the saga. Between a birthday party at Kame House and a dive to the ocean floor, marriage seems within reach, but fate has other plans.
Summary
Peace has returned to Earth. Krillin tags along on Maron's shopping spree, loaded with bags, and when he sees her gazing at a wedding dress in a shop window, he decides it is time to propose. His imagination runs wild: he pictures himself at the altar surrounded by friends, from Goku to Vegeta, and then as a father of three. Coming out of a store, though, he catches Maron making eyes at a man in a sports car.
Meanwhile Master Roshi has summoned everyone to his island for an "emergency": Turtle is turning a thousand years old. Krillin and Maron show up too, and he announces they might get engaged. Roshi demands a rather inappropriate toll and earns a smack from Bulma. Maron, as usual, enjoys stirring things up: she leans on Yamcha, mocks Bulma's and Chi-Chi's age and sets off a quarrel.
That night Krillin cannot sleep, convinced he is not good enough for her. Turtle tells him about the Mermaid's Tear, the largest pearl in the world, said to bring happiness to whoever receives it. The next day Krillin dives with Gohan: the two escape a giant eel and find the pearl at the back of a cave, but a whole school of fish gathers around it to protect it. The pearl is their treasure, and Krillin gives up.
At sunset, walking along the beach, Krillin tells Maron he is setting her free. She replies that, all things considered, she would not have minded being his wife. He turns to call her back, but Maron is already driving off with another man. Back at Kame House, Krillin claims he was the one who ended it, hiding his tears behind sunglasses.
Our take
After nine episodes of demons and battles, the saga signs off with a light story written by Aya Matsui (the only episode of the arc not penned by Katsuyuki Sumisawa) and directed by series director Daisuke Nishio. The Japanese title nods to current events: "The 101st Proposal" echoes 101-kaime no Puropōzu, the Fuji TV drama whose finale had drawn close to a 37% rating in the summer of 1991, on the same network that aired Dragon Ball Z.
The heart of the episode is Krillin, with his usual insecurity and his kindness: giving up the pearl so the fish can keep their treasure says a lot about him. Maron, a character created for the anime, bows out here. His real happy ending will come years later, when he marries Android 18 and they have a daughter named Marron. In Japanese, though, the two names are spelled differently: Maron and Māron.
There is also a bridge back to the manga. Goku shows up in the wedding daydream, one of his very rare cameos in the saga, and Vegeta is already wearing the pink shirt he will sport in the next episode, when Frieza and King Cold land on Earth.
Trivia
- A filler episode with no manga chapters. Written by Aya Matsui, directed and storyboarded by Daisuke Nishio, with animation direction by Minoru Maeda; it drew a 22.4% share.
- No character flies except Puar, something that had not happened since episode 44.
- It is the last episode with the second version of the CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA opening.
- Tien and Chiaotzu only appear in Krillin's daydream, their sole presence in the saga.
- It first aired on Cartoon Network on September 1, 2000, more than three months after episode 116. In the original Funimation dub, Turtle was called "Tortoise."