The return of the Mystic.
Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.
Gohan is finally back at his prime and Super is setting him up to compete with Goku in strength by giving him his Mystic form back. The way Super goes about getting him to that form is awesome; Episode 88 features Gohan training in a unique way with Piccolo for the Tournament of Power. Their great relationship allowed for both intense mental and physical training with clever imagery of Gohan's growth, making for a fantastic episode.
One of the most striking things about the training scenes is how Gohan and Piccolo interact. Gohan is as much a son of Piccolo’s as he is Goku’s, and it shows in their actions and words as they train. Piccolo is tough on him, but gives him praise just when he needs it most. This relationship has existed for a long time, but it’s rare we see it present this way. To see it displayed and rekindled after being absent from the series for so long made the episode have some wonderful extra emotional weight.
I thought it rather clever that the episode was more focused on Gohan overcoming his internal issues, rather than the actual fighting with Piccolo. This also allowed Piccolo to have a far more meaningful role. He beat down Gohan emotionally, which he did knowing that it would push Gohan into becoming a better fighter. Although he wasn’t the main focus, these scenes with Piccolo also let us know just where he stood in terms of strength and mindset. It’s unlikely Piccolo will get his own “recruitment” episode, so I was pleased to see him utilized so well during this episode dedicated to Gohan.
Gohan’s transformations were used well during this episode, making for great imagery. This isn’t something we see too often in Super, since Goku and the others are usually in SSJ form, or they jump straight to their max power. Watching Gohan get beat down by Piccolo, only stand back up in his SSJ, then SSJ2 and Mystic form was very satisfying. Visually seeing his character evolving really helps hammer home just how strong Gohan is and how quickly he is relearning what he lost.
Although Gohan is the main focus, Episode 88 wisely doesn’t spend all its time on him. We are pulled away to other events a few times throughout the episode. This is smart, because as exciting as Gohan and Piccolo’s story is, the short breaks kept the training from getting stale. Things ended on a hilarious note with Yamcha running around his apartment, waiting for his invite to the Tournament of Power. It’s great that they keep sneaking his character into the show, and I wonder if he will find a way to somehow mess things up for our heroes in the future, in proper Yamcha fashion.
The Verdict
Episode 88 had the tough task of showing off two well-known characters training, but pulled it off very well thanks to some clever cuts and wise focus on the mental aspects of fighting. The smart use of Gohan’s transformations as visual cues for his character growth allowed Dragon Ball Super to deliver another amazing episode as we continue towards the inevitable Tournament of Power.
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