Dragon Ball has been on a roll with its latest stretch of episodes as the first season has really found its sweet spot when it comes to the types of stories that it wants to tell. “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” is a fairly frivolous installment that one could arguably reduce to a filler episode, but it takes some huge swings regarding the new antagonist that it introduces (who’s easily Dragon Ball’s weirdest and most powerful character to date).
“Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” is an extremely silly episode that’s content to have fun with its latest wild card player. In doing so, Dragon Ball still shows off its diverse cast of characters and how they all work together and compliment each other through heightened slapstick theatrics. “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” might be one of Dragon Ball’s most inconsequential episodes, but it’s undeniably one of its most entertaining.Dragon Ball Episode 9 delivers a promising glimpse of what lies ahead as Goku, Bulma, and the rest of their crew get deeper into their adventure.
An Odd Mob Terrorizes A Small Town
Rabbit Rebels Run Amok
Dragon Ball Episode 7 Retro Review: “The Ox King On Fire Mountain,” Presents A Powerful Warrior Princess
Dragon Ball Episode 7 introduces some major players as Ox-King and Chi-Chi task the heroes with a fiery quest.
Dragon Ball has established a successful formula where Goku and Bulma travel to a new town and help them solve whatever unusual problem plagues this community. It’s too early in Dragon Ball’s run for this recipe to have become stale and it’s compelling to discover all the different ways that Dragon Ball deconstructs its already familiar structure. “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” is a homerun in every regard that almost feels like Dragon Ball’s version of the classic Twilight Zone episode, “It’s A Good Life,” where a terrified community is supernaturally strong-armed into compliance.
Dragon Ball has done commendable work when it comes to giving each of these random communities a distinct personality. Fungus Town is no different. There’s a real sense of character to the giant mushroom-laden town that looks like it could be a level from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. These enormous mushrooms contribute to some really creative architecture that allows Dragon Ball’s animation team to really have some fun. What’s even more interesting is the palpable fear present in the community’s residents. A gang whose members are dressed like bunnies – the Rabbit Mob – have taken over Fungus Town, which facilitates a rather brilliant misunderstanding that involves Bulma.
Bulma has been stuck in an awkward bunny suit for multiple episodes, which was initially introduced as generic, lazy fan-service. However, this wardrobe choice beautifully pays off in “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” when Bulma is confused for a member of Monster Carrot’s gang. It’s unclear if this slow-burn payoff was always the plan with Bulma’s bunny suit, but it’s a smart way to provide closure to this silly visual gag. It also fosters a very natural introduction to Monster Carrot that efficiently establishes the terror that he’s instilled in this community. Episode 9 features some of Dragon Ball’s most economical storytelling yet.
One Big, Bad Bunny Becomes A Colossal Competitor
Monster Carrot Reveals His Paranormal Power
Dragon Ball Episode 6 Retro Review: “Keep An Eye On The Dragon Balls” Loses Its Way With Crude, Creepy Comedy
Dragon Ball Episode 6 stumbles as its broad, farcical humor reduces Bulma to reductive eye candy.
“Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” begins like a normal Dragon Ball episode, only to pull the rug out from under the audience with a major twist. Goku’s aggression against the Rabbit Mob is entertaining and par for the course at this point, but his fisticuffs cause enough of a scene for the gang to summon Monster Carrot – a giant anthropomorphic rabbit with a debilitating magical ability. Monster Carrot has a really playful character design and it’s fun to imagine Akira Toriyama doodling a ridiculous figure in the margins of a notebook. Monster Carrot’s silly appearance makes the danger that he poses even more striking. This further reinforces Dragon Ball’s running theme that appearances can be deceiving and that power can come from the unlikeliest of places.
“Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” also gets some great use out of Yamcha and Puar, who have been relegated to silent spectators for several episodes. It’s a smart decision to have Yamcha be worldly enough to have heard tall tales of Monster Carrot’s powers. He’s able to naturally clue in the audience before Bulma’s vegetable metamorphosis fate is sealed. Yamcha provides vital intel, but he and Puar both take on active roles, which makes the episode all the better. It’s important that Goku and his friends alone can’t always solve the problems that they face – especially when Oolong fearfully ditches the gang – and that outside support will sometimes be needed.
Bulma’s transformation into a carrot is shocking, but it’s the ideal catalyst to push everyone out of their comfort zone and learn how to work together. Goku is typically quick to assert his physical power over his obstacles, but Monster Carrot’s threat of eating Carrot Bulma if he attempts an attack is a smart way to neutralize him. Furthermore, Goku can’t even make physical contact with Monster Carrot, lest he wind up a vegetable and endure the same absurd fate as Buma. Puar gets to lead the charge this time around as she indulges in some rich slapstick shapeshifting shenanigans to save Bulma.
Puar transforms into a bird, who steals Carrot Bulma away from Monster Carrot, which lends itself to a comical airborne chase sequence. Puar also manages to get the upper hand against Monster Carrot when he shapeshifts into another version of the villain who threatens to give him a taste of his own medicine. It’s unclear if Puar obtains the same powers as anyone he shapeshifts into. It’s a resolution that may not necessarily make sense, but it works in a broad Looney Tunes-esque capacity (something that’s all the more appropriate since Puar invokes major Bugs Bunny energy here). It’s also just satisfying to see Monster Carrot experience the same fear that he’s gleefully invoked in others. Dragon Ball doesn’t attempt to redeem Monster Carrot, which is likely for the best, but it’s still a good idea to humble him like this.
Yamcha & Goku Work Together Against This Monstrous Menace
A Creative Clash Brings Out The Best In Both Warriors
RETRO REVIEW: Dragon Ball Z Is Still Akira Toriyama’s Magnum Opus 35 Years Later
Full of memorable character development and some of the best fights in anime, Dragon Ball Z is still a shonen classic 35 years later.
It’s incredibly satisfying to see Yamcha jump into the fray and defend Goku when he’s overwhelmed by the Rabbit Mob, even if it’s really a gesture for Bulma’s safety. Episode 9 is the first time Goku & Yamcha work together and there’s an effortless dynamic between the two in battle. It helps to learn that Yamcha is not purely wicked. He possesses selfish motives for the Dragon Balls, but his cooperation with Goku against Monster Carrot indicates that these two will soon bury the hatchet and become fast friends, much like they did with Oolong.
Yamcha’s battle contributions are essential here, but “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” also features some really smart and inspired uses for Goku’s Power Pole. This weapon is an effective way for Goku to keep the villain at a distance, as well as a justified means of knocking Bulma Carrot out of everyone’s reach. Admittedly, Goku’s recently-learned Kamehameha would also have been an effective way to take out Monster Carrot without any physical contact. However, such a strategy would likely have killed Monster Carrot before he helped turn Bulma back to normal.
The episode’s conclusion includes some fun and unexpected developments. Goku’s Power Pole reaches new heights – literally – when he uses it to transport Monster Carrot and his Rabbit Mob to the moon as some sort of unconventional prison sentence. Their fate on this celestial rock is a wild reference to a Japanese fairy tale that may go over the heads of many North American Dragon Ball fans. Rabbits on the moon is the type of folklore-inspired storytelling that Toriyama was deeply interested in during Dragon Ball’s early days. The whole episode is quite humorous, but there’s some great comedy that comes out of everyone agreeing that Bulma was more amenable when she was a non-verbal carrot.
Dragon Ball has had plenty of silly episodes at this point, but “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” feels the most successful and effortless of the lot. It’s the new gold standard that Dragon Ball should strive towards for any future comedic detours. It presents itself as a broad endeavor for the heroes, but it’s actually a meticulously plotted episode where every little detail matters and contributes to the grander picture. Multiple Dragon Ball episodes have featured shapeshifting as their climax, yet “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” makes this plot device feel the most natural.
Not enough praise can be given to the confident simplicity of the episode’s “Carrot Bulma Chase,” especially when it takes to the skies with Puar’s bird transformation. After several episodes of heavy action and character development, “Boss Rabbit’s Magic Touch” is the perfect palette cleanser, moving the story forward in surprising ways. Episode 9 celebrates the pure, unadulterated joys of being a Dragon Ball fan, where anything – and everything – is possible.
