#but hey at least i know how to assess a systematic review

[nohkalikai]

oh yeah i know how to check the quality of an intervention

[slothcritic]

Dragon Ball Z Abridged - Episode 8 Review

Consistent yet lackluster, this is a good episode that doesn’t really stand out.

The title sequence for Nappa's Best Day Ever should've started after Cadaverrific! which I think is a wonderful bit of black humor. But the following scene just felt like another "ha ha bulma is a loose woman" joke. This scene might've been funnier with better voice acting. I wouldn't say the scene did nothing for me, but it did very little.

Also “Mr Kent” - Is that a Superman reference or am I taking crazy pills?

[Title Sequence]

With Yamcha gone, the mantle of series buttmonkey falls to Krillin. He has his big damn hero moment, when he Limit Breaks the stuffing out of three Saibamen, but it's frankly disregarded in favor of Piccolo using a god damned mouth-laser to annihilate the last one.

With no more Saibamen left to toy with, it falls upon the two Saiyans to get their hands dirty. Or rather, for Nappa to get his hands dirty while Vegeta sits back and watches. Nappa is no less full of whipshot non-sequiturs in this episode than he was in the previous. After some banter about teaching the Z Fighters a lesson, he gives new meaning to the word "punchline" and amputates Tien's arm.

Compared to a lot of other voice actors, Ganxingba (Tien) actually does a decent scream here. Most of the other screams so far have either been laid on too thick, or done way too close so it peaks their potato microphones, or it’s just super disingenuous. But right here, Tien’s scream is actually really convincing and doesn’t make me feel like someone is stabbing knives into my ears.

The quiet breeze after Vegeta makes a corny pun (Looks like he's been... disarmed!) sells the joke. Nappa’s follow-up seems more like an in-character necessity for him than it seems like a part of the joke.

Ever apparent that fighting Nappa would be completely beyond their capabilities, Chiaotzu decides to blow himself up and take Nappa with him.

"You can just wish me back with the Dragon Balls!" "We already wished you back with the Dragon Balls! We can't do it twice!" "...Wait, wha--?"

KABOOM. Okay, that got a chuckle out of me. This is also the first time the respawn limit of the Dragon Balls has been mentioned. Simply put, everybody gets one.

Krillin's comment on Chiaotzu's death is really bland and lazily written, but prompts a little more character insight to Tien.

"I loved him." "As a memorial to Yamcha... Gay."

I didn't like it when Yamcha first said it, but being referenced in this macabre fashion does something for me. I won't claim it's clever or witty but I personally find it funny.

Nappa then reveals that Chiaotzu's sacrifice had absolutely no effect on him, which naturally enrages Tien. He goes on to get the stuffing knocked out of him, and Gohan ponders if they should help him instead of just standing around.

Piccolo explains that Tien is in a battle to honor his friend’s death, and he wouldn’t dare besmirch the man’s pride by interrupting his heroic last stand. 

This immediately cuts to Tien screaming for help.

I can't tell if the smirk when Piccolo says "Like a hero" is a visual edit or actually existed in the source material, but it's use here is amazing. The look on his face makes him seem like a sadist who's enjoying this, and that's honestly not too far off from how Piccolo has been depicted so far. He's the Demon King who wants to take over the world and couldn't care less about these humans.

After being reprimanded by Gohan, Piccolo and Krillin finally get the lead out and agree to team up against Nappa. They get some surprise slaps on him, and Piccolo yells for Gohan to shoot him with everything he's got before he has time to DODGE.

This triggers a Pavlovian response and Gohan immediately runs for cover, which means Piccolo and Krillin are just going to have to fight Nappa the old fashioned way: By using the Kagebunshin no Jutsu.

"I can't... believe it."

The Naruto skit is creative and risable in its own right but not exactly gut-busting. What's a whole lot funnier is the notion that Nappa's incredible mental discipline is derived entirely from him playing "Patty Cake, Patty Cake" in his head.

Each of Krillin's shadow clones gets their own notch on the owned counter, bringing the score up to 7.

Nappa then commends their effort and tells them, hey at least you didn't kill yourself using a single useless attack, like Chiaotzu did. Tien then proceeds to do that exact same thing: He fires a Kikoho at Nappa and then dies.

It's given a bit more cause for worry in the original show, where Vegeta states that it very well could have killed Nappa if he didn't guard against it at the last second, but in this series he's given no such credit. Nappa just laughs and says "Pointless."

Just before he goes in for the kill on Krillin, he's stopped mid-air by a stunning realization. He can fly. Vegeta is too flabbergasted to argue this and simply agrees.

After pitching a fit about wanting Goku to watch him murder the Z Fighters, Vegeta obliges Nappa and agrees to wait three hours for Goku to arrive.

I half-expected, half-wanted them to make a fake girlfriend reference with Goku here.

Vegeta - "So this friend of yours, that you SAY is coming, is somehow stronger than all of you combined, yet didn't show up here to fight us, and you're only just now telling us this after two of your friends have died?"

Krillin - "You wouldn't know him, he goes to a different school."

Thirty seconds into their three hour wait time, Nappa starts up the "Is he here yet?" bit. Vegeta shoos him off and tells him to go have fun and occupy himself in any way he sees fit.

This begins a well-timed, well-edited musical number of Nappa systematically dismantling the naval and air forces of what I assume is the World Government.

And this whole time while Nappa is enjoying himself to the sounds of musical splendor, crashing metal, and explosions, Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan are just standing still in a morosely quiet semi-circle. For the entire three hours I'm guessing. Vegeta's scouter alarm goes off, which means time is up and they're all going to die. Nappa suddenly returns without his shirt and elbows Piccolo in the head so hard it changes the color of the sky from blue to pink.

Not the most clean or graceful cutaway scene, but it sells itself regardless. The stinger is a stronger finish than it had any right to be, as a callback and apparent closure to the most esoteric joke in this series. RIP Whales.

Conclusion

This was a plateau of an episode. Whereas the last episode had constant peaks and kept your interest, this one was steady and consistent throughout in a less remarkable way. Most of the factors that go into making or breaking an episode seemed to have hit a comfortable resting point. That or I've just finally become numb to the questionable microphone quality.

I feel like this episode almost lands in the twilight zone of "It's bad, so let me reach to say something positive about it" and "It's good, so let me reach to say something negative about it." that just coalesces into me not having much of anything to say about it. I’m uncertain whether or not this constitutes a failure on my part as a critic, or if this episode really is just that comparatively monotonous.

The word mediocre is often used to mean bad or poor, which I don't feel fits this episode, but it certainly isn't a stand out. I really couldn't find much worthy of discussion here beyond face value.

The few jokes that struck me personally stop me from calling this episode boring, but I found myself repeatedly checking the time to see how much I still had left to watch. It had jokes that were definitely funny, but nothing here really kept my attention. Other lackluster episodes, even if they were not worth a rewatch, kept my interest because I'd latch onto things that were obvious and apparent as being poorly done. This one offered very little variance between the lowest it went and the peak its comedy or production.

If anything, this episode is saved from a lower score by its tail end. Nappa's patty cake joke and the eponymous "best day ever" scene really make up the majority of this episodes hard-hitting humor for me.

But it is important to note that this is still a good episode. It’s not a laugh riot episode and it’s probably not in anyone’s Top 5, but it’s a very comfortable middle ground between the worst this season has to offer and the very peaks.

As an important side note, I feel like we're just now encroaching upon what might be Nappa fatigue. I maintain my position that Nappa has yet to have a “do nothing” joke - all of his humor has been in a hit in some capacity - but it feels almost par for the course at this point. Nappa is definitely not overdone in this episode and he in fact caries it, but I feel like another episode of this style would tread tightly upon the expiration date of how much zaniness you can come to expect before it starts to feel samey. Nappa is in danger here of simply becoming too saturated within the show’s focus and would lose his simplistic, unique appeal that's the driving force behind his characterization. Which is well-timed because we all know what happens next episode...

While I don’t think this episode stands out as a whole, it definitely has some strongly quotable moments. Yeah, yeah, most of what Nappa said. But a series of hilariously derailing one-liners does not make for something remarkable on the whole, which to me just feels expected, stagnant and safe. The peaks are not enough to pull this episode further up, but I must say I’m still not fully confident in my assessment. This was definitely a weird episode to judge.

Score: 67

Passing Thoughts

“What the hell could someone like you possibly major in?” “Child psychology.” “Wow, that sounds really interesting.” “WITH A MINOR IN PAIN!”

"Nappa here is worth 5 Raditz, and I am worth 15 Raditz!" - Vegeta Accurate to the canon power levels!

Oolong saying "Get back to the fight!" sounds absolutely nothing like Oolong. In fact, Episode 1 Oolong sounds more like Oolong than this short cameo did.

"Dick move, guys."

"Good effort, but I'm the patty cake champion."

[doneritchly]

5 Reasons Why I am Vegetarian

Hey y’all,

If you know me personally, you know that I am always engaging in conversations about my food choices, not because I like talking about foods but because I am vegetarian. Every time I visit a restaurant with co-workers, plan a potluck supper with friends, or sit down to eat with the extended family, I have to communicate my dietary restrictions, which usually brings out of other people a favorable smile, unfavorable eye-roll, or an “it is what it is” expression. I was also asked, “why did you choose to become vegetarian?” way too many times to keep count. In this blog, I will fully answer this question for you! I chose to become a vegetarian for the following reasons… 

1. To develop self-control

Yes, self-control! It seems odd because some people think that I have too much control ha! However, before I got a grip of myself, I was consistently getting in my own way and preventing myself from thriving. I often wanted things but never really followed through with it. For example, I wanted to eat healthier, exercise more, and developing better relationships but year after year I backslid on my goals because I had no discipline. Then, after backsliding, I became frustrated with myself and vowed to do better, only to repeat the same cycle. So, I stopped trying to do it myself and inquired with God, “what thing may I use to practice self-control?” and approximately the next week I got my answer. It dawned on me that food would be the perfect thing because I cannot avoid, overlook nor forget to eat. The plan was, if I failed to eat healthy during breakfast, I could try again during lunch or dinner. Every day I made an effort and little by little, I got into the groove of adding more vegetables to my meals and taking out more fatty foods. I also did an analysis on my food triggers, that is, what foods ignite thoughts of backsliding? What does science say about behavior change? What can I learn from individuals in the past who have changed their lifestyle from omnivorous to vegetarian? How may I pray for myself in this journey? Additionally, I rationalized, if I can control what I eat, it will empower me to apply the same mindset to other facets of my life.

2. To avoid cleaning, seasoning, and waiting for meat to taw

Call me lazy, impatient, or whatever you want but I am not a fan of cleaning, seasoning and waiting for the meat to taw. The smell is also very discouraging; I don’t care how much yummy potential may be dormant in a chicken leg, I prefer to spend my time decorating a vegetarian meal, taking photos of it, and then yumming it up! That is quicker, less work, and brings me joy. Don’t judge me; just let me live eh?!!!

3. To feel better

Preparing, decorating, and yumming pretty food does not only bring me joy but it helps me to feel more energized and wholesome. Science has shown consistently that eating healthy boost energy and wholesomeness. Don’t just take my word for it; let us see what nutrition scholars are saying about the impact of healthy eating on the mind and body. According to Harvard Health (2018), the tried-and-true advice for boosting your energy is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of unrefined carbohydrates, proteins, and fats with an emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, and healthy oils. Alongside this report, there are many other articles that show and explain why and how healthy eating improves energy level. You may search “healthy eating and energy level” on Google Scholar or cross-references the sources that were mentioned on the Harvard Health Publishing page for more information via the link at the end of this post.

4. To be healthier

As a health professional and public health specialist, I am always pinpointing risk of morbidity and early mortality. Yes, even when I am not at work. I can’t help it! Among the leading contributors to poor lifestyle choices and chronic illness is an overconsumption of meats and carbohydrates, and under-consumption of vegetables. Furthermore, Schwingshackl et al (2018) reported that healthy eating (balanced diet including the food groups mentioned in point 3 above) does not only help us to “feel good” but is associated with significant reduction in the risk of morbidity and mortality. Particularly, healthy eating is associated with the reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease by 22%, cancer by 16%, type II diabetes by 18% and neurodegenerative disease (such as Alzheimer) by 15%. Alongside these reports, there are many more studies and articles that report the many benefits of healthy eating on energy level and overall health. If you are interested in learning more about the Schwingshacki et al study, I have provided a link to the full article below.

5. To show-off  (insert side-eye emoji)

Laawwwdddd, don’t judge me! But yes, you read that correctly! I like being vegetarian because it’s an easy way to share with others that eating healthy does not necessarily mean boringgggg. A lot of people have the misconception that eating healthy is synonymous with eating plain and tasteless oatmeal, but as a vegetarian I am able to showcase, a lot of times without even thinking about it, that its fun and yummy to add a ton of honey, blueberries, almonds, and raisins to oatmeal for a vibrant and energizing breakfast. I remember once, while in graduate school, I prepared my breakfast bowl with the aforementioned ingredients then added hot water and headed to my graduate assistantship work desk. While sitting at my desk and waiting for my work computer to load, I decided to open the bowl and start eating my breakfast. In the midst of minding my own business, at least three people were attracted by the smell of honey and blueberries; they could not resist the smell and inquired of me “what are you eating? It smells really good!” Just like that (insert finger-snap sound effect) I was able to share and show-off that eating healthy does not mean boring.

There are many other motivations for why people healthy but these are the top motivators that have kept me in the vegetarian lifestyle for about 5 years now. I stopped counting the time that I have been vegetarian because I am more focused on maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Considering the information that you have found in this post, if you have further questions about vegetarianism or the references, let me know. You may email me using the email on Instagram page, DM me on Instagram and Facebook or comment on this post.  

Source

Harvard Health Publishing. (2018). Eating to boost energy - Harvard Health. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/eating-to-boost-energy

Schwingshackl, L., Bogensberger, B., & Hoffmann, G. (2018). Diet Quality as Assessed by the Healthy Eating Index, Alternate Healthy Eating Index, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Score, and Health Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,118(1). doi:10.1016/j.jand.2017.08.024 Retrieved from https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(17)31260-1/fulltext