“Do all of you remember the name Red Ribbon Army?” That’s the first of many lines of expository dialogue in “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,”The mega-popular animated animation of action fantasy has been extended to include the latest animated version. “Dragon Ball” manga comics.
The opening voiceover narration serves to prepare viewers for how complicated the movie will soon become.
Some tablesetting dialogue explains who the Red Ribbon Army are (bad guys) and why they’re back. The son of the Red Pharmaceutical Company’s founder, Magenta (voiced by Volcano Ota in the Japanese-language version and Charles Martinet in the English dub), wants to take over the world. Soon enough, however, this rather straightforward beat-em show, in which heroic aliens face off against villainous robotics, is transformed into a celebration. “Dragon Ball,”An anime institution that dates back decades.
Both the “Dragon Ball”And “Dragon Ball Z”The ideal audience for anime references to the Frieze Force (evil fighter aliens), fusion Special Attacks (two guys become one man) and senzu bean (edamame-looking fruits that give you superhuman energy when consumed) will be anime viewers. However, open-minded viewers might enjoy the anime as well. “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,”Its lively dialogue and exciting fight scenes are a great combination. So if you can focus on what distinguishes this movie from others like it – mainly its well-honed synthesis of light-weight action drama and well-honed fan service – you might still have a ball watching it.
“Dragon Ball Hero: Super Hero”It all begins with a pre-title credit to the original “Dragon Ball”Akira Toriyama is the manga creator. She also wrote this movie’s script and designed its characters. The amiable, kid-friendly quirks that define Toriyama’s characters are the real reason to watch “Dragon Ball Hero: Super Hero,”Since its story often highlights the depth of supporting and main characters that were introduced and developed over several seasons, “Dragon Ball”There are sequels, spinoffs, adaptations.
Thankfully, the plot of the film isn’t hard to follow – despite frequent disruptive sub-plots, which stretch the narrative to include even more fan-favorite references and cameos. The movie’s main character is Piccolo, a second-string hero played by Toshio Furukawa/Christopher Sabat as he prepares for Magenta and a trio of new super-strong robots.
Everyone does it. “Dragon Ball” fans will care about the ties that bind these villains to their predecessors, not even the endearingly naïve Dr. Hedo (Miyu Irino/Zach Aguilar), the grandson of the original Red Ribbon Company’s killer robots. Thankfully, the Gamma twins’ retro uniforms still look cool, and Gamma 2 also sometimes gets in a good line of dialogue during his otherwise limited interactions with Piccolo.
“Dragon Ball Hero: Super Hero” otherwise mostly concerns Piccolo’s quest to rally all of his former allies, some of whom have kept in better fighting shape than others. Main protagonists Goku (Masako Nozawa/Sean Schemmel) and Vegeta (Ryu Horikawa/Sabat) take a back seat to accommodate other, relatively minor heroes, like Gohan (Nozawa/Kyle Hebert), Goku’s happy-go-lucky son, and Pan (Yuko Minaguchi/Jeannie Tirado), Gohan’s precocious three-year-old daughter. Piccolo is assisted by a few supporting characters, but they are not necessary.
For the uninitiated, these fight scenes will be a visual feast. They combine computer graphics with hand-drawn animated animation. These spectacular set pieces are also filled with compelling action choreography and some shock-and–awe property damage, mostly from energy blasts and laser beams.
The action scenes feel like an extension of the original. “Dragon Ball”And “Dragon Ball Z” anime series in the sense that they repeatedly stop and start to cram in – you guessed it – a few more side characters and plot twists. So these visually overwhelming, epically proportioned brawls may not always make sense on a narrative level – particularly tangents involving senzu beans and the wish-granting Dragon Balls – but most of them pay off in an emotionally satisfying way.
Toriyama’s script didn’t include detailed descriptions of the movie’s big set pieces, but his keen understanding of his many characters helps to ground and give emotional weight to this movie’s otherwise over-inflated narrative. Goku and Gohan’s relatives push the plot farther than anyone else, which stands to reason given that Gohan’s family have traditionally been the focus of Toriyama’s stories. Even minor characters like Krillin (Mayumi Tanahaka/Sonny Strait), and Dr. Beerus, (Koichi Yamadera/Jason Douglas), get to shine in a few throwaway scenes.
In short, the franchises that are already loyal will likely get the best enjoyment. “Dragon Ball Hero: Super Hero” since they’re more likely to care, for instance, when Goten (Masako Nozawa/Robert McCollum) and Trunks (Takeshi Kusao/Eric Vale) use a fusion attack to fight Cell Max. Diehard fans will also be the only ones to understand allusive references to Piccolo’s villainous past, back when he fought Goku and had a split personality. This new incarnation of Piccolo is still a great addition to the game’s arsenal. “Dragon Ball” spinoff may not be all things to all viewers, it’s also a thrilling showcase for Toriyama’s beloved characters.
“Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero”August 19th, in US theatres