The following article contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
August 19 saw the global theatrical release of the new Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film, which was initially announced to be released in April. After some delays, it was finally released in Japan on June 11, the new worldwide release is now upon us.
The following is an in-depth review of the English dub of the brand-new film, which topped the Box Office in its opening week. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is an installment that boasts brilliant animation, great voice-acting, and rewards older fans of the franchise in more ways than one.
The Plot Thickens
During the events of Dragon Ball, one of Goku's greatest enemies was an evil organisation known as the Red Ribbon Army, led by Commander Red. Goku thoroughly decimated this organization. Commander Red's son, Magenta, aims to revive the fallen Red Ribbon Army, using the name "Red Pharmaceuticals" as a front while he prepares for another revenge plot. He and his underling, Carmine, stumble upon information about one Dr. Hedo, a super genius scientist and grandson of the Dr. Gero, currently serving time in prison. Magenta decides that they'll be waiting for Hedo outside the prison when his sentence ends and attempt to recruit him.
The "Bad" Guys
During a long conversation at the back of Magenta's car, he and Dr. Hedo come to form a mutually beneficial relationship. During the course of their conversation, Magenta reveals his desire to use Dr. Hedo's intellect to oppose a great "evil": Bulma Briefs and all affiliated with Capsule Corp. Dr. Hedo is different from his grandfather in his obsession with superheroes, so the mission to defeat evil resonates with him, and he is hired by the Red Ribbon Army to create two powerful androids named Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, as well as a creature dubbed "Cell Max".
For Hedo, the funding to do research is his main incentive, and this new Red Ribbon has access to incredible infrastructure, not to mention intel on the targets and their fights throughout Dragon Ball Z. Since Goku and Vegeta are off-world training with Whis on Beerus's planet, Magenta fixes his target on the next strongest fighters capable of opposing the Red Ribbon Army: Gohan, the true killer of Cell; as well as Piccolo, who is the reincarnation of the Demon King. They first send the flamboyant Gamma 2 to fight Piccolo as a test of the androids' capabilities. After a short bout, Gamma 2 returns, not realizing that he is being tailed back to the Red Ribbon base.
The Set-Up
Piccolo infiltrates the base and steals a disguise from one of the grunts who, hilariously, do not have names but are referred to by the numbers on their military gear. Piccolo gets to hear the entirety of Magenta's plan, including their desire to lure Gohan to them through kidnapping Pan from school. Piccolo, trying his hardest not to break character, offers his services when it is decided that Number 15 will be sent on the mission, and the might of Piccolo's new student soon becomes apparent.
When 15 attempts to kidnap Pan, he pays for it dearly, with the toddler knocking him out in one blow. When a disguised Piccolo appears, Pan recognizes him instantly by reading his ki, showing more of her potential. Conveniently, Gohan does not seem to be able to read Piccolo's ki and believes that Pan is in genuine danger. Despite Piccolo's numerous mistakes throughout the film, his infiltration continues without a hitch until he reveals his identity at the Red Ribbon base.
The Past Just Called
One of the film's consistent elements is its use of familiarity. It appeals greatly to fans' sense of nostalgia, particularly in its use of Gohan and Piccolo as its central characters. There was also the aspect of Piccolo appearing to have a similar, yet softer relationship with Pan as he did with kid Gohan, and the placement of Piccolo and Gohan as protagonists, and Pan as a major character, deviates from the Dragon Ball franchise's usual formula. Seeing Gohan back in his old gi was one clue that he would be set to make a comeback – something fans have been pining for since his adulthood arc. The film even reveals what Gohan's research is all about – ants. Gohan is, quite hilariously, an entomologist.
Oh, Hey!
Amongst the various callbacks to days gone was the appearance of characters who haven't been seen in a very long time, such as Korin the cat; Yajirobe and even Broly and his motley crew, Cheelai and Lemo, who are also seen on Beerus's planet. Whenever there was a flashback to an event from the series, it would occasionally be accompanied by high quality art in a style more akin to the original anime franchise, with more detail. There was also a minor Easter Egg in a scene where Bulma has the Dragon Balls collected at Piccolo's request, and squanders them on wishes for cosmetic improvements. This is of course in the same league as young Bulma's original desire, or Oolong's infamous wish for panties.
Never Change
Clearly, the series' brand of humour, and the characters haven't changed, giving the film an interesting balance between old style Dragon Ball, and the high-powered engagements of the franchise's later iterations. The most important meta-reference made in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is the red line of fate paralleling Gohan's rage, seen after the death of Android 16 in Dragon Ball Z, who; not coincidentally, was the spitting image of Dr. Gero's deceased son and Hedo's uncle. It is a mark of Gohan's point of no return, and it once bore the Super Saiyan 2 transformation. This time, with similar circumstances, not to mention the death of Gamma 2 being analogous to the end of Android 16, Gohan's rage erupts into a new form: Son Gohan Beast.
New Form, Who Dis?
Gohan's transformation was part of the climax of the film; however, prior to that, Piccolo used one of the three wishes granted to him by Shenron to have his latent potential unleashed, much like Guru did to Gohan and Krillin back during the Frieza Saga. During the climactic battle between Piccolo and Gamma 2, Piccolo unleashes his dormant powers, and it is revealed that Shenron offered him his latent potential "and a little extra", culminating in a transformation for Piccolo as well. This form, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Super Namek, Slug, gives Piccolo more muscle, and an orange hue to his skin. When the treachery of the Red Ribbon Army becomes impossible for the Gammas to deny, they and Dr. Hedo team up with the Z Fighters against Cell.
Fan Service
With various moments of deliberate camera angles and closeups when Bulma or Cheelai are in the frame, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has its moments of its parent series' infamous fan service, which wasn't necessary, but somehow also served as a callback to the series' naughtier tendencies. What is rampant in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero are these moments that are clear nods to the fans – moments reminiscent of the past, or Easter Eggs. From seeing how Piccolo handles a smartphone with a cute kitty cover; or his relationship with Pan; to his poor ability to "drive" an airship; to Android 18's disgust at having to fight Cell again; and even Gohan's Special Beam Cannon at the very end: the movie knows just how to make its core fans feel seen, and that works in the film's favor.
Music and Animation
While the 3D animation used in the film is novel for the series, it's surprisingly fluid and very detailed. The most expressive moments are of course, the fight scenes, which were all stellar as far as choreography, animation and the overall retention of Dragon Ball Z fight mechanics. The best fight, other than the climactic battle against Cell Max, had to have come from the bout between Piccolo and Gamma 2 in the very beginning, which sported an interesting balance between humour and fourth-wall breaking.
With Gamma 2's flamboyant personality, his attacks had visible comic sound effects, not just to the audience, but to Piccolo as well. The visible sound effects were indicative of the film's laid back nature, not to mention Pan's GTH training T-shirt ("Go To Hell/HFIL") showing more of Toriyama's sense of humour. The scoring was also excellent, and while it could have been an opportunity to let the older soundtracks shine once again, it was not lacking either.
Themes and Tone
This movie is carefully made, with some particular focus on the minor details; however, the plot does suffer from various levels of conveniently-placed aspects, particularly when it comes to mistakes made by the characters, such as Piccolo forgetting his gigantification ability, or Gohan being unable to read ki. Despite relying on convenient mistakes by the protagonists or highly-contrived near-misses created for the sake of humor (why did Piccolo leave his goggles up?), the film has decently high stakes despite the focus being on Piccolo and Gohan, and Pan's involvement was highly enjoyable for not just its humor or cuteness, but because one of the film's major themes is growth. The various heroes have grown not just in strength or maturity, but in how they are all important agents in their own right. Pan struggles with flight in the beginning much like her mother did, and the film ending in her ability to do so expertly is symbolic of the theme of growth.
Voice Acting
The FUNimation team has done a masterful job of reprising some of their roles from Dragon Ball media, but one of the best performances throughout has to be Kyle Herbert, who has played Gohan since the Buu Saga. Much like when Goku ascends to Super Saiyans 3 and 4, Herbert channeled the kind of performance that bests even his Z performance as Ultimate Gohan. Fans will definitely remember the sound of Beast Gohan's voice for years to come. Other great performances include Jeannie Tirado, who plays Pan in Dragon Ball Super, who somehow sounds similar to the Dragon Ball GT performance of Elise Baughman; Christopher Sabat; and Monica Rial, who plays Bulma.
Overall
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a lot of fun, and while it does get serious, it never loses its sense of humor. Despite it being a huge bag of nostalgia, contrivance, and fan service, it was not devoid of depth or value. It makes the future of the franchise exciting beyond Goku, with Gohan's reemergence as a competent combatant having interesting implications. It also does not demand that viewers know about every aspect of the Dragon Ball universe to enjoy it. The score and animation were excellent, voice acting was great, and it even offered a fun post-credits scene. As an installment, it does everything it needs to do well enough, and comes highly recommended for anyone remotely invested in the Dragon Ball universe.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
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