The second movie in the Dragon Ball Super series, and a direct sequel to Dragon Ball Super: Broly is Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, once again written by series creator Akira Toriyama. When Dr Hedo (Zach Aguilar), the grandson of Dr Gero (the creator of the Androids in Dragon Ball Z) is recruited by the head of Red Pharmaceuticals, a cover name for the Red Ribbon Army, Commander Magenta (Charles Martinet; yes, the voice of Mario), it is up to Piccolo (Christopher Sabat) and Gohan (Kyle Hebert) to stop the new villainous combination before more androids are released onto the world.
+ in many ways, this is a Piccolo movie first and foremost. Characters like Gohan and even Krillin (Sony Strait) are of course also involved, but Piccolo is very much a main player in this movie. For fans of his that’s a huge plus, but I admit it was initially a bit strange to only get “the B team”. I understand why Goku and Vegeta take a backseat in this movie, particularly considering their recent involvement with Broly, but I still would have preferred a bigger climax
+ the new 3D animation is gorgeous, and looks exactly like you imagine a 3D Dragon Ball should — that is to say, it doesn’t look like a video game cutscene; it looks like everything you know and love, just in 3D. The fight scenes are spectacular, and the regular movement of characters never feels like it’s missing weight in this new style
+ this film is funny. Not in the typical ‘anime’ way, either, but full of genuinely amusing one liners and sight gags. The new android duo of Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 (Aleks Le and Zeno Robinson, respectively) have quickly begun to rise through my list of favourite Dragon Ball characters. They reminded me a little bit of Deadpool, with their quips and comedy style, albeit to each other and not the audience
– the big bad is kind of a swing and a miss, unnamed here for spoiler reasons. It’s a big moment when the reveal is made, but it never quite panned out in a meaningful way. Similarly, on the back of this reveal there were two HUGE missed opportunity/avoided moment here that I was on the edge of my seat awaiting, and they just never happened. Hit me up if you want the spoilery details
> the very opening scene is a little recap of some key scenes in the original Dragon Ball, and let me tell you I would pay any amount of money for a fully reanimated Dragon Ball series. No voice changes, no plot alterations, just redone in the modern style from this opening scene
Should you see this film: Yes. I was a huge fan of the Broly movie, and I am still a fan of Dragon Ball Super after this movie. The original Dragon Ball Z movie series were hit and miss, but after these two entries under the Super umbrella, we might be in for a new Dragon Ball Reneaissance.
MoshFish Reviews 