A new super movie based on a couple super heroes
Spoiler Alert
Dragon Ball has been and still is one of the most recognizable and iconic franchises when it comes to anime and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (DBS Super Hero) is another entertaining installment for this ever-growing series.
Toei Animation’s DBS Super Hero is a story about the return of the Red Ribbon (RR) Army which used to be an evil private military. It’s a group that hasn’t been this prominent since the original Dragon Ball series.
However there’s no need to worry about being left in the dark if you’re a newcomer since there is a wonderfully animated recap that shows Goku’s adventures fighting and defeating the army.
There’s also a recap of a time in Dragon Ball Z where Dr. Gero (a RR scientist) created androids that posed a major threat. The recaps lead to the moment of them hiring Dr. Hedo, the grandson of Dr. Gero, to construct new androids in an attempt to reignite their chances of global domination.
Hedo and his androids Gammas 1 and 2 act as the primary antagonists to the real heroes of the narrative.
Unlike most plotlines in Dragon Ball, the main protagonists are Gohan and Piccolo rather than the usual Goku and Vegeta. Their side of the story picks up as we see Piccolo going through his day to day only to get attacked by Gamma 2.
Piccolo tailed Gamma 2 to the new RR headquarters after surviving the battle in order to discover why the Red Ribbon Army returned and learned that they were planning to wipe out the other heroes of earth. During his preparations, Piccolo made a wish on the titular Dragon Balls to unlock his power further although this newfound strength wouldn’t make itself apparent until his next battle with the androids.
After luring Gohan to the base and having him return to his full strength, the final confrontation against the androids begins.
It’s a close battle until Piccolo reveals the truth of the Red Ribbon Army’s deception to Gamma 2 which then ends the fight.
Unlike the last Dragon Ball Super movie, DBS Broly, Super Hero is completely animated with 3D models that have cartoonish shading and decently lively expressions.
There were moments when the character movement seemed stiff but the animation was enjoyable regardless.
The voice acting performances for the English dub was clear to the listener and the actors were able to carry the weight of the character’s emotional scenes well. There’s also a good amount of humor throughout the film as well. I recommend it to long time fans and even newcomers interested in the franchise.
