Category: Anime review

Dragonball Z: Android Saga (Cell Games)

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*spoiler alert: due to a posting error, my Cell Games review came out ahead of schedule. The first part will come out July 3rd, and the second part on the 4th.

We come to the finale of the Android Saga and one of the greatest climaxes in anime. Cell, confident he is all powerful, issues a challenge to the world; face him in the Cell Games for the fate of the world. Goku and Gohan emerge from the hyperbolic time chamber, far stronger than before. Unlike the others who are dreadfully training, Goku urges Gohan to relax and enjoy life. The young Super Saiyan agrees, wearing Piccolo’s colors during the games to come. The Z fighters arrive with a famous fighter named Hercule Satan who Cell bitch slaps away like a fly. Goku is first up. Cell and Goku clash but Goku isn’t able to put Cell down as hard as he tries. Instead, Goku promises there is someone far stronger than him among them that can beat Cell. Gohan, the youngest Super Saiyan. It becomes apparent though Gohan doesn’t have the same urge to fight as the other Saiyans but he understands why he will kill Cell; all his life, Gohan has shown explosive leaps of power when enraged, leaps of power he couldn’t control. Cell finds this intriguing and tortures Gohan trying to make him snap; when that doesn’t work, he spawns his twisted Cell Jrs. that attack the others, each as powerful as Cell. Gohan still doesn’t snap. When Android 16 is destroyed, he tells Gohan he understands his fear but to protect life, sometimes you have to fight. When Cell crushes 16’s head, Gohan explodes and becomes stronger than any of them ever imagined but can this new power finish Cell once and for all…

I love this ending. Throughout the series and especially this saga, Gohan has always been more of a background character but during this saga we get a very well done look at his character. Super Saiyan 2 is amazing and the fight between him and Cell is beyond epic. There’s a goodbye that may bring some to tears (Violet) but its well done. This finale is equal parts action and epicness and I feel its the best way the show could have ended. In fact I’m pretty upset it isn’t. I highly recommend the Android Saga as some of the best anime I’ve seen and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

DragonBall Z: The Return of Cooler

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So of the DBZ movies, there’s only two villains who appear for a second go around. Cooler is the first. Like his brother, he simply refuses to die.

The poor Namekians simply can’t seem to catch a break. After a brief bout of peace on there new world of New Namek, a new threat emerges. Dende calls Goku and friends for help. When they arrive, they discover a metal monstrosity latched onto there world and robots walking around. The robots are disposable but soon Goku finds a familiar foe with a new look is controlling them- Cooler. His body is no longer flesh but a living metal; after being blasted through the sun by Goku, what remained of Cooler made contact with the Big Gete Star, creating Meta-Cooler. Despite being a Super Saiyan, Cooler’s metal form constantly regenerates. Vegeta, now a Super Saiyan himself, comes to the rescue and they destroy him or so they think; the Gete Star replicates a nearly infinite amount of Coolers. Can the Super Saiyans survive the mechanical onslaught?

I must admit, I’m pretty hit or miss with this movie. While the fights are sweet, especially watching Super Saiyan Goku and Vegeta tearing Cooler apart in tandem, the beginning drags a bit. I also have to say Cooler’s voice was a bit annoying as the movie progressed and without a transformation, I felt he lacked presence. Regardless the action was cool and it was a good means to have Goku and Vegeta team up. In the end, it’s a serviceable movie. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

DragonBall Z: Cooler’s Revenge

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So why wouldn’t Frieza have a brother whose stronger? Cooler watched his little brother swoon over the destruction of planet Vegeta by his hand and felt the ever present hate and annoyance for him.Years later, the ultimate humiliation to the family when a monkey killed Frieza. Cooler and his trio of henchmen come to Earth to find Goku, camping with friends. The trio is no match for Goku, but Cooler wounds Goku. The trio blasts through the woods to search for him to no avail; Gohan sneaks away to get Sensue Beans so they can heal up. When caught on the return trip, Piccolo jumps in and slays the henchmen but is decimated by Cooler. Goku is restored and seems evenly matched with Cooler until, like his brother, he reveals a transformation; can the Super Saiyan defeat a brother stronger than Frieza?

Once again, like Dragonball Z: Lord Slug  this movie is a fast paced blast. I love the old school nu-metal music from Deftones, Drowning Pool, Disturbed, and Finger Eleven; I love watching the Super Saiyan transformation at the end to Change by Deftones personally. Cooler is a good villain and a good contrast to Frieza both in character and appearance. The movie was really fast paced but it never feels hurt by it. In the end, it’s a damn DBZ movie and well worth a watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z:The Frieza Saga

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After defeating Ginyu at the end of the Dragonball Z: The Namek Saga , Goku is rushed into a Revitalization chamber while Ginyu hops around, stuck in the body of a frog. Frieza, a tyrant of seemingly unstoppable power, is approaching. While Vegeta sleeps, Gohan, Krillin, and Dende attempt to summon the dragon undisturbed. They manage to revive Piccolo and there Kami as well, and have Piccolo sent to Namek where he fuses with a dying Nail, becoming stronger than he thought possible. Frieza finds them, unleashing a new transformation just when our heroes believe they can win. Frieza brutally kills Vegeta, who tearfully tells Goku that he was a slave under Frieza his whole life and he never had a chance to be anything else. Angered Goku faces against Frieza’s final form but even with all his strength he can’t match Frieza’s might. His final solution: drop the biggest Spirit Bomb on Frieza he possibly can, having his friends try to hold him off. At first, it appears the bomb worked, but there hopes are quickly smashed when Frieza emerges, wounded and pissed, killing Krillin and mortally wounding Piccolo in a blink of the eye. Goku is furious, unleashing his rage in a frightening display, becoming the golden haired, aqua eyed Super Saiyan of legend. Suddenly the tables turn on Frieza, who is suddenly completely outmatched. However, he has a final transformation under his belt and uses his power to destroy the planet. Can Goku defeat Frieza before Namek explodes?

Here is where DBZ sold me. Frieza is a simple villain but his multiple, strange transformations and iconic voice make him one of the series most memorable bad guys. We see Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, and Piccolo at some of there most badass but let’s face, Goku steals the show with his Super Saiyan transformation. Super Saiyan Goku vs Frieza on dying Namek is on of anime’s greatest battles and Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation set the standard for epic transformations in anime for decades to come. The finale is suspenseful as hell and ends on a great cliff hanger. This is one of my favorite sagas, despite the fact it’s pretty much one fight and Frieza does get annoying at times ( not to mention that son of a bitch can’t tell time to save his ass) but because of the awesomeness that is Super Saiyan and the suspenseful as hell climax and satisfying as hell end to Frieza, it’s one of my favorites and well worth a watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z: Lord Slug

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Here is where the DBZ movies turned for the awesome, part of which helps is the badass soundtrack featuring old school Deftones, Disturbed, and Finger Eleven to name a few.

The Earth is in panic as a colossal meteor is about to collide with the planet, a planet inhabited by life. Goku and Krillin intercept only to get blasted away as it lands and an army emerges lead by an ancient tyrant known as Lord Slug. Slug has come for the Dragonballs to give himself eternal youth. After being restored to his prime, him and his army set off to terra-form the Earth to create a new cruiser out of it. Goku and his friends can’t compete with young Slug who is revealed to be a Super Namekian, but Goku finds a strange power of his own, but can it bring down a towering Slug?

The Lord Slug movie is badass. The fights are epic and the music perfectly compliments them. Slug as a villain is pretty solid and his henchmen are interesting to watch. How Slug is defeated is pretty creative and it brings a cute scene early in the movie. If you want a quick, fun, badass DBZ film I highly recommend this to anime fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z: The Namek Saga

dbz 2  We continue on with the epic tale that is Dragonball Z. After saving the Earth, Vegeta has fled, Goku is wrecked, and with Piccolo and Kami dead there are no more Dragonballs. Mr Popo shows Bulma the ship Kami came in as a baby and she’s able to find the coordinates to Planet Namek, which has it’s own Dragonballs. Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan set off for Namek to restore Piccolo and there friends. Vegeta, pissed at his defeat, is stronger than ever after being beaten nearly to death because of Saiyan genetics and sets off to Namek as well. Despite Piccolo’s original bitter nature, Gohan and Krillin discover the Namekians are a peaceful people who are being slaughtered by Vegeta and a much darker force- Frieza. His army and right hand men Zarbon and Dedoria are searching for the balls as well so Frieza can achieve immortality. Before killing Dedoria Vegeta discovers the Saiyans weren’t destroyed by an asteroid as he was led to believe but Frieza himself, which boosts Vegeta’s blood lust. While a cat and mouse game ensues between Krillin and Gohan and Vegeta, Bulma tries to survive the alien world, and Goku trains with gravity as he races to help his friends on Namek. When the Dragonballs are in there grasp, the pair find themselves having to join forces in order to face Frieza’s squad of strange but powerful mercenaries- Enter the Ginyu Force…

Season 2 was a good blend of adventure and fights. I like how half of the story is Vegeta going on a murderous rampage and he does have most of the best fights in this season. The Ginyu Force is goofy but they are pretty cool. The pacing is a bit off and it it is slower than last saga but it’s worth the wait for what will come next. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z: Tree of Might

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Admittedly Tree of Might was my intro to the DBZ movies and it’s a fair place to start. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Dragonball Z: The Dead Zone and Dragonball Z: The World’s Strongest , these were the early years of DBZ.

Much like the story of Dragonball Z ( The Saiyan Saga) , a band of aliens come to Earth, only this time pirates. Gohan and Krillin save a young dragon from a massive forest fire and they set off to find the Dragonballs to undo the fire. Meanwhile a band of space pirates sets down, led by Turles, who plans on destroying the world to grow the Tree of Might. The fruit from the tree grants incredible tree, but the tree itself feeds off of the world it’s planted on until it dies. The Z fighters face the pirates but are no match for Turles, who looks exactly like Goku. Can Goku beat his doppelganger and save the world?

Of the original 3 movies, I’d say Tree is the best. You get to see all the Z fighters in action which is pretty cool. The fight against Turles has some decently brutal moments and the story is pretty solid. If you are a fan of the series, I’d definitely check it out and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z: The World’s Strongest

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So, you ever want to see the one and only Goku fight a giant ass robot with an insane huge human brain in it? Well, if you have, then here’s a movie for you.

A scientist named Dr. Kochin is out searching for the Dragonballs, while Gohan and Oolong just so happen to be. Kochin’s wish: to shatter the mountain of ice encasing his master, the cybernetic behemoth Dr Wheelo who plan on transplanting his massive brain into the world’s strongest body. Kochin sends his freakish trio of Bio-men to at first attack Master Roshi, who was originally the world’s strongest. After being defeated, Kochin turns him over. Next goes Piccolo. Finally Goku, Krillin, and Gohan are lured there to save there friends, but can they stop Wheelo?

I have to admit, with the exception of Bio-Broly, this is my least favorite of the DBZ movies. The plot is meh. Wheelo and Kochin aren’t too memorable as villains,  but the Bio-men were pretty cool. I kind of had to laugh, when taken over there eyes turn bright pink and they look high as hell. Honestly, the movie is pretty forgettable and it’s fair to skip. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Dragonball Z: The Dead Zone

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Like many anime, Dragonball Z has more than it’s fair share of movies ranging from awesome to crap. Dead Zone is the first and takes place around the Saiyan saga. While most aren’t cannon, many fit well enough into cannon they can be said to be. Dead Zone is actually cannon and starts the story of Garlic Jr.

Goku and his family are hanging around, living there lives when Goku comes home from fishing one day to find Chi-chi knocked out and Gohan gone. he was taken hostage because of the Dragonball on his hat and because he fought back. Goku tracks him down with Krillin at his side only to find it’s a group of monstrous warriors lead by Garlic Jr, the son of an ancient enemy of Kami’s and by extension Piccolo who jumps in after getting attacked. Garlic Jr seems to be on the ropes until he transforms and unleashes the power of the Dead Zone which destroyed his father, but help comes from a unlikely force…

Dead Zone isn’t terrible but isn’t great. The action isn’t really special but the fight between Kami and Garlic Jr is pretty cool. The story is fairly basic and is a pretty quick watch. Gohan has a moment at the end, that does play a part in things to come later which is pretty cool. In the end, Dead Zone is fine and worth a watch for the hardcore DBZ fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z ( The Saiyan Saga)

dbz 1   June is here and 2019 is half over. A part of my New Year’s resolution was to bring us more varied reviews. As a kid, I loved cartoons but my childhood friend Violet, like much of what’s brought me to this point, helped me discover something brand new: anime. Blood, tons of fights, flashing lights, and a complex story of complex characters we care about; this was a whole new world for me. It would be much later in later when I’d journey farther into anime ( unsure it was a genre at the time and merely thinking it was just an anomaly) So let’s begin to start the epic saga that is Dragonball Z…

Years after Dragonball ended, Goku defeated Piccolo and the world was safe. He settled down with Chi-chi and had there son Gohan, named after Goku’s grandpa. His old friends are having a get-together at old Master Roshi’s place, so Goku and Gohan set out to meet them. Meanwhile, an alien crash lands on Earth, and searches out Piccolo on accident, mistaking him for someone named “Kakarot”. This alien is a Saiyan named Radditz and he’s looking for his brother- Goku. After kidnapping Gohan, Goku and Piccolo have to team up to face Radditz, just barely beating him but not without a heavy cost. Goku dies and Radditz promises two more Saiyans will  come to earth in search of the mystical Dragonballs in a years time. Goku’s friends: Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chotzu and Yajarobe train with Kami as Goku had as a child. Piccolo, after seeing the incredible power inside him during the fight against Radditz, takes Gohan for training. Meanwhile Goku journeys  across Snake Way in search of King Kai for training. The time passes and the Saiyans arrive, Vegeta and Nappa, and as promised there powers go far beyond Radditz. With Goku wished back, can the Z fighters last against the terrible duo?

The Saiyan saga is the first season of DBZ and as you’d expect, it’s a bit slower and more adventure based but no less awesome. My favorite character to follow was Piccolo, starting as the villain who begrudgingly helps his enemy out of necessity and develops a heart through helping Gohan. The final fight between Goku and Vegeta will go down as one of anime’s greatest battles but the Radditz and Nappa fights are also pretty badass. The season is a slow burn but it’s a hell of a climax and the characters and adventure are well worth the time. In the end, for new anime fans it’s a must watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.