English Dub Review: Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

Overview:

Piccolo and Gohan fight back against the newly reformed Red Ribbon Army. Two new androids claiming to be superheroes stand in their way. Will Gohan and Piccolo be able to win without the help of Goku and Vegeta?

Our Take:

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. First, you know by now that I really don’t like CGI in anime. It just rarely seems to work and more often than not it ruins a great property (looking at you Berserk) but it was not as bad as most here. I would have preferred more traditional animation but after about ten minutes or I barely noticed the CG. Second, the plot was nothing to write home about. It was essentially a rehashing of the Cell Saga with a few differences but luckily for the Dragon Ball series, the plot isn’t what we typically love about it. We come for the badass fight scenes and beloved characters and that is where Super Hero thrives.

This movie (like Broly before it) is a giant love letter to Dragon Ball fans. It recalls events dating back to the original series. The film was filled with fanservice (no not that kind… well… okay a little of that kind) geared towards fans. The only thing that felt off was that most of the movie felt more like a comedy than anything. Now don’t get me wrong Dragon Ball has always had its fair share of silliness but even Piccolo got in on the jokes.

One of the more interesting parallels I liked was between Gohan as a father and Goku. We all know the jokes about Piccolo basically being Gohan’s father but it was kind of in our face in this. Fairly early on Videl and Gohan ask Piccolo to pick up their daughter Pan from school. Piccolo calls Gohan out on this but it amounts to little because Gohan doesn’t go to get her. I don’t think Gohan is as bad a dad as Goku by any means but it does kind of feel like history repeating itself.

Speaking of history repeating itself that is kind of what we get with the plot but luckily it’s presented in a fun and interesting way. The two androids introduced here, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, were pretty cool to me and I would like to see them show up in other parts of the universe. With how the Dragon Ball movies have actually been a part of the canon now we might actually see that. Not only do we get two badass new characters but we also get some new transformations for Gohan and Piccolo. Toriyama said this was Piccolo’s first transformation and when I stop to think about it he’s right. Like he’s powered up sure but never really changed much. Transformation is nothing new for Gohan and this new one is definitely his coolest one yet.

Gohan might be my favorite Dragon Ball character, it’s hard to decide between him and Vegeta. I just really like the growth and change they grow through. If you’re like me and love Gohan you will definitely enjoy where this movie takes you.

Sean Schemmel and Christopher Sabat reprise their roles as Goku and Vegeta but since those two characters are hardly in this we don’t get to hear much of Schemmel. Sabat however also voices Piccolo so he gets a lot of screentime. I feel like we got some fun new sides to Piccolo in this and I think Sabat is a huge part of that coming across. With Gohan getting the most screentime he’s seen in a long time it was also a big moment for Kyle Hebert to shine and shine he does. He puts out all the different emotions Gohan goes through perfectly. From the nerdy school teacher all the way to the Saiyan warrior unleashing the beast within. Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 were voiced by Aleks Le and Zeno Robinson respectively. They brought these characters to life really well. I love Aleks as always but this time I would have to give the edge to Zeno because his portrayal of Gamma 2 really endeared me to the character. Also a shoutout to Johnny Yong Bosch for the role of Broly. Broly didn’t have a huge role or say much but to the best of my knowledge, this was his first time in the role since it was recast.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is a tricky movie to review. If this is your first foray into the Dragon Ball universe then you will be lost and probably not enjoy it. You could still get some enjoyment out of the fight scenes but that’s about it. This is definitely a movie for the fans and I loved every second of it. It’s not high art by any means but it was badass and gave me some moments I have wanted to see since I was a kid trying to do a Kamehameha in my front yard. It was a great time and I hope you all get a chance to see this film ESPECIALLY if you have wanted to see Gohan get the respect he deserves.