Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the twentieth film in the Dragon Ball series, has finally released around the world and it’s hit American Box Offices in a big way. Grossing over 7 Billion on opening weekend, the film broke Funimation’s previous opening record of 1.9 Billion held by the previous installment Dragon Ball Super: Resurrection “F”. There’s something super about Broly, the movie and the character, and it’s something you have to experience for yourself.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is available in both Dubbed and Subbed audio with the original cast back in full force. Maybe you enjoy the intense screams and aloofness of Goku’s English Voice Over actor, Sean Schemmel, who once screamed so hard he passed out, or perhaps you prefer the legendary Masako Nozawa continuing her 25-year streak as the pure-hearted low-class Saiyan. Either way, you’re going to have a great time. For all you Sub fans out there, I highly recommend taking a trip to see the Dub just to enjoy Christopher Ayres’s inspired rendition of Freiza. He steals the show in ways I never expected and brings a wonderful energy to the project that will leave you gleefully giggling with every heinous act he performs.
The most impressive thing about Dragon Ball Super: Broly isn’t just the nostalgia or the aesthetics (which I’ll get to), it’s the story. On its face, Broly shouldn’t be anything special, we’ve seen the character in previous movies. Back then, he was cool-looking at best and boring at least. But there’s the rub. Previous iterations the story existed outside of canon and were basically an excuse to play with the Z-Warriors between story arcs. This time the legendary Super Saiyan’s story comes from Akira Toriyama himself and he entrenches every ounce of the film Dragon Ball mythology. Toriyama is known for his obscure humor and heartfelt characters, this was no exception. He managed to turn Broly, a brute who could only utter one word, into a fully developed sympathetic character. By the end of the story, you feel excitement, sorrow, and tired from all the fist pumping.
Speaking of pumping fists, Directors Tatsuya Nagamine & Naohiro Shintani create a visual smorgasbord with some of the best action and transformation sequences you can lay your eyes on. Every frame of animation is bursting at the seams with care, attention to detail, and a well-used budget. New details pop out at the audience with each rewatch allowing viewers to experience sequences with fresh eyes over and over. Do yourself a favor and watch this on the big screen so you can feel your very bones vibrate with each punch, kick, and ki-blast that shoots across the frame in this nonstop action feature.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is available in theaters now, so grab your nimbus and fly on over to your local cinema to experience the best Animated feature of the year so far.
— Tauri Jay Miller