Director: Tatsuya Nagamine Lead Cast: Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa,
Bin Shimada, Chris Ayres Screenwriter: Akira Toriyama Producer: Toei Animation Musical Director: Norihito Sumitomo Genre: Anime, Action Distributor: Warner Bros. Running Time: 1 hr 41 min
Technical assessment: 3.5
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: V13
MTRCB rating: PG 13
In some universe somewhere, there are ultra-aggressive warriors called Saiyans. They become a threat to a super god Frieza who wipes them out. But some survive, including three Saiyans: Goku and
Prince Vegeta who land on earth, and Broly who had been exiled to another star as an infant by Prince Vegeta’s father who was then King of Saiyan. Broly exhibited powers that surpassed the prince’s, and the king did not want anyone to eclipse his son. Broly’s father Paragus joined Broly in exile, raising Broly for combat and revenge against Vegeta. But neither Paragus nor Broly could restrain his immense power. Years later, the three Saiyans face off in a battle when Frieza’s soldiers steal Bulma’s dragon balls, which have magical powers. Bulma is Vegeta’s wife. Broly—used as pawn by Frieza—grows stronger, while Goku and Vegeta, on the opposite side, discover their new strength of fusion as they combine to become Gogeta.
Many anime fans consider this latest instalment in the Dragon Ball franchise the best in the series. Even viewers alien to the Dragon Ball vocabulary like the flashbacks that give context to the story, helping them understand that Kakarot the baby is now the grownup Goku. And the dialogue has enough to explain that Frieza’s and Bulma’s motive in gaining possession of the dragon balls is not power over the universe but aesthetics and personal vanity. Anime has a great following among adults and children, and this movie plays up every Super Saiyan power that can be visualized on screen with distinctive fight scenes suffused with vibrant colors, exaggerated movements, and hyped-up sounds and expressions.
The movie is from beginning to end, battle
scenes—glorified, alluring, and interjected with some humor. That is the nature
of anime, and to say that the director should have made it otherwise would be
to strip it of its own genre. But lest it be overlooked, the movie requires
parental guidance when children are in the theater, which is not unlikely
because Dragon Ball appeals to the young. There are. of course, some good messages. For one, we see how Broly’s potentials are laid to waste because he was
brought up in an environment of hatred and fighting. His father manipulated
him. Frieza is a cruel leader whose insecurities propel him
to further acts of violence. But good is good, and cannot be extinguished. Goku
reaches out to Broly after their showdown. Broly has episodes of tenderness and madness. These
are allegories of life that lay hidden in the mesmerizing world of anime. And,
unless viewed with a careful eye, they can seep into our consciousness as
norms, especially among the young.—MOE
