Dragon Ball Super: Broly showcases a battle for the ages

Nate Borie, A&E Writer

Broly, the legendary Super Saiyan, has returned in his very own feature length film and now as an official member of the Dragon Ball family.

 

Thanks to an incredible story, beautiful animation and overly dramatic but superb acting, Dragon Ball Super: Broly breathes new life into the legendary Super Saiyan. Broly is transformed into the character fans have been dreaming of since he tore Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters a new one in the 1993 original film.

 

Beginning with a fresh look at Planet Vegeta and its inhabitants, the story starts off by offering up a little backstory into Vegeta, Goku and Broly, and even brings in some old characters such as Goku’s father Bardock, and a new arrival, Goku’s mother Gine.

 

The story then time jumps to the present day where Frieza’s desire to gather the Dragon Balls brings Goku and Vegeta against Broly in a no holds barred Saiyan battle royale.

 

The story is a roller coaster of action, humor and drama that honors the legacy of the Dragon Ball anime and potentially sets the stage for future films and maybe even another anime series.

 

As always, Vegeta and Goku are still the same punch-happy Saiyan junkies that are constantly looking for a chance to become stronger.

 

Vegeta is still an arrogant idiot that can’t stop torturing his enemies, and Goku is still a goofy moron that wants nothing more than a strong opponent to fight against.

 

The newest character added to the lineup of surviving Saiyan warriors is Broly.

In the original 1993 film, Broly was a Saiyan outcast born with an unusually high power level  and became insane after spending days listening to Goku cry in their nursery. He then grew into a Legendary Super Saiyan with an insatiable hunger for destruction.

 

Now, Broly is no longer the insane powerhouse monster we all remember. He has been reinvented as a docile, gentle and kind individual with no love for fighting.

 

Vic Mignogna, the voice actor of Broly, who fans will remember played Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist and Obito Uchiha in Naruto Shippuden, portrayed him beautifully.

His voice acting was limited given the fact that he wasn’t given very many lines and mostly a continuous set of screaming, but was perfect nevertheless.

 

The animation was an absolutely spectacular revisitation of the classic used in Dragon Ball Z rather than the impressive, but not as impactful animation used in Dragon Ball Super.

 

The best use of the animation was during the epic battle between Vegeta, Goku and Broly. It was exhilarating, intense and absolutely stunning, albeit a bit difficult to watch at some points because it’s a little messy.

 

The only bad thing about the animation was the fact that it transitioned from 2-D animation to 3-D animation which brought the immersive story down, but not by much, and overall, it was still amazing to watch.

 

Overall, I thought Dragon Ball Super: Broly was an exciting, heart-pounding and potentially tear-jerking revitalization of one of Dragon Ball’s most beloved characters.

I give it a 10/10.