Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 2 (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

June 15, 2010 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“Kenichi Season 2 Part 2 is the exciting conclusion to a great action comedy series. A must-see!”

DVD TITLE: Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 DVD Part 2

DURATION: 280 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 WIDESCREEN, ENGLISH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND, JAPANESE STEREO

COMPANY: FUNIMATION Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: May 25th, 2010

Original Comic Books Created by Syun Matsuena

Chief Direction by Hajime Kamegaki

Music by Joe Rinoie

Sound Director by Akiyoshi Tanaka

Art Direction by Nobuhito Sakamoto

Character Design by Masatomo Sudo/Junko Yamanaka

Produced by Susumu Matsuyama/Satoshi Kojima/Kenichi Project/TMS Entertianment, LTD.

Featuring the following voice talent:

Tomokazu Seki/ Josh Grelle as Kenichi Shirahama

Tomoko Kawakami/ Carrie Savage as Miu Fuurinji

Takumi Yamazaki/ Todd Haberkorn as Haruo Niijima

Tomoe Sakuragawa/ Cherami Leigh as Honoka Shirahama

Hiroshi Arikawa/ R. Bruce Elliott as Hayato Fuurinji

Unsho Ishizuka/ Christopher Sabat as Shio Sakaki

Hiroya Ishimaru/ Sonny Strait as Apachai Hopachai

Mamiko Noto/ Trina Nishimura as Shigure Kosaka

Issei Futamata/ Vic Mignogna as Kensei Ma

Jurota Kosugi/ Kent Williams as Akisame Koetsuji

Mika Kanai/ Kate Oxley as Renka Ma

Ken Narita/ Jerry Jewell as Odin

George Nakata/ Robert McCollum as Berserker

Atsuko Tanaka/ Stephanie Young as Freya

Keiji Fujiwara/ Travis Willingham as Loki

Mitsuaki Madono/ Chris Cason as Siegfried

Ryo Horikawa/Eric Vale as Hermit

Naomi Kusumi/ Bob Carter as Thor

Minami Takayama/ Colleen Clickenbeard as Valkyrie

Akio Ohtsuka/Jason Douglas as Ishinsai Ogata

Kenichi’s a lot tougher than he used to be – living in a dojo with six martial arts masters will do that to you. But thanks to his reputation as a skilled fighter, the guy’s got more problems than ever.

The goons in Ragnarok are gunning for him in a big way, especially the gang’s leaders: the Eight Fists, a dangerously unpredictable crew known to play dirty. Luckily, Kenichi’s got allies like Miu by his side. She’s as tough as she is hot, and even if he still hasn’t scored with the blonde brawler, her very presence makes Kenichi train harder to be the best.

Yeah, he’s come a long way – but Kenichi’s fight to be the mightiest disciple isn’t over yet.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 2″ starts off as a direct continuation from Season 2 Part 1, and the first episode of this collection concludes what happened in episode 38. Kenichi is still working under the masters of the Ryozanpaku dojo to become the best fighter in the world. The story concentrates around Kenichi, who is training to become the best fighter in the world. This section of the series deals with Kenichi’s fight with the members of Ragnarok, concentrating on the battle against the last 3 Fists of Ragnarok. Kenichi’s grueling training from the Ryozanpaku masters continue while he attends high school with Miu, and in this collection of episodes, he has to train with the Elder of Ryozanpaku to become strong enough to defeat the strongest fighter of Ragnarok. Meanwhile, Niijima is still trying his best to recruit more members into the Shinpaku Federation so he can take over the world. Kenichi must face someone from his past and is put to the ultimate test in the exciting conclusion of “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple”.

This particular volume, “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 DVD Part 2″ contains the last 12 episodes of the second season of “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple”.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” focuses on the following main characters:

Kenichi Shirahama – Kenichi is the main character of the series and is a high school student that is training at the Ryozanpaku Dojo and learning multiple martial arts at once from the masters at the dojo. He is very loyal and very dedicated to his art and has a crush on Miu. Even though he seems to be a mediocre fighter to most at first, somehow he manages to defeat everyone in his path.

Miu Furinji – Miu is the very well endowed 16 year old that is the granddaughter of Hayato Furinji and the classmate of Kenichi. Despite her cute looks, she is rather shy… and also quite a skilled fighter.

Haruo Niijima – Niijima is the self-proclaimed leader of the Shinpaku Federation who has the appearance of an alien and acts like one as well. He and Kenichi call each other bad friends, but are somewhat friends nonetheless despite not wanting to admit it. Niijima dreams of taking over the world one day.

Honoka Shirahama – Honoka is Kenichi’s very energetic and hyper young sister. She is saved from thugs one day by Hermit and since then, she has a very strange but cute bond with him.

Hayato Fuurinji – Hayato is the grandfather of Miu and the undefeated elder of the Ryozanpaku Dojo. He is rather, tall, muscular, and loves lollipops. He is a giant and powerful.

Shio Sakaki – Sakaki is the karate master of the dojo. He is rather tall and rugged, has a scar on his face and is usually wearing a leather jacket.

Apachai Hopachai – Apachai is the master of Muay Thai of the dojo. He is very strong, but can be rather childish and says “apapapa” alot. He also likes the game, “osero”.

Shigure Kosaka – Shigure is the weapons master of the dojo. She is the only female master of the dojo and is rather quiet and has a pet mouse named Tochumaru.

Kensei Ma – Kensei is the Chinese Kenpo master of the dojo. He is rather short and balding and is usually seen holding a pervy book.

Akisame Koetsuji – Akisame is the Jujitsu master of the dojo. He is also the master of various other arts including calligraphy, go, painting, etc. He likes making inventions that serve a certain purpose… as well as training Kenichi at the same time.

Ragnarok

Odin – Odin is the strongest of the members of Ragnarok and seems to have some sort of connection with Kenichi’s past.

Berserker – Berserker is the second fist of Ragnarok who is rather quiet and usually seen chewing gum.
His name is rather self-explanatory.

Freya – Freya is the second fist of Ragnarok and is the leader of the Valkyries. She firmly believes that for women to win against men in fighting, they must use weapons.

Loki – Loki is the fourth fist of Ragnarok, and one of the main antagonists of this section of the series. Just like his namesake, he is somewhat of a trickster and doesn’t play very fair. In this part of the season, his true intentions come to light.

Siegfried – Siegfried is another member of Ragnarok who by rumor is immortal. He is obsessed with music and hopes to use his fighting experiences in making new symphonies. After being defeated by Kenichi, he joins the Shinpaku Federation.

Hermit/Natsu Tanimoto – Hermit was the sixth fist of Ragnarok and can probably be seen as Kenichi’s biggest rival. Despite being his rival and wanting nothing more than to defeat Kenichi, through the series it’s evident that he’s not that bad of a character. He is a very fair fighter and has a weird yet cute bond with Honoka, Kenichi’s younger sister. He also seems to be a bit bi-polar…

Thor – Thor is the sumo fighter and the seventh fist of Ragnarok. He is best friends with Siegfried.

Valkyrie/Kisara Nanjo – Valkyrie is the eighth fist of Ragnarok. She tries to act tough but seems to have a soft spot for cats. She leaves Ragnarok because she feels differently about the direction the group is headed.

Isshinsai Ogata – Ogata is the person who saves Kenichi in the wilderness when he gets lost… but he ends up being someone who we least suspect.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 2” features a total of 12 episodes on two DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 39- Shigure’s Personal… Lesson! – Kenichi has to fight… girls.
EPISODE 40- The Place the Promise was Made! Everything Started Here! – Kenichi recalls events that happened in the past that connect to what’s happening now..
EPISODE 41- Terror of the Sphere of Control! A Dragon Descends! – Kenichi faces off with a childhood friend, Niijima tries to recruit Tanimoto in the Shinpaku Federation.
EPISODE 42- Elder’s Super Express! Do-or-Die Secluded Tour in the Mountains! – Kenichi starts his training with the Elder, but it’s not the training he expected at all.
EPISODE 43- Limiter! Invitation to the World of Bloodshed – Kenichi continues his training in the woods, where he encounters the possibility of changing his life forever.
EPISODE 44- Collapse of the Shinpaku Federation! The Crazy Fist Stealthily Approaches! – Kenichi continues his training with the Elder, meanwhile Berserker and Freya draw closer to the Shinpaku Federation.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 45- The Decisive Attack! Kisara Dances! – Kisara has her showdown with Freya.
EPISODE 46- Farewell! A Determined Niijima joins the Fray! – Kenichi goes to find Niijima after recieving a concerning email. The Shinpaku Federation’s HQ is found out, and they are helped by unlikely allies.
EPISODE 47- The Weakness of the Genius! Effort Surpasses Talent! – Kenichi finally arrives to help his friends. Hermit and Berserker fight.
EPISODE 48- Showdown between the Leaders! The Man with the Legendary Spear! – Kenichi and Odin start their final showdown.
EPISODE 49- The Mightiest Transformation! The Ryozanpaku Rhythm! – Kenichi and Odin’s battle continues.
EPISODE 50- The Mightiest Disciple, Kenichi! – Kenichi and Odin’s battle comes to a close. Will Kenichi and his kindness win or will Odin and his power win?

VIDEO & AUDIO

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” is presented in 16:9. As I mentioned in my review for the first half of season 2, the animation honestly isn’t the best that I’ve seen, especially considering the fact that this series came out in the last few years, but the characters and story make up for it. The production of the art itself isn’t bad… but it’s not a series that you’ll probably be watching for the amazing animation. The character designs for the female characters = fan service and more fan service. The boob sizes ranged from big to bigger, so I’m sure there are some fans that will definitely enjoy that. The music is average but in some parts of the series, there is 8-bit game type music which I personally like.

For audio, you have the option of either Japanese or English.

There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The only special features available on the discs are textless songs and FUNIMATION trailers.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” is a great action series filled with great characters and comedy. This particular volume deals with the last 12 episodes of the anime series, and takes off right where Season 2 Part 1 left off. Just like the rest of the series, there’s plenty of action and great comedic moments throughout. This particular volume seems to be a bit more concentrated on action though than the last.

This series deals with themes such as what’s more important: power or kindness? Power or Love? Kenichi is a decent main character: he doesn’t really have too many annoying traits and his determination to learn about five different styles of martial arts at once is commendable. Each of his mentors have their own characteristics and are all fun to watch. In this collection, we get to see more training with the Elder vs. any other person of the dojo.

In Season 2 Part 1, Kenichi’s main rival was Hermit; in Season 2 Part 2, Kenichi’s main rival is Odin, who happens to be someone from his past. We didn’t get to see much of the top 3 of Ragnarok in the previous volume, but they get plenty of action in this volume. Kenichi continues his training and must get stronger to defeat Odin. The Shinpaku Federation has grown quite a bit since and everything in this volume leads to the final dramatic conclusion.

Just like the previous volumes of this series, there is a great cast of voice actors both Japanese and American. There are a lot of veteran seiyuu including Toshihiko Seki, Ryo Horikawa, Minami Takayama, Atsuko Tanaka, Ken Narita, Keiji Fujiwara, Jurota Kosugi, just to name a few. Overall the characters all seemed to have voices that fit their personalities and the English dub was well done as well. The English dub also featured the usual popular FUNIMATION cast including Vic Mignogna, Christopher Sabat, Travis Willingham, and Todd Haberkorn.

Like I previously stated, I think that the main audience that would appreciate this series is shonen manga fans, martial art fans, and comedy anime fans. I’m not sure how many girls will enjoy watching this considering the boob fan service… but despite it being there, it’s definitely not what the series is mainly about… but it does stick out.

Getting to this point in the series, I really don’t recommend watching this collection if you haven’t seen previous episodes. There are so many characters, story lines, and this is the final collection of episodes so there’s almost no point in watching just this one. Without prior knowledge of the series, you probably won’t know what’s going on and also it’s the end of the series so it’d be spoiling the rest of the series if you just see this one.

I definitely do recommend this series for those who enjoy entertaining characters, comedy, and a lot of fighting. Even though this concludes the anime series, for those who want more Kenichi, the manga series is still going on. For those who have watched the rest of the anime, be sure to check out the exciting conclusion of “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple”!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 22, 2009 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU is a great prequel special to the whole Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball series that concentrates on the Father of Goku, Bardock.”

DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU

DURATION: 48 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Mono

COMPANY: TOEI ANIMATION/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: September 15, 2009

Based on the manga by Toriyama Akira

Directed by Daisuke Nishio

Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi

Character Design by Minoru Maeda

Anime Production by TOEI ANIMATION

Featuring the following Japanese voice talent:

Masako Nozawa as Bardock and Son Goku

Kazuyuki Sogabe as Toma

Yūko Mita as Seripa

Takeshi Watabe as Panbukin

Kozo Shioya as Totepo

Ryuusei Nakao as Frieza

Sho Hayami as Zarbon

Yukitoshi Hori as Dodoria

Banjō Ginga as Toro

Kinpei Azusa as Son Gohan

Ryo Horikawa as Vegeta

Shozo Iizuka as Nappa

Joji Yanami as Narrator

Featuring the following English voice talent:

Sonny Strait

Linda Young

Christopher Sabat

Chris Forbis

Stephanie Nadolny

Sean Schemmel

Mike McFarland

John Burgmeier

Bart Meyer

Ceyli Delgadillo

Chris Rager

Chuck Huber

Dale D. Kelly

Dameon Clarke

Justin Cook

Kyle Herbert

Mark Britten

Before there was Goku, there lived his father Bardock. A low-class Saiyan soldier under the command of Frieza, Bardock is attacked by the last of an alien race they are employed in destroying. Healing on his home planet of Vegeta, Bardock discovers he has been blessed with the ability to see into the future.

But the blessing soon becomes a curse, as the Saiyan finds himself haunted by visions: The tragic extermination of his own race and the destruction of their beloved planet, all at the hands of Frieza. Bardock sets off on nightmarish race with fate to avert the impending disaster. But as his strength fails and despair sets in, hope will be found in one last vision.

This is the story of Bardock, the father of Goku.

In this special that is a prequel to Dragon Ball, we get to see into Goku and Vegeta’s past and we are introduced to Goku’s father, Bardock. We get to see what Planet Vegeta was like and how the Saiyans lived before the terror named Frieza doomed their planet. The main story centers around Bardock, a lower class Saiyan who ends up challenging Frieza.

The Saiyans were a ruthless, violent, and very proud race. They only live to fight and destroy and “caring” is the last word to describe them. They worked under Frieza, who put them to good use, taking over planets for him, but they have no idea of the tragedy that is about to happen to this proud race because of their allegiance to Frieza.

After completely massacring the inhabitants of another planet, Bardock is randomly attacked by one of the survivors and is given the power to see the future, and the cursed future that awaits the Saiyans.

While he’s recovering from the injuries he sustained in battle, Bardock starts having visions of the future, including the future of his son, Kakarrot (aka Goku), and the horrible future that awaits his planet. At first, he ignores the visions and goes to catch up with his crew who went to destroy another planet. What greets him is the beginning of the cruel fate that awaits his race, and his one last fateful fight.

“DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU” focuses on the following characters:

Bardock – One of the many lower class Saiyans. Overall he lacks emotion, even when his son Kakarot is born, he doesn’t care. On a certain mission where he and his men were sent to destroy another planet, he was attacked by one of the survivors that “cursed” him with the power of seeing the future. After the attack, he starts having strange visions of the grim future of his planet and of his son and his future.

Toma/Tora – The tall member of Bardock’s crew. Bardock later uses Toma’s armband as his red headband.

Seripa/Fasha – The female member of Bardock’s crew and one of the few female Saiyans we ever see.

Panbupkin/Shugesh – The overweight member of Bardock’s crew.

Borgos/Totepo – The muscular member of Bardock’s crew.

Prince Vegeta – The prince of the Saiyans. Despite him only being a child, he is extremely proud and ruthless. He cares about nothing other than becoming more powerful.

Nappa – One of the higher ranking Saiyans that serves as Vegeta’s aide.

Frieza – One of the most powerful and ruthless beings in the universe. He has taken over and has destroyed many planets. The Saiyans serve him and have helped with ridding many of the planets and their inhabitants. Despite the Saiyans pledging their allegiance to him, he has a grim fate awaiting them and their planet.

Zarbon – The highest ranking among Frieza’s officials.

Dodoria – Another one of Freiza’s high ranking officials. He has a big part in the tragic fate awaiting the Saiyans.

VIDEO & AUDIO

Just like the “History of Trunks” DVD, the colors and quality of the video in this DVD are definitely cleaned up and pretty considering this originally aired almost 20 years ago. The picture looked great. If you watch the English dub, the sound is in stereo and surround sound, but if you watch it in the Japanese audio, it is in the original mono. The mono can be a plus or minus… the minus being I had to turn up the volume quite a bit on my DVD player, but a very big plus for me is being able to watch it with how I remember it. The mono sound actually is quite nostalgic to me, so I didn’t mind.

For those who watch the English dub, there are different character names and there is an entirely different soundtrack including music done by Sum 41, American Hi-Fi, and Saliva. However, you also have the option of watching it in the English dub with the original Japanese music as well.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features on this disc, however there are some FUNimation trailers.

Just like the “History of Trunks” DVD, despite how much of a DBZ fan I am, this was the first time I have actually seen this special all the way through. I have been watching Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z since I was a child in Japan when the original episodes were airing. I already knew what happens in this special, but it was great to finally be able to see it in its entirety.

Unlike the usual flow of the DBZ series, this is a rather serious episode. There isn’t much humor in this special. However humor may not have fit in because of this special being about Saiyans, who aren’t very funny to begin with. Even though we finally see other Saiyans, it really was just for a brief moment so that may be my only complaint. But at the same time that’s totally understandable since the story is about Bardock. It was really interesting to see how the Saiyans are toward each other vs. how humans interact with each other.

One of the cool things about this special is you actually get to see a female Saiyan, even if it’s for a little while. It’s also cool to see how Bardock’s trademark red headband turns red. It’s also great to see a glimpse of the Saiyans’ past, and you get to see why Vegeta is how he is and you get to finally see Bardock in action since in the series you only catch glimpses of him.

This would be a film I would recommend to Dragon Ball Z fans without a doubt. But for those who don’t know very much about the series, they may want to hold off on watching this until they know a lot more about the series as there are spoilers and the film may be confusing without prior knowledge of the series.

Overall this is a great film. A little more serious than other Dragon Ball Z films but I would still highly recommend it.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 15, 2009 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS is a wonderful special episode of the legendary Dragon Ball Z series, showing the dire future that Future Trunks grew up in, the future that Goku has died.

DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS

DURATION: 48 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Mono

COMPANY: TOEI ANIMATION/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: September 15, 2009

Based on the manga by Toriyama Akira

Directed by Daisuke Nishio

Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi

Character Design by Minoru Maeda

Anime Production by TOEI ANIMATION

Featuring the following voice talent:

Joji Yanami / Kyle Hebert as Narrator

Takeshi Kusao / Eric Vale as Trunks

Hiromi Tsuru / Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Masako Nozawa / Dameon Clarke as Gohan

Shigeru Nakahara / Chuck Huber as Android #17

Miki Itou / Meredith McCoy as Android #18

Kōhei Miyauchi / Mike McFarland as Master Roshi

Naoki Tatsuta / Bradford Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe / Cynthia Cranz as Chi-Chi

Naoko Watanabe / Monika Antonelli as Puar

Daisuke Gōri / Kyle Hebert as Ox-King

Goku is dead, victim of a deadly virus. Last of the Z Warriors to pass, the Super Saiyan’s death has left the Earth far more vulnerable than ever before. With no one left to protect the planet, Androids 17 and 18 arrive to terrorize the great cities, plunging all into darkness where the inhabitants cower in fear. Is there no hope left in this apocalyptic horror? Is this the end?

Goku’s son, Gohan, is now a man, and with an extraordinary young teenager named Trunks by his side, the two determine to face off against the threat. But as tragedy follows upon tragedy, the world around Trunks is fast collapsing and there seems no check to the evil of the Androids.

This is the story of the future that never was.

Dragon Ball Z fans are finally able to see the past of one of the most popular characters of the series, Trunks.

The story takes place in an alternate future, the future in which “Future Trunks” came from, where Goku is dead. The story takes place 13 years after Goku’s death, where Android 17 and 18 have killed off most of the Z warriors and have plagued the world with their destruction. Much different from the past that Trunks went back to, and the time line that is the main story where both Androids, especially 18 showed they had a heart.

In this horrible future where the whole world is in ruins, the only ones that stand a chance are Gohan and Trunks. Gohan becomes a teacher to Trunks and after years of training, they go up against the Androids only to have more tragedy come into their lives. The only spec of hope is that Goku might have not been the only Super Saiyan powerful enough to defeat them after all…

“DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS” focuses on the following characters:

Trunks – Trunks is the mysterious young man that appeared in front of the Z warriors one day, saying he was from the future. The story takes place in his future, a very dark future. The story starts when he is a baby and Son Goku dies, leaving the world in ruins because of Android 17 and 18. Trunks grows up in this horrible future along with his mother, Bulma and his mentor, Son Gohan. Being the son of the Prince of the Saiyans, Vegeta, he always wonders what his father was like since he never really had a chance to meet him. The majority of the story takes place when Trunks is in his preteen and teen years. He is very proud (just like his father), but he also has a strong sense of justice and is very caring.

Bulma – Bulma has been a prominent character in the Dragon Ball universe ever since the first episode. She is now older, and the mother of Trunks. She has calmed down quite a bit, but still acts as the ray of hope even in this horrible future. She constantly is working on a time machine in hopes that it can be used to help Goku before his tragic end, and to change this horrible future that they are now in.

Son Gohan – Son Gohan, the son of the legendary Son Goku, is the only Z warrior left. He is not the cute little boy anymore, but one of the only hopes left for the world against the Androids. He acts as Trunks’ mentor in fighting. He is now able to turn Super Saiyan like his father, and tries to help Trunks do the same so they may stand a chance against the Androids and defeat them once and for all.

Android 17 and 18 – The male and female android duo that was created by Dr. Gero to defeat Son Goku. However, Son Goku was dead by the time they were awaken so instead they decided to destroy everything else in their path. They are almost invincible in strength and have no compassion for anything. They take what they want and destroy everything else and are the ones responsible for the chaotic future that Trunks lives in.

VIDEO & AUDIO

The colors and quality of the video is definitely cleaned up and pretty considering this originally aired almost 20 years ago. The picture looked absolutely gorgeous. If you watch the English dub, the sound is in stereo and surround sound, but if you watch it in the Japanese audio, it is in the original mono. The mono can be a plus or minus… the minus being I had to turn up the volume quite a bit on my DVD player, but a very big plus for me is being able to watch it with how I remember it. The mono sound actually is quite nostalgic to me, so I didn’t mind.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features on this disc, however there are some FUNimation trailers.

Despite how much of a DBZ fan I am, this was the first time I have actually seen this special all the way through. I have been watching Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z since I was a child in Japan when the original episodes were airing. But because I was in the States when this special aired, I didn’t get to see it but at the time, Shonen Jump released anime-manga (Where they took scenes from the actual anime and made it into a manga) books of their theatrical releases and specials, so I got to know the story of this specials in that manner. I had seen bits and pieces of this special on TV but in the English dub so I didn’t want to really watch it at the time (I actually don’t mind the Dragon Ball Z dub, I am just too attached to the original Japanese voice actors, especially for this series).

Trunks is one of the most popular characters in the Dragon Ball Z universe. When he first appeared, he was surrounded in mystery and it’s great to see what happened in his past. (because by the time the main time line progresses, the future has changed.) It’s a sad story because you learn what happens to all of the main characters and you get to see a much different version of Son Gohan. The villains, Android 17 and 18 are also pretty different than the main time line versions. They are much more heartless and show no mercy for anyone. Everything that Trunks has to go through in this special is rather emotional, but it is very much worth watching and it fills in gaps for the main time line.

This release is great for so many reasons: an awesome story, the awesome picture quality, and it’s a great price. I highly recommend this DVD for any DBZ fan. I can also recommend this film for those not as familiar with the Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z universe because it is a great film, but I would advise watching or at least knowing the main story of the series or there will be a lot of spoilers or just sheer confusion.

Great action, great emotion, and a great film!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD