Ranked #1150

Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!

This is my first review, so please don't take it too seriously. This is the first Dragonball animation in 11 years. I don't know about you, but I was really looking forward to this when I first heard about it.

-Story-
Nothing too revolutionary, But not as boring as the older Dragonball Z movies. Its kept the Dragon ball Z fighting and humour style.

-Art-
I thought this was going to be just like the old Dragonball Z series, but I was wrong. They re-did it, it now looks new and clean. The animation is great and the fights are good also.

-Sound-
At the beginning you get introduced with the classic music, but with a new opening. It still has the same good punching, kicking and energy blast firing sound effects. The Japanese cast (this isn't dubbed in english...yet) did a very good job, although I wasn't too fond of Goku or Gohan's voice.

-Characters-
It has the original cast. Goku is still funny and always hungry, Piccolo is a loner, and Vegeta is still really angry at something. Master Roshi is still the same old pervert too. There's a particularly funny scene where he pulls up a lewdly shaped turnip. Goten and Trunks also fuse into Gotenks to fight the invaders.

-Enjoyment-
I got a kick out of this. It was good to see Goku and friends in another adventure, even though it probably will be their last (unfortunately).

-Overall-
I recommend this to any Dragonball Z fan. If you are new to the series, you might want to watch the Episodes before going into this movie to know all the characters and their personalities. I give it an 8/10 read more

I cannot believe it has really been eleven years. It seems like just yesterday I saw "Wrath of the Dragon" and "A Hero's Legacy." Though it's true, Goku and company are back in the latest installment of Dragon Ball: Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
First off, I'm going to solely recommend this to existing Dragon Ball fans. 9/10's of the enjoyment of this special is the nostalgia it emits. For starters, almost the entire main cast is featured, from Goku and Vegeta to Old Kai and Bubbles the monkey (who, as we all remember, passed on many a year ago thanks to Goku). However, there is the odd absence of Tien and Chaozu. This really bothered me, not because I am a particular fan of the Crane School, but just because I respect the roles they had to play in both "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball Z". Although, seeing the faces of all the other characters did warm my heart.
Another nostalgic aspect of this chapter, is that they revive the "Dragon Ball" humor and incorporate it into "Dragon Ball Z" style fighting sequences. You might say they took both series and did a fusion-ha....no applause please.
The story of "Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!" isn't that impressive. However, the audience does get to meet Vegeta's long lost little brother, Tarble. This is as interesting as it is cheesy but I'm just glad to know there was at least one more stupid monkey out there that Freeza wasn't able to finish off.
The old theme song is back with new animation to fit the time period and I honestly believe it couldn't have been done better. However, I do take up issue with the Japanese voice acting. Though, this is probably just because I grew up watching the dub on Cartoon Network, I just can't get over the fact that Goku sounds like a little girl. And it's not just because the voice actor if Japanese and has a higher pitched voice than we westerners do, Goku actually sounds like he's being voice by a twelve year-old girl.
Now the animation is the one aspect of this special that fails in almost no way. It's wonderful to see Bird Studio breathe new life into classic characters. If nothing else, watch this anime to relive something that you've possibly long forgotten, I promise you won't be disappointed, unless you're a Tien or Chaozu fan, then don't watch it. read more