Dragon Ball Movie 3: Makafushigi Daibouken

Another Dragon Ball film. Another retelling. This one combines the first and second tournament arc with the Red Ribbon arc. Then it tells it completely differently. For the curious only.

Animation seems a bit sloppy here and there. Certain facial expressions used by our beloved characters don't really match them. Bulma is just all over the place. Everything else just seems like a step down from the anime. It works, but you'll notice it as well. The English voice actors are different from the anime. A few remain the same, but big ones like Goku are wrong. They will annoy you. Goku's voice just lacks conviction. ... But the music is all fitting. So at least we have that.

The story is out of control. It starts with Roshi finishing the training of Goku and Krillin. From there they head to the tournament. But Chiaotzu and Tien are around. For some reason Chiaotzu is a ruler of an empire. It's weird. Tien and Chaiotzu are nothing like their anime counterparts. Then throw in some Red Ribbon Army. A hefty dose of Master Shen. Then you have the show. It's sounds like a mess, but if you look at it as it's own thing it works.

Do you need to watch this? No. Do I even recommend it? Not really. If you are a fan of Dragon Ball and are curious then go for it. It's not going to make your experience that much better or worse.

All right, it's everyone's favourite time of the year. That point where I post anime film reviews seven days in a row. We've already talked about the first two Dragonball films. So, it's time to move on to the third. This one came out in '88 when I was a young lad of only seventy seven. Either that or I was a very small child. My memory isn't so good. 

Story: 

We open with Pilaf and his minions building a dragon radar for the Crane Hermit. Their reward for this is some quality time with Tao Pai Pai, who probably just took them to the water park ... where they had a lovely time and nothing bad happened. The Crane hermit then persuades Emperor Chiaotzu to fund a search for the dragon balls in order to find his missing beloved. Meanwhile, Goku, Kuririn & Roshi are on their way to participate in a martial arts tournament. 

There are a couple noticeable problems with the story-telling. Which isn't that surprising since this franchise has never been known for its stellar narratives. Still, I would be remiss if I didn't discuss them. The first issue is that the Crane Hermit is very blatantly up to no good. Like, to the point where Chiaotzu comes across as a complete dumbass for not noticing. He quite literally has Tao Pai Pai murder the loyal General Blue in front of the emperor. I know Chiaotzu couldn't do basic maths in the series proper, but he should still look at that and notice that something isn't quite kosher. 

There's also the issue with the tournament. Goku and his group decide that one of them needs to win so they can make a specific request, but they don't let Yamcha in on it. Which means they just have to give him a beating. So, why not just tell him? It would give you more allies to work with. I know he's got a fate of becoming progressively more of a punching bag, but this was at the point where he wasn't just there to die or almost die. 

I will give them credit for combining various elements from the series proper into something that is a bit different. I'll also give the film credit for maintaining that sense of fun that made Dragonball an enjoyable series. The Penguin Village sequence in particular is just great.

Characters:

Chances are, you already know whether or not you like Dragonball's characters. If you aren't that familiar with the franchise, the cast is pretty simple but they're enjoyable and have some fun interactions. I will say those of you hoping to see Yamcha or Chiaotzu in action will probably be disappointed since they don't do much here. Lunch, however, does get some really good scenes. It's a pity she got banished to the moon to keep Luna company because this does showcase what her character could do back when she was actually in scenarios. 

Art:

The artwork looks about on par with the artwork in the series proper. It's a bit dated by today's standards but it's vibrant, colourful and the action sequences are generally pretty well executed. You also do have to give credit for the character designs. They are iconic for a valid reason. 

Sound:

This is a franchise with a strong reoccurring cast and they give solid performances here. Whether it's Koyama Mami (who voices both Lunch & Arale), Otsuka Chikao, Tanaka Mayumi, Tsuru Hiromi, Nozawa Masako or anyone else. The music is pretty much the same fare we get in the series proper. So, it's well done.

Ho-yay:

There are some kind of homo-erotic moments betwixt Tenshinhan & Chiaotzu. Which is weird because Chiaotzu looks like a porcelain doll, but they're also both supposed to be adults. So, I won't judge them. 

Areas of Improvement:

Let Yamcha in on the plan. It's not like Yamcha fighting Tao Pai Pai and surviving is going to change much. It'll just mean our protagonists are showing more sense. 
Have Blue confront the Crane Hermit in private. You could keep everything as is, but have it not be in front of the emperor, thereby making Chiaotzu not appear to be completely inept. 
Expand on the Penguin Village sequence. Honestly, a film this short could afford to have a little more to it any way. And that was the best part. 

Final Thoughts:

Makafushigi Daibouken is a pretty decent film. Maybe not the best, but it's solid enough. I give it a 6/10. 

Like all original Dragon Ball movies, Dragon Ball Movie 3 Mystical Adventure is basically a retelling of what happened up to that point slidly altered. Chaotzu is an emperor with Master Shen and Tenshinhan being his underlings. Bora, Upa, Tao Pai Pai and Arale appear in this movie but with lesser roles compared to their anime counterpart and some references are made to the main story but without the same impact. In fact, it might be the weakest of all 4 purely Dragon Ball movies simply because the scenes that end up being weak homages could never carry the same impact as most of them ... were build up for several episodes or even story arcs. Meaning it is nothing but a 46 minute movie that feels like an extended episode.
Even the way Goku surpassed Tao Pai Pai felt like an asspull where he somehow ended up at the top of the Quin Tower and received a minor advice from God of Martial Arts Korin. Compare that to how Goku worked his ass off to get to the top and received training disguised as a power up (instead the other way around like in modern Dragon Ball).

But what about elements exclusive to the film? There is an inner conflict in the nation where the story mainly takes place. Tenshinhan is conflicted what side he should take in the conflict: Loyalty to his teacher or his Emperor. Sadly this element like many others aren't taken full advantage off. Like we don't know about Tenshinhan's past events with his teacher. Only a small hint of his relationship with his Emperor.

The story has 2 subplots. The gathering of the Dragon Balls and the Tournament that takes place with both starting to merge into one. Every major cast member is involved and contribute in exposing the truth behind the Crane Master's plan. Be it Yamcha, Bulma, Oolong, Puar, Goku, Roshi and even Krillin.
However, there are way too many characters that only exist as lesser important characters because they appeared in the main story like Arale who just exist because the main story had a crossover too.

Overall, this movie is really mediocre by original Dragon Ball standards. It eats more than it can chew and that is its weakness. However, it still has some really good elements like how it uses its cast and the conflict behind the scenes. Also it has a fantastic ending and the best way Chaotzu has been treated in this franchise.

After having watched the previous Dragonball movies, it's quite clear this is the superior among them due to the quality of animation, and the ways in which the story is reworked while including most major story beats. There is far less reusing of individual frames, which adds to the watchability significantly. The way in which the story is remixed is interesting that it holds a Dragonball fans attention due to being different enough, while sticking closer to something resembling the Dragonball canon.

Unlike the previous movies which felt more like extended episodes, or filler arcs, this movie really felt closer to an anime movie experience. ... The biggest weakness however is the fact that there really are too many characters introduced in to short a time frame, that narratively messes up the ability to really tell much of a story without understanding some of the thematic placements of the characters. That is the main reason I feel this is closer to a 7, than a 8, despite being quite an enjoyable experience.

Of all of the Dragon Ball movies this one does by far the best job of adapting elements of the TV show into a new version of the story and is the best at capturing the feeling of the TV show, but does so without feeling too beholden to it.

It is also the first movie and one of the few across Dragon Ball, Z, GT, and Super, to introduce darker and more emotional moments and themes which I think is a great descion and really helps make Mystical Adventure feel like a more fleshed out experience rather than just some light-hearted fun.

That's not to say ... the movie doesn't have those aspects, it is still very fun and for the most part light-hearted, but with just enough darker moments to feel like there are genuine stakes, which is something sorely lacking in the previous 2 Dragon Ball movies and most of the 26 movies and specials in the overall Ball/Z/GT/Super franchise.

Mystical Adventure also really benefits from the fact that the Red Ribbon Army arc it's pulling a lot of elements from is far too drawn out and has a lot of weak parts in its TV show form, so setting it in an alternate universe/timeline and distilling the arc to 45 minutes of its best moments works really well.

This is still going to mostly be for people who are already fans of the series, but if you have some basic knowledge of the franchise and what dragon balls do I think you'd be able to understand and enjoy the movie enough that I'd still say it's worth giving it a chance.