Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Tatta Hitori no Saishuu Kessen

Unlike the other movies regarding the DBZ series, this one is different as it does not focus on Goku yet alone any other of the Z Fighthers.

Story - The Story of Bardock, The Father of Goku, takes place before the events of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z and explains how Goku wound up on Earth.
Bardock is a Saiyan who (with his other team members) want to rise from the tyranny of Frieza and make the Planet Vegeta a free place not ruled by Frieza.

Art - It is what you would expect from any Dragon Ball Z episode.

Sound - Pretty much what ... I said above. But the voice direction and emotion from Bardock is top notch.

Character - Bardock, has got to be one of my more beloved DBZ characters....outside of the DBZ Fighters. He has that same never say die attitude as Goku, but that brash, ruthlessness as Vegeta. Just everything about him screams EPIC!!!

Enjoyment - I really enjoyed this DBZ special. You get to see how Goku wound up on Earth, what Bardock originally thought of his son and the Saiyan rebels try to take on Frieza.

Overall - For any fan of DBZ, you will love this special. I know I did.

Well this is a prequel to Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z

Story: As a prequel story it fars well. It is enjoyable especially for fans of the series and would be a good way to introduce someone to the franchise. It is also full of easter eggs for fans.

Enjoyment: It is a highly enjoyable special with gripping action scenes and a fairly emotionaly plot.

Art and Animation: The art is pretty much the same from the series in its later days. The animation though is fairly good and a tad above that of the series.

Verdict: For a special this is an enjoyable one and a good ... anime for not just DBZ fans but for anime fans in general.

Bardock: Father of Goku, is a 40 minute 'movie' that shows some backstory into Goku's father, Bardock (in case you didn't get that from the title). It begins in the aftermath of Bardock, a low level saiyan, and his squad, conquering a planet long desired by Frieza. As the saiyans celebrate there victory a final enemy appears and grants Bardock psychic powers before dying.

However this was meant as a curse for destroying his home, as Frieza is threatened by such low-level saiyans performing as well as his elite soldiers. Bardock must now watch horrifying visions of his own planet's destruction as punishment. However his ... visions of the future also show Kakarot's (Goku's) future, giving Bardock hope as he believes Goku will be the one to defeat Frieza.

Bardock as a character is one of the most 'real' characters in the entire Dragonball Z series. As he is portrayed as neither particularly good or evil. He initially shows little interest in the birth of his son and commits genocide in the name of Freiza like any other saiyan. But later on shows clear concern for his squad and his home planet. He's not a saint like Goku, but neither is he as ridiculously evil as saiyans were portrayed early on in DBZ.

If that isn't enough of a reason to watch the movie, there's also kawaii Vegeta and Nappa with hair. But no Raditz, because seriously who gives a fuck about Raditz.

The movie is definitely worth the 40 minutes it takes to watch it. The movie could technically be watched at any point in Dragonball Z, as it is set before the beginning of Dragonball and contains no spoilers for the rest of the series. However I would recommend watching around episode 43 of Dragonball Z (episode 20 in kai) as it acts as a good introduction to Frieza, Dodoria and Zarbon.

Bardock - The Father of Goku is actually a DBZ movie that you will hear me say is good, but don't get too use to hearing me say things like that. The biggest problem that I have with DBZ is its redundancy. This movie however, doesn't follow the classic trend which is that recycled and disturbing pattern that folks like myself have grown to hate. Another problem with the movies is the lack of main storyline continuity. Most of the movies appear to exist outside of the storyline. This doesn't appear to be the case with this movie, as it seems more to be a ... side story or a prequel to the Frieza Saga.

This movie has an overall different feel. The dark tone is a nice change from the campy attitude of the series. It doesn't feel like DBZ in the opening scenes, and at times, it doesn't feel like it at all. The movie opens up with a decent battle involving the Saiyans in great ape form demolishing an entire race. The movie keeps the same violent tone through out and the comedy is kept rather low.

Surprisingly, the action scenes are minimal, but what little bit is here can be fairly entertaining. The battles aren't very long and they don't contain the re-used cel formula simulating quick combat. Therefore, the animation is decent. The artwork is about on the same level as the TV series, with plenty of reused models from the series. The rock soundtrack does a great job adding a spark to the action scenes. In fact, the overall BGM compliments the mood very well on all levels.

The most interesting part of this movie would be the character development of Bardock. For a DBZ movie, you will never, ever, see character development like this. The change that Bardock goes through is very believable. The ability to see into his future was a well used plot device, which never seemed forced and I believe it was added strength to the ending. It's amazing really, but after re-watching the movie and thinking about it, this single character proved to be more interesting than quite possibly all of DBZ's bloated up cast.

The story adds a good amount of background but the only problem is that it all feels unnecessary. This entire situation was covered in the Frieza Saga, to include all loose ends were tied up there. I don't believe this movie will reveal anything new to someone whom has seen the series; but to a casual fan, perhaps this could force them into giving the series a try, since some of the main story is delivered.

In closing, I ONLY recommend this movie to fans of the series. New fans whom are very curious on learning about DBZ are better off coming into the series, or beginning with Dragon Ball; but be warned, coming into DBZ in general will be terribly time consuming and there are plenty of classic anime titles to surf through that I feel are more rewarding.

Highs: Doesn't follow normal DBZ pattern, dark tone, soundtrack

Lows: Could have used more action, kind of unnecessary

Excuse me, I don't usually write in English. If you want you can read my review in Spanish.

When I was younger I blindly believed that this film had been adapted from the manga since it made sense within the context of the series. And he certainly had it because, unlike the Dragon Ball Z movies, where events incompatible with the point in the story are related, here they simply tell us some events from the past. Fortunately, they place him in the Freezer saga, giving more drama to the future confrontation between Goku and Freezer. But the most important thing is that it constitutes a ... significant contribution in relation to the franchise, since they tell us an important fact in this work that has nothing to do with saving the world for the fifteenth time.

Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Tatta Hitori no Saishuu Kessen (1990) is a 45-minute film that tells the last moments of the Saiyans from the point of view of a new protagonist: Bardock, Goku's father. From the start, the film implies a novelty compared to the series because neither Goku nor his friends are present, allowing the exploration of other characters from the Dragon Ball universe. In addition to this, this special has an advantage as the dragon balls are not present, thus avoiding the problem of lack of tension that affected the series. However, the interesting thing is that this time we come across a story about an inevitable destiny: the destruction of a civilization. Fact that our antihero will try to prevent, although we know in advance that the misfortune will end up happening.

Despite the fact that this devastation was to take place, the truth is that no one could have foreseen it. To understand it, you have to understand the context of the Saiyans. In some episodes of the series they already provide it to us, but the medium-length film also draws a basic portrait about the way in which this race of warriors lives. And I say basic because about society, economy, culture, political organization and others we have very little. The fact is that being an alien race with an innate force, most of the inhabitants of the planet Vegeta work as mercenaries, specifically under the command of Freezer. Thanks to an agreement, they have access to more advanced combat technology (combat suits, radars, etc.), but above all they get more planets in which to unleash their violent nature and destructive instincts. As shown is the destruction of the planet Kanassa and its inhabitants, where Bardock's group transforms into Ozaru.

This beneficial pact explains that the Saiyans will trust Freezer, except for King Vegeta. However, the effectiveness of the Saiyans in their missions and the appearance of extraordinary warriors like Vegeta sowed the seeds of fear in Freezer. Certainly a recurring theme among leaders, who fear what cannot be fully controlled or the unknown. As an example of this unknown nature are the Kanassians, beings with a strange power that disturbed the sovereign of the universe. Unfortunately, and although it is a valid factor to justify the annihilation of the Saiyans, a second factor was missing: the possibility of a real rebellion. As much as Freezer feared them, to some degree, they were still a very valuable asset. Zarbon and Dodoria comment on the first question without referring to the second. In fact, it is strange that they participate in the discussion while Freezer just smiles. In the end, the decision rather than reflect fear for the legend of the Super Saiyan and the potential Saiyan manifested arbitrariness and ineptitude.

However, the image of Freezer as a benefactor begins to waver in Bardock because one of the inhabitants of the planet Kanassa grants him the power to experience premonitions. In them he contemplates the destruction of the planet, although he is skeptical. A skepticism that ends soon because Freezer's henchmen murder all of his companions, convincing themselves that the premonition is very real. Of these companions, by the way, like the rest of the Saiyans, we must point out their null characterization. No longer at the individual level - nor do the names give us - but in terms of their relationship. Was it so difficult to offer a portrait that included how they get along or what roles they have in the group? Okay, they ask about his son, but much more could be added. It is not surprising that the death of these subjects hurts little, although for Bardock it is a good blow.

An important issue in Bardock's premonitions is precisely his newborn son: Kakaroto. At first, the "barbarians" bring up the subject, but the father is indifferent. Worse than that, he shows contempt because his son is weak. Something that may seem horrible to us, but within a race of warriors that prides itself on its strength, weakness is a serious defect. However, this man's mentality will change soon, as his visions show him the progress of his son over time and how he will grow stronger to the point where he will face Freezer in the future. It is a pity that for this they had to resort to a recycling of images from the series instead of exposing his growth with a montage of new images where Bardock interacts with his vision. In fact, the instant he is transferred to Namek is the only one truly effective because he enters the vision. Please, how crappy.

Finally, the climax comes with Bardock facing off with Freezer's invading forces. Right now, he is not the impassive man from the beginning who only cared about fighting and detested his scion. For that reason, we care more about his personal crusade. But the ending is already written, as much as Bardock seems like he has a chance by defeating a few underlings. Freeza personally goes out to assassinate the saiyan with a sphere of energy that he destroys everything. However, Bardock receives one last vision where he sees how Goku will face Freezer in the future. So he decides to entrust him with his last will to take charge of avenging him and all of his comrades.

You can read my review here: https://elarmarioanimados.blogspot.com/2018/10/resena-dragon-ball-z-bardock-el-padre.html

Sadly, this is nothing more than a poor fanfiction of Dragonball. A normal review would merely discuss the work itself, but to do that over looks a fair bit of provenance that is what really decided the audience view of this work. Many people enjoy this due to the portrayal and inclusion of Bardock. While it is incredibly interesting to hear the backstory of Goku's father, none of it is true in the slightest. It is a pure fanfiction. Bardock, while being Goku's father, has none of the qualities present in this portrayal of him. Bardock is not like Vegeta, a heartless warrior Saiyan, but ... closer to a Leonidas Spartan warrior, who actually did care for Goku, and cared for his wife. Yes, they are a warrior society, but none of that precludes the existence of love for a child. It makes no sense that Bardock wouldn't care about Goku if your child is what decides the success of your dynasty. Vegeta cares about his honor because he is the son of a King, and wants to do his race proud. In this special, Bardock cares about fighting cause, uh, he just likes to fight? That makes no sense. I understand the writers viewed Saiyans that way, but we've come to see that original view of Saiyan's as bloodthirsty warriors is nothing but confirmation bias based on the few Saiyan's we have seen in the series. It's clear the majority of saiyans, while a warrior cult, function similar to the limbic reactions any "monkey" or ape would have. This was always the basis of the confrontation between Freiza and Goku, and removing those differences by retconning Goku's father as some Vegeta like cruel warrior defeats the archetypal confrontation between Reptile and Ape. The very core of Dragonball was the battle between these two evolutionary paths in the universe, and Freiza's view of saiyans was always based on their inferiority as warm blooded chimps. To remove mamalian care based raising from an ape race totally ruins the entire race. This series is not just bad, but arguably destroys the entire DBZ canon and defeats the purpose of Freiza as a character. It's no wonder the fanfiction direction DBZ has taken since, given the fans acceptance of such a terrible movie in the canon.

Toriyama's comments do nothing but prove this point, as westerners once again fail to read between the lines of Japanese speech. By saying he "enjoyed this movie" Toriyama was ACTIVELY SAYING THIS WAS A BAD MOVIE. He enjoyed it, as a movie, not as a piece of Dragonball lore. The idea of Bardock was good, but nothing beyond "Goku has a father". Toriyama rejected the entire portrayal of Bardock, so to even enjoy this version of Bardock betrays the existence of Goku's personality.

Anyone who thinks "YOU CAN NOW SEE THE FUTURE BARDOCK" is a good plot line is high and doesn't know anything about Dragonball. It's just bad, and I do not understand how anyone actually thinks that's a good plot. It's the worst, cringiest plot line i've ever seen in Dragonball. It's Naruto filler level of garbage that has become accepted by the fandom just because of the cultural perception behind a Dragonball special about Goku's father.

[Watched with Original English Dub with Japanese Score]

[Keep in mind this review is more focused on the dub and how it affects the product overall. The subbed version of the special is easily an 8 or 9 out of 10]

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Honestly this special looks and sounds great. The score perfectly compliments the visuals being presented, and you have a great tragic tale that is not often seen in the Dragon Ball franchise. I would recommend it to any Dragon Ball fan...

Unfortunately, everything was ruined by the meme worthy dub. Whoever approved this script must have been insane, and the voice acting in general was incredibly poor. ... I get that people may have nostalgia for the English dub, but so much of it didn't work at all. I found myself laughing at some of the enemy voices and lines, and scratching my head at some of the logical deductions made. I watched a few other English Dragon Ball films after this one, and the dub got much better, especially with the later Buu Arc ones. But as it stands, this dub taints what is one of the best specials/movies in all of Dragon Ball.

Do yourself a favor and skip out on the Dub on this one, it isn't worth it...

The Sub is worth it... at least here.

This is too long, yet too simple to be anything more than a novelty, but I think this is definitely in the upper level of the Dragon Ball Z movies, and by FAR the best of all the TV specials/OVAs. We get to see the story of a villain falling into a seeming curse and then failing just at the last moment to prevent disaster.

Basically, this is a kind of Greek Tragedy-lite, Revenge of the Sith-style story where Bardock sees visions of a future he doesn't understand, visions of his son's accomplishments, and in his quest to figure them out and prevent tragedy, ends up ... causing everything to transpire exactly as he foresaw it. Now, probably the biggest thing holding it back is that, yeah, the Sayians probably did deserve everything they had coming to them; they had been genociding planet after planet for countless generations, and our own protagonist is so complicit that our introduction to him is his squad massacring civilians on some alien world. Yeah, he kinda realizes his mistakes, but he definitely doesn't go anywhere near atoning for them. I don't feel any sadness at what happens to him or any of the others.

But the story isn't expecting us to do so; it's not quite a condemnation of the Sayians like the show is, but it's certainly not sympathetic to them. And for something as dumb as Dragon Ball, I kind of appreciate that tiny bit of nuance. So, as far as Dragon Ball goes, this one's pretty good.

English Version (sorry for my shitty English):

Review: Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Bardock, The Father of Goku.


Ah the Dragon Ball movies, I still remember when I was a boy and I really liked the franchise, both its anime series and movies (Except Dragon Ball Evolution), but currently I'm not such a fan of the franchise, of course I still like it in some aspects, but in general the franchise seems a mediocrity to me and even more if we take into account the movies that almost all are summarized in being products without soul to entertain the masses and their fandom in general, not to ... mention the thousands of inconsistencies and contradictions with the Dragon Ball universe and not to mention how poor they are in aspects of script and execution. However, despite everything I just said about the Dragon Ball franchise that could be briefly summarized in shit after shit, there are positive things that can be brought up and the movie I'm going to talk about is one of they.


Bardock's movie / special is basically the story of Goku's father which is mentioned in the manga / anime and with this movie in question it tries to focus on the history of this, of his warrior race the Sayayins, his betrayal in At the hands of the evil dictator Frieza, Bardock's personal conflict with Frieza and his inevitable death at the hands of the evil space tyrant. It also acts as a prequel to Dragon Ball in general despite not being canonical, even so you can see this without problems without even having prior knowledge of the franchise in general, now I would like to talk about the characters that this film presents. I should also mention other characters that although they do not have a development as good as Bardock at least they deserve their recognition, those would be Vegeta Jr. and Freeza, Vegeta Jr. despite his little time on screen manages to create a good impression for him. spectator due to his tremendous power for his age and the interactions he has with Nappa and Freeza, also showing his cold and individualistic personality of this as Sayayin, believing himself superior to the majority for his enormous power and his desire to dethrone Freeza and rise as the new conqueror of the universe. On the other hand Freeza maintains a serious and confident attitude throughout the film, it is also thanks to his imposing figure that this was created throughout the universe is that he manages to become an obstacle for Bardock by creating situations full of tension and how He manipulates the Sayayins to do his dirty work while eradicating them once and for all to ensure his position as the sole ruler of the universe and therefore prevent the prophecy of the Super Sayayin that he fears so much from being fulfilled. As I said at the beginning, although Vegeta and Freeza do not have such an amazing development as Bardock, they manage to make up for it thanks to their characterization and how intimidating they can do, either in combat or having interactions with other characters.


Although they would think that everything I have said about the play are positive things, they would think that I consider this movie as an excellent work or even a masterpiece, it is not like that. Although I would like this to be the case, the movie itself has its problems, since if you paid attention to the entire review, you will notice that it only speaks positive things about Bardock, Freeza and Vegeta, but what about the rest of the characters, well the rest only fulfill the function of plot tools or catalysts, Bardock's friends for example do not have a background and only serve for the development of Bardock's plot and his personal conflict with Freeza, Nappa also falls victim to this with the difference who only appears for a brief moment in the movie and only for his interaction with Vegeta, but even so his participation in this movie is non-existent, At least Dodoria and Zarbon were well used in the movie in a good way thanks to their interactions with Freeza and executing Frieza's plan without problems, but that does not mean that the rest of the characters are summarized in being tools that only appear at the right time and disappear never to return. Another thing that I must also emphasize about the movie is the plot armor that gets out of control in the final moments of the movie, with Bardock fighting without problems with Frieza's troop, despite the fact that he was seriously injured by Dodoria, even if it was that by his condition as Sayayin it would be justified why he can still continue fighting without problems, it is useless if the same character before going to fight with Freeza was in a dying state and almost on the verge of death, while suffering from hallucinations. In addition to that I must remind you that Bardock's emotions appear randomly and when the movie feels like it, without even having the luxury of explaining why they occur or at least a set of specific rules of why they occur. , causing these to appear at randoms moment without explanation.


In order to finish with this movie, I would only have to answer the following questions, Is it a masterpiece? No Is it the best thing the Dragon Ball franchise has done? So far yes, could it have been better? Without hesitation, it has many things going for it that make it a great movie and at the same time it has everything that people love about Dragon Ball (myself included) and not owning much of the shit that has ruined this franchise for years, turning it into the cashgrab that it currently is, but without straying too much from the topic I can conclude that it is an amazing movie, full of tension, dramatic moments, good action with strategic fights, psychological moments, character development by Bardock, a conclusion for Bardock which goes from being a hopeless / tragic note to a more optimistic / cheerful one and finally giving a closure to Bardock to make way for his son Kakaroto to be the protagonist of this new and magical adventure, known as Dragon Ball.

7/10.


Espanish: Dragon Ball Z Special 1: Bardock, el padre de Goku.


Ah las pelis de Dragon Ball, aún me acuerdo cuando era chico y me gustaba mucho la franquicia tanto sus serie anime, como películas (Excepto Dragon Ball Evolution), pero actualmente ya no soy tan fan de la franquicia, claro me sigue gustando en algunos aspectos, pero en general la franquicia me parece una mediocridad y aún más si tomamos en cuenta las pelis que casi todos se resumen en ser productos sin alma para entretener a las masas y a su fandom en general, sin mencionar de las miles de inconsistencias y contradicciones con el universo Dragon Ball y ni hablar de lo pobre que son en aspectos de guion y en ejecución. Sin embargo, pese a todo lo que acabo de decir con respecto a la franquicia Dragon Ball que se podría resumir brevemente en cagada tras cagada, hay cosas positivas que se pueden sacar a colación y la peli de las que les voy a hablar es una de ellas.


La peli/especial de Bardock es básicamente la historia del padre de Goku del cual es mencionado en el manga/anime y con esta peli en cuestión trata de enfocarse en la historia de este, de su raza guerrera los Sayayins, la traición de este en manos del malvado dictador Freezer, el conflicto personal de Bardock con freezer y su inevitable muerte en manos del malvado tirano espacial. Así mismo actúa como una precuela de Dragon Ball en general a pesar de no ser canónico, aun así puedes verte esta sin problemas sin siquiera contar con conocimiento previo de la franquicia en general, ahora me gustaría hablar de los personajes que presenta este film.


En cuanto al apartado de personajes esta nos presenta a Bardock y su escuadrón, El príncipe Vegeta en su etapa de joven junto a su ayudante Nappa, Freezer junto a sus leales soldados, el soldado Dodoria y el soldado Zarbon, además de la raza Sayayin, los soldados de Freezer y los habitantes del planeta Kanassa que son eliminados rápidamente por Bardock y su equipo, no sin antes que de su raza logra sobrevivir y poder darle un golpe a Bardock, que provoca que este gane la habilidad única que de esa raza, que es el de tener premociones de lo que pasara en el futuro y del cual dicho elemento hace que todo el foco del film se vaya en ese aspecto en el personaje de Bardock, con este tratando de evitar que se cumpla las temibles premociones que este acaba de presenciar. Para mi grata sorpresa no me imaginaba que el uso de las premociones no fuera abusada o que tan siquiera se volvería una conveniencia argumental para Bardock para que este pudiera hacer milagros durante la peli, claro está el detalle de que aparece en momentos randoms por no establecer reglas o especificaciones del porque aparece en x o y momento de la peli, pero aun así con ese detalle menor que acabo de decir dicho elemento de las premociones le vino para bien a Bardock en términos de escritura, ya que al inicio nos muestra su personalidad como Sayayin, es decir un tipo frio, cruel, arrogante y que solo piensa en sí mismo y su satisfacción personal por la pelea que es propio de su raza, incluso se muestra el poco cariño que le tiene a su grupo con el que conquistan planetas o incluso a su propio hijo por haber nacido con un nivel de pelea bastante bajo y por consiguiente rechazar a su hijo por ser un Sayayin inútil y bueno para nada, pero gracias a las premoniciones que este tiene pudimos conocer más facetas de Bardock, al presenciar la muerte de sus camaradas, demostrando que pese a su actitud fría en el fondo demuestra que les tiene cierto aprecio a sus compañeros y demostrando lo mucho que le importa a Bardock , al mismo tiempo logra establecer una meta para el protagonista el cual es el de detener la ambición de Freezer y evitar que lo que vio en sus premociones se haga realidad, incluso si este pueda llegar a en el proceso, incluso logran hacer creíble que Bardock empiece a preocuparse por su hijo Kakaroto al punto de que le brinda sus buenos deseos y que se vuelva un poderoso guerrero Saiyayin, pese a que lo despreciaba al inicio por su bajo nivel de poder, con todo esto se puede asumir fácilmente que Bardock es el personaje dentro de la peli y el que se roba todos los reflectores sin ningún problema. También debo mencionar a otros personajes que pese a que no poseen un desarrollo tan bueno como Bardock por lo menos merecen su reconocimiento, esos serian Vegeta Jr. y Freezer, Vegeta Jr. pese a su poco tiempo en pantalla logra crear una buena impresión para el espectador debido a su tremendo poder para su edad y las interacciones que tiene con Nappa y Freezer, así mismo mostrando su personalidad fría e individualista de este como Sayayin, al creerse superior a la mayoría por su enorme poder y sus ganas de poder destronar a Freezer y alzarse como nuevo conquistador del universo. Por otra parte Freezer mantiene una actitud seria y de seguridad durante toda la peli, también es gracias a que su figura imponente que este se creó en todo el universo es que logra volverse un obstáculo para Bardock al crear una situaciones llenas de tensión y de cómo este manipula a los Sayayines para hacer su trabajo sucio mientras los erradica de una vez por todas para asegurar su puesto como único gobernante del universo y por consiguiente evitar que se cumpla le profecía del Super Sayayin que tanto el teme. Como dije en un principio pese a que Vegeta y Freezer no posean un desarrollo tan asombroso como Bardock, estos logran compensarlo gracias su caracterización y lo intimidante que estos pueden llegar a hacer, ya sea en combate o teniendo interacciones con otros personajes.


En cuanto a la historia, pues como dije en un inicio se trata de la traición de Freezer hacia a la raza de los Sayayines por su miedo a que se cumpla la leyenda del poderoso guerrero que aparece cada 1000 años que tiene un poder tan grande que el mismo Freezer no es capaz de hacerle frente y por ello Freezer se pone manos a la obra con su plan para erradicar a los Sayayines y solo dejar a vegeta más unos cuantos Sayayines de bajo nivel como sobrevivientes debido a que no representan un peligro actual para Freezer, dejando solo a Bardock como el único personaje capaz de hacerle frente a Freezer y evitar la extinción de su raza.


Una trama simple que fue bien ejecutado gracias a que no presento muchos daños mínimos, un buen uso de personajes, dirección visual, buena animación, momentos dramático como tristes y muchas cosas más.


En cuanto a lo técnico, pues no hay mucho que decir es una animación bastante simple y nada fuera del otro mundo ya que hablamos de una peli hecho en la década de los 90, por lo que se ve bien incluso en nuestros tiempos, los diseños de personajes están bien por si asi decirlo, ya que vienen en múltiples formas y tamaños, así mismo están diseñados de forma perfecta para las escenas de acción, lo único que si se podría decir es un diseño algo pobre sería el de Bardock, al ser el menos imaginativo y solo ser básicamente otro reciclaje de diseño de personajes por parte de los creadores en general, pero aun así todos los diseños de están bien dentro de todo, incluso el de los Sayayines de fondo que aparecen en los momentos finales de la peli tampoco están mal, pese a que sus diseños son parecidos entre sí, esto se debe a que como he dicho anteriormente son personajes de fondo, por lo que el hecho de que se parezcan en diseño uno del otro está justificado, por la parte de la dirección visual fue bien aprovechado por las escenas dramáticas que presenta el film y el buen uso de la cámara al mostrarnos el sentimiento que quieren captar con el personaje en dicho momento, como la escena de la muerte de los amigos de Bardock al mostrarle al espectador el sentimiento de odio e ira que experimenta Bardock por dentro pese a que no se habla o menciona en ningún momento o la última premoción que este tiene al ver a su hijo ya crecido y viendo que le hará frente a Freezer creando un sentimiento de felicidad y orgullo para el personaje hacia su hijo (Hermoso) y la música también ayuda a que todo esto sea aún mejor al tener en su repertorio la banda sonora usadas en Dragon Ball Z que en este film son aprovechadas en su mayoría para las escenas de acción y las escenas dramáticas/tensión que pone la peli por momentos, además de incluirle un soundtrack propio a Bardock que pega en los momentos de acción en donde este participa y recordándote que está viendo una peli de acción con elementos de ciencia ficción (Inserta el soundtrack mencionado) le queda como anillo al dedo ese soundtrack al personaje.


Si bien pensarían que todo lo que he dicho de la obra son cosas positivas, pensarían que considero a esta peli como una obra excelente o incluso una obra maestra, no es así. Aunque me gustaría que así fuese la cosa es que en si la peli tiene sus problemas, ya que si prestaron atención respecto a toda la reseña notaran que solo hable cosas positivas de Bardock, Freezer y Vegeta, pero que hay del resto de personajes, pues el resto solo cumplen la función de herramientas argumentales o de catalizadores, los amigos de Bardock por ejemplo no poseen un trasfondo y solo sirven para el desarrollo de la trama de Bardock y su conflicto personal con Freezer, Nappa también cae víctima de esto con la diferencia que solo aparece en un breve momento en la peli y solo para su interacción con vegeta, pero aun así su participación en esta peli es inexistente, Al menos Dodoria y Zarbon fueron bien aprovechados en la peli de buena manera gracias a sus interacciones con Freezer y ejecutando el plan de Freezer sin problemas, pero eso no quita que el resto de personajes se resumen en ser herramientas que solo aparecen en momento oportunos y desaparecer para nunca volver. Otra cosa también que debo recalcar de la peli es el plot armor que se sale de control en los momentos finales de la peli, con Bardock peleando sin problemas con la tropa de Freezer, pese a que fue herido de gravedad por Dodoria, incluso si fuera que por su condición de Sayayin se justificaría el por qué aún puede seguir peleando sin problemas, no sirve de nada si el mismo personaje antes de ir a pelear con Freezer estaba en un estado moribundo y casi al borde la muerte, mientras sufría de alucinaciones. Además de que les debo recordar que las premociones de Bardock aparecen de forma al azar y cuando a la peli le da su gana, sin siquiera darse el lujo de explicar el por qué ocurren o por lo menos un set de reglas específicos del porque se da, haciendo que estas aparezcan en momento randoms sin explicación alguna.


Ya para ir acabando con esta peli solo quedaría en responder las siguientes interrogantes, ¿Es una obra maestra? No ¿Es lo mejor que ha hecho la franquicia Dragon Ball? Hasta el momento si, ¿Pudo haber sido mejor? Sin dudarlo, posee muchas cosas a su favor que lo hacen una gran peli y al mismo tiempo tiene todo lo que la gente le encanta de Dragon Ball (Yo incluido) y de no poseer mucha de las mierdas que ha arruinado esta franquicia durante años, convirtiéndolo en el cashgrab que es actualmente, pero sin desviarme mucho del tema puedo concluir que es una peli asombrosa, lleno de tensión, momentos dramáticos, buena acción con peleas estratégicas, momentos psicológicos, desarrollo de personaje por parte de Bardock, una conclusión para Bardock que pasa de ser una nota desesperanzadora/trágica a una más optimista/alegre y por ultimo dando un cierre a Bardock para dar paso a su hijo Kakaroto de ser el protagonista de esta nueva y mágica aventura, conocida como Dragon Ball.


7/10.

I watched the English dub whose only sin is changing the OST. The other sins are all due to the original version and I feel still apply to this review. Also, this is my 100th review =3

Story:
A story like this can be difficult. We already know the ending. The job of the writers is to make us sympathise with what we already know, but that is easier said than done. This is a prime example of a narrative that didn't need to be told and failed when it was.

So we know, from DBZ, how things are supposed to end, but we don't know what caused ... it. However, Frieza tells us partially what takes place during his arc but upon watching this film, we realize that that's not true. Or rather, this film must be from an alternate timeline (similar to adult Trunks) because the things that take place don't necessarily line themselves up well with what we already know. For instance, Frieza mentions that the Saiyans had an uprising against him just as he was to wipe them out. However, in the film, Bardock is fighting off Saiyan after Saiyan just to reach Frieza.

So which is it? Did the Saiyans ally with Bardock or did they defend Frieza?

Sure, I can understand Frieza's line of thought about the Saiyans, so I can see how, as a villain, he would try to destroy them in one strike, but it's our protagonist we follow in the film, not the villain, so if I find it extremely difficult to understand his motives and what he's fighting for, then how can I cheer him on?

I know there are scenes that show his change from Frieza's pawn to defected Saiyan, but I don't care about his team and I definitely don't care about his plight. To compare, this is essentially Reach from Halo. Even in Halo: Reach, I didn't care about the team I played with cause they didn't have much character beyond brute, female, and sniper. However, I cared a little more about them because I played with them, even if they were AI. In this special, I'm not Bardock. I'm watching Bardock. That adds another wall to how I enjoy the other characters. This is something the writers had to get past and they don't. They really don't. I don't care about his team, and I really don't care about Bardock even if he is Goku's birth father.

And in regards to that, I don't care because the Saiyan customs of parenthood are so estranged from what we do as humans so it's even HARDER to connect with. To compare to Superman: Man of Steel (Far from perfect film) I at least cared about Superman and his parents because of the execution of how their love for their child put them at their life's end.

Maaaan, and there's a point where Bardock is questioning his motives and I'm like "what motives?" and then he works it out mentally and I'm like, even further, "What?"

Bad movie. The ending was stupid, too. So dumb.


Art:
I didn't mind the animation and found it pretty neato. However, the fight scenes were super boring and most everything else was forgettable. That said, there wasn't anything that totally disgusted me in the animation department so I'm all gucci here.


Sound:
So, with the Funimation dub, the original OST was changed to their metal music rather than the original stuff. This ruined a lot of the experience but because I knew it was altered, I tried not to let it get to me. However, it really did. It got in the way so much. There were weird cuts. There were points where it didn't fit. There was one point where it was getting good and then it was swapped? I don't understand. It was stupid.

I had swapped audio version to see how the other one was and I'm sure this would have gotten a better rating for me in Japanese but please understand that this wouldn't have altered my general score. The english dub wasn't enough to ruin the experience, the story and characters were.


Character:
And, on to characters, Yikes. It isn't that any of the protagonists aren't unlikable, it's that they aren't developed. Therefore, I don't care what happens to them. Honestly, who cares about the Saiyans? I don't, that's for sure.


Enjoyment:
Boring, confusing, stupid. Not confusing because I'm stupid, but because the things Bardock did were stupid therefore it was boring.


((If you liked this review, feel free to check out my others! I review most manga and anime I finish!))