Dragon Ball Super: Broly provides a fresh heartful reimagining for the namesake character which hits every note of why we love the Dragon Ball series.
Dragon Ball has been a juggernaut in anime culture for decades. Akira Toriyama’s creation introduced many fans to the world of anime but also managed to bleed its way into mainstream culture. Dragon Ball was a staple of many fans childhoods, largely due to the popularity of Dragon Ball Z which aired in the ’90s.
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When Toriyama decided to continue the iconic story of Goku and his peers in Dragon Ball Super, this allowed many fans to relive their childhood memories. Dragon Ball Super launched in 2015, which meant those who grew up with Dragon Ball Z are now full-blown adults who have the chance appease to their inner child.
Yet, despite all this, it still came as a surprise when we saw the impressive success of Dragon Ball Super: Broly. The movie earned more than $24 million within the first five days of its premiere, making it the third highest-grossing movie in U.S. history, based on a report by GameSpot.
But does the movie deserve all this success? Short answer – Yes.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly retells the iconic story of Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, but provides more heart in the reimagining. Toriyama takes what we love about Broly and presents him in a way that allows him to fit right into the current world of Dragon Ball Super.
While some may critic how Broly was presented in the movie, I personally agree with the direction Toriyama took. The original Broly did have miraculous strength but the Broly we see in Toriyama’s version was one who was raw and untrained. This makes sense with the story that was told, freeing up room for the character to continue to develop in future stories potentially.
In addition to this, Toriyama introduced Broly in a way that was fitting with the Dragon Ball universe. The reason many have gravitated towards the story of Goku and Vegeta is that they teach us to surpass our limits continuously.
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Dragon Ball Super: Broly is very much a Broly movie with Goku and Vegeta playing a side role. We follow the arc of Broly, who surpasses his own limits himself, and learns to become comfortable with himself. Of course, Goku and Vegeta play a major role, even performing a much-anticipated fusion dance, but the main protagonist for the movie is Broly.
Speaking of what makes Dragon Ball so gravitating, you can’t talk about Dragon Ball without mentioning the fight scenes. The series has sported many iconic fight scenes from Goku vs Majin Vegeta to Goku vs Jiren, and Dragon Ball Super: Broly is no different.
In a fight sequence that feels as though its a third of the movie, we are treated to a great deal of action. We see many matchups like Goku vs Broly, Vegeta vs Broly and even Frieza vs Broly at one point. The fights hit every trope associated with previous fights in the series, partnered with the beautiful animation that would take your breath away.
The art style can arguably compete with any of the previous Dragon Ball movies. Much like the characters, the artists have surpassed their own limits in creating something that is visually stunning and full of life.
Lastly, an aspect that cannot be overlooked is the humor and heart presented in the movie. Comedy has been present since the early days of Dragon Ball and we get that in abundance in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. The light-hearted humor in between the intense action scenes is very much needed and provides a great tonal shift that allows us to remain engaged in the story.
In conclusion, Dragon Ball Super: Broly hits the nail on the head of what makes a great Dragon Ball story. Toriyama has mastered a formula which still continues to hit the mark thirty years after the debut of Dragon Ball. Fans have been treated to a visually packed new installment of the Dragon Ball Super saga and there are a lot more stories to be told which excites us all.