Anime 48903 Dragon Ball Super Super Hero Reviews Filter Check 1

Might be a bit of spoilers in this review, fair warning:

For someone who has been longing for a refreshing air in Dragon Ball, this movie gives it all of that. This movie also gives a direct dialogue which makes it far easier to understand for newcomers to the Dragon Ball series.

Story: When it comes down to what this movie provides, it brings back nostalgia for most people but in current standards. The story is strong and straight to the point
In regards to what the movie provides, it brings a heroic sense to the Dragon Ball series with a Marvel twist to it from the soundtrack ... to even the dialogue. The characters in this movie have a strong sense of justice from the Gammas to both Gohan and Piccolo, leading to an understanding from the two sides.

Animation: In regards to animation being lead by CGI, I think this was a huge topic for most people when it was first announced. I personally feel that suits the movie and they did a fantastic job with delivering such a strong presentation, let alone it being the first time done by them. It leaves a very huge impact as a first project and what the future withholds with this new choice of animation.

The best part about the movie comes from the pure fact that Goku and Vegeta are not brought in to win the fights like usual, which brings more depth to Piccolo and Gohan regarding their story. Having the main focus being drifted away from those two is where I think lies the allure of the movie because of everyone wanting some other fan favorites having showtime.

Soundtrack: The soundtrack as I stated previously, is EXACTLY how Marvel would do their soundtracks. A heroic theme with heavy impact on what it is meant to hit works perfectly for this movie with how justice is the main theme. It hits home especially for those who are in love with the Marvelverse.

Character: Piccolo and Gohan finally after many years get their shine that was very deserved. In all honesty, it seemed like it was more focused on Gohan being the main center but Piccolo plays an even bigger role than that and could be called his movie instead. These two have such an impact in Dragon Ball alongside Goku and Vegeta that it was honestly a sin it took them this long to decide on giving them such a deserving upgrade. Piccolo is almost like a teacher even in this movie throughout the entire time, even giving a talk to the Gammas and Gohan which leaves a huge imprint to anyone. As for Gohan, for those who love Super Saiyan 2 Gohan from Cell Saga and Ultimate Gohan from Majin Buu Saga, you are in for a real treat with them bringing back that level of Gohan.

Overall/Enjoyment: This movie, in my opinion, is pure perfection and exactly what Dragon Ball is built around and has needed in such a long time. My enjoyment may be bias-heavy, but I truly believe this movie has lived up to its late promotional hype and will be talked about for a while. Having an upgrade for two of the fan favorites, on top of having such a sense of heroism that is Marvel-like was a perfect touch and suits perfectly well. I recommend thoroughly as a must watch from beginners to veterans of Dragon Ball.

Edit from original review: Another thing to note if I did have to mention downsides, the controversial topic of Jiren being nerfed was uncalled for as well as wonky animations here and there are some negatives I would point out if I was asked about it.

Fair warning: i watched this with my girlfriend in the OG japanese without subs and i know NOTHING about dragon ball, i just wanted to spend time with her and she LOVES dragon ball

Also, spoilers.


Aight so first piccolo being a loveable grandpa to pan was so frickin cute, and that kid can kick ass, holy lord, what an excellent teacher he makes. RIP to carmine and the John cena-looking RR guy lol pan wrecked their asses

Piccolo also looks damn good in RR uniform, 👌 nice

When Gamma 2 comes in and they wreck his [piccolo's] brooding mountain, which was like bro. Where are you ... gonna sit and brood now, you destroyed it. You gonna sit on the ground like a normie now?

Gamma 2 is also such a nut, i love him. And then he does the "goofy character sacrifices themselves for the greater good" trope and gets thanos snapped for it and just. Damn. What a good boy. What a funky lil man. Treasured bastard. I love him.

magenta having an oreo dispenser in his car is what i hope the future looks like. I dont even have a car and im jealous. He also only smokes like half his cigars before lighting new ones, cmon bro.

its nice that they showed what goku and vegeta were doing to explain why they werent there, and why no one could reach them. Just dudes being bros, fighting each other on an alien planet for the enjoyment of a cat god. Yknow. Normal dragon ball stuff. I like that they followed piccolo and gohan more than goku and vegeta in this, it feels like a nice break. Made it more of a father/son bonding movie than a "shoot 'em up, all action all the time, raaaaah lasers" movie yknow. Thats nice.

The new transformations are kinda okay - piccolo got "handsome squidward-ed" and gohan kinda looks like dr stone mixed with an artichoke. Though im told thats just normal dragon ball stuff? I dont really get the point of the big boss being cell (but not really? Still confused) but like. Angry. Hes also HUGE which im not sure if thats new, or...? Why tf was RR trynna bring him back anyway? Make a new villain or something. Be creative.

Again, we watched without subs so im missing TONS of context and knowledge bc I know nothing about this series lol. Fight scenes were okay, lots of flying around and shooting and yelling. Im told this is also just normal dragon ball stuff. The vid we watched was one of those 'sneaky phone videos in the theatre' so im sure the music was great but we couldnt hear it.

Neat movie. Gonna watch it again later when subs come out so i understand whats going on.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was incredible. I was concerned because of CGI animation, but it becomes almost unnoticable after the initial 10 minutes or so.
The fighting is very good throughout. The action scenes are very well choreographed and the music is also decent.

The fanservice is legit perfect. They did Piccolo and Gohan justice and they also did justice to every other character that appears in this. I legit had a huge smile on my face from start to finish.

I went in expecting nothing extraordinary but I was blown away this shit legit made my day. Highly recommend it 9/10

Well it's been a while since I had some new Dragonball to look at so I was pretty hyped up for this one.

Spoilers Ahead, you have been warned!

Couple of things really stood out to me on trailers and the like. One of which being Pan being the epitome of adorable and the other being that Goku and Vegeta do not take centre stage. It's always been one of my biggest complaint of any big bad in Dragonball is the whole "Leave it to Goku" mentality that it follows. Hell I'd take Vegeta getting his own movie where he gets to be the hero but I ... digress.

Gohan and Piccolo are the main players here and it's more of a father / son kinda movie than any involving Goku with Gohan. (For shame! lol)

I liked the idea of the Red Ribbon army having a front and thats why they are still there, though some silly things like their HQ being covered in the actual Red Ribbon Army logo feels a bit counter-intuitive. But then it's an anime, and I suppose it needs to be obvious to the heroes that they are the bad guys without too much investigation.

A good few characters make returns, seeing Goten (With his End of Z Haircut) and Trunks attempt fusion....and I do mean attempt was exciting. I was gonna be so stoked for a teen Gotenks making an appearance only to see chunktenks instead. I could see the Xenoverse DLC a mile away if they had him get it right. Magenta was a pretty close character to Red and it was nice to have a clear villain. Watching him shoot Dr Hedo without hesitation really cemented that point for me.

Pan was wonderful throughout this though perhaps a bit too clever for a 3 year old. You could have passed her off as 5 or 6 easily but I understand that timing wise, the end of Z she was 5 years old so I'm guessing Toriyama needs some chronological leeway for the new season of Dragonball: Super. Don't get me wrong I loved her in this, she was really cute and her interactions with Piccolo through the whole movie were really fun to watch.

Then we get to Gohan, who seems to have regressed to how he was pre-Tournament of Power as he has lost his fighting edge....again! At least lost it enough for Piccolo to be really angry with him for it, it doesn't surprise me at all the actions he had to take to push Gohan to new heights. At least he is a bit more of a father to Pan than Goku was to him, but there isn't that much in it and that makes me quite sad. I'm hoping we see a bit more development on this front on the upcoming season.

The Gamma androids and Dr Hedo are both worth a mention here. Hedo in particular I liked as a character as he develops a bit of morality as the movie develops as he gives off the impression of cookie cutter evil on his reveal. But there is a bit more depth to him as he is infatuated with Super Heroes and being one himself. He gets to prove himself later on against the new Cell monster. The Gammas are both pretty cool additions, both of which have quite different personalities to each other. They wouldnt have been out of place in the Tournament of Power, thats for sure. Their redemption is pretty awesome and I expect to see some of these guys make an appearance in the future.

Piccolo definitely is the star of this movie in my honest opinion, we follow him for most of the film and we get to see an actual USEFUL wish on the Dragonballs instead of them just being used as a Deus Ex Machina every other time. He is the first of the heroes to ever wish for power and it was refreshing to see. His new "You've been tango'd" form is interesting and is welcome. It will allow him to at least keep up with the Saiyan characters for a while I think instead of being simply relegated to Henchman Masher as he always has been before.

Gohan's new transformation (No idea what it's called) was kinda out of nowhere and I'm curious as to what the reasoning was as it didn't look like Ultra Instinct despite the hair colour being the same. However I'll be waiting to see what the explanation behind it is. I didn't really like how it looked as his signature bang looked really huge and it kinda clashed with the rest of the aesthetic of the form.

Then we get onto the true big bad. That being Cell Max. I personally wasn't a fan. I almost got flashbacks of Bio-Broly and we all know how good that was. Essentially a monster much bigger than the original and no personality, just big berserk me smash, nothing more. I know it was necessary to have something big to push Gohan but even a proper clone of Cell with more power would have been better. After all, Cell is arguably one of the most loved villains in all of Dragonball, mine included and this felt like a true disservice to him.

Side stuff, Goku and Vegeta spend all movie in a sparring match and if you are a Vegeta fan like me then I HIGHLY recommend watching til after the credits. There isn't much more I can add to that.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie, it was great to have a new central focus and I hope we see more like this in the future. I don't think it's anywhere near as good as the likes of Battle of the Gods or Broly, but it's a fun ride and I'm sure it sets some groundwork for Super Season 2.

If you like Dragonball, even a bit then I recommend you at least give it a watch.

This movie is great for old Toriyama fans and also for newcomers. You can clearly tell how the author had fun writing this movie. It is full of light hearted scenes like the original Dragon Ball that can switch into serious ones in the blink of an eye. It adds new characters that are easy to familiarize and simpathize with. Of course the movie could've been better in 2D, but this CG experiment is not a total failure, and after some minutes the eyes get used to the 3D. Since it's in CG the camera work and the coreography are stunning! The simple and straightforward ... plot gives time to the characters to appear on screen and everyone does something even if it's just for a little help. The movie is obiviously filled with Kaiju and Tokusatsu references but we already knew that Toriyama was a big fan of those. So yes, the movie is great and could get a special place in the heart of many fans around the world!

THE REAL STUFF: Dragon Ball: Super Hero is a movie about REDEMPTIVE LOVE & LASER ATTACKS. You know if you love that. I hope you love that. I love that. People of good adult taste love that.

Dragon Ball: Super Hero is UNBELIEVABLY good. Dragon Ball: Super Hero is the 22nd Dragon Ball movie and does not whatsoever succumb to franchise bloat - rather, it serves as a lasting and for all-time love letter for the franchise and apology tour for when sometimes the franchise has gone awry - which is a shockingly film essential point we are much more comfortable elaborating upon in the very ... much extended video form of this review, available at the COMBOFANS Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt7BxPDHe8U
Text review continues below, but please do check out the video, we'll love you forever for it.

Me and my brother Matthew are avid anime fans, we play in this space across the decades. We love from the 60s when Osamu Tezuka took off like a rocket ship all the way to these bizarre roaring 20's 2.0 when Konosuba is the GOAT. IRREGARDLESS, this Dragon Ball movie is NO DOUBT one of the most wonderful and delightful and special things we have ever seen.

The animation is breathtakingly beautiful, with simply stunning fight scenes that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This was a pitch-perfect transition to 3D, and I'm all but certain this is the way further Akira Toriyama projects should be made - a thought concurred at the time of this review writing by the unveiling of Akira Toriyama's Sand Land film, so eat your heart out!

The characters are expertly crafted and fleshed out, with incredible depth and personalities that truly make them feel alive. I will never be able to explain enough the sheer love that me and my brother Matthew have for Piccolo - the consistency of that affection and the lasting love we have grown for him over the however mutually long we've known him (me since I could think, him for like a year, more on that in the superlength video review) but we have been so rewarded for investing emotion into this series at the time of the Dragon Ball: Super Hero film and I couldn't feel better about it. Gohan is hilarious. Videl is adorable. Pan is fantastic and I'm so glad she isn't trapped in GT, now. Dr Hedo is an enormously compelling character with a really serious and politically sensitive yet affirming and wonderful arc - now THAT is a gorgeous surprise of the film. Absolute highlight of the watching and something we elaborate our feelings upon SO much in the video review.

The story is excellently written and packed with action, adventure, and thrills that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. It's really amazing how well it plays into the regular openings that meant a lot to me when I was young and stupid - that being, Piccolo is here to open us off, gets attacked while meditating, and then it's nonstop pumpup action and feelings and fighting until the conclusion of this gorgeous flick. Reminds me a lot of DEAD ZONE, which I say as somebody that watched DEAD ZONE first out of anything so of course I love it so much I could just fully die. Nostalgia is a gorgeous drug.

Even irregardless of the nostalgia play providing a BIG BOOST, which I think is really legitimate because that's a Feeling and Dragon Ball loves FEELINGS (They make you stronger!) the film manages to balance humor, intense action, and emotional drama so perfectly that it is impossible not to get emotionally invested in the story. The final battle, which I won't elaborate on too deeply - watch the movie & watch our video review to hear me say everything about that, thank you - is some of the most rewarding and exciting and amazing stuff I've yet witnessed in the medium.

I literally feel like Roger Avary of Pulp Fiction fame regarding the KONOSUBA movie when I talk about this thing. My love is so apparent and obvious and overbearing - but it's earnest, it's honest, it grew there with time and effort and that's what this movie best is - a love letter to the lasting endurance of Dragon Ball, and the consequences of being a decades-long story.

Hence, Uncle Piccolo, my beloved..

HUGELY RECOMMENDED. WINS OUR SPECIAL 'REEL ART' AWARD FOR MOVIES AS ART.
Check out our video review for more Dragon Ball goodness and the power of love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt7BxPDHe8U

(This review is written by one of Piccolo's biggest simps, proceed with caution)

We all already know how amazing of a father figure Piccolo is, but I did not expect the fluff at the start between him and Pan. It was absolutely ADORABLE how he knew exactly what Pan likes and how to take the best care of her. AND THE PART WHERE HE WAS HOLDING A MOBILE PHONE WITH A CUTE COVER, TOO CUTE!!

Simping aside, I absolutely loved how much initiative he took as he knew Goku and Vegeta were away, and handled everything himself the best he can. I'm ELATED that he and ... Gohan finally got the spotlight they deserved and had new power-ups! The forms are a little goofy looking imo but it doesn't really bother me too much.

Basically, WATCH IF YOU'RE A PICCOLO SIMP LIKE ME, 10/10 WILL SIMP AGAIN.

Akira Toriyama might be the author to the most influential Shōnen Battle series, yet his true calling has always been comedy. While "Dragon Ball" might be famous for its planet busting action, its heart is 100% comedy. Where "Dragon Ball Super: Broly" was a beautifully animated omage to the action in the "Dragon Ball" series, "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" is a love letter to what is uniquely and distinctly "Dragon Ball". A master of his craft, Toriyama has created a movie that had me laughing from the opening sequence to the very end. He plays the common super hero tropes and clichés we are ... so intimately familiar with like a fiddle, flipping and twisting the super hero story into something that feels both "Super" and "Dragon Ball".

"Super Hero" also feels like a return to what Toriyama wanted to create post Cell Saga, to let Gohan take over as the main character with Piccolo at his side. Considering Gohan’s history as the great Saiyaman and the inclusion of the Red Ribbon army, Androids and Cell, there’s a certain sense of nostalgia to that time. Before multiple universes and galaxy bending beings of mass destruction, a time when "Dragon Ball" felt like it flowed with much more grace than it does now. As much as I love Goku, it’s certainly fresh seeing a "Dragon Ball" story omit him entirely in favor of its side characters. Both Gohan and Piccolo especially feels neglected considering they sit firmly in Goku’s and Vegeta’s shadow within the rest of the "Dragon Ball" canon. Gohan has always been my favorite character of the cast since his showdown with Cell, so to see him get a sort of redemption was a joy. Having been relegated to the boring family man, this movie aims to elevate him to new heights, where he can be both scientist "and" warrior. Piccolo has barely had any agency since the Frieza Saga, and he shows in this movie that he has plenty of capacity to lead a "Dragon Ball" story, both as a warrior and a comedian.

The elephant in the room to many is the 3D animation. Many felt a surge of disappointment when they saw that this movie was in 3D, especially considering *Broly*’s absolutely stellar 2D animation. I for one think this movie was beautiful, and I think the 2D effects pop of the screen due to the contrast with the 3D animation. The fights are fluid and they utilized the freedom of camera movement well to justify the choice they made. I also think Toriyama’s style is uniquely fitting for an adaptation into 3D. Its simpler character designs and rounder shapes makes the transition from the classic 2D much less jarring, and with the decades of "Dragon Ball" fighting games to back it up it’s fair to say this series has the 3D transition figured out. I must also mention the soundtrack, as I absolutely loved the music in this movie and how it set the mood for each scene and elevated every fight.

To conclude, this movie feels like a return to form for Toriyama. Not saying he lost his ability over time, I just feel like he never got the chance to truly flex his narrative and comedic muscles since the conclusion of the Cell Saga over 30 years ago. Every joke lands and parodying the super hero genre this well almost makes it possible to hear Toriyama’s own laughs as he sits in his chair writing the movie through the screen as you’re watching. A famously free spirit, this is what happens when a genius is allowed free reign over his own property, a comedic action masterpiece more than worthy of the legacy helmed by the "Dragon Ball"-franchise.

This movie actually worked for me. It's not quite Dragon Ball at its best or most bombastic, but it does the job well and looks really good doing it. The CGI is done exceptionally well, minus a couple of minor snafus (no, Gohan's hair does not look good when fully transformed), and looks particularly amazing during some of its most exceptional fight scenes. It also gives opportunities to show off the fight choreography from more angles, which makes these fights some of the more dynamic and interesting to watch in the series. The new android villains are fun to watch, particularly as they're programmed to ... try and (badly) emulate super heroes. They aren't just puppets, either, with the capacity to think for themselves and, thus, capable of change over the course of the movie. Their ability to fight our heroes also seems believable to some degree, as they're just really good at reading moves, which makes them a threat in a drawn out fight.

As for the flaws, well... it's Dragon Ball, so the reason for the fighting in the first place is contrived and an overlarge idiot plot. I don't come here for the reasons, and frankly, this movie did better than most of Dragon Ball in this regard. What I don't like is that, given all the power scaling we've been through in this show, how two random androids are just made that can outclass some of the more powerful fighters in the roster, and not just because they're good at reading moves. More frustrating than that is the revival of Cell for this one. Recycling old villains has never worked for me, and Kaiju Cell really doesn't. It's nice to see a team battle against him, but that's about it. While Piccolo is front and center and great to watch, most of the other characters just don't do much, and even Gohan seems just here to get the win in the end. I like Piccolo's new form, so-so on Gohan's. And yeah, Trunks, Goten, Krillin, and 18 largely just seem to be here for the fun of it. Goku, Vegeta and Brolly are kept out of the action due to plot inconvenience, which is fine because I don't want them always hogging the spotlight.

Overall, it's a Dragon Ball movie, and there's going to be some bad with the good. With thankfully not too much of the latter in this one, I was pleasantly surprised, if not blown away as I was with the Broly movie.

Here is my review of this anime in 2022!

Story (9)
The story is about Red Ribbon Army that which we have already known dead for a long time ago is revived by using Dr. Hedo, grandson of the legendary evil scientist Dr. Gero to make an android to attack Goku and his friends. But Goku and Vegeta are training outside earth which is in the God Of Destruction's home. That's why super warriors are the ones who must protect the earth from Red Ribbon Army. In this movie, there are 2 new evolving forms and it's very awesome! You must watch it so you know who ... is getting a newly evolved form. Not only that but there is one old enemy that is being upgraded :)

Art (9)
The art in this anime is very good! Even though I didn't like 2.5/3D Animation, this one is great! It's looked like in several youtube channel fan-made content of dragon ball but it's better in my opinion.

Sound (9)
All the sounds that they used were suitable and adjusted to the animation.

Character (9)
The main and supporter character is very memorable since they have unique personality and the same as in the series.

Enjoyment (10)
It's very enjoyable to watch this movie in 2022.

Overall (9)
It's recommended to those who love dragon ball, fighting, and action anime!

This review comes from the perspective of someone who is not a Dragon Ball fan and has not watched much of the Dragon Ball franchise since it aired on TV as a child.

This movie is a very fun and comprehensible even to someone who doesn't have much background with the franchise. I felt like they did a good amount of exposition to help set the scene for new viewers without being overly annoying for familiar viewers (says my companions). The humour was very self-aware and the fan service felt more or less smart and not gratuitous. They even addressed some plot holes in a ... funny manner that made it more acceptable for viewers rather than a point of annoyance.

It was also nice to have the character set focused on Gohan rather than Goku and Vegeta. Overall, I would say this movie does a good job of being a fun experience and for fresh viewers, really sells the franchise as something to dig into deeper.

Non spoiler REVIEW!
Just a few hours ago i was at the premier of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero together with my friends and it was great!

Story & Characters: I think the story was really solid. This is my first DB film (I just finished the Cell Saga; have watched the original as well) and now fully hyped went to see it. Maybe if i had watched 2 or 3 movies prior i would appreciate the 'exclusion' of Goku and Vegeta more, but even as it is I think it was refreshing from the way the anime is. Finally seeing Piccolo get some screen ... time and have a major role, unlike in the anime, was cool. Now I am back to loving him. Imagine if they could do something like that for Yamucha and Tien as well. Nevermind that, the transformation Piccolo underwent was very cool. The story revolving around the RR army and characters of that affiliation was a good trip down memory lane as the RRA arc was one of my favorite from the original. It is sort of the Arlong Park of DB for me. The antags were decent, but not the best. I enjoyed the screen time the two androids got and how their plot line concluded, but I think the staff really should have done better with Cell Max's design. It was a recolored version of the original. Not that Piccolo's was much much different, but it felt significant in a way and that's what makes the difference between the two.

Animation & Music: The animation, surprisingly, was very good. I would give it an 8/10 if i had to use a score-based system. The colors were crisp and beautiful. The 3D didn't stick out in a bad way, just the opposite - it enhanced the action and choreography. The music made a bunch of moments special and got me shivered once or twice throughout. For me it was a success in both animation and music.

Fights: Probably the most important thing here - they were decent... or more like good. Yes, good describes them well. I was so relieved that things didn't end with just the two androids and that the final battle wasn't resolved in a single hit. The movements and direction were on point. Overall, they were enjoyable and got me engaged.

Thoughts & Final Score: My final score is around 8.5/10. The film was very good, not too long, not too short. Had nice references to past DB arcs and was very viewer friendly. My two friends have never watched DB before, but the exposition spread throughout the show made the story coherent and they were not just thrown in the deep. Animation was great, fights and soundtrack as well. In conclusion, if you have some time to spare, this will be a good watch. I don't think everybody will automatically be a fan of the movie, but it has its highs and is at the very least enjoyable!

The story, for someone that is following the series for a long long time, is partly on a good side, can't deny that. But, story is kinda going fastlane and everything is happening instantaneously.

The animation on the other hand, is on the bad side. I'm not sure if it's hige or low budget, but the CGI style is like watching an ultimate technique from anime video games. Not your typical anime CGI.

All and all, for anyone who follows Dragon Ball, at the end I recommend whatching it. It'll be a waste if you watched everything and skipped this.

After their smash hit Dragon Ball Super: Broly in 2018, a follow-up was eagerly expected, if not downright begged for by the Dragon Ball community. Eager to see how the main trio of Goku, Vegeta, and Broly’s stories might continue, a sequel in either movie or show form seemed inevitable. However, come 2021 when details for the film began to be released, it seemed not to be quite what the community expected. Rather than continue Broly’s story of its three protagonists, Super Hero was primed to seemingly focus on a small-scale matter in an entirely CGI animated film, lacking the fan-loved animation and story of ... Broly. As such, expectations were certainly mixed, but as more press material was released, I personally grew more and more excited. Couple that with some spoilers I heard, and my expectations were pretty high to at least enjoy the movie when it came out. With all that in mind, did it manage to live up to the hype? In my opinion, yes.

To begin with an area of immense discourse; the animation. CGI in anime is certainly an…unpopular method, but the methods and utility definitely show their worth even still, making it a general (if reluctant) mainstay of the genre to be used. However, Super Hero is entirely animated in CGI, being quite a different experience than the brief and often jarring cuts of it, being something finely honed instead. As such, the final product of Super Hero looks quite phenomenal, with clean models and fast-paced, enjoyable action that makes most other anime’s attempts at CGI look laughable in comparison.

Something I frequently find myself forgetting but being reminded of every time I see a Dragon Ball piece of media is just how enjoyable the franchise's cast is. With great designs and wonderful personalities set after decades of growth, it’s a blast to catch up with everyone again and see how they interact with the new characters and experiences thrown their way.

Equally linked is the film's comedy; as with Broly, Super Hero has both its serious moments and is generally light-hearted with many moments of comedy throughout that lighten up the action. It’s highly enjoyable and really makes the experience better than any fully serious and dull action could ever do for the film.

Really that was what I found most appealing about Super Hero more than anything; just how fun it was. Throughout I had a big smile plastered on my face, I had moments of hype, moments of laughter, and just generally had an awesome time seeing it. It’s Dragon Ball at its best (in my opinion) when separate from any other factors; watching it just makes you enjoy yourself and get caught up in the flow of the moment.

Unfortunately, Super Hero isn’t all pleasant times, and there are certainly a few issues to be had, even with its mindless fun. For one, particularly compared to Broly, the main story just isn’t quite as compelling or finely crafted. It isn’t abhorrent by any means, but it’s clearly nothing more than a device to pit characters against one another rather than having a greater idea to tell on its own. Again, not particularly terrible by any means, just not quite as notable as its predecessor.

Another issue I found was in the movie’s pacing, which notably stumbled a bit, mostly early on. The movie has no qualms about starting slow and getting fast once it does, which is perfectly valid. However, near the beginning, it seems to both want to go and wait at once, with multiple odd surges of action that die down into more subdued times, as well as odd diversions to other locations or goals that feel rather out of place to throw where they were placed. Once it gets going later, the pacing is quite good, but early on it's notably odd and jolting.

With all I’ve said about it, I feel that Super Hero warrants a proper comparison to Broly, to weigh exactly how they stand. While there are many points that can be compared or contrasted that go to one film or the other, I feel it's more useful to actually observe what both movies are trying to do, as I find them quite different experiences that aim to be exactly that. Broly was certainly more dramatic with a superior plot and higher-feeling stakes, but that’s not entirely to Super Hero’s discredit. Super Hero felt clearly poised to be exactly the light-hearted, character-driven, humorous down-to-earth action film it ended up being, and for that, I can’t really fault it much.

In summation, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was quite a wonderful experience, bringing the kind of fun and bombastic experience to the table that we expected with some truly phenomenal animation and hilarity throughout. While it was perhaps lacking in some plot and had some odd pacing choices, I think the movie didn’t really aim to be that dramatic and climactic experience, wanting to be a more down-to-earth and light-hearted experience, and in that, I found it utterly succeeded in a dominant fashion.

Grade - A

This had a very classic Dragon Ball story. I love how it managed to bring most of the cast in (even if some were just cameos) and the callbacks to lore that seemed long forgotten. Of the modern Dragon Ball movies (Battle of Gods-now) this is easily the best written. The animation takes awhile to get used to. There are some moments where it looks really odd/kinda bad, but the last 30-45 minutes look beautiful. One very glaring issue though is the vibe is kinda off. As mentioned the story is very classic and it’s animation style eventually reminded me of the manga and was ... somewhat nostalgic in that regard, but it’s missing the epic Dragon Ball feel. Despite the flashiness, it’s a pretty quiet movie. There’s no real stakes, which isn’t helped by the fact there’s also no over the top score (whether you’re into the marching band style of early Dragon Ball or the electric metallic style of current Dragon Ball) or grand speeches that get you hyped no matter how cheesy followed by powerful screams. Some of the possible oh shit moments the series is known for fall kinda flat. It’s still a fun movie to watch that does a great service to the franchise and had a lot of heart. There’s just some technical stuff that could’ve been improved upon to make this standout more.

I'm a long-time fan of Dragon Ball, as in it was very likely one of the very first anime I saw in my life and I fell so hard for it that I still remember how much I cried when they broadcasted the ending of Dragon Ball Z (we're talking about the fourth/fifth re-run on tv here obviously, but still I was a toddler). However as many things pass by, I fell out of it and went ahead, but I still check on it when the times call. I personally wanted to catch up with Dragon Ball Super, but sadly the animation was so bad ... that could in no way hook me - though I truly liked where it was going.

I must mention anyway that I personally always favoured the first series of Dragon Ball for it had a much lighter vibe and it was still in that humour-based essence, on the same type of Dr. Slump as anyone can tell, also the adventure element was a huge point.

Why I'm mentioning this?

Because I think this movie managed, somehow, to let me relive that very essence.

The choice of placing this story in a capsule machine of reference to past events and characters to the amazing comic tempo that truly felt comfortable for the type of humour that DB (and in general anything that came out in the 80s) possessed and relayed on. Well, I think this movie is just plain amazing.

I really loved the characters, both professor and evil red ribbons ones- The idea behind this story was simple, and certainly nothing original, but the structure of the whole plot was flawless. I think that just the presence of Gamma #1 and Gamma #2 alone could seriously hold up this entire movie- the concept behind, classic superheroes with pistols and all, was just so old-style Toriyama. They also cater to those who grew up with 70s and 80s anime since the design and the clothes were a huge callout to those types of heroes (those pistols were truly beautiful I cried when they used them.)

This movie also managed to rekindle my very rocky relationship with Gohan, I was never fond of him being a very timid and shy kid who was spoiled by Chichi, but well his is just a personal grunge. That said, I just loved how Piccolo had such great screen time and also a very big role, same goes for Gohan. This movie managed to capture how the relationship between these characters evolved and personally, Pam's small parts were just as beautiful. Short and essential.

I was seriously surprised at how much this movie could gather everything and anything that was Dragon Ball and tie it all in a cute and stylish ribbon.

The flow of the story was perfect: the direction was plain amazing and the impact of the scenes was outstanding no matter the shot. Many lamented the CGI composition, and I myself initially was a bit hesitant about it, but I believe that it truly helped out in rendering the animation much easier to follow and much more impactful, as I mentioned. Moreover, the CGI is much more similar to a 3D model being cell-shaded than an all-out animation, which worked greatly. I also should add that being that animation is at an all-time low for all the reasons you surely know, the 3D option was the safest route to get a much more consistent animation. I personally believe it worked greatly and it resulted in much more effective and impactful battle scenes (it's been ages honestly since I last saw such clean battle scenes, lately animation relays greatly on "particle battles" - sorry I don't really really remember the term lol - which are great on their own, but Dragon Ball, as an old dog, is much more effective with this type of battle animation.)

(Also, strangely enough, only Trunks and Goten seemed really out of place rendered in 3D, I still cannot understand how, but anyway)


Therefore, considering everything that I aforementioned I give this movie a solid 10.

This movie is the first and only piece of Dragon Ball media I have ever consumed. Here's a very short, very general no spoilers review!

The story was easy to understand thanks to a quick explanation/catchup at the beginning of the movie. I'm not a fan of action movies and/or long fight scenes but luckily every battle was incredibly entertaining and wonderfully animated! The art style was different than what I was expecting but looked nothing short of fantastic. I immediately fell in love with pretty much every character that was introduced and was completely absorbed in their relationships as well as the battles they engaged ... in. I never knew how the battles would go down or who would come out on top!! Very refreshing and exciting. :D

This movie bangs!!!! I'm so glad that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was my first exposure to the series. I want to see it again and hopefully get a DVD copy in the future.

Dragon ball super: super hero is pretty standard for Dragon ball movies, they will introduce 1 villain who will have his 20 minutes of development there and dps they will fall in hand for the rest of the entire movie until one of the protagonists takes a new form and get fucked up. Animation can be strange at first glance as it is something new, it reminds a little of the aesthetics of video games for the art but working quite well with this style of animation. The film presents its moments of fights that are very functional and the classic dragon ball comedy that ... if you like it you will enjoy it very well. Maybe the fact that they inserted a final drama there for you to care about the character was not very functional because they almost didn't work the character. Another negative thing was the fact that they tried to show that message of which side is right, but with so little screen time, there would be no way to work something like this in just 100 minutes of film. In general, it's a nice movie that you can enjoy and have fun, go for it.

I really enjoyed this epic movie, probably the most of all new DB Movies. One reason is that the movie has literally no Gokuu, whom I could never stand. (On the bad side, it has literally no Vegeta either, but well, those two come as a set so no help). The animation is superb, and the plot is dynamic. We get new characters, and they are very nicely portrayed and played (Miyano, Kamiya and Irino really do their best!). Piccolo steals almost every scene, which is great! As for some complaints, I wish Bulma, a genius after all, had a more important role in the ... movie than showing her butt and taking about beauty. Also, I find Gohan too silly for my taste; he was much serious when a kid and even in DBZ as an adult. However, I strongly recommend this movie, as it's very enjoyable.

Super fun and enjoyeble watch

This time round Goku takes a back seat, leaving space to Gohan and Piccolo, and Pan as the adorable little mascot, to lead the wholesome tale of an insane little adventure
Seeing Piccolo taking care of and training Pan, and also still looking out for Gohan, is just so incredibly sweet
The focus on the characters relations is not overbearing for an action flick, but is just enough to pack that bit of extra emotion into the final battle when all finally team up

The battles and OST fit the Super Hero name perfectly, with fun comic book panel effects, and an OST which ... give a bit of a Marvel movie vibe

My biggest worry for the movie was the CGI, but i'm glad to say it's been greatly polished up since the trailers
Probably the best full CGI anime i've seen so far