 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL SCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 185 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | PG | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 12/06/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 03/27/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
This box set contains three incredible Dragon Ball Features including Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle - available for the first time on DVD in a collector art box – making it a must have for Dragon Ball fans. It’s an attractive little thinpak box set with a colourful outer box and three nice thinpak DVD cases to hold the DVDs. There’s something so unique and enjoyable about the original Dragon Ball series – most people will agree that it was just better in so many ways than any of the other later incarnations. Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT were good in their own right, but the original Dragon Ball series and the movies to go along with it just had such a different charm that most people appreciated on a higher level.
The first movie in the collection is “The Path to Power.” When an adventure thirsty girl named Bulma runs across, and nearly runs over, a bizarre young boy named Goku, they find themselves thrust into an adventure that will last a lifetime. Together they set out to recover the mystical Dragon Balls, artefacts of incredible power. Legend says that whoever collects all seven Dragon Balls can call forth the awesome Eternal Dragon, a powerful creature that will grant whatever wish their heart desires. But there is another interested party eager to control the power of the Dragon Balls. They are known as the Red Ribbon Army, and they will stop at nothing to use the Dragon Balls to achieve their wish of total world domination. Along the way Goku will find out that the greatest power of all lies within himself. This is where the legend begins. The second movie is called “Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle.” It’s time to power up, and Roshi holds the key! Before Goku and Krillin can unlock the secrets of the hermit’s training, a thrilling quest awaits. The old teacher directs the two warriors to the treacherous Devil’s Hand where they must find a sleeping princess and return the maiden to their master’s island. Their journey is wrought with peril, as the devious Launch races the heroes to their goal. In a true test of Goku and Krillin’s might, Lucifer, a sinister vampire backed by an army of ogres, seeks to annihilate the Saiyan and his friend, as well as destroy the Earth. Join Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and the whole Dragon Ball gang as the fate of the world is decided in this epic adventure. The third and final film contained in this collection is “Mystical Adventure.” Goku and Krillin have completed their training under the mystical Master Roshi. Now the duo is off to test their newly acquired skills at a prestigious martial arts tournament sponsored by the young emperor Chiaotzu. The winner of the tournament is said to get an audience with the emperor, and a wish for anything they want. But sinister plans are underway beneath the façade of the elaborate tournament. The young emperor’s wife has been kidnapped, and the emperor’s right-hand man, Master Shen, has convinced him that the Dragon Balls must be gathered to wish her back. But secretly, he and his henchman Master Tao plan to overthrow the Emperor, and with the help of the Dragon Balls, rule the kingdom themselves. And to complicate matters even more, Bulma and the gang are desperately searching for the Dragon Balls as well. As the tournament begins, the action all comes together. Get ready for a wild, crazy ride of comedy and excitement on a magical, mystical adventure. All three films are Dragon Ball classics, and should be on any Dragon Ball fan’s “must have” list. Overall, the animation in Dragon Ball is colourful, highly stylized, and really quite inventive. The series has always had a fairly unique look its own – the originality of the characters and their adventures is likely a big part of what has helped make Dragon Ball so popular and so well known. Again, the original Dragon Ball was so much better than later incarnations for most people – these films contain so much more adventure and quirky surprises than later series like Dragon Ball Z and GT. The characters are just so funny in Dragon Ball – Bulma is especially full of mischief and is good for plenty of laughs. Each character has their own potential for humour though – it really is a comedy/adventure genre that this series tends to fall under, despite its many martial arts battles. Something that always stood out for me with Dragon Ball was the awesome mecha designs. Any cars, bikes, tanks and anything else mechanical is drawn up with a lot of care and originality in Dragon Ball. Bulma actually carries “capsules” like large pills that she can drop and have them turn into a bike or a car, and a variety of other things. So the mechanical designs are just top notch – always very interesting to look at. The story and visuals are just generally very imaginative anyways – everything from the landscapes to the buildings are quite unique in their presentation. When it comes down to the story specifically, all three films have fantastic pacing. The story is fast paced, and introduces a number of quirky characters and situations as fast as you can take them in – there are few if any “down times” with little going on. Did I mention Bulma is funny? I think her character is pretty important to making the story flow with such humour as it does – she is so mischievous and self-interested, and yet has a streak of kindness whenever it really needs to come out of her. Goku is just so well meaning – he’s a good little guy who just wants to learn and get along with people. The whole package is really very strangely compelling – it’s the oddest story with some very odd characters and motivations, but it just works. Dragon Ball is fun to watch, and the movies are a great place to start! EXTRAS:
Character profiles and trailers. IN SUMMARY:
This box set delivers – three Dragon Ball movies for a reasonable price is pretty hard to beat! As a whole, the movies are a lot of fun, are very colourful, and showcase some of the most unique anime adventure you’ll see out there. The original Dragon Ball is something you just can’t shake a stick at – it’s very good stuff!
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