Synopsis: The Pilaf gang finish making a dragon radar at the request of Tsuru-sennin who thinks that having it along with the power of the Mifan Empire will make gathering the balls much easier. Pilaf says he's glad to have been of service to him, and Tsuru-sennin asks Taopaipai to “reward” them as Tenshinhan watches. As the opening theme plays, the scene changes to Goku and Kuririn completing their training with Kame-sennin following the events of the previous movie. Goku asks Roshi to train them properly now that they're done, but Roshi reveals that they've basically already completed it, instead offering to take them to compete in the martial arts tournament being held in Mifan soon so that they can test their skills and see how much they've improved. In Mifan, the royal army ransacks village after village, with a rumor buzzing around that they're looking for Ran Ran, the 'bride' of their king who suddenly went missing. Tsuru-sennin reports to king Chaozu that they've yet to find her anywhere, but suggests that they may be able to call upon the powers of the Dragon Balls to find her. One of Chaozu's soldiers, Blue, interjects with the suggestion that Tsuru-sennin may be seeking to use the power of the balls for himself as the only place in the kingdom they haven't checked for Ran Ran yet is the Crane Hermit's own room. Blue's objections are met by a challenge from Taopaipai, who promptly slays the soldier using only his tongue. Chaozu is horrified, but Tsuru-sennin swears to him that they'll gather the Dragon Balls and bring Ran Ran back to him as soon as possible. Elsewhere, Bulma has drug Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong along for another search for the Dragon Balls. They soon find one far underwater, but as Bulma tries to dive with their ship to get it, they're soon attacked by jets. Bulma evades and shoots down the jets, but they're prevented from getting the Dragon Ball once again when a large Mifan submarine runs them off with torpedoes. Meanwhile, Roshi takes his students and Lunch to Mifan for the tournament, telling them about the tournament's ultimate prize – the winner will have their heart's desire granted to them by the king of Mifan. More importantly than that though, he wants them to do their best and really show what they can do. In the Land of Karin, the Mifan soldiers continue searching for another Dragon Ball, as Upa and Bora watch from a nearby cliff. Upa asks his father if they should just give the ball to the soldiers so they'll leave, but Bora thinks the men will just kill everyone once they have what they want, so instead leaves with Upa to go to Mifan to talk to the king there himself. Back in Mifan, Tsuru-sennin cackles as he looks at the six Dragon Balls he already has hidden in an ornate statue. A soldier comes to tell him they've located the last Dragon Ball, a fact overheard by Bulma with her rocket camera just outside the window. Bulma decides to steal the Dragon Balls from Tsuru-sennin as payment for how harshly his men attacked them earlier, dragging Yamcha and the others with her to Mifan. In a Mifan restaurant, Roshi treats his students to dinner while a disguised Bora sneaks into the building with Upa. Soldiers lead by Metallic soon storm in and accost the pair, and in the ensuing chaos, Goku and the others end up involved in the conflict. Taopaipai arrives shortly after and is recognized by Roshi as he's able to easily stop Bora from using his spear. Roshi speaks up before the fight can escalate further however, claiming that Bora is a guest coming to the tournament just like them, and thus is under the king's protection. Taopaipai recognizes Roshi as well, and reluctantly agrees to let them be for now, but warns them all not to leave the city until after the tournament. Back in their hideout, Tsuru-sennin confirms with the radar that Bora has the last Dragon Ball, and Taopaipai says if it hadn't been for the witnesses and Roshi's intervention they'd already have it. Tsuru-sennin isn't concerned however, as he thinks Taopaipai is more than enough to deal with even Kame-sennin, and the last Dragon Ball will soon be theirs. Now back in their hotel room, Roshi remarks with amazement after Bora tells him what's been going on, but Bora insists that he's sure it's not the young king of Mifan himself behind all of this. Bora says he'll win the tournament and ask him himself, and both Goku and Kuririn agree to do the same if they're the ones that win. Lunch comments that it won't be any use if they find the last Dragon Ball first, but Bora pulls out the four-star Ball, overjoying Goku. Later that night, Chaozu wakes up from a nightmare, causing Tenshinhan to rush to his side to comfort him. Chaozu asks Tenshinhan to call him by his name instead of his title since they're friends, and reveals that he had a nightmare where he was killed. Chaozu says Tenshinhan is the only person he can rely on completely, and Tenshinhan's reactions show how conflicted he is with his part in Tsuru-sennin's scheming. The next day, the tournament starts at last, with Goku, Kuririn, Bora, and Yamcha all prepared to enter. Bulma spots Goku and runs over to show him with her radar that alls even Dragon Balls are in Mifan now, and asks Lunch to come with her to try and steal the six Dragon Balls Tsuru-sennin has. Bulma has Oolong and Puar transform into Chaozu and Tsuru-sennin, and they begin to sneak into the castle. As the tournament starts, Yamcha fights first and performs well enough that it scares away a bunch of the other competitors. When Bora steps in to fight however, Roshi yells out a distraction that causes Yamcha to lose. Before Bora can be declared the victor however, Taopaipai jumps in to continue their fight, resulting in Bora's death when Taopaipai throws him onto a nearby statue's spear. Tsuru-sennin uses this chaos to launch his takeover of the Mifan empire. Chaozu pleads with Tenshinhan to intervene, but Tenshinhan struggles internally before ultimately telling Chaozu to remain silent. Goku angrily tries to fight Taopaipai for what he's done, but is sent flying away courtesy of a Dodonpa. Tsuru-sennin gloats to Roshi that between the might of Taopaipai and the power of the Dragon Balls, the world will be his for sure. A soldier soon alerts Tsuru-sennin to the fact that the last Dragon Ball is shown flying away on the radar, and Taopaipai realizes that Goku must have been the one that had it instead of Bora. Goku crash-lands in a strange tower and meets a cat named Karin. Karin tells Goku that the Dragon Ball that fell from the hole in his shirt must have saved his life, and asks him if he really wants to defeat Taopaipai. When Goku says he does, Karin gives him a senzu to replenish his strength, but tosses the Dragon Ball into a nearby pot of water. He explains to Goku that anger is like the ripples in the water, clouding what needs to be seen, and that all Goku has to do to win is focus his mind and overcome his anger. Back in Mifan, Taopaipai takes one of the castle's pillars and uses it to fly in the direction he sent Goku in, while Bulma struggles with Tsuru-sennin's statue. She finally gets it open and finds the Dragon Balls, but this causes an alarm to go off and alert Tsuru-sennin. As Tsuru-sennin and Tenshinhan rush away, Roshi and Kuririn take advantage of the confusion to start beating up the soldiers holding them. Realizing that Taopaipai will be coming for him as well, Goku heads out on kinto'un to meet him. Before the two can meet however, a strange girl throws a boulder at Taopaipai, knocking him from the pillar and sending him crashing to the ground. Bulma and Lunch try to escape the castle with the six Dragon Balls they took, but not even Lunch's machine gun is able to stop Tsuru-sennin who promptly catches the bullets and tries to kill Bulma with a Dodonpa. Yamcha leaps in and grabs Bulma out of the way, causing the both of them to fall into the lake below, and the Dragon Balls to spill out of Bulma's bag and into a dark crevice in the depths. Back at the tournament grounds, Roshi is able to defeat Metallic but is felled by Tenshinhan, garnering him praise from Tsuru-senning who asks him to kill Chaozu next. Tenshinhan objects, saying that won't be needed once they get the Dragon Balls back, but the Crane Hermit doesn't want anything left to chance. Tsuru-sennin laughs and says that all they have to do now is wait for Taopaipai to return. In Penguin Village, Arale Norimaki pokes the body of Taopaipai before he leaps out of the ground just in time for Goku to arrive. Taopaipai's attempts to fight are interrupted by the antics of Arale and the Gatchans, so Taopaipai tries to kill Arale with a Dodonpa, earning him an electric attack from the Gatchan in kind. Arale leaps back up to show that she's alright, and Goku and Taopaipai fight again at last. Goku easily defeats Taopaipai this time, even proving able to withstand a Dodonpa himself. Left with no other choice, Taopaipai feigns asking for forgiveness to steal Goku's Dragon Ball, and leaps onto a capsule aircraft to fly away, launching rockets at Goku and Arale as he leaves. Goku and Arale knock the rockets back into the air towards Taopaipai, and the killer is blown up, leaving Goku to catch the Dragon Ball and head back to Mifan, while Arale cheers and a confused Senbei Norimaki walks into the scene. Tsuru-sennin is told that the Dragon Balls are too deep into the crevice to retrieve, and decides to settle for ruling Mifan for now instead. Tenshinhan tries to kill Chaozu but ultimately can't bring himself to do it, earning him praise from a surprisingly alive and awake Roshi who pleads with him to change his ways. Tsuru-sennin tells Metallic to kill Upa if Tenshinhan won't listen, but Tenshinhan just can't kill Chaozu. Enraged, Tsuru-sennin launches a Dodonpa at Chaozu but gets blown away instead by a quick Kikoho from Tenshinhan. With his master defeated, Metallic prepares to kill Upa but is stopped for good at last by Goku crash-landing headfirst through his chest as he returns with the last Dragon Ball. The remaining soldiers swear fealty to Chaozu one again, and Tenshinhan returns his bride (actually a doll) Ran Ran to him. Tenshinhan tells Chaozu to give him whatever punishment he sees fit, but Chaozu thanks him for saving him. Bulma and Yamcha return from the lake, showing that everyone has survived this ordeal...except for Bora. Goku says the Dragon Balls can surely bring him back to life and asks Bulma to let him use the wish, which she agrees to while warning Goku that the other Dragon Balls are probably impossible to get to now. Chaozu says that the crevice in the lake is said to be where a dragon lives, and Goku tosses the four-star ball into the water before calling for Shenlong. As the credits begin to roll, Shenlong is summoned, Bora is brought back to life, and peace is returned to the Mifan Kingdom. Review: So as I'm sure you've gathered by now, this movie is...a LOT. I'll be honest, I've long remembered this movie as being one of my favorite of the non-Z or Super movies, and it was usually my go to answer as my favorite of the original three films. After revisiting it with a reviewer's mind set however...I think I may have just ruined this movie for myself, because it is one of the most convoluted, crammed-to-the-brim-with-things-we've-already-seen works in the franchise we've ever gotten outside of the video games. In a franchise that routinely rolls out references to it's past story arcs like they're going out of style? That's saying something. Picking up pretty much right where the second movie left off, this third theatrical installment for Dragon Ball finds Goku still undergoing his initial training with Kame-sennin after the first search for the Dragon Balls. You've likely noticed between where I'm choosing to place this movie in terms of when I review it and a lot of characters featured in it, that this movie came out way, WAY past that storyline being current for the franchise in any shape or form. While the idea of telling an alternate universe story that built upon itself with every installment was an interesting way for Toei to go about making movies for the franchise, it must have become obvious to someone at the studio how far behind this was leaving them in terms of relevancy. Two movies down and they're barely past the starting line for these characters. As a result, someone decided to press the fast forward button and leave it on when coming up with this film's story, because we burn through referenced plot points and characters at a pace never-before-seen. To put it further into perspective, I repeat: this movie starts off in a place that would be considered maybe the halfway point of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai arc, just before the tournament actually starts. This movie goes from there and runs through things from that arc, the Red Ribbon Army arc, and even the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai arc as well. That is a LOT of ground to cover, and honestly, I can't really say it does it super well. Which brings me to one other way this movie sets itself apart from it's predecessors. While the first two Dragon Ball movies saw fit to loosely take characters and ideas from how they were introduced in the manga first (the second movie doing largely it's own thing after a short introduction period for Kuririn), this movie takes pretty much every single thing in it from the manga. Whereas the first movie contained original characters and a new villain for Goku to fight by their ends, this movie decides to utilize only characters introduced in the mainline series. While it's neat to get to see some of these characters shine once again, none of them really fare any better than they did before – most of them fare worse, honestly – leaving us without really anything new to look at and hold our interest. But that's all a major summation of the film's flaws. Let's look at a few parts of it in more detail, so as to show exactly what I think doesn't work, and...try to find something that I think does. Getting a cameo at the beginning of the movie for the Pilaf gang (marking their only film appearance until Battle of Gods, believe it or not) is a fairly nice inclusion, albeit a sad one when you realize they just got killed off-screen. I mean, I guess there's a chance they survived given we don't actually see anything, and Taopaipai just beat them up, but...more than likely they're dead. Poor dolts. Likewise, I do have to praise the movie thinking to showcase some of it's needed backstory – ie Goku and Kuririn's training – through montage as the opening song plays. This is a really neat way to make use of the film's runtime, and lord knows it needed it as they do a similar thing with the end credits. Still, it makes for a fun alternate way to watch and hear Makafushigi Adventure instead of just seeing it with the same opening animations that the series got. One interesting change I did want to mention involves Roshi telling the boys about the upcoming tournament. In the original version, he tells them to do their best, but ultimately decides to enter as well as Jackie Chun so that he can ensure their loss so that they're inspired to greater heights. Here however, he straight up tells them that he hopes the tournament inspires them to keep training and get even stronger than they currently are. Movie Roshi must have taken Original Roshi's advice and decided to cut out the middle man rather than going through the whole disguise charade. Thank goodness for it too, because I think I would have legitimately gone insane if I'd also had to account for Roshi in disguise while writing the synopsis. The most interesting part of the film's plot is probably how it recasts Tenshinhan and Chaozu and likewise their relationship with both each other and the likes of Tsuru-sennin and Taopaipai. As we've just covered in the manga, they're originally students of the Crane Hermit while Taopaipai is someone they (or at least Tenshinhan) idolizes. Here however, Chaozu is the ruler of the movie-original land of Mifan, with Tenshinhan as his...guard? Attendant? He's still his friend however, and if anything the level of closeness they feel here is a more apt explanation for how the two will interact later on than them having been training buddies. Likewise, Tsuru-sennin isn't their master but rather one of Chaozu's advisors who's looking to usurp him, and Taopaipai is his own bodyguard. This is all very creative uses of taking liberties with the characters as they were, far more than what has been done with any of the other characters prior to this. It's interesting, but at times can leave them feeling like all new characters rather than the characters they originally were at all. It's almost like they had a plot in mind with a barebones idea for characters needed to tell that story, and then changed them out with existing characters so as to be more caught up with where the series itself was by that point in time. This is especially evident with the likes of Metallic, Blue, and the any other element of the Red Ribbon arc that's not Taopaipai. Metallic is pretty close to being who he was, but outside of one moment where he's a little brutal in regards to searching a guy's van, Blue may as well be an all new person compared to his Red Ribbon counterpart. This one even tries to save Chaozu by pointing out the entire crux of the movie before it even happens, only to get offed by Taopaipai in exactly the same manner as he was in the original series. Huh...more on that in a bit though. Nobody feels more shoe-horned into this movie than Bulma's group sadly, as they don't really offer much to the story at all. In fact, Bulma's whole reason for being here at all is rather nebulous – she seems to want to make a wish on the Dragon Balls, but we're never made privy to what exactly that wish would be. She's still with Yamcha seemingly, they don't seem to be arguing quite as much as they were in the Red Ribbon arc, so unless she's finally going after that lifetime supply of strawberries, it seems like she's just here to tie the Dragon Balls into the plot – something that really didn't need doing thanks to Upa and Bora's inclusion. Upa and Bora are largely the same as they were in the manga as well, and their inclusion actually feels rather natural. The main adversary in this movie, fight-wise anyway, is Taopaipai, and one of the most shocking moments with his time in the series was the brutal murder of Bora. As long as the movie's going to be running down a check-list of notable moments to cover again (and oh man does it ever do that), it may as well include the one that really stands out amongst the others. Once all the individual pieces of this story's plot are finally set up, the story's pace picks up quite a bit as the characters all start to meet up and exchange information on what's been going on. Frankly, it's kind of amazing how much they already know going into things only to proceed to do absolutely nothing to stop it from happening really. The only character that has much of an excuse to be caught unaware is Chaozu, and he's PSYCHIC. Well...kinda. His powers do seem to be severely downplayed in this version, with the only aspect shown for sure being the ability to speak telepathically with Tenshinhan, and that's something taught to him by the latter in this version apparently. At any rate, the tournament itself quickly proves to play no part in the story at large, really only existing as a framing device for why Goku and Kuririn would be going to Mifan in the first place. That still doesn't stop Yamcha from losing in the tournament though. Poor guy can't catch a break even in alternate timelines. Once Bora is killed by Taopaipai (in a method very similar to his manga demise, after a reference to the original version earlier tries to mislead you into thinking it won't happen this time), the pace of the movie switches once again, going from the slow building of the opening act, the light jog of the second act, to a full-speed dash for the finale for it's final act. On the one hand, this means the movie starts getting a little more entertaining than some may have found it to be at the start. At the same time though, even with everything the movie has already shoved in, it somehow finds a way to shove even MORE in at this point. Goku losing to Taopaipai, Goku training with Karin, Goku fighting Taopaipai again, a Dr. Slump crossover, Tenshinhan's match with Roshi, Tenshinhan 'betraying' Tsuru-sennin, Tsuru-sennin being sent blasting off again like he's Team Rocket – it's all here, coming at us at a mile a minute, and it's really...really disorienting to be honest. It doesn't help that all of this is material we've already seen, and material that's already been largely done far better in the manga and the TV series version of the anime before getting it for a third time here. It's almost like someone really did have a check-list of moments from the original series that they HAD to do again here, and they're just writing them in and marking them off as they go along. It's a shame, because as a result, none of these moments get anywhere near the time to breath that they need. There's another reason for that as well though, and I think that's one of this film's greatest weaknesses. While it revels in showing you moments you've already seen warmed back up again, it also knows you've seen them and doesn't go out of it's way to explain anything that might be different this time or why. Nowhere is this more evident than in the relationship between the Crane members in this version. Why is Tenshinhan working for Tsuru-sennin despite seeming to have a close friendship with Chaozu? No reason given; it's just because he was an evil prick at that point in the manga Tsuru-sennin was his master. Why does Taopaipai work for Tsuru-sennin despite seemingly being far stronger than him? No reason given; it's just because of their relationship to each other in the original manga, which is doubly hilarious when they could have brought up his job as an assassin and the amount of pay he expects as compensation. Why does Roshi recognize Taopaipai and Taopaipai him? This one at least I can sort of handwave, as Roshi is a known figure in the world of Dragon Ball...but at the same time, was that only in the series version, or was he still a renowned master that just about anyone would know of in the movie-verse? I honestly can't remember at this point. And Roshi recognizing Taopaipai is, again, an element that's pulled entirely from his relationship with Tsuru-sennin in the manga. Hell, there's even a moment of Tsuru-sennin gloating to Kame-sennin much to the latter's chagrin, despite the fact that nothing else in the film indicates they have any familiarity with each other before this. This movie really tries to have it's cake and eat it too in a way, showing us so much that they already know we'll like without putting in the work to make it work in this new version. And yes – that sadly includes Arale's cameo. I love Arale. I love Dr. Slump. But honestly? It has no place in this movie. It was a cute return of characters that people loved in the manga, but here it just doesn't work, and feels completely out of place. It gets just as much screen time as Karin's part of the story as well, which only makes it feel even more like a distraction. Once that portion is over, the film wastes no time wrapping things up quickly, leading to the ultimate reveal that Chaozu's missing wife was a doll all along (which IS pretty funny, but also weird given that she was mentioned early on and then barely ever again after the film's opening acts), and Goku proving what a good boy he is by using the Dragon Balls to wish back Bora. There's a throwaway line from Chaozu about a dragon living in the dragon-shaped crevice that Shenlong is ultimately summoned out of as well, and I'm just...not at all sure what to make of that line. Is the movie trying to suggest this is where Shenlong lives? That this lake crevice is where he is when the Dragon Balls aren't being used? That's a neat idea I guess, but it comes completely out of nowhere at the end of the movie, so it just sort of exists. Sure am glad that's not elaborated on anytime before or after this. I really wanted to like this movie. I honestly used to enjoy it quite a bit. But upon revisiting it with a more critical eye, I can't really lie and say that there aren't a ton of flaws with this one. I had to ask myself just why I enjoyed this movie so much in the first place, and I think I finally figured out why. I'll be showing my age a bit with this one, so bear with me. Back when I first got into Dragon Ball, like with so many others, I got into it with DBZ. Dragon Ball was something of an enigma to me. I knew it existed, I knew about a lot of story that happened in it, but I didn't get to watch it as easily as I did DBZ, because at the time it hadn't been brought over in full. Then FUNimation did start to release it at last, even securing a spot for it on Toonami alongside it's follow-up. I got to watch Dragon Ball at long last, and even taped every episode of the first two arcs on VHS. After that though, we ended up moving and I lost access to Cartoon Network for a good few years. By the time I had access to the TV again, Toonami had reached the King Piccolo arc. Over the years, I managed to get a few more official VHS tapes for Dragon Ball, but a lot of the material this movie covered, I never managed to get or see until years later when FUNimation would retroactively re-release the original anime on five 'Season Sets'. As a result, the first time I really got to see a lot of these story elements WAS in this movie. This movie is where I first saw Upa and Bora; where I first saw the ferocity of Taopaipai; where I first saw Tenshinhan and Chaozu and 'how they met' everyone else, as well as their 'backstories'; and yes, even where I first saw Arale and the Dr. Slump crossover. This movie was my first taste of a lot of things that to this day are some of my favorite parts of Dragon Ball, and at the time I first got it, it was my only way to view those story beats. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, especially when mixed with limited availability. But with the entire series available now, both in manga and anime form? This movie's existence just doesn't do it for me the same way it used to. It's sad, but sometimes things really just don't hold up when you re-visit them, and pretty much everything about this movie that's good, I'd rather re-visit in it's original manga or TV series form. Until next time! Favorite Scene: The sweet release that is the movie's ending. ...Okay, fine. I actually really like the joke with Lunch thinking the cops are after her only to realize she hasn't broken any laws yet. Next Time: Goku's angry! No, not that angry, but it IS pretty similar to that far more talked about scene.
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About the AuthorAspiring author and big anime/manga fan, just trying to do my best in the world. For more details, go to About Me. Archives
September 2022
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