Anime Review: Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 4: Super Android 13 & Bojack Unbound Page 1

Anime Review: Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 4: Super Android 13 & Bojack Unbound

Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 4: Super Android 13! & Bojack Unbound (UK Rating: PG)

Manga Entertainment is keeping Dragon Ball fans in the West happy, as the latest double pack instalment of the classic films arrives alongside the second part of Dragon Ball Super. Each instalment of the films has been progressing forward through the Dragon Ball timeline and this latest pair is set to follow the Android saga. They are out of order here, though, as this collection contains the seventh and ninth films, respectively. The eighth film, Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan, is getting paired with the tenth film, Broly - Second Coming, for a Broly focused double pack soon. In the meantime, this instalment comes courtesy of Manga Entertainment and is due for release on 15th January.

The first film, Super Android 13, is set in the near aftermath of the Android saga. Trunks is still in the present timeline and has been dragged along to a worldwide beauty pageant with resident twisted folk, Oolong, Master Roshi, and Krillin. At the same time, and in the same place, Goku is forced into shopping with Gohan by Chichi. All of the Z warriors gathered in one place is a perfect recipe for disaster and soon enough two new mysterious individuals rocking the Red Ribbon logo appear, causing havoc and wrecking the city.

Dr. Gero may be gone, slaughtered by his own creations, Android 17 and 18, as glimpsed in the opening of this film, but his legacy lives on. His master computer is still working away and has awoken three more Androids deep in the lab: the titular Android 13, along with the two individuals who interrupted Goku's shopping trip. Goku and team invoke a simple strategy that the Man of Steel really should have thought about in his showdown with Zod and take their enemies out to the wilderness for a throw-down.

The rest of the film is made up of an extended fight scene between the usual cast and the three Androids. There are no real big developments or interesting story moments, just a big old fight scene made up of the series' signature elements. It's the first time in a movie seeing the three Super Saiyans work together, though, and it's a fun battle.

The next film, Bojack Unbound, is set a little while after the conclusion of the Cell saga. Goku is on the Dragon Road along with King Kai after nuking King Kai's planet with the self-destructing Cell and Trunks has returned from his own time where he destroyed the Androids that wrecked his planet. Now the Z Fighters are taking part in a new huge fighting tournament. Organised by the richest man on the planet, the battle will include not only fighters from Earth but from around the world, and be made up of numerous gimmicked rounds, like elimination battle royales and special staged one on one battles.

There are clear The Running Man vibes and it's a nice little setup, especially with Mr. Satan on hand, meant to be facing off against the winner. Things take something of a turn for the worse, though, when the intergalactic fighters turn up murdered and there are some very different fighters in their place. King Kai gets to play exposition spewer once again in explaining the fighters there are led by Bojack, an ancient evil on par with the Great Demon King Piccolo, a being the four Kai's came together to seal away within a star at the edge of the Galaxy - a seal that was held on King Kai's planet; a seal blown away with Cell's self-destruct, thanks to Goku. Now Bojack is free and his first stop is Earth.

Of course, Bojack brings some fodder to face off against the weaker Z fighters (even Yamcha is in attendance in this one!) and the battle rages with all the usual supporting cast. No Goku this time, however! This is set back in a time when Gohan was starting to step up and become the hero of the story - a decision undone by Toriyama and his editors, but something that gave some of the best moments in Dragon Ball history. Here Gohan really gets a chance to shine, getting some badass Super Saiyan 2 moments that showcase just why he deserved to be the star… before he started with the whole "Great Saiyaman" and his dream to become a "Scholar."

6/10

Good

Super Android 13 is the more average of the two movies included in this fourth Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection. It's rather forgettable and mostly consists of a huge fight scene with a few preceding comedy moments. The real star of this show is Bojack Unbound, which is honestly one of the best of all the Dragon Ball Z films. The premise of the tournament is filled with fun moments and would have benefitted from being longer. It's packed with funny moments and gives an interesting glimpse at what could have been if Gohan had taken the lead, and how different the rest of the series would have been.