Kari’s Anime Corner: ‘Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods’

It is hard to believe that it has been 17 years since release of the last Dragon Ball feature film! If you had cable in the early to mid 90s you probably have seen some Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z or at least heard the phrase “Next time on Dragon Ball Z!” Fans can rejoice because this new film, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, is an original work by Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama!

Following the events from the internationally renowned animated television series, Dragon Ball Z, after the defeat of Majin Buu, a new power awakens and threatens humanity. Beerus, an ancient and powerful God of Destruction, searches for Goku after hearing rumors of the Saiyan warrior who defeated Frieza. Realizing the threat Beerus poses to their home planet, the Z-fighters must find a way to stop him before it’s too late.

The film is super funny and, as one would expect, it has some awesome action scenes! They did an excellent job of making a film that anyone can enjoy regardless of how much of the TV show/films one has seen. There are inside jokes for those who know the series well but many of those jokes are explained without being bothersome to the veteran viewers. I only watched some of the show as a kid but I never felt lost while watching the film. It was nice to see old characters again and the film did a good job of capturing the feel of the TV show. The animation is sharp with vivid colors while still retaining the look of the original material.

I was able to speak with Kyle Hebert (best known as the English DBZ narrator) and asked him about his experience working on the new film.

It’s been amazing to get to return to characters I first voiced well over a decade ago, with brand new adventures. Dragon Ball is where my career began so it will always be special to me.

If you are looking for an anime with lots of action and humor or if you have ever seen any Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z, then you will definitely want to check out Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods!

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods hits theaters nationwide on Tuesday, Aug 5, 2014. For more details about the US theatrical release, visit www.dragonballz.com