A couple of days ago, an alternate universe Dragon Ball fan-film called "Legend" hit the internet. It's not normally the sort of thing that I follow but it has gotten quite a bit of buzz. Between that and seeing some clips of it, I felt compelled to check it out myself.
The plot is quite thin, even by Dragon Ball standards. Broly attacks the martial arts tournament where Chi-Chi and Goku are facing off, with the prior quite intent on reminding the latter of his promise to marry her. Why Broly is attacking isn't established.
It seems to take place around late Dragon Ball/Early Z, but Goku and Vegeta already seem to know each other and the super saiyan transformation is within their capabilities. It's an interesting hodge-podge. It's kind of a shame that the film doesn't have more time to establish the world, but it does give you bits and pieces here and there.
Speaking of Vegeta, he also shows up. His reason for coming to Earth is later established, but for the most part it is to give Goku some back up in the fight. The timing is incredibly coincidental if you think about it, but as you're watching, you can roll with it.
The fight itself is jaw dropping. It's fast-paced and the animation is spectacular. It's very fluid and makes the punches and ki blasts more impressive. The fight also manages to make itself feel distinct. Fights in Dragon Ball (and even action sequences in movies in general) have started to fall into certain routines and this manages to avert that trap.
The film also delivers a new transformation for Goku. After so many new forms in recent Dragon Ball history, that might make you roll your eyes, but this one is completely distinct and even comes with its own unique fighting style that is true both to Saiyans and even Goku's original character inspiration.
A small, but noteworthy moment, is Vegeta's reaction to said transformation. Rather than be shocked or appalled, Vegeta actually gives a proud smirk. It was only a second, but it managed to say a lot about this new dynamic.
The movie does end with a sequel hook, as Vegeta tells Goku that he needs to learn to master that form in order to prepare for war. I'm guessing this is teasing Frieza, but that's just a guess on my part. We do see that this Saiyan race was never subjugated, so this could be the beginning of Frieza's attempt to rise to power. It could be something else too, maybe the Tuffles? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
This film took four years to make, so we might be waiting a while, but the wait will be worth it if this was any indicator.
The movie is only 11 minutes long, so it's a quick watch. It's definitely worth doing so if you're a Dragon Ball fan. If you're unfamiliar with the source material, you're going to be completely lost. On the other hand, the animation and the fight are still worth checking out. So even a non-fan might still be able to appreciate what went into this.
As a fan, I enjoyed it quite a bit and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. Given how big the video has gotten, I think it's safe to say that they'll do more, but that's just speculation on my part. I certainly hope we see more.
You can check out the video here.
No comments:
Post a Comment