Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn Review

Yesterday was a pretty rough day for me. I had caught this virus, and was the definition of sick. Being in bed all the day, I decided to something I never do.....watch lots of TV. After going through some free-on-demand episodes of the Looney Tunes Show, I went on the regular guide. Some episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai was airing, so I saw those. (The debut of the Androids.) After the two episodes ended, I saw on the guide that Fusion Reborn would be airing. It was only an hour, so why not? Probably wouldn't have the opportunity again, plus I was pretty much out of commission. So after I watched it, I told myself I'll be writing a review for it tomorrow when I feel better. So here we go.

I'm currently reading DBZ, just entered the Cell Games. (I know I know, way behind.) I had no clue when this film took place. (Found out while watching that it takes place after the Buu saga.) So I can't comment on how it aligns with proper continuity. (I have heard that it throws some of continuity out the window, according to the wiki.) So I was lost with some of the things. (Looking forward to seeing why Gohan gets all superhero.)

The plot in my words.

So Goku is in the land of the dead competing in a tournament. (Wonder why he went there in the first place, is there an annual land of the dead tournament or something?) The finals pits him against a being named Pikkon. (According to the wiki, he's only seen in filler episodes, so I guess I won't be seeing him in the manga.) The fight is interrupted when a being is absorbed by a strange substance and grows into a giant monster. This monster breaks the dead barrier, and dead goes to the land of the living. Goku of course goes to fight the monster known as the demon Janemba. After a short fight, Janemba reveals his second form, something as powerful as Majin Buu! Goku alone could not stop it, so when good ol' Vegeta appears, Goku says that they should do the Fusion Technique. But can even that win?

Alright, not a bad plot in my book.

The only other DBZ movie I've seen is Cooler's Revenge, this film is more or less the same. Both have some pretty epic fights, but suffer from corny dialogue. Indeed, why do the films get thumbed down with some pretty bad scripting? When there's no action happening, it becomes stale sadly.

Goku is portrayed as overly cheerful in my opinion. It's a little funny how blunt the dialogue can be, "He could destroy the whole universe!" In DBZ world, that comes as the norm I suppose. Still, Goku is one of the best main characters in the anime world. Pikkon is a good character, underused, but good. The fun really begins when Vegeta arrives. I'm no fan, but the dialogue between him and Goku is priceless.

Jamemba....hmm, what to say about this guy. His first form was pretty off-putting, acting child-like. (Chanting his name like a Pokemon all the time.) Once he transformers into his Cooler like final form, the action really begins. Thanks to that form, I can rank him "cool." Character wise, he seems to be lacking in that department. Aside from a few grunts, he doesn't talk at all. The writers could have done some great things with this guy, it feels like a wasted opportunity. Still, that sword is plain epic.

The film takes place mostly in the land of the dead, or the "Other World" as it's known. In the land of the living, it was interesting to see Gohan older. So many characters I've yet to officially read, like Goten. When the dead go into the land of the living, it gets pretty fun with an appearance by none other than Frieza himself. (He was finished off in one blow, but it was still a nice unexpected appearance.) I wish they could have done more with that side-plot, the possibilities are endless.

Soundtrack wise, the music doesn't disappoint. I'd have to give a hand to DBZ, their music is always top-notch.

Overall, Fusion Reborn is everything you'd expect from a DBZ film. Epic fights, great music, and cringe-worthy dialogue. Still, we see these things for the fights, right? It delivers that. The Fusion technique between Goku and Vegeta is awesome, and dialogue before and after that is priceless.

6/10.