Dragonball Z - Movie 09: Super-Saiyajin Son-Gohan

A movie which feels like a canon. Fits perfectly in the timeline.

I miss the time when Dragon Ball wasn't just "The Goku and Vegeta Show".

And while I know this movie is completely non-canonical, but I still like to see it as some sort of epilogue for the Cell saga, giving Future Trunks a last chance to shine (And honestly, the Future Trunks arc from Dragon Ball Super was simply awful)

The villains were a bit generic, but the setting was interesting, very fun to watch.

"Bojack Unbound" is a Dragon Ball Z movie that fits comfortably after the events of the Cell Games but before the time jump introducing Goten. In the proud tradition of DBZ movies borrowing heavily from their series, this movie closely mirrors the ending of the Cell Games. There are even some visuals that feel like they are lifted shot for shot from the series. Since the Cell Games are a huge highlight of the series, they are using good stuff.

The beginning of the movie is quite promising. The "Z-Fighters" are all participating in a sort of Martial Arts Tournament, different from the typical Tenkaichi Budokai's. It is neat to see fights that we typically wouldn't see. Fights like Tien vs. Trunks are very entertaining. We even have a time for Krillin to shine.

Sadly, similar to the Buu Saga, this tournament gets interrupted for a different less interesting story. This comes down to the villain and villain team being as dull as dirt. They have an interesting design, some unique powers and a confusing back story but beyond that I can't tell you a thing about them.

The fighting arena is different, I feel this one and "Fusion Reborn" really worked on having strange settings for our heroes to fight in. And it is refreshing to have a DBZ movie where Goku does not take center stage. This is Gohan's movie, and in theory could have been the torch passing movie fans were wanting.

The ending feels a bit cheap. Some of the characters are criminally underutilized. Some power is obtained in a kind of cheap way. The emotional beats of the ending only really works if you're already attached to these characters and know their story.

The movie has some great moments, but as a complete story from beginning to end, it falls short. If only Bojack would have stayed bound, maybe then we could have just seen the tournament play out.

I have slowly been going through all the Dragon Ball movies and was told that this one was average at best. The story revolves around Bojack who was released thanks to a certain Z fighter. The setting is another martial arts tournament, of which Mr. Satan provides some comedic value with his Irritable Bowel Syndrome...

What I liked about this movie was that all the Z fighters got involved in the story, despite some having smaller parts than others. Krillin was somewhat more incompetent than usual, while Tien, Piccolo and Yamcha provided their mediocre strength relative to the Saiyans. Trunks and Gohan were the prime focus initially and provided us with some great battle scenes. When Vegeta eventually made an appearance it really completed the set (despite Goku's absence...since he was kinda dead).

The fight scenes in the initial qualifying rounds were pretty good. However, when Bojack and his crew eventually surfaced they got a lot more intense and interesting. I will leave it there, but suffice it to say, there will be plenty of BIG EXPLOSIONS to enjoy! The only thing that let this movie down was the lack of a story behind the villain. All we are told is how Bojack became unbound and then a minimal explanation as to who Bojack actually is. I would have liked to see a cut scene that showed the history of this villain. It would have made us 'get' why he is so darn evil and why King Kai was so concerned about his release.

That little niggle aside, the rest of the movie was good quality Dragon Ball Z as we know it. This may not be my favourite movie of the lot, but it certainly is worth a watch for fans of the series.

A great entry with Gohan as the main fighter in an intergalactic martial arts tournament hosted by Mr. Satan. Mr. Satan's responses to the Z fighters in action provides some great comedic relief. Goku is in Otherworld with King Kai somehow watching the tournament on a tv. I like the small changes to the usual DBZ movie format. Each Z fighter's motivation is different from the usual "we're all here to save the planet." Vegeta arrives for Trunks, Piccolo for Gohan, and Tien & Yamcha to do what's right. Vegeta arriving by blocking an enemies blade aimed at Trunks and landing his sword on his back was so badass. I absolutely love Gohan as the main protagonist. He is full of heart when he goes super Saiyan but his flip switches when he goes beyond. Unlike Goku, he doesn't take time to feel out his opponent or give them a chance, he just goes for the kill. Rightfully so as Bojack and his cronies are true evil. He's a decent villain but their power sets are their best feature. I'm looking forward to more Gohan centered films and less of the energy sharing finale bs.