Dragonball: Evolution (2009)

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Goku has a tail in his human and great eight form in the original source material.
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And in the source material, if you cut off his tail, then he or if you know the sun just comes up, he he turns back into his human form.
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And when his cut tail is cut off.
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Yeah, his his humanoid saying form.
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When his tail is cut off, he just cannot transform back into the great ape or Uzaru.
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There was no tail.
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Speaking of his tails.
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And when we replaced the moon with an eclipse, go ahead.
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My first note was it's only PG.
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Lame.
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I want some nudity.
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I want to see that dick.
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No, I don't actually want to see it, but it was um maybe not strangely, but it was definitely absent from this iteration.
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Yeah, I'm not sure where I went to.
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Get a stink of the board.
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Nerdy.
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This is nerd hat.
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Nerd hat man with late.
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Welcome, nerd hatters.
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This is a theory.
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I'm kidding.
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This is an evolution.
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Of Dragon Ball.
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Welcome.
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What exactly evolved?
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That's a question I had.
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Like what did that subtitle even mean?
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The paycheck to the script writers.
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Did they just have to differentiate it from Dragon Ball?
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Oh, yeah.
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I looked that up actually.
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Yeah, I looked that up.
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The movie was actually supposed to just be called Dragon Ball, but right before they it released, they renamed it Dragon Ball Evolution because the producers in the studio and stuff knew they had created a bad movie.
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We have to distance this a little bit from Dragon Ball.
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Yeah, which is hilarious that they renamed it simply because they knew they had created a bomb.
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Bad bomb.
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Yeah, at that point, I mean it's too late.
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You gotta throw it out in the world and see what it does.
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Like it did make it its money back and a little bit extra, but not much.
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Right.
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I mean that depends on written it off as a tax write-off, but whatever.
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Depends on um what number you uh go with for the budget.
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Like if it was actually 30 million or if it was more than 30 million, to made around just under 57 million worldwide, which is not good.
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I looked into that too, and I think 30 million might be the more reasonable budget based on special effects.
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But you know, it's not they're not good.
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It's not, you know, Avengers level special effects, but then yeah.
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It wasn't too bad.
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It wasn't too bad.
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You give it too much credit, but okay.
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So William, why did you choose this film, Dragon Ball Evolution?
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Because I hate myself and our viewers.
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Just wanted to torture yourself a bit.
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Well, I I want to do cursed movies because I have a sense of humor.
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Uh, this is just how I see things.
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Maybe it's not true.
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Laura might want to do something artistic and uh innovative, I don't know, you know, artistic, but and you might want to do something.
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We all have different tastes.
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I can't quite put it down, but we all have different tastes.
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And so I'm the guy who chooses Super Mario Bros.
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live action movie, I'm the guy who chooses Slaughter House.
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Uh and unfortunately, I'm the guy who chose Dragon Ball Evolution.
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So you watched Dragon Ball as a kid?
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How were young were how young were you when you saw your first episode?
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Well, well, I I started watching from Dragon Ball Z, the s the technical sequel series from episode one.
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I watched it all the way up into the boo saga, and I didn't watch the rest of the boo saga until I was later when I was an adult, or at least I didn't remember the boo saga very well at the very least.
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Would this have been like 96 to 2000, kind of that range in terms of how long you watched?
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It sounds about right.
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I mean, I got the golden um and silver plastic statues from Burger King and their Happy Meal toys or whatever, Piccolo and Goku and whatever.
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I I can't really remember.
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It might have come with a trading card.
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So was this popular at all in in your school back in the day?
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Did anyone else in your school watch it or get into it?
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My friends, I guess.
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Okay.
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But I don't know past that.
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I don't remember if I'd even I was not a popular kid.
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Like like this, I was let's see.
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Like obviously when the original Dragon Ball series came out, I would have been a young child.
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Like, let me think, was it 80, late 80s, right?
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Like 88, 89, somewhere in there when the when it came on TV.
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Um course, when did it come to the US?
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I go is a better question.
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I'm not certain.
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All I really know is that the Dragon Ball Phantom didn't explode in America until Dragon Ball Z.
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Yeah.
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Any translations they made of the original series had to be redubbed later.
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Um with the new actors.
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Yeah, better quality actors.
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There might have been some versions of the original English Dragon Ball where the characters' names were changed.
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I'm not sure.
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And I'm not talking about the change from Karurin to Krillin.
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I'm not talking about that.
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I'm talking about actually like, oh my gosh, that is not that great name.
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Speaking of which, completely off topic, I prefer Serenity over Usagi for Sailor Moon, but I may be in the minority.
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But okay, back to topic.
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My brain just died.
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We're talking about Dragon Ball.
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Yeah, I miss popularity, right?
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I missed the wave.
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I would have been around say 13 when it came to the US when Dragon Ball Z came to.
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Was it Cartoon Network it came to first?
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Yeah, on their uh I forget Toonami.
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Yes, on Toonami with that that robot.
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Yeah, and I didn't have I didn't have cable that year either.
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Like we had cable maybe two or three years out of my life growing up, and I think the final year was like 2000.
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So by that point, I kind of missed it.
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Honestly, it was a miracle we had cable at that time, to be honest.
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Oh, yeah.
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My dad was really uh I was gonna say stingy, but but frugal.
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Frugal, frugal.
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I mean, at the time that might have been how it felt, but today the financial crunch is real.
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Oh yeah.
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Like our our parents, because I mean, just due to inflation, had a lot more money to play around with than we do.
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Like wages have not gone up, but it costs have.
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Anyway, we're not gonna talk about that.
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That's not why we're here.
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We could we could do an entire podcast episode or separate podcast, but uh, yeah.
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So getting back to the film that we're covering, which is Dragon Ball Evolution, the not the first live action adaptation, but the first big studio.
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The first big studio live action adaptation.
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The first legally licensed one.
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Yes, yes.
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Yeah, you saw that there was a fan film that came out that is now apparently on Prime.
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Yeah, it was like originally Dragon Pearl or something, but it's been named renamed Dragon Ball.
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Maybe it finally got licensing.
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I have no idea.
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They call it the deluxe edition of the film.
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Amazon may have made that happen.
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I don't know, but um at least it's on Amazon.
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And I've seen clips of some other live-action Dragon Ball film, uh, which was I don't think was that one.
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And I don't know if that one was legally licensed or not, or if that was just another fan creation, but these things were happening in the 80s, 90s when the original manga was popular.
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When you first heard about this film, like were you following Dragon Ball News?
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Like, how did how did you first hear about this film?
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Was it in a TV advertisement?
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Did you hear about it through the Nerdverse, a magazine?
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This was 2009.
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Yes, when it released, yes.
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I was two years into getting back into Ghostbusters at this point, and I was consumed and obsessed with the Ghostbusters, the video game releasing.
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So even though I love Dragon Ball, it was just not on my radar, but I I learned about it somewhere somehow, probably over the internet.
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And I will tell you right now, I did not go to that theater to see that.
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Oh, really?
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I was you saw the trailer and you're like, nope.
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Yes.
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Well, there was a lot of nopes.
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I don't really remember it, but everybody was noping on it.
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So I was one of those it didn't even I don't even I don't have memories of being oh there's a live-action dragon movie, I've got to see that.
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I don't I have no memories of this.
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Either I completely didn't know about it until after the fact, or I knew enough to know it was trash.
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And therefore early, early reviews, early reviews were coming back, yeah, negative.
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Um so when when was the first time you saw it?
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I don't know.
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It was years ago.
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So maybe a few years after release, like did you rent it from like family video or something?
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No, I think I finally saw it on Amazon Prime a few years ago.
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Oh wow, so recent maybe.
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Yeah, within the recent five to ten years.
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Okay, okay.
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It's also streaming on 2B at the moment, if you if you dare to Drywall Evolution, it is according to MDB.
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It's getting ready to leave Prime.
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Um, so it won't be on Prime much longer.
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Wow, we get it just in time.
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Just in time.
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And I I couldn't quite tell you it looked like it was definitely definitely an HD, but it I what it might have even been in 4K.
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I don't know.
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It it looks pretty crisp, just resolution-wise.
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I agree.
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Yeah, I will say both tonally and just the general feel, reminded as I'm thinking about it here just a minute ago, it reminded me in terms of quality level and special effects and things like that of uh Smallville.
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Yeah, you know, Smallville's a television, so you have a television budget.
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I didn't like Smallville, but Smallville was better.
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I liked Smallville, like at least the first few seasons I I kept up with I think up through like season four-ish.
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Then I stopped watching it for a while, and then I came back in at season 10, kind of as it finished out its run, and Clark finally becomes Superman.
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I think the reason I didn't like Smallville is because I actually enjoy the unrealistic, weird costumes of the superhero genre.
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Uh and yeah, you don't get many, many costumes in Smallville.
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And Smallville was very I mean, later on in the later seasons, there was like the Society of Justice or something, the Just Justice Society, they brought in them in maybe, but I think that was another series.
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Oh although anyway I could be wrong though, because I I still have not seen I think like season they didn't have season six through nine school costumes.
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Okay.
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Uh mostly saw seasons one through five and then ten, most of ten, I think.
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Okay.
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Well, anyway, um but yeah, just quality level and and like look and feel because it's around the same time period, reminding me of Smallville.
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Anyway, we're not here to talk about Superman, we're here to talk about Dragon Ball evolution.
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Evolution.
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So so Will, what's your what's your first note that you took on this viewing?
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Well, I can do that, or I can just ask you what how you felt about uh this whole film.
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But anyway, I took a lot of notes.
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I can just like them all just naturally talk about them as it goes along.
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What's your very first one?
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Maybe the writers use some aspects of Goku's son Gohan in the evolution Goku character because the Gohan II attends high school in Dragon Ball Z and falls in love with martial arts classmate, which would be Videl.
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Ah, so it's like a second coming of Gohan to his grandfather in this film.
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No, no, no, no, no, not a second coming of Gohan.
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Goku and Chi Chi's son, they named him after Gohan.
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Ah, I see, I see.
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Gohan the second.
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Okay, okay.
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He's not called Gohan the second in the manga anime.
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I just said that's called Gohan.
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I just just not to confuse people listening right now, because we're supposed to be reviewing a movie that does not contain the sun.
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I also wrote down Mai and Puar slash Oolong seem to be combined.
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Pilof and Shu completely absent from film.
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Uh I did also notice that Mai, and I don't think that her name, her character is ever named in Dragon Ball Evolution, but it appears to be Mai in the manga anime, the Piloff gang, Mai Shu, and of course Emperor Pilaf, they're the ones who off-screen somehow find Piccolo's rice cooker imprisonment.
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The containment or the containment device or whatever.
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And release him.
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And I don't know how or when they did that, but they did.
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So there is no context whatsoever of how Piccolo was brought back in this movie.
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But if you know the source material, it's fairly obvious that the Mai character, who seems to be combined with Shu because she's a ninja, when in the original Ma source material, Mai is some sort of Russian soldier or something German, I don't know.
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Um you wouldn't know that unless you actually knew the source material.
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This movie does not Yeah, which I I only know a little bit of it.
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I mean there's a few back the few episodes that we watched.
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They do they do have the preamble at the beginning where they give you a little bit of background with uh uzumari uzumaru?
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Uzumaru.
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Am I saying that right?
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Are you talking about the great ape form?
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Uh Uzaru?
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Uz Uzaru, sorry.
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Uzaru.
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Yeah, that's the Japanese in English we call it great ape, which of course I'm glad that's a note on here too.
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I'm glad we use the Japanese names because they just sounded more mysterious.
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So yeah, he shows up in the preamble and they're like, it's like, what?
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He disappeared, he went somewhere when Piccolo was contained the first time 2,000 years ago.
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And then they leave that um a mystery.
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I mean, for those who are new to it.
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It's still a mystery.
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And then yeah, it's like where do you go in the interim?
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But just to give those who haven't seen this a little bit of an idea without spoiling too much at the moment, we don't want to just a basic overview.
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It you know, it begins with Goku living with his grandfather, Gohan, who is Asian and Goku is white for some reason.
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Somewhere along the line, you know, someone could have married someone else.
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You know, that's not that that's they just never explain it, they never bother to explain.
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I mean, they kind of do.
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They don't ever explain why Goku is white.
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Yeah.
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But go they did explain that Gohan found Goku.
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Spoiler.
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Am I allowed to?
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Wait, is that at the beginning?
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No, they explain it later, but like this manga and anime has been out forever.
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Oh, yeah.
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Uh, and it is somewhat consistent with the source material.
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Oh, okay.
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Well, yes, so Gohan Gohan found Goku.
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Um, but just in terms of just looking at just looking at the film itself, like if you're coming in fresh with little or no background as I was, like, they don't explain in this iteration at least how Goku comes to be living with Gohan.
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Like, is he actually his grandson?
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Like, is Gohan also from another planet?
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Is Goku from another planet?
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That never gets explained or addressed in the film.
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Well, he was found in a crater, so it makes sense.
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Oh, wait, I guess it's like it does, it does get explained.
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Fell from the sky.
00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:48.559
Yeah.
00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.600
But Gohan's origin is not talked about.
00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:52.320
I don't think so.
00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:55.200
No, uh, only that Roshi trained Gohan.
00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:55.919
Yeah.
00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:00.879
So he gets about as much background as he does in the source material.
00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:05.119
We don't know anything about Grandpa Gohan, basically, except that Roshi trained him.
00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:13.200
And then, you know, he loves his grandson, uh, which uh he adopted, found him in the wilderness.
00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:16.240
In both the source material and this movie, he found him in a crater.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:20.559
In the source material that he was in a spaceship, a pod in the crater.
00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:22.559
Uh but this movie doesn't explain it.
00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:23.920
And here's another thing.
00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:33.839
Uh Uzaru, of course, in in the source material, Piccolo and Uzaru the Great Ape, the Saiyan, are completely separate things.
00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:36.960
Uh yeah, I was gonna say, because they are not connected.
00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:39.759
Isn't the episodes you and I watched last week?
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:48.880
Isn't that is that his Uzaru form when Goku, yeah, when he transforms because he looked at the floor, you know, it's a kaiju, and this is he's just an ugly werewolf thing.
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:50.240
Yeah, he's slightly larger.
00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:51.759
Looked at the moon.
00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:53.920
Like, was it an eclipse?
00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:56.079
I'm trying to remember, or was it just it was a blood moon?
00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:56.799
I forget.
00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.759
In in the source material, it's any full moon.
00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:00.799
Oh, any full moon.
00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:06.880
So he looks at the full moon and transforms in this giant King Kong-esque uh form.
00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:09.839
Uzaru and still has a tail.
00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:10.720
Yes, yes.
00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:17.440
Goku has a tail in his human and grade eight form in the original source material.
00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:26.640
And in the source material, if you cut off his tail, then he or or if you know the sun just comes up, he he turns back into his human form.
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:29.440
Uh, and when his cut tail is cut off.
00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:33.279
Yeah, his his humanoid saying form.
00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:39.839
Uh when his tail is cut off, he just cannot transform back into the great ape or Uzaru.
00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:40.960
There was no tail.
00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:42.400
Speaking of tails.
00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:45.920
And when we replaced the moon with an eclipse, go ahead.
00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:49.279
My first note was it's only PG, lame.
00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:51.359
I want some nudity.
00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:52.640
I want to see that dingling.
00:18:53.839 --> 00:19:00.559
No, I don't actually want to see it, but it was uh maybe not strangely, but it was definitely absent from this iteration.
00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:02.400
No, no Goku dingling.
00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.519
Some of us are grateful for this, though.
00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:11.680
Yeah, they it he's just that thing's just out in the animated series, at least in that first season, man.
00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.920
Like the episodes we watched, I was like, oh, okay.
00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:20.240
Yeah, there's a later season after the tournament at Bobad's when Goku is reunited.
00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:21.440
Bobby D's nuts.
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:21.759
No.
00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:22.960
Huh?
00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:40.559
When Goku is reunited with Gohan, the deceased spirit of Gohan brought back to life temporarily for a tournament, which I feel it might in this film him dying and being shot by an energy blast and then coming back, the evolution version of Goku.
00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:44.160
He saw Grandpa Gohan in the afterlife.
00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:49.680
That might have been inspired by Goku meeting Gohan during the tournament.
00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:55.519
But anyway, after that, the peel off gang fights Goku and they shoot a beam at him.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:03.039
It doesn't hurt him at all, but it just shreds his clothes from his knees up to about his mid-stomach chest, and he's just naked.
00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.759
He's just naked during the rest of the entire fight.
00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:09.279
And so I'm letting you know that everything's out.
00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:10.079
Yeah.
00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:13.359
I will have to.
00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:15.599
I have not researched this.
00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:20.319
Maybe I don't want to know it, but I have questions about Akiri Toriyama.
00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:21.519
Right?
00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:23.440
Was it that way in the manga?
00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:24.559
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:26.240
I mean, they're they're they're just making it.
00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:27.519
Are you okay, Akira?
00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:28.799
Like, what's going on here, man?
00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:30.240
Like, what is this about?
00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:32.960
He's unfortunately passed away now, but yeah.
00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:36.000
It must be some sort of Japanese cultural thing.
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.039
I don't know.
00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:39.519
Like little kids running around naked is funny.
00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:41.279
I get like little boys, anyway.
00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:52.400
Although I I do think of a scene in Totoro where the father takes a bath with his his two kids, and we're we were watching that, and my my wife came came in for us.
00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:53.599
She was like, What?
00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.079
You know, because obviously we don't do that.
00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:57.920
It's very inappropriate in our culture.
00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:00.559
But yeah, just maybe it wasn't in Japanese culture.
00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:00.960
I don't know.
00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:08.960
Like I had that experience as a child, and I want you to know you should never do that with your child because they'll remember it decades later and be like, Oh, yeah.
00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:10.319
Yeah, no, thanks.
00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:10.880
Nope.
00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:11.680
Yeah.
00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:12.559
Nope.
00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:13.440
Nope.
00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:15.440
Anyway, yes, no dinglings.
00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:16.640
This is really PG.
00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:19.200
The violence is very PG as well.
00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:21.599
Not any, I don't think I saw any blood.
00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:22.640
I'm trying to remember.
00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:27.440
There's a lot of a lot of punching, good bit of violence, destruction of a car.
00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:30.799
Goku acted like Spider-Man with banter.
00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:34.240
A lot of key shots, but no you mean airbending.
00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:35.039
Airbending, yeah.
00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:35.839
Key shots.
00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:41.440
The movie isn't even consistent on whether or not it's elemental bending or if it's key energy.
00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:45.680
Yeah, I wonder where because this was prior to Avatar the Last Air.
00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:49.119
Oh, I mean, well, they definitely took that from Asian religion.
00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:53.440
Yeah, I was gonna say I'm assuming it had deeper, deeper roots.
00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:59.759
But yeah, that was inconsistent because it's like you're bending air versus all power comes from within yourself.
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.920
From your key.
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:09.680
Yeah, key can come from the universe, and key can come from your inner being, ki or chi, however you choose to be.
00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:12.160
Yeah, I was gonna say, like, I always heard it.
00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:15.920
Um, maybe that's just always how I pronounced it, but I always thought it was qi.
00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:18.559
I've heard it said qi in other places.
00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:22.400
Uh and the subtitles kept spelling it ki, the transliteration.
00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:24.720
In the English Dragon Ball, it's K I.
00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:26.799
Is it um interesting?
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:28.319
It's definitely not airbending.
00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:30.640
That you'll never find that in the source material.
00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:32.720
There is no elemental bending in the source material.
00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:38.160
Yeah, and maybe that was one of the many drafts that part of one draft got left in and the other one.
00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:39.839
I guess.
00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:42.000
Yeah, and that's not unique in Hollywood.
00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:46.720
There was a lot of I don't know everything, but there was a lot of problems during production of this film.
00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:47.119
Oh, yeah.
00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:52.079
And the script that they used for the final product was not the script that was originally written.
00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:56.000
Well, apparently James Wong, at least according to Wikipedia, did the final draft.
00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:56.480
Really?
00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:58.319
But he chose not to be credited.
00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:01.680
I heard it was whoever wrote it what didn't want to be credited.
00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:02.640
Was he the director?
00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:04.160
Yes, he was the director.
00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:09.680
I mean, he didn't write the the first five drafts were by Ben something.
00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:11.200
Yeah, I can't think of his name.
00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:18.000
But he did the first five drafts and then James Wong, based on studio notes, did the final draft, but then went uncredited.
00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:19.839
I guess because the other guy had done most of the work.
00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:24.319
Or because he didn't want his name touched touched with the script.
00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:24.720
Maybe.
00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:25.119
Yeah.
00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:26.799
And did that Ben guy dirty?
00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:34.799
I heard that his script, which supposedly you can find online, is somewhat better than the film we got, but although still not great.
00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:43.759
And he has come out apologizing, saying that he did this for the money and knew nothing about Dragon Ball when he signed up for this.
00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:45.839
But uh yeah.
00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:47.920
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00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:49.440
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Subject to change.
00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.559
He looks like he's like eight or you know, eight or nine or something like that.
00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:25.599
Little guy.
00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:30.480
And this one he's supposed to be 17, turns 18 during the film.
00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:34.880
Was there a period in the original series where he's in high school at all?
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:36.640
Does he ever even go to school?
00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:37.680
Yes and no.
00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:49.759
Master Roshi during the second story arc after the peel-off story arc, they introduce his best friend Krillin, which uh starts out as a rival.
00:25:50.319 --> 00:26:02.079
Uh both Goku and and Krillin are trained by Master Roshi, and Master Roshi not only teaches the martial arts, he also teaches them math and different subjects.
00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:05.839
So this is the only education that Goku has ever received.
00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:07.680
Ah, from Master Roshi.
00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:13.200
And there were jokes about his age changing once he understood how math worked.
00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:16.720
Yeah.
00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:19.119
It's confusing how old Goku.
00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:35.599
To me, it's confusing how old Goku was in the source material, and according to different dubs, you know, the original, I think the original dub that I mentioned earlier before they had to redub it after Dragon Ball Z became popular.
00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:46.160
I think in that dub, I just remember watching the first episode like on a VHS or something, and and the narrator had to claim, had to explain to the audience why Goku had spiky hair.
00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:49.279
Oh, he didn't comb his hair after bed, got out of bed.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:52.480
But today, like nobody questions anime hair.
00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:54.240
Yeah, and they made a little bit of a.
00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:58.880
They said he was five years old, but he was not five years old in the source material.
00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:03.920
As far as I know, he was he was at least 10 or something, 12, 14.
00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:12.799
Yeah, which in truth, well, I shouldn't say in truth, this version, the Dragon Ball Evolution version, is really old, but doesn't doesn't know it.
00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:26.079
I looked into that, and I don't know if this is true or not, but some people seem to think that he's not a Saiyan in this movie, but is instead a reincarnation of Uzaru.
00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:26.559
Ah.
00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:35.680
But it's very confusing be because the movie says Uzaru disappeared 2000 years ago after Piccolo was sealed away.
00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:36.160
Yeah.
00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:39.279
And in and then later where did he go?
00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:39.599
Yeah.
00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:40.400
Where did he go?
00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:45.519
And why was he a baby in a crater and then had to grow up to age 18, then become a Zaru again?
00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:46.480
Superman.
00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:47.119
Superman.
00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:48.640
Speaking of Superman, yeah.
00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:50.160
Smallville reference.
00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:55.920
Like, yeah, he basically crashes to Earth in a spaceship, aka Superman.
00:27:56.079 --> 00:28:01.920
I'm pretty sure Toriyama was inspired by Superman when he changed Goku's origin and the source material like that.
00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:03.039
But then where'd he come from?
00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:05.440
Like did he come from the planet where the Saiyans come from?
00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:08.319
Did he get did he get sent in the source material file?
00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:10.880
And his mother as the planet is being destroyed.
00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:11.039
No.
00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:12.559
Yes, that's exactly how it happened.
00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:16.559
He just ripped it straight off of Superman lord.
00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:17.119
Yes.
00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:17.680
Dang.
00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:18.000
Okay.
00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:19.119
Uh Bardock.
00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:19.839
Plagiarism.
00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:34.240
I don't remember the wife's name, but Bardock and his wife, depending on which version of the origin story you're watching or reading, uh knew that Frieza was about to destroy the planet.
00:28:34.720 --> 00:28:41.359
Um bar in so in one version, Bardock had dreams about the future that gave it away.
00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:48.799
I haven't finished watching the Dragon Ball Super Broly film, but I know that they reinvented the origin in that film.
00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:58.880
Um but yeah, yeah, they they knew the planet was gonna be destroyed and they sent Goku to Earth.
00:28:59.119 --> 00:29:18.799
In in some versions in the source material, Goku is sent to Earth to conquer the Earth, and in other versions he sent to Earth uh to be s rescued from the destruction of the planet Vegeta, the same planet, uh, because his father Bardock knows that it's about to be destroyed.
00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:22.880
And he does have an older brother in in the source material who dies.
00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:29.119
Uh Piccolo kills the older brother, but we're not here to talk about that.
00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:39.119
Uh I think that note right quick, I think that a reason why he's 17 or 18 in this movie, other than the fact they probably just didn't want a kid running around.
00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:41.440
I guess they thought that was unbelievable.
00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:49.200
Is that uh there are actually two fights between Goku and Piccolo in the source material.
00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:56.559
In the first one, Goku kills Piccolo after he's more or less taken over the planet.
00:29:57.039 --> 00:30:03.759
Interesting note, when he kills Piccolo, we do see the great ape Uzaru in the background, kind of like it.
00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:08.640
I don't know what it signifies, maybe it just signifies Goku has found the inner strength of the great ape.
00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:09.039
Yeah.
00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:14.480
And that might have been what inspired Dragon Ball Evolution's plot twist.
00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:18.240
That I mean, not the plot twist that he turns out to be Uzaru.
00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:20.640
I mean, that is a twist as far as just the movies.
00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:26.880
Yeah, if you didn't know that's considered, like if you hadn't watched any Dragon Ball coming in this, which I had not watched enough.
00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:42.960
I think at some point I guessed sort of the I try to think if I ever I don't ever fully guess the connection, but he looked different enough from the Uzaro form in the early film.
00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:46.400
I don't know, but they don't call him Uzaro, do they, in that episode?
00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:47.279
I don't I don't think.
00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:48.079
The anime?
00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:48.400
Yeah.
00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:50.480
Well not the episode that we watched.
00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:53.920
In the English, we call it the Great Ape Transformation.
00:30:54.160 --> 00:30:57.039
Yeah, so would be the Japanese term.
00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:02.240
So I didn't hear that in the episode we watched, so I I don't think I made that connection.
00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:13.200
Um but it wasn't a complete surprise that that was but it just in terms of the plot itself, though, it is a plot twist, like you you don't know that he he is Orzaru.
00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:44.160
So I was just gonna say the in the anime, the manga, when Goku uh the shape of the great ape is Orzaru is the faces behind Goku as he's uh about to to give the finishing blow to Piccolo, Demon King Piccolo, might have been what inspired this film's climax in which Goku accepts both halves of himself and seems to gain the Uzaru's strength in his human form.
00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:51.200
And that's it's foreshadowed by something Gohan tells him earlier that he and it's a bit cryptic, he doesn't fully understand it.
00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:56.000
It's like you must something you must embrace your enemy and yourself, or something like that.
00:31:56.400 --> 00:31:58.160
You must trust in who you are.
00:31:58.400 --> 00:31:59.359
That too, yeah.
00:31:59.519 --> 00:31:59.920
Oh, okay.
00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:04.480
But there was also something about coming to be one with his enemy or something too.
00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:08.480
I just remember Gohan saying, the first rule is there are no rules.
00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:08.880
Yeah.
00:32:10.960 --> 00:32:11.759
There are no rules.
00:32:12.079 --> 00:32:14.240
And then then Goku quotes it again.
00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:16.559
Quotes him quotes Gohan later.
00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:17.359
I cringed.
00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:19.759
Yeah, that was a little lame.
00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:25.279
So, what do you think of the the casting for this film?
00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:30.880
Yomps and what who should have been cast in in their place if you didn't like it.
00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:34.079
Well, I think that Chi Chi was fine.
00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:37.279
This version of Chi Chi is actually better than the source material Chi Chi.
00:32:38.319 --> 00:32:39.680
Well, they did TT Dirty.
00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:44.319
Well, Toriyama did TT Dirty and the uh sorry, your departed Toriyama.
00:32:44.559 --> 00:32:45.519
Uh, I have opinions.
00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:56.480
Well, I saw I saw some image stills uh what may have just been in one of the thumbnails, uh, where she shows this little girl just a little bit bigger than Goku in a bikini, and I'm like, what the why?
00:32:56.799 --> 00:33:00.319
Well, what I was trying to get made about as much sense as Goku being naked half the time.
00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:17.599
Well, uh the the ox king Kichi's father and her lived in a castle, but they the castle was set on fire with this eternal flame that couldn't be put out, and they became homeless, and they were pretty much barbarian biker warriors running around the countryside.
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:19.680
Still doesn't explain the bikini.
00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:21.440
That's all she had left, I guess.
00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:22.880
I don't know.
00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:23.920
I don't know.
00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:26.880
It's some sort of bikini fantasy armor.
00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:27.759
I have no idea.
00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:31.359
But but later, and I was gonna say this earlier, but I got sidetracked.
00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:36.559
Uh, the second time Goku fights Piccolo, it's actually Piccolo's son, Ma Jr.
00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:42.880
See, in Evolution, in the mid-credit scene, we see Piccolo survive, but in the source material, he does not survive.
00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:46.480
Instead, he shoots out an egg.
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:47.440
Yeah, yeah.
00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:53.920
In the source material, he makes those monsters and his son by spitting out eggs from his mouth.
00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:59.119
Uh but in the evolution movie, they use his blood to bring them to life, I guess.
00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:00.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:10.960
So he shoots out an egg from his mouth uh as his last action before he succumbs to death from Goku's final blow.
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:15.039
And then that Ma Jr., uh Evil Jr.
00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:20.000
or Piccolo Jr., whatever you want to call him, he rapidly grows up.
00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:20.880
PJ.
00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:22.320
Yeah, PJ.
00:34:22.639 --> 00:34:24.480
I'm gonna call Piccolo PJ now.
00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:45.760
So so Piccolo, he grows up and he is a tall but much younger version of his father by the time the world tournament uh begins, and by this time, Goku is a teenager, and that's probab that might be why they went ahead and made him a teenager in this also for sequel movies that never happened.
00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:48.960
So Chi Chi and Goku are both teenagers.
00:34:49.199 --> 00:34:58.320
The second time they fight Piccolo, technically Piccolo Jr., you didn't see this version of Chi Chi, but she's closer to the Chi Chi in the film.
00:34:58.480 --> 00:35:02.960
In my opinion, Chi Chi was done dirty in the source material.
00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:08.559
Sorry, Toriyama, because she's just a stereotypical mad hot-headed woman.
00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:13.119
And then after Goku and Chi Chi get married, it just it's just more of the same.
00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:14.559
She's just an angry wife.
00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:25.599
I think Dragon Ball Super tones her down a little bit, but she's just an angry wife, and Goku's just an absent dad in the source material.
00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:29.679
And we like to we fans like to pick on Goku for being an absent dad, but yeah.
00:35:30.400 --> 00:35:36.480
Well, I remember when we covered some Dragon Ball Z episodes back in our was it, our first or second season.
00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:37.519
It's been a long time.
00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:37.920
Yeah.
00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:39.599
At least one or two of the episodes.
00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:40.800
Goku was much older.
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:49.679
I think all I think all the ones we watched Goku was older and think already had a family, and at least one of them Sobisui, that was Chi Chi.
00:35:50.239 --> 00:35:52.000
Oh, the wife, yeah, that was Chi Chi.
00:35:52.400 --> 00:35:53.519
Okay, okay.
00:35:53.760 --> 00:35:57.119
But yeah, I thought no longer wearing a armor bikini.
00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:03.840
There was a little bit of chemistry with the actress in this one, but but not a lot.
00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:05.280
Goku and Chi Chi.
00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:14.239
Yeah, but I have to say I I'm not, with the exception of maybe like he he finally comes into his own a little bit, which I guess the character is supposed to be as well.
00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:23.920
Like I I did kind of like the actor at the end, like the final battle with Piccolo, and he like starts to embrace his Uzaru form and comes into his power.
00:36:24.239 --> 00:36:26.079
I was finally like, oh, that's a little better.
00:36:26.159 --> 00:36:29.280
Like, but for much of the film, and I'm sure this wasn't just his fault.
00:36:29.440 --> 00:36:36.159
This usually also it can be with editing, writing, directing, the whole the whole thing all together.
00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:48.880
Because sometimes an actor does the best they can with the lines, but then it's just it can be so many causes, but but yeah, he he came off uh pretty stiff, I thought, through a good bit of the film.
00:36:49.360 --> 00:36:54.000
I don't know how you felt about the the guy who played cuckoo.
00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:59.119
I don't want to blame the actor because he was given a script that was bad.
00:36:59.760 --> 00:37:03.039
Yeah, and I've seen him in some other things and he did pretty good.
00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:12.239
I thought he was in War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise, played his son, and he later he was in um Shameless, the TV series.
00:37:12.639 --> 00:37:18.159
Right, and the actress that plays Balma starred opposite of him and they had chemistry in that series.
00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:18.960
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:20.559
They were um I have not seen it, I think.
00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:22.239
They were a couple, I think, for a while.
00:37:22.320 --> 00:37:28.960
I've seen a few episodes of it, and yeah, they were a couple, I think, for a good bit of the the series, or at least for a couple of seasons anyway.
00:37:29.280 --> 00:37:39.760
So yeah, so I've seen a minute of other things where his performance was better, so you know he probably did you know as much as he could with the material he's given.
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:40.639
Yeah.
00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:44.159
And what did you think of the fight choreography and the wire work?
00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:50.719
It was very American, it was very early 2000s, nine-ish, whatever, late 2000.
00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:52.079
See, that's a weird thing.
00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:56.079
We're gonna meet in the 2000s until the year 3000, and it confuses my brain.
00:37:56.239 --> 00:38:00.400
But I guess when they say the the 2000s, they made from 2000 to 2010, right?
00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:14.000
So anyway, it was just so that didn't feel Asian to you, or I mean Asian influenced, obviously, because I think I mean you like jumping up through the air, and like you know, I'm thinking of things like Crash and Tiger Hidden Dragon and like martial arts films.
00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:16.639
I thought it might have been an Americanized version of that.
00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:19.679
I mean, yeah, I mean, this film is Americanized, really.
00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:29.920
I mean, if you want true Asian martial arts choreography brought to a fantastic level, I would recommend Dragon Ball The Magic Begins.
00:38:30.880 --> 00:38:33.599
I actually thought that film had better action in it.
00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:35.119
Ah, that's funny.
00:38:35.519 --> 00:38:38.320
And more impressive martial arts scenes.
00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:45.840
I did like the scene Dragon Ball Evolution in which Goku dodges all the bullies at Chi Chi's castle.
00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:48.559
She still has a castle, apparently, in this universe.
00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:49.440
Oh, yeah, right.
00:38:49.679 --> 00:38:53.760
She's not homeless, she she lives in the castle, so good for her and her dad.
00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:55.599
I guess they're doing very well in this universe.
00:38:56.159 --> 00:38:56.960
I guess so.
00:38:57.360 --> 00:38:59.840
Either that or someone else was hosting the party.
00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:02.159
Well, she said it was her house, but yeah.
00:39:03.119 --> 00:39:03.360
Okay.
00:39:03.440 --> 00:39:05.360
Well, she's rich in this universe, I guess.
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:12.239
Yeah, she was technically rich in the source material, except they couldn't get to the riches, so they were technically very poor.
00:39:12.480 --> 00:39:13.119
Ah, okay.
00:39:13.360 --> 00:39:16.079
In this one, they're like, well, we're just gonna let her have access to her money.
00:39:16.159 --> 00:39:17.199
So yeah.
00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:27.599
So what what do you think of um Bulma in this one compared to Well, she's not Bulma, but I don't completely hate this version of the character.
00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:37.360
I do like see in the original source material, her desire to get the Dragon Balls is because she wants a boyfriend and she's going to Yeah, right.
00:39:37.519 --> 00:39:40.480
And I have no idea why she just can't get a boyfriend.
00:39:40.639 --> 00:39:42.960
Uh, why what is like everybody's afraid of her?
00:39:43.039 --> 00:39:45.599
She can't ask anyone out, there's just no one in her class she likes.
00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:46.559
I have no idea.
00:39:46.719 --> 00:39:51.280
Why can't you just ask you built a dragon radar radar?
00:39:51.440 --> 00:39:53.599
Is it because people think you're a nerd?
00:39:53.840 --> 00:40:03.119
Is it are people intimidated by the fact that you're basically a royalty because you're the daughter of this famous scientist that created all the dyno caps?
00:40:03.199 --> 00:40:04.719
Um they're too intimidated.
00:40:05.280 --> 00:40:05.599
Yeah.
00:40:05.760 --> 00:40:08.639
I mean, I it's never explained why.
00:40:09.039 --> 00:40:12.480
Yeah, it's like I must find all the dragon balls so that I can get a boyfriend.
00:40:12.639 --> 00:40:13.920
So that I can get a boyfriend.
00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:15.599
It's kind of lame, actually.
00:40:15.760 --> 00:40:16.159
Yeah, yeah.
00:40:16.639 --> 00:40:24.000
Although it's played for humor a bit because then Yamcha comes into the picture and he's just longing for a girlfriend, but he's afraid of women, right?
00:40:24.239 --> 00:40:31.599
Yeah, and of course, both of those motivations are completely absent from this film, which yeah, I'm not entirely against that.
00:40:31.920 --> 00:40:34.239
Not to mention Yamcha's little sidekick.
00:40:34.800 --> 00:40:35.440
Yeah, poar.
00:40:35.920 --> 00:40:36.480
It's not in it.
00:40:36.639 --> 00:40:42.000
I I wrote my notes that they at least could have just had a random cat with them.
00:40:42.159 --> 00:40:43.280
He just a cat.
00:40:43.440 --> 00:40:44.800
He doesn't have to talk or nothing.
00:40:44.880 --> 00:40:45.599
It's just a cat.
00:40:45.679 --> 00:40:46.719
He calls it Pu'ar.
00:40:46.880 --> 00:40:48.960
Yeah, maybe they could have thrown a pig in there too.
00:40:49.199 --> 00:40:49.599
Yeah.
00:40:49.920 --> 00:40:54.960
Thought about that just to reference a walking, talking pig, but just a just a pig for fun for fun.
00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:57.920
Or they could have made Oolong one of the school bullies.
00:40:58.159 --> 00:41:02.000
They just had just make him fat or where's a cap or something.
00:41:02.400 --> 00:41:04.880
Well he wasn't fat in the in the series.
00:41:05.119 --> 00:41:05.840
Well, he's a pig.
00:41:06.079 --> 00:41:08.639
He's a pig, but but yeah, he wasn't that fat.
00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:12.480
Or they could have, I mean, the the episode introduces Oolong.
00:41:12.559 --> 00:41:30.480
He is a bully ste kidnapping girls to make it uh because he wants lots of wives, and he eventually gets beat up by Goku and he gives all the girls back to the village because honestly they're just cost too much money and they keep bossing him around giving him honeydo lists.
00:41:30.719 --> 00:41:33.679
Which it's it's fun, it's comedy in the source material.
00:41:34.239 --> 00:41:36.800
But yeah, they could have made Ulong a bully at school.
00:41:37.199 --> 00:41:47.199
According to Wikipedia, and I don't know how much you read about this or heard about this, but like there were definitely some complaints back back at the time about them whitewashing some of the characters.
00:41:47.440 --> 00:41:53.440
Kind of 50-50 because like some of the main characters are not Asian at all.
00:41:53.760 --> 00:41:54.159
Right.
00:41:54.320 --> 00:42:01.440
You know, but then some of the other ones are, you know, you have Chow Yon Fat who plays Roshi, and then obviously Gohan is played by an Asian man.
00:42:01.840 --> 00:42:08.559
I agree keeping them Asian, and Mai, obviously Piccolo, it doesn't really matter, and it's a guy, it's a guy in makeup anyway.
00:42:09.280 --> 00:42:10.239
The actor is not Asian.
00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:17.440
But I heard that actor fought the producers to keep Piccolo green because they were just gonna make him a handsome gray alien.
00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:18.480
Grey.
00:42:18.719 --> 00:42:21.360
Yeah, they wanted him to be painted gray instead of green.
00:42:21.519 --> 00:42:22.159
I don't know why.
00:42:22.320 --> 00:42:22.800
Huh.
00:42:23.039 --> 00:42:24.320
But yeah, you were saying?
00:42:24.639 --> 00:42:25.920
Isn't a lot of anime?
00:42:26.079 --> 00:42:30.719
Maybe this is controversial, but isn't a lot of anime kind of half whitewashed anyway?
00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:36.960
Because I've always got this like there's a lot of anime I've seen where the characters look very American.
00:42:37.199 --> 00:42:50.960
I don't know if they're supposed to be Japanese, but like they look very white in a lot of and I know obviously a lot of Japanese people are very light skinned, but more of like their face structure and even down to how they behave sometimes.
00:42:51.440 --> 00:42:53.360
It's an art style, yeah.
00:42:53.679 --> 00:43:05.119
So it can be hard to tell sometimes in a manga anime if they're supposed to be Asian or or Caucasian, but you can usually tell by context.
00:43:05.360 --> 00:43:05.679
Right.
00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:07.519
Are they living in Japan?
00:43:07.920 --> 00:43:15.280
I mean, let's just put it this way Sailor Moon, who I call Serenity, but her name is actually Usagi.
00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:18.559
She has blonde hair, pigtails.
00:43:18.719 --> 00:43:24.480
You would think she's Caucasian, but whenever they do depict her in live action, she's Asian.
00:43:24.639 --> 00:43:25.199
Yeah.
00:43:25.519 --> 00:43:32.559
And so the artistic liberty of giving anime characters different hair colors other than black.
00:43:32.719 --> 00:43:41.519
Yeah, I mean, it's a lot of variety, but then it makes you think, well, this ginger character must be a Caucasian or this blonde must be Caucasian when they're not.
00:43:41.840 --> 00:43:46.320
And it and it to me, it's like also And when you watch Sailor Moon, you know she lives in Japan.
00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:49.920
Some of the skin tone, but also facial features too.
00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:52.000
Like they they look less Asian.
00:43:52.559 --> 00:43:55.039
So so what I'm trying to say is you need to pick up context.
00:43:55.119 --> 00:44:02.719
Like in the Gundam Wing anime, you know that I forget his name, but he Piloted the the Angel of Death Gundam.
00:44:03.119 --> 00:44:13.840
One of my favorite characters at the time, you know he's Caucasian because they say he's from America, or at least we assume he's Caucasian because he comes from America.
00:44:14.079 --> 00:44:26.239
And there are different characters that seem very much not to be Asian, but then the hero, H-I-R-O, that's his name, maybe the most main protagonist, he's definitely Asian.
00:44:26.320 --> 00:44:27.760
He's definitely Japanese.
00:44:27.920 --> 00:44:32.079
Uh, and they draw his eyes, I if I remember correctly, to to look that way.
00:44:32.960 --> 00:44:37.360
But yeah, I think that context is the best way to figure out.
00:44:37.840 --> 00:44:50.960
I'm assuming that the choices, as is often the case when movies come over to the US, they make changes like that because they want American audiences to identify with the main characters, or at least some of the main characters.
00:44:51.280 --> 00:44:58.719
Although I thought given that it was an interesting choice that they released this in Japan and other Asian countries first.
00:44:59.119 --> 00:44:59.519
First.
00:44:59.760 --> 00:45:04.159
Before releasing it in America, which is kind of it's like interesting, okay.
00:45:04.480 --> 00:45:10.480
You decided to change three of the main characters and make them white, but now you're releasing it in Asia first.
00:45:10.800 --> 00:45:25.360
Yeah, uh Akira Toriyama might be cited in the credits as a producer or something on this, but he was not on there for I don't know, just to make it seem like he contributed.
00:45:25.440 --> 00:45:30.400
He tried contributing, he read the script, he said this script is no good.
00:45:30.719 --> 00:45:33.360
This will bomb, it's not correct.
00:45:33.760 --> 00:45:37.519
This is not Dragon Ball, but they refused to listen to him.
00:45:37.679 --> 00:45:49.599
And at the time he was a little nicer when the movie came out, but later, see Dragon Ball Evolution is what contribution it gave us is it made the series continue.
00:45:50.000 --> 00:46:03.119
We got two movies, Battle of the Gods and Return of F or something, I can't remember, the the one where Frieza comes back, and then those turned into this the Dragon Ball Super anime and manga.
00:46:03.440 --> 00:46:19.280
And then Tori Otaru, the longtime fan artist that did Dragon Ball fan comics, was actually named by Kiritoriyama as his successor and was drawing Dragon Ball Super Manga as the anime was being broadcast.
00:46:19.920 --> 00:46:24.639
What I'm saying is that if anything, Dragon Ball Evolution saved the franchise.
00:46:25.119 --> 00:46:32.000
Even though it was a terrible film, it ticked Kiritoriama off, and and at the time he was nice about it.
00:46:32.079 --> 00:46:40.480
But years later, when Battle of the Gods came out, interviews around that time revealed that he didn't like this movie.
00:46:40.880 --> 00:46:41.679
No surprise.
00:46:41.840 --> 00:46:47.039
Yeah, it put fire in him to come out of retirement to save his legacy.
00:46:47.360 --> 00:46:47.760
Nice.
00:46:47.920 --> 00:46:50.239
So it's the reason we got more Dragon Ball.
00:46:51.360 --> 00:46:53.519
Alright, so we got just a few minutes left.
00:46:53.599 --> 00:46:55.920
We don't want to go too long with this review here.
00:46:56.239 --> 00:46:57.679
There's so much we could talk about.
00:46:57.840 --> 00:46:59.280
We just don't have the time for it.
00:46:59.519 --> 00:47:06.400
I I will say overall, now some of this is because I've watched the episodes with you last week and I've seen enough Dragon Ball.
00:47:06.559 --> 00:47:11.119
Seeing this film did make me want to explore the lore a little bit more.
00:47:11.280 --> 00:47:15.440
Not just to see like where does it diverge and where did it, but it interested me enough.
00:47:15.519 --> 00:47:20.639
I was like, oh, it's not a great movie by any means, but I kind of enjoyed myself.
00:47:20.800 --> 00:47:21.360
Oh, okay.
00:47:21.679 --> 00:47:23.519
Overall, like I didn't hate it.
00:47:24.079 --> 00:47:24.960
I didn't hate it, you know.
00:47:25.039 --> 00:47:28.559
I didn't again, not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination.
00:47:28.880 --> 00:47:35.119
I'm really glad the source material that you didn't fully watch didn't cause you to be like, this movie sucks.
00:47:35.840 --> 00:47:41.599
Well, I mean, you know, in fairness, the source material it's not like it's I don't exactly put it.
00:47:41.840 --> 00:47:44.000
I can see that's an acquired taste as well.
00:47:44.079 --> 00:47:45.760
Like it's not uber serious.
00:47:45.840 --> 00:47:47.440
And I don't know if he geared it.
00:47:47.599 --> 00:47:52.559
Did he mean to gear it towards kids when he first put it out, or was it geared more towards older?
00:47:52.880 --> 00:47:54.559
Was it kind of a like a just whatever?
00:47:54.960 --> 00:47:57.840
Our cultures are different, so I can't entirely say.
00:47:58.000 --> 00:48:00.960
I think if I remember correctly, it was geared towards teenagers.
00:48:01.360 --> 00:48:01.519
Okay.
00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:10.480
But in the first story arc, the Emperor Peel Off arc, in those days, it was a gag comic.
00:48:11.199 --> 00:48:23.840
Uh an adventure fantasy gag comic, but switched to more of a fighting comic in the second storyline where there's training and gets into like Piccolo's storyline.
00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:24.480
No, no, no.
00:48:24.559 --> 00:48:29.039
Well, actually in the original series, Piccolo's takes a long time to get to.
00:48:29.280 --> 00:48:29.840
Ah, okay.
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:40.079
So in the second story, Master Roshi trains Krillin and Goku, and then they it culminates in the first their first entry into the world martial arts tournament.
00:48:40.239 --> 00:48:47.920
The book was selling better when they focused on action, when Toriyama focused on action, so the editor told him he had to to change it.
00:48:48.719 --> 00:48:51.679
Toriyama wanted it to be a fantasy comedy.
00:48:52.400 --> 00:48:59.280
The editors gave him all sorts of directions and he he did obey it uh for the most part.
00:48:59.760 --> 00:49:03.760
What he didn't obey is they told him, absolutely do not age up Goku.
00:49:04.079 --> 00:49:04.639
And he did.
00:49:05.039 --> 00:49:05.360
Yeah.
00:49:05.920 --> 00:49:21.760
They had to publish it because he he purpose Korea Toriyama purposely sent them the story where he fights Piccolo the second time, specifically sent on purpose that those pages in at the last second, so they could not ask him to redraw it.
00:49:23.760 --> 00:49:25.519
I can talk about Dragon Ball all day.
00:49:25.760 --> 00:49:25.920
Yeah.
00:49:26.159 --> 00:49:27.119
We need to get back to topic.
00:49:27.199 --> 00:49:34.239
Um, ratings, I guess, like this go round um at this point in your life.
00:49:34.400 --> 00:49:37.199
How many nerd ads would you give Dragon Ball Evolution?
00:49:37.519 --> 00:49:40.079
I don't know, a two out of five, maybe.
00:49:40.320 --> 00:49:40.639
Okay.
00:49:40.880 --> 00:49:41.760
Maybe a one.
00:49:42.320 --> 00:49:46.800
But you see, Super Mario Brothers live action movie is so bad it's good.
00:49:47.119 --> 00:49:51.599
Sloth or half really isn't in the same genre, but it but it's good.
00:49:51.760 --> 00:49:54.559
It's like purposely can't be bad good.
00:49:55.119 --> 00:49:57.599
But this movie, I feel like it's just bad.
00:49:57.679 --> 00:49:59.519
It's just so bad it's bad.
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:00.800
So yeah.
00:50:01.199 --> 00:50:04.960
I think I I think I'd give it a little bit higher, maybe 2.5.
00:50:05.440 --> 00:50:05.679
Okay.
00:50:05.840 --> 00:50:07.840
But I don't believe in halves, Richardson.
00:50:08.000 --> 00:50:15.360
But I think I think part of the reason that I it's easier for me to rate it a little higher is simply because I'm not as familiar with Dragon Ball.
00:50:15.440 --> 00:50:19.840
Uh I feel like if I had been a big fan of Dragon Ball, I would probably dislike it more.
00:50:20.079 --> 00:50:30.480
Similar to how, even though I love the Lord of the Rings movies, still to this day, I hate what they did with Faramir's character because he was one of my favorite characters from the book.
00:50:30.719 --> 00:50:37.440
I just I really liked his character, and and then they just ruined certain aspects of his his character in the films.
00:50:37.760 --> 00:50:39.920
Still mad about that Peter Jackson.
00:50:40.079 --> 00:50:41.519
Love everything else he did.
00:50:41.599 --> 00:50:43.360
So much of it was near perfect.
00:50:43.519 --> 00:50:44.320
That was not.
00:50:44.559 --> 00:50:51.119
But yeah, I I think it's kind of in that like, like I enjoy myself, but it but it it's forgettable, you know.
00:50:51.199 --> 00:50:53.519
Like it feels like a children's movie.
00:50:53.679 --> 00:50:59.440
The source material had much sharper, more intelligent writing and the dialogue and everything.
00:50:59.760 --> 00:51:05.440
I mean, I love talking about it, but you know, our episode is getting pretty long, so I need to stop.
00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:11.519
The Nerdhat Podcast was crafted without the assistance of Generative AI.
00:51:11.920 --> 00:51:16.480
Was recorded, produced, and edited by Richard Best.
00:51:16.719 --> 00:51:20.159
Copyright Nerdhat Productions 2026.
00:51:20.800 --> 00:51:36.719
You can follow us on Instagram at NerdhatProductions, on YouTube at NerdhatPod, and of course, on all of the major podcasting platforms like Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, and more.
00:51:38.159 --> 00:51:43.360
Well, Nerdhatters, until next time, live long and prosper.