New movie a worthy addition to long-running anime series

“Dragon Ball Super: Superhero” is an animated movie directed by Tetsuro Kodama based off a popular anime series. The film was initially released in Japan on June 11 and was released worldwide a few months later. The script was written by series creator, Akira Toriyama.

In the movie, the evil Red Ribbon Army -- which had been defeated in the past by longtime se- ries protagonist Son-Goku -- has returned.

This time, they have a new set of killer androids: Gamma 1, Gamma 2, and the strongest among them, Cell Max. While Goku is away from Earth, it is up to his son, Son-Gohan, and other warriors to fight this new threat.

The movie looks very pretty. It uses a mixture of CGI and hand-drawn art. The characters appear to be three-dimensional, having shadows and tex- tured details. The creators took advantage of this to make the fights bright and explosive.

Being that “Dragon Ball Super: Superhero” is part of an ongoing series, some parts of the story can seem vague. The Red Ribbon Army returning may not matter for someone who just started consuming “Dragon Ball” media, as opposed to others who have watched the series since its initial television show in the 1990’s.

There were many times where I was left stunned at the film. Some of its comedic moments can be jarring for those who are not accustomed to the genre.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience with this movie. Despite the criticisms, the movie does attempt to explain what needs to be explained in a clear and expedient manner.

I, like many others, was impressed by the film’s themes of the main char- acters overcoming the villains repeatedly. For those who like “Dragon Ball” or for those who want to dip their toes in anime films for the first time, I would give this film a recommen- dation.