The Dragonball Z animated franchise is one of the most profitable produced anywhere in the world. The more introverted and intellectual among you may be appalled, since the series is violent and frequently incoherant. Still, love them or hate them, Akira Toriyama's characters are internationally beloved and seldom disappoint their audience.
Anyone seeking to understand the popularity of Dragonball Z without having to watch an entire storyline should seek out Dragonball Z: Brolly. Like most of the Dragonball Z movies, this one stands outside the series continuity, making it easy for the nonfan to enjoy. Brolly and his father Paragas belong to the violent superpowered race known as the Saiyans, the very same race that spawned the series' star Goku. Aside from Goku, the Saiyans are a largely evil destructive crew, and Brolly might be the worst of the lot. Brolly is "the legendary Super Saiyan," the most powerful Saiyan of them all, capable of destroying entire galaxies without breaking into a sweat.
Yes, this is the stuff of Silver Age comic books. Like the best storylines of Dragonball Z, the film makes the incredible seem plausible and features amazing fight sequences. By this time, Toriyama hit upon the truly bizarre convention of having Goku and his fellow Saiyans' hair turn blonde when fiercely angry. Believe it or not, this almost has its own alien logic. The world in this film is one in which superpowered aliens can fly, use the power of their will to create plasma missiles, and engage in contrasty battles between good and evil. The Dragonball Z team is not very different in spirit from the Avengers or the Justice League of America.
Brolly isn't the best anime, or even the best Dragonball Z feature. However, it's one of the least pretentious, and it's running time is a nice compromise between a full-length feature and half-hour length OAVs. Dragonball fans will enjoy it.
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