Broadcast in North America as a three-part episode of Dragonball Z, The Tree of Might isn't the best introduction to the Dragonball saga. Like the other Dragonball movies, this one has nothing to do with the continuity of the main series. Virtually every important character in the Vegeta storyline turns up (save for Vegeta himself), although many of the characters have only cameos. In the tradition of the typical anime series film spin-off, there's almost no introduction of any of the characters. In Dragonball Z: The Movie this wasn't so bad, since the film is nonstop action. But the first third of The Tree of Might is spent with Goku's family and is more comedy and character-oriented. A new fan stumbling upon this will wonder why Gohan is tailed while his father Goku isn't, why Piccolo is green-skinned, and why we should care who King Kai is. Dragonball Z, like *The X-Men, is a series with idiosyncratic characters, making it difficult for a newer fan to fully understand what's going on.
The plot is substandard. In the opening of the film, Bulma, Gohan, and Krillin use the dragonballs to undo a forest fire. While this establishes the characters as sympathetic, it is also a fairly frivolous wish given that it takes so long to gather dragonballs. Storywise, it serves no purpose other than the obligitory appearance of the Eternal Dragon. The rest of the film concerns the growth of an evil tree on earth, and a battle between Saiyans and the Dragonball Z team. The tree motif dates back to ancient mythology and was frankly done better in Sailor Moon as the Doom Tree. Most of the Dragonball Z team are whipped surprizingly easily by the aliens, one of whom resembles Goku enough to fool Gohan. Gohan, of course, transforms into a wereape and causes considerable damage. Goku must try and muster the strength to create a Spirit Bomb to combat the marauders. Essentially this is a loose condensation of the Vegeta storyline.
Too much is crammed into too little time. Piccolo and Master Roshi have little more than cameos. Gohan's friendship with a baby dragon is amusing and unlike anything else in the Dragonball series, yet it exists only as a subplot that doesn't really go anywhere. The notion of an evil Goku is intriguing, given that it took a sharp rap to the head to turn Goku into a good natured hero in the original manga. Yet this, too, exists as a throwaway idea.
Is The Tree of Might worth seeing? The action sequences are as good as the TV series which isn't surprising given that it looks like some of the animation was recycled. And the film is certainly not without charm. However, it is not the strongest anime film nor even the best Dragonball film. If you have other options, you may want to see them first.
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Other Anime Reviews Dragonball Z:The Movie Review* Fushigi Yuugi Review* Galaxy Express 999:Eternal Fantasy Review* My Neighbor Totoro Review* Neon Genesis Evangelion Review |
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