Akira Toriyama’s Dragonball series chronicles the adventures of Goku, a monkey-tailed martial artist, and has been around for so long, many newer fans might be unaware of the series’ origin. Red Ribbon Army fills this gap. Like all the Dragonball films, this one stands outside the continuity of both the TV series and the manga. However, unlike the other Dragonball films, Red Ribbon Army can also be seen as an attempt to reconcile Toriyama’s original Dragonball concept with what the series eventually evolved into.
Toriyama populated his original Dragonball world with talking animals, dinosaurs, and characters out of Asian mythology, and peppered his writing with bawdy, usually juvenile comedy. In fact, Toriyama loosely adapted the sage of Hanuman the Monkey King for his original Dragonball story line. These elements were later discarded as Dragonball evolved into Dragonball Z, a violent martial arts series heavily indebted to American comic books. These later characters are capable of flight and magical (or perhaps psychic) attacks, not unlike the characters of The X-Men. Needless to say, Toriyama’s two universes are different enough to present some continuity problems. And so, Red Ribbon Army updates Goku’s origins to conform to Dragonball Z’s standards.
The first half of the film introduces all of the better known supporting cast (Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong the Pig, and Master Roshi) in ways that usually conform to Toriyama’s manga. The risqué humor is mostly intact, but Goku’s world no longer seems as mythical as it does in the original series, nor does Goku act like a bumpkin. He’s more of a mischievous kid than before. The second half of the film concerns an evil Gallactor-like empire attempting to thwart Goku’s quest to gather the Seven Dragon Balls. An interesting android character is also introduced; he looks exactly like the Frankenstein monster and befriends Goku after a memorable battle.
Just like the previous retelling of Goku’s origin (Curse of the Blood Rubies), the animation in Red Ribbon Army is a slight improvement over the animation of the regular TV series. Unlike Curse of the Blood Rubies, the plot isn’t aimed at younger children.
Is Red Ribbon Army worth seeing? This isn’t the worst Dragonball film by any means. It’s a treat to see the younger version of Goku again, and the story is complete enough on its own terms for someone who’s never seen Dragonball to enjoy it. No one will ever accuse Red Ribbon Army of being great art, but it’s also refreshingly nonpretentious in a market saturated with pseudo-intellectual exercises like Evangelion. On the other hand, did the world really need another Dragonball movie? From an artistic viewpoint, the Dragonball franchise should have ended with the Saiyan saga.
 |
Other Anime Reviews Affair on Nolandia Review Curse of the Blood Rubies Review DNA Sights 999.9 Review Project A-ko Review* Slayers:The Motion Picture Review* |
Get your ownFree Home Page