Dragon Ball Z: The TV Specials

A few years ago, I got my hands on the entire Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection, everything from Dead Zone to Resurrection F.  I was so excited to have it all at last that I couldn’t help but jump into an impromptu two weeks of reviews.  I looked at 2-3 films a day during that period of time looking at the best, worst and the Goten and Trunks levels of bad that culiminated in Bio Broly becoming the first Anime I reviewed to score a 0/10.  One thing has bugged me in hindsight: if I looked at all the Movies…where are the two TV Specials?  I’d always had them, why not throw them into the mix?  The answer is…I just didn’t.  But now, since I’ve covered every theatrical film from Z to Super to the OG Dragon Ball, it’s time to rectify that.  So for todays little double feature, you’re getting both Bardock and Trunks Specials.  Guess this means I’ll have to look at that GT Special at some point too…Crap Baskets.
 
Bardock: The Father of Goku

The Saiyans-a race of powerful warriors who are the most feared in the universe.  Some would deem them unstoppable…but that’s all about to change.  During a routine mission, a low ranking Saiyan warrior named Bardock gains the ability to see the future.  Now plagued by visions of the end of his world and his people at the hands of the warlord Frieza, Bardock races against time itself to stop the apocalypse.  This is the story of the final days of the Saiyan race and the secret beginning of the one warrior who would one day avenge them: Bardock’s son, Kakarot, better known on Earth as Goku.

Inspired by a very short scene from the TV Series, Bardock-The Father of Goku expands on the days before the extinction of the Saiyans.  Despite knowing how this tragic event plays out, the TV Special has strength in classic Z action and Bardock himself.  While he’s no Goku, Bardock is still a likeable enough guy and someone you want to see win in the end, even if that’s impossible.  Like Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone, the action is very early Z before the days of Super Saiyans and Androids.  In spite of this, the action is still fast, furious and fun to watch.  It’s equally fun to see Frieza and his cronies again, though Zarbon sees no action while Dodoria gets to wreck some of Bardock’s crew.  Speaking of, Bardock’s crew barely gets any screen time to do some exploring with.  That feels like a minor shortcoming considering this is just supposed to be a short supplemental episode, but they still didn’t leave as much of an impact as Bardock himself.  Bardock-The Father of Goku is actually just as good as some of the most decent Z Movies and a nice little sampler to newcomers of the franchise if they ever wanted to step into one of the greatest action Anime sagas of all time.
 
8/10
 

The History of Trunks

It is a dark time for the Earth.  Over 15 years have passed since the arrival of two powerful Androids, who have laid waste to the planet and all who stand before them.  Goku has died of a heart virus and his friends, the Z-Fighters, have fallen in battle to these mechanical monsters.  Hope is not lost though.  Goku’s son, Gohan, is now a man and he is mentoring the son of Goku’s rival, Vegeta, Trunks.  As the Androids grow stronger and the battle for survival becomes more and more desperate, friends will die and new heroes will rise from the ashes.  The battle for the future has begun.

This is quite possibly the darkest Dragon Ball story ever told across all the shows, movies and specials.  The History of Trunks can be relentless with its bleakness but that’s kind of the point isn’t it.  Seeing a tearful, powerless Super Saiyan wailing weak punches against two unflinching Androids is pretty powerful stuff to watch.  This special benefits from sharper animation, making the Androids look way more meanacing than ever, especially Android 18, and taking the action to its most brutal level.  And yet it never loses that fun sense of badassery, especially seeing an Adult Gohan go 1v2 with the Androids with only one arm.  It all adds up to what might be a story too dark by normal Dragon Ball standards. However, The History of Trunks is still a very mature and strong addition to the Dragon Ball Z story library.  This is a world without heroes or hope and it’s a future we want to see taken back.  And trust me, after watching this sad but well done tale, SPOILER ALERT, it’s so satisfying when Trunks gets his big win.
 
9/10