PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *metaphysical*
Though I've watched the many adaptations of the DRAGONBALL franchise since they became available in the U.S., this is my first review of any of the stories of Son Goku, de facto guardian of the seven Dragonballs, which when assembled can grant the power of one wish to anyone-- including numerous unscrupulous individuals.
Sadly, DEAD ZONE is one of the most boring "balls" I've ever seen. As anyone can read on Wiki, ZONE has the distinction of being the first animated movie with the "Dragonball Z" tag, and with being roughly integrated into the continuity of the ongoing TV series. The unscrupulous individual this time is Garlic Jr., son of a villain who had appeared in both the comics and the cartoon, unlike Junior. Like his old man Garlic Jr is willing to do scurrilous things to get the Dragonballs, including kidnapping Gohan, son of Goku and his wife Chi Chi. Goku seeks out the villain, as does one of his rivals, alien martial artist Piccolo, who will later become a family friend but at this point is still prickly toward Goku, who defeated Piccolo in a tournament.
The last bit is about all the characterization you get, and this is unusual, because DRAGONBALL in all its incarnations has a big cast of characters who often interact in interesting ways. The narrative is dominated by fight scenes, but neither Garlic Jr nor his henchmen prove to be more than make-work adversaries, so even the franchise's combative source of appeal is short-changed here. I'll note in passing that any DRAGONBALL item I review will fit into the metaphysical category, because of all the stuff about magical dragons granting wishes, though technically the stories take place in a futuristic sci-fi matrix.
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