Dragon Ball has suffered enough with a live action adaptation, but there is another version that manages to be more faithful than many could imagine
The new wave of major anime and manga adaptations brought great productions, like A piecebut every time you say “live action anime”, trauma speaks louder and comes to mind Dragon Ball Evolution, the terrible movie that tried to bring the Goku saga to theaters, even though there are other adaptations just as or more shameful than it.
The American feature film based on the story created by Akira Toriyama has become an example of what not to do when trying to bring an anime or manga to cinema and TV, something that many have understood well, while others continue to fail miserably .
But, proving that nothing that was already bad couldn’t get worse, Evolution This was not the first attempt to bring Goku and the story of the search for the Dragon Balls to the cinema with real actors. YES, dragon ball There wasn’t just one adaptation, but three, and all very particular.
Thailand and its unofficial production
Always when it comes to live action films dragon ballbesides the horrible Hollywood version, released in 2009, many remember a Thai production called Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins. The film was made unofficially, simply changing some elements and rushing into the embrace as if the royalties were a joke.
This adaptation very superficially follows the beginning of dragon ball, which shows how Goku meets Bulma and goes with her in search of the Dragon Balls. It’s notable how low the budget of the film is, turning most of the action scenes into gunfights or having the actor playing Goku fly around the scene in a strange way.
Another attention-grabbing element in the Thai production is the film’s lack of humor. There are attempts at jokes, but everything is bad, as well as situations that seem quite offensive, such as Oolong chasing a minor to try to marry her.
The whole production is quite wrong and the only bright spot is the adaptation of Master Roshi, with the right to a house on an island, a turtle shell on his back and questionable behavior every time he sees a woman.
Many use this film and Dragon Ball Evolution to prove it fits dragon ball for cinema it’s an impossible task, because it’s all so crazy and with such a distinctive visual identity that it wouldn’t work with the actors. Even with recent adaptations proving that it’s possible to bring an anime into the live action universe without much hassle, this feeling has always been there.
But there’s another attempt, a little older and a lot better, that proves it dragon balleven if it’s weird, it can be a really fun movie with actors.
The Korean Goku
In 1990, an unofficial version of dragon ball in theaters across the country. Dragon Ball: Ssawora Son Goku, Igyeora Son Goku (something like Dragon Ball: Son Goku’s fight and Son Goku’s victory in direct translation) is a very faithful adaptation of the first animation of the Son Goku saga, albeit with the budget of a box of paçoca.
Showing the young alien, complete with tail and hair like in the anime, the film shows his first meeting with Bulma and the search for the Dragon Balls. Along the way they meet Oolong, Master Roshi, and Yamcha, who end up influencing their journey. Unlike the Thai film, everything is done in a very sincere way, which embraces the ridiculous moments of the original work and conveys action and humor in the right measure.
The film basically covers the entire story up until the first time Shen Long is summoned by the Dragon Balls. The film clearly doesn’t have a huge budget, but it makes up for it with creativity and a good amount of courage, such as making Puar, Yamcha’s friend, literally a stuffed animal.
With a duration of 1h45, it is possible to have a lot of fun, since the young Korean actor who plays Goku manages to convey the innocent and completely clueless idea of ​​the young Saiyan very well, as does the actress who plays Bulma, who stars with him in nice humorous scenes.
The action scenes are very reminiscent of the tokusatsu of the 80s, with choreographies of considerable competence. Goku’s flying cloud also appears, and unlike the Thai production, it doesn’t look like a yellow flash on the screen.
Dragon Ball: Ssawora Son Goku, Igyeora Son Goku is far from an excellent film and, at various points, appears to be a fan project dragon ball which ended up making its debut at the cinema, but perhaps the beauty of it lies precisely in this.
It proves it dragon ball it would work in a major film production, as long as those responsible weren’t ashamed of the work created by Akira Toriyama. Dragon Ball Evolution he made it clear that trying to adapt the story in a “normal” way is wrong. Embracing fun and fantasy might be ideal.
Trends on Canaltech:
- Earth is hit by the largest solar storm since 2005
- A strong solar storm could hit Earth this Friday (10)
- What will happen to the Earth when the Sun dies?
- Wonder Woman revives controversial costumes in a new series of covers
- Particles consisting only of nuclear force may have been detected
- Artificial intelligence to create stickers on WhatsApp is available in Brazil
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
