Dragon Ball Super: Part 2 [Episodes 14-26]
As Goku faces off against Beerus the destroyer, he faces off against his biggest challenge ever. Little does he know however that things are about to get a whole lot worse, as his old enemy Frieza is about to make an unexpected return- and he's hellbent on revenge.
Dragon Ball Super is the continuation of the Dragon Ball saga, based on characters and scenarios created by Akira Toriyama (but not directly adapted from his original manga). This release, the second Blu-Ray boxset from the series, includes episodes 14-26 of the series, originally aired in Japan between October 2015 and January 2016.
The early days of Dragon Ball Super are chiefly dedicated to retelling the same events in the most recent two movies- Battle Of The Gods and Resurrection F. This volume features the final episode of the first saga, and the vast majority of the second (all but the final episode).
So if you've seen the movie versions, you can just skip ahead, right? Well... while you could in theory do so, you'd miss out on a great deal of hugely entertaining stuff. While the reduced budget and tight production schedule of a TV series means it can't compete with the higher quality animation of the movies, it has other advantages. Yes, the storylines are essentially the same, but the expanded screentime in the series allows for extra scenes and other slight variations in events.
And that's only considering the main saga episodes. These episodes deliver the high-octane action that the franchise is best known for, and even take it up a notch. But Super's secret weapon is what happens between the action set-pieces.
In a curious twist on the way these things usually work, what may be considered filler in another series, have become arguably the show's highlight. Thanks to decades worth of excellent character work, the show features a cast who are just fun to hang out with. So between the fisticuffs, we get standalone episodes dealing with one-off storylines or more sit-com style antics. Seeing Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo become domesticated is never less than amusing. This time around we see Goku struggling to settle into his new role as a farmer, Mr Satan still bluffing his way through life, and Piccolo as a babysitter.
None of which is to downplay the show's action and adventure side, which is as entertaining as ever. Frieza is one of the most iconic villains in the franchise, and with good reason. The scale of his invasion force (with the entire sky full of his soldiers) makes for an impressive sequence, just as it did when it originally appeared in Resurrection F.
All in all, the nice mix in style of episodes here makes for a solid package. Even though these early chapters are adapted from existing material, they are not based on a manga, unlike previous parts of the franchise. This is probably why Super is a much faster moving series, and (so far at least) lacks the often dragged out nature of certain parts of Dragon Ball Z.
With the second collection, Dragon Ball Super continues to be a more than worthy successor to Dragon Ball Z. While these early volumes are recovering old ground somewhat, it never feels like a waste of time. These episodes are a worthy addition to any Dragon Ball fan's collection.
| FORMATS | DVD/ Blu-Ray/Streaming |
| FROM | Manga UK |
| RATING | PG |
| RUNNING TIME | 13 Episodes |
IN A NUTSHELL: With the second volume, Dragon Ball Super continues to truly live up to its name. Super fun!
