Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'

Japanese release poster
Japanese ドラゴンボールＺ　復活の「Ｆ」エフ
Hepburn Doragon Bōru Zetto: Fukkatsu no 'Efu'
Directed by Tadayoshi Yamamuro
Screenplay by Akira Toriyama
Based on Dragon Ball 
by Akira Toriyama
Music by Norihito Sumitomo
Production
company
Distributed by Toei Company
20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • April 18, 2015 (Japan)[1]
Running time
 93 minutes[2]
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Budget US$5 million[3]
Box office US$15.35 million[4]

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' (Japanese: ドラゴンボールＺ　復活の「Ｆ」エフ Hepburn: Doragon Bōru Zetto: Fukkatsu no 'Efu') is the nineteenth Japanese animated feature film based on the Dragon Ball series and the fifteenth to carry the Dragon Ball Z branding, released in theaters on April 18, 2015. It is the first ever Japanese film to be screened in IMAX 3D and also received screenings at 4DX theaters.

Resurrection 'F' is the second film personally supervised by series creator Akira Toriyama, following Battle of Gods in 2013. The movie depicts the return of the villain Frieza, as well as the God of Destruction Beerus and Whis from Battle of Gods. Funimation announced that their English language dub of the film will be released in North American theaters in summer 2015. Madman Entertainment will release the film in Australian theaters in winter 2015.

Plot

With their power dwindling due to the absence of their leader, the remnants of Frieza's army are led by an alien named Sorbet (ソルベ Sorube), who decides to revive their master. He then sets off to Earth with one other minion, Tagoma (タゴマ Tagoma), where they convince Pilaf, Mai, and Shu, who have collected the Dragon Balls to let them summon Shenlong instead. As Shenlong is unable to fully revive Frieza, he brings him back to life in pieces, and his minions put him together using their advanced technology. Once restored, Frieza kills Tagoma and learns that Goku got much stronger, to the point of defeating Majin Boo, and thus he decides he too needs to become more powerful. Frieza reveals that, since his power was inborn, he had never trained a day in his life, and so he trains himself for the first time, before returning to Earth with his army six months later. Jaco the Galactic Patrolman travels to earth to warn Bulma that Frieza is approaching, and she gathers the other warriors to fight him. With Goku and Vegeta training on Planet Beerus with Whis, unaware that Frieza has been revived, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Master Roshi, Tenshinhan and Jaco fight off Frieza's soldiers.

Bulma's message eventually reaches Whis, and Goku and Vegeta travel back to earth to fight Frieza. Whis and Beerus join them in order to eat a strawberry-flavored dessert Bulma has prepared for them. Goku fights Frieza first by transforming into the blue-haired Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (超サイヤ人ゴッドSS（スーパーサイヤ人ゴッドスーパーサイヤ人） Sūpā Saiya-jin Goddo Sūpā Saiya-jin), and Frieza transforms into a new "Golden Frieza" (ゴールデンフリーザ Gōruden Furīza) form. Goku ultimately gains the upper hand, but he is shot in the chest by Sorbet. Frieza stands over the incapacitated Goku and offers Vegeta a chance to kill Goku for him in exchange for his own life. Vegeta refuses and transforms into the blue-haired Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan form as well, much to Frieza's shock. Vegeta tells Krillin to revive Goku with a Sensu bean. As the latter moves to do so, Frieza attacks him, but Vegeta intercepts and deflects Frieza's towards Sorbet, which kills him. Vegeta attacks Frieza, eventually causing him to revert back to his base form, who then realizes that he cannot win. Frieza decides to destroy the planet, killing Vegeta in the process.

Earth is destroyed, but Whis creates a bubble around a small piece of rock to protect himself, Beerus, Bulma, Krillin, Gohan, Goku, Master Roshi, Piccolo, Tenshinhan and Jaco the Galactic Patrolman. While Bulma despairs, Goku expresses his regret that he didn't kill Frieza when he had the chance. Whis tells him that he has the power to set back time but only three minutes earlier. He does so, and they arrive back right before Frieza destroys the Earth. Goku immediately attacks with a Kamehameha and kills Frieza.

Voice cast

Character Japanese voice actor
Son Goku Masako Nozawa
Vegeta Ryō Horikawa
Freeza Ryūsei Nakao
Son Gohan Masako Nozawa
Kuririn Mayumi Tanaka
Piccolo Toshio Furukawa
Tenshinhan Hikaru Midorikawa
Kame-Sennin Masaharu Satō
Bulma Hiromi Tsuru
Videl Yuko Minaguchi
Android 18 Miki Itō
Trunks Takeshi Kusao
Shenlong Ryūzaburō Ōtomo
Jaco Natsuki Hanae
Pilaf Shigeru Chiba
Mai Eiko Yamada
Shu Tesshō Genda
Beerus Kōichi Yamadera
Whis Masakazu Morita
Yogen-gyo Shoko Nakagawa
Tagoma Kazuya Nakai
Sorbet Shirō Saitō
Shisami Tetsu Inada
Angels Momoiro Clover Z

Development and production

The film was originally announced in July 2014 under the tentative title of Dragon Ball Z 2015 in the September 2014 issue of V Jump magazine. The image of Son Goku in Super Saiyan form using the Shunkan Idō technique confirmed Toriyama's credits for the original concept, screenplay and character designs and his mention that the film would be a continuation of his original manga. The author stated that the film will also be a sequel to Battle of Gods, that he strictly scrutinized all the dialogue, and promised more action scenes.[5] A flyer of the same image, with a backside showing Shenlong, handed out at the Jump Victory Carnival event on July 19 revealed that Dragon Ball Z animation supervisor Tadayoshi Yamamuro is directing the new film.[6] Later that month, a short teaser trailer was released of Shenlong bringing someone back to life with text calling this "The worst wish in history." (史上最悪の願い。), followed by Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan.[7][8]

In November 2014, the film's Japanese title of Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no F and basic plot outline were unveiled in the January 2015 issue of V Jump. A promotional image released for the movie depicts Frieza, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Son Gohan, Kuririn, as well as the God of Destruction Beerus and Whis from the previous film Battle of Gods. Also featured in the image were two new characters that are servants of Frieza, Sorbet and Tagoma. The magazine also disclosed that Toriyama came up with the title while listening to rock band Maximum the Hormone's 2008 song "F", which is about Frieza himself.[1]

On December 5, 2014, the first full trailer for the film was aired on Fuji TV's morning show Mezamashi TV.[9] The following day a slightly different trailer and a special audio message from Frieza (Ryūsei Nakao) were added to the film's official website,[10] as well as some of the cast and crew. People who order advance tickets receive an earphone jack strap of either Goku or Frieza designed by Toriyama.[10]

Momoiro Clover Z appeared with Masako Nozawa at a press conference in Tokyo on February 3, 2015, where it was announced that all five members will have roles in the movie as "angels from hell." Costumed mascots of Son Goku and Frieza were also present at the event which was held on Setsubun, and accordingly beans were thrown at Frieza in the mamemaki tradition.[11]

On March 2, 2015, a second full trailer was released for Fukkatsu no F revealing Frieza's new form, covering his skin in both gold and dark shades of purple. Other details included in the trailer were a defeated Gohan and Goku, Frieza's henchmen fighting against Piccolo, Tenshinhan, Kame-Sennin and Kuririn. It also features Jaco from Toriyama's 2013 manga series Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, which is set before Dragon Ball.[12] A trailer featuring the series' heroes fighting Frieza and his 1,000-man army was released on March 24 by Mainichi Shimbun.[13]

In April 2015, the 20th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump revealed Goku's new form of the Super Saiyan God transformation he acquired in Battle of Gods.[14] Toei released a short advertisement depicting Goku and Freeza fighting in their new forms, days before the magazine's official release.[15]

Music

Like the previous film, the music in Fukkatsu no F was composed by Norihito Sumitomo. The film's theme song is "Z no Chikai" (「Z」の誓い, "The Oath of Z") by the idol group Momoiro Clover Z,[12] with a Toei producer saying each member is a fan of the series. The theme song will be released as a single on April 29, 2015 and include a cover of Hironobu Kageyama's "Cha-La Head-Cha-La", the original opening theme of Dragon Ball Z.[16] Maximum the Hormone's 2008 song "F" appears in the film during a fight scene.[17] The film's original soundtrack, containing 32 tracks, will be released on May 8, 2015.[16]

Promotions and other media

In December 2014, Toho Cinemas collaborated with Fukkatsu no F for a television commercial promoting their Cinemileage Card. In it Frieza explains how the card program works and Goku's yelling of Frieza's name appears as a pun on the word "free."[18]

A three-chapter manga adaptation of the film, drawn by Toyotarō, began in the April 2015 issue of V Jump.[19]

As part of a collaboration with the J. League Division 1 football team Yokohama F. Marinos, a special poster with players mimicking the film's own was displayed in promotion of their matches with Vegalta Sendai on April 12 and Shonan Bellmare on April 25, 2015.[20]

In March 2015, a collaboration between Toei Animation and Kirin Company spawned two dance parody commercials tying Fukkatsu no F with Kirin's Mets cola beverage, with the grape flavor advertisement featuring Frieza and his henchmen, and the orange flavor ad featuring Goku and the other heroes.[21][22]

A collaboration with Curry House CoCo Ichibanya will run from April 1 to May 31, 2015. Anyone with a receipt of over ¥1,000 from one of the restaurants can send it in to enter a merchandise lottery, where they can win exclusive items such as shot glasses and a platter featuring Goku eating curry.[23]

Frieza's new form from the movie is a playable character in the video games Dragon Ball Zenkai Battle Royale, Dragon Ball Z Extreme Butōden and Dragon Ball Xenoverse.[24][25] Extreme Butōden also has Goku's new form from the movie as a playable character and Vegeta's as an assist character.[14][26]

The first 1.5 million filmgoers received a book called Dragon Ball Volume F (ドラゴンボール 巻「Ｆ」), which includes Toriyama's complete script for the movie as well as design materials. They also got either a Goku or Vegeta card for the Dragon Ball Heroes arcade game and a certificate that gives them access to exclusive content for five different Dragon Ball video games.[27]

Release

Fukkatsu no F opened in 658 2D and 3D theaters across Japan on April 18, 2015.[28] It is the first Japanese film to be screened in IMAX 3D Digital theaters, shown in eighteen such establishments across the country. The previous movie Battle of Gods was the first ever Japanese film to be shown at IMAX Digital theaters, but was not in 3D.[29] It is also screened in ten 4DX theaters across Japan, which adds environmental effects such as seat motion, wind, rain and scents to the standard video and audio.[30] Prior to its nationwide release, preview screenings were held in seven different cities for 2,264 winners of a lottery held amongst 24 different Shueisha magazines. The earliest four taking place on March 30, two more the following day, and the final two on April 2.[31]

The film will be screened in 74 countries worldwide.[28] On March 15, 2015, Funimation announced that they licensed the film for North America and, together with Toei, screened the movie subtitled at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on April 11. Their English language dub of Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' will hit North American theaters in summer 2015.[32] Madman Entertainment announced at Supanova Pop Culture Expo 2015 that they will release the film, both subtitled and dubbed into English, in Australian theaters in winter 2015.[33]

Reception

Box office

Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no F opened at number one in the Japanese box office, earning approximately US$8.1 million with 716,000 tickets sold in its first two days. It made 40.3% more and sold 27.4% more tickets than Battle of Gods did in its opening weekend.[34] Deadline.com reported that it had the biggest opening in Japan so far for 2015, making Japan the only territory in the world where Furious 7 did not debut at number one.[3][34] The film earned around US$10.9 million by its sixth day and sold 1 million tickets by the end of its first week, making it the fastest film to reach that attendance number in Japan so far in 2015.[35]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "1st Key Visual For 2015 Dragon Ball Z Film Reveals Frieza". Anime News Network. 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  2. ↑ "ドラゴンボールZ 復活の「F」". Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nancy Tartaglione and Anita Busch (April 19, 2015). "‘Furious 7′ Drives To $1.15B Global; ‘Dragonball’ Big In Japan – Intl B.O. Update". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  4. ↑ Gavin J. Blair (April 27, 2015). "Japan Box Office: 'Cinderella' Logs Hollywood's Biggest Opening of 2015". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z Gets New 2015 Film by Creator Toriyama". Anime News Network. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  6. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z Animation Director Tadayoshi Yamamuro Will Helm 2015 DBZ Film". Anime News Network. 2014-07-19. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  7. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z 2015 Film's Extended Teaser Streamed". Anime News Network. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  8. ↑ Martinez, Phillip. "New ‘Dragon Ball Z’ Movie To Premiere In 2015: Frieza Returns To Wreak Havoc On DBZ Crew [VIDEO]". iDigitalTimes. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "New Footage For 2015 Dragon Ball Film Unveiled on TV". Anime News Network. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "2015 Dragon Ball Film's 2nd Extended Teaser Streamed". Anime News Network. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  11. ↑ "2015 Dragon Ball Z Film Casts Momoiro Clover Z Idols". Anime News Network. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Komatsu, Mikikazu (2015-03-02). ""Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of F" Trailer Introduces Golden Frieza". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  13. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Film's New Trailer Features Z Warriors". Anime News Network. 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Goku's New Super Saiyan God Form Revealed for DBZ: Resurrection 'F' Film". Anime News Network. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  15. ↑ "DBZ: Resurrection 'F' Film's Battle Ad Features Blue-Haired Goku". Anime News Network. 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2015-04-11.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "映画「ドラゴンボールZ」主題歌ジャケで、ももクロがDBキャラ風に". Natalie (in Japanese). 2015-04-08. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  17. ↑ "Maximum the Hormone Performs 'Battle Song' for 2015 Dragon Ball Film". Anime News Network. 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  18. ↑ ""Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of F" Promotes Toho Cinemas Membership Card". Crunchyroll. 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  19. ↑ "2015 Dragon Ball Z Film Gets 3-Chapter Manga Adaptation". Anime News Network. 2015-01-16. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
  20. ↑ "俊輔が悟空に！！映画「ドラゴンボールＺ　復活のＦ」と合体". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  21. ↑ "キリン メッツCM 「キリン メッツ グレープ フリーザ」篇 15秒". YouTube. Kirin Company. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  22. ↑ "キリン メッツCM 「キリン メッツ オレンジ 悟空」篇 15秒". YouTube. Kirin Company. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  23. ↑ "ドラゴンボールZ×CoCo壱、カレー食べる悟空の大皿など当たる". Natalie (in Japanese). 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  24. ↑ V Jump. May 2015 issue. Shueisha. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  25. ↑ "Resurrection 'F' Version Frieza Joins Dragon Ball Xenoverse Game as DLC". Anime News Network. 2015-03-26. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  26. ↑ "Super Saiyan God SS Vegeta Joins Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butōden 3DS Game". Anime News Network. 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  27. ↑ "Dragon Ball Volume 'F' to Include 2015 Film Script by Toriyama". Anime News Network. 2015-03-07. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Dragon Ball Z Resurrection 'F' Film to Screen in 74 Countries". Anime News Network. 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
  29. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no F to Be 1st Japanese Film in IMAX 3D Theaters". Anime News Network. 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  30. ↑ Komatsu, Mikikazu (2015-02-13). ""Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of F" Also Gets 4DX Screenings". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  31. ↑ V Jump. March 2015 issue. Shueisha. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  32. ↑ "Funimation to Host Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Film's World Premiere". Anime News Network. 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  33. ↑ "Madman Entertainment Announcements from Supanova Expo Gold Coast". Anime News Network. 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "DBZ: Resurrection 'F' Film Sells 716,000 Tickets for 960 Million Yen". Anime News Network. 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  35. ↑ "DBZ: Resurrection 'F' Film Seen 1 Million Times in 7 Days". Anime News Network. 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2015-04-25.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dragon Ball.