Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Dragon Ball Super – Part 7 (a Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray Disc Review) (2017)

For the most part, if you love the characters and the action-driven storyline, you’re going to enjoy volume 7 of “Dragon Ball Super”. Watch Gohan and friends take on Universe Nine in an exhibition match prior to the “Tournament of Power” and who can Goku recruit before the tournament begins? Recommended!

TITLE: Dragon Ball Super – Part 7

DURATION: (Episodes 79-91) 325 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (16×9), English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: April 2, 2019

Originally created by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Kimitoshi Chioka

Script by Atsuhiro Tomioka

Produced by Kazuya Watanabe, Kohei Obara, Kyotaro Kimura, Makoto Seino

Character Design by Tadayoshi Yamamuro

Music by Norihito Sumitomo

Art Design by Shinzo Yuki

Anime Production: Toei Animation

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masako Nozawa/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Son Gohan

Masako Nozawa/Sean Schemmel as Son Goku

Hikaru Midorikawa/John Burgmeier as Tenshinhan (Tien)

Hiromi Tsuru/Monica Rial as Bulma

Masaharu Satou/Mike McFarland as Kame-sennin

Mayumi Tanaka/Sonny Strait as Krillin (Kuririn)

Naoki Tatsuta/Brad Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe/Cynthia Cranz as Chi-Chi

Ryo Horikawa/Christopher R. Sabat as Vegeta

Brina Palencia as Chiaotzu/Puar

Tohru Furuya/Christopher R. Sabat as Yamcha

Toshio Furukawa/Christopher R. Sabat as Piccolo

Ayano Hirano/Justin Cook as Dende

Eiji Hanawa as Jiren

Eiko Yamada/Carmen Smith as Mai

Kouichi Yamadera/Jason Douglas as Beerus

Kozo Shioya as Majin Buu

Masakazu Morita/Ian Sinclair as Whis

Miki Itou as Cyborg #18

Mitsuo Iwata as Champa

Takeshi Kusao/Alexis Tipton as Trunks

In an effort to teach Future Zeno about martial arts, Zeno calls for an exhibition match between the 7th and 9th Universes. Afterwards, Goku searches for the 7th Universe’s 10 best fighters. Will he put together a strong enough team in time?!

Zeno wants to teach Future Zeno about martial arts, so Zeno holds an exhibition match between universe 7 and 9. But after the exhibition, it will be the real thing as all universes will participate in the “Tournament of Power” and Goku must search for the 7th Universe’s 10 best fighters. Because whichever universes lose, their universe will be destroyed.

Will Goku put together a strong enough team in time?!

Find out in “Dragon Ball Super – Part 7”!

What is “Dragon Ball Super” about?

With the completion of the hugely popular anime series “Dragon Ball Z”, while a new story was created titled “Dragon Ball GT” (1996-1997) and not based on Toriyama Akira’s previous work, Toriyama would return to create an overall plot outline for a new series titled “Dragon Ball Super” produced by Toei Animation.

The series is considered as the true sequel to “Dragon Ball Z” and would take place four years after the DBZ storyline.

The series began airing in Japan on July 2015 and concluded on March 2018 with a total of 131 episodes having aired. Funimation is releasing part 7 which consists of episodes 79-91 which continues the Universe Survival Saga.

And it’s the beginning of the Universe Survival Saga! What happens when the Present and Future Grand Zeno decide to do a major tournament but this time involving all Universes?

But before they go through with the main tournament, Future Grand Zeno wants to show the Present Grand Zero an exhibition match and thus they set an exhibition match between Universe Seven (Goku’s universe) and Universe Nine (featuring canine fighters).

As the exhibition match concludes, a few things are announced about the major tournament battle known as the “Tournament of Power”. Whoever loses, will have their world destroyed. In addition, each universe competing must have ten fighters to fight in battle and they must fight as a team. But also, Goku learns from Top of Universe Eleven that there is even a more powerful warrior than him in his world known as Jiren the Gray.

With the stakes so high, who can Goku trust in bringing his team together to fight in the tournament?

VIDEO:

“Dragon Ball Super” is created in 1080p High Definition (16×9 HD Native). The episodes are colorful and absolutely vibrant. Great detail with character designs and wonderful animation for fight scenes. I saw no major softness, banding issues or artifacts during my viewing of the series.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Dragon Ball Super” features a wonderful soundtrack on Blu-ray. The series is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English) and Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (Japanese). Featuring the return of the original Dragon Ball Japanese and also English voice dub talent, the quality of the series voice acting continues with this newer series.

Because the English is mixed and utilizes more channels, there is a dramatic difference in sound, although for those with a modern receiver and have a solid 5.1 or 7.2 setup, can easily switch their receiver to stereo on all channels for the Japanese soundtrack for a more immersive soundscape.

There are online stores showing that the Japanese is Dolby Digital 2.0 but this is incorrect, it is indeed a lossless Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 soundtrack. And both soundtracks sound great!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dragon Ball Super – Part 7” comes with the following special features:

Dragon Ball Super: Rawly Pickens and Chuck Huber Answer Twitter – (12:25) ADR Director Rawly Pickens and Chuck Huber (voice of Android 17) answer Twitter questions.
Textless Opening Songs
Textless Closing Songs
Trailers – Trailers for upcoming or currently available titles from FUNimation.

I grew up watching “Dragon Ball” and “Dragon Ball Z” (as well as “Dragon Ball GT”) and at the time, I was a college student watching these episodes in straight Japanese until over a decade later, they were released on DVD and eventually on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation.

I played the Japanese video games and always purchased the Japanese animation magazines every month back when Tower Records existed in the US.

So growing up with the anime series and now as an adult with a teenage child who watches “Dragon Ball”, it’s a bit of a surreal feeling that the storyline of Goku and friends are continuing for a new generation of anime fans but also entertaining both young and old.

Part 7 continues the “Universal Survivor Arc” arc in which Goku must recruit ten fighters to compete in one of the most difficult tournament ever, as this time, the stakes are high as the losing team’s world will be destroyed.

Who can Goku depend on with the stakes so high? And also, how will the exhibition go for Goku and others when they must compete in their first battle against the fighters of Universe Nine?

Overall, another wonderful “Dragon Ball Super” Blu-ray + DVD release! Because it’s tournament time again, it’s a familiar feeling which fans of the original “Dragon Ball” and “Dragon Ball Z” will be familiar with. A lot of action is featured in this latest volume and the one-on-one battles are fantastic to watch, especially for those who have wanted to see Son Gohan and Majin Boo fight again. But also seeing the Z Warriors reuniting for the “Tournament of Power”. And also, there are some inside jokes and situations which many fans of the original series will find hilarious!

For the most part, if you love the characters and the action-driven storyline, you’re going to enjoy volume 7 of “Dragon Ball Super”.

Recommended!

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