This collection of two Dragon Ball Z specials are often placed with the Dragon Ball Z movies despite the fact that they were made for TV. Both specials present are focused on backstory; The History of Trunks depicts the life of Future Trunks before he travelled back in time to give Goku his medicine, and Bardock the Father of Goku sheds some more light on the destruction of Vegeta.
Apart from the credits, The History of Trunks is set entirely within the timeline in which the main character, Goku, has died from a heart virus. Unlike most Dragon Ball stories, this isn’t about watching Trunks become powerful enough to overcome the antagonists. Instead it is all about explaining how a character came to the actions that he is most known for making in the Dragon Ball Z series proper. Knowing beforehand that Trunks will lose the fights in this special imbues it with a sense of hopelessness that isn’t commonly found in Dragon Ball. Trunk’s journey transforms him from angry young man who wants to fight the androids, to someone who accepts that fighting head-on isn’t the solution, his arc is believable and sympathetic.
Bardock the Father of Goku is a redemption story. Redemption stories are not new for Dragon Ball; many people Goku would go on to fight alongside originally met him while trying to kill him, but this is the first to make such a character its protagonist. Bardock’s transformation from villain to hero is handled well and it occurs for understandable reasons that are conveyed clearly. Much like The History of Trunks, this special explains events that were long established in Dragon Ball canon at the time so the expectation has once again moved from seeing the protagonist win a fight as it is reaching a point in his personal journey.
There are no special features on offer but there is the option to watch with the Japanese dub (as is to be expected with these remasters) or the US dub with Japanese music. As was the case with an earlier release, the US music isn’t bad per se but it noticeably starts to drown out the dialogue in places and the Japanese music doesn’t.
Dragon Ball Z: The TV Specials Double Feature showcases two Dragon Ball stories that don’t end with their heroes emerging victorious. Instead, they stand out with their focus on internal character change. In doing so they are able to tell a very different kind of Dragon Ball story than the one that the series is usually known for. Both stories have aged well over the years and make for a collection that is worth checking out.
DRAGON BALL Z: THE TV SPECIALS DOUBLE FEATURE / CERT: 12 / DIRECTORS & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: SONNY STRAIT, LINDA YOUNG, CHRISTOPHER SABAT, ERIC VALE, DAEMON CLARKE, TIFFANY VOLLMER, CHUCK HUBER, MEREDITH MCCOY / RELEASE DATE: APRIL 16TH
