Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

 And here's the other anime in question ...

Dragon Ball is undoubtedly the most famous thing ever inspired by the Chinese literary staple Journey to the West. It's had a long run with, among other things, manga, movies and TV, more recently with Dragon Ball Super. Hence why their latest effort is called Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Let's read on.

The movie is kind enough to fill the uninitiated on past events. It specifically tells us how franchise hero Goku crushed the evil Red Ribbon Army singlehandedly and later destroyed Cell, the ultimate creation of Red Ribbon mad scientist Dr. Gero, with his son, Gohan. Magenta, son of Red Ribbon mastermind Commander Red, plots to revive the army with his Staff Officer Carmine. They recruit Dr. Hedo, Gero's grandson, to help them get rid of Goku and his allies, who they frame as alien invaders. Hedo creates two superhero-themed androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, to lead the charge.

Since Goku and his best frenemy Vegeta are off world, their ally Piccolo has to lead the anti-Red Ribbon campaign. Gohan joins the fight when the Ribbons target their daughter, Pan. Fortunately, she's already able to knock down much bigger men. But there's a much bigger problem cooking in Hedo's laboratory: a giant-sized copy of Cell named Cell Max. The rest of Earth's heroes have to pitch in to help shut down the Red Ribbons for good.

The film was written by series creator Akira Toriyama and directed by Tetsuro Kodama. It's both a spiritual distillation and continuation of the anime's story. Anyone looking for over-the-top fights between overpowered heroes and villains will be rewarded. It's also got a good sense of humor; Gamma 2's ability to generate comic book sound effects and Carmine's presentation videos are great highlights. Meanwhile, the film is full of subtle callbacks to the anime's long history. The climax even involves Piccolo growing giant, something he only used once (and not recently).  

Speaking of Piccolo, his relationships with Gohan and Pan are a driving force. Piccolo wants Gohan, his former student and now a shut-in entomologist, to take up martial arts training again. He even helps the Red Ribbons take Pan, his current student, to motivate Gohan. It sounds a bit much, but at least Piccolo lets Pan in on his act. We soon learn he didn't need to go that far. But it all pays off with Gohan getting a new form and Pan mastering flight. It's a decent story of growth between these three.

Dr. Hedo is a mad scientist with an unhinged moral compass. He served a prison sentence for grave robbing (with a goofy use) and gives his jail an explosive farewell. He only serves the Red Ribbons after being offered a lifetime supply of Oreos. But he still believes in super heroics. He's also not genre blind, as his confrontation with Magenta demonstrates. The Gammas are also true believers in super heroics and switch sides when they learn the Red Ribbon truth. They have a quite compelling arc here.

The film proudly shows off its new cel-shaded CGI aesthetics. There's plenty of tracking shots and camera angles never thought possible with its traditional predecessors. A few flashbacks are traditionally animated and it's hard to tell the difference. I had my reservations when the new style was unveiled, but after a while, it grew on me. The new style is accompanied by Naoki Sato's grand score. In particular, the Gammas' theme makes for a worthy superhero theme.

What's more to say about Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero? It's a perfect mix of goofiness and grand heroics. Its new CGI style is an appealing update of its traditional aesthetics. Its new and old characters are a strong bunch. Anyone unfamiliar with the lore won't get lost even with the callbacks. It's worth seeing on the biggest screens possible. If you want to see it, see it now, as it won't get to home media for quite some time.

Inu-Oh

Jesus Christ Superstar conveys its titular figure's radical life through the radical means of a rock opera. The anime film Inu-Oh applies this philosophy to the legendary Noh dancer of the same name. Let's see if I can describe it.

Director Masaaki Yuasa (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken; Devilman Crybaby; The Night is Short, Walk on Girl) and writer Akiko Nogi adapt Hideo Furukawa's novel Tales of the Heike: The Inu-Oh Chapters, itself inspired by Japan's national epic, The Tale of the Heike. It starts with a rundown of the climactic Battle of Dan-No-Ura, where the Heike clan was defeated by their rivals, the Genji. Centuries later, a treasure hunter and his son, Tomona, find the Kusanagi, the sword of the God Susanoo, in a Heike shipwreck. That find ends with Tomona blind and his father dead. Tomona later finds his calling as a biwa player.

Enter our title character. Inu-Oh (Avu-Chan of the rock band, Queen Bee) was born hideously deformed when his Noh-dancer father (Kenjiro Tsuda) made a deal with a demonic mask. Inu-Oh spends his days swinging through Kyoto with his huge arm, freaking out people with his misshapen face (which is kept masked) and dancing. He soon meets Tomona (Mirai Moriyama) and together, they essentially become Japan's first rock stars. Inu-Oh's cursed body normalizes with each performance we see. But a few powerful people don't take kindly to their act.

But we can. The performances, scored by Otomo Yoshihide, are rousing rock numbers with spectacular lights and sounds. Inu-Oh's dances are marvelously animated by Yuasa's studio, Science Saru. It's also fun to see their fans react like modern day rock fans at a concert. How can you not love the climactic 14th-century equivalent of Bohemian Rhapsody? The soundtrack is completed by a lively traditional score (a highlight being a huge biwa performance). This film was clearly meant to be seen with a huge crowd on the big screen, but alas, I was the only one at my screening.

These performances begin halfway through its 98 minutes. We spend a long time learning about our leads and Ancient Japanese history in the first half. Inu-Oh and Tomona's first meeting on a bridge is worth the wait even if their act doesn't immediately begin. We also see the Kusanagi drip with blood and ready to unsheath itself - a Chekhov's Gun that never fires. Inu-Oh's relationship to his nameless father isn't exactly clear at the beginning. But his villainy will hit you with a ton of bricks upon the reveal. What also hits you is the sudden downer ending just after the third rousing concert. At least the epilogue was nice.

Inu-Oh won't replace Belle as my favorite anime musical. But I'll still admire it as a creative one. It's a gleefully anachronistic tale of ancient rock stars defying normalcy. Just keep that slow first half in mind. A few plot points could have been developed better with at least another half hour. But you'll have a rocking good time once its concept kicks in. No English dub is available; at least the subtitles can help you understand its massive exposition. If you want to see it, see it soon, for another anime is about to dominate cinemas real soon.

Bullet Train

What if Arthur Hailey wrote an action comedy?

I don't mean unintentional ones like Airport '79, but an intentional one. It might look like Bullet Train, based on Kotaro Isaka's novel Maria Beetle. You might not think of Hailey, but I did. Let's try to understand why.

Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is an assassin with extremely bad luck. He's called out of retirement by his handler, Maria, for an assignment in Tokyo. He has to steal a briefcase holding $10 million on a bullet train and get off. It sounds simple, except that several other hired killers are aboard. None of them want Ladybug off the train.

The briefcase is held by "twins" Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who are escorting the loser son (Logan Lerman) of the infamous crime boss The White Death.  The Wolf (Bad Bunny) blames Ladybug for fatally ruining his wedding. Someone kills the loser, while an extremely deadly boomslang snake gets loose. All the while, a conniving schoolgirl named The Prince (Joey King) manipulates Yuichi Kimura (Andrew Koji) to kill The White Death. It's a bad day for Ladybug.

Normality goes off the rails in this violent farce. But you can still understand what's going. In fact, you'll be on edge as the lunacy unfolds. Who killed the loser? Who had the snake? Who killed the Wolf's wife and friends? A few flashbacks answer these and other questions. A notable one concerns a water bottle that proves essential for the climax.

Kimura's storyline drives much of the plot. We're on his side as The Prince ropes him into her plot. We're on his side as she holds his comatose son's life in her hands. We're on his side as she turns the other killers on him. It's quite cathartic to see his father (Hiroyuki Sanada) come to the rescue. And how. All the madness around him barely overshadows his compelling storyline. 

Meanwhile, Pitt is quite likable as the world's "unluckiest" man. We empathize with him as his attempts to deal with things peacefully are constantly thwarted. He still steps up to the plate when needed, so he's no mere pinball protagonist. His fellow killers are mostly likable eccentrics. Lemon views the world through Thomas the Tank Engine, Tangerine tries to keep his cool, while The Wolf and The Hornet (Zazie Beetz) are even unluckier than Ladybug. The Prince's surprise motivation is dwarfed by her prior scheming. The biggest surprise is realizing who played The White Death only after I finished the film.

There's some good production design for nightlife Japan and the bullet train itself. It's especially astounding to know that only three sets were used for the train. You'll especially remember the neon-colored anime themed car and its cutesy mascot. The action is equally exciting and silly. The soundtrack includes an intense score by Dominic Lewis and a few Japanese covers of some famous tunes.

Should you board this Bullet Train? Yeah. It's an intensely silly ride full of legitimate tension. The villains are fine, while the anti-heroes are a fun bunch. The finale is a perfect climax to this crazy train. Anyone wanting a mindful film should wait a little longer at this station. Everyone else should hop on board now. It won't be there forever.

Prey

The Predator is used to stalking the jungles or modern civilization on the big screen. But for his latest hunt, Prey, he stalks the 18th-century wilderness on Hulu. A change in scenery usually hurts no one. This film proves it.

It's 1719 in the Northern Great Plains. Naru (Amber Midthunder) is a young Comanche who wishes to prove herself a hunter like her brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers). She joins Taabe on a hunt for a mountain lion and helps him finish it off. But Naru slowly realizes that there's something else hunting nearby. It's vicious enough to skin a live snake and strong enough to lift a grizzly. Its weaponry is beyond anything she's ever seen. It's a Predator (Dane DiLegero), and Naru will have to use her wits to avoid becoming Prey.

Director Dan Trachtenberg and his co-writer, Patrick Aison, are more invested in character drama than heavy action. As such, it's a slow start before Naru meets the Predator in person. We get glimpses of it as it lands on Earth and hunts predatory creatures. It's about 45 minutes (out of 99) before that encounter. On the other hand, we get a few interesting glimpses into Comanche culture. Naru and Taabe have a good sibling dynamic and Naru herself is a compelling character. Her ingenious methods to get out of trouble should earn her many fans. The slow start pays off with her final fight with the Predator.

A French trapping party are the film's sub-villains. We see their handiwork with a field of skinned buffalo. It's a striking scene that we think is the Predator's doing. We instead see the Predator uses its nifty gadgets on them in spectacular fashion. They're so villainous that it's satisfying when Naru gets the Predator to finish off their leader (Mike Patterson). Their only likable member is Raphael Adolini (Bennett Taylor), a name recognizable to anyone familiar with the Predator comics.

There's some spectacular scenery visualized by production designer Kara Lindstrom and cinematographer Jeff Cutter. These include the Great Plains and a burned-out forest. These need to be seen on the biggest TVs you have. The Predator itself is a strong blend of practical makeup and CGI effects. Its flickering invisibility makes it quite menacing before it finally de-cloaks. Sarah Schachner's foreboding score is a great enhancement to its nightmarish presence.

Prey is a slow movie for a relatively short runtime. But it got me interested in learning more about Comanche vocabulary. It's a compelling kuhtaamia (rite of passage) for its lead character and her final confrontation with the Predator is spectacular. Hopefully, future Predator movies will learn something from Prey. It's a good reason to stick around with Hulu. See it soon.