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Dragon Ball Z - Bardock: The Father of Goku Actor: Dragon Ball Z Number of Items: 1 Format: Color, Animated Audience Rating: Unrated Studio: Goldhil Home Media 2 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2001-01-30 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 "Another great story with a sad ending" This is another great movie. The story line is a little inconsistent if you compare it with what we are told in the dbz episodes. However it makes you hate freeza even more and indirectly shows how powerful the super sayians really are. A must have for any dbz fan. "My all-time FAVORITE Dragon Ball Z Story!" Okay, so Funimation seems to just grab people off the street to dub the voices for their English Dragon Ball Z releases, and the way they mess up the original plots and music makes my skin crawl. At least they've started giving us the option to view the movies in the original Japanese with directly translated subtitles! The plot of this movie (originally a TV special in Japan) is darker than most DBZ tales, and portrays a very Japanese sense of honor and vindication. Goku's father, who we know to have been killed by Freeza, is "cursed" by a dying alien to see the future of his race. As the movie progresses, he periodically sees flashes of his infant son Goku growing up, and the destruction of planet Vegita. When none of his comrades will believe his premonitions, Bardock embarks on a last ditch effort to stop Freeza and change his future. If you are a DBZ fan GET THIS DVD. Just do yourself a favor and DON'T WATCH THE ENGLISH DUB! "Goku's origin offers dark twist on the Superman story" "Bardock, Father of Goku" is a 1990 "Dragon Ball Z" TV special that tells Goku's origin story and gives American DBZ fans their first glimpse of their hero as a newborn infant on his home planet, Vegeta, before he is sent off in a space pod to a "frontier planet" (Earth) as a sort-of sleeper agent intended to grow up and destroy all life on it. The long-running "Dragon Ball Z" animated TV series has always had direct parallels with the Superman story, but has never offered such a clever--and perverse--variation as this tale. Unlike the Krypton baby Kal-el, sent off in a tiny rocket to Earth by his concerned parents so that at least one member of the race would survive the impending planetary destruction, Baby Kakarot (Goku's original name) is callously ignored by his father (and all but a pair of scientists in the lab where newborns are kept) and soon sent aloft, not to keep his own race alive, but to completely wipe out another race. Ironically, the baby winds up being nearly the last of his race anyway, as his exit from Vegeta precedes the planet's destruction by a matter of hours. The bulk of the story focuses on the Saiyan warrior Bardock and the torment that arises when he is cursed with foreknowledge of the bleak future of his race and its imminent destruction (including flash forwards to Goku's life on Earth). This is one of the most violent episodes in the entire "Dragon Ball Z" saga (rivaled only by "The History of Trunks"), with death, warfare, and destruction reigning throughout its entire 48-minute running time. Yet the brutal simplicity and stark imagery give it a raw power that would be envied by many of its competitors in the world of Japanese anime. It's a compelling story, well-told and beautifully presented. The sharpness of the DVD image brings out the bright colors and bold, comic book-style linework seen to great advantage in numerous facial close-ups, particularly in moments of great tension and distress. The background art is especially evocative in scenes of planetary landscapes in the aftermath of mass destruction. "My favorite of the 45 minute short episodes." For the most part there are 4, short mini series that wouldn't tie into the main storylines. These episodes include Coolers Revenge, Lord Slug, History of Trunks, and Bardock Father of Goku. Of the 4 Bardock is definetly the best of the bunch. Why, best story, awsome action, and an actual view of why Vegeta was destroyed and Frieza's worse fear. The story for this one goes like this. Bardock is a low class sayin, who always leaves a fight near death. According to Sayin DNA that means that they double in strength. Bardock is a very uncaring, self centered sayin. He completely is unaware of the fact that he has a son (Goku) kills without mercy, and basically would rather be with his comrades, than do anything, to include even visit his son. However at the end of what was a fairly difficult mission the race he and his men exterminate in a last resort, and as a cruel punishment strikes Bardock and gives him the ability to see the future, the reason Frieza wanted the planet. From then on he is plagued with visions of Planet Vegeta blowing up, and the ultimate demise of the Sayin race. At first it makes no sense, until Frieza orders for Bardock and his men to be destroyed. From there the visions start to make sense as Bardock goes to destroy Frieza. With one last vision in the end. If you were to purchase one of the 45 minute shorts, this would be the one to go for. Like I said best story, awsome action, fluid animation, and overall the best of the bunch. This is one for all DBZ fans out there. "One last solitary battle" I have wanted this movie for the past two years and when I finally got it I was not dissapointed. Although the dubbed version has awful music, bad dubbing and a slightly different plot line I can ignore that. Besides all you really want when you get a Anime DVD is the orginal uncut Japanese version and that is what is important. The music is perfect and makes you feel what the characters are feeling. The japanese vioce acting is very well done and much better than the american. The special features (stink)but the menus are easy to manuver. If you are a parent and want to buy this for your child you might want think about a little supervision. Especially since there is brief, brief brief nudity. But i don't believe it something to really worry about. Anywho If you are a big DBZ fan this would make the perfect edition to your collection. Believe me you won't be dissapointed.(that is if you only care about the japanese version.)