Dragonball Z: Light of Hope - Pilot Review

Hope is worth fighting for. In Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope, Gohan and Trunks fight against the unstoppable Androids #17 and #18 and try to save as many human lives as possible. The young Trunks must grow up quickly and learn from his mentor, Gohan; but with battles to fight on both the outside and inside, how long can they endure, and where will they find a light of hope? This series is an adaptation of “The History of Trunks” TV Special. In this timeline, Goku & the other Z Warriors are dead. This is the story of Gohan & Trunks in their battle to survive against the Androids. Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope is a non-profit, live-action Dragon Ball Z web series. It’s made by fans, & is not affiliated with or endorsed by the official license holders.

Dragonball Z: Light of Hope did something in 13 minutes that Dragonball Evolution couldn't do in an minutes. This webseries mange to  capture the spirit, characters and environments of the source material. While the webseries doesn't have a huge Hollywood budget like Dragonball Evolution, the show does effectively well with action choreography, cinematography and acting. As stated in the synopsis above this series follows The History of Trunks storyline. Future Trunks timeline is terrorized by the Androids 17 and 18 and the pilot really captures the ruthlessness of the Androids. The pilot contains a lot of action in the first act which leaves little for characterization.

However the second act begins after the battle is done, we get to see the relationship develop of Gohan and Trunks. The master and student plot works well as we see the scars of battle weighing on Gohan and Trunks. Audiences will really resonate with Gohan trying to stay mentally strong. However with no guidance from Goku and Piccolo you can tell the battles weighs heavy on him.  Trunks wants to really learn more about his father Vegeta and  shows signs that he is proud like his dad.. These little characterization seeds you can tell will come into fruition later on in the series. Overall DBZ: Light of Hope is off to a good start. The action is good and does the franchise justice. The use of shaky camera tricks work great for the fast pace style DBZ is used for. Don't worry it doesn't get annoying or overbearing and it's only in a couple of shots. The acting and direction is also done well along with the original score. The score is not the Bruce Faulconer soundtrack USA audiences are used too. This score is emotional and brings more intensity to the scenes. Finally the pilot is all around fun. 

Final Grade B+/8.5 out of 10

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