“Dragon Ball Z” Fan Web Series Releases Impressive Pilot On YouTube

By 02/26/2015
“Dragon Ball Z” Fan Web Series Releases Impressive Pilot On YouTube

Last year, we noted Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope, a fan project in search of $9,001 on Indiegogo. Since then, the team behind Light of Hope has reached its funding goal, produced a high-quality pilot, and released that pilot on YouTube. The first episode of Light of Hope is here, and it is the impressive DBZ fan series we were promised.

Light of Hope is the work of Robot Underdog, a group of geeks who have used their production skills to offer a gritty interpretation of DBZ‘s already-dark History of Trunks plot arc. In the first episodes, a pair of androids touch down on earth, and they wreak havoc on the helpless citizenry before encountering the heroic Saiyans, who use their fighting skills to battle the androids.

For Dragon Ball Z fans, the 12-minute Light of Hope pilot is incredibly enjoyable. It offers a fast-paced, effects-laden take on DBZ‘s spirited battles while still maintaining the epic feel that helped make the anime series an international hit. Viewers seem to agree; in just two days, the video has already scored more than 2.6 million views.

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We spoke to the Robot Underdog team about their achievement:

Why should viewers watch Light of Hope? What makes it unique from other fan films?

Most people say, “A live-action Dragon Ball Z is impossible!” That’s what fans used to believe, but after they see Light of Hope, they change their mind. Now they’re asking us where they can throw their money! They want to see Dragon Ball Z on the big screen, and believe that we’re the ones who can do it right.

They used to feel it was impossible because of Hollywood’s failed attempt called Dragonball Evolution. Everyone prefers to forget that this ever existed, and that’s because it didn’t stay true to the source material created by Akira Toriyama. In contrast, everyone at Robot Underdog is a fan of Dragon Ball Z, and we respect the source material. So this is a non-profit project made by fans, for fans; that stays true to the source. Plus, we did this on a $10,000 budget, while Hollywood had $45 million dollars and couldn’t pull it off. The difference is that we’re passionate about it. We care about DBZ.

There are two things that make Light of Hope unique. The first is the intense fighting that Dragon Ball Z is known for. We achieve this on screen through great martial arts choreography, stunt work, and special effects. The second is the story, with character development that really touches the hearts of true fans. To make sure we got it right, we asked Derek Padula, the world’s #1 expert on DBZ, to write the script. Fans tell us that they cry while they’re watching it, because it makes them feel like a kid again. And they’re just so happy to see that Dragon Ball Z is being respected, and given the treatment that it deserves.

Why did you choose to focus on Dragon Ball Z and “The History of Trunks” arc in particular?

Dragon Ball Z is the world’s most recognized anime and manga series, but it’s never been given a fair live-action treatment, even though it has so much potential. Everyone has seen the awesome fights in Man of Steel, and it reminded us of DBZ, so we thought, “Why not give it a try?” We wanted to challenge ourselves just like Goku would, so we took on the most difficult project possible.

The History of Trunks is our favorite story because it’s the most realistic arc in the Dragon Ball Z story and shows what Trunks had to endure to become the “Future Trunks” we all love. There are also no aliens, talking pigs, or magical dragons. It’s just three humans against two pseudo-humans. So even though it’s still difficult to do well, it’s the most achievable.

The other factor is that it’s an emotional story, it’s self-contained, and it has a darker tone that appeals to a modern audience. So we felt this would be a good one to start with.

Fan films and fan web series often run into copyright issues. Are you worried about the Dragon Ball Z rights holders taking issue with Light of Hope, and have you taken any preventative measures in that regard?

There’s a certain amount of copyright risk involved in almost anything you do online and we do our best to keep the risk factor low. All of the actual material in our project is original work including the script, video, music, visual effects & fight choreography. We also re-designed all of the most iconic things from the anime including the Capsule Corp building (which is completely CG), the characters costumes, the Time Machine (which we’ll see more of in future episodes) and more.

We also make sure that we stay true to the characters & the story so we can represent the brand in a positive way. In addition, the license holders of Dragon Ball Z appear to be fairly lenient as there are numerous fan projects online.

So while copyright issues are a concern, we’re most focused on giving the fans more of what they want in Episode 2. Our number one objective with Light of Hope was to prove that a live-action Dragon Ball Z was possible, and the fans say that we’ve achieved it. Lastly, we’re also not profiting off the licensed material which means to create it, we need the fans help, and appreciate their donations.

If you want to help Robot Underdog continue their story, you can donate to the studio on its website.

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