Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (ドラゴンボール　魔訶不思議大冒険, Doragon Bōru: Makafushigi Dai-Bōken^?, lit. "Dragon Ball: The Great Mystical Adventure), is the third Dragon Ball feature film, originally released in Japan on July 9, 1988. Unlike the previous two Dragon Ball films, Mystical Adventure does not introduce any original characters, but instead adapts characters from the Red Ribbon and 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai story arcs from the manga into the film's original storyline.

[edit] Plot

Another retelling of the Dragon Ball story. This time, young Goku and young Krillin are training with Master Roshi for a World Martial Arts Tournament to be held in the country of Mifan. The Emperor of Mifan, Chiaotzu, is trying to find his lost "Ran Ran." "Minister" Master Shen has Emperor Pilaf work on a Dragon Radar, takes it from him, and is using it to locate the Dragon Balls. Shen and his brother, Mercenary Tao claim that they'll use the wish from Shenron to locate Ran Ran, but are actually planning, with Tien's help, to kill Chiaotzu and take over the country. General Blue announces that Ran Ran is being held in Shen's room, and is killed by Tao for it. Bora and Upa have located the final Dragon Ball and they take it to Mifan to use it to demand that Mifan's soldiers be forced to leave the land near Korin Tower.

Bora is tricked into entering the Tournament (the winner of the Tournament will be granted one wish by Chiaotzu), and is then killed by Tao. Bulma, Oolong, Launch and Pu-erh are looking for the other six Dragon Balls, so Bulma can wish for a boyfriend. However, when the Dragon Balls are located, they are accidentally dropped to the bottom of the moat surrounding Chiaotzu castle. Tien realizes that he likes Chiaotzu too much, and doesn't kill his friend; instead, he blows away Shen. The story of Blue and Goku entering Penguin village is included, but this time it is Tao and Goku that meet Arale and Goku kills Tao with Arale's help.

Goku throws the final ball into the moat, and asks Shenron to resurrect Bora.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Music

Opening Theme

魔訶不思議アドベンチャー! (Makafushigi Adobenchā!, Mystical Adventure!^?)

Lyrics: Yuriko Mori

Music: Takeshi Ike

Arrangement: Kōhei Tanaka

Performance: Hiroki Takahashi

Song Lyrics

Ending Theme

ドラゴンボール伝説 (Doragon Bōru Densetsu, Dragon Ball Legend^?)

Lyrics: Onikado Izumi

Music: Takeshi Ike

Arrangement: Seiichi Kyōda

Performance: Hiroki Takahashi

Song Lyrics

[edit] Releases

Harmony Gold USA broadcast their dub of the film on Independent TV and released it to Home Video in 1989. It was not widely noticed and went under the radar. Their dub changed the names of the characters and had parts of it censored, but they did use the original background music.

Funimation acquired the rights to the film in 2000 and released their dub to Home Video that year.

FUNimation has released the film on DVD in the US, Australia and New Zealand on March 17, 2004 with their English dub and optional Japanese dub audio.

However, the introduction which began the narration of the Dragonballs, a cameo sequence of Pilaf and his gang presenting a global dragon radar to Master Shen and meeting their fate at the hands of General Tao, and a different opening sequence to the movie featuring Goku and Krillin in training were cut. Instead, the opening sequence and scenes aforementioned were replaced with the TV opening sequence.

Another sequence cut was the closing credits featuring a summoned Shenron who fulfilled Upa's wish to bring Bora back to life. The scene was replaced with the TV closing sequence.

Subsequent versions of the FUNimation had restored its introduction and its opening sequence. Unlike the Japanese version, however, the opening sequence had many scenes in freeze-frame animation, as a way to block out the original Japanese credits that were in the sequence. The closing credits was also restored, but with English credits censoring half the screen, also as a way to block out the original Japanese credits scrolling from the right.

The movie is Available along with Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle and Path to Power as part of the FUNimation Dragon Ball Movie Box.