Dragonball: The Magic Begins Dragonball: The Magic Begins is a live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga and anime series, Dragon Ball. Released in 1989, this Taiwanese film aimed to bring the action and adventure of the source material to a wider audience. However, due to budget constraints and creative choices, Dragonball: The Magic Begins didn't quite capture the magic of the original series. The plot of Dragonball: The Magic Begins takes inspiration from the beginning of Dragon Ball, where Goku embarks on a quest to find the dragon balls, powerful artifacts that can grant any wish. In this adaptation, Goku is portrayed as a carefree young warrior, chosen to protect the world from the evil King Horn. One of the most notable aspects of Dragonball: The Magic Begins is its special effects.
Hungry like the Wolf
For those who are unaware, Arkham Horror the card game is a deck construction game where decks represent investigators who then work through a Lovecraftian scenario, generally by picking up and spending clues while being assailed by a range of unpleasant gribblies and nasty people. I mean gaining the ability to become a werewolf is sort of cool, but the addition of a weakness, and one that causes horror no less, can be a real problem.
One of the most notable aspects of Dragonball: The Magic Begins is its special effects. Being a low-budget film, the special effects fall short compared to the animated battles and power-ups of the original series. The use of wirework and rudimentary props creates a campy and sometimes comical feel to the action scenes.
Beyond the Veil – Curse of the Rougarou
This article will look at an individual scenario of Arkham Horror: The Card Game. These will be my impressions after playing through the scenario at least once and will be focusing on the mechanics and how those reinforce the story elements of a given scenario. These articles will contain extensive spoilers and assume a familiarity with the terms and mechanics of the game. Please do not read on if you have not played the scenario in the title yet.
Welcome to the bayou folks where there are strange goings ons in this first standalone expansion for the Arkham Horror LCG, The Curse of the Rougarou. Yeah you’ve had a bad time in Arkham, The Dunwich Legacy or along the Path to Carcosa but how about a nice break in a swamp? Spend some of your precious XP to take a walk on the wild side and who knows you might come out better for it or at least a bit hairier. I meant harder. Yes, harder.
Awooo, Werewolves of Arkham
Upon arrival in the bayou you realise that vacationing here was probably a magnificently bad idea. It is a swamp after all! However it is just a swamp, at least for now. Setup involves putting the Rougarou encounter set aside, meaning that for now all you have to do is deal with the usual goings on in a swamp, you know Crocodiles, mysterious women in huts and mud.
Yeah that’s why you are really here, to hunt down whatever is killing people in the Bayou, after a tip off from your journalist friend in Arkham points you towards a mystic calling herself Lady Espirit.Your first task is to find her hut in the bayou.
After you locate her in the swamp and get the information you need a piercing howl breaks out across the bayou and the monster itself makes its first appearance. Here is where things really step up a notch. Shuffling in the set aside Rougarou cards and putting the beast itself into play the lead investigator falls to their knees and takes on a new weakness, things are about to get hairier, I mean scarier. Yes, scarier.
Arkham Werewolf in New Orleans
Act 2 shows where this can go next. You know there is a monster out there but the lady in the shack has told you that it used to be a man. So do you just kill the killer or do you try and redeem him? The Act gives you the option to resolve this either way, but who knows what trials you will need to face before being able to redeem him.
Well the back of the Act does. The first time you try and figure out another way, engaging with The Rougarou as per the act card you get a glimpse of the 4 things you need. Clues, traps, calming solution and the beast to have taken a wound or two. This path is harder and not all good deeds go unpunished, but maybe it is the more moral way to go.
Traps and the devices to calm the beast are gained from investigating the Bayou, clues the same but they can also be gained from the Rougarou himself and of course you need to damage him a bit.
See the rougarou is a wily foe and the encounter deck that comes with him makes him move about, gain in strength etc. The really clever bit comes when the Rouagrou is hit. If you manage to damage him he runs away to lick his wounds, bleeding as he goes and this is represented by him dropping clues as he goes, which you can gather to try and cure him. This is a lovely piece of thematic design and a reminder that you have no idea what to expect from a given scenario. It is this freshness, this willingness to inject new ideas that keeps me coming back to Arkham again and again.
Arkham Horror: The Card Game is at its heart a game about your character and their choices in the face of unimaginable horrors, it is not about ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ in the traditional sense of games. Rougarou came out just after the core set, which is a fine product and gave the game a great foundation to build on. Rougarou is a different beast, presenting an actual moral choice to be tangled with: do you kill the beast, knowing you may be able to redeem it, or do you just go in all guns blazing, blow the smoke away from your gun and walk off into the sunset.
It is therefore a little unfortunate that the outcomes of the scenario are a little more black and white mechanically speaking. If you kill the Rougarou then you gain an ally in the form of Lady Espirit and all weaknesses fall away from you. If you redeem it, curing the unfortunate man of this affliction you gain the weakness but also the ability to shape shift. I mean gaining the ability to become a werewolf is sort of cool, but the addition of a weakness, and one that causes horror no less, can be a real problem.
The Monstrous transformation is great for a fighter character, but since these folks tend to come with lower sanity, the weakness could be a real problem. Now there are ways round this and choices like Peter Sylvestre, who hugs you and tells you it’s ok to get a little ‘hairier’ every now and again. Smoking pipes, cuddly dolls all these things can help you feel better about getting a little ‘hairier’ from time to time.
As I’ve already said Arkham is not about winning and losing in the end, it’s about the journey of your characters. The side quests cost a certain amount of XP to take on, but the rewards in XP are usually more than you put in and you often come away ‘changed’, in this case literally.
Hungry like the Wolf
Rougarou was an excellent start to the standalone scenarios that FFG are putting out and the next one Carnevale really shows the challenge and invention they are willing to pour into these side quests.
The Arkham mechanics are a sandbox for innovative designers and the team at FFG continue to surprise, experiment, delight and horrify in equal measure and I look forward to what they are going to bring to my table in the future. (Spoilers: Path to Carcosa is Amazing!)
[If you like this article then please check out my others in this series here]
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As I’ve already said Arkham is not about winning and losing in the end, it’s about the journey of your characters. The side quests cost a certain amount of XP to take on, but the rewards in XP are usually more than you put in and you often come away ‘changed’, in this case literally.
Additionally, the casting choices in Dragonball: The Magic Begins received mixed reviews. The actors struggle to capture the essence of the beloved characters from the original material. For example, Goku is portrayed as a boisterous and clumsy character, far from the serious and determined protagonist fans are familiar with. Despite its flaws, Dragonball: The Magic Begins holds a place in Dragon Ball's history as one of the early attempts to bring the franchise to live-action. It serves as a reminder that creating a faithful adaptation of a beloved series requires careful attention to detail and a sufficient budget to bring the fantastical elements to life. In conclusion, Dragonball: The Magic Begins may have fallen short of capturing the magic of the original series. However, it serves as an interesting relic and a testament to the enduring popularity of Dragon Ball. As the franchise continues to thrive with new adaptations, this early attempt remains a unique and sometimes charming interpretation of the beloved source material..
Reviews for "The Art of Fusion: Examining the Mystical Dance and Potara Earrings"
1. Mary - 1/5 rating - "Dragonball the magic beginz" was a huge disappointment for me. The storyline made absolutely no sense and felt completely disjointed. The characters were poorly developed and lacked any depth. The special effects were also subpar and failed to bring any excitement to the film. Overall, I found it to be a complete waste of time and would not recommend it to anyone.
2. John - 2/5 rating - I had high hopes for "Dragonball the magic beginz" but it fell short in many areas. The acting was mediocre at best and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The fight scenes, which are supposed to be the highlight of any Dragonball film, lacked intensity and creativity. The film also seemed to rely heavily on CGI, which added to the disappointment as it looked fake and poorly executed. While it had some entertaining moments, it ultimately failed to capture the essence of the Dragonball franchise.
3. Emily - 2/5 rating - As a fan of the original Dragonball series, I was excited to watch "Dragonball the magic beginz". However, it was a letdown. The casting choices were questionable, with the actors not resembling the beloved characters at all. The story felt rushed and convoluted, making it difficult to follow. Additionally, the special effects were underwhelming and didn't live up to the epic battles that fans expect from Dragonball. Overall, I was disappointed with the film and would advise fans to stick to the animated series instead.
4. Alex - 1/5 rating - "Dragonball the magic beginz" was a complete disaster. The acting was wooden and lacked any emotion, making it difficult to connect with the characters. The plot was confusing and felt like a hodgepodge of random events. The fight scenes were poorly choreographed, and the CGI was clearly low budget, making it hard to take the film seriously. Overall, it was a cringeworthy attempt at adapting the beloved Dragonball series and I would not recommend it to anyone.