Theme song performers play hell's "angels" in April film featuring Frieza's return

All the members of the popular idol group Momoiro Clover Z will be guest voice actresses in Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no F (Dragon Ball Z: The F in Fukkatsu, or The Resurrected F), the film opening on April 18. The idols will play "angels" of hell, where the protagonist Son Goku's enemy Frieza has been imprisoned. The five angels will appear in colors matching the different theme colors of each of the real-life idols.

The group appeared in cosplay with Son Goku's voice actress Masako Nozawa at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. Two of idols, Kanako Momota and Reni Takagi, even wore a wig or headpiece as Son Goku and Krilin.

Nozawa first met Momoiro Clover Z in 2013 at a cherry blossom viewing gathering held by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. She and the idols posed for photos during the press conference, and Nozawa remarked on the idols' roles, "It's wonderful that you're angels. I never got to play an angel even once."

Tuesday also happens to be Setsubun, the Japanese commemoration of the day before the beginning of spring. Costumed mascots of Son Goku and Frieza appeared at the press conference, and everyone threw beans at Frieza, the traditional way of celebrating Setsubun to cast out demons.

The Momoiro Clover Z idols are also performing the film's theme song. A producer at Toei Animation said all the members of Momoiro Clover Z are big Dragon Ball fans. The group's leader Kanako Momota said she hopes the song will bring energy to a lot of people like a "reverse genki dama (spirit bomb)."

Dragon Ball manga creator Akira Toriyama said in an interview in November that the 'F' in the film's title stands for "Frieza," who will be revived in the film. Toriyama noted that he thought of the title while listening to "F" by rock band Maximum The Hormone, whom he came to know personally through a friend. The song itself features Frieza as a motif, and will be used as a "battle song" during one of the battle scenes in the film. The band originally released the song as its eighth single in July 2008.

Toriyama is personally credited with the original concept, screenplay, and character designs of the new movie. Dragon Ball Z animation director Tadayoshi Yamamuro is directing the new movie.



The film stars two original characters designed by Toriyama himself: Sorbet (seen above left) and Tagoma (above right). The characters are the survivors of the Frieza army who use the dragon balls to revive him.

Those who purchase advance tickets receive an exclusive earphone jack strap of either Goku or Frieza modeled by Toriyama. Regular advance tickets cost 1,400 yen (about US$12), middle and elementary school student tickets cost 800 yen (US$7), and pair tickets cost 2,100 yen (US$17). Special movie ticket cards are on sale now. The film will be the first Japanese film to open in 3D IMAX Digital Theaters.

Source: Eiga.com