Dragon Quest: Your Story

Animated Film
Dragon Quest: Your Story
	; Theatrical release poster
Japanese	ドラゴンクエストユア・ストーリー
Romaji	Doragon Kuesuto Yua Sutōrī
Directer(s)	Takashi Yamazaki (chief); Ryuichi Yagi; Makoto Hanafusa
Screenplay writer(s)	Takashi Yamazaki
Storyboard writer(s)	Ryuichi Yagi
Supervisor(s)	Ryutaro Ichimura; Yuji Horii
Based on	Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride; by Square Enix
Composer(s)	Kōichi Sugiyama
Sound director(s)	Keiichi Momose
Editor(s)	Ryuichi Yagi
Production company	Shirogumi; Robot Communications
Distributer(s)	Toho
Release date	August 2nd, 2019
Runtime	1 hr 43 min
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥2 billion; (US$18.5 million)
Box office	US$11.1 million

Dragon Quest: Your Story (ドラゴンクエストユア・ストーリー Doragon Kuesuto Yua Sutōrī) is a 2019 Japanese CGI anime film loosely based on the story of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. It was first announced on February 13th, 2019 and was featured on 313 screens in Japan on August 2nd, 2019 by Toho.^[2]

PlotEdit

The story begins with Luca's birth, followed by him and his father Pankraz leaving Gotha to travel the world to avenge the boy's mother Mada who was kidnapped by monsters. On his childhood travels, Luca meets Bianca while acquiring both a Golden Orb and a sabrecat cub he names Purrcy. While visiting Coburg castle, Luka witnesses prince Harry's abduction by the monsters serving Bishop Ladja and accompanies his father to rescue the prince. But Pankraz is killed by Ladja, using his final moments to reveal to Luca that his mother is still alive.

The boys are then enslaved by Ladja's monsters before they eventually escape as adults after ten years of working on a giant temple with help from Dr. Agon. Harry returns to Coburg and parts ways with Luca, promising to repay him for Pankraz's rescue attempt. After reuniting with a fully-grown Purrcy and his father's retainer Sancho while joined by a slime he named Gootrude, Luca learns that Pankraz assumed him to be the Legendary Hero destined to stop Ladja. Luca also learns that Ladja had abducted Mada as her Zenithian lineage is needed for a ritual to open a portal to the Demon World.

The Zenithian Sword which Luca needs is located in the town of Mostroferrato in the possession of the wealthy nobleman Rodrigo Briscoletti. But the town is terrorized by Bjørn the Behemoose, who stole the sword, with Briscoletti offering the hand of his daughter Nera to whomever defeats Bjørn. Luca manages to defeat the monster with Bianca's help and spares Bjørn when he submits. Through Luca finds himself not to be the Legendary Hero, he is betrothed to Nera until an encounter with a witch (Nera in disguise) convinces him to confess his feelings for Bianca.

After the two marry and have a son, they are attacked by monsters, with Ladja abducting Bianca while turning Luca to stone. Ladja takes Bianca to his temple, revealing her to be a Zenithian before turning her to stone when she refuses to help him convince Mada to teach her the spell to unseal the portal. The Hero is revived eight years later by his son Alus, revealed to be the Legendary Hero that Pankraz searched for. The group seek out the Zenith Dragon, revealed to be Dr. Agon, who needs his Golden Orb to bring them to Ladja's temple. Luca learns the remains of the Golden Orb he possessed was a fake as Agon sends him to the fairies, who send him back in time to retrieve the real Golden Orb from his childhood-self and switch it with a forgery.

The final battle soon commences with Luca joined by Bjørn and Harry's army as he finally avenges his father, only for a dying Ladja to acquire the spell needed to open the portal. Though Alus seals the portal, reality is suddenly distorted by who is supposed to be Grandmaster Nimzo. The being explains himself to be a computer virus installed in place of the real Nimzo by a hacker, revealing to Luca that he is playing a virtual simulation of Dragon Quest V while proceeding to delete everything. The virus then proceeds to send Luca back to reality, only for Luca's restored real-world memories and the passion for Dragon Quest allowing him to resist. Gootrude then reveals himself to be the game's anti-virus program and gives Luca the means of destroying the virus and restoring the game (in the form of the sword belonging to Dragon Quest character Erdrick).

The game ends when Luca's party arrive at Gotha, with Luca intending to keep this version of the game in his heart. Though when watching the fireworks from Gotha, Bianca hits him playfully and Luca notes that he actually felt the pain.

ProductionEdit

On February 13th, 2019 the news program News Zero hosted by the television program Nippon TV featured an interview with Takashi Yamazaki and Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, both of whom revealed that a 3DCG animated movie derived from Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride would be released nationwide on August 2nd, 2019 under the name of Dragon Quest: Your Story.^[3]^[4]

Takashi Yamazaki was the screenplay writer and chief director, with Ryuichi Yagi and Makoto Hanafusa as additional directors.^[3]^[4] The script was adapted from the original title by Yuji Horii, who served as supervisor for the film.^[3]^[4] Kōichi Sugiyama was lead composer with the soundtrack featuring iconic Dragon Quest music.^[3]

The first trailer debuted on April 4 with 13 cast members and their roles being announced.^[5] Many other cast members were revealed on May 4.^[6] A second trailer was released on June 19 along with the theatrical poster that would appear in theaters.^[7]

CastEdit

Riku Ônishi as Ruka (The Hero) (Young)
Takeru Satoh as Ruka (The Hero) (Adult)^[8]
Kasumi Arimura as Bianca^[8]
Haru as Flora (Nera Briscoletti)^[8]
Kentaro Sakaguchi as Henry (Harry)^[8]
Takayuki Yamada as Papasu (Pankraz)^[8]
Kendo Kobayashi as Sancho^[8]
Reo Uchikawa as Alus (The Zenithian Hero)
Ken Yasuda as Pusan (Dr. Agon)^[8]
Suzuki Matsuo as Ludman (Rodrigo Briscoletti)^[8]
Kōichi Yamadera as Surarin (Gootrude)^[8]
Chikako Kaku as Martha (Madalena)^[8]
Arata Furuta as Buon (Bjørn the Behemoose)^[8]
Haruo Sekiguchi - Slon the Rook
Ippei Sasaki - Kon the Knight
Kōtarō Yoshida as Gema (Bishop Ladja)^[8]
Arata Iura as Mildrath (Grandmaster Nimzo)^[8]

English Dub CastEdit

Yuri Lowenthal as Luca (The Hero)^[9]
Julian Lerner as Young Luca^[9]
Stephanie Sheh as Bianca Whitaker^[9]
Jason Marnocha as Bishop Ladja^[9]
Hudson Loverro as Alus (The Zenithian Hero)^[9]
Zeno Robinson as Harry^[9]
Elijah Rayman as Young Harry^[9]
Neil Kaplan as Dr. Agon^[9]
Parker Simmons as Pankraz^[9]
Shaun Conde as Sancho^[9]
Frank Todaro as Rodrigo Briscoletti^[9]
Xanthe Huynh as Nera Briscoletti^[9]
Jacob Craner as Bjorn^[9]
Paul Guyet as Nimzo ^[9]
Steve Blum as Kon and Gootrude^[9]
Cissy Jones as Madalena ^[9]
Trevor Devall as Slon and Frank (Coburg Guard)^[9]
Kari Wahlgren as Fairy^[9]

Warning: Spoilers!
Click expand to view content

Michael Sinterniklaas as Game attendant^[9]

LawsuitEdit

Saori Kumi, the author of the Dragon Quest V novel filed a lawsuit against the film's production crew stating that the protagonist's name, Ryuka (Luka) was taken from the novel and being used without her permission.^[10]

ReleaseEdit

The film was premiered in Tokyo exclusively at Toho Cinemas on July 16, 2019 before being released in theaters nationwide on August 2nd, 2019.^[11]

The film received its international release on February 13, 2020 via Netflix.^[12]

ReceptionEdit

The film was ill-received by Japanese fans due to the Isekai-like nature of the ending, deviating from the original plot of Dragon Quest V.^[13]Critism was also directed at the absence of Akira Toriyama's artsyle and his character designs.^[14]

The film sold 215,000 tickets, earning ¥316 million JPY ($2.90 million USD) on its first week in Japanese box office sales and placing fifth overall for that week. Dragon Quest: Your Story has accumulated $11,114,288 USD in total from the Japanese box office as of January 2020.^[1]