I suppose this would be more meaningful for me if I had ever seen more than, I don't know, maybe 1 or 2 episodes of 'Dragonball Z,' to say nothing of the special at hand. On the other hand, that almost total lack of specific knowledge lets me watch 'Dragonball Z: Light of Hope' with a fresh perspective. So how is it?
This is a fan film, a passion project borne purely of love for the anime. For being created on what I assume was pocket change, the visual effects look pretty decent. The assembled cast varies in the skills they display. Whether that's attributable to fault in the direction, writing, or acting abilities outright - or even just the very nature of DBZ as being over the top - is up for debate. At their best, though, the actors demonstrate more capability than one would expect to find in a production of this sort.
Just to glance at a synopsis of 'History of Trunks' one can easily tell that 'Light of hope' is a very loose and perhaps incomplete adaptation. For what it's worth, though, the narrative as a whole in this short is put together reasonably well, and again, I say that as someone broadly unfamiliar with DBZ. While substantially embellished with special effects, I do also like the fight choreography on display. It's clear that the film-makers knew visual flair and martial arts were the most important aspects to get right, and to their credit, it shows.
Maybe someone with a stronger investment in anime would have more to say; maybe I'm inflecting my impartiality with too much generosity. Still, one has to consider that 'Dragonball Z: Light of hope' was made purely by dedicated enthusiasts with limited means at their disposal. I can't readily speak for this short relative to the source material, but acknowledging it as a fan film - and recognizing that the intended appeal is for a very select audience - I can't help but think this is fairly well done. I'd be curious to see what all involved would be able to do with greater resources.
