I had a completely different post planned, but something else struck me unexpectedly this week – one of the greatest names in the Japanese manga community, Akira Torikyama, has passed away.

Even if you didn’t know his name, you probably knew his work. He was most well-known for creating the Dragon Ball series, a piece of work that helped shape modern storytelling.

I actually grew up on the lesser-known works of Toriyama, particularly Dr. Slump, which accompanied me through most of ...