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Dragon Ball Kanzenban [ドラゴンボール 完全版] #1
DRAGON BALL 1
あの伝説のコミック「ドラゴンボール」が完全版になって帰って来た！ ブックカバーは全て鳥山明先生の描き下ろし。カラーページも忠実に再現。孫悟空とブルマの「ドラゴンボール」を探す旅が、ここに始まった！
228 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2002
44 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Akira Toriyama
1,916 books1,726 followersAkira Toriyama (鳥山明) was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most famous work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Toriyama came to be regarded as one of the most important authors in the history of manga with his works highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
March 3, 2017
4,5/5
Me ha gustado mucho, ya no me acordaba mucho de la historia aunque me haya visto el anime cintos de veces de pequeña. Me ha sorprendido mucho el hecho que tenga escenas de +18, aunque ya se sabe cómo es el humor japonés.
Voy a seguir con la serie, ya que mi hermano tiene los 34 y me los ha dejado.
Me ha gustado mucho, ya no me acordaba mucho de la historia aunque me haya visto el anime cintos de veces de pequeña. Me ha sorprendido mucho el hecho que tenga escenas de +18, aunque ya se sabe cómo es el humor japonés.
Voy a seguir con la serie, ya que mi hermano tiene los 34 y me los ha dejado.
July 4, 2024
Riparto con la saga di Goku, avevo iniziato con l'edizione Evergreen, che però peccava di diversi difetti, prima di tutto il formato, praticamente minuscolo.
Quest'edizione invece da subito mi è piaciuta, rende in tutto e per tutto, continuerò con questa...
Quest'edizione invece da subito mi è piaciuta, rende in tutto e per tutto, continuerò con questa...
July 5, 2021
My man really did something by ending the first volume with the first Kamehameha.
December 4, 2011
The creator Akira Toriyama had just finished his Doctor Slump slapstick comedy and decided to make a more action-oriented show. Dragon Ball was the result and although it began as a slapstick comedy, it progressively dropped the comedy in favor of the battles. I guess he got affected too much by the trend of Saint Seiya and slowly went for that field.
The series began with a very magical atmosphere, reminiscent of ancient China. After a dozen chapters, the ancient China motif gives place to a more sci-fi world, were houses fit into portable capsules, huge monsters roam free in the wild and anthropomorphic animals coexist with humans. It is quite a wacky representation with little sense but with extreme originality and humor. Makes a fine JRPG world.
At first, it took me some time to get used to the characters’ chibi looks, as they looked extremely short and cartoonish. But their semi-funny, semi-battle frenzied attitudes make them bearable to watch. Later on, it is a bit annoying when it comes to character variety as most characters are just slight modifications of one another. A small change in the hair and in the cloths and they are presented as a different person. Especially the Super Saiyans, it gets hard to tell who is who after a while. The artwork is otherwise very good for its time, with dynamic and lively motions.
The dialogues tend not to be any smarter than the phrases “I’m going to beat you!” and “Are you looking at my panties?”. So, if you are looking for sophisticated talking, look elsewhere. Sure, there are some very classic shonen phrases in here that fit the genre just fine but then again prefer the smarter way Full Metal Alchemist uses, so I am torn between liking them for being stereotypically cheesy and just being plain silly. I guess the slapstick and the constant wordplays and teasing work fine for its kind but I’m not going to lose my mind over them.
The story began as a slapstick version of the most famous Chinese fairy tale, Journey to the West. Most elements and characters in the story are in fact, comical representations of those in the fairy tale. But the similarities become fewer and fewer as the story progresses and later on it reminds you of other famous stories, such as Superman or the Terminator (where again most elements and characters are comical representations of American superhero comic books). The scenario is about a strong boy, named Son Goku, looking for magical spheres that grant wishes, taking part in martial art tournaments and fighting evil people/demons/aliens that want to rule the world (and later on the galaxy).
Although the general story is quite simple, it is presented in a non-predictable way. There are various mysteries and some side stories that easily make you forget its predictability. And things get very complicated and atmospheric towards the end that really makes the general shallowness of the story a trivial thing. So yeah, I liked the story despite its simplicity. The world definitely isn’t detailed or realistic but it is still one of the most distinguished worlds, ever made into anime. Some silly explanations from time to time give a simple meaning to all the wackiness. Still, the general story:
-Undermines the gravity of pain and death to ridiculous levels. No matter how much someone is injured, he can easily be completely healed, without permanent damage or even scars. No matter how many die, they can easily be resurrected. And always only the good people return to life, while the bad remain dead.
-Undermines the idea of the after life and of the gods. Heaven and Hell are amusement parks and the gods are just strong creatures that even mortals can surpass in power.
-Has no realism in terms of empowerment. It makes no sense how someone can get a million times stronger in a few months, while others needed eons to do the same. Or it is quite stupid to always see someone getting stronger at the gravest moment and save the day in a Deus Ex Machina way.
-Pays no attention to the laws of physics. Energy beams that explode on air, cause dust even when they didn’t hit anything. A mountain or a moon or a planet that blows up has no effects on the surroundings (not much debris, gravity alteration or planet trajectory/axis mix up). Time travel does not cause time paradoxes. Faster than light speeds don’t increase the temperature of those running.
-Recycles the illusion of empowerment by continuously weakening the explosions. An energy beam that could destroy a planet on one arc, can blow a mountain at best on the next. The newest trick that could surpass any difficulty on one ark is completely useless and forgotten on the next.
Plus, the general story becomes more and more grand-scaled (and thus more interesting), as it progresses.
-The first villain, Emperor Pilaf, is a useless idiot who wants to rule the world. If he succeeds, the world will be at the mercy of a hapless asshole but nothing more.
-The second villain, General Black, is also an idiot but a heartless killer as well. If he succeeds, the world will be at the mercy of a hapless asshole in command of a merciless army of assassins. That’s much more serious.
-The third villain, Lord Piccolo, is a serious and very powerful demon. If he succeeds, the world will become a hellish place, at the mercy of demons that don’t care about life and justice. That’s even more serious!
-The fourth villain, prince Vejita, is the strongest Saiyan warrior in the universe who wants to become immortal and spend his eternity by fighting and killing every single person on every planet he goes to. If he succeeds, the universe will be at the mercy of an immortal battle-loving powerful warrior. There is also some drama on the parts of Goku who has to fight against his own kind, Gohan who has to fight against his will and Picollo who is forced to team up with the good guys and starts to like them.
-The fifth villain, emperor Frieza, is the strongest alien in the universe who wants to become immortal and spend his eternity ruling the universe in terror and destruction. If he succeeds, the universe will be at the mercy of an immortal heartless monster. There is also more drama on the parts of Vejita and Picollo who want to avenge the death of their races at the hands of Frieza.
-The sixth villain, Perfect Cell, is the strongest artificial creature of the future that wants to become perfect and spend his eternity destroying the universe. If he succeeds, the universe will be just destroyed. There is also more drama on the parts of Trunks who wants to change the grim future and the androids that want freedom and not be used only as weapons.
-The seventh villain, Majin Boo, is the strongest Jennie/God of Destruction. He is already the most powerful and if he is left alone, the universe will be destroyed in a few days. There is some drama on the parts of Vejita who has to decide if he will return to his evil self and Kaioshin who is afraid of the massacre Boo did to his people.
The upscale in interest works just fine, although the resolution to every arc is quite convenient. It may look cool at first but if you look closer you realize it has lots of plot armor in it, which eventually make it look bad in a way. There is conclusion but every time it is like that of a fairy tale, with the villains beaten and the good guys saved or resurrected. Because as Saint Seiya taught, you must never permanently kill your characters if you are to milk the kid audience for decades.
But the cast is definitely more interesting and colorful than that of Saint Seiya. Some men are funny, some are dramatic, and some are scary. But the thing they all have in common is that they all solve their problems with violence. Is something wrong in your life? Just kick the shit out of it and it’s solved! Expected in fighting shonen but this anime makes sure to even make fun with the premise. I mean Goku will challenge people to a fight even when there is no reason to it and the opponents are hardly strong. It’s not like the series doesn’t leave the option of diplomacy open… It simply never uses it.
Women are treated purely as fan service. You won’t find any good female fighters in it. Bulma, Lunch and Chichi are a bunch of brainless lolitas that exist just for to undress and make sexual jokes about boobs and marriage. Toriyama is a phalocratic bastard! It is yet another staple of shonen which holds true even today and it is fine for the target audience. I mean, who would cheer a girl or want to be like one if it’s a 100% male oriented show? But it’s true that a few token female warriors would be nice just to break the monotony.
In general, all the characters have a strong presence in the series (usually funny). Son Goku and Vejita are amongst the most distinctive fighting shounen characters, the Turtle hermit one of the most famous sleazy old men and Shen Long the most renowned Chinese dragon. All the character’s names are based either on the original fairy tale (Son Goku) or some cultural (Oolong) or fetish (Bulma) object. It is very funny to look for the meaning and origin of each one’s name. Their personalities are simply either comical or battle frenzied, making them quite repetitive so you almost feel like the series has only two characters that change cloths all the time. Still, they are two quite distinctive characters.
They all have their simple backdrop stories (just enough to excuse their existence in the story) and practically zero character development. No one really matures; just gets older and/or stronger. And always fights! No one tries to reason with his enemies; he just fights them. No one tries to trick his enemies with cunningness; he just gets stronger and fights them. This again sounds typical of shonen but it is true that Saint Seiya had given far more attention to backdrop stories and even the development of each major character would be triggered by an important event. There is no such thing in Dragonball as everybody is practically goofing around and just trains to get stronger.
I admit the Dragonball bunch has a lot more vividness and quirks to remember them more fondly. It is very cool to see them getting taller, breast-enlarged or stronger but it is also quite disappointing to see them acting the same way, no matter how many years pass and regardless of how many hardships they face. If some become a bit more mature, it is only after they lose to Son Goku. They were interesting antagonists up to the point they rival him; but after their defeat, they change to stunts and uninteresting underlings (such was the case with Yamcha, Krilin, Chaosu and Tien). Which feels poor to say the least. Vejita is an exception, as he can’t decide if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy. He is by far the best character (although he is also quite shallow as a complete personality).
The series has a way of measurement, called Battle Power to determine someone’s strength. This made many to believe that characters mature and get stronger in a logical way and that they are different just because their strength is different. But in fact, the Battle Power is a stupid excuse to give just to know beforehand who is the strongest. And no matter how strong someone becomes, he is the same battle-frenzied idiot he was before. He doesn’t get wiser or smarter.
Anyway, it makes little sense as the characters raise their strength ridiculously fast. And since the strongest person in one episode mysteriously becomes weaker on the next, you can’t make a solid assumption of what can someone do with a given amount of power. For example, Frieza could easily destroy a planet with a Battle Power of 500.000. But even when he maxed out at 12 million, he could just blow a mountain at best. It’s a mockery of the reader’s intelligence. And it’s stupid to think that only power is the statistic that matters in battles. What about intelligence, wisdom, and cunningness?
It seems to be a rather bad legacy this show left to the following shonen, who in an attempt to mimic the glory would also opt for goofy characters and simplistic backdrops. Damn, looks like the subtle formula Hokuto no Ken began with faded even more and got replaced with a bunch of hapless idiots.
My enjoyment equals the percentage of the worthy arcs. I personally have the following remarks about the flow of the story.
-The first arc is pure slapstick/erotic comedy, with some cool explosions here and there. Not very funny or imposing but definitely bearable and worthy.
-The second was the same but also had a lot of martial art fighting that made it more interesting.
-The third was to the most part boring, as Goku feels like Rambo while protecting innocent people from the Red Ribbon Army of terrorists. Not much of story or battles. There was a cameo appearance of the Doctor Slump characters here, but who cares. It gets quite awesome only towards the end where Goku fights the extremely ruthless Tao Pai Pai (the first cool villain in the series who kills people in VERY cruel ways) and then storms the Red Ribbon Army base.
-The fourth was boring, as I didn’t found interesting the ghost tournament, or Tien Shin Han’s quest for revenge. And the battles were quite stale.
-The fifth was great all the way, as Piccolo appears, kills people by the HUNDREDS, mountains start blowing up, characters change and mysteries are solved. Very action-based, violent and cool.
Thus in overall I half-liked it.
-The sixth (Saiyan Saga) was small and solid. Very good as a whole. The chapters where everyone trains were generally boring. Gohan’s training was dramatic enough but it simply lasted too long.
-The seventh (Namek Saga) was solid but unnecessary long. Very atmospheric as a whole but with a lot of dead time. The chapters where the heroes go to Namek were boring. And the battle with Frieza could easily be done in half the pages.
-The eighth (Cell Saga) was unnecessary long. Very mysterious as a whole but with a lot of dead time. The battle with the androids could easily be done in half the pages.
-The ninth (Boo Saga) was unnecessary long. Very flashy as a whole but with a lot of silly ideas and dead time. The battle with Boo could easily be done in half the pages.
But hey, it’s the series that hooked millions of people to shonen. It has memorable characters and a distinctive world and it’s not afraid to fool around for dozens of chapters before the actual story kicks in. After all back then the competition was almost zero yet it is still better than most modern shonen since it never lost its passion; like let’s say Naruto or Bleach. Or at least it didn’t up until GT came to be (although it is not canon). I still consider One Piece the only superior descendant of the formula it left behind, which for a 25 year old shonen, that means a lot.
SUGGESTION LIST
Famous Shounen to choose from:
Saint Seiya
Bleach
Fist Of The North Star
Naruto
One Piece
If you like Akira Toriyama’s style of animation, look for the series Doctor Slump and Blue Dragon as well as games such as the Dragon Quest series and Chrono Trigger.
And let’s not forget Journey to the West, the fairy tale Dragon Ball was based upon.
The series began with a very magical atmosphere, reminiscent of ancient China. After a dozen chapters, the ancient China motif gives place to a more sci-fi world, were houses fit into portable capsules, huge monsters roam free in the wild and anthropomorphic animals coexist with humans. It is quite a wacky representation with little sense but with extreme originality and humor. Makes a fine JRPG world.
At first, it took me some time to get used to the characters’ chibi looks, as they looked extremely short and cartoonish. But their semi-funny, semi-battle frenzied attitudes make them bearable to watch. Later on, it is a bit annoying when it comes to character variety as most characters are just slight modifications of one another. A small change in the hair and in the cloths and they are presented as a different person. Especially the Super Saiyans, it gets hard to tell who is who after a while. The artwork is otherwise very good for its time, with dynamic and lively motions.
The dialogues tend not to be any smarter than the phrases “I’m going to beat you!” and “Are you looking at my panties?”. So, if you are looking for sophisticated talking, look elsewhere. Sure, there are some very classic shonen phrases in here that fit the genre just fine but then again prefer the smarter way Full Metal Alchemist uses, so I am torn between liking them for being stereotypically cheesy and just being plain silly. I guess the slapstick and the constant wordplays and teasing work fine for its kind but I’m not going to lose my mind over them.
The story began as a slapstick version of the most famous Chinese fairy tale, Journey to the West. Most elements and characters in the story are in fact, comical representations of those in the fairy tale. But the similarities become fewer and fewer as the story progresses and later on it reminds you of other famous stories, such as Superman or the Terminator (where again most elements and characters are comical representations of American superhero comic books). The scenario is about a strong boy, named Son Goku, looking for magical spheres that grant wishes, taking part in martial art tournaments and fighting evil people/demons/aliens that want to rule the world (and later on the galaxy).
Although the general story is quite simple, it is presented in a non-predictable way. There are various mysteries and some side stories that easily make you forget its predictability. And things get very complicated and atmospheric towards the end that really makes the general shallowness of the story a trivial thing. So yeah, I liked the story despite its simplicity. The world definitely isn’t detailed or realistic but it is still one of the most distinguished worlds, ever made into anime. Some silly explanations from time to time give a simple meaning to all the wackiness. Still, the general story:
-Undermines the gravity of pain and death to ridiculous levels. No matter how much someone is injured, he can easily be completely healed, without permanent damage or even scars. No matter how many die, they can easily be resurrected. And always only the good people return to life, while the bad remain dead.
-Undermines the idea of the after life and of the gods. Heaven and Hell are amusement parks and the gods are just strong creatures that even mortals can surpass in power.
-Has no realism in terms of empowerment. It makes no sense how someone can get a million times stronger in a few months, while others needed eons to do the same. Or it is quite stupid to always see someone getting stronger at the gravest moment and save the day in a Deus Ex Machina way.
-Pays no attention to the laws of physics. Energy beams that explode on air, cause dust even when they didn’t hit anything. A mountain or a moon or a planet that blows up has no effects on the surroundings (not much debris, gravity alteration or planet trajectory/axis mix up). Time travel does not cause time paradoxes. Faster than light speeds don’t increase the temperature of those running.
-Recycles the illusion of empowerment by continuously weakening the explosions. An energy beam that could destroy a planet on one arc, can blow a mountain at best on the next. The newest trick that could surpass any difficulty on one ark is completely useless and forgotten on the next.
Plus, the general story becomes more and more grand-scaled (and thus more interesting), as it progresses.
-The first villain, Emperor Pilaf, is a useless idiot who wants to rule the world. If he succeeds, the world will be at the mercy of a hapless asshole but nothing more.
-The second villain, General Black, is also an idiot but a heartless killer as well. If he succeeds, the world will be at the mercy of a hapless asshole in command of a merciless army of assassins. That’s much more serious.
-The third villain, Lord Piccolo, is a serious and very powerful demon. If he succeeds, the world will become a hellish place, at the mercy of demons that don’t care about life and justice. That’s even more serious!
-The fourth villain, prince Vejita, is the strongest Saiyan warrior in the universe who wants to become immortal and spend his eternity by fighting and killing every single person on every planet he goes to. If he succeeds, the universe will be at the mercy of an immortal battle-loving powerful warrior. There is also some drama on the parts of Goku who has to fight against his own kind, Gohan who has to fight against his will and Picollo who is forced to team up with the good guys and starts to like them.
-The fifth villain, emperor Frieza, is the strongest alien in the universe who wants to become immortal and spend his eternity ruling the universe in terror and destruction. If he succeeds, the universe will be at the mercy of an immortal heartless monster. There is also more drama on the parts of Vejita and Picollo who want to avenge the death of their races at the hands of Frieza.
-The sixth villain, Perfect Cell, is the strongest artificial creature of the future that wants to become perfect and spend his eternity destroying the universe. If he succeeds, the universe will be just destroyed. There is also more drama on the parts of Trunks who wants to change the grim future and the androids that want freedom and not be used only as weapons.
-The seventh villain, Majin Boo, is the strongest Jennie/God of Destruction. He is already the most powerful and if he is left alone, the universe will be destroyed in a few days. There is some drama on the parts of Vejita who has to decide if he will return to his evil self and Kaioshin who is afraid of the massacre Boo did to his people.
The upscale in interest works just fine, although the resolution to every arc is quite convenient. It may look cool at first but if you look closer you realize it has lots of plot armor in it, which eventually make it look bad in a way. There is conclusion but every time it is like that of a fairy tale, with the villains beaten and the good guys saved or resurrected. Because as Saint Seiya taught, you must never permanently kill your characters if you are to milk the kid audience for decades.
But the cast is definitely more interesting and colorful than that of Saint Seiya. Some men are funny, some are dramatic, and some are scary. But the thing they all have in common is that they all solve their problems with violence. Is something wrong in your life? Just kick the shit out of it and it’s solved! Expected in fighting shonen but this anime makes sure to even make fun with the premise. I mean Goku will challenge people to a fight even when there is no reason to it and the opponents are hardly strong. It’s not like the series doesn’t leave the option of diplomacy open… It simply never uses it.
Women are treated purely as fan service. You won’t find any good female fighters in it. Bulma, Lunch and Chichi are a bunch of brainless lolitas that exist just for to undress and make sexual jokes about boobs and marriage. Toriyama is a phalocratic bastard! It is yet another staple of shonen which holds true even today and it is fine for the target audience. I mean, who would cheer a girl or want to be like one if it’s a 100% male oriented show? But it’s true that a few token female warriors would be nice just to break the monotony.
In general, all the characters have a strong presence in the series (usually funny). Son Goku and Vejita are amongst the most distinctive fighting shounen characters, the Turtle hermit one of the most famous sleazy old men and Shen Long the most renowned Chinese dragon. All the character’s names are based either on the original fairy tale (Son Goku) or some cultural (Oolong) or fetish (Bulma) object. It is very funny to look for the meaning and origin of each one’s name. Their personalities are simply either comical or battle frenzied, making them quite repetitive so you almost feel like the series has only two characters that change cloths all the time. Still, they are two quite distinctive characters.
They all have their simple backdrop stories (just enough to excuse their existence in the story) and practically zero character development. No one really matures; just gets older and/or stronger. And always fights! No one tries to reason with his enemies; he just fights them. No one tries to trick his enemies with cunningness; he just gets stronger and fights them. This again sounds typical of shonen but it is true that Saint Seiya had given far more attention to backdrop stories and even the development of each major character would be triggered by an important event. There is no such thing in Dragonball as everybody is practically goofing around and just trains to get stronger.
I admit the Dragonball bunch has a lot more vividness and quirks to remember them more fondly. It is very cool to see them getting taller, breast-enlarged or stronger but it is also quite disappointing to see them acting the same way, no matter how many years pass and regardless of how many hardships they face. If some become a bit more mature, it is only after they lose to Son Goku. They were interesting antagonists up to the point they rival him; but after their defeat, they change to stunts and uninteresting underlings (such was the case with Yamcha, Krilin, Chaosu and Tien). Which feels poor to say the least. Vejita is an exception, as he can’t decide if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy. He is by far the best character (although he is also quite shallow as a complete personality).
The series has a way of measurement, called Battle Power to determine someone’s strength. This made many to believe that characters mature and get stronger in a logical way and that they are different just because their strength is different. But in fact, the Battle Power is a stupid excuse to give just to know beforehand who is the strongest. And no matter how strong someone becomes, he is the same battle-frenzied idiot he was before. He doesn’t get wiser or smarter.
Anyway, it makes little sense as the characters raise their strength ridiculously fast. And since the strongest person in one episode mysteriously becomes weaker on the next, you can’t make a solid assumption of what can someone do with a given amount of power. For example, Frieza could easily destroy a planet with a Battle Power of 500.000. But even when he maxed out at 12 million, he could just blow a mountain at best. It’s a mockery of the reader’s intelligence. And it’s stupid to think that only power is the statistic that matters in battles. What about intelligence, wisdom, and cunningness?
It seems to be a rather bad legacy this show left to the following shonen, who in an attempt to mimic the glory would also opt for goofy characters and simplistic backdrops. Damn, looks like the subtle formula Hokuto no Ken began with faded even more and got replaced with a bunch of hapless idiots.
My enjoyment equals the percentage of the worthy arcs. I personally have the following remarks about the flow of the story.
-The first arc is pure slapstick/erotic comedy, with some cool explosions here and there. Not very funny or imposing but definitely bearable and worthy.
-The second was the same but also had a lot of martial art fighting that made it more interesting.
-The third was to the most part boring, as Goku feels like Rambo while protecting innocent people from the Red Ribbon Army of terrorists. Not much of story or battles. There was a cameo appearance of the Doctor Slump characters here, but who cares. It gets quite awesome only towards the end where Goku fights the extremely ruthless Tao Pai Pai (the first cool villain in the series who kills people in VERY cruel ways) and then storms the Red Ribbon Army base.
-The fourth was boring, as I didn’t found interesting the ghost tournament, or Tien Shin Han’s quest for revenge. And the battles were quite stale.
-The fifth was great all the way, as Piccolo appears, kills people by the HUNDREDS, mountains start blowing up, characters change and mysteries are solved. Very action-based, violent and cool.
Thus in overall I half-liked it.
-The sixth (Saiyan Saga) was small and solid. Very good as a whole. The chapters where everyone trains were generally boring. Gohan’s training was dramatic enough but it simply lasted too long.
-The seventh (Namek Saga) was solid but unnecessary long. Very atmospheric as a whole but with a lot of dead time. The chapters where the heroes go to Namek were boring. And the battle with Frieza could easily be done in half the pages.
-The eighth (Cell Saga) was unnecessary long. Very mysterious as a whole but with a lot of dead time. The battle with the androids could easily be done in half the pages.
-The ninth (Boo Saga) was unnecessary long. Very flashy as a whole but with a lot of silly ideas and dead time. The battle with Boo could easily be done in half the pages.
But hey, it’s the series that hooked millions of people to shonen. It has memorable characters and a distinctive world and it’s not afraid to fool around for dozens of chapters before the actual story kicks in. After all back then the competition was almost zero yet it is still better than most modern shonen since it never lost its passion; like let’s say Naruto or Bleach. Or at least it didn’t up until GT came to be (although it is not canon). I still consider One Piece the only superior descendant of the formula it left behind, which for a 25 year old shonen, that means a lot.
SUGGESTION LIST
Famous Shounen to choose from:
Saint Seiya
Bleach
Fist Of The North Star
Naruto
One Piece
If you like Akira Toriyama’s style of animation, look for the series Doctor Slump and Blue Dragon as well as games such as the Dragon Quest series and Chrono Trigger.
And let’s not forget Journey to the West, the fairy tale Dragon Ball was based upon.
March 21, 2023
No havia llegit “Bola de drac” i m’ho he passat pipa amb aquesta història d’aventures divertidíssima. Alguns recursos humorístics han envellit bastant malament.
May 27, 2020
Grandes recuerdos.
March 6, 2023
Muito bom, maaaaaaas MUITO errado...
June 4, 2015
So since my finals are starting and all that I don't have much time to do anything properly and reading (unfortunately) is one of them.
I went to a library and saw these Dragon Ball Z and I really wanted to try and see what It's about because even though It's incredibly popular I've never really read or seen the anime I've just heard of it through friends.
So I picked It up and I just finished It..I LOVED IT!!!
Such a fun and light read. Mangas were one of my obsessions when I was in middle school and I'm glad I strated this one!
Son Goku is so cuuuuuute gosh,and I really like all the characters in this 1st volume,Bulma,Yamscha,Chichi...
It was really funny I laughed out loud Son Goku is so quirky and innocent I love It and can't wait to see how he'll grow up!
5/5 stars be continuing on this manga series for suuuure
I went to a library and saw these Dragon Ball Z and I really wanted to try and see what It's about because even though It's incredibly popular I've never really read or seen the anime I've just heard of it through friends.
So I picked It up and I just finished It..I LOVED IT!!!
Such a fun and light read. Mangas were one of my obsessions when I was in middle school and I'm glad I strated this one!
Son Goku is so cuuuuuute gosh,and I really like all the characters in this 1st volume,Bulma,Yamscha,Chichi...
It was really funny I laughed out loud Son Goku is so quirky and innocent I love It and can't wait to see how he'll grow up!
5/5 stars be continuing on this manga series for suuuure
May 17, 2020
NOTA PREVIA: De niño recuerdo haber visto varias veces, y con cierta obsesión, «Dragon Ball Z» (1989-1996). Con el pasar de los años, he olvidado qué es lo que realmente me gustaba, aparte de la fantasía alrededor de las peleas. Asimismo, no logro rememorar por qué Freezer era mi personaje preferido, hasta el punto de que fue el único juguete relacionado a la franquicia que llegué a poseer.
Lo mismo me ha pasado con «Yu-Gi-Oh!», cuyo juego de cartas también tuve y con el cual disfruté bastante. Pero todo esto lo digo como si estuviera hablando de alguien más, como si estuviera escribiendo la anécdota que un tercero me hubiera confiado. No sé si será la «amnesia infantil» de la que hablaba Freud, o simplemente el hecho de que la memoria es selectiva, y borra todo aquello que ya no considera útil.
***
I.
Nací, quizá por causalidad o no, justo el mismo mes en que se emitió el último episodio de «Dragon Ball Z» (enero de 1996). Asumo entonces que vi re-transmisiones, aunque eso no tiene importancia ahora.
De nuevo, no sé si por casualidad o no, ayer tuve el impulso de ver el anime original, es decir, «Dragon Ball» (1986-89). Luego de ver ocho episodios, me incomodaba bastante que el doblaje pasara del español al japonés en lo que obviamente era una censura que hubiera quedado mejor si simplemente cortaban la escena del metraje o colocaban un aviso que ocupara toda la pantalla diciendo «no apto para menores de edad». Hubiera sido más honesto, por lo menos.
Antes de este impulso por retomar nostálgicamente una caricatura que antes había disfrutado, debo decir que, por otras razones ajenas a mi infancia, podía estar predispuesto a querer leer el trabajo de Akira Toriyama. Me refiero a que hace un mes, en plena cuarentena por el COVID-19, me encontré con la saga fílmica dedicada a «Ip Man», el famoso maestro de Bruce Lee.
Luego de ver las cuatro películas sobre dicho personaje histórico, consideré que me gustaría seguir profundizando en la filmografía de Donnie Yen, el actor principal y protagonista de «Ip Man». Por ello descubrí, sin saber mucho de la historia, el filme «Monkey King» (2014). Los efectos especiales eran terribles, y la interpretación de Yen no era nada ejemplar en este caso. Pero la historia tenía su encanto y su misterio.
Cuando investigué un poco más, descubrí que la figura del Rey Mono había sido relatada dentro de la novela épica y ancestral llamada «Viaje al oeste», de autor anónimo. Y ese libro, de cuyo creador no nos queremos acordar el nombre, fue la inspiración principal de Toriyama, y su personaje consentido «Son Goku», que es un reflejo del Rey Mono (por eso tiene cola).
Así que, por curiosidad ante Donnie Yen y la cultura china en general, de la cual admiro de lejos el taoísmo ―que inspiró a su vez una serie televisiva insuperable: «Avatar, la leyenda de Aang» (2005-2008)―, parece natural que luego me enfocara en volver a «Dragon Ball» con curiosidad. Pero, como ya dejé entrever que la censura me molestaba, decidí abordar el manga.
En este primer volumen conocí de nuevo, y como si fuera la primera vez, a Goku. Me pareció sumamente hilarante, ingenioso, inocente y bondadoso. Pareciera que estuviera escribiendo un anuncio publicitario para pedir que lo adoptaran, ya que es efectivamente un huérfano, pero no es el caso. Simplemente apunto a que su carisma y su sola presencia atrapan desde el comienzo, y su falta de conocimiento sobre el mundo, que le lleva a considerar el café una sopa amarga, a los carros/coches/automóviles unos monstruos, y creer que la televisión es una caja o una ventana, no hacen sino convencernos de la ingenuidad que podría considerarse «pureza de corazón».
Por mencionar otros personajes que igualmente me hicieron sonreír por ser como son, también se encuentra Yamcha, cuya timidez a las mujeres es ciertamente un rasgo que provoca bastante ternura, especialmente cuando se toma en consideración que, lo único que buscaba realmente en este mundo, no era poder ni dinero, sino amor.
Sé muy bien que es también lo que decía buscar la muchacha Bulma, pero ella es tan vanidosa y superficial, aparte de agresiva y mentirosa, que uno duda sobre la posibilidad de que realmente buscara admiración constante, para seguir alimentando su ego monstruoso. Otro de los personajes que me decepcionó en cierta forma, es el famoso maestro Mutenroshi, pues jamás consideré posible que alguien pudiera poseer verdadera sabiduría y, sin embargo, darle tanta importancia al cuerpo y sus angustias. Parece una contradicción viviente, donde el cuerpo aplasta al alma constantemente, y sin embargo esta tiene algunos momentos brevísimos de lucidez, antes de ser sometida de nuevo.
La censura del anime no se encuentra en el manga, pero al leer a Toriyama uno casi entiende a los que modificaron su trabajo para no hacer tantas referencias verbales innecesarias al cuerpo femenino desnudo, y a los hombres potencialmente perversos que harían cualquier cosa por dominar a las mujeres. Ese es el principal defecto de esta historia, al menos en el comienzo (este primer volumen), y en el siguiente también.
Continúo, pues, desarrollando mi opinión en la reseña del segundo tomo de esta «Ultimate Edition».
Lo mismo me ha pasado con «Yu-Gi-Oh!», cuyo juego de cartas también tuve y con el cual disfruté bastante. Pero todo esto lo digo como si estuviera hablando de alguien más, como si estuviera escribiendo la anécdota que un tercero me hubiera confiado. No sé si será la «amnesia infantil» de la que hablaba Freud, o simplemente el hecho de que la memoria es selectiva, y borra todo aquello que ya no considera útil.
***
I.
Nací, quizá por causalidad o no, justo el mismo mes en que se emitió el último episodio de «Dragon Ball Z» (enero de 1996). Asumo entonces que vi re-transmisiones, aunque eso no tiene importancia ahora.
De nuevo, no sé si por casualidad o no, ayer tuve el impulso de ver el anime original, es decir, «Dragon Ball» (1986-89). Luego de ver ocho episodios, me incomodaba bastante que el doblaje pasara del español al japonés en lo que obviamente era una censura que hubiera quedado mejor si simplemente cortaban la escena del metraje o colocaban un aviso que ocupara toda la pantalla diciendo «no apto para menores de edad». Hubiera sido más honesto, por lo menos.
Antes de este impulso por retomar nostálgicamente una caricatura que antes había disfrutado, debo decir que, por otras razones ajenas a mi infancia, podía estar predispuesto a querer leer el trabajo de Akira Toriyama. Me refiero a que hace un mes, en plena cuarentena por el COVID-19, me encontré con la saga fílmica dedicada a «Ip Man», el famoso maestro de Bruce Lee.
Luego de ver las cuatro películas sobre dicho personaje histórico, consideré que me gustaría seguir profundizando en la filmografía de Donnie Yen, el actor principal y protagonista de «Ip Man». Por ello descubrí, sin saber mucho de la historia, el filme «Monkey King» (2014). Los efectos especiales eran terribles, y la interpretación de Yen no era nada ejemplar en este caso. Pero la historia tenía su encanto y su misterio.
Cuando investigué un poco más, descubrí que la figura del Rey Mono había sido relatada dentro de la novela épica y ancestral llamada «Viaje al oeste», de autor anónimo. Y ese libro, de cuyo creador no nos queremos acordar el nombre, fue la inspiración principal de Toriyama, y su personaje consentido «Son Goku», que es un reflejo del Rey Mono (por eso tiene cola).
Así que, por curiosidad ante Donnie Yen y la cultura china en general, de la cual admiro de lejos el taoísmo ―que inspiró a su vez una serie televisiva insuperable: «Avatar, la leyenda de Aang» (2005-2008)―, parece natural que luego me enfocara en volver a «Dragon Ball» con curiosidad. Pero, como ya dejé entrever que la censura me molestaba, decidí abordar el manga.
En este primer volumen conocí de nuevo, y como si fuera la primera vez, a Goku. Me pareció sumamente hilarante, ingenioso, inocente y bondadoso. Pareciera que estuviera escribiendo un anuncio publicitario para pedir que lo adoptaran, ya que es efectivamente un huérfano, pero no es el caso. Simplemente apunto a que su carisma y su sola presencia atrapan desde el comienzo, y su falta de conocimiento sobre el mundo, que le lleva a considerar el café una sopa amarga, a los carros/coches/automóviles unos monstruos, y creer que la televisión es una caja o una ventana, no hacen sino convencernos de la ingenuidad que podría considerarse «pureza de corazón».
Por mencionar otros personajes que igualmente me hicieron sonreír por ser como son, también se encuentra Yamcha, cuya timidez a las mujeres es ciertamente un rasgo que provoca bastante ternura, especialmente cuando se toma en consideración que, lo único que buscaba realmente en este mundo, no era poder ni dinero, sino amor.
Sé muy bien que es también lo que decía buscar la muchacha Bulma, pero ella es tan vanidosa y superficial, aparte de agresiva y mentirosa, que uno duda sobre la posibilidad de que realmente buscara admiración constante, para seguir alimentando su ego monstruoso. Otro de los personajes que me decepcionó en cierta forma, es el famoso maestro Mutenroshi, pues jamás consideré posible que alguien pudiera poseer verdadera sabiduría y, sin embargo, darle tanta importancia al cuerpo y sus angustias. Parece una contradicción viviente, donde el cuerpo aplasta al alma constantemente, y sin embargo esta tiene algunos momentos brevísimos de lucidez, antes de ser sometida de nuevo.
La censura del anime no se encuentra en el manga, pero al leer a Toriyama uno casi entiende a los que modificaron su trabajo para no hacer tantas referencias verbales innecesarias al cuerpo femenino desnudo, y a los hombres potencialmente perversos que harían cualquier cosa por dominar a las mujeres. Ese es el principal defecto de esta historia, al menos en el comienzo (este primer volumen), y en el siguiente también.
Continúo, pues, desarrollando mi opinión en la reseña del segundo tomo de esta «Ultimate Edition».
April 22, 2021
Used to love Dragon Ball Z as a kid, which are the stories of the protagonist as an adult. As an adult I still think it's fun but now believe to be a male power fantasy. The stories of Goku as an adult are all about becoming stronger and defeating enemies and contain a lot of pro-wrestling dialogue. I heard that stories of him as a kid are more whimsical and much funnier, often seen as one of the greatest manga ever made. But I used to avoid them as a kid, specifically for that purpose. Now that I've read the first volume in this awesome 3 in 1 collection I adore it. It literally is a fantasy epic with Great humor. I was laughing really damn hard at this. Also I admire Toriyama's art which feature detailed backgrounds that are both sci-fi and fantasy. My big qualm is this book sexualizes the living hell outta women. To the point where the female characters are harrassed and their bodies are used in explicit ways that surprised me seeing how I thought this was for kids. Some characters I loved as a kid I cannot enjoy anymore because of how perverted they are. I suppose this is both a different era, the 80s, and a different nation, japan, but it still grossed me out. Still I blew past it and can I say I had a very fun time with the experience. Excited to read more.
August 5, 2022
Ça y est j’ai enfin commencé le manga Dragon Ball. Mes souvenirs de l’anime sont toujours car très fidèle au manga. J’aime beaucoup et comme tout le monde personnage de San Goku. Il est drôle, innocent, puissant, bref c’est un plaisir de suivre ses aventures avec Bulma.
Par contre, certes c’était une autre époque, m’a la représentation de la femme pour une shônen est choquante. J’aurai du mal à laisser un enfant lire ça.
J’ai mis 5 étoiles parce que c’est dragon ball et c’est mon enfance mais si je devais donner mon avis sur la représentation de la femme dans l’œuvre, je mettrais 2 étoiles. Après je ne sais pas si c’est culturel aussi. Donc je ne m’étends pas sur le sujet.
Dragon Ball c’est dragon Ball et c’est génial.
Par contre, certes c’était une autre époque, m’a la représentation de la femme pour une shônen est choquante. J’aurai du mal à laisser un enfant lire ça.
J’ai mis 5 étoiles parce que c’est dragon ball et c’est mon enfance mais si je devais donner mon avis sur la représentation de la femme dans l’œuvre, je mettrais 2 étoiles. Après je ne sais pas si c’est culturel aussi. Donc je ne m’étends pas sur le sujet.
Dragon Ball c’est dragon Ball et c’est génial.
August 24, 2025
Bastante flojo para ser el primer tomo de una ultimate edition. Entretenido, sí, pero la búsqueda de las siete esferas transcurre demasiado rápido como para sacar tantos capítulos. Me pregunto cómo avanzará la historia ahora que ya tienen 6/7 bolas, probablemente le esconden las bragas a Bulma o algo así para proseguir con la aventura. Sabía que el "humor Japonés" era obsceno pero aprovechar que está dormida para magrear a una joven de dieciséis años es enfermizo. He desbloqueado una expresión facial nueva.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 18, 2019Dragonball is about a boy with a tail named Goku, and a girl named Bulma, and their search for the Dragonballs, 7 orbs that when all collected summon a wish granting dragon. The art style of Dragonball is manga. Goku is a round character, having a fairly full background. Dragonball was an extremely entertaining read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys manga.
October 20, 2024
È bastato guardare due episodi della nuova serie "Dragon Ball DAIMA" per sentire il bisogno, quasi fisiologico, di pigliare i volumi dallo scaffale e rileggere il manga. Che si può dire che non sia già stato detto? Quest'opera profuma di classico senza tempo fin dalla prima pagina. È un viaggio meraviglioso e divertente che non ci si stanca mai di intraprendere insieme a Goku.
July 17, 2019
Divertidíssimo!!!!
Ps: A panini precisa ter mais esmero nas suas edições!! Por ser uma edição de luxo e definitiva, não esperava que o miolo descolasse já na primeira vez em que eu abrisse o mangá!
Ps: A panini precisa ter mais esmero nas suas edições!! Por ser uma edição de luxo e definitiva, não esperava que o miolo descolasse já na primeira vez em que eu abrisse o mangá!
April 1, 2021
Den ersten Band mag ich tatsächlich nicht so, erst mit den späteren Bänden entwickelt die Reihe ihren Reiz.
April 24, 2021
No m'ataqueu amb comentaris de "ala no havies vist bola de drac, no tens infància blabla" q m'ha agradat molt.
June 14, 2021
Really well done love the show and the manga is great
October 16, 2024
Tan sorprendentemente bromista y verde como lo recordaba de cuando lo leí siendo un mocoso.
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December 12, 2024Impossible à noter, c'est sympa et drôle par moment mais il y a teeeeellement de choses qui ne vont pas 😭 (tw agressionS sexuelleS)
January 25, 2022
Un primer tomo muy entretenido en el que pasan muchas cosas. Como negativo, la única chica en casi todo el tomo está simplemente como objeto sexual :/
December 19, 2023
A pesar de la nostalgia, creo que es un manga que ha envejecido muy mal. Demasiados chistes de bragas, todo muy rancio e innecesario.
September 12, 2021
Para los que crecimos con Son Goku viendo sus episodios en TV3, este manga se valora desde la nostalgia y con un cariño especial. Para los que pasamos tantas tardes viendo sus aventuras aunque fuesen episodios repetidos y los que el primer nombre en japonés que aprendimos fue "Akira Toriyama". Los que no aceptamos que "Piccolo" se llame de otra manera que no sea "Satanàs cor petit", y los que levantamos las manos con Son Goku para hacer la bola "Genki". Los que nos hace volver a la infancia una sola imagen de Son Goku. Para toda esa generación este manga se valora diferente. ¡Es único!
August 18, 2019
“Tú eres diferente, peleas no para ganar sino porque te niegas a perder, rebasando tus límites sin importar quién es tu oponente.”
Saga mítica y adictiva, ajena a cualquier corrección política y un protagonista absolutamente cautivador. “Ultimate Edition” presenta el manga original en treinta y cuatro tomos, cada uno de ellos con pasajes a color. Totalmente recomendado.
Saga mítica y adictiva, ajena a cualquier corrección política y un protagonista absolutamente cautivador. “Ultimate Edition” presenta el manga original en treinta y cuatro tomos, cada uno de ellos con pasajes a color. Totalmente recomendado.
October 16, 2021
¿Quién no disfrutó con este manga? ¡Absolutamente nostálgico!
September 1, 2019
Me encanta!! Tomo tras tomo me va recordando parte de mi infancia.
August 21, 2019
I liked the quest that these characters are going on but I didn’t like how the men were treating Bulma and how that type of behavior was so constant even after she told them to stop.
June 11, 2025
Dragonball EDICIÓN KANZENBAN 01
Primer tomo de la nueva edición definitiva de Dragon Ball en versión argentina.
Primer tomo de la nueva edición definitiva de Dragon Ball en versión argentina.
June 19, 2025
La famosa edición definitiva en edición argentina. Muchas semillas y risas condensadas en unas 250 páginas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews