Dragon Ball Color: Saga Majin Boo, #5

Dragon Ball Full Color #31

by Akira Toriyama, Lenny Murogate (traducción)

Nueva edición a color.
Después de que Son Goku, Son Gohan y sus compañeros lograran salvar a la Tierra de la amenaza diabólica de Cell, la gente pudo volver a vivir en paz. No obstante, cuando la paz pasa a ser una constante, siempre empiezan a aparecer auténticos necios. Así son los seres humanos.

Han pasado varios años desde la batalla contra Cell. Y nos encontramos en una tranquila ciudad llamada "Satán City". Cambiaron el nombre a la ciudad en honor a míster Satán, ilustre residente de la misma, de quien todos creen que fue el salvador del mundo, aunque en realidad no fuera así...

Genres: Manga, Humor, Comics, Shonen

224 pages, Paperback

Published November 8, 2024

About the author

Akira 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.

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The so-called "Fusion Saga," per Funimation's categories of mini-arcs.

The bulk of this volume involves Gotenks and Super Boo goofing off against each other, before Boo gets more clever and tricks the kids, Piccolo, and later Ultimate Gohan into getting absorbed. Gohan's new power seems really cool, but he doesn't really do too much, and is seemingly surpassed by Vegetto, and arguably even SS3 Goku. It's actually hard to tell how Ultimate Gohan fares against SS3, especially since there's no reason to believe Gohan's overflowing power can exhaust him, whereas a resurrected Goku isn't able to sustain SS3 for too long. We also see some examples of gag-manga power bullshitting new heights for the characters, with Gotenks being able to reach SS3 just because, but this is somewhat justified by the sharp increase in strength of a Fusion warrior, on top of Goten and Trunks being prodigies (unfortunately, we will never see if the lads are too strong on their own, as they don't get SS2 here, nor are they seen doing anything significant in the two sequel series). Gotenks was always cool when I was a kid, basically just because he had SS3 so he was canonically one of the strongest characters (well, we also all loved Broly, who wasn't canon himself, so...). Vegetto was likewise cool for his immense power. Ultimate Gohan (whom we knew as "Mystic" Gohan) was less cool, probably because he didn't have any physical differences in his appearance, unlike any Super Saiyan form. Shows how dumb kids were, even when we were obsessed with power-levels, and I imagine Old Kai criticizing the Super Saiyan form is probably a slam against us, or against the editor(s) who wanted more Super Saiyan forms. This is probably also supported by Gotenks making fun of his SS3 face, though all of us kids thought SS3 looked cool.

****

*Gohan's accidental burst of Ultimate/Mystic power when bitching at Old Kai
*Boo turning Chi-chi into an egg, then stomping on her
*Piccolo, to Videl: "Your father may not have the strength he claims... but he deserves the title of Champion of the Earth ."
*Trunks: "We're going to blow everyone!" I assume it's supposed to be "blow everyone away!," but the translation group (Horny Council) either didn't proofread, or wanted to be silly....
*Trunks: "Hey! Is Piccolo going to be the only spectator? What a bummer..." The cockiness of Gotenks leaking into his Fusion components? Or Trunks inheriting his father's pride?
*Gotenks's silly move names, like Wild Boar Attack, Ultra Missile Parfait, or Hyper Plasma Shortcake. Maybe Goten and Trunks shouldn't talk so much shit about Mr. Satan...?
*Galactic Donuts, which sees much use in video game adaptations
*Gotenks, after Boo breaks free of the Donut: "Ha... Ha! Ha! W-we... have the same sense of humor!"
*Gotenks: "Take this! Our ultimate move! It's the Super Kamikaze Ghost Strike!!!!!!!!!!!!"
**"Hi! I'm a ghost!! Hee! Hee! Hee... I'm scaaary..."
*the ten ghosts from Gotenks's advanced form of the technique, all making different silly poses
*Boo sipping a drink and reading an automobile magazine while waiting for Gotenks to stop fucking around
*Piccolo, after the ghosts trick Boo: "It's... silly... and yet somehow brilliant!!"
*Goku: Gohan's gotten a lot more powerful also... That's what a Kaioshin should be like!" Poor Kaioshin always getting shit!
*Boo, concerned about being trapped in the RoSaT: "Do... you have candies?"
*Boo screaming so hard it rips a hole in the fabric of the RoSaT
*Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks
**to Piccolo: "But I don't like how it makes my face look... I look almost as mean as you."
*the scenes of Kami-sama's Lookout being destroyed by Boo and Gotenks's attacks are quite nice-looking. Piccolo staring and stammering in shock is funny as well
*Piccolo: "Can't you do it without posing?!"
*Ultra Boo-Boo Volley Ball!!!
**Gotenks making Piccolo set the spike
*Gotenks: "Bwaha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Like a meteor!! Ain't I awesome?! <3"
*Piccolo: "No, he is weaker! I don't know about his body, but his mind is weaker! This is a first for him! He's never fought someone so close to his strength before!" Boo is becoming too "human" (likely more a side-effect of his having two gods within him, but you get what I mean). As with Cell earlier, Boo is being made to experience fear to some degree, which is causing him to lose focus. His desire for self-preservation will later show up more strongly next volume, when he screams at Goku and Vegeta for freeing Fat Boo from his mind, which will return him to the mindless monster of his Pure form.
*Gotenks retaliating against Boo's mouth-beam with one of his own
*Old Kai: "Go then. I've been done for a while."
**"Dumbass! It's more dramatic this way."
*Old Kai: "Transforming isn't everything. That Super whatever is just showbiz." And yet... when I was a kid, no one cared about "Mystic" Gohan because his hair was just black, unlike the SS3s.... Perhaps this is why Toriyama felt the need to make red, blue, and silver hair colors?
*Goku, before Gohan goes back to Earth: "I wish I could've seen you in action, all grown up."
*Gohan: "One favor, Kibito. Can you change my clothes? I want the same outfit as my dad. I want to fight wearing his gi." Like Goku, Gohan wears an orange gi with no kanji symbol on the front or back. He will reuse this gi in Super's Tournament of Power, oddly with his father going back to his own former "Go" kanji gi. After being forced to fight against Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, and Cell, Gohan started living a life of peace. With the advent of Boo, and the unlocking of his hidden potential, Gohan's Saiyan spirit is at the front of his heart.
**Piccolo: "...a different sort of ki... As if he's no longer sweet and gentle... He might almost be a different person..."
*Gohan, to Boo: "Slowpoke." I think this is the infamous "You retard!" scene(?)
*Trunks: "That's Mister Satan! That nimrod ever die?! Let's ignore him."
*Kaioshin doesn't know about Dragon Balls, but the Old Kai does
*Bootenks has a nose and distinct fingers. I'm uncertain, but I always assumed his longer antenna is supposed to reflect SS3's hair, even if he retains it in his Boocolo and Boohan forms.
*Gohan: "Well, you may have sucked up some speaking skills from Piccolo, but you're still not that smart." This could also be "You retard!," I guess
*Boo: "You don't get it, do you? What good is power with no one to fight?"
**Gohan: "I've got to admit... It makes sense..."
*Satan: "...this .45's going to breathe fire all over Boo!"
**Satan shooting Boo's ki blast, and mistaking the Kikoho's effect for his own...!
*Old Kai to Kibitoshin: "Hold your horses. You may be much stronger than before... but you weren't much to start with. You'd just be in the way, so stay still."
*Old Kai: "Hee! Hee... The Potara doesn't have that limitation. It lasts forever!"
*Tenshinhan: "Damn! This is beyond me! I'm useless!!" Maybe too much self-awareness is a bad thing? But, anyway, Ten becomes useful again in Super's Tournament of Power.
*Old Kai: "Also, you can use the Potara only once in your life." Until we decide to change the lore for Super....
*Old Kai: "Unfortunately, I used to be so handsome... until I met that old witch. That's why I'm the way I am... including the ability to work magic..."
*Goku's Kienzan against Bootenks
*Goku (smirking): Infinite difference, you say?! THen wait till you see what I've got!!"
*Boo's detached lower body kicking Tenshinhan unconscious
*JOBhan missing the thrown Potara earring, saving some awkward future interactions with Chi-chi and Videl, no doubt!
*Goku: "T-time out! Just a little second! Please..."
*Goku: "No! That's unfair... Gohan!"
*Goku imagining a fusion with Satan, which made a playable appearance in Budokai 2 as "Gokule." I guess he may otherwise be named "Gotan"?
*Vegeta: "You held back when you fought against me! Were you mocking me?! I saw you from there... Super Saiyan 3?! You've pissed me off! How could I be one with you?"
*Vegetto has solid black hair in the colored manga, whereas the anime gives him brown highlights. The anime generally makes Vegeta's hair out to be a really dark brown, though I believe Toriyama has stated before that Saiyans all have black hair (aside from Trunks and Bra, who are half-Saiyan).
*I had the revelation while driving home from work some weeks ago, that "Vegetto" is "Vegeta" plus "Kakarotto," which is how VIZ's "Vegerot" is more justifiable, and how Funimation's "Vegito" makes more sense than it otherwise seems. "Vegetto" is probably the best version of the name, in my opinion. Likewise, Goku's birth name should remain romanized as "Kakarotto" instead of just "Kakarrot." I believe I've complained earlier about American localization butchering Ginyu Tokusentai puns; a similar thing is going on here. In a way, I do respect "Vegito" for obscuring its origins a bit, just as I kind of appreciate "Jiece" (but "Jeice" is way off), and maybe "Recoome" versus "Rikumu." But "Vegerot" just sounds silly to me.

[Carlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recensione al termine della saga

[Ono Giseigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un tomo recargado y divertido que deja el terreno servido para lo que va a ser la gran batalla final del tomo que queda.

[Guido · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se acerca el clímax de la pelea final del universo manga de Dragon Ball tal y como lo conocíamos.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quinto tomo de la hipercolórica Saga de Boo, tomo 31 de la edición Fullcolor en total. Creo que lo tengo sólo en la segunda impresión.

[Mattia Lugli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continua l'allenamento intensivo di Gohan nelle terre sacre dei Kaioshin, mentre sulla terra si affrontano non senza rischi Majin Bu ed i pochi sopravvissuti tra i guerrieri della saga.

Questo penultimo volume della serie Full Color è un volume di transizione, che talvolta sempre voler essere solo un riempitivo per creare un combattimento più duraturo per la razza umana. Ci si impegna a trovare una soluzione alternativa sfruttando l'energia nascosta del figlio di Goku, ma non sembra essere la soluzione adatta allo scontro che si sta per consumare.

Lo stesso Majin Bu rimane sorpreso da prima dalla forza della fusione dei due bambini e poi dal super guerriero impersonato da Gohan, al punto tale da avere il primo spruzzo di intelligenza pure, che costringerà i Kaio a tentare il tutto per tutto per correre ai ripari in questa situazione disperata.

Ma la preoccupazione di fronte alla forza spropositata del nemico non arriva solo dal pianeta dei Kaio, che decidono di far tornare in vita Goku per fronteggiare la minaccia, donandogli di nuovo la vita ed i magici orecchini capaci di fondere le persone. Anche dall'aldilà la preoccupazione è tanta, al punto tale da decidere di far tornare sulla terra il guerriero morto più forte, ovvero Vegeta, in quello che è, a tutti gli effetti, uno dei momenti più alti e contraddittori dell'ultimo arco narrativo della lotta dei guerrieri Saiyan, ovvero la fusione tra Goku e Vegeta.