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ドラゴンクエスト〜ダイの大冒険〜 [Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken] #1
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Vol. 1
Begin the adventure of a lifetime in this classic fantasy series set in the world of the legendary Dragon Quest video games!
Raised by monsters in a battle-scarred world, Dai has the heart of a hero! He sets off on a grand journey with brave friends, traveling the world to take down the Dark Lord’s minions. Along the way, Dai must awaken the hero he was meant to be and master his dormant powers.
Before his adventure begins, Dai lives in peace as the lone human among monsters on Dermline Island. While he dreams of becoming a hero, a group of fakes shows up to kidnap the Golden Metal Slime! Then, when Princess Leona arrives in need of a hero, Dai is ready to answer her call…but he needs more training! Will a tutor come along to help him?
Raised by monsters in a battle-scarred world, Dai has the heart of a hero! He sets off on a grand journey with brave friends, traveling the world to take down the Dark Lord’s minions. Along the way, Dai must awaken the hero he was meant to be and master his dormant powers.
Before his adventure begins, Dai lives in peace as the lone human among monsters on Dermline Island. While he dreams of becoming a hero, a group of fakes shows up to kidnap the Golden Metal Slime! Then, when Princess Leona arrives in need of a hero, Dai is ready to answer her call…but he needs more training! Will a tutor come along to help him?
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2020
20 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 15, 2022
As a fan of Dragon Quest, I really enjoyed this! It’s got some wonderful art, clearly imitating Toriyama’s style while also adding something unique to the mix. Anyway, this being classic DQ, the plot isn’t anything to write home about. Heroes in training, return of a great evil, very Saturday morning cartoon stuff. But whatever! The world is charming, the art is great, and I look forward to reading more.
August 7, 2022
Surprise ✨
March 24, 2022
A simple story that does a great job making it clear that it takes place in a video game world. While definitely a product of its time, the heroes are all fun and the villains are all over the top evil. Even knowing next to nothing about the DragonQuest franchise, I enjoyed this book.
Additionally, this edition is well put together with fantastic color chapters included. It definitely feels like a solid step above your standard manga volume.
Additionally, this edition is well put together with fantastic color chapters included. It definitely feels like a solid step above your standard manga volume.
April 10, 2022
Somewhat of a slow star but an amazing finish! Cool fight with Avan vs the Demon Lord
July 20, 2022
If you’re looking for a book full of fun fantasy adventure, no frills, just thrills, look no further. It’s based off of one of the most popular video game series in Japan, and one of the most influential, Dragon Quest. This series scratches that early Dragon Ball (before the Z) itch nicely. The creator of Dragon Ball is not involved in this, but he did create the art style for the games this series is based off of, and the art style here evokes it well, but still has its own energy.
The story here takes most of its inspiration from the vibe of Dragon Quest 3 in particular. But right out of the gate it shows you it’s not going to be that exactly, with the first set of villains in the book resembling the heroes of 3. Which is, frankly, a hilarious way to start. The hero is Dai who is the archetypal Shonen hero like Goku, but with a sword, and just as badass. Instead of Grandpa Gohan raising him, he’s raised by a monster on an island full of friendly monsters. The first few arcs are fairly self contained, but they start building on themselves pretty quickly before starting into a larger plot that will be the main thrust of the adventure.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “why’d this doink give it 5 stars?” Because it does all this with enough humor, finesse, and flair to put most other things to shame. The action sequences are all exceptional, with amazing fight art, the characters are endearing, and the humor is fun but doesn’t undercut the rest of the affair. It’s a solid foundation for an ongoing series. Honestly it makes it even more frustrating it took almost 30 years to come to the states.
If you like the games, give this a gander. If you like Dragonball, don’t hesitate to grab it. Hell, if you just want fun with swords and magic, this is a lovely way to get that fix.
The story here takes most of its inspiration from the vibe of Dragon Quest 3 in particular. But right out of the gate it shows you it’s not going to be that exactly, with the first set of villains in the book resembling the heroes of 3. Which is, frankly, a hilarious way to start. The hero is Dai who is the archetypal Shonen hero like Goku, but with a sword, and just as badass. Instead of Grandpa Gohan raising him, he’s raised by a monster on an island full of friendly monsters. The first few arcs are fairly self contained, but they start building on themselves pretty quickly before starting into a larger plot that will be the main thrust of the adventure.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “why’d this doink give it 5 stars?” Because it does all this with enough humor, finesse, and flair to put most other things to shame. The action sequences are all exceptional, with amazing fight art, the characters are endearing, and the humor is fun but doesn’t undercut the rest of the affair. It’s a solid foundation for an ongoing series. Honestly it makes it even more frustrating it took almost 30 years to come to the states.
If you like the games, give this a gander. If you like Dragonball, don’t hesitate to grab it. Hell, if you just want fun with swords and magic, this is a lovely way to get that fix.
May 16, 2023
Lo primero que quiero decir es que ha sido un auténtico regalazo el haber tenido la oportunidad de disfrutar de este primer volumen de la serie, la cual desconocía que se estaba editando. Y digo esto, porque me ha transportado a mi juventud, cuando pude ver la serie de TV de Las aventuras de Fly en pleno apogeo para mí en el descubrimiento del manga y el anime tras la incursión en Dragon Ball.
El estilo de dibujo me ha gustado mucho, básicamente porque mantiene la esencia de aquellos primeros mangas que tanto me marcaron. Una sencillez a la vez llena de matices que te muestra las escenas de manera muy clara, incluso cuando aparecen las más elaboradas relacionadas con combates y magia.
El guion es bastante sencillo, al igual que la historia con cierto cliché (aunque hay que tener en cuenta que tiene ya su tiempo), donde un poder oscuro vencido en el pasado parece retornar y tenemos a nuestro héroe principal que cuando todo parece perdido saca magia de donde nadie lo espera. No obstante, quedan dudas por resolver de ese poder, y espero ir resolviéndolo en próximos volúmenes.
Lo que menos me ha gustado ha sido la rapidez con la que transcurren los acontecimientos y surgen los diálogos para explicar detalles, algo que no me ha dejado sentir bien la evolución de las cosas. Pero esto entiendo que es porque está orientada a partir de los 8 años y requiere esta sencillez, por lo que mirándolo con esos ojos infantiles, no habría mucho que objetar.
Monstruos (unos simpáticos, otros no tanto), héroes, villanos, magia, lucha, y un niño con un espíritu noble y fuerte que no cesará su empeño en impartir justicia. ¿Qué más se necesita para pasar un buen rato?
También se ha creado de nuevo la serie en anime, donde mezclan el 2D con escenas 3D, que por lo poco que he visto, funciona muy bien y pinta genial.
El estilo de dibujo me ha gustado mucho, básicamente porque mantiene la esencia de aquellos primeros mangas que tanto me marcaron. Una sencillez a la vez llena de matices que te muestra las escenas de manera muy clara, incluso cuando aparecen las más elaboradas relacionadas con combates y magia.
El guion es bastante sencillo, al igual que la historia con cierto cliché (aunque hay que tener en cuenta que tiene ya su tiempo), donde un poder oscuro vencido en el pasado parece retornar y tenemos a nuestro héroe principal que cuando todo parece perdido saca magia de donde nadie lo espera. No obstante, quedan dudas por resolver de ese poder, y espero ir resolviéndolo en próximos volúmenes.
Lo que menos me ha gustado ha sido la rapidez con la que transcurren los acontecimientos y surgen los diálogos para explicar detalles, algo que no me ha dejado sentir bien la evolución de las cosas. Pero esto entiendo que es porque está orientada a partir de los 8 años y requiere esta sencillez, por lo que mirándolo con esos ojos infantiles, no habría mucho que objetar.
Monstruos (unos simpáticos, otros no tanto), héroes, villanos, magia, lucha, y un niño con un espíritu noble y fuerte que no cesará su empeño en impartir justicia. ¿Qué más se necesita para pasar un buen rato?
También se ha creado de nuevo la serie en anime, donde mezclan el 2D con escenas 3D, que por lo poco que he visto, funciona muy bien y pinta genial.
September 28, 2022
A Big Thanks goes to Viz Media and Net Galley for the chance to review this title.
Today’s review finds us going on a Nostalgic Journey in the Dragon Quest Mythos. Based on the best-selling video game franchise, Dragon Quest, The Adventure of Dai made its debut in Japan in 1989 and was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump and ran till 1996. The Chapters were collected into 37 Tankobon Volumes and led to getting adapted into an anime twice, in the early 90s, and most recently the second adaption from October 2020.
This first volume serves as the perfect jump-on point for new readers of either manga or the RPG Series. Another fascinating fact about this story, and the Dragon Quest Franchise is that Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama, served as a Character Designer for the Video Game Series. Another series that I would also recommend to fans of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, would be Beet the Vandel Buster, it is a series that was written and illustrated by the same creative team that created this series. This book consists of 330 pages and covers the first five episodes of the new anime, the perfect way for the reader to get a good grasp of what kind of hero Dai is and what to expect in future volumes.
Today’s review finds us going on a Nostalgic Journey in the Dragon Quest Mythos. Based on the best-selling video game franchise, Dragon Quest, The Adventure of Dai made its debut in Japan in 1989 and was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump and ran till 1996. The Chapters were collected into 37 Tankobon Volumes and led to getting adapted into an anime twice, in the early 90s, and most recently the second adaption from October 2020.
This first volume serves as the perfect jump-on point for new readers of either manga or the RPG Series. Another fascinating fact about this story, and the Dragon Quest Franchise is that Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama, served as a Character Designer for the Video Game Series. Another series that I would also recommend to fans of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, would be Beet the Vandel Buster, it is a series that was written and illustrated by the same creative team that created this series. This book consists of 330 pages and covers the first five episodes of the new anime, the perfect way for the reader to get a good grasp of what kind of hero Dai is and what to expect in future volumes.
February 3, 2024
Enjoyable, if a tad unoriginal. Artistically it's pretty interesting, because while clearly inspired by Toryiama—he did the art for the Dragon Quest series, after all—Sanjo's style is still recognizably distinct. The unoriginality comes from the storyline, which is kind of a fusion of the game series and Toriyama's biggest claim to fame, Dragon Ball—from the games we get the premise of a dark lord wanting to take over the world, while the setup of Dai as a bit of a wild child called to an adventure, along with the mixture of humor and pathos, are in line with DB. I do intend on reading more of this, but I'm in a class right now that requires me to read the first volumes of many different manga, so it may be a while before I come back to volume 2.
(Side note—it's interesting to see a DB-inspired manga from this early, because it came out around the time that DB was doing its timeskip, while later and more internationally successful DB-likes such as Naruto were drawing on that manga's legacy after DBZ.)
(Side note—it's interesting to see a DB-inspired manga from this early, because it came out around the time that DB was doing its timeskip, while later and more internationally successful DB-likes such as Naruto were drawing on that manga's legacy after DBZ.)
November 23, 2022
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai was the first anime I have ever watched. I was about 5 to 6 years old. The anime was one of those like Knights of the Zodiac that, for some reason, became gigantic in Latin America, even though they were not as successful in other markets.
The adventures of "Fly," as he is named in Latin America, are enjoyable, but the manga art style and narrative are entirely outdated by now. I would not recommend this manga if not for the nostalgic feeling of those who loved the anime.
Sorry "Fly," but you're only taking three stars. :(
The adventures of "Fly," as he is named in Latin America, are enjoyable, but the manga art style and narrative are entirely outdated by now. I would not recommend this manga if not for the nostalgic feeling of those who loved the anime.
Sorry "Fly," but you're only taking three stars. :(
January 28, 2023
In the midst of the Pokémon craze in America in the early to mid 2000’s I found a game for the GameBoy called Dragon Warrior Monsters. I was obsessed and it pretty much took over my whole middle school years. I didn’t know that it had its origins in Japan as Dragon Quest Monsters and when I saw this manga I just had to try simply based on my love for the video game series. I was very pleasantly surprised! Great for people of all ages and seeing some of the monsters from the game I loved as a kid was a blast from the past. Highly recommended as a palate cleanser from more serious fare.
April 23, 2024
This action packed story has a character at it's center, Dai, with a heart of gold. A human boy living among creatures on an island without any powers of his own until he ends up being a hero to a Princess who comes to the island with a bunch of rabble-rousers.
As the adventures continue and he helps the Princess, he must also fight back against the lord/minion who appears.
I like that the volume includes a few color chapters along the way with some epic battles that take place and the merry band of creatures on the island itself.
As the adventures continue and he helps the Princess, he must also fight back against the lord/minion who appears.
I like that the volume includes a few color chapters along the way with some epic battles that take place and the merry band of creatures on the island itself.
September 9, 2023
I'm a fan of the DQ video games and I know there is a video game coming out based on this manga so I wanted to read it The manga is about a young boy who lives on an island filled with monsters from the series. A "hero" comes to the island and wreaks havoc, and Dai tries to defend his friends. But after that situation resolves, it becomes much more grave. Admittedly, this book had a LOT of action, but I enjoyed the plot and may buy the game and possibly continue reading the manga as well.
March 22, 2024
If you're a fan of Akira Toriyama's IP and works, you'll love this. All the wonderful monsters he has created make appearances. It's fun all the way through but isn't one-dimensional.
I'm glad I bought the entire adventure of Dai series. This week be a very fun one to work through.
This is very much a "set the stage for something bigger" type book. I can't wait to see what the "bigger" is.
Highly recommend.
I'm glad I bought the entire adventure of Dai series. This week be a very fun one to work through.
This is very much a "set the stage for something bigger" type book. I can't wait to see what the "bigger" is.
Highly recommend.
July 1, 2022
I’m a big Dragon Quest fan, so a DQ-themed manga seemed like a lot of fun. Fortunately for me, it was. Dragon Quest has this uncanny ability to take tropes and common plots and retell them in a way that feels warm and nostalgic rather than tired and played out. I do not understand the magic; I simply enjoy it.
January 30, 2023
Despite not knowing much about the Dragon Quest franchise going in I was still able to enjoy myself. With a simple story, stunning artwork, over the top evil villains, and a protagonist with a heart of gold this volume sets us up for the adventure to come.
The release we received in English also comes with a few color pages sprinkled throughout and is very well put together.
The release we received in English also comes with a few color pages sprinkled throughout and is very well put together.
June 24, 2022
If you’re a fan of classic 90’s style manga,
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is a perfect new series for you to try.
The large trim size and colored chapters scattered throughout paired with a great story make it one ill be looking forward to reading with every new release
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is a perfect new series for you to try.
The large trim size and colored chapters scattered throughout paired with a great story make it one ill be looking forward to reading with every new release
January 31, 2023
It's pretty clear that this series was inspired by Dragon Ball, however it doesn't have the same level of charm to draw you in that Dragon Ball does, nor is the story as engaging.
February 16, 2023
It was a good book. I made a blog and it was kind of like this book.
November 25, 2023
3.5
Takes a few chapter to hit its stride, but it was lots of fun once it got going. I love Dragon Quest man
Takes a few chapter to hit its stride, but it was lots of fun once it got going. I love Dragon Quest man
July 5, 2024
Quyển này dịch ổn. In đẹp. 10đ
December 5, 2025
My son read these earlier this year and they're a real good time. Especially if you already love Dragon Quest.
November 30, 2023
I have 2 words for this book
AVAN STRASH!!!!!!!!!
AVAN STRASH!!!!!!!!!
June 30, 2023
Dai is the lone human inhabitant of Dermline Island, which has become a haven for monsters after the events of the original Dragon Quest series (which is summarized succinctly for any reader who may have missed out). Dai has befriended many of the monsters, who are mostly well-behaved wild creatures now. A few quests of adventurers find the island and try to make names for themselves or cash in on fortunes in monster bounties, but Dai thwarts them at every turn. Everything changes when a dark power reawakens and bends the creatures back into the murderous monsters they once were. A powerful hero saves Dai and the island, but even his substantial power may be no match for a reawakened Dark Lord.
Read the full review, and find more graphic novel reviews, at The Graphic Library.
Read the full review, and find more graphic novel reviews, at The Graphic Library.
February 8, 2022
Este manga es un tramposo, apela mucho a la nostalgia, ya que cuando estaba chiquita vi este anime (aún antes de saber que era anime) y quedé con la duda de cómo acababa...
La historia es bastante sencilla pero tiene mucho corazón.
Pop es mi personaje favorito y creo que es el personaje con el mayor crecimiento de todos.
Realmente es una joya re-descubierta, y vale muchísimo la pena.....
... Aun así, necesitamos otro final!!! Jaja
La historia es bastante sencilla pero tiene mucho corazón.
Pop es mi personaje favorito y creo que es el personaje con el mayor crecimiento de todos.
Realmente es una joya re-descubierta, y vale muchísimo la pena.....
... Aun así, necesitamos otro final!!! Jaja
January 1, 2021
A legendary series, just try to have a nostalgia and read the full story 🤣
July 1, 2022
Un manga che mi è capitato di trovare per caso al mercatino dell usato e che invece si è rivelato una bellissima scoperta!
Spero di riuscire a recuperare tutti i volumi
Spero di riuscire a recuperare tutti i volumi
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews