The facts:
Title: Dragonball
Author and artist: Akira Toriyama
First published in Japan by Shueisha Inc., Tokyo on December 3rd, 1984
3 series: Dragonball (16 books), Dragonball Z (26 books), Dragonball Super (16 books and continuing)
Plot summary:
Dragonball follows the story of a young boy named Son Goku on his journey to becoming the strongest fighter in the universe. Throughout the story Goku finds the dragon balls: glass balls that contain a star and when all seven are brought together a mighty dragon named Shenlong comes fourth and will grant whoever brought the dragon balls together a wish.
Graphics:
I would rate the Dragonball graphics a 8/10. They are clean and very clear to understand, however throughout the series the fight scenes can get a bit boring because it is like 10 pages of grunting and kicks. The upside is I consume those parts quickly, which is probably the pace the author intended.
Context in the Manga Universe:
Dragon ball has a massive throne in the Manga Universe being crowned the father of the Shonen genre being the first series to really kick off Shonen Jump’s (current publisher) transfer from more sport orientated manga and towards more adventurous fantasy manga.
What I like most:
I like that the Son Goku never gives up on his friends and would go the end of the world to protect his friends and innocent citizens. I also think that it is cool that he doesn’t kill all his enemies preferring to keep them alive so that they can grow stronger and come back and fight him again. He welcomes the challenge of defeating evil again and again.
plot impact after marriage.
Recommended for age:
The recommendation for this book series is 10+ but I would say children aged 12+. It is important for people to know that at the beginning of the first Dragonball series, Bulma repeatedly shows her private parts to get things she wants or needs and at some points she is even shirtless. This does provide an opportunity to discuss these issues. Thankfully, this wasn’t a continued story device after book 9 in the first series, where the books become more martial arts focused.
Interesting fact:
An interesting fact is that Sonic the hedgehog was inspired by Dragonball.
How to explain it to your parents/teacher:
Dragon Ball is a riveting tale of a young boy having grown up in isolation in the mountains and develops friendships with people that push him to become the best person he could be while undertaking a quest to collect the 7 Dragon Balls
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Film/Tv crossover:
There is a tv series for each series of books.
Since 1986, there have been 24 films, including twenty-one anime films produced by Toei Animation, two unofficial films and one official live-action film.
As of 2022 there are over 40 different Dragonball gaming titles across a number of platforms.
In Bibliography:
Toriyama, A. 2022, ‘Dragonball Super Volume 1’, Viz [image] Available https://www.viz.com/read/manga/dragon-ball-super-volume-1/product/5125, Accessed 8 October 2022.
Toriyama, A. 2022, ‘Dragonball Volume 1’, Viz [image] Available https://www.viz.com/read/manga/dragon-ball-volume-1/product/104, Accessed 8 October 2022.
Toriyama, A. 2022, ‘Dragonball Z Volume 1’, Viz [image] Available https://www.viz.com/read/manga/dragon-ball-z-volume-1/product/118, Accessed 8 October 2022.
AM-ZONE 