Creative Staff
Story/Art: Akira Toriyama/Toyotarou
Translation/Adaptation: Toshikazu Aizawa
What They Say:
Goku’s adventure from the best-selling classic manga Dragon Ball continues in this new series written by Akira Toriyama himself!
Ever since Goku became Earth’s greatest hero and gathered the seven Dragon Balls to defeat the evil Boo, his life on Earth has grown a little dull. But new threats loom overhead, and Goku and his friends will have to defend the planet once again in this continuation of Akira Toriyama’s best-selling series, Dragon Ball!
Having defeated Boo, Goku is starting to get bored with his life on Earth. His wife, Chi-chi, wants him to get a job, but all he wants to do is train and fight stronger enemies. Elsewhere in the universe, the God of Destruction, Beerus, and his attendant Whis are traveling from planet to planet in search of food and entertainment. After blowing up some hapless victims, Beerus is reminded of a man from his dreams with the moniker “Super Saiyan God,” or something like that… The God of Destruction sets his sights on Earth to track down this mysterious man! Maybe this will give Goku something to do?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The manga adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s newest addition to the Dragonball universe is finally on US shores! With the movies and new animated series chugging along in their production it was only a matter of time before the manga adaptation made the jump, and to me this is THE way to enjoy the newest adventures of Goku and friends. This comes with a few caveats however, mainly that the manga will assume that the reader has at least seen the newest feature length films Resurrection F and Battle of Gods. I say this due to volume one of the Dragonball Super manga giving only a few sentences to the former and about 70 pages to the latter before jumping into the meat and potatoes of the actual series. For fans who have already seen the films, it’s a welcome plot direction, but to those who haven’t I would highly recommend they do so considering the vast changes to the power scale the universe experiences.
With that warning aside, let me say that this is Dragonball Super the way it should be enjoyed, if only for the art alone. Toyotarou, the artist employed here, does an excellent job illustrating the action-packed universe of Akira Toriyama’s Dragonball Super in a way that the animated series has simply lacked. This has been a controversial talking point for the series as any google search will tell you, and when Toyotarou rectifies strongly here. What’s most notable is the quality of all the facial expressions utilized in the manga adaptation, each character’s personality really gets the opportunity to shine under Toyotarou’s skilled hand. The clean lines and care used in the art is also welcome in the action sequences of volume one, of which there are plenty given its expedient run to the universal tournament arc.
Story-wise this is where volume one starts digging in its heels. Thanks to a cup of Earth’s finest instant ramen, Goku, Vegeta, and the Z Fighters are once again entangled in a battle for the fate of their home. A tournament held by the siblings of destruction pits select combatants from universes 6 and 7 against each other to see which god will own them: if Champa wins he controls universe 7 instead of 6, and if Beerus wins…nothing happens? Known for his impulsivity and short temper (he is a cat after all…) Beerus agrees to this tournament simply for bragging rights over his brother. Once all the fighters have been selected and the giant dragonballs assembled as part of the décor/prize; it’s time to throwdown!
Goku is up first of course, and he shines in demonstrating perhaps the only thing in the universe he is any good at, combat. Refreshing here is the type of combat at play, reminiscent of World Tournaments past, much more cunning and strategy is involved in carving out a win rather than just being the strongest fighter around. Luckily, Goku has vast experience in both realms and puts it on show against his first opponent, Botamo. Simply throwing his opponent out of the ring leaves Goku with plenty of energy for his next opponent, one who looks awfully familiar…
In Summary
Easily the best way to enjoy the series, Dragonball Super Volume One boasts the best art of the series by far outside the feature length films it has expected you to see already. Comedic as it is action packed, the endless bickering of Universe 7’s resident Saiyans is an enjoyable return to Toriyama’s original intention for the series. With the fate of their whole universe resting on five rounds of World Tournament style combat, Goku and the gang have their work cut out for them. No pressure of course, right?
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: May 2, 2017
MSRP: $9.99 USD