Dragon Ball #1

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• 8.0

  The Graphic Library - Sara Campbell

  Mar 25, 2024

  The beginning of the Dragonball universe is not at all the fighting series that became enshrined in pop culture. This story is whimsical and clearly made week-to-week. The first two parts of the 3-in-1 serve more like a prologue to the rest of the story, and it feels like the real adventure doesn’t begin until Goku starts his training with Muten Rōshi. This series also has a lot of bawdy humor with lewd jokes, innuendos, and no shortage of lecherous old men.There are quite a few instances of nudity throughout - Goku is a small child and drawn without great detail when he drops trou, but Bulma is topless and pantsless a few times and is a fully developed (though still cartoony) young woman. The moments are all treated as punchlines, so audiences (and collection developers) should remember that culturally, because nudity is not shameful in Japan, the humorous effects hits differently than when the manga gets exported. Read Full Review