Dragonball vol 1 by akira toriyama

In a remote part of the world, Son Goku is living his life alone after his grandpa, Son Gohan, has passed away. One day, he gets a visit from the beautiful genius Bulma who has crafted a device to detect the legendary Dragon Balls which, once collected, will grant her a wish from the Dragon god, and her radar is telling her Goku is in possession of one! She manages to recruit Goku to be her bodyguard as she collects the rest of the Dragon Balls. The two set off and encounter episodic adventures and meet a colorful cast of characters. Then, Goku begins training under the legendary Turtle master, Muten Rōshi, where he first has a rivalry with fellow trainee Kuririn that buds into a friendship as the two compete in the Strongest Under The Heavens martial arts tournament.

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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.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: VIZ Media 
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
ISBN: 9781421555645 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, Humor, ​VIZ Media