Dragon Ball, Vol. 1: The Monkey King: Volume 1 Paperback – Illustrated, 6 Oct. 2008

Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga by Akira Toriyama. Released for American audiences by Viz Media, it is a story that does not lose its credit when read by an English audience, or indeed any culture. Its main story, while simple and easily followable, has a hidden message of good morals, strong heart, and determination to achieve beyond the best of your abilities. Whether that was intentional or not, it definitely comes across in the character of Son Goku, main protagonist of the series.The artwork of Akira Toriyama is simple yet beautiful, and very appealing.Dragon Ball volume 1 is just the beginning of what will become an epic journey for Goku and his friends, but it is a fine start to the series. It introduces some of the main characters well, particularly the character of Yamcha, who is at his best at this stage of the manga, and later becomes a bit of a useless character. We are introduced to Goku and Bulma, who are both the main protagonists at this stage of the manga, and the relationship developed between the two is well done. Other main character introductions in volume 1 include Kame-Sen'nin (Master Roshi), Oolong, Pu'ar, the Ox-King and Chi-Chi.Filled with genuinely funny humour and good action, Dragon Ball deserves its place as the most popular manga in the world, and volume 1 is a fine introduction to the series.Chapters included in volume 1 are:001. Bloomers and the Monkey King002. No Balls!003. Sea Monkeys004. They Call Him... the Turtle Hermit005. Oo! Oo! Oolong!006. So Long, Oolong!007. Yamcha and Pu'ar008. One, Two, Yamcha-cha!009. Dragon Balls in Danger!!010. Onward to Fry-Pan...011. ... And Into the Fire!Although translated from Japanese to English, Viz Media keep the manga in its original format, meaning it is read from right to left as it would be in the Japanese version, rather than left to right as most English literature would be. Keeping it in a right-to-left format prevents the publisher from having to flip the images, which can ruin carefully chosen artistic angles, and ruin Japanese symbols that may still be present in the artwork, such as on characters' clothing.If you're a fan of the anime, I would definitely recommend this to you. No filler, just the original story that can be viewed at your own leisurely pace. A fantastic story, where the success of the anime originated from.

This was my first introduction to the original Dragon Ball story having been a fan of Dragon Ball Z Cartoon. I am glad that I chose to delve into the Manga as it is a delight. The wit is irreverent, the stories are compelling and the art is frenetic and drives things forward nicely. Truly a master at work and easy to see why this has become one of the foundations of modern Manga. It is also accessible to gaijin audiences like me who have only a cursory understanding of the form and culture.

OH MY GOD!!! This is brilliant! The original adventures of Son Goku and his friends!I couldn't wait when I bought this as I was really excited when I found it and I was able to read Dragon Ball in it's original form (not cut!). The drawings are really nicely done and the translating has been done really well.Anyway, it starts off with Son Goku as a chibi (kid) fishing out in the wilderness when suddenly, he is hit by a car! It turns out it is a sixteen year old Bulma. After some *interesting* meetings Goku takes her back to his house where she finds the Dragon Ball she has been looking for.Bulma explains to Son Goku what they are and he decides to help find the rest of the Dragon Balls as long as she doesn't touch his. It leads up to quiet an adventure filled with fun, humour and excitment!If you buy this, by it as a pair with the second manga as you'll be desperate to find out what happens!*WARNING!* Parents, if you want to buy this for you're kids because they like Dragon Ball/Z/GT on the TV be warned! It has slight nudity of Goku and Bulma and their is some adult references and jokes in it!Just thought I'd point that out...but if you are sixteen, like me! Or really above thirteen and a Dragon Ball fan...buy this now!

Lovely thoughtful gift for db fans

I’m gonna say Dragon Ball was the first comic I ever came across in my life - that’s probably wrong but it’s definitely the earliest one I can remember. The copies I had were in Japanese as I lived briefly in Japan as a kid so I couldn’t read them but I still remember paging through them, back to front of course, trying to figure out from the characters’ faces and body language what was happening in the scenes and making up my own dialogue.Later on I saw a few episodes of the TV show, then even later I saw a bit of the awful American Dragon Ball film (I changed the channel after about 20 minutes - it was unwatchable). But while I was aware of Dragon Ball as this massive franchise, I’d never actually read a Dragon Ball comic - until this week when I decided to remedy that and pick up the very first book. And it was really good - totally worth rediscovering the comic with words I could actually read!Dragon Ball is based on the classic 16th century Chinese novel, Journey to the West, and Son Goku’s character is inspired by the novel’s protagonist Sun Wukong aka the Monkey King. In this first book (also subtitled The Monkey King) we’re introduced to Son Goku, a young boy who lives alone with his “grandpa” (a Dragon Ball) practicing martial arts in the wild, and living off the land. He’s not lonely, he’s a happy-go-lucky kid… who also has a monkey tail!Then a teenage girl called Bulma crosses his path - she’s looking for the seven mystical Dragon Balls on her summer holiday from school. The legend goes that if you put all seven balls together, the Dragon God will appear and grant you one wish. Together, Son Goku and Bulma set out to collect all of the Dragon Balls and have adventures along the way!Dragon Ball is the first place to start if you want to go from the beginning of this saga - Dragon Ball Z is the second phase of the series where the hero, Son Goku, has grown up. Son Goku, by the way, is one of my favourite comic book characters ever! I love his innocence coupled with his good heart and spirit, and he can kick ass like nobody’s business. And I know it’s way in the future but shooting fireballs from his hands, flying, going super-saiyan… forget Superman, this guy is AWESOME!It’s easy to see why Akira Toriyama’s series was such a success. The loose framework of the plot allows him to create anything he wants - in a world where capsules can become cars and houses, and magical wishes, mystical dragon balls, and an unstoppable fighting machine kid with a tail are all real? Game on then, because there are no limits! The world of Dragon Ball is so deliriously wonderful and crazy, how can you not fall in love with it? At one point a flying cloud appears that only allows the pure of heart to fly on it (only Goku is able to) and then a dinosaur randomly stumbles into the comic! Amazing.However, I was surprised with how unexpectedly pervy this book turned out to be! Bulma tries to sway Goku into giving her his Dragon Ball by flashing her underwear but Goku’s too innocent and doesn’t understand “girl parts” or things like sex. Bulma does the same thing later on with Kame-Sennin, the Turtle Hermit, to get his Dragon Ball, and later on when they encounter the shapeshifting pig Oolong, the character - true to his nature - ends up drugging her so he can attempt to rape her!! Bulma’s no great female role model either, dressing up as a Playboy bunny (just because) and using her looks at every opportunity to get ahead. I assume there are “kid friendly” versions of Dragon Ball with those scenes edited out because that stuff is just disappointing to see in a book so many kids will read.That was the only low point though - everything else from the art to the writing to the storytelling is absolutely delightful. Dragon Ball Volume 1 is thoroughly enjoyable with a great sense of humour and high level of invention. This first book is really excellent and only whets the appetite for more Son Goku and his mysterious world, and I definitely don’t intend to wait decades until picking up the next one either!