“If you’re 6 volumes in, you don’t need a review, right? You’re in at this point?
So what should I put here instead?
I guess I’ll put something for anyone who sees this pop up in their feed and is like, “Should I try manga, and if so, should I try Dragonball?”
And I would say an unequivocal Yes.
You should try manga, at least once, because it’s fun. It’s a little different, the sensibility is a little different from American comics, and it’s a cool experience.
You should try Dragonball because it’s just so much fun. It’s (so far) in no way serious, it’s a blast, it’s funny, it’s silly, and Goku is such an optimistic, innocent character that he’s a lot of fun to be around in the book. There’s ALWAYS something happening, it’s really never confusing, and if you like Dragonball, you might like manga. If you don’t, then I’d say you gave it a fair shake.
I think the only minor cautions I would give are that there is a pervy old man character as well as some non-modern things (one character is furious when he’s accused of being gay), and there’s some very tame sexualization of a character who’s maybe 16 or 17(?)
I’m going to chalk all of this up to a couple things:
1. The Times: This ran in the early-to-late 80’s. Most of this stuff would be the same, if not worse, in the U.S. at the time. Doesn’t mean it’s right, but I think it’s good to give grace to creators who might not do the same things today (if that grace is something you have in store. If it’s not, I would not suggest reading comics from before 2015 or so, it’ll mostly be an exercise in frustration for you).
2. I do think Japan has a different sensibility about age and sexuality. In fact, just a month or so ago, Japan changed the age of consent from 13 to 16. I guess…all I have to say about this sensibility is that when we talk about other cultures and not bulldozing them with ours, there’s good and bad about it. In Dragonball, this sexuality is pretty tame, in my opinion, and played mostly as a contrast between the extremely innocent Goku and the pervy turtle man, but every reader’s mileage will vary. If this is a point of sensitivity for you, skip it, because it’ll ruin the fun, and if this book isn’t fun, it’s not something you should make time for.
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