Forum Settings
Forums
New
Aug 27, 2017 1:29 PM
#1
Offline
Aug 2017
3
I'm asking exactly how come the series that really launched Toriyama Akira's career & gave him the opportunity to create Dragon Ball is now I feel one of Weekly Shonen Jump's most obscure series in America. I myself know nothing about it except that the main character Arale Norimaki is an android built by Professor Senbei Norimaki for whatever reason & that their home is called Penguin Village with the plot assumedly being Arale learning about life & controlling her powers. If I'm wrong about that or anything I say in this forum,please don't hesitate to correct me. I'm not saying Dr. Slump deserves Dragon Ball's popularity,but give credit where credit is due you know? You're probably wondering why I'm getting bent out of shape about this,so I'll tell you why:I'm a sucker for origins when delving into famous pop culture,so if history says Dr. Slump gave Dragon Ball its start,then of course I want to experience the former as much as I can & will the latter. I just feel like Arale being in Dragon Ball from time to time isn't enough,& I also get the feeling any hardcore Toriyama fan will agree with me. Maybe one day Dr. Slump will make a comeback like Dragon Ball has with Super & we'll be able to enjoy more of it & not just the filmography & manga. As I said earlier,I'd like at least 1 person's feedback on what I've had to say about all of this to let me know whether or not anyone out there feels how I do about Arale's legacy. Please and thank you!
Aug 27, 2017 7:31 PM
#2

Offline
Aug 2017
128
Well I don't know the rules about linking for fansubs but my group is currently working on the original Dr. Slump series from 1981 if you're interested look at my profile for a link, our group is shiteatersubs. We're on episode 059 of 243.

I've been a fan of Dragon Ball since 1996. When I heard about Dr. Slump back in the late 90s I did everything I could to find out more about it and today I am in love with the show and hold it in higher regard than I do Dragon Ball. The thing about Dr. Slump that may turn off Americans who are looking for more Dragon Ball is that it's a comedy series first and an action series second. If you enjoyed the comedy of Dragon Ball and wished there were more panty jokes then you'll love Dr. Slump because that weird sense of humor is amped up to 11. If you watched Dragon Ball and wished it was less silly and more serious, then you're (probably) not gonna like Dr. Slump.

That said, watching Dr. Slump through, you'll be amazed at how much story material Toriyama recycled from Slump for Dragon Ball and for all of his other works. Watching it gives major insight into the world Dragon Ball occurs in because Dr. Slump builds that world and focuses on it in ways that Dragon Ball never does.

Lastly, the show is about Arale learning about life, not necessarily learning about her powers (she doesn't give a shit about that), but it's also about tons of other characters that live in the world around her. To give you an idea, think about when South Park or the Simpsons have episodes that focus on a non-main character like Milhouse or Butters. Well, almost every episode of Dr. Slump is like that. Arale and Senbei may be the main characters, but there are plenty of episodes about Akane, Suppaman and Old Lady Spring and so on. I highly recommend Dr. Slump, but then again I'm a long time advocate for the show. The Japanese love this show and it was a huge hit in its time for a reason, because it's really fucking good.
Aug 28, 2017 6:12 AM
#3

Offline
Dec 2015
6449
Dr.SLUMP doesn't "deserve" DB's popularity since it is already very popular. The first TV anime is probably to this day still the Shônen JUMP adaptation who enjoyed the highest audience rate.

If you liked the early chapters of Dragon Ball (up to the first Tenkaichi Budoka in the series), you will like Dr.SLUMP. It also has a strong tendency to feature competitions for anything (those chapters were quite popular, that's why Toriyama came up with the Budokai in DB to raise the low popularity of his new series).
You could try to read the manga, it might be even funnier than the 80s TV show thanks to the lesser repetition of the gags and the comicbooks ones.

PS: if ou're really after DB's origins, I advise you to read the short manga written by Toriyama during SLUMP serialization and after (but before DB). A big deal of DB's ingredients were made there

@sebubibinman Of course, sorry if you thought this meant the animated series was bad. Plus since I never understood the "more fleshed out" advantage that all those long things have over the rest, you are certainly right.
(Nice sex joke, very fitting for this kind of series. XD)
Rei_IIIAug 28, 2017 11:22 AM
Aug 28, 2017 10:58 AM
#4

Offline
Aug 2017
128
@Rei366
"You should try to read the manga, it's even funnier than the 80s TV show."

Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man...

I've went through both and there's no way a more fleshed out version of the manga is less funny. It's like saying "You know, I really like sex, but jerking off is better."
sebubibinmanAug 28, 2017 11:04 AM

More topics from this board

Poll: » Dr. Slump Chapter 236 Discussion

linkjoker - Dec 3, 2016

5 by nidoqueen106_2 »»
Mar 8, 12:37 PM

Poll: » Dr. Slump Chapter 211 Discussion

Aikon83 - Dec 20, 2023

0 by Aikon83 »»
Dec 20, 2023 1:59 PM

Poll: » Dr. Slump Chapter 195 Discussion

Aikon83 - Oct 18, 2023

0 by Aikon83 »»
Oct 18, 2023 12:47 PM

Poll: » Dr. Slump Chapter 172 Discussion

Aikon83 - Oct 2, 2023

0 by Aikon83 »»
Oct 2, 2023 11:26 AM

Poll: » Dr. Slump Chapter 6 Discussion

ukonkivi - Oct 7, 2009

3 by Saiko-sensei »»
Sep 18, 2023 5:10 AM
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login