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Before Akira Toriyama created the battle manga Dragon Ball that was adapted to an anime, he made the Dr. Slump gag manga, also adapted to an anime. The manga was very popular in Japan, so of course an anime adaptation was made.

Unlike Dragon Ball, which is an action-adventure anime with an overarching plot, Dr. Slump is an episodic comedy anime. So anything can happen in an episode. As a comedy, it doesn't fail to make me smile. Arale is likeable, and has catchphrases. Senbei is easily the funniest character in the show. He's a pervert, and he is in love with Arale's teacher Yamabuke. Akane, ... Peasuke and Taro are troublemakers, but are all likeable.

The art is the best thing about the show. The characters look similar to Dragon Ball characters and I've always admired the art style of Akira Toriyama's works. The animation is fine. The sound is above average. The music is lively and gets you in the mood. But when the characters talk, it sounds low quality for today's standard, probably because it's a very old anime. Senbei tends to shout a little too much, and characters tend to fall down in embarassment a lot of times.

From what I've seen, I've enjoyed it so far. The gags are funny and I like the art style. But the anime hasn't aged as well as Dragon Ball. Definitely a must-watch for Dragon Ball fans.