Manga Review: Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha by Dragongarow LEE and Akira Toriyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

One Dragon Ball fan's dream of being reincarnated in the Dragon Ball world turns into a nightmare when he's actually reborn as everyone's favorite punching bag.

A Dragon Ball fan’s greatest dream is getting to live in the Dragon Ball universe and fight alongside Goku and his friends! But one particular fan is in for a rude awakening when he suddenly dies and gets reincarnated as everyone’s favorite punching bag, Yamcha!

A Japanese high school student is on his way to a Dragon Ball event and makes a detour to hit on a cute girl. Unfortunately, he meets with an unfortunate and fatal accident before he reaches her and, to his great surprise, wakes up in the Dragon Ball universe as Yamcha! Being a Dragon Ball fan, he knows exactly what misery awaits him as Yamcha, so he takes matters into his own hands and vows to make Yamcha the strongest Dragon Ball character ever!

Review:

A normal school boy in Japan, when running to get a better view of a schoolgirl, falls down some stairs, and wakes up as Yamcha in Dragon Ball. It's a fanboys dream, and he gets into some crazy antics while in that world. He goes back to Earth with a new perspective, kind of.

As a mediocre fan of Dragon Ball, this wasn't really the book for me. I barely know any of the characters, and given that this guy is a fanboy from the start, he's excited to jump in and see the characters he loves and live as Yamcha as he knows he is. I didn't really follow much, but I don't have much history with the series.

For an avid fan, I'm sure this is a really fun volume, though; an easy, funny, fanfic kind of story. Not for me, though.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Dragon Ball Super, Volume 3, by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2018

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

 Goku’s adventure from the best-selling classic manga Dragon Ball continues in this new series written by Akira Toriyama himself!

Ever since Goku became Earth’s greatest hero and gathered the seven Dragon Balls to defeat the evil Boo, his life on Earth has grown a little dull. But new threats loom overhead, and Goku and his friends will have to defend the planet once again in this continuation of Akira Toriyama’s best-selling series, Dragon Ball!

With the Universe 6 and 7 Invitational Fighting Tournament over, Goku and his friends return to their normal lives. That is, until Future Trunks suddenly appears to warn everyone of a new threat—Goku Black, a mysterious warrior who looks like Goku but isn’t him! He’s a monster who has wiped out most of Earth and all of the Gods of Destruction and Lords of Lords from all twelve universes. Who is this mysterious man, and will Goku and his friends be able to stop him?!

Review:

Just as the group thinks things are calming down, Future Trunks arrives to warn everyone of a Black Goku showing up, who is on a mission of killing all the Lords and Gods. This is interrupted briefly when Goku is summoned to see Zeno-sama, who I actually quite like. He's a quirky character, and probably my favorite part of the volume. The rest involves Vegeta and Goku fighting, intermixed with Zamas revealing his plan and scheming/fighting.

I don't know if this was too busy or too serious, but it was just okay for me. I don't know the characters that well, though, and am only half-heartedly following the story. It was okay.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Dragon Ball Super, Volume 1, by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5-3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2017

Volumes: 3+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goku’s adventure from the best-selling classic manga Dragon Ball continues in this new series written by Akira Toriyama himself!

Ever since Goku became Earth’s greatest hero and gathered the seven Dragon Balls to defeat the evil Boo, his life on Earth has grown a little dull. But new threats loom overhead, and Goku and his friends will have to defend the planet once again in this continuation of Akira Toriyama’s best-selling series, Dragon Ball!

Having defeated Boo, Goku is starting to get bored with his life on Earth. His wife, Chi-chi, wants him to get a job, but all he wants to do is train and fight stronger enemies. Elsewhere in the universe, the God of Destruction, Beerus, and his attendant Whis are traveling from planet to planet in search of food and entertainment. After blowing up some hapless victims, Beerus is reminded of a man from his dreams with the moniker “Super Saiyan God,” or something like that... The God of Destruction sets his sights on Earth to track down this mysterious man! Maybe this will give Goku something to do?

Review:

This series is drawn by someone else, and while it's very similar, you can kind of tell. Although some of the fight scenes actually seem a little easier to follow.

While I didn't read all of the original series, I do think that one is better. This series is even more childish, and it's really emphasizing how dumb Goku is.

In this series, we find out that there are even more universes than they realized, and there are gods of destruction over each. Beerus rules over their universe 7, and his twin brother Champa rules over universe 6, and they're constantly competing. They decide to throw their best five warriors together, and whoever wins, gets Earth in their universe. Because I guess Earth has the best food and they both want it.

There's a lot of training, and competing, and in the latter half of the volume the competition starts and we see Goku fighting a couple of the universe 6 people. We do get a cameo of Jaco, which I appreciate, and his king, and Lord Zuno, who knows everything about everything. There are a couple of funny moments throughout, and I really don't mind this series. It's not quite as good as the previous one, but they're easy reads regardless.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Dragon Ball Full Color Freeza Arc, Volume 3, by Akira Toriyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2016

Volumes: 8.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Gohan and Kuririn, forced to team up with Vegeta, stand their ground against the Ginyu Force while Goku tries to get his body back. Gohan and Kuririn must now use the seven Dragon Balls of Namek to summon the mighty Dragon Lord, who can grant any three wishes. What will they wish for?

Review:

Son Goku finally shows up, and he might be a super saiyan now! Only, maybe not, because he gets rather beat up, and he also is apparently not evil enough? He's almost invincible, but not quite. I guess.

The group is still on planet Namek, and they're still trying to collect and keep the dragon balls, and then figure out how to use them correctly. We do finally get to see the dragon balls used, though they're interrupted from their final wish—which, thank god, because they were going to be super dumb about it.

Then we see the start of a showdown with Freeza, in which we get to see his final form.

Oh man, this series is so cheesy. The “I am invincible!” “No, I am!” is so ridiculous. It can definitely be enjoyable at times, and is aimed at the right age group for it. Pretty easy to read, though.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Dragon Ball Full Color Freeza Arc, Volume 2, by Akira Toriyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2016

Volumes: 8.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

After years of training and adventure, Goku has become Earth's ultimate warrior. And his son, Gohan, shows even greater promise. But the stakes are increasing as even deadlier enemies threaten the planet. Now experience this legendary manga classic in full color!

Gohan and Kuririn struggle to keep the last Dragon Ball from falling into Freeza and Vegeta’s possession, but how will they fare against Freeza’s Ginyu Force—a group of five of the strongest fighters in the galaxy? If they want to survive, they may have to do the unthinkable and team up with Vegeta!

Review:

The fight on Namek continues. The two kids continue to sneak around and try to collect the dragon balls while Vegeta is getting closer, and then they all end up against Freeza’s men. They give a good fight, but they’re really getting the crap beaten out of them. It’s good that Goku shows up when he does.

While these books aren’t too bad to read, they really aren’t my favorite. It’s just not my normal kind of book. But they are easy to read, and I really don’t mind them. This one was a bit slower than the others I’ve read, I think.

I am intrigued to see what Goku does in the next one, what all his training has led to.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Dragon Ball Full Color Freeza Arc, Volume 1, by Akira Toriyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3
Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Spoilers?: No.
Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.
Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Akira Toriyama's original, bestselling series now in a full-color version!


After his epic battle with Vegeta, Son Goku must obtain the wish-granting Dragon Balls in order to resurrect their fallen allies! Their search will take them all the way to the planet Namek, where the evil Freeza and his minions are slaughtering the Namekians in order to fulfill Freeza’s wish for immortality. What will it take to defeat this great evil?

Review:

Since I’m not a normal reader of the Dragon Ball books nor do I watch the show, this was a little slow to start for me. I don’t really have any background for the characters or the storyline—I’ve really only read the one book. But it’s a pretty simple story to follow.
It’s surprisingly brutal, with a lot of character deaths happening, a lot of fighting, only most of it brushed off and eased over. But it is a story based on fighting, so I’m not surprised by that part.
Vegeta, Son Goku and Kuririn, and Freeza and his men, are all invading planet Namek to find the dragon balls and to stop each other from finding them all. Son Goku and Kuririn stay in the background mostly, out of the fighting because they know they’re weaker and they are waiting for backup, a.k.a. Goku. Vegeta and Freeza’s group are the ones doing most of the fighting and most of the killing. As we reached the end of the volume, Vegeta is fighting and Goku has almost reached the planet.
This is still a surprisingly fun read. I’m not the audience it’s aimed at, and I have barely read any of the books. But it’s still fun to read, easy to follow, a bit childish but in a good and purposeful way. It’s fun and I can see the appeal.


A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Jaco the Galactic Patrolman by Akira Toriyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2015

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Akira Toriyama, manga legend and creator of Dragon Ball Z, is back with the quirky comedy Jaco the Galactic Patrolman! Retired scientist Omori lives alone on a deserted island while continuing his research into time-travel. His quiet life is interrupted when galactic patrolman Jaco crash-lands and decided to move in with him. Can Jaco get along with the old man long enough to save the earth from a dangerous threat? Includes a special bonus chapter introducing Dragon Ball Z hero Goku's parents!

Review:

I don’t read many books like this, and I’ve only read one other book in the Dragon Ball series. And so I am again surprised by how much fun this book was.

This is an All Ages book, with a more childish exaggerated humor, made for kids, cheesy. It’s that way on purpose, and it does it excellently.

This book stars Jaco, a galactic patrolman who crash lands on Earth. He’s a little full of himself, klutzy, offhandedly stating he could destroy Earth with one button, not sure if humans are worth saving. He’s quite fun to watch, honestly.

He meets an old man who is trying to make a time machine. He meets a rich girl who wants some adventure. They go on a couple crazy adventures together.

It’s cheesy, it’s fast, it’s quite funny. I’m surprised by how much I liked reading this, and am honestly now debating on  watching or reading Toriyama’s other books. This was fun, and I kind of want more.

I also want to note that there’s some mentions of the beginning of the Dragon Ball series, including a little prequel chapter. I understood their significance, I think, but I’m sure it would mean more to people who have actually read or watched the series, as I have not.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!