Rating: 
Summary: It misses the age boat
Review: I should really start this off by saying i am not offending any one who reads this book/series or any manga lovers out there.I bought this book September of 2002. It was when i was into all things dragonball and i had just found out about the censering that the series was undergone. I read what was censored on the internet but wanted to see for myself what i was missing. I now really wish I haddent. Back then (in 2002) I loved it. I read it 20 times and even ordered the 2nd book, but canceled because the other item i ordered with it was taking too long to arrive. It wasn't untill about a month ago that i first started to get out of it. My concience was taking over, and i realized it was too perverted for me. It made me feel guilty, kind of like sneaking into an R rated movie. I guess i could never be a guy (I am a girl) with all the perverted stuff they do everyday. I threw it up in the attic, where it will stay forever, untill, if i find it, then it will go into the trash. There is another element to my disliking of this book however. I don't think this work, for most americans at least, is ever in a comfortible age slot. (Japanese are different, they make this stuff and love it). The American Culture (of Entertainment i mean to say) of adults is generally not intrested in a story like this, it belongs to the 13 and below group. Yet in my personal opinion, I wouldn't let my kid that is below 15 read this (Yes i know, the 13 and up says differently, and people hear worse stuff than this in school). By that time however, most (I am 14) will be out of the whole adventure story. It won't intrest them. I realize the other 20 or so reviews disagree, but this is my review, and my opinion. Peace.
Rating: 
Summary: Dragonball by Akira Toryama - A Viz Graphic novel
Review: I would like to start off by saying that if you have ever heard of Dragonball or Dragonball Z, I want you to buy this book. A great read for all ages, Toryama's drawing style is great, and there is no shortage of laughs in the 184 pages. I was hooked at the first page, and have read the book about 3 times. The story chronicles the adventures of an amazingly strong boy named Goku, and a boy-crazy teenage girl called Bulma, who travel around the world in search of the 7 Dragonballs which, when found, grant the user any one wish. Once again, a must-read, for just about anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Very funny
Review: I'm going to start it off by saying this: Don't buy this because you watched and liked the Dragonball/DBZ episodes you saw on Cartoon Network. Instead buy it because Toriyama's art and writing are great. It's a solid retelling of the myth of the monkey king, Goku, and his journey to please the great dragon Shenlong, with some changes and comedy thrown in. The fluid art keeps one reading, despite the unfamiliarity with the format (the book and its panels all go from right to left). I suggest picking this up. Get this manga, then get the others. They blow the anime out of the water if you can read, and if you can't, then just look at the pictures, because those are good too.
Rating:
Summary: Quality story, writing, and art
Review: I'm going to start it off by saying this: Don't buy this because you watched and liked the Dragonball/DBZ episodes you saw on Cartoon Network. Instead buy it because Toriyama's art and writing are great. It's a solid retelling of the myth of the monkey king, Goku, and his journey to please the great dragon Shenlong, with some changes and comedy thrown in. The fluid art keeps one reading, despite the unfamiliarity with the format (the book and its panels all go from right to left). I suggest picking this up. Get this manga, then get the others. They blow the anime out of the water if you can read, and if you can't, then just look at the pictures, because those are good too.
Rating:
Summary: How it all began
Review: If you love the DBZ series and wish to know more about how it all began, this is a book to get. The book tells you how they all met each other. It seems that the original DB is more comical than the DBZ series. The book contains minor sexist language, so it isn't a good idea to buy this, if you intend to purchase it for a very young audience. Other than that, it is better to read the manga than watching the MAJOR edited version of the DVD boxed-set. I am looking forward to obtaining the whole DB manga once all comes out. The book reads from back to front. Make sure that you are aware of that before reading it.
Rating:
Summary: How it all began
Review: If you love the DBZ series and wish to know more about how it all began, this is a book to get. The book tells you how they all met each other. It seems that the original DB is more comical than the DBZ series. The book contains minor sexist language, so it isn't a good idea to buy this, if you intend to purchase it for a very young audience. Other than that, it is better to read the manga than watching the MAJOR edited version of the DVD boxed-set. I am looking forward to obtaining the whole DB manga once all comes out. The book reads from back to front. Make sure that you are aware of that before reading it.
Rating:
Summary: The First And The Best
Review: Its a great book though it should start when Kakarote(Goku), first comes to earth. But anyway its a must read, you meat lots of the characters from the hit show Dragon Ball Z.At first Goku bumps into Bulma and she finds out how strong Goku really is. So Goku goes with Bulma to find the Dragon Balls and they run into Yamcha, Chi-Chi, Great Ox and lots more. But they don't find all the Dragon Balls so you really have to read volume two. Don't worry waiting for the second one it won't take long. Becuase from the time you open the book you'll be hooked and you'll want to read it over and over again, It's that great though they censered some great parts. I already Know what happened but you have to read it by yourself its so much better.
Rating:
Summary: Way better than DBZ on TV in the USA.
Review: Let me start by saying that I don't care that much that it's censored. Why? Because I've had to put up with all this pitiful and obnoxious American DBZ censoring--almost seeing Bulma naked is a welcome change. As for the book itself, it's top-notch, especially as translated manga goes; the dialogue is great, and the translators didn't seem to miss a beat when they tried to capture the feel of the original. The story starts very fast, and you're immediatly carried along for the ride; thrust into a quest for the Dragon Balls, with a moody, hot 16 year old girl, a shapeshifting pig who collects panties, a dashing highwayman, a monkey-tailed 14 year old kid with excellant Marshal Arts kills, and minions of other unique characters await, in this volume and beyond; you can see how the entire Dragon Ball saga managed to last so long (though I don't consider 75 episodes of fighting Cell counting as keeping the series "fresh"). The art, of course, is by Akira Toriyama, so you're in for a treat. Now, some people might not like this manga because it's laden with sick humor, usually involving panties; sophmoric, if you will, but, hey, I'm not even a freshman yet. Overall, it's just a well rounded beginning to an enjoyable narrtive. Trust me, after you start, you'll want to own all 42 volumes....
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty funny.
Review: More like 3 and a half stars. Even though I'm not that partial to manga anymore, I still find Dragonball to be pretty hilarious. Though it follows (sort of) the basic plot line of a lot of comics (several items, or pieces of an item, are scattered around the area/globe, and the main characters have to go look for them for some reason or another, and the books consist of what happens along the way...), some of the jokes and stuff were still pretty funny. The main character, Goku, was pretty hilarious the way he was sort of primitive from living in the woods... you can even see him peeing into the river in the background in some cases... it's pretty funny.
So although the books aren't so original, they're good entertainment and are worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: The beginning of a great series...
Review: This book is definetly the start of what has now become a well known series. The adventures of Goku and his friends to search for the legendary Dragonballs, show the road from childhood friendship to adulthood dillemas. If you are a fan of Dragonball Z, along with the millions of Americans, I suggest on reading this book. Getting a better understanding of what happened during Kakkarot's (Goku) childhood years will help you better understand the Dragonball Z series. Also after reading this book, I found it more entertaining to read then watch the T.V. series.
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