Dr. Slump is in America!

I know I have mentioned before that I was once an exchange student in Japan. I know I have repeated so many times that everyone groans when I start a post that way. But please, KEEP READING!

I was at the train station in Isahaya, headed for Nagasaki on looking for something to read. There, on the kiosk was a stack of Shonen Jump books and I bought Dr. Slump #8. I became a fan of Akira Toriyama instantly. It was childish and silly, and I loved it! Before I left Japan, I had collected the entire 18 volume Dr. Slump Set and the first couple or five Dragon Ball collections.

When Viz Comics first began publishing Dragon Ball here, I wrote them monthly asking for a translation of Dr. Slump. For years, I've been waiting, now its HERE!

I just finished reading Volume 1. The first few volumes weren't my favorites, and I don't think the strip hit its stride until Senbei married Yamabuki Sensei late in the run. (Sorry for the spoiler.) The translation is pretty good, although the kids use modern slang, which threw me for a while. Some of the jokes don't translate well, but that's to be expected. And, the series was aimed at teen boys, so there's lots of "poop" humor, not that there's anything wrong with that. If you get a chance, check it out.