Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get into Dragon Ball, like, really get into it. Everyone talks about it, and I felt like I was missing out. I knew there was a manga, and I figured, “Why not start there?” So, here’s how my little adventure of reading the Dragon Ball manga went down.
Figuring Out Where to Start
First things first, I had to figure out where to even begin. I mean, there’s Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super… it’s a lot! I did some quick searching and found out that the original Dragon Ball manga is where it all starts. That seemed like a good place for a newbie like me.
Finding the Manga
Next up, I needed to actually find the thing. I thought about just download it, you know. There are so many options now, it’s crazy!
Getting Down to Reading
Finally, I chose Viz’s Shonen Jump, I started reading! And let me tell you, it was a bit of a shock at first. I’m used to reading left-to-right, like normal books. But manga reads right-to-left! It took a little getting used to, flipping the pages “backwards” and reading the panels in the opposite order. My brain felt like it was doing gymnastics.
- Right-to-Left: This was the biggest hurdle. I kept accidentally skipping ahead. I found that physically pointing at each panel as I read helped me keep track of the order.
- Sound Effects: There are a lot of Japanese sound effects written in the panels. Sometimes they’re translated, sometimes not. I found myself Googling a few to get a better sense of what was going on. It added to the fun, actually!
- The Art Style: Akira Toriyama’s art style is pretty unique. It’s very dynamic and expressive. It took a few chapters to fully appreciate it, but once I did, I was hooked.
My Overall Experience
Honestly, reading the Dragon Ball manga has been a blast. It’s funny, action-packed, and just plain fun. Getting used to the right-to-left reading was a bit tricky, but totally worth it. I’m definitely going to keep reading and see where Goku’s adventures take him! If you’re thinking about getting into Dragon Ball, I totally recommend starting with the manga. Just be prepared to flip your reading habits around!