If you’re a Shonen Jump reader, I’m sure you have read Dragon Ball. And if you’ve subscribed to Weekly Shonen Jump within the last year, then I know you’ve been reading Dragon Ball. And if you haven’t, then what’s wrong with you?

Akira Toriyama’s world-famous manga Dragon Ball is one of the most popular, if not THE most popular, manga to ever run in Weekly Shonen Jump. From 1984 to 1995, Dragon Ball ran in Jump, spanning 42 volumes of manga, two hit anime series, a string of movies and oodles of toys, video games and other merchandise. It was partially responsible for popularizing anime outside of Japan and, along with Yu-Gi-Oh!, helped expose a generation of western otaku to Shonen Jump. Due to its popularity, Dragon Ball has been in print since the manga ended its original serialization in Japan, and there are many editions of the manga to choose from: the original 42 volume run, the VIZBIG editions, the 3-in-1 editions, and now the Full Color edition.

The full color edition of Dragon Ball ran in Weekly Shonen Jump prior to this collected graphic novel. Highlighting the Saiyan Arc, the full color serialization covers the start of the arrival of an alien invader to the aftermath of the resulting battles that took place a year later. This book covers the start of that arc until the invading Saiyans are sent to Earth. Son Goku, the hero of the story, learns that he is from a violent alien race called the Saiyans from his brother Raditz, one of the aforementioned aliens. After kidnapping Goku’s son Gohan, Goku and his arch-nemesis Piccolo form a truce to defeat Raditz for their own reasons. After Raditz’s defeat, he informs the heroes that two of his compatriots will invade Earth in one year to exterminate all life on the planet and to collect the Dragon Balls, magic orbs that can grant any wish, for themselves. Will the Earth face its doom in a year or will the Z fighters train their hardest to stand a chance against the Saiyan menace? I’m sure you all know the outcome already, but it’s fun to re-read the manga to see your favorite scenes in color.

The digital coloring done in this edition is really good. It’s rich, vibrant and natural. Akira Toriyama’s clean line art benefits greatly from the color, giving it a lot more life and the sound-effects are left untranslated in this edition to preserve the quality of the artwork. There is a SFX glossary found in the back, in case you want to know what the effects mean. The script is left unchanged from the original graphic novels and the art is left uncensored, which is a big plus. Dragon Ball Full Color is published in both digital and print, and while both look really good, the print version is printed in nice glossy paper. Plus the book itself is about the size of a printed copy of Shonen Jump.

Whether you want to go on a nostalgia trip or if you’re a first time reader, Dragon Ball Full Color: Saiyan Arc Volume 1 is a treat for the eyes and a damn good entertaining manga to boot. If you are one of those first-time readers, though, please check out the first 16 volumes of Dragon Ball first! You’ll understand more of the story and characters before going into the Saiyan Arc and you’re doing yourself a favor by reading one of the best manga ever published, period.

You can pick up a volume of Dragon Ball Full Color right here! 

by ray n. (@themistern)