Dr. Slump

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Dr. Slump
DrSlump1.jpg
Cover of the first tankōbon volume of Dr. Slump, as published by Shueisha on August 9, 1980.
Dr.スランプ
(Dokutā Suranpu)
Genre Comic science fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Parody
Manga
Written by Akira Toriyama
Published by Shueisha
English publisher Viz Media (North America)
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump
Original run January 1980 – 1984
Volumes 18 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Dr. Slump - Arale-chan
Directed by Minoru Okazaki, Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Studio Toei Animation
Network Fuji TV
Original run April 8, 1981 – February 19, 1986
Episodes 243 (List of episodes)
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hello! Wonder Island
Studio Toei Animation
Released July 18, 1981
Runtime 25 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Slump: "Hoyoyo!" Space Adventure
Studio Toei Animation
Released July 10, 1982
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo, Great Across-the-World Race
Studio Toei Animation
Released March 13, 1983
Runtime 52 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo! The Treasure of Nanaba Castle
Studio Toei Animation
Released December 22, 1984
Runtime 48 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo! Dream Capital Mechapolis
Studio Toei Animation
Released July 13, 1985
Runtime 38 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha! Clear Skies Over Penguin Village
Studio Toei Animation
Released March 6, 1993
Runtime 40 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha! Love Comes from Penguin Village!
Studio Toei Animation
Released July 10, 1993
Runtime 32 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo!! Follow the Rescued Shark...
Studio Toei Animation
Released March 12, 1994
Runtime 25 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha!! Excited Heart of Summer Vacation
Studio Toei Animation
Released July 9, 1994
Runtime 20 minutes
Anime television series
Doctor Slump
Directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Studio Toei Animation
Network Fuji TV
Original run November 26, 1997 – September 22, 1999
Episodes 74 (List of episodes)
Anime film
Dr. Slump: Arale's Surprise
Studio Toei Animation
Released March 6, 1999
Runtime 50 minutes
Anime film
Dr. Mashirito - Abale-chan
Studio Toei Animation
Released March 3, 2007
Runtime 5 minutes
Portal icon Anime and Manga portal

Dr. Slump (Dr. スランプ Dokutā Suranpu?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 tankōbon volumes. The manga was adapted into an anime series by Toei Animation that ran from 1981 to 1986 consisting of 243 episodes and a remake series consisting of 74 episodes that ran from 1997 to 1999. Dr. Slump launched Toriyama's career, was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen and shōjo manga in 1981 and has sold over 35 million copies in Japan.

Contents

Plot [edit]

Main article: List of Dr. Slump characters

Dr. Slump is set in Penguin Village (ペンギン村 Pengin Mura?), a place where humans co-exist with all sorts of anthropomorphic animals and other objects. In this village lives Senbei Norimaki, an inventor. In the first chapter, he builds what he hopes will be the world's most perfect little girl robot, named Arale Norimaki. However, she turns out to be in severe need of eyeglasses. She is also very naïve, and in later issues she has adventures such as bringing a huge bear home, having mistaken it for a pet. To Senbei's credit, she does have super-strength. In general, the manga focuses on Arale's misunderstandings of humanity and Senbei's inventions, rivalries, and romantic misadventures. In the middle of the series, a recurring villain named Dr. Mashirito appears as a rival to Senbei.

Themes [edit]

Dr. Slump is filled with puns and toilet humor, and parodies of both Japanese and American culture.[1] For example, one of the recurring characters is Suppaman, a short, fat, pompous buffoon who changes into a Superman-like alter-ego by eating a sour-tasting ("suppai" in Japanese) umeboshi. Unlike Superman, Suppaman cannot fly, and instead pretends to fly by lying belly down on a skateboard and scooting through the streets. Also, one of the village's policeman wears a Star Wars-style stormtrooper helmet, just as in the American movies. Toriyama himself has been portrayed as a bird (the "tori" in his last name means "bird", hence the name of his production studio Bird Studio), although he actually based the design of Senbei on himself. In addition, other real-life people make appearances as well, such as Toriyama's editor (Kazuhiko Torishima), assistants, wife, his colleague friends (such as Masakazu Katsura) and others.[1][2]

Media [edit]

Manga [edit]

Main article: List of Dr. Slump chapters

Akira Toriyama's Dr. Slump was originally serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Jump from issue 5/6 of 1980 to issue 39 of 1984 and subsequently collected into 18 tankōbon volumes under the Jump Comics imprint.[3] It was reassembled as a 9-volume aizōban edition in 1990, a 9-volume bunkoban edition in 1995,[4] and a 15-volume kanzenban edition in 2006.[5] Viz Media licensed the series for North America in 2004,[6] and published the first volume in 2005 with translation done by Alexander O. Smith and some censorship. All 18 original volumes have been released in North America as of May 5, 2009.

After Dr. Slump ended in 1984, its characters returned for an extended cameo in Toriyama's next series Dragon Ball, in which Arale and Son Goku briefly team up to defeat General Blue during the Red Ribbon Army storyline. A Dr. Slump follow-up manga was written by Takao Koyama and illustrated by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, with supervision by Toriyama. It was serialized in V Jump from February 21, 1993 to September 1996 under the title The Brief Return of Dr. Slump (ちょっとだけかえってきたDr.スランプ Chotto Dake Kaettekita Dokutā Suranpu?). It was collected into four tankōbon volumes.

To promote the release of the first Dr. Slump - Arale-chan anime DVD box set, Akira Toriyama illustrated a special one-shot spin-off manga titled Dr. Mashirito - Abale-chan (Dr.MASHIRITO ABALEちゃん?) published in the April 2007 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump. The story centers around an evil counterpart of Arale created by Dr. Mashirito, named Abale. It was adapted into a five-minute anime short shown theatrically alongside the One Piece feature film One Piece Film: Episode of Alabasta: The Desert Princess and the Pirates, titled Dr. Slump: Dr. Mashirito - Abale-chan (Dr.SLUMP Dr.マシリト アバレちゃん?).

Anime [edit]

Main articles: List of Dr. Slump Arale-chan episodes and List of Doctor Slump episodes

The Dr. Slump manga was made into two separate anime TV series, that both aired on Fuji TV. The first, Dr. Slump - Arale-chan (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん?) ran from April 8, 1981 to February 19, 1986 and spanned 243 episodes.[7] The second anime, simply titled Doctor Slump, ran from November 26, 1997 to September 22, 1999 and lasted seventy-four episodes.[8] In addition to the series, eleven animated films have been made. The first episode of the original anime was adapted into English by Harmony Gold USA in 1984, but the pilot was never picked up.

Films [edit]

  1. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hello! Wonder Island (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん ハロー!不思議島, Dr. Slump Arale-chan Harō! Wandā Airando?) (1981)
  2. Dr. Slump: "Hoyoyo!" Space Adventure (Dr.SLUMP "ほよよ!"宇宙大冒険?) (1982)
  3. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo, Great Round-the-World Race (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん ほよよ世界一周大レース, Dr. Slump Arale-chan Hoyoyo Sekai Isshū Dai-Rēsu?) (1983)
  4. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo! The Treasure of Nanaba Castle (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん ほよよ!ナナバ城の秘宝, Dr. Slump Arale-chan Hoyoyo! Nanaba-jō no Hihō?) (1984)
  5. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo! Dream Capital Mechapolis (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん ほよよ!夢の都メカポリス Dr. Slump Arale-chan Hoyoyo! Yume no Miyako Mekaporisu?) (1985)
  6. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha! Clear Skies Over Penguin Village (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん んちゃ!ペンギン村はハレのち晴れ, Dr. Slump Arale-chan N-cha! Pengin-mura wa Hare nochi Hare?) (1993)
  7. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha! From Penguin Village with Love (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん んちゃ!ペンギン村より愛をこめて, Dr. Slump Arale-chan N-cha! Pengin-mura yori Ai wo komete?) (1993)
  8. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo!! Follow the Rescued Shark... (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん ほよよ!!助けたサメに連れられて..., Dr. Slump Arale-chan Hoyoyo!! Tasuketa Same ni Tsurerarete...?) (1994)
  9. Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha!! Excited Heart of Summer Vacation (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん んちゃ!!わくわくハートの夏休み, Dr. Slump Arale-chan N-cha!! Wakuwaku Hāto no Natsu Yasumi?) (1994)
  10. Dr. Slump: Arale's Surprise (ドクタースランプ アラレのびっくりバーン Doctor Slump: Arale no Bikkuri Bān?) (1999)
  11. Dr. Mashirito and Abale-chan (Dr.マシリト アバレちゃん Doctor Mashirito Abale-chan?) (March 3, 2007) - A five-minute short shown alongside the theatrical release of One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta. It was later included in Dr. Slump Movie Box.

Video games [edit]

A handheld Dr. Slump game called Hoyoyo Bomber by Animest was released as a Game & Watch clone in 1982. A Dr. Slump video game was released in 1983 for the Arcadia 2001. An action game, simply titled Dr. Slump (ドクタースランプ?), for the PlayStation based on the second television series was released on March 18, 1999 by Bandai. Dr. Slump: Arale-Chan (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん?) was released on October 30, 2008 for the Nintendo DS. Arale appears in the 1988 Famicom game Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden. In the Nintendo DS game Jump Super Stars, Arale and Mashirito are player characters, with the latter as the game's main antagonist. They both return in the sequel, Jump Ultimate Stars, in exactly the same roles. Senbei Norimaki appears as a support character in Jump Super Stars, while Midori, Gatchan, Obotchaman and Unchi-kun were added as support characters in Jump Ultimate Stars.

Arale appears in several Dragon Ball video games as well. She and several other Dr. Slump characters appear in Dragon Ball: Daimaō Fukkatsu. She is a playable character, and Penguin Village is a playable map, in Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! Meteor for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Wii. In the PS2 game Super Dragon Ball Z, Suppaman appears in the background of the city level. After breaking the porta-potty, Suppaman will roll off on his skateboard. Finally, Arale can be unlocked as a playable character in both Dragon Ball: World's Greatest Adventure for Wii and Dragon Ball DS 2: Charge! Red Ribbon Army for DS, the latter also features several other characters from the series.

Other media [edit]

There have been several light novels based on Dr. Slump. The first two, Novel!? Dr. Slump (小説!? Dr.スランプ?) released in July 1981 and Novel!? Dr. Slump Strikes Back (小説!? Dr.スランプの逆襲?) released in April 1982, were written by Masaki Tsuji, who also wrote for the anime adaptation.[9][10] Dr. Slump (Movie Ed.) (Dr.スランプ（映画編）?), based on a movie and written by Toshikazu Yukishitsu, was released on July 15, 1982.[11] The Sun fell in Penguin Village (ペンギン村に陽は落ちて?) and Ghostbusters (ゴーストバスターズ?), released in October 1989 and June 27, 1997 respectively, are original works written by Genichiro Takahashi, but draw from the world of Dr. Slump.[12][13]

A radio drama adaptation was broadcast at around the same time the anime was airing. Arale was voiced by Yuko Hara, keyboardist of the popular rock band Southern All Stars.

Reception [edit]

As of 2008, the collected volumes of Dr. Slump had sold over 35 million copies in Japan alone.[14] Only a year after its debut, the series was awarded the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen and shōjo manga.[15]

The first anime adaptation of Dr. Slump was also popular. In 2001, Japanese magazine Animage ranked it number 48 on its list of the Top 100 Anime.[16] TV Asahi released two Top 100 Anime lists in 2005, in the web poll Dr. Slump ranked number 34, while a nation-wide poll of multiple age groups named it number 29.[17][18] The following year, a list created from polling 100 celebrities had it in the 25th position.[19]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b "Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Dragon Ball". Anime News Network. 2011-03-10. Retrieved 2012-11-18. 
  2. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Masakazu Katsura Spotlight". Viz Media. Retrieved 2013-02-04. 
  3. ^ "Dr. スランプ 単行本" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  4. ^ "Dr. スランプ 文庫版" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  5. ^ "Dr. スランプ 完全版" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  6. ^ "Viz Officially Announces Dr. Slump and Legendz". Anime News Network. 2004-12-16. Retrieved 2013-04-14. 
  7. ^ "DR. SLUMP -ARALE- (TOEI ANIMATION FILM LIST)". Toei Animation. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  8. ^ "DR. SLUMP (TOEI ANIMATION FILM LIST)". Toei Animation. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  9. ^ "小説DRスランプ (集英社文庫 コバルトシリーズ―コバルトシリーズ 66B) (文庫)". Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  10. ^ "小説!?Dr.スランプの逆襲 (集英社文庫 コバルトシリーズ 66-D) (文庫)". Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  11. ^ "Dr.スランプ映画編 (集英社文庫 コバルトシリーズ 106-A) (文庫)". Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  12. ^ "ペンギン村に陽は落ちて (単行本)". Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  13. ^ "ゴ-ストバスタ-ズ　冒険小説 (単行本)". Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  14. ^ "Top Manga Properties in 2008 - Rankings and Circulation Data". Comipress. 2008-12-31. Retrieved 2013-03-29. 
  15. ^ "小学館漫画賞: 歴代受賞者" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2007-08-19. 
  16. ^ "Animage Top-100 Anime Listing". Anime News Network. 2001-01-15. Retrieved 2013-04-14. 
  17. ^ "TV Asahi Top 100 Anime". Anime News Network. 2005-09-23. Retrieved 2013-04-14. 
  18. ^ "TV Asahi Top 100 Anime Part 2". Anime News Network. 2005-09-23. Retrieved 2013-04-14. 
  19. ^ "Japan's Favorite TV Anime". Anime News Network. 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2013-04-14. 

External links [edit]

Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama
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Works
Character designer
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
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