Dr. Slump
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese manga
series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama
. It was serialized in Shueisha
's anthology comic Weekly Shōnen Jump
from 1980 to 1984 which were 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. The series helped launch Toriyama's career and was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award
for shōnen and shōjo manga in 1982.
animals and other objects. In this village lives Senbei Norimaki, an inventor (his name is a pun on a kind of large coin-shaped rice cracker
, and the surname Norimaki is a generic term for sushi rolls wrapped with nori seaweed). His nickname is "Dr. Slump" (a joke that can be seen as similar to nicknaming an author "Writer's Block.") In the first issue, he builds what he hopes will be the world's most perfect little girl robot, named Arale Norimaki (a pun on a kind of small mixed rice crackers), in scenes obviously parody
ing the Italian children's classic The Adventures of Pinocchio (note: "Arale" is Toriyama's official romanized
spelling of her name). Because Senbei is a lousy inventor, she soon 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 continuously-appearing villain shows up, based on Toriyama's editor at the time.
Dr. Slump is filled with pun
s and bathroom jokes, and parodies of both Japanese and American
culture. For example, one of the recurring characters is "Suppaman", a short, fat, pompous buffoon who changes into a Superman
-like costume by eating a sour-tasting ("suppai" in Japanese) umeboshi
. Unlike Superman, Suppaman cannot fly well, and instead pretends to fly by lying belly down on a skateboard and scooting through the streets. Also, a policeman in Dr. Slump can be seen wearing 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 Toriyama actually based the design of Senbei on himself (as a number of American comic strip
artists have been known to do). In addition, other real people made appearances as well, such as Toriyama's bosses (like Torishima), assistants, and wife, Toriyama's colleague friends (like Masakazu Katsura
), and others.
from issue 5/6 of 1980 to issue 39 of 1984 and subsequently collected in 18 tankōbon
volumes under the Jump Comics imprint. It was reassembled as a nine-volume aizōban edition in 1990, a nine-volume bunkoban edition in 1995, and a 15-volume kanzenban edition in 2006. Viz Media
began publishing an English adaptation of Dr. Slump in 2005 with translation done by Alexander O. Smith
. All 18 original volumes are now released as of May 5, 2009.
After Dr. Slump ended in 1984, the manga's characters of returned for an extended cameo in Toriyama's next series Dragon Ball
, in which Arale and Goku briefly team up to help Goku defeat General Blue during the Red Ribbon Army storyline.
A Dr. Slump follow-up manga was written by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, illustrated by Takao Koyama
, and serialized in V Jump from 1994 to 1996 under the title . It has been collected into four tankōbon volumes.
To promote the release of the first Dr. Slump & Arale-chan DVD box set, Akira Toriyama illustrated a special one-shot spin-off titled Dr. Mashirito & Abale-chan published in the fourth 2007 issue of the Weekly Shōnen Jump. The story centers around an evil counterpart of Arale created by Dr. Mashirito named Abale. Dr. Mashirito & Abale-chan was adapted into a five-minute short shown theatrically alongside the One Piece
feature film One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
.
in 1984, but the pilot was never picked up.
clone in 1982 in Japan. A Dr. Slump video game was released in 1983 for the Arcadia 2001
. A game for the PlayStation
based on the second television series was released on March 18, 1999 in Japan only. A Dr. Slump video game for Nintendo DS
named Dr. Slump: Arale-Chan was released on October 30, 2008.
Arale appears in the 1988 Famicom
game Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden
. In the Nintendo DS
game Jump Super Stars
, Arale and Mashirito are player character
s, 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 as a playable character and Penguin Village is a playable map in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 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: Revenge of King Piccolo
for Wii and Dragon Ball: Origins 2
for DS.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
. It was serialized in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's anthology comic Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
from 1980 to 1984 which were collected into 18 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes. The manga was adapted into an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series by Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
that ran from 1981 to 1986 consisting of 243 episodes and a remake series consisting of 74 episodes that ran from 1997 to 1999. The series helped launch Toriyama's career and was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
for shōnen and shōjo manga in 1982.
Plot and themes
Dr. Slump is set in , a place where humans co-exist with all sorts of anthropomorphicAnthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
animals and other objects. In this village lives Senbei Norimaki, an inventor (his name is a pun on a kind of large coin-shaped rice cracker
Senbei
are a type of Japanese rice crackers. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten with green tea as a casual snack and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy refreshment....
, and the surname Norimaki is a generic term for sushi rolls wrapped with nori seaweed). His nickname is "Dr. Slump" (a joke that can be seen as similar to nicknaming an author "Writer's Block.") In the first issue, he builds what he hopes will be the world's most perfect little girl robot, named Arale Norimaki (a pun on a kind of small mixed rice crackers), in scenes obviously parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
ing the Italian children's classic The Adventures of Pinocchio (note: "Arale" is Toriyama's official romanized
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...
spelling of her name). Because Senbei is a lousy inventor, she soon 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 continuously-appearing villain shows up, based on Toriyama's editor at the time.
Dr. Slump is filled with pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s and bathroom jokes, and parodies of both Japanese and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
culture. For example, one of the recurring characters is "Suppaman", a short, fat, pompous buffoon who changes into a Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
-like costume by eating a sour-tasting ("suppai" in Japanese) umeboshi
Umeboshi
Umeboshi are pickled ume fruits common in Japan. Ume is a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a plum but is actually more closely related to the apricot. Umeboshi are a popular kind of tsukemono and are extremely sour and salty...
. Unlike Superman, Suppaman cannot fly well, and instead pretends to fly by lying belly down on a skateboard and scooting through the streets. Also, a policeman in Dr. Slump can be seen wearing a Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
-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 Toriyama actually based the design of Senbei on himself (as a number of American comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
artists have been known to do). In addition, other real people made appearances as well, such as Toriyama's bosses (like Torishima), assistants, and wife, Toriyama's colleague friends (like Masakazu Katsura
Masakazu Katsura
is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for several works of manga, including Dream Fighter Wingman, Shadow Lady, DNA², Video Girl Ai, I"s, and Zetman. He has also worked on the character designs for Iria: Zeiram the Animation, which was based on the movie Zeiram.-History:He was born in the...
), and others.
Manga
Dr. Slump was originally serialized in the Weekly Shōnen JumpWeekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
from issue 5/6 of 1980 to issue 39 of 1984 and subsequently collected in 18 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes under the Jump Comics imprint. It was reassembled as a nine-volume aizōban edition in 1990, a nine-volume bunkoban edition in 1995, and a 15-volume kanzenban edition in 2006. Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
began publishing an English adaptation of Dr. Slump in 2005 with translation done by Alexander O. Smith
Alexander O. Smith
Alexander O. Smith is a professional English/Japanese translator and author. While his output covers many areas such as adaptation of Japanese novels, manga, song lyrics, anime scripts and various academic works, he is best known for his software localizations of Japanese video games...
. All 18 original volumes are now released as of May 5, 2009.
After Dr. Slump ended in 1984, the manga's characters of returned for an extended cameo in Toriyama's next series Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the...
, in which Arale and Goku briefly team up to help Goku defeat General Blue during the Red Ribbon Army storyline.
A Dr. Slump follow-up manga was written by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, illustrated by Takao Koyama
Takao Koyama
Takao Koyama is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist focusing on anime productions. He was active as 小山 高男 until 1987.-Career:...
, and serialized in V Jump from 1994 to 1996 under the title . It has been collected into four tankōbon volumes.
To promote the release of the first Dr. Slump & Arale-chan DVD box set, Akira Toriyama illustrated a special one-shot spin-off titled Dr. Mashirito & Abale-chan published in the fourth 2007 issue of the Weekly Shōnen Jump. The story centers around an evil counterpart of Arale created by Dr. Mashirito named Abale. Dr. Mashirito & Abale-chan was adapted into a five-minute short shown theatrically alongside the One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
feature film One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
is a 2007 Japanese anime film released by Toei Company. The film is the eighth feature based on the One Piece media franchise, adapting a story arc from the original manga by Eiichiro Oda, wherein the Straw Hat Pirates led by Monkey D...
.
Anime
The Dr. Slump manga was made into two separate anime TV series; the first, Dr. Slump - Arale-chan (Dr.スランプ アラレちゃん) ran from 1981 to 1986 and spanned 243 episodes, and the second anime, Doctor Slump, ran from 1997 to 1999 and lasted seventy-four episodes. 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 USAHarmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold is a television production and distribution company established in 1983. It is best known as the “creator” and main distributor of the anime series Robotech. It also partially dubbed the Dragon Ball series in the late 1980s....
in 1984, but the pilot was never picked up.
Films
- (1981)
- (1982)
- (1983)
- (1984)
- (1985)
- (1993)
- (1993)
- (1994)
- (1994)
- (1999)
- (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
A handheld Dr. Slump game called "Hoyoyo Bomber" by Animest was released as a Game & WatchGame & Watch
is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....
clone in 1982 in Japan. A Dr. Slump video game was released in 1983 for the Arcadia 2001
Arcadia 2001
The Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit console released by Emerson Radio Corp. The game library was composed of 51 unique games and about 10 variations. The graphic quality is similar to that of the Intellivision and the Odyssey²....
. A game for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
based on the second television series was released on March 18, 1999 in Japan only. A Dr. Slump video game for Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
named Dr. Slump: Arale-Chan was released on October 30, 2008.
Arale appears in the 1988 Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
game Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden
is a 1988 console role playing game for the Family Computer published by Bandai. The game commemorates the 20th anniversary of Shueisha's manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump....
. In the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game Jump Super Stars
Jump Super Stars
is a 2D fighting game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005 in Japan and accompanied the release of a red Nintendo DS...
, Arale and Mashirito are player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s, with the latter as the game's main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
. They both return in the sequel, Jump Ultimate Stars
Jump Ultimate Stars
is a fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to Jump Super Stars, also released for the DS. The game was released in Japan on November 23, 2006...
, 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 as a playable character and Penguin Village is a playable map in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
(PS2) and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. In the PS2 game Super Dragon Ball Z
Super Dragon Ball Z
Super Dragon Ball Z is a cel-shaded 3D fighting video game, based on the manga Dragon Ball written by Akira Toriyama. It was originally released in Japanese and European arcades running on System 246 hardware, and later for the PlayStation 2...
, 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: Revenge of King Piccolo
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo, released in Japan as , is a video game based on the anime and manga series Dragon Ball. It was developed by Media.Vision and published by Namco Bandai under the Bandai label...
for Wii and Dragon Ball: Origins 2
Dragon Ball: Origins 2
Dragon Ball: Origins 2, known as in Japan, is a video game for the Nintendo DS based on the manga/anime franchise Dragon Ball created by Akira Toriyama. It is a follow up the 2008 game Dragon Ball: Origins...
for DS.
External links
- Dr. Slump at Toei AnimationToei AnimationToei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
- Arale's Jumpstation Dr. Slump fan site