Manga Subject: Dr. Slump Character Guide Standard copyright statement inserted here, dated Nov. 10, 1994. If you want to use this article, unchanged, in a newsletter, or circulate it on the network, fine. For-profit magazines must contact me first, though, before reprinting it in part or in whole. Permission is NOT granted to modify this file, and if you print it in a newsletter, I'd like a copy of the issue it appears in. -- Curtis H. Hoffmann Nov. 10, 1994 Dr. Slump Character Guide and Volume Summary There is a good chance that nearly half of all existing fandom (this doesn't include newbies) has at least seen one episode of Dr. Slump, or can recognize the name. Some may be intimately familiar with it, but I'm betting that there is no character guide yet. After a few-year absence, the series was resurrected in V-Jump magazine. But, most Japanese prefer the original series. In fact, it is an even bet that all Japanese will recognize the name 'Arale-chan.' So, in an attempt to increase Dr. Slump's visibility in the West, I'm putting together this guide. Side Note: In Dragon Ball, the young Son Gokuu chases Blue Shogun into Penguin Village, and some of the action involves many of the Dr. Slump cast. ================================================================== Contents: Comments Manga Chronology Places Various Cultural Notes Characters Inventions Volume Summaries Translated Table of Contents for Each Volume Character Resumes (translated from Volume 4) American High School Baseball Team Members (from volume 15) "Who's the Strongest" Tournament Results (from volume 16) 2nd Grand Prix Race Results (from volume 18) Toriyama asks Senbee questions sent in by the readers (v. 16) Penguin Village, ten years later (volume 16) Posters Characters Who Made the Transition to Dragon Ball ================================================================== Comments: Dr. Slump is a gag manga that was originally serialized in Shonen Jump magazine, and collected into 18 paperback volumes. Its creator, Akira Toriyama, is also the author of Dragon Ball, and has worked as the character designer for the popular Dragon Quest computer games. As a gag manga, Dr. Slump follows all the patterns found in other gag manga -- the author frequently appears as a cast member, the characters occasionally mention that this is a gag manga, and the author is occasionally accused of being a one-joke comic ("one-pattern.") There is also a fair amount of toilet humor (as is normally the case with this genre,) and several characters are overly attracted to coils of shit, which can easily be found throughout the village. The artwork is constantly peppered with visual gags, and references to other popular movie characters (mainly rubber-suit monster movies.) The character designs are typical Toriyama (caracatures, with simplified features,) while the backgrounds and mecha are often quite realistic-looking. Overall, it's a fun little series, that is best enjoyed if you know at least some Japanese culture and language. ================================================================== Manga Chronology Note In January, 1980, "Dr. Slump" started with issue #5/6 of Shonen Jump, and ended in August, 1984. There were a few other one-shots ("Chobit," "Pink," "Dragon Boy," and "The Adventure of Tongpoo".) The Dr. Slump TV series started in April, 1981, and ran until Feb., '86. Then, the Dragon Ball manga burst into Shonen Jump with #51, the November '84 issue. It is still going strong. The DB TV series started in February, 1986, then turned into Dragon Ball Z on April 19, 1989. Along the way, there have been numerous movies, and video games (Toriyama did the character designs for the "Dragon Quest I-IV" and "Toruneco's Great Adventure" TV games.) ================================================================== Places: Penguin Village: The insane home for the insane cast. Birds cry 'aho' (asshole); Godzilla, Ultraman, and Gamera are all students in school (Mr. Spock is a transfer student in one story); elephants fly backwards through the air with flames shooting from their trunks; and wind-up animals announce the beginning of each new day. The abnormal is normal here, and normal people are rare. Penguin Village is located on Gengoro Island. Sonritsu Jr. High: "Threaten the existence of." Arale's first school. Located beside Sonritsu Sr. High. Planet Niko-chan: Tiny planet that is the home of Emperor Niko-chan. the denizens here have their butt on the top of their head, and their ears on the bottom of their feet. The main crop on the planet is daikon (Japanese radish.) The planet itself is shaped to look like the Emperor. Mount Ichinii: Penguin Village's tallest mountain. This is where Santa (an old man who likes to fight) and his assistant Booron live. (Ichini == One Two) Daitokaijima: Big Island City. Kind of a parody of America, where one story is told, and the location from which several characters visit Penguin Village. ================================================================== Cultural Notes: Arale keeps calling Senbee "Hakase," which is a modified form of the word for anyone who has a doctorate degree. Toriyama frequently appears in the manga, either as a human with a mask over his mouth, a cigarette-smoking bird, or a wind-up robot. Omake -- Japanese for "something in addition." The Omake pages in the manga include various gags, pin-up pictures, etc. "n-cha" -- This is a shortened form of "Konnichiwa", or "good day." It's how Arale normally greets people. However, by putting a lot of energy behind it, Arale can turn any form of greeting into a lethal blast. There is a Japanese folktale that goes along the lines of the western Rip van Winkle. A fisherman saves a turtle that is being tormented by small children. The grateful turtle takes the fisher to an undersea world, where he is entertained by the people there. Time passes, and when he is about to return home, he is given a present, with an admonition to never open it. When he gets home, the fisher learns that 100 years had passed, and that all of his friends and family have died. Eventually, he opens the present, and all of the time that had passed him by is released. He instantly ages. Toriyama uses this story as the basis for several gags. The calendar in Penguin Village is based mainly on fish names. However, the actual ordering has never been given. Hakofugo == A blowfish Tobiuo == Flying fish Purankuton == Plankton Shiirakanasu == A type of fish, once thought to be extinct Zarigani == Crayfish Harisenbon == 1000 needles* Anmonite == Ammonite 1000 needles* -- A common practice among Japanese children is to seal a promise by hooking together the little fingers of one hand, and chanting a short rhyme. The gist is: Whoever breaks the promise should swallow 1000 needles. ================================================================== [fa:vnnn] First appears in volume nnn. [la:vnnn] Last appears in volume nnn. [ls:vnnn] Last seen in volume nnn. [oa:vnnn] Only appears in volume nnn. Characters: Senbee Norimaki -- Perverted young inventor. Curly black hair, moustache, short and fat. Always smoking cigarettes. Sometimes, he tries to become sexy or heroic, at which time he becomes briefly "realistically drawn," an effect that only lasts 3 minutes. Senbee loves reading dirty magazines, and will create inventions just so that he can see women in the nude. Since something usually goes wrong with his creations, he has been nicknamed "Dr. Slump." (Senbe Norimaki is a kind of rice cracker.) [fa:v1] (A note concerning Senbee's parentage: Senbee's father and mother both died 20 years earlier (5 years before "little sister" Arale was supposedly born) of unspecified causes. We do get to see Senbee's father on video tape, in Vol. 3. Also, Senbee's paternal grandfather is still alive, residing in a mountain village. The grandfather and a nephew visit Penguin Village in Vol. 11. After Senbee and Yamabuki get married, they have one son -- Turbo. We are not told about any other relatives.) Arale Norimaki -- AKA: Arale-chan. The little girl robot that Senbee creates in volume one. While she is supposed to be perfect, her eyesight is bad, and she has no common sense. In later volumes, she is characterized by her thick glasses, a cap that reads 'Arale-chan', her common greeting of N-cha (a shortened form of "hello"), and a love for playing with turds, and pro-wrestling. Very, very strong. Starts out as Senbee's "little sister," and is enrolled in junior high school as a test of his inventing skills. (Arale is a smaller rice cracker.) [fa:v1] Ga-chan -- A trip to the past provides Arale and Senbee with an egg that they take with them to the present. The egg hatches to reveal -- a humanoid child with green hair, antenna, and wings. Arale combines "Godzilla" with "Gamera" to get "Gajira"; shortened to Ga-chan. Ga-chan speaks in nonsense peeping that only Arale can interpret, and will eat anything, including dirt, but with the exception of rubber. Vol. 1 Later, Ga-chan grows a cocoon to give birth to Ga-chan 2. It is revealed in volume 17 that Ga-chan is an angel, left here in its egg, by God (Kami-sama.) Sensei Midori Yamabuki -- Arale's teacher, and the object of Senbee's constant sexual attentions. Very beautiful, tall and blonde, she is also intelligent, and unfazed by nearly everything that happens around her. Eventually marries Senbee. [fa:v1] Turbo Norimaki -- Senbee and Midori's son. (How this happened is not quite clear, as Senbee is still trying to simply look at Midori's panties, and it's difficult to believe that he has actually had the chance to have sex with her.) Killed by aliens who then resurrect him using incomplete data for humans, little baby Turbo has amazing powers: telekinesis, the ability to speak, and is a greater technical genius than Senbee (while Senbee can create a spaceship within a week, Turbo can make one materialize in a couple of seconds.) A bit smaller than Ga-chan, with a bit of blond hair in front, and flies around in his bib. [fa:v15] The Cops: (Names never given.) There are two patrol cops in a pat-car, who always get smashed up because Arale trashes them as she runs down the street. One is tall and thin, with a moustache, and the other is a short, fat negro. Their commanding officer is an incompetent, hefty guy who is bald on top, and the fringe of his hair swoops down his sideburns to connect to his moustache. One supporting cop is a midget wearing a Star Wars Imperial Trooper helmet, and another is an airheaded metermaid (looks like a cross between Yamabuki and Akane) with an itchy trigger finger. The Kimidori Family: (Kimidori is a yellowish-green color): Akane Kimidori -- Arale's classmate. Tall, curly blonde, and initially very tough. Usually just a sidekick, but occasionally enjoys playing pranks on people, and using heavy weapons. Akane means "dark red." [fa:v1] Aoi Kimidori -- Waitress at the Coffee Pot, and Akane's older sister. Tall, straight blonde hair, and kind of plain-looking. Supporting character only. Aoi means "blue". [fa:v1] Kon Kimidori -- Akane's father. A "normal" person. Ie --ignorable. Kon means "dark blue." [fa:v4] Murasaki Kimidori -- Akane's mother. An airhead sex-bomb. Murasaki means "purple." [oa:v10] The Soramame Family: (Soramame is a kind of bean): Tarou Soramame -- Akane's older friend, and son of Clint Soramame. Wears sunglasses and smokes cigarettes in jr. high. Initially very tough, then relegated to position of sidekick. Grows up to become a cop. Develops a crush on Tsururin-chan. [fa:v1] Peeske Soramame -- Tarou's wimpy little brother. Always wears a cat-ear hat. Develops a crush on Hiyoko. [fa:v1] Clinton Soramame -- Parody of Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies. Runs the Soramame Barbershop. [fa:v2] Mame Soramame -- Tarou's mother. Note: Mame means "bean." Short, fat, cheerful, always wears a mouse-ear hat. [fa:v2] Kaminari -- The weather demon who controls the rain (through a big faucet), thunder (big drum set) and lightning (big spark generator.) Doesn't like being called a demon, though. Is dating Pikko. Not seen much. [fa:v2] Bubibin-man -- A big, humanoid fly that travels to Earth to visit Superman. Dreams of becoming a super hero, and tries to deny that he is a fly. Likes eating shit. [fa:v2] Donbe -- A Kitsune, or trickster fox. Donbe likes changing into monsters to scare people, but has no effect at all on Arale. They become friends. [fa:v3] Niko-chan -- Emperor of the planet with the same name. He and his loyal minion are out roaming the spaceways, planning to take over Earth, when they pick up Arale and Ga-chan as Earthling samples. Ga-chan eats the ship, stranding the would-be conqueror on Earth. They take up a variety of part-time jobs with the intent to buy a new rocket and return home. [Note: Niko-chan speaks with a Nagoya dialect.] [fa:v3] [ls:v16] Kinoko Sarada -- A parody of a popular Japanese marketing character. Runs away from home to become a biker mama when her father eats the strawberries off her dessert. Wants to be a tough girl, but can not deal with Arale or Ga-chan. ("Kinoko" means "fungus", and can be used to describe her haircut. "Sarada" can be translated as "salad.") [fa:v1, but not identified as Kinoko until #5] Doranpaia -- Doranpire. This is a sexy vampire, that is more interested in stealing money, than she is at sucking people's blood. She returns in volume 16 as a part-time Grim Reaper, when she arrives to collect Senbee's soul. [fa:v5] [ls:v16] Hiyoko -- A cute girl that Peeske falls for. He rescues her from a horn beetle when Arale shrinks her to ant size. Lives in a tree stump. [fa:v5] [ls:v16] The Fly Milk Gang -- A would-be gang of tough bikers that wear fly head helmets. Consists of the Boss, a minion, and Toriyama in his robot-form. [fa:v6] Dr. Mashirito -- Toriyama's editor, and Dr. Slump's rival mad scientist. Builds robots to try to destroy Arale. A curly-haired nutcase, missing one tooth in front. He will occasionally answer the phone with "botsu" ("Your manuscript is rejected"), and correct himself with "Mashirito here." Mashirito is actually "Torishima" spelled backwards. [fa:v6] [ls:v16] As Caramel-man #8/9 (he got the numbering wrong, and had to correct it with a magic marker,) Mashirito is finally killed in vol. 16. However, a country-hick, with short hair, who looks just like Mashirito, appears in vol. 17. Actually, the 'hick' is the author of Wingman, making a cameo appearance to steal background scenery ideas. Chiberu -- Little Devil. A demon child who arrives at the village to wreak havock. In volume 16, we learn that he has gotten the job of directing recently dead evil souls into a pirate ship heading for Hell. Enjoys causing havock, but has a weak spot for Arale. [fa:v6] [ls:v16] The S???-man (well, not really) family: Suppaman -- Parody of Superman, this guy eats umibochi (tart pickled plums (suppai means 'tart' or 'sour',)) to gain his great powers. In actuality, he's a short, stocky, cowardly braggart who likes using a gun and handgrenades to solve personal problems. Claims to be working for world peace. [fa:v1, and is seen again in volume 2. Is really introduced in v3.] Shoppaman -- Suppaman's little brother, who comes to visit Earth for one chapter. Wears an Elizabethian costume, with a tall hat marked with the hiragana character 'sho'. To get his super powers, Shoppaman eats salty squid-intestines (Shiokara). (Shoppai means 'strong salt taste.') [oa:v14] Daigorou Kurigashira -- Big Almond Head Gorou. A new teacher at Arale's new high school. Although his head is 5 times bigger than his body, he considers the rest of Penguin Village to be weird. His favorite form of punishment is "Punishment of Love", where he bops someone with his forehead. [fa:v9] The Tsun Family: NOTE: When talking amongst themselves, the Tsun family speak Japanese, but the kanji they use all have nonsense meanings. Tsuruten Tsun -- Father, inventor, and dirty old man. He creates a spaceship to fly the family from China, to the moon. However, his wife forgets something, and they have to return. On the way back, the spaceship is shot down by Arale, and the Tsun family decides to live in Penguin Village until the ship is repaired. [fa:v10] Tsuntsunodanoteiyuugou Tsun -- (Her name includes the name of a car.) Tsuruten's pretty martial artist wife. She always beats up her husband when he gets too lecherous with other women. [fa:v10] Tsukutsun Tsun -- Older son. A good martial artist, but turns into a tigerman when touched by a girl (touching a boy turns him back.) Akane initially finds him attractive. Naive. [fa:v10] Tsururin Tsun -- Youngest daughter. Has psychic powers that she likes to use against her brother. Is very cute and short, and is partially attracted to Tarou. [fa:v10] Betty -- A pig from the neighboring village. The pig that lives at Senbee's house has a crush on her. [oa:v10] Ga-chan 2 -- Ga-chan's twin. Hatched from a cocoon. Looks just like Ga-chan, and eats everything except rubber. [fa:v11] Unchi-kun -- Mr. Shit. An animated coil with feet. Kind of a running gag. Seen occasionally in most volumes. His origins are given in volume 14 (Senbee had to take a "relief break" while driving through the woods on the way towards town.) Unchi-kun wanders into town, is discovered by Arale, and taken to the Norimaki's home to live in the toilet bowl there. [first case of Arale playing with any kind of unchi occurs in volume 1.] Hanako Yamada -- An attractive young woman (age 23) with short black hair. Is hit and killed by a truck just about the time that the Norimaki's go out to the restaurant in vol. 15. Two weeks later, Hanako's ghost arrives at Senbee's door in the middle of the night, to request that Senbee bring her back to life so that she can get married in 4 months (if not, she will haunt him every night for the rest of his life. In return, she gifts Senbee with his own tombstone.) [oa:v15] Kami-sama -- God. An old sukebe, bald with bushy eyebrows, moustache, and beard. He rides around on a small hoverjet (he treats it like a skateboard) and carries a wooden club that he uses as his magic-casting staff. All-powerful, but slow on the uptake. He apparently created Ga-chan as one of his "angels", and always refers to the Ga-twins as "those angels." Has a very short temper, when crossed. (Kami-sama's character design was recycled into Kame-sennin in the Dragon Ball series.) [oa:v17] Bisuna, of the Kingdom of Chakabo -- This turban'd villian could be be from one of the Arab States. He is after Princess Kasmat, in his quest to conquer Nanabo. [oa:v17] Princess Kasmat, of the Kingdom of Nanabo -- Kasmat is on the run, and escapes into Penguin Village. Except for her desert clothing, and green hair, she is a dead ringer for Akane. She encounters Tsukutsun Tsun, and asks him to help her. At the end, Akane decides to switch places with the Princess, only to discover that Nanabo is a very poor country. [oa:v17] Autobike Boy: A man so attached to his bike that his special uniform lets him go to the toilet without stopping the motorcycle -- if his bike stays in one place too long, he starts to die. Never seen without his helmet. Succeeds in marrying an unnamed female F-1 racer by outracing her on a specially fitted motorArale. [fa:v18] Appears in 5+ chapters. Charmee Yamada: PVPD's new bike cop, from Daitokaijima. Hates dirt, and loves peace so much that he arrests the entire town. He is a little guy with glasses and a huge attitude problem. Can not handle having unchi poked in his face. [fa:v18] Kibalt Deruhhe: German bike racing champ from Daitokaijima. Vain, and not as good as he thinks he is. Blond, tall, mid-20's. Enters the 2nd Grand Prix to try to become Penguin Village's next mayor. [oa:v18] ================================================================== Inventions: (The main gag element of this gag manga.) Arale: Of course. Vol. 1 Robobitan A: The energy drink that Arale consumes, in place of normal food. Vol. 1. Later on, Senbee creates an alarm in his house that signals when Arale runs out of power somewhere. Robobitan is a play on "Ripobitan D", which is a well-known "genki drink" ("genki drink" is the term given to products advertised as giving tired salarymen a quick energy boost.) See Through Not Living Things Glasses: When Arale comes home from school and announces that she wants to have a vagina, Senbee realizes that because of the censoring of all dirty magazines in Japan, he doesn't know what one looks like. So, he builds these glasses to watch women in "the nude." He gets run over by Yamabuki's scooter. Vol. 1 Deka-Chibi Gun: The raygun Senbee creates to make things bigger, or VERY tiny. The intent was to make life more convenient by shrinking a bag of groceries to make them easier to carry, and making them bigger later, so that the food lasts longer. Vol. 1 Mirai Camera: Senbee's invention that lets one take a picture of a person, to see what the subject will look like later on in life. (Mirai == Future.) Sets up a great gag, when Arale takes a picture of the reader. Vol. 1 Time Slipper: A riding board, connected to "Time-Kun." By telling Time-kun the era you want to visit, the intelligent clock will run, and then be tripped by the cord that connects him to the board. The resulting time slip allows one to visit Earth at any point in time. The first trip takes the Norimaki's to the time of the dinosaurs (where we get to see Peeske's and Senbee's ancestors.) Vol. 1 Honmono Machine: A rice cooker. Placing a picture of something into the cooker, and a little hot water, causes the real thing to be created. Senbee wants to put a picture from a porno mag into the cooker, but Arale cuts out a page from the Dr. Slump manga, and duplicates the universe. Vol. 2 Baabaaman: A robot Barber, created to cut Senbee's hair prior to Yamabuki's visit to the house. The robot is a failure, and is blown up. Vol. 2 Henshin Ponpoko Gun: A ray gun (in the shape of a tanuki/raccoon dog) -- By speaking into a microphone, you create a ray that turns people and things into whatever you announce them to be. Vol. 2 Pinpon-go: AKA: "Super-mecha 'Pinpon-go.'" Senbee's flapping machine. Pinpon-go can speak and think, its hands can hold giant fans if it's necessary to fly, and it can run if it needs to. Seats 4 comfortably. Vol. 3 Otogi Machine: A ball with one foot, a top hat, and thick glasses. AKA, the Fairyland Machine, this invention can transport anyone into the fairytale book of your choice. Vol. 3 TV Eye: The remote transmitter in vol. 5. Oocta-kun: A robot with a direct-brain connection that helps Senbee with the household chores, until he gets fat from riding in it so much. Vol. 5 ### Caramel: 1, 2, and 3. These are Mashirito's robots. Vol. 6 and later. Caramel-man #4: AKA Obotchaman. A naive, idealistic robot made to stop Arale "from conquering the world." Looks like Astroboy, is much more polite than Arale, and is her exact match for power. Instead, Obotchaman develops a crush on Arale, and is attacked by Mashirito. [fa:v13] Eventually marries Arale, and they later get a baby robot. Caramel-man #5: A costume made to resemble Senbee. [oa:v13] Caramel-man #6: A copy of Arale, used by Mashirito to destroy Obotchaman's morale. [oa:v13] Caramel-man #7: A super-powered robot that destroys Arale and Obotchaman. [fa:v13] [la:v14] Caramel-man #8: Mashirito's more powerful cyborg body. [oa:v14] However, this is overlooked later on. Santa Robot Caramel-man #7: A little RC robot dressed up as Santa's elf, to deliver a bomb to Senbee on Christmas. Is deactivated out of spite, when it fails to climb back out of the chimney. Is then treated as a doll from Santa, for Arale. [oa:v16] Caramel-man #8/9: Mashirito's completely-robotic body, with jet assist, and built-in missile launchers. Starts out as #8, but Toriyama points up the number conflict between CM #7 in volume 14, and the CM #7 in volume 16, so Mashirito has to scratch out #8 and pencil in #9. Gets completely destroyed in volume 16. [oa:v16] ### Time Stop: A big machine that stops time, at the wrong time. Vol. 6. Copy-kun: A big camera used to make a copy of Senbee (one copy will go to the park with Arale, the original will go on a date with Yamabuki Sensei. The copy wants to go on the date, instead.) Vol. 7. Akiko: The robot maid Senbee creates to repair the house. She is too flighty, though, and runs away to get a job waitressing at the Coffee Pot. Vol. 8 The minature village: Senbee creates a machine that causes whatever happens within his miniature village to take place in real life. He uses this to make Yamabuki come over and show him her panties. However, a hungry kitten eats the miniature Dr. Slump doll. Vol. 8. Anti-grav unit: The anti-grav drive is removed from the wreckage of an alien spaceship, and used to make a spaceship for Niko-chan. Later, Senbee creates other spaceships with the same basic technology. Vol. 12 Henshin Konkon Helmet: When Senbee faces possible arrest for grabbing the breasts of a woman he mistook for his wife, he modifies an old trinket into the Henshin Konkon Helmet. The name of who you want to become is written on a leaf, and placed in the helmet. While wearing the helmet, when you do a backflip, you are transformed. The only way to change back, is to write your own name on a leaf, and backflip again. Vol. 12 Time Stop Watch: Senbee decides to perfect the big Time Stop machine of volume 6, and creates, of course, a stop watch. Initially, the design for the TSW was flawed, but Turbo glanced at the schematics, and made the necessary corrections. The TSW will stop time for everything except its user. Senbee uses it to play pranks on everyone, to view Midori's panties, and to touch the butts of beautiful young women on the beach. Time still passes for him, though, and he quickly becomes an old man. Vol. 14 Time Machine: When Hanako Yamada asks Senbee for help, we are told that the controls for the Time Slipper are set in years, and can not be fine-tuned any more than that. So... Turbo spontaneously creates his own Time Machine, with more precise setting abilities, and a much more cool design (almost like a spider-ship.) Vol. 15 Super Great Mecha Rocket: The final invention, created by Senbee as a send-off for the final chapter of the series. This 5-stage monster blasts off into space, and the capsule returns to Earth, where a little robot steps out and says "Sainara" (short-form of "Sayonara" == Goodbye.) Senbee then gets beaten to a pulp by the crowd. Vol. 18 Other stuff: Houhore-chatta no yo Rararan-ran Potion: This is the drink that Senbee's father gave to a woman, to make her marry him. It consists of a teardrop from the eye of Demon King Gyaasuka, (Gyaasuka is very big, so it only takes one teardrop) to which is added Senbee's snot ("nose-water".) Mix up the potion, and serve to the desired woman. (In this case, Midori.) Vol. 3. ================================================================== Volume Summary (these are just highlights, and are not meant to describe every story in each volume.): Volume 1: Creation of Arale, Arale goes to school. Introduction of various continuing characters, and the fact that without Robobitan, Arale freezes up. Arale gets her first pet: a turtle she names Gamera. Senbee uses Arale's body to resurrect their pet bear. The Mirai camera shows that Tarou will grow up to be a cop, Senbe will become bald soon, Akane will be a real fox in 1990, Peeske will be a nerdish salaryman, and Arale won't change at all. Creation of the Time Slipper, and a visit to the past results in the arrival of Ga-chan. Ga-chan is given its name. Volume 2: Tarou and Arale visit the weather oni, and screw with the weather. First appearance of the live-in pig, as a member of the family. First appearance of Clint Soramame. Arale starts playing with unchi. Appearance of the humanoid fly "Bubibin-man". Various side stories. A bank robber hides in the Soramame barbershop, and Clint demonstrates how a "real man with a real gun" shoots at the police. Akane demonstrates her ability to play pranks, and is shown to bring sake with her to drink during lunch at school. Creation of the Honmono Machine, and the Henshin Ponpoko Gun. The world's strangest plan to see under a woman's (Yamabuki's) dress. Volume 3: Arrival of Donbe, the shapechanging fox. Senbee turns into the Invisible Man, to get revenge on an airhead metermaid. Emperor Niko-chan arrives on Earth with his minion, when Ga-chan eats his spaceship. Arale swallows a special bug, and behaves like a normal human. First time we see Norimaki's dead father, and learn that Norimaki's mother drank a potion to force her into marrying her husband. Senbee visits Wonder Island (an earlier story idea of Toriyama's) for the tears of the demon king, to make the love potion himself; this turns into a Jack and the Beanstalk parody. Creation of the Otogi Machine; Arale visits the Momotarou legend. Akane dresses up as Yamabuki Sensei, and dates Senbee. First demonstration of Suppaman's crime fighting. Arale learns about bras. Volume 4: Arale proves to be too strong, so Senbee tries using little cars and airplanes as replacement bodies. Akane sends letters to her father, Clinton, and Senbee as a prank, getting them to dress up in costumes and trying to seduce Yamabuki. The Alien comes to Penguin Village, and it is up to Arale and "Ultraman" to save everyone. Ga-chan goes out for a stroll, and creates havok. Senbee creates a flying spacecar, and takes Yamabuki (and Arale and Ga-chan) out for a date in space; when they return, Akane tricks the travellers into thinking that 50 years had passed while they were gone. Tarzan parody. Senbee dresses up as Santa, to give everyone signed hand-drawn pictures as Christmas presents, and is nearly killed in revenge. Toriyama promises the cast whatever they want, as the prize for a collosal game of Kick the Can (with Senbee as It); Arale and Ga-chan are the only ones not located by Senbee in the alloted time, and they ask for lollipops. [Note: The Omake pages in this issue include personal backgrounds on the main characters. Height, weight, age as of this issue, etc. This is translated at the end of the file.] Volume 5: Untouchables parody. Dr. Slump creates a wireless transmitter to watch on TV whatever Arale sees. Kinoko is introduced by name. The Norimaki family gets a dog, and Senbee explains why he hates dogs. Young Mr. Spock attends class in the jr. high. Appearance of Hiyoko. Peeske saves Hiyoko, and they start dating. Volume 6: First appearance of the Fly Milk Gang. Parody of Red Riding Hood. First appearance of Dr. Mashirito. First appearance of Chiberu and Suppaman. The creation of Time Stop, an invention designed to give Toriyama more time to finish his manga before the deadline. The Norimaki's go on TV. Volume 7: Ga-chan is used to make ice cream. Senbee goes on a quest to find toilet paper for his village. Arale meets the man that cleans out sewage pipes. Senbee's formula to turn him handsome instead turns him into a baby. Three invaders try to take over Earth (possible parody of one of the Superman movies.) Senbee as Cindarella. Parody of Fantastic Voyage (Senbee shrinks himself to be injected into Yamabuki Sensei to help cure her.) Volume 8: Akane turns ninja to steal yaki-imo (baked sweet potatos) from the evil King Senbee; the rest of the characters become part of the police force. Creation of Akiko. The cross-country race for the $30.00 prize money (Toriyama wins.) Aoi gets her driver's license and terrorizes some highway bandits. Dr. Slump creates the miniature village. Dr. Mashirito challenges the Saviors of World Peace (Suppaman and Arale-chan); proof that rubber is the only substance Ga-chan won't eat; Mashirito turns himself into a cyborg. Volume 9: Senbee proposes to Yamabuki to himself, and is overheard by Sensei. Yamabuki and Senbee marry, and go on a honeymoon. Yamabuki's first day as a bride. Arale loses her head. Ga-chan attends, and eats, school. Akane and Arale start senior high school. First appearance of Kurigashira Sensei. Volume 10: The Tsun family fly to the moon, and crash in Penguin Village. The high school has its annual competition, pitting the Junior, Senior, and Sophmore classes against each other (Senbee's live-in pig and Betty run off with the prize.) Suppaman meets Tsukutsun. Tarou's date with Tsururin at the spook house. Volume 11: Senbee's grandfather visits from the old village. Discovery that Senbee's parents died 20 years ago, and the story that Arale is Senbee's younger sister (born 15 years ago) is blown. Instead, Senbee claims that Arale was a prize in a huge box of caramel. Quest to save the tiny people of the planet Hana-nooedo from giant meanies. The "Dr. Slump Elegant Special" -- ballet special featuring prima donna Senbe-ko. Ga-chan eats everything in the village and grows a cocoon. Birth of Ga-chan 2. Volume 12: An alien comes to scout Earth for an invasion, and leaves with a lollipop. Arale "n-cha'd" its ship, and the parts are used by Senbee to create an anti-gravity driven spaceship. The ship is given to Niko-chan, and the stranded emperor returns to planet Niko-chan. Arale sneaks along, and defeats the monster (Komatta-chan) that had forced the people of Niko-chan to grow daikon for him. Proof that Senbee has a secret underground hanger where he stores old flying machines and spacecraft. The "War of Greetings." Sidestories: Daytime burglar woman who uses books to distract victims; the Yakuza comes to Penguin Village; Senbee and the Ga-chan twins go to a beach, where they find a penzarashi (a cross between a penguin and a seal) egg; the quest to return penzarshi-kun to its parents; young Booron (a martial arts master) is given his first job as Santa's replacement (deliver plum candy to everyone; when eaten, the candy gives you the ability to fly.) [This volume includes photos of Toriyama, his wife, and a couple of staff artists.] Volume 13: Creation of Caramelman #4, and #4's attempts to destroy Arale "before she can take over the world." #4 falls for Arale. #4 accidently attacks Mashirito, and is forced to live on its own in Penguin Village. #4 takes over Suppaman's house, and everyone else moves in. Toriyama finally gives #4 a name - Obotchaman. Arale saves #4 with her Robobitan A, and runs out of energy herself. #4 tries to save Arale, and Senbee creates a rocket-powered homing Robobitan A bottle. Appearance of Caramelman #5 and #6. Senbee uses a teleportation helmet to zip into Mashirito's lab and get into close-up shots, upstaging Mashirito. The fake Arale (#6) says that she hates Obotchaman, and the young robot runs away in tears. Mashirito uses Caramelman #7 to attack the real Arale, and Obotchaman discovers that he's been tricked, and starts to doubt Mashirito's sincerity. Volume 14: #7 destroys Arale, and Obotchaman arrives too late to save her. Obotchaman is also destroyed. The Ga-chan twins trick Mashirito into using a karaoke box, while they steal #7's control box. #7 is destroyed, and Mashirito builds himself a new body == Caramelman #8. Senbee puts Arale's head on Obotchaman's body, causing Yamabuki to freak when she sees Arale naked in the bath. Senbee can not remember how he built Arale, so he uses the Time Slipper to visit the past, only to accidently visit the future (here, he learns that Mashirito killed him with a parcel bomb.) Senbee saves himself, and finishes rebuilding Arale. For one chapter, Arale can fly by using extra-strong farts. (Peeske eats many yaki-imo to give himself enough gas to fly by -- the fall nearly kills him.) Sidestories: The family saves a monkey (Toriyama's first use of a Dragon Ball-style rampaging monkey); Suppaman beats up on Gamera to recreate the Rip Van Winkle story; Appearance of Shoppaman; Arale catches a bankrobbing crocodile (he has 'THX 1138' on his license plate.) Yamabuki goes on a crash weightloss program, then learns that her weight-gain comes from the fact that she is pregnant. The final chapter is a photo album special showing the origins of Unchi-kun. Volume 15: :Cute little Turbo is born. However, while out driving, with Turbo in :in the car, Senbee hears the engine of a spaceship and pulls out a :pair of binoculars to search for the source. While he is distracted :at the sight of a woman undressing in her apartment, Turbo leaves the :car and is hit and killed by the alien ship. The aliens use their :medi-doc to resurrect the baby, but the data for humans is not in :the databanks. So, when Turbo is brought back to life, his brain :has been enhanced, and he now has fantastic ESP powers. Turbo uses ESP to save Midori. The family tries to discover who the ESPer really is (first, Midori thinks that it is herself, then Senbee is convinced that he's the one.) Ga-chan, Arale, and Obotchaman find that Turbo can fly, and talk -- everyone thinks that they are still asleep and dreaming. Side stories: A cosmic game of tag with Turbo; Turbo builds an unstoppable robot version of himself; Midori gets her bonus, and the family goes out to the expensive Super Rich Restaurant for the very first time, and orders the 'all-you-can-eat-for-free-if- you-eat-it-all' course for supper; The ghost of Hanako Yamada, killed two weeks earlier, visits the Norimaki's late at night, and Senbee, Turbo, and Arale use Turbo's Time Machine to go back in time to save her; An American high school baseball superteam comes to Penguin village for a major baseball game. [Starting with the baseball epic, we start seeing character designs and page layouts that later characterize the Dragon Ball manga.] [Senbee also has THX-1138 on the license plate of one car, and on the front of a bus parked next to his house.] Volume 16: Appearance of Toriyama's assistant, Takashi Matsuyama, and Toriyama visits the Norimaki's to have them answer questions that had been sent in by the readers. Senbee goes to a bottomless cafe (the sign for "Lupan Cafe" broke, and now reads No-Pan (Panty-less) Cafe.) Doranpaia arrives to collect Senbee's soon-to-be dead soul, but not before Midori sees Senbee with "the other woman" and divorces him. Arale kills Senbee with a coconut, but coerces Doranpaia into bringing her along with; Arale gives the Pearly Gatekeeper an unchi, causing them to be sent to Hell, where they meet Chiberu and are allowed to return back to the land of the living. Senbee and Arale turn each other into small flies, and Ga-chan eats the Ponpoko gun before they can change back; finally, Turbo makes a new gun (however, Arale's teacher is tricked into thinking he's killed her, and Clinton has gone out to catch a frog to scare Senbee.) Obotchaman visits the future in Turbo's time machine, to see if he and Arale get to have a family; Toriyama uses the same machine to visit Penguin Village 10 years in the future to get some more story ideas. On Christmas, Dr. Mashirito sends a little robot to plant a bomb in with the gifts at the Norimaki's. Toriyama finds 1,000,000 yen, which leads the gang into a big tournament to determine the strongest man in the world; Mashirito creates CM #8/9, and beats everyone up to his round against Arale; Arale is defeated, but Obotchaman-kun disguises himself as Arale, and destroys Dr. Mashirito once and for all; Arale spends the 400,000 yen prize money on food for two stray cats she'd found. (Since Mashirito isn't around to collect the 2nd place money, Toriyama keeps it.) [Senbee's license plate reads "R2-3P0" (Hint: Think "Star Wars".)] Volume 17: Turbo creates two bombs that look like Ga-chan, and the Ga-twins enjoy blowing people up with them. Kami-sama comes to Earth, to take one of its angels (the Ga-chan twins) to another planet that needs its own angel; Kami-sama is tricked into taking the bomb, and later wants to exact revenge. The story of Torahachirou (a humanoid tiger who was once a rice farmer) and Arale's attempts to soften the old terrorist's heart. The return of the sewer pipe cleaner from volume 7, and his bid for revenge against Arale. Senbee creates the Time Stop Watch, and uses it to play pranks and play with women's butts (during this story, Katsura Masakazu, the author of Wingman (and later, of Video Girl Ai (this is a play on his real name, Kotomi Takanashi)) drops into Penguin Village to steal ideas for scenery designs.) The Invisible Man eats a plum candy, and ends up attracting the attention of the entire village. Finally, there is the 6-Part saga of the princess who is trying to escape the clutches of an evil kidnapper, and Tsukutsun Tsun's attempts to save her (this story could be one of the preludes to Dragon Ball, as a side-story for Yamcha.) (Also contains the first instance of Tsukutsun's berserkergang, where he can actually defeat monsters that Arale can't handle.) [The Omake pages in this volume include: The floor plan for the Norimaki family home; and the steps required to make one page of the Dragon Ball Manga.] Volume 18: Donbee teaches a tanuki how to shape-change. Suppaman fakes a King Kong sighting. Akane gets her driver's license before Tarou does (Akane is 18 now, Tarou is 20); Toriyama forgot that Tarou was to graduate from high school, and the boy now has to decide what to do next: He joins the PVPD to become a scooter cop; Arale and Tarou both test to get their driver's licenses (both pass.) A hot motorcyclist comes into town, and tries to win the love of a Formula 1 race driving woman. Charmee Yamada appears as a new motorcycle cop, and arrests everyone in his quest for peace (he loses out against Arale's unchi attack.) Toriyama holds the 2nd Penguin Village Grand Prix, which is a bike race this time, and the winner gets to be Penguin Village's new mayor; after many silly elimination questions at the checkpoints, the 10 contestants have to find different objects (at this time, Arale has to find her "koibito" "significant other" and Obotchaman agrees to pairing up with her (as the first step to the two of them getting married); the Arale/Obotchaman-kun team just barely beat Tsukutsun to the finish line, and Arale becomes Mayor. (She wonders if this "mayor-thing" is strong.) Senbee builds a rocket launcher for the final climax of the last issue of the series; everyone drops by, including Niko-chan, and the ghost of Dr. Mashirito (who had gone on down to Hell.) All of the characters say "Bye-cha." Toriyama thanks everyone for sticking with the series until the end, and he hopes that they will continue on to read Dragon Ball. ===================== End of Volume Summaries =================== Mokuji Table of Contents Volume 1: Arare Tanjou! Arale is Born! Oooosu! Oooosu! ... ga nai! ... is missing! Kaijuu Hakase Dr. Monster Dore ni shou ka na? Which is Better? Kuma-san tomadachi! The Bear is Our Friend! Arare wa Akane!? Arale is Akane!? Deka chibi juu Big/Little Gun 1980 Ashita ni mukatte! 1980, Towards Tomorrow! Taimu Srippaa Time Slipper Nanno Tamago? What Kind of Egg is This? Otoko no ko!? Onna no ko!? A Boy!? A Girl!? Volume 2: Arare sora o Tobu! Arale Flies Through the Air! Totsugeki Arare-Chan (Part 1-2) Arale Attacks Headlong (Part 1-2) Uchuu kara no shinryakusha Invader from Outer Space Honmono Mashiin Real Thing Maker Yuukai sareta!? Abducted!? Sensei ga kuru yo! Sensei is Coming Over! Henshin Ponpoko Gan Ponpoko (Tanuki) Changer Gun Mukashimukashi no Kaisuiyoku Sea Bathing in the Distant Past Panikku in Baabaaya (Part 1-2) Panic in the Barber Shop (Part 1) Ichigo Pantsu Daisakusen The Great Cherry Pattern (Part 1 & 2) Panty Maneuver (Part 1 & 2) Volume 3: Donbe Monogatari Donbe's Story Teketeke Chirudoren Ordinary Mindless/Weird Children Kyofu no fukei-san Formidable Metermaid Chikyuu SOS! (Part 1-2) Earth SOS! (Part 1-2) Arare dai henshin Arale's Big Transformation Haroo wandaa airando Hello, Wonder Island! Gyaasuka Daimaou Demon King Gyaasuka Otogi mashiin Fairyland Machine Akuma no henshin supesharu!! Demon Transformation Special!! Kyofu no yoikokko Formidable Good Child Hiiroo Suppaman Suppaman the Hero Otsukai Arare-chan Arale-chan Goes Shopping Volume 4: Baibai Metchanko pawaa!! Goodbye Fantastic Power!! Raburii Ossan torio The Three Lovely Gentlemen Pengin mura SOS (Part 1-2) Penguin Village SOS (Part 1-2) Osanpo Ga-chan Ga-chan Takes a Stroll Waiwai Wuirudorando Really Exciting/Noisy Wild Land Gokigen Sen-chan Cheerful Sen-chan (Senbee) Harikiri Sen-chan Energetic Sen-chan (Senbee) Odoroki Sen-chan Surprised Sen-chan (Senbee) Aishu no Hoyoyo Deeto Pathos-filled Unsuccessful Date Supesharu!! Special!! Janguru no Oja Paazan Jungle King Paazan (Airhead-zan) Sanzan Santa-san Tough Times for Santa-san Shaon Kankeri Taikai "Thank You" Kick-The-Can Competition Volume 5: Arare.Tatchaburu Arale-Touchable Haarto de Shoubu All-or-Nothing Fight With the Heart Monsutaazu.naito Monsters' Night Arare me daisakusen (Part 1-2) "Arale's Eye" Manuveur (Part 1-2) Kinoko Hourohen Kinoko's Roaming Hakase no uiikupointo Dr.'s Weak Point Sayonara Ga-chan!! Goodbye, Ga-chan!! Tokaijima kara no tenkosei Transfer Student from Tokaijima Sakusha mo hoshii oocha-kun The Author Also Needs Oocha-kun Bibiru-man Bibiru-man (Lose One's Nerve)-man Hatsukoi piisuke Peekse's First Love Volume 6: Youake no Bousouzoku Wild Rider at Dawn Neko-zukin-chan Little Cat-Riding Hood Sairento naito doriim Silent Night Dream Dr. Mashirito no Yabo(Part 1-2) Dr. Mashirito's Ambition (Part 1-2) Jigoku no messenjaa Hell's Messenger Suppa-man tsu Suppa-man 2 Wakuwaku taimu.sutoppu Highly Anticipated Time Stop Chibiru-kun no arubaito Chiberu-kun's Part-time Job Suupaasen-chan-tachi in Superson-chan in Greater Tokaijima Daitokaijima (Part 1 & 2) (Part 1 & 2) Kojirou-chan wa matteita Kojirou-chan is Waiting (Part 1 & 2) (Part 1 & 2) Volume 7: Hachamecha deberugyaru Reckless Devil-girl Boku no toiretto peipaa My Toilet Paper Kopii-kun Copy-kun Bakyuum in 82 Vacuum in '82 Babubabu Senbee Goo Goo Senbee Chikyuu saidai no bai-cha! World's Biggest Bye-cha! (Part 1 & 2) (Part 1) & (Part 2) Dododo de Pengin mura Thunderous Running in Penguin Village Genjin hoyoyo gumi Surprising Caveman Class Myuujikaru.shinderera Cinderella Musical Pusupusu hafuhafu Poit, Puff Puff* Manmosu Midori-chan (Part 1-2) Mammoth Midori-chan (Part 1-2) Watashi te mechanko tsuyoi!? Am I So Incredibly Strong!? [Pasupasu is the sound made by sticking a toothpick into takoyaki.] [Hafuhafu is the exhaling you make to cool down the takoyaki in ] [ your mouth so you can chew it. ] Volume 8: Kaitou hoyoyo dan (Part 1 & 2) Super Robber Team, "Hoyoyo" Omakase Akiko-san Trust It To Akiko-san Pengin Guranpuri (Part 1-4) Penguin Grand Prix (Part 1-4) Disukabaa inaka! Discover, Country! Suupaa doraibaa Super Driver Minichua waga ie My Miniature House Pengin mura uoozu (Part 1-3) Penguin Village Wars (Part 1-3) Volume 9: Honjitsu wa makoto oyorokobi Today is Truly an Auspicious Day DAY Kureijii Hanemuun (Part 1-6) Crazy Honeymoon (Part 1-6) Wakuwaku shinkon raifu Exciting Newlywed Life Yozora no kotekitai Drum and Fife Corp Under Night Skies Za Konbot The Combat-Robot Arale-chan no nakushita-mono Arale's Lost Object Ukiuki haisukuuru!! High School Joyfulness!! Dekai atama yatte kita!! The Really Big Head Has Come Here!! Volume 10: Tsun-san ikka ga yatte kita The Tsun Family Has Come Here Norimaki-san ikka to tsun-san Norimaki's Family and Tsun's Family ikka Haisukuuru Chanpyon (Part 1-6) High School Champion (Part 1-6) Suppaman to Pengin mura no kai Suppaman and Penguin Village's Weirdos Obake DE deeto (Part 1 & 2) A Date With Ghosts (Part 1 & 2) Volume 11: Renzumanzu The Lensmens Bejitaburu Ojisan Vegitable Man Jiichan ga yama kara yattekita Grandfather Arrived From the Mountain Jiichan ga yama e kaete itta Grandfather Returned To the Mountain Uchuu torimonochou (Part 1-3) Space Police Story Haroo! Otsuki-sama Hello, Moon! Akai hanao Red Geta String Ga-chan Ga-chan Ga-chan, Ga-chan Daichi kara no okurimono Present From the Earth Volume 12: Nagare hoshi negai hoshi Shooting Star, Wishing Star Sayonara Tsun-san ikka! Goodbye, Family Tsun! Go! Go! Niko-chan boshi Go! Go! To Planet Niko-chan Niko-chan Fuamirii Saikai! Niko-chan Family Reunion! Osorubeki Daikon no himitsu The Secret of the Formidible Daikon Hon ga daisuki dorobou-san Bookloving Robber Yakuza-ya-san irasshai! Welcome, Yakuza! Henshin konkon herumetto Fox-Helmet Changer n-cha! Penzarashi-kun Hello! Mr. Penguin-seal Yatta! Penzarashi-kun We Did It! Mr. Penguin-seal Itai de kurisumasu Painful Christmas Volume 13: Saikyou Raibaru shutsugen!! Appearance of the Strongest Rival!! Hitome atta sono hi kara... "Love at First Sight..." Seigi to ai no itabasami... Caught Between Love and Rightousness Senshi no kyusoku The Warrior's Repast Karamelman go-gou toojou! Caramel-man #5 Arrives! Ai no telepashii Telepathy of Love Ashire Ai! Run for Love! Isoge Ai! Hurry for Love! Dokidoki tounaito Excitement Tonight Nyuugaku testo de gozaimasu! It is the Entrance Examination! Arale-san mo... nano? Arale-san, are you... also? Chikyuu soshihaisha e no michi Path to the Grand Master of The Earth Karamelman nana-gou toojou! Caramel-man #7 is Here! Volume 14: Muteki C.M. 7 go The Unmatched Caramelman #7 Mashirito yapou tatsusei?? Mashirito's Ambition is Realized?? Akumu! Gajira ga futari Nightmare! Ga-chan is twins Gatsutai shichitta! United into One! 3 ka mae & 3 ka go Three Days Before & Three Days After Pupupu! Sora o yuku Farts! Soar in the sky Ga-chan erai!!! Ga-chan is Great!!! Suppaman tarou Suppaman Tarou (Tarou is a boy's name) Otouto shoppaman sanjou! Little Brother Shoppaman Is Here! Taiho shite cho! You're Under Arrest! Mouretsu Sheipu Appu! Violent Shape Up! Ogya-ha mada ka? No Baby Cry Yet? ----- O e-hon supesharu Photo Album Special: Unchikun no Mai Hoomu Unchi-kun's "My Home" Volume 15: Ta-bo-kun otanjou!! Turbo-kun is Born!! E.T. wa dare? Who is E.T? Chounouryokusha wa dare? Who's the One With ESP Power? Otou-san wa uchuu-jin Daddy is a Spaceman! Kyoufu no Onigokko Frightening Game of Tag Chokushin! Turbo-kun Go Straight Ahead, Turbo-kun! Kore wa yume desu!! This is a Dream!! Akogare no resutoran!! The Yearning to go to a Restaurant!! Mayonaka ni gomen kudasai "Excuse Me," after midnight Daikoukou beesubooru taikai The Big H.S. Baseball Tournament (Part 1 -- 4) (Part 1 -- 4) Volume 16: ?Okotaeshimasho Special? Will You Answer This? Special Tokimeki Tiiruumu Tearoom Anticipation Rikonshimasu! I'm Divorcing You! ncha! Enmadaiou Heaven's Gatekeeper, Hi! Kyoufu no haeningen (Part 1-3) Fear of The Human Fly (Part 1-3) Ai wa mirai de tashikamete... To Ascertain Love in the Future... ncha! 10-nengo no pengin-mura Penguin Village 10 Years From Now, Hi! Sekai 1 Tsuyoi no da-re da Tournament to See Who is the World's taikai!! (Part 1-4) Strongest!! (Part 1-4) Volume 17: Ga-chan no Shoutai!! Ga-chan's True Identity!! Kami-sama no dai-gyakushuu!! God's Big Counter-Attack!! Tenshi-tachi no warai The Laughter of the Angels Torahachirou-san no bunchou Mr. Torahachirou's Java Sparrow Minna Choudai! I'll Take Them All! Fukushuu no Dodonpa!! Raging Revenge!! T.S.W. Time Stop Watch Tomesugichatte komaruno... Don't Stop Too Much... Kakezuri-mawaru seishun (1--6) Youthful Dashing Around (Parts 1-6) Volume 18: Ganbare Tanuki-kun! Give it Your Best, Tanuki-kun! Kingukongu Toujou! King Kong is Here! Ukkari koukou 3-nensei Careless High School Senior Goukaku! You Have Passed! Shissousuru seishun! Energetic Youth! kaette kita ootobai kozou The Motorcyclist Boy Returns asufaruto ni kakeru koi! Bet of Love on the Asphalt! Heiwa nari! Peaceful! Taihosuru! I'm Arresting You! Dai 2-kai Pengin Guranpuri The 2nd Penguin Grand Prix (Scene 1) 10-nin no senshi! The 10 Racers! Rasuto e muke zenryokushissou! Full-Force Run to the Goal!!! Saigo no nankan! The Last Challenge! Gooru made ato... ... (distance) To The Goal Shinsonchou Tanjou! The New Mayor is Chosen! Saishuukai-you meka The Big Invention of the Mecha for Daihatsumei! the Last Issue! ----------------------- End of Chapter Titles ----------------------- From the resumes provided in volume 4 (as of April 1, 1981): Name: | Senbee Norimaki Sex: | Cool guy Address: | Gengoro Island, Penguin Village, Momonga 1-banchi, AB5-13 Born: | Hakofugo 17, 1952, age 29 (Hakofugo == A blowfish) Height: | 175 cm Weight: | 83 kg Hobbies: | Sukebe books Dislikes: | Dogs & thunder Occupation:| Phd. Genius Talent: | Girl hunting Lives With:| Arale Norimaki (sister, 14), Gajira (?, 1), (future wife) Midori Comments: | Get married to Midori-chan ASAP!! Name: | Arale Norimaki Sex: | Tulip Address: | Gengoro Island, Penguin Village, Momonga 1-banchi, AB5-13 Born: | Tobiuo 3, 1967, age 14 (Tobiuo == Flying fish) Height: | 1 meter, 9 cm Weight: | 31 kg Hobbies: | Poking unchi Dislikes: | None Occupation:| Robot Talent: | Female sexual attraction Lives With:| Me, Dr., Ga-chan Comments: | (Drawings of unchi, Ultra-man, Arale, a rocket, and godzilla) Name: | Gajira Norimaki Sex: | Address: | Same as me Born: | Purankuton 2, 1980 (age 1) (Plankton) Height: | 61 cm Weight: | 17 kg Hobbies: | Eating cars Dislikes: | No idea Occupation:| Child Talent: | Can emit 'biii' energy Lives With:| Ga-chan, Dr., me Comments: | (Squiggle is Ga-chan's signature, drawing of Senbee by Ga-chan) Note: | Ga-chan can't write, so the resume has been filled in by Arale. Ga-chan's fingerprint has been included by mistake. Name: | Akane Kimidori Sex: | You can check by looking, right? Address: | (same as above) Kamonohashi 4 Born: | Shiirakansu 21, 1967, age 14 (Shiirakanasu == A type of fish) Height: | 154 cm Weight: | 41 kg Hobbies: | Pranks Dislikes: | Wooly caterpillars, sweet bell peppers (piiman) Occupation:| Nothing Talent: | Cobra Twist Lives With:| Kimidori: Kon (father, 41), Murasaki (mother, 39), Aoi (older sister, 20) Comments: | This has been a pain in the butt!! Name: | Tarou Soramame Sex: | Male (circled) Address: | (same as above) Arumajiro 9-banchi (Arumajiro == Armadillo) Born: | Zarigani 24, 1964, age 16 (Zarigani == Crayfish) Height: | 171 cm Weight: | 56 kg Hobbies: | Riding cycle and baseball Dislikes: | ghosts Occupation:| No job Talent: | I'm a really strong fighter!! Lives With:| Clinton (pop, 38), Mame (mom, 39), Peeske (little brother, 14), Pochi (turtle, 2) Comments: | Give me bigger, better roles in this manga. Name: | Peeske Soramame Sex: | Jr. High Student Address: | (same as Tarou) AB4-02 Born: | Zarigani 1, 1967, age 13//14 Height: | 102 cm Weight: | 34 kg Hobbies: | Getting autographs Dislikes: | That idiot Kinoko Sarada Occupation:| Student Talent: | "Give me your autograph"-deadly blow Lives With:| Clinton Soramame (father, 38), Mame Soramame (mother, 39), Tarou Soramame (big brother, 16), Peeske Soramame (me, 14) Comments: | I need King Gidora's autograph, and want to be taller Name: | Midori Yamabuki Sex: | Maiden (Angirasu == A Japanese dinosaur movie) Address: | (same as above) Angirasu Mansion #102, AB7-20 Born: | Harisenbon 13, 1957, age 24 (Harisenbon == 1000 needles) Height: | 159 cm Weight: | 48 kg Hobbies: | To be a school teacher Dislikes: | Hot cocoa with salt accidently poured into it Occupation:| Supporting actress in manga Talent: | Rocket Punch Lives with:| 1 Cockroach (no relation, age ?), 2 mosquitoes (no relation, age ?) Comments: | Somebody, marry me ---------- !! | (Part of the "Lives With" section is marked up with tic-tac-toe) Name: | Akira Toriyama Sex: | Male Address: | Earth Born: | April 5, 30 (Showa), age 25 Height: | 173 centimeters Weight: | 60 kilograms Hobbies: | Falling asleep while laughing 'heh heh heh' Dislikes: | Mice, pumpkin, deadlines, rejections, men, overnight work Occupation:| I don't want to tell you Talent: | Drawing manga while sleeping Lives With:| Karasu Toriyama (Dad, 50), Tonbi (Mom, 46), Uzura (little sister, 23), Suzume (bride <- it's a lie), Ahiru (cat) Comments: | I want to sleep. I want a bride. I want to make plastic models. I want to send my brain on vacation. I want to go out. I want to take time off, but I don't want to lose my job. I want to play, but pickled shallots smell bad. Please don't read my comics for free, at the bookstore. Do you need dried squid which is called surume? (this is a pun.) I want to raise my rates. "Seashell. Carp. Cod. Hurrah." [The scratched-out comment "Nonchalant sex-fiend" is attributed as "Arale's graffiti.] **************************** End of Resumes ************************** The Daitokaijima American High School team members, from volume 15: (This is again Greater Tokaijima, or "Big City Island", which is really just a joke name for "U.S.A.") (The game is being played, according to the interview with Toriyama, "for no particular reason.") (Note: Suppaman has taken on a part-time job as a reporter for PCB TV, with a name where the kanji is read as "Kraaku Kenta." Coach: Mr. Paper Tissue Pitcher: Rice Curry 91-cm Bust: Purin Almond (Almond Pudding) Centerfield: Fried Chicken (He is 10 meters tall) The Others: The Sundae Brothers (6 small robots) Banana, Chocolate, Strawberry, Pineapple, Melon, and Yogurt. *** Volume 16: "Tournament to determine the strongest in the world" entrants. Toriyama found 1,000,000 yen on the ground, and when asked by Torishima what the next story idea would be, Toriyama panicked. He came up with the contest idea, with a 400,000 yen 1st prize, and a 100,000 yen second place prize. Only 10 people enter. The line up is the standard set of tournament elimination rounds. Round 1: Tsukutsun vs "Killer Sniper" from the L.A. SWAT (Killer gives up) 2: African boxer Pan-Punch vs Big Monster Rajigo (Pan gets stomped) 3: Sumo "Zounoshirizeki" vs CM #8 (Zouno gets blown up) 4: Sukebe Senbee vs French Pro-wrestler Runoo Citroen (Senbee gets KO'd) 5: Arale vs Canadian Lumberjack Mr. Heyheyhoh (Heyheyhoh gets the Volleyball Treatment) 6: Tsukutsun vs Big Monster Rajigo (Tsukutsun gets fried, gives up) 7: Arale vs Citroen (Citroen can't seduce Arale, gives up) 8: CM #8/9 vs Big Monster Rajigo (BMR gets fried, gives up) 9: Arale vs CM #8/9 (Arale is drained of energy and blown away. Obotchaman takes her place and finally permanently kills his maker. Arale declared winner.) *** Volume 18: In the 2nd Grand Prix, 86 people entered. So, Toriyama holds time trials to eliminate everyone but the 10 fastest racers. (The vehicles have to be 2-wheelers; ie. -- motorcycles.) This gives us: Slot 1: Midori on a Turbo-kun powered scooter 2: Obotchaman on a push-scooter 3: Arale pulling a 2-wheeled cart holding the Ga-twins 4: Akane on a jet-powered motor scooter 5: Autobike boy 6: Kibalt Deruhhe 7: Charmee Yamada all on normal motorcycles 8: Senbee on a steamroller-cycle 9: Tarou Soramame on a scooter 10: Tsukutsun on a bicycle Senbee is eliminated first, falling into a jungle pit trap, Charmee gets captured by jungle natives, and Tarou is stomped on by a dinosaur. Akane uses her jet, but hits a hill and launches into space. While at checkpoint E, Midori tries to catch a dragonfly, and her 'engine' goes up into a tree and falls asleep; Kibalt has to get the panties of a pretty woman, and is disqualified for trying to sneak past the panties of an ugly woman, instead; Arale needs her "koibito", so Obotchaman-kun quits and joins up as Arale's "lover". Autobike Boy needs to stop for gas, and loses too much time at the pumps -- leaving only Arale and Tsukutsun (Tsururin used her ESP to help her brother, but smashed him into a tree and destroyed his bicycle) with his wrecked bike tied to his back. He has the lead, but Obotchaman uses his "n-cha" style blast to push Arale across the finish line, and into 1st Place, and she becomes the new Mayor. ***************************************************************** At the beginning of volume 16, Toriyama visits the Norimaki household to ask some questions that had been sent in by many of the readers. (Slightly paraphrased.) Toriyama asks Senbee: Q: How does Dr. Senbee make his money. A: Between issues, I sell my inventions each week. Q: What is the floor layout for the Norimaki house? A: (Floor plan is shown) Q: There's a bit of difference to reality A: Hahaha, because of occasional remodeling. Q: Next is a question that gets asked a lot. Arale is a robot, who doesn't change. So, why is she so different between volume 1 and now (with illustration.) A: How do you think I should know? You're the one who draws her! You answer that! Q: Here's 300 yen. A: Hahaha, well, come up to my 2nd floor lab. [In lab, spare bodies.] Q: Oh-hoh. But, what do you need all those spare bodies for? What do you DO with them? (Pervert.) A: What do you expect for only 300 yen!? (An argument ensues.) Assistant Matsuyama asks Toriyama: Q: Arale-chan and friends keep breaking the Earth and Moon -- how do those two things get fixed? A: [Long silence] Can't you ask an easier question? Q: Before, you had a (wind-up toy) body. Why is your current robot body different? A: Ummm, that's a very good question. I had a motor installed. Toriyama to Senbee again: Q: (After blowing up his house) Your house is constantly getting damaged. How does it get fixed again? A: (Pulls out the Ponpoko changer gun) "Return to before." (Rather than travel to Niko-chan's planet, Toriyama asks Turbo to teleport Niko-chan to Earth. Emperor Niko-chan sputters angrily, but calms down when being threatened with being stranded on Earth.) Q: How do you go to the toilet? A: Well, you know that my sphincter is on the top of my head, and if I simply took a crap, it would get on my face, so (he puffs himself up, and the unchi shot from the top of his head flies in an arc to land safely on the ground.) (Turbo teleports Niko-chan back home.) Toriyama to Ga-chan: Q: How is it that you hatched from the egg fully clothed? A: Pipupipo kupipuppu poppokopii. Pipipepo pupuppi kupupupe. Pipapipa pupupopi pepepoppo. Q: Oh, hoho, umm, I see. No, I guess that one will have to remain a secret. Toriyama to Arale: Q: Well, Arale-chan, this is the last question. Why doesn't Ga-chan eat you? (That is, you are a robot, and the Ga-chan twins eat everything except rubber.) A: Ye---es. I am made from a special rubber. And you? Q: I'm made from a really great special alloy. (The Ga-twins slobber, and then all that's left of Toriyama is a bolt, a nut, and a spring.) ***************************************************************** In volume 16, both Obotchaman-kun and Toriyama visit Penguin Village 10 years in the future, to see what will happen to them. What they find is: The Dr. Slump manga ended long ago, and is now forgotten. Obotchaman and Arale are married, and a bald Senbee makes a baby robot for them. Arale wants to name the baby "King Gidora", but Obotchaman is against it. Arale never changes; she still plays with unchi. Senbee and Midori have a baby girl and another baby boy. Ga-chan has multiplied again, bringing the total up to 8. Tarou married Tsururin. He is a cop, and tells Obotchaman to watch the speed limit while running. She is a housewife. They live in Midori's old apartment building. Tsururin's parents returned to China. They couldn't repair their spaceship, so they took a charter tour plane back home. Akane runs the Coffee Pot, but makes for an ill-tempered waitress. She married Tsukutsun, who teaches elementary school during the weekdays, and Kung Fu on Sundays. Peeske and Hiyoko have married, and have a boy named Puuske. Suppaman is bald, but still keeping the peace. The cops that Arale always bashes are older, and still get bashed. Dr. Mashirito is gone. All that remains of him is a spring, and one bolt, rusting out in the middle of a field.) Kinoko Sarada is taller, wears a sweatsuit while riding a bicycle and singing to her walkman, but is otherwise unchanged. Toriyama believes that he will be rich, sitting beside a pool and surrounded by pretty young ladies. Instead, he is a homeless ragman, who begs for money. When he returns home, he frantically scribbles out manga, claiming that he will change the future. ************************************************************************** At various times, hung up throughout the house, there will be posters on the walls. (I won't give away where to find them.) They include: The Dirty Pair Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CE3K) Flash Dance Westurn ************************************************************************** Like nearly all manga artists, Toriyama will re-use his character designs for other stories. This is the case for Dragon Ball. Toriyama took the designs for a few characters, changed their clothing and their ages (a little) and viola... Tsukutsun Tsun: His hair grew long, and he traded in his Chinese martial arts outfit for more of a nomad look, to become _Yamcha_. Akane Kimidori: Her head was enlongated a bit, and her age rolled back to about 14, making her _Buruma_. Kami-sama: God put on a pair of sunglasses, strapped a turtleshell to his back, and called himself _Kame-sennin_. Senbee Norimaki: Lost a little height, and changed his hairstyle before declaring himself _Red Leader_ of _Red Ribbon_. Tarou Soramame: When Tarou started playing baseball more often, around volume 15, as the star pitcher of course, he stuffed his hair up under his hat. It is now clear that the matured Tarou disappeared for 10 years, before reclaiming the stage as _Son Gokuu_ as an adult. Arale Norimaki: Arale never changes. She remains the same, only more so. Appears as herself during the Red Ribbon Blue Shogun sequence. ************************************************************************** -- Curtis H. Hoffmann Nov. 10, 1994