The problem with being a long-time anime fan (as opposed to the ton of new fans that crop every year thinking they know everything about manga and anime) is that I have so much stuff on tape that when I want to write up a review I always come across so many titles that I love and have watched that to pick just one series becomes a chore. Thus far I have promised all of you readers series such as “Kodomo No Omacha”, “Cityhunter” and even “Akakuzin Cha-cha”. This review was promised way back around the time DVDAR #5 came out. It got constantly delayed because there is so much stuff to watch anime and wrestling wise while trying to balance some kind of social life and work that I put off writing up “Dr. Slump” for a long time. This being said let us jump right into it shall we?
“Dr. Slump” began appearing in Manga form circa 1980 in Shukan Shonen Jump by writer/artist Akira Toriyama. Though “Dr. Slump” is well loved it is Toriyama’s follow-up series to “Slump” that is better known (it is this little merchandising empire called “Dragonball”, maybe you’ve heard of it?) . “Slump” was Toriyama’s first weekly run series and ran from 1980-84, his previous work were mainly one-shot stories such as “Escape”, a 10-page story that made it into the “Toriyama World” artbook. “Slump” was a hit from the get go, a comedy loaded with gag jokes and toilet humor that any 5 year old could appreciate. It made Toriyama a millionaire almost overnight. When Toei Doga approached the creator about animating the series “Slump” had only been running in Shukan Shonen Jump for less than a month, a record at the time. The TV series began airing 4/8/81 and finished its initial run 2/19/86. It was in the final installment that Toriyama introduced a little boy named Son Goku, the main character of “Dragonball”, the manga that replaced “Slump” the very next week.

The Story Of “Dr. Slump” And Its Characters

The beauty of “Slump” lies in the fact that it has no central storyline, no overriding goal or plot that drives it, it is there simply to get readers to laugh. It dies this by having the most bizarre cast of characters I’ve ever come across in anime.

Dr. Senbe Norimaki – The “Dr. Slump” of the series. Senbe-san is not the actual main character of this little tale but nonetheless is very important. He is an inventor who is known to the residents of Penguin Village as either an idiot or a genius (depending on who you ask). He is also known for his rather large collection of porn magazines and for building every invention with a self-destruct mechanism. The one thing he invents that doesn’t blow up is Arale-chan a robot girl of about 12 years of age.

Arale Norimaki – The Main Character. Arale was built by Senbe-san to show his creativity and brilliance. His only flaw in her creation is the fact that she is nearsighted and must wear glasses. Upon her creation the first thing she attempted to do was run to the nearest window and try to fly. When she discovered she couldn’t she asked Senbe-san why she lacked that gift. Senbe informed her that he didn’t build her that way. She countered by asking why didn’t she have chest firing rocket missiles, Senbe replied “Why do you need those?” to which Arale replied, “How am I supposed to fight the bad guys?” Arale is innocent and is amused by simple things. She is also as strong as a Mack truck and also wields the power of the awesome “UNCHA” cannon (Uncha translates to “BURP”). Her hobbies include running through town at super speed and playing with her friend Ga-chan.

Ga-chan – When Senbe built a time machine he and Arale traveled back to the age of the dinosaurs and found an egg. Arale brought it home to hatch hoping that Godzilla would come out. When the egg did hatch a small cherubic creature with bee wings emerged. Arale named it Ga-chan (short for Gajira, a play on the Japanese spelling of Godzilla). Go Chan’s favorite past time is playing “Ultraman” with Arale. This entails Arale climbing into someone’s mouth and screaming “Oh no the monster is trying to eat me!! Save me!! Save Me Ultraman!!”. Ga-chan then flies in, zaps the monster (usually Senbe) with an “Ultra-beam” and then celebrates the victory with Arale.

Midori Yamabuki – Arale’s homeroom teacher and overall not the brightest bulb. Senbe is madly in love with Midori. They eventually marry after a long and confusing courtship. She eventually gives birth to Arale’s little brother Turbo.

Caca - A piece of shit that Arale finds floating in the toilet. She takes and puts it on a stick making it one of her best friends. Caca eventually gets some feet and learns to walk. He finds other Cacas and has family with them.

Parzan – Toriyama’s parody of Tarzan. He lives in a forest outside of Penguin Village. When he tries to summon animals to his aide they all just laugh and ignore him. He carries a monkey on his back.

Suppa-man!! – The FUNNIEST character in anime!! Clark Kenta fights for justice but unfortunately he is also an idiot. When Penguin Village is in danger Clark reaches for his supply of pickled plums and becomes Suppa-man (Suppa means “sour” in Japanese, more great Toriyama gag word play). He has no powers to speak of and pretends to fly by lying down on a skateboard. Everyone in Penguin Village hates him and warn their children not to touch him or they might “catch stupidity”. He is also known for getting into arguments with people and ending those arguments by lobbing hand grenades at them.

These are the key characters, there tons more as “Slump” has a cast of hundreds. Everything is a gag, Toriyama left no stone unturned. Arale goes to school with a kid who looks like Mr. Spock and is there as a “Foreign Exchange Student”. Ultraaman (note the spelling) shows up, long retired from monster fighting he is depicted in a smoking jacket with a pipe. Don’t even get me started on the world’s worst police department (Penguin Village is always being attacked or robbed).

“Dr. Slump” is weird, funny and by the funniest thing I’ve ever watched. There is a wonderful sense of anarchy about it and remains favorite work by Akira Toriyama. This is a must see series just so you can laugh your ass off.

Dr. Slump Rating – Dear God!! This show is so off the wall cool that to give it a star rating does not give it justice!!

James