Ask Akira Toriyama - ladies and gentlemen, the one & only - Anime - http://maxpages.com/anime2009/Ask_Akira

DRAGON BALL
Akiri Toriyama's
"ASK ME ANYTHING" Corner!

Q. Hello. You Always create excellant manga and I get a good laugh out of them. Your characters have wonderful personalities; if I'm feeling down, they always make me feel better. Please keep making such great characters! (Especially the cute girls.)

A. Well thank you very much. I'm pleased to hear your comments. I'll keep working hard.

Q. Hello Akira Toriyama-sensei. I'm a third-year middle school student. Every week I read Dragon Ball in Shonen Jump because your drawings are great and your jokes are always funny. I think that's why you've got so many readers. Goku is nice and always cool, and Kame-sen'nin is always a pervert. I'm always telling everyone at school to buy Shonen Jump. Please take care of your health and keep up the funny gags.

A. Thanks for your support. By the way, when you tell people to buy my manga, please recommend Shonen Jump.

Q. Hello. My friend Dai-chan and I were walking past this house and a big dog and a little dog started chasing after us. I felt like crying, and we both ran. I was scared. I can't forget about what happened. Have you ever experienced anything like this?

A. When I was young, I too was chased by a dog. But dogs seem to like chasing things that run away from them, so next time you see one, it may be better if you walk calmly past it. If you make friends with dogs, they can be really loveable. (I know this letter has nothing to do with Dragon Ball...)

Q. I hope you are doing well. Every week I buy Jump to read Dragon Ball. I especially like Kame-Sen'sin. Please have him play a bigger role in the series. Bye.

A. Hmmm...Kame-Sen'nin, it seems you have a fan.

Kame-Sen'nin: Of course! There's nobody better when it comes to martial arts! So, Taisuke Fujiwara, eh?...Hey, wait a minute! That's a guy's name! I'd rather have female fans. Girls, send me fan letters!

Q. Hello. I'm writing you for the first time because I have a favor to ask. When is the first Dragon Ball graphic novel going to out? Please let me know!

A. It's out! The one your reading is Vol. 2.

Q. Hello Sensei. Please allow me to ask some questions:
(1) How long does it take for you to create one chapter of Dragon Ball?
(2) Do you draw the backgrounds yourself?
(3) How many assistants do you have?
(4) Does your assistant live at your house?

A. (1) It takes me about five days to think of the story and draw it all. I draw one chapter a week. (2) I draw the backgrounds if it's the first time they show up, otherwise it's mostly my assistant that draws them. If there's a lot of scenery to draw then I'll also draw some of it. (3) I have one assistant named Matsuyama. If things get really busy his wife also helps out. (4) He commutes. He doesn't have to draw every day. Having him come two days a week is sufficient.

Q. I really like Dragon Ball. I store my graphic novels in plastic bags and always wash my hands before reading them. That's how much I like Dragon Ball. Please keep up the good work and come out with the next volume soon. Thank You.

A. You're a good boy! A very good boy! Yes, you're good...but that sure sounds like a hassle...

Q. Hello Toriyama-sensei. Are you handsome?

A. Yes!!!

Q. Shen Long, mighty dragon god! Please answer my wish and allow my letter to be printed in Toriyama's "Ask Me Anything" Corner.

A. It has been printed. The power of the Dragon Balls is in incredible isn't it? (By the way, this won't work for anyone else who tries it.)

Q. Hello Toriyama-sensei. I always enjoy reading Dragon Ball. By the way, when will Vol. 19 of Dr. Slump come out? I'm looking forward to reading it.

A. Uh...Dr. Slump ended with Vol. 18. No matter how long you wait, even if you become an old man, Vol. 19 won't be coming out.

Q. I have all the Jumps with Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball. I also have Vol. 1-4 of Masakazu Katsura's Wingman. I am great fan of both you and Katsura-sensei. But if I had to choose, I think you are cooler and more contemporary.

A. You are a good girl! A very good girl! I'm sure you'll grow up to be a great woman.

Q. Hello sensei. I bought Dragon Ball Vol. 1. The drawings and story are so cute that even a girl like me really loves it.

A. Thank You! I hope more girls like you become fans.

Q. I have all of your comics. I read Shonen Jump every week. Here is my question for you: is Kame-Sen'nin based on Shibui Kami-sama from Dr. Slump Vol. 17? They look just the same, exept that Kame-Sen'nin has sunglasses.

A. Wow, you're sharp! You are correct!! I put sunglasses on Shibui Kami-sama. I really liked that old guy, so I wanted to use him in Dragon Ball.

Q. I have four questions for Akira Toriyama-sensei:
(1) Were you good at drawing manga even when you were in elementary school?
(2) You draw a lot of naughty stuff in your comics. Is this naughty of you?
(3) Do you have a video game console?
(4) Please continue to draw great manga.

A. (1) I was okay. (2) Yes! (3) I do own one, but it can distract me from working so I don't play that often. But when I do play, I'm really good at it! (4) Thank you for your words of encouragement.

Q. Ummm...I have a question. It doesn't have anything to do with Dragon Ball. When will Vol. 2 of Toriyama Akira Maru-saku Gekijo ["Akira Toriyama's Fill-In-The-Blank Theatre"] come out? You didn't forget about it did you?

A. Unfortunatly, I am about 45 pages short of completing Vol. 2 of the Theatre book. As of now there are no plans to release it. I think it may come out after I finish the 45 pages. [Theatre is only available in Japan as here of now.]

Q. Toiyama-sensei, hello. Goodbye.

A. Thank you.

Q. I really love Dragon Ball. I especially like Yamcha (go Yamcha, go!). I hope you continue to create more and more manga. I will be a fan of Dragon Ball until I die.

A. Please support my work until you die! A lot of people give up halfway...

Q.I loan out my Dragon Ball comics for 100 yen for three days. Am I bad for doing this? (But everyone keeps borrowing them...)

A. Yes you're bad! You make money but I don't get anything!!

Q. I really like Dragon Ball. It's so much fun I can't stand it. I can't believe how happy I am that your manga exists.

A. Hmm...if you like it that much, it makes me really happy as well.

Q. Since Son Goku and Kuririn both trained with Kame-Sen'nin, please have "Goku vs. Kuririn" be the final match at the Tenka'ichi Budokai!

A. That's a very intriguing idea, but unfortunatly it's too late for this tournament. The final match has already been set as Son Goku vs. Jackie Chun. But I think if there ever was a Goku vs. Kuririn match, Goku would win overwhelmingly.

Q. I always get a thrill reading Dragon Ball. I like Dragon Ball so much that my friends think I'm weird. I have almost all of the toys, I've bought all of the comics, and I record the TV show every week.

A. Wonderful! I hereby grant you a first dan black belt in Toriyama School Shorinji Kempo. You are my greatest student! Please continue to support my work.

Q. Just so you know, I really like Oolong tea and Pu'ar tea. By the way, on page 18 of volume 1, Son Goku says to Bulma, "I never saw another human before!" Wasn't Goku's "grandpa"(the guy who raised him) a human?

A. W-Well...if you put it that way...yes. Oops...I made a mistake. Sorry, I apologize. You're also very smart to realize that I got the name "Pu'ar" from the Chinese tea.

Q. Hello Toriyama-sensei. I have a question. If you had one whole day of uninterupted free time, what would you do?

A. Occasioally I do have a day of free time. I usually end up sleeping late and when I wake up I may go to the supermarket with my wife, or ride my bike, or go to see a movie, or work on a plastic model, or watch TV, or...I pretty much just putter away the day.

Q. Help! I'm running out of air! Please get some air and send it to me by kamehameha. Bye.

A. Huh...? W-What are you talking about? I assume that you didn't write while you were drowning... Uh-h...please continue to support my work.

Q. Okay, I've figured it out... Dragon Ball is based on the old Chinese legend Saiyuki ("Journey to the West"). Even the characters are the same: Bulma is Sanzo Hoshi, Oolong is Hakkai, Yamcha is Sagojo, and Shen Long isd Sanzo Hoshi's horse. Even the order they appear is the same. Am I wrong? I am a girl in my third year [9th grade] of middle school. I am afraid of the high school entrance exams!

A. It's true, in the beginning I set out to create a modern day version of Saiyuki. But soon it became difficult to remain true to the original, so I started ignoring it. So even though they have the same name, please consider my Son Goku and the monkey king Son Goku to be two different characters. However, I did get the Ox King story from Saiyuki. Good luck on your entrance exams.

Q. At my house we have volumes 1-24 of Kinnikuman ("Mustleman") manga and one Kinnikuman video.

A. Umm...I'm sorry, Naoki. Kinnikuman is drawn by a person named Yude Tamago...If you'd like, please take a look at Dragon Ball. Ha ha...ha...

Q. Hello. I really like Dragon Ball. I really like you too. I have a question for you. Dr. Slump lasted for 18 volumes. How long will Dragon Ball continue for?

A. Hmm...maybe for ten volumes or so. I think I'd like to make it short and sweet. But then again, there are lots of things I want to include in the story so I don't really know.

Q. This is the first time I've written to a manga artist. Do you think the technique I thought up ("Waterfall of Flames" technique) is good for Dragon Ball?

A. Wow! This technique is most certainly impressive. I may be able to use it in the manga. Thank you for your assistance!

Q. I always look at your manga and use them as a referance to draw my own manga. I really respect you. I have all of your manga including Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Hetappi Manga Kenkyujo ("Lousy Manga Labratory", and Toriyama Akira Maru-saku Gekijo ("Akira Toriyama's Fill-In-The-Blank Theatre"). I keep them to use referance material. In particular, Hetappi Manga Kenkyujo greatly influenced the way I draw manga.

A. Thank you. You've complimented me so much I'm a bit embarrassed. Please keep up the hard work on drawing your own manga.

Q. I love Dragon Ball. I really like Bulma. Please continue to draw your great manga.

A. Surprisingly, there are a great number of girls that say they like Bulma. Perhaps it's because her personality is a bit like a boy's. Personally, I don't like really like harsh, selfish girls like Bulma.

Q. I was really happy to see Kuririn appear in the manga. (Although he hasn't made an appearance in a while.) Kuririn looks like my daughter who is about to turn one year old.

A. Thank You. So, your daughter looks exactly like Kuririn...I don't know how to respond to that. But I'm sure your daughter is very cute. By the way, does she have a nose?

Q. On the spines of the Dragon Ball graphic novels, so far you've drawn a Dragon Ball with one star for every volume of the series. What will you do if the series goes over seven volumes.

A. You're right! The spines with the drawings of the dragon and the Dragon Balls will end after the seventh volume. I am wondering myself what to do from the eighth volume on.

Q. I like Pu'ar. I told my brother that Pu'ar is a cat and he told me Pu'ar is a mouse. Who is right?

A. Actually, Pu'ar is neither a cat nor a mouse, but I draw him a little bit like a cat.

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Page Updated Fri Aug 19, 2005 1:11pm EDT