Watch and Read: Spotlight on Media Tie-ins
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Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 03/23/2009
From Manga to Movie
Dragonball Evolution (PG) rolls into U.S. theaters on April 2, 2009. Directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow, this live-action film from 20th Century Fox is based on the popular graphic novel series created by Akira Toriyama. It’s the 18th birthday of Goku (Justin Chatwin), a high school misfit who is easily identifiable by his impossible-to-tame spiky hair. His grandfather Gohan (Randall Duk Kim), the man who raised him and trained him in the martial arts, gives him a Dragonball, explaining that there are only six others like it in the world and that, collected together, they will grant their holder one wish.
When Gohan is attacked by an evil force and left near death, he uses his last words to send Goku on an important quest. With the help of several friends, including Bluma (Emmy Rossum), a gadget-loving scientist with blue-streaked hair who rides a high-tech speedster, Goku must find the mysterious Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat) and gather the remaining six powerful Dragon Balls before the evil Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) is able to do so. In addition to plenty of martial-arts-style combat, the movie also features a love interest for Goku (Chi Chi played by Jamie Chung) and sci-fi elements including an alien villain (complete with pointed ears and a menacing sneer) bent on world dominion. Kids can check out theatrical trailers, find out more about the characters, and access a game at the film’s official Web site.
Dragon Ball Origins
Written and illustrated by Toriyama, this Japanese manga series was originally presented in Weekly Shônen Jump between 1984 and 1995 and later published as 42 tankôbon volumes by Shueisha. The story is based on the traditional Chinese folktale Journey to the West and introduces the character of Son Goku, a happy-go-lucky monkey-tailed boy who lives in the woods. Following Goku from childhood to middle age, the tales tell how he trains in martial arts, searches the world for the seven mystical Dragon Balls, meets some interesting individuals along the way, and continually battles villains determined to take over the world. In the United States, the “Dragon Ball” graphic novel series (rated teen) focuses on Goku’s youth, while the “Dragon Ball Z” series (rated all ages, both Shonen Jump/VIZ Media), billed as “the ultimate in science fiction martial arts manga,” deals with his action-packed adventures as an adult (from the first appearance of his son Gohan and following through to the climax of the sequence). The graphic novels, which have remained hot items in both Japan and the U.S. and have been cited by manga artists as influential works, have been adapted into three anime series, several animated feature films, and television specials by Toei Animatio, as well as a trading card game and numerous video games.
Movie Tie-in Books
VIZ Media has published several books, written in traditional narrative style, based on Ben Ramsey’s screenplay for the film. Aglow in bright orange hues, the covers feature action photos of the main characters in their movie regalia. Dragonball Evolution: The Junior Novel (Gr 4–7) presents a lively retelling that zings with vividly described fight scenes and snappy dialogue. Eight pages of full-color film photos are accompanied by captions and quotes. For younger readers (Gr 2–4), the story is broken up into three separate fast-reading volumes: The Discovery, The Search, and The Battle (kids will need to read all three to access the entire pot arc). Beginning with black-and-white film photos introducing the characters, the books employ simpler vocabulary, larger-size text, and brief cliff-hanger chapters. Eight pages of full-color photos, emblazoned with character names, appear at each volume’s center.
Pub Info
DEUTSCH, Stacia & Rhody Cohon. Dragonball Evolution: The Junior Novel. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4215-2664-5.
_____. Dragonball Evolution: The Discovery. pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4215-2661-4.
_____. Dragonball Evolution: The Search. pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4215-2662-1.
_____. Dragonball Evolution: The Battle. pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4215-2663-8.
ea vol: VIZ Media. 2009.
