OG Dragon Ball 55 & 56 Full Reaction
Added 2025-08-07 19:00:07 +0000 UTCFull uncut reaction to Dragon Ball Episodes 55 and 56
Comments
Haha, thank you JT for all of this knowledge you are sharing with us!
Bethany and Ken
2025-08-11 16:05:17 +0000 UTCGood point and thanks for clarifying this for us!
Bethany and Ken
2025-08-11 15:45:33 +0000 UTCPerhaps that's why we couldn't wrap our heads around it
Bethany and Ken
2025-08-11 15:36:07 +0000 UTCHaha, definitely!
Bethany and Ken
2025-08-11 15:26:48 +0000 UTCYeah, that tracks!
Bethany and Ken
2025-08-11 15:24:36 +0000 UTCThat's so sweet! 😍 Ken was the baby in his family so he never had a younger sibling to show that nurturing affection towards. And I'm an only child so I just doted on my pets as younger siblings. 😂
Bethany and Ken
2025-08-11 15:24:10 +0000 UTCOh wow, that's some trivia for us!
Bethany and Ken
2025-08-11 15:20:14 +0000 UTC40:00 Ok so basically.... in the original Japanese version the gag is that Blue is indeed a pedophile (The original dialogue he said "My type!" then proceeded to ask him out on a date and offer to buy him clothes, when he left he said "You're just a country bumpkin, anyway!") because of the super outdated stereotype "gag" of associating homosexuality with every type of perversion (this was animated in the 80s so their sense of humor...yeah super outdated to say the least) When they dubbed this in the 2000s they (obviously) had to change the dialogue (this aired on cartoon network after all) to him having a younger long lost brother named Samuel
Dorian Cantu
2025-08-09 10:43:49 +0000 UTCAh yes, we have once more resumed our acid trip on this episode. Think JT pretty much said what I wanted to say about these last 2 eps, so all I can say is I agree that I’ve seen enough of Blue, and I look forward to never seeing him again!
J Sal
2025-08-08 20:07:46 +0000 UTCI kiss my younger brother in the cheek everyday when he was a toddler lol
schifferjack
2025-08-08 04:56:26 +0000 UTCI'm not sure whether it was in a DB movie or a manga but I think Blue showed interest in Trunks (the older one I think), because of his blonde hair and eyes, this guy is such a narcissist because ofc he'd like a guy that would resemble himself 🤦♀️
Cynergy
2025-08-07 22:21:24 +0000 UTC40:00 I won't expand on this scene since JT has already covered this in the below comments but this was the biggest wtf scene, it definitely wasn't made obvious in previous episodes he was this way inclined considering he never showed interest in Goku or Krillin, it sickens me to say this but I can only assume it was a last minute change by Toei or he has a particular type in.....yeah I can't finish this sentence 🤢🤢🤢🤢
Cynergy
2025-08-07 22:10:28 +0000 UTCi know these episodes seem weird but trust me shit is about to get serious soon
YWM
2025-08-07 22:05:00 +0000 UTC33:00 I love that DB always has you both questioning what kind of world you've stumbled upon with episodes like this one 😂
Cynergy
2025-08-07 22:00:35 +0000 UTCYeah if we couldn't stand Blue prior to these episodes, him being revealed as a pdf file just made him more detestable 🤢
Cynergy
2025-08-07 21:45:58 +0000 UTCOn the power scale blue would likely be weaker then Roshi thats probably why they didnt have them fight.
Knight Spearhead
2025-08-07 21:35:42 +0000 UTCIts sort of like one of the first medias that merged the worlds of the creator, like marvel became famous for.
Knight Spearhead
2025-08-07 21:34:10 +0000 UTChttps://youtu.be/2-pfJ5jW76Q?si=Nwdiyp2UeEfzS851
JT
2025-08-07 21:28:03 +0000 UTCMe: sees 46 comments Me: sees JT Me: *wipes sweat drop* checks out 😂
Cynergy
2025-08-07 21:26:53 +0000 UTCJT Writing a whole book😂
Knight Spearhead
2025-08-07 20:42:55 +0000 UTCay guys be careful someone left a mess down there
JT
2025-08-07 20:38:54 +0000 UTC(50:10) Nah, Dr. Slump wasn't Toriyama's first ever manga. It was the first "big hit" manga of his that ran for a very long time, for sure, but certainly not the first. He had several smaller/shorter works come out before Dr. Slump, but the first ever manga of his to be published was his two chapter manga, "Wonder Island". The first chapter was about an ex-kamikaze pilot that ended up stuck on an strange island and tries all sorts of wacky methods to escape. The second chapter was about an American detective who gets called in to deal with a bank robber who had fled to the same strange island. That second premise sounds simple, but I honestly believe that chapter might be the most unhinged thing Toriyama has ever produced.
JT
2025-08-07 20:25:23 +0000 UTC39:56 Whelp, here it is. That anime exclusive scene that I mentioned about Blue’s “type” being the focus? This is it. The story of Blue's brother Samuel is nothing more than a censorship measure. In the sub, Blue outright exclaims that Obotchaman is his type, and asks him if he would like to go get something to eat somewhere or if he could buy him some beautiful clothes. Fucking disgusting. The worst part is I can’t entirely nail down if Toei was intending to make Blue even more of a villain, or if this is another “product of the times” case where it’s meant to be some sort of attempt at humor and poking fun at Blue being gay. Glad the dub changed it, if ya couldn’t tell. I’m all for trying to keep things as close to the original dialogue possible, but this is just not needed.
JT
2025-08-07 20:04:11 +0000 UTC39:14 No, the Red Ribbon Army is just in Dragon Ball. Toriyama was not taking the story nor the worldbuilding of things too seriously at this point, so Penguin Village just happens to exist in the same world as Dragon Ball despite any questions that may create (like why the sun is only sentient when viewed from Penguin Village).
JT
2025-08-07 20:02:20 +0000 UTCArale took Akira Toriyama out of poverty and made him a millionaire, but Goku made billions. It's nice to revisit your roots, but she's really not made for western sensibilities 😅.
emma kotone
2025-08-07 20:00:14 +0000 UTC26:32 Based on the way that the manga describes things, it's implied that General Blue constrained the fighters in such a way that they couldn't just muscle out of the bind. Roshi states "... and somehow this rope is wrapped so that I can't draw upon my own strength". The rope does not change color in any way. The ropes turning blue might've just been Toei trying to imply that Blue used his ability to reinforce them. I suppose such a thing isn't entirely out of the realm of plausibility. If you were tied up in such a way where you couldn't breath properly to oxygenate your muscles/focus your core or have enough space to actually begin pushing against "anything", then I don't think you're breaking that rope even if you're on the stronger side.
JT
2025-08-07 19:44:44 +0000 UTC(18:22) Tsuruten Tsun (man at the coffee shop): The father of the Tsun family, who is a genius inventor just like Senbei. The Tsun family is a Chinese family that were trying to start a new life on the moon by flying there on the “Reh Tsu Goh” a tea kettle shaped spaceship that doubles as the Tsun family’s home. Arale shot the Reh Tsu Goh down before the Tsuns could reach the moon, causing them to crash and become neighbors to the Norimaki family. Tsuruten here is my least favorite recurring character in Dr. Slump. He’s the “pervy old man” trope that has no redeeming qualities. As a matter of fact, he brings about scene in Dr. Slump that I would argue may just be worse than anything that Master Roshi has ever done (and I do mean “anything”). One so depraved and questionable I can’t bring myself to type it out. His comeuppance is often delivered by his wife, Tsunoda Tsun, who was more or less Toriyama’s prototype for adult Chi Chi.
JT
2025-08-07 19:08:32 +0000 UTCMe and Plastic Models When I tell people I like building plastic models, they frown, and I guess they’re right: it’s not a particularly healthy hobby. You never hear about a sweating craftsman toiling away under a blue sky and blazing sun, finally completing his plastic-model masterpiece. I agree, it’s a little sad to sit at my desk for hours scribbling away at a manga, then sit for more hours at my desk making models, but you gotta fess up and do what you like sometimes. And when you do something for twenty years and you still aren’t sick of it, you have to admit you like it. My favorite part is the prelude to the build – looking at reference books, thinking about how to add to this piece or modify another piece. But when I actually start building, boy, it’s like a marathon, and I sometimes find myself wondering why I started doing this in the first place, but like a mountain climber wheezing his way to the summit, I strive ever onward. At least, that’s how I see myself. When I finish one, I run screaming to my wife. “Ta-dah! Look! Isn’t it amazing!?” To which she usually replies “hmm?” without even opening her mouth. Humph. I guess you can’t expect people to react to something they’re not interested in. Like if she showed me this picture of an amazingly handsome guy, I would probably say “hmm?” too… so I mumble and grumble to myself as I crack open yet another plastic-model kit.
JT
2025-08-07 19:05:39 +0000 UTCIn this thread I’ll be sharing more Toriyama excerpts from Dr. Slump that I call the “Me and…” series. They’re just nice little moments where Toriyama talks about his interests/hobbies. This series was where I had gotten the info about Toriyama’s hatred of rats and love of animals in prior episodes.
JT
2025-08-07 19:05:17 +0000 UTCArale is annoying af
REDE
2025-08-07 19:02:19 +0000 UTCMe Back Then 1 Redux: I Am a Kind Brother It happened in grade school… I was throwing a ball onto the roof and hitting it as it fell. My sister showed up. Sister: “Whatcha’ doin’?” Toriyama: “This is so cool! Watch.” Sister: “Okay” This was my chance to show her how cool I was. *ball rolls down roof* *Toriyama swings bat* I felt the bat hit, but the ball went nowhere. Thinking this odd, I looked down at my sister, who lay twitching at my feet. Looking closer, I noticed that her eyes looked like baseballs. Dad scolded me something crazy that night.
JT
2025-08-07 19:02:09 +0000 UTCYou know what? An idea has just occurred to me (as I’m typing these notes in advance). I have a stockpile of stories and statements that Toriyama provided throughout Dr. Slump. While I do think these are best experienced as they are in the manga (the illustrations add to their humor), I see no reason why I couldn’t just take the liberty of sharing them to the best of my ability down here. So, let me dedicate this thread to his “Me Back Then” series, which are Toriyama’s recollections of his past life experiences. I’ve left out some entries that I feel can only be told well when the illustrations are included.
JT
2025-08-07 19:01:50 +0000 UTCNow that ya’ll are getting to see the main cast of Dr. Slump beyond what was shown DBS episode 69, I finally get to share something that I’ve been working on for a fair bit. Since you two were pretty much begging us to explain what was going on last time Arale and co., I’ve created this character guide that gives ya just about everything you’d need to know. What I’m about to relay to you is incredibly bizarre, so I won’t blame ya if you still come out of this dumbfounded lol. Anyway here I go. I’ll add timestamps as I go along:
JT
2025-08-07 19:01:20 +0000 UTCI always find it strange in hindsight that Penguin Village just exists within the Dragon World and that Arale is probably capable of shit stomping every DB villain ever. While the real answer as to why she doesn’t do this is obviously because this was just a fun crossover during a time that Toriyama was not taking the story seriously, my personal head canon is that the residents of Penguin Village just have no knowledge of the wider world bc they’re all just a bunch of bumpkins lol. There was a chapter in Dr. Slump where Senbei heads off to the city to go present an invention on the news and the town treated as some big spectacular event.
JT
2025-08-07 19:01:03 +0000 UTCAs others and I have made note of before, Dr. Slump was Toriyama’s first big hit in Japan that brought him immense popularity before Dragon Ball took him into the international spotlight. The series takes place in a small rural town known as Penguin Village, home to an incredibly diverse and outlandish cast of characters. I couldn’t possibly summarize all the misadventures that this cast get up to across the series. Sometimes they are just silly short stories of Arale and her fellow kids just messing around in their neighborhood. Sometimes they’re longer stories that span several chapters (such as a middle school sports tournament or a grand prix). Then there are times when they go super off the rails and start traveling through time and/or space. Again, I really can’t communicate just how varied the stories of Dr. Slump are. For anyone who is able to enjoy the stupidity and wackiness of the early parts of OGDB, I could say that Dr. Slump is worth giving a chance. Like OGDB, it’s very much a product of the times (more so than OGDB, I’d argue), some of the gags don’t really translate well to non-Japanese audiences, and a lot of the humor can be pretty.. well.. “juvenile”. That being said, the characters are rather amusing imo and I’d say it’s easily the most “personal” of Toriyama’s works. You can tell that Toriyama was really just doing whatever the hell he wanted as he wrote this series (well, as much as his editor would allow, that is) as he just unapologetically drops in anything he's super into. For instance, Toriyama had started to really get into motorbikes while writing this series, so he made a gag character who’s whole schtick is that he will die if he’s not riding a motorbike. His ass leaves that seat and his bodily functions start to shut down. I couldn’t make this shit up if I wanted to lol. I also find it to be the easiest way to learn about Toriyama as a person w/o having to go through all sorts of online interviews and stuff. Most of the finer info I’ve shared about Toriyama in the past during my time on this Patreon is largely owed to my reading of Dr. Slump. The chapters provided by the Shonen Jump app still include the abundance of statements and photos of Toriyama that were in the physical volumes. I’ve tried to save as many as I can given how much more precious they’ve become now that he’s no longer with us.
JT
2025-08-07 19:00:47 +0000 UTCUpon hearing of Toriyama’s passing last year, I had taken it upon myself to read and re-read all his works across manga as a way of honoring his legacy. Dragon Ball. Dr. Slump. Sand Land. The stories compiled in Toriyama’s Manga Theater. Anything and everything that I could get my hands on. When we got to DBS episode 69, I hadn’t yet finished my reading of Dr. Slump. But now that I’ve finished reading through all 235 chapters in their entirety, I get to talk about Toriyama’s first long running series and give it the coverage it deserves. Wish I coulda done this back DBS ep 69 where the crossover was much more out of the blue and context was much more needed. Perhaps I should go back and comment the way I do on things now should those DBS full reactions ever get re-uploaded with the improved format. Nah, that’d be ridiculous and stupid. …. 😐
JT
2025-08-07 19:00:20 +0000 UTC
