It was 1997 when the very first edition of the manga of Dragon Ball ended on the pages of the magazine Dragon from Star Comics, leaving an unbridgeable void in the first generation of manga readers in Italy. A void that the publishing house tried to fill with an excellent, but then unknown comic, the work of Riku Sanjo And Koji Inada, apparently unknown names but with familiar traits to the aficionados of Goku and associates. Two pupils of the master Toriyama, members of his studio, who gave birth, under the supervision of the game designer Yuji Horii, to one of the manga inspired by the splendid videogame saga of DRAGON QUEST, that is to say Come on – The Great Adventure (known today internationally as THE ADVENTURE OF DAI). A work of less importance than its predecessor, but which was able to conquer a firm place in the hearts of fans. Years later, the Mediaset networks also hosted the first animated transposition adapted as “The Knights of the Dragon” and thanks to it the books returned to newsstands in a new edition “Deluxe” – finished, however, only in volume 7, long before its natural conclusion.
Since then, of Come on, Pop and companions we have not heard from again, and it has been quite difficult to be able to recover the first and only complete edition of the manga, at least until now. Thanks to the realization of an animated remake to celebrate the thirty years since the first publication of the manga, Star Comics finally delights us with a new and definitive version of the comic series, available in Italian bookstores and comics starting this November. Page after page, we once again accompanied little Dai in his first steps to become a Hero: let’s discover together the merits of this new edition of DRAGON QUEST – THE ADVENTURE OF DAI.
- Original title: DRAGON QUEST – ダ イ の 大 冒 険 – (Doragon Kuesuto: Dai no Daibōken)
- English title: DRAGON QUEST – THE ADVENTURE OF DAI
- Authors: Koji Inada, Riku Sanjo, Yuji Horii
- Japanese release: October 23, 1989
- Italian release: November 17, 2021 (new edition)
- Number of volumes: 25
- Publishing house: Star Comics
- Type: shonen, adventure
- Format: 24 x 15.3 cm, paperback with dust jacket, colors, b / w
- Number of pages: 328
We reviewed DRAGON QUEST – THE ADVENTURE OF DAI through press volume provided to us by Star Comics.
Come on is the only human living on the peaceful island of Dermlin, inhabited exclusively by monsters free from the control of the lord of darkness. Raised by the pink blob Brass, who dreams of transforming him into a powerful wizard, Dai grew up with the myth of the legendary Hero he dreams of one day becoming. Surrounded by monsters he considers his only friends and family, he will suffer the raids of thugs who dream of appropriating his inseparable Gomechan (nickname given to the legendary Golden Metal Slime), before getting to know the charming Princess Leona of the reign of Papnica. Encountering it will forever change Dai’s fate as he awakens his hidden potential to defend her and drive the invaders off the island. However, one ominous day the monsters will begin to behave strangely, but the same day will coincide with the one in which our hero will make his acquaintance with his future mentor, Avan, and of what will become his inseparable travel companion, Popp. In this first volume of DRAGON QUEST – THE ADVENTURE OF DAI, of the twenty-five foreseen by this definitive edition, let’s get to know some of the main characters of these first bars of the epic, the beginning of the adventure and the first, important event that will mark the growth path of the protagonist.
One shonen manga not famous enough to have established itself like many others, but definitely one of the best exponents of the genre of those years and who is still very topical, as well as one of the best spin-offs for the videogame saga of DRAGON QUEST, which competes without too many thoughts with the noble Roto emblem. Rereading it I felt the exact same emotions as when I tasted it for the first time, when I followed the animated series on TV at lunchtime with enthusiasm. For me Dai’s adventure has the same taste of the delicious cordon bleu devoured on the sofa in the living room of many years ago, which in a short time became a constant companion for the vision of the anime, which I remember today with the same nostalgia I felt for this series. Finding the characters I loved back then and rediscovering their stories made me feel somehow at home, but this first volume was certainly not enough to satisfy my need to relive, in the most beautiful format ever, Sanjo’s work. and Inada: immediately after having devoured it, I felt the urgent need to hold the second in my hands – for which we will have to wait about a month.
This new version of the manga published by Star Comics it’s like a dream come true, a product that fans have been waiting for too long. In line with the most recent editions, it is as faithful as possible to the kanzenban Japanese, in a maxi-format 24 x 15.3 and as many as 328 pages, which in this first volume collect the first fifteen chapters of the comic. To embellish the tables we find beautiful color pages and bichromatics covering about two and a half chapters, as well as a glossy dust jacket with an illustration created from scratch for the final edition. All texts within the plates have been translated and adapted from scratch, with names of characters most faithful to the originals and definitions of spells and monsters in line with the Italian adaptation of video games from DRAGON QUEST. A decidedly appreciable work, which together with all the innovations mentioned above justifies the purchase also by those who still retain the first original edition dated 1997, not only representing a large format re-proposal, even larger than the one proposed for the latest edition of the series The emblem of Roto.
On the lonely island of the South Seas called Dermlin, where monsters live in peace, lives a boy who aspires to be a hero. His name is Come on. Thanks to the meeting with the “tutor of heroes” Avan, who appeared when the world was again invaded by evil, Dai’s destiny is set in motion …
A new edition waiting to be discovered, with color pages and a careful revision of the contents, for a series that has contributed to making the mythical narrative universe of Dragon Quest!
Buy DRAGON QUEST – THE ADVENTURE OF DAI following this link at the special price of € 8.55 (instead of € 9.00). Release scheduled for November 17, 2021. Support Akiba Gamers by purchasing on Amazon through this box!
A long-awaited return
Judging from this first volume, the new Italian edition of Dai: The great adventure, renamed for the occasion DRAGON QUEST – THE ADVENTURE OF DAI, it seems perfect from every point of view. Perfect for those who love the original work and have read it in the past or seen on television, also ideal for newbies who did not know Dai and have only recently discovered it with the animated remake, but also for those who love JRPGs and in particular the saga of DRAGON QUEST, of which Dai constitutes a homage to comics rather far from the original product, but equally representative. The 25 volumes of this new edition of the manga are on sale at a price of € 9.90, definitely well spent considering the format, the color plates and the number of pages higher than that of the classic tankobon. Our advice is not to hesitate to take this first volume home with you: You will not regret it.
An adventure to be lived absolutely
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