with the release of a new movie, Dragon Ball attracts new fans

In front of a Parisian college, when young students are asked what manga they read, the same names come up: One Piece, Naruto and the inevitable Dragon Ball, always at the top of the pile of the most read series. “With Goha, Goku, Cell, Frieza, Boo“, enumerates a young person full of enthusiasm. Obviously, he was aware of the release of the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Wednesday, October 5: “Oh yes ! I couldn’t see it, I’m too sick…“, he despairs.

A little further, in his Manga Story shop, David Birbes, the commercial director, has seen figurines from the franchise return to his shelves for a few years. “We have a huge miniatures section with almost all the characters, and a little over ten years ago, Dragon Ball was in a dip. There was something else, One Piece, Naruto“, he explains. Then the franchise returned, with Dragon Ball Superpublished for five years by Glénat, and which today gives rise to this film.

“They managed to bring an audience back to Dragon Ball. And then I think dads are happy to be able to watch Dragon Ball with their children.”

David Birbes, commercial director of the Manga Story store

at franceinfo

With the latest issues and this film, “they try to reach a slightly younger audience, with new fights, new transformations, ever stronger superheroes”explains David Birbes, but “for my part, I am much less of a customer.“

However, this new recipe is a hit with the public. a million Dragon Ball Super were sold last year in France. “Dragon Ball readers, who grew up with him, wanted to know what happened nextexplains Benoît Ruault, editorial manager at Glénat. The youngest, including the children of the first readers, also wanted to know because Dragon Ball remained a comic strip in their eyes a little bit heritage, and Dragon Ball Super had the appeal of novelty.“

These Dragon Ball Super are still scripted by original creator Akira Toriyama. This revival of Dragon Ball can also help attract readers to the original series hopes David Birbes: “There are those who won’t make it because they love Dragon Ball Super, the brawling side every two minutes. And then there are those who are either a little more curious or a little more advised and who will try to see what it was like before..” A way according to him of “to also make a very, very good discovery, to see how great it was and how much it thrilled people 25 years ago.“

This is what seems to happen for the old works. Glénat again sells 300,000 volumes per year of the first series dragonball. For the moment, the publisher has no precise information on the end of the sequel, Dragon Ball Super.