More than 40 years ago, Arale-chan was the nickname of my classmate with round glasses, while another pupil who loved to eat was called Gatchan.

Both were the names of characters in “Dr. Slump,” a manga series that was created by Akira Toriyama and was hugely popular among both boys and girls.

And just like those characters, my mates and I always greeted one another in wacky and code-like “Arale speak.” And whenever we were scolded, we would cheekily respond with Arale quips.

The manga’s appeal lay in its visually pleasing drawings, humor and laid-back atmosphere, which set it distinctly apart from works that glorified “moral virtues” like extreme endurance, self-discipline and so on.

But to my thinking, it was none other than “poop” that ultimately made “Dr. Slump” a truly groundbreaking series.

Arale-chan, a robot that does not defecate, is always fascinated by the sight of a swirl of excrement. And she would invariably poke at it.

In one episode, a purple poop with arms and legs takes a walk and meets its pink and green buddies, but they all become sad because they don’t know where to go. And that is when Arale-chan appears with a keening sound, and after poking them all, takes them to the toilet.

The series ran in the youth manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from 1980 to 1984.

Back then, poop was still definitely a taboo subject, even though kids and toilet humor always went together.

The fact that Toriyama was able to come up with cute and funny renderings of excrement obviously owed to his exceptional talent and skill.

“Dr. Slump” became a mega-hit with a cumulative total in excess of 30 million copies in print.

Toriyama, who loved the Nagoya dialect and continued to live in Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, even after he became famous, died on March 1. He was 68.

Noting his age, I was surprised to realize that he was only in his early 20s when he created Arale-chan. His passing is keenly felt.

His other popular series, “Dragon Ball,” is also really good. Still, my top favorite has always been Arale-chan, a resident of Penguin Village.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 9

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.