What We See so Far - "Daidokoro no Dragon"

Synopsis

Set in the 1980’s within Eastern Europe, this is a tale that begins with a Japanese art student discovering a mysterious egg in her new home. Upon the hatching of the egg, a small lizard-like creature that shrieks in a strange voice is born. Deciding to care for the creature, this marks the beginning of their life together.

The Good

It’s a softcore fantasy that’s very easy to enjoy and has a concept that holds quite a bit of potential to it. Given the simplicity of the design and the story, the first thing that really pops out is the concept of a young woman raising a dragon. So far, the dragon’s growth and design are rather adorable and what the story has revealed so far with it being a higher being for the forest creatures holds some strong mystery build-up.

It’s rather interesting to see how little pieces like these are laid out as the dragon grows. Other than the interesting potential behind learning more about the dragon, the bond between the characters is also nice to see. Just the way that the student communicates with the dragon and cares for it is rather endearing. As a character, they do have a charm to them.

The Bad

Frankly speaking, the story doesn’t have a whole lot hooks to it. Sure enough, it does have something cute and interesting to read but given the slow pacing of the story, the interest has a large chance of fading away. While it does have its moments, the general tone of the series also doesn’t help. From this writer’s perspective, the series comes off as something that would work better as an anime with the right music and style. As a manga, it seems as if the story is trying to drag things out to keep the reader invested.

Conclusion

It’s a good story with a cute concept that has potential. However, it’s overall tone and flow has the story rather unnecessarily stretched out. And while characters are cute and the little mystery behind the dragon works in the beginning, the general style and presentation of the series leaves quite a bit to be desired in this writer’s opinion. Simply put, it’s not a bad series, but, it didn’t hold this reader’s attention as it should have.

Rating: 6/10