NoaIzumiAnime Review: Dragon Half
November 17th 2008 15:23
DVD Cover of Dragon Half (isn't Mink cute?)
Being a teenage girl is hard enough, but when you’re the daughter of a red dragon and a knight, it’s almost impossible! That’s Mink’s problem, and if that weren’t enough, the boy of her dreams is a famous dragon-slayer!
Dragon Half is one of those little gems that you check out because it looks kind of interesting, or you’ve heard the name but not much else, but when you see it, you are so happy you gave it a chance. It’s set in the same fantasy environment as Slayers, with dragons, kingdoms, and sorcery, but the world of Dragon Half also includes airplanes, guided missiles, pop stars, and CDs. Linna has been replaced by a boy-crazy teenager who has a better temper, but still fights with her parents. And while Slayers is a comedy/parody, it could be dramatic, while I don’t think there’s a single serious moment in all of Dragon Half. And that’s just fine.
The extras are very worthwhile, too. Not counting the previews, there are only two, but one is audio commentary with the English voice director and one of the voice actresses. They’re both such fans of the anime, that it’s great to see it from their perspective and hear some of the behind-the-scenes tidbits about the process of dubbing Dragon Half. Turns out that it was delayed somewhat precisely because the director was such a fan and he wanted to take the time to collect his best voices for it. The other extra is the standard textless closing theme, but it’s one of the best in anime, a non-sensical song about breakfast, set to the music of Beethoven.
The only flaw is the length. Only two half hour episodes were produced, and it’s obvious that more were intended. Rumors abound as why further episodes weren’t made, but the most likely one is that the original release just didn’t generate enough consumer interest, so the producers stopped at two. Since the anime has become so popular among American audiences, ADV has expressed a desire to resurrect the series and finish it properly, but there aren’t any firm plans so far.
You have to hand it to Dragon Half, though, they even make fun of this. The series was based on a manga, and one of the main villains of the manga was cut from the OVA. One of the scenes from the second episode deals with the fact that the villain was cut and OVA Mink has no idea who he is! (And that scene ends with the best line of the series: “Shut up! A demon doesn’t care about story continuity! I’m going to beat you up anyway.”)
Great moments: The whole anime is one long great moment, but the ending theme is probably the best part. And the tournament in the second episode.
Summary: Silly fun, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Grade: A
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Comment by Lester Caudill
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Comment by NoaIzumi
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Anime Bottle
Hare Guu (TV series) might be a better choice. Equally silly, but the rating is just 13 and up.
You bring up a good point. I'll start including age ratings in all my reviews from now on.