Kuutei Dragons (Drifting Dragons)

It has been half a century since humans took to the sky to hunt dragons. Although dragons present a great danger, every part of them is extremely valuable, and brave dragon hunters, called "drakers," risk their lives aboard special dragon-hunting airships to pursue them.

However, despite the thrill and excitement of hunting, the life of a draker is not easy. Ostracized by society, the drakers have no place to call home. Life in the air is not any easier either: maintaining an airship is dull and expensive—and dragons are even harder to catch, as each one is unique.

One of the last remaining such airships is the Quin Zaza. Its courageous crew includes Takita, an eager newcomer trying to earn her place on the ship; Mika, a reckless but highly skilled hunter; and Jirou, an earnest young man chasing both the dragons and his past. United by the same goal, these hunters face arduous aerial battles that involve daring feats of skill, strategy, and more than their fair share of danger.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Supporting

Uemura, Yuuto
Japanese

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Staff

Mori, Akitoshi

Producer

Yoshihira, Tadahiro

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Iwanami, Yoshikazu

Sound Director

Uezu, Makoto

Script, Series Composition

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Opening Theme

"Gunjou (群青)" by You Kamiyama (神山羊)

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Ending Theme

"Zettai Reido (絶対零度)" by Akai Ko-en

Reviews

Aug 10, 2020

Rickcir

Recommended

Picture "Carnival Eats" meets Nausicaä with some influence from Moby Dick. Every episode is food heavy with bizarre eats, usually in tandem with killing a dragon. The motivation for everyone is basically "Fly, kill, eat. Repeat." Backgrounds are hinted at but never fleshed out. Most characters are really one dimensional, and the leads are boilerplate. At least the anime is entertaining.

The best part is the dragons. Each new one is more interesting and original, from abilities to appearance. The Anime is 100% CGI, and while that makes for some lack of details, it really takes advantage of it when it comes to epic shots, sweeping ...

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Sep 6, 2023

Cayusashi

Mixed Feelings

Drifting Dragons had the potential to be amazing but blows it thanks to the problems with 3D animation and a lackluster (arguable nonexistant) plot.

The plot is mostly slice of life as it follows the Quin Zaza in their daily duties as Drakers (Dragon hunters). From hunting to selling the parts in port, Drifting Dragons covers it all. However, the concept of the show is what does the majority of the heavy lifting. Action and cooking sequences supplement the narrative, they alone aren't enough to make up for an unexplored plot that was set up from episode 1. Within the first few minutes it's mentioned that ... the Quin Zaza are one of the last few draker crews. Never throughout the 12 episode run time are we given an explanation as to why this might be. We do see the superstitions surrounding drakers lead to ostracization from those on land, but we are never offered any explanations as to why there are so few crews in the sky. We do the perils that come from being a draker and a single other crew, but this interesting plot point is never revisited. It's possible this will be explored in a second season, but as of this review it's been 3 years since the show came out with no mention of a second season. Instead, the first half of the anime is episodic with the back half following a bit more of a plot. What we do get is fine, but painfully average considering the concept and potential it holds.

The characters interactions are one of the best parts of Drifing Dragons. The crew is fleshed out just enough to feel like a real crew whose been working alongside each other for a long time. Takita (our main character) is the newest member of the crew. She's a bubbly girl excited to be a draker and doesn't undergo any development, but she is usually the person inspiring change in those around her which makes up for it. However, she is not given any motivation as to why she joined the crew in the first place. One of the episodes starts out by saying "everyone joins the crew for their own reasons" then doesn't even bother to give a reason outside of two side characters. Takita left me wanting more out of her since she is a great character. Mika is the deuteragonist and the main source of action. He lives to hunt and eat dragons. No more, no less. This kind of character can work, but to me felt like there was an overemphasized importance. Giraud and Vannie round out the main cast and neither of them did much for me. Giraud got some good development but became distracted by a mediocre love interest and fell into irrelevance. Vannie is the tsundere of the group and undergoes the most subtle changes becoming less cold and distant by the end of the season. The interactions between the crew at large is what carries the character score as its one of the best aspects if the series. They're able to naturally riff off of each other and feel like they've been living this way for years.

The 3D animation is one of the biggest problems with the series. Besides not adding anything that 2D wouldn't have had, it adds a certain slowness to the series that becomes really distracting. Simple things like blinking or head movements take a half second longer than they should to fee natural. There's a certain stiffness there that's hard to explain other than seeing it for yourself. The character designs also have something weirdly consistent with them. Everybody has thunder thighs. I thought maybe it was the draker suits, but just about every character has giant triangle thighs when they're wearing pants. The best part about the animation is how spectacular the scenery and Dragon designs are. Thankfully, they were given the most focus and knocked my socks off every time we would see something new.

While the character interactions and scenery are some of the best parts, the music is what really makes the show. The opening is amazing to the point where I wanted to watch it almost every episode (and I'm a serial opening skipper). The tracks during the episodes really add the the whimsical and epic nature of the concept. It's perfect for the concept of the series and I really can't find the proper words to describe why it works so well. There's a certain airyness that plays well with the action in the sky and underscores how amazing what we're seeing really is. The music adds this extra layer of wonder and awe missing from the other parts of the show.

Overall, I rather enjoyed the series. It was a good 12 episodes and didn't overstay its welcome. I wanted more out of the series but was satisfies with what was provided. I hope there's a second season at some point so that maybe I can retroactively increase my score, but as of now the anime is only good, not great.

Plot: 5/10
Characters: 7/10
Animation: 6.5/10
Sound: 9/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 6.9/10

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Jul 28, 2022

Darynlxm

Not Recommended

Do you enjoy a well-paced, well-thought-out plot with interesting and fun characters? Then look somewhere else.

This show doesn't know what it wants to be, and never quite hits the mark in the 12 episode run.

It can never decide if it wants to be a fantasy cooking show, a whaling series, or a fantasy adventure. Sadly, what it does pull from these genres is minimal and poorly executed.

A majority of the characters are completely forgettable and downright unlikable.

Mika is by far the worst. Its like they took the "Im not like other girls!" trope and said "lets me them a guy, but even ...

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