As someone who loves this series (and has reread most of it multiple times over the 11 years ive owned the books) and owns half of the volumes second hand from different library scrap piles I will be the first to admit that Dragon Knights is not for everyone- its busy in every way, fails to set up or follow through with most of its ideas, and can feel very convoluted at the best of times, but boy is it worth the ride if you want something a little out of the box and campy! I feel like the best way to describe the series is by adding "Whatever" to the end of any compliment or criticism.
The world building is very interesting when they get it right and it tries to be creative in almost every aspect, setting up lots of mysteries for the reader that are fun to try and figure out as you go. However, not every plot point is followed through to its end, and it can leave a lot of the cast feeling as though their stories were unfinished while Cat Wolf adds another new member into the ensemble. Not to mention the occasional bout of tonal whiplash, as Cat Wolf often feels the need to switch up what she's doing- for better and for worse. The heavy use of comedy in the first volume might scare off readers looking for a more series experience while the intense and serious nature of the comics later chapters might turn away those who stayed for Cat Wolf's boisterous Slapstick.
The art is super unique and full of character and since Cat Wolf gets tired of her character designs frequently, she will try and switch hairstyles and outfits often- I can't think of a manga with a less consistent look. It's fun and weird to see what garish early 90s fashion will show up next. Most of the designs are super recognizable because of the artists love of "statement eyes", giving each Iris or pupil some unique traits that lets you remember minor characters from whole volumes before because thier large eyes are unique to them as a character! However, the long lanky limbs mixed with the art style changed late in the series can leave main characters loosing thier defining features- especially in regards to characters with lighter or longer hair- Cat wolf's style changes can make blondes in particular have kind of gross stringy hair.
Character wise, there are some standouts, like Rath and Rune who's arcs up to the final showdown are extreamly well written and deal heavily with thier mental health, interpersonal relationships, and cultural identity, with side characters like Zoma, Gil, and Biereze all having interesting side stories, motivations, and devolopment. Other side characters like Raseleane, Lykouleon, and Kharl steal any scene they're in with thier presence and the dragon officers all feel adequately defined for thier comparatively minor roles in the story.
The side stories with Rath Rune or Lykouleon especially are extremely interesting- I never got tired of tuning in to see what thier current states were when they were on thier own for the middle portion of the story, or in thier many flashbacks and cutaways.
HOWEVER, not only is the last of the *main* trio, Thatz, underdeveloped (though solid and endearing in his own way. He only gets one flashback to counter the 700 the others get- even less important characters get more solo time) compared to his counterparts, but when a character is written poorly they're written *Extreamly* poorly. Cecia, the final of the main characters, is the worst offense. She's all over the place, never quite managing to be anything beyond Exactly who or what the story needs at any given moment. In fact, most of the women are written rather poorly, especially Tintlet and Lim Kaana.
The worst offense in underdevelopment however, is the main set of villains- Nadil, Shyrendora, Shydemon, Fedelta, and whatever eyeball ladies name is (yes She's that forgetable) are NOT good villains. They're powerful, but the only villian who actually seems to give the story stakes, Demon Alchemist Kharl (yes, Kharl) and his assistant, who manage to do everything so much more competently, are sidelined and left be- an afterthought in a story they very much should have been a part of.
Dragon Knights can be a very rewarding read, especially in the first 13 to 16 books, where most of the set up and exploration of characters happens, Runes solo volume (volume 6) being a personal favorite of mine. Volumes 4-9 have the perfect balence of comedy to substance, especially in scenes at the castle where the lead cast is naturally more relaxed. The solo volumes in particular have great character building moments and are done extreamly cleverly, allowing you to get so much more insight into the relationships of the characters due to how they act around others- one character admits he hates multiple people that he's seemingly been close to the entire lead up, while another takes to looking after and protecting someone who reminds him of his friend since he can't be with him at the moment and he's worried about him. It's honestly super well written, contending with some of my other favorite manga in regards to relationship building.
However, the proverbial autumn of the book, which begins directly after one of the main quartet is kidnapped, is an absolute slog which spends way too much time throwing in new characters and bringing back every side character you can think of- instead of feeling like an avengers call to action, it feels bloated and rushed- trying to give every character in you're entire story an arc at the very end isn't rewarding, especially when they feel rushed. And because each new character needs to feel important, it undermines the characters we've already had set up and weakens them. Thats not to mention the rather...goofy payoff for Kitchel's solo story. It also suffers from a lack of backgrounds- the paneling makes it confusing to tell where you are in a given scene for the most part. To go out an a positive note, however, the manga sticks the landing in its epilog, with every character actually getting a solid and believable ending for the story that played out, with the original trio mostly having come to a good ending point for their characters, arcs completed.
The TLDR of it is that in the end, Dragon Knights is a product its its time and the inexperience of its author, and while Cat Wolf had brilliant ideas and a wild and vivid imagination, it's up to the reader to decide where and when she's made the right choices. Every negative has an equally strong positive and vice versa, making this an interesting read if you can stomach the Camp and roll with the punches. Enjoy! 🙀 🐺
