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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Comentários
delta5
Kuutei Dragons had all the components necessary for a really interesting show but ultimately failed to put them together in a satisfying way. Airships straight out of Laputa, amazingly beautiful dragons, world travel and adventure...what could go wrong? Well, a few things. First off, the sole motivating force of the show is just "we hunt dragons for money and because they taste good." We never get much more than that, and it's just not enough to drive twelve episodes unless you really, really like watching dragon hunting (and eating). Almost every one of those scenes, and there are a lot of them, play out identically: peoplefire guns at dragons, dragons get hit, one particularly reckless character (Mika) jumps on the dragon to kill it, and then we see Mika drool over whatever dragon meat dishes the cook prepares.
This is a shame because there are so many suggestions of what might have been. There are hints that some characters, especially the outwardly cool beauty Vanabelle, have complex prior histories that they're trying to escape by signing up to become drakers on the Queen Zaza. Takita, the newest crew member and the main character of the show, is given slightly more character development but we still never know why the hell she joined up for what is described, by all present, as a thankless, low-paying, and low-status job. And then there's the resident glutton, Mika, who lives only to eat every species of dragon possible and take insane risks in pursuit of that goal. You'd think that, as much screen time as he gets, Mika might become more complex. You would be wrong. The other characters just fall flat, even when they're given chances to shine.
Similarly, the world building is actually really great, but it rarely gets the attention it deserves. The episodes spent with a focus on towns or cities shone as great examples of how to create a complex backstory about an economy and culture that's in some ways dependent on dragon hunting yet suspicious and possibly a bit fearful of those who do the actual dirty work. There are also great moments that expand on the insular world of the drakers, who have a history and hierarchy all their own. I really wanted more of this, as it provided a richness that the vast majority of the other episodes just lacked.
Secondly, the CGI animation is frequently very distracting, especially when it comes to characters' facial expressions. I'll fully admit that, compared to a lot of CGI shows I've seen, Kuutei Dragons was far better than most, but the faces were frequently awful and drained a lot of emotional impact from otherwise intense scenes.
And finally, I just wasn't sure what this show wanted to do. It clearly didn't want to problematize the idea of dragon hunting in a moral way. It also wasn't sure if it was a slice of life story that just happened to be about dragon hunting, or if it was mainly an action story that put hunting first and foremost above everything else. Because what we got was a lot of slow, slice of life material without any character development, and hunting scenes that ended up being too formulaic and repetitive to drive an action-oriented series.
Without having read the manga, I can only hope that, if Kuutei Dragons gets a second season, we delve more deeply into the characters and the world they live in. The show has potential, but after twelve full episodes they didn't convince me that anyone knows what to do with it. (Also, could they please build a railing around the entire ship's deck? That's been annoying me to no end, and it's ridiculous).
Shocky1
Basically whaling.... Yep, it's a show about killing flying whales that don't appear to be harming anyone "Dragons", harvesting, eating them and selling them for profit. Okay there is more to it than that but it's kinda hard to get past that if I'm honest, they're not heroes, they're "whalers" killing harmless creatures for profit. Whats next, animal traffickers for wet markets? If you can get past it the series does get a a little better, the show has it's moments I guess but most of the characters are unlikable from the start for me. I know whaling is a thing in Japan but toput out a series out that resembles this act in any way is distasteful and will be divisive. I'm surprised Netflix would want this show, they must be desperate for content.
LIEfina
This is the first time I write a review. A few days ago, this show has a 6.X rate here (now 7.X) and I am very curious as I have watched ep1 when it aired all 12eps. I don't think it will be that low so I go to watch more. I eventually finished up the whole show, which doesn't always happens. After finished this show, I think people may have two main problems to be disappointed. First: this is a CGI show, it cannot give us detailed facial expressions with this quality, and the expressions are rather rough especially in close cut for their eyes. Andof coz it is in 12 like the other JP 2D/3D animes. (I didn't do any research on this but I believe it is due to the file size or format limitation of airing on TV, or even just the conventions, even Beastar is in 12)
Second: they are killing dragons which reminds people of whaling. They also aviod to address the problem that killing dragons is not a health way to the make human society works. They treat this as a food show with yummy dragon dishes almost every ep, it may make you feel uneasy about all this.
Okay, so what do I think?
Story: 8
As I mentioned above, "whaling" is a serious problem for this show, but I do think they are not showing this just to disgust you, they show all the yummy dragon dishes just make me think what human are actually eating, because I don't know how dragon meat tastes like, this is just we human messing with the Earth itself, just using dragons as a way to get us the audiences to have a weird feeling, so not a big problem in my opinion.
The setting of this world is unbelievably detailed, the whole system of hunters, use of dragon's meat, oil and organs, and also how they fly etc is amazing and real. The different kinds of dragons are also well written and intriguing.
However, I think they can tell us more about the world, the character and the history of the world, I am pretty surprise they managed to make me finish the whole show without telling me enough of these.
Art: 6
This is a CGI show, and it is not gonna be the best for me as a 2D art lover. The 3D feeling works quite well for the dragons and some scenes but when it comes to character development it always lower the impact, especially when we need great facial expressions.
(I must admit the quality is good, so if you don't have a thing for 2D art you won't have problem with this show)
Sound: 9
OP: amazingly fitting the feeling of the show
ED: normal for me
OST: stellar level, in ep1 the beginning I am in love with it, the isekai fantasy and adventure feeling is almost perfect
Character: 8
Mika, Takita, Vanabelle are very likeable. I don't need to tell you the details, you just need to know there are a bunch of characters as they work on a ship, but you can easily find everyone unique and they work tgt around the main characters effectively. (Some side characters like Ula and Nanami are also likeable)
But, you will be going through this show without knowing the background story of the main character, I must say this is a weird thing as I don't feel off about it when I am watching.
Enjoyment: 8
I enjoy the story, the world, the setting and the music, I don't really enjoy is the yummy dragon dishes they are showing but it is not a dislike from me, just don't really enjoy. Also, I find that they don't have railing on the airship is kind of odd, but they don't really explain anything and the enjoyment comes from auidence's own understanding of the show, weird enough.
Overall: 8
Well, I must say I will probably hold the ep1 watched status forever if I don't see the 6.X rate here. It is hard to tell you to watch it til the end, but you can certainly give this a shot and even if you don't feel like watching the whole show, you may want to pick it up suddenly like me.
This is not going to be a show for everyone but I hope you will not be brothered by the two main problems I mentioned above too much if you are watching it.
LIEat
ChillOtakuBRL
As a member of Sea Shepherd this shit is a disgrace to the anime industry. I don't understand why the overall rating for this thing is 7+. You will see slayers of "dragons" raving about killing them and eating their meat. Except that the report is quickly made, it's neither more nor less than a kind of propaganda that tries to make the image of whale hunters prettier. They say it themselves: as long as there is some we will never stop. WTFFF? I know that in Japan, whale hunting is traditional. But we are in the 21st century, it's time to evolve and understand that our footprinton earth is disastrous .... And what's the satisfaction of killing these beings as rare and majestic as they are?
Frankly do not watch this anime, if we can call it anime ... shame on netflix also for putting it on its platform.
Kage_Okami
Drifting Dragons can be summed up in two words: Dreadfully Dull. I think watching paint dry would have been a better expenditure of my time. Story really is more of a slice of life about whalers on a ship if those whalers caught funky looking sky whales..er which I guess really is what this story is about. Art is fair to mediocre at best as it's that typical CGI crap that Netflix is so famous for producing. Color Palettes looked washed out with characters really not that pleasing to look at, symmetry or overall design wise. Sound exists but nothing to write home about unlessyou like musical scores that can be heard in pretty much any factory turned out anime. Oh and the dragons, can anyone say "Godzilla"? I mean come on, let's make an attempt NOT to rip off one of the most arguably, albeit sometimes campiest franchises out there.
Characters are plain, boring or over exaggerated in their personalities. Quite frankly, couldn't connect or care about a single one. Personally hoped they'd get eaten by the "Dragons", ahem, I digress...
...Overall I'd have to not recommend this title for the fear of getting my eye dotted by the people that had to sit through this dreadfully dull mess due to my recommendation. This show scores a big WHALE (Get it..huh? Huh?) of a thumbs down.
OsakiSheikah
Kuutei Dragons definitely isn't something that will be for everyone, but I ended up really loving it! I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it, at first, because of the animation style. They chose the same animation style as is used on shows like RWBY, which is a show that took a while for me to get into, specifically because of the animation style. Other actual anime that have been done this way, are not ones I've been able to stick with. However, Kuutei Dragons only took a couple of episodes to suck me in, and align me with a character I could identify with, whichis something that is necessary for me. I can't really find it in myself to stick with any form of fiction, where I don't have at least one character I identify strongly with. This story, gave me a few, with Vannie be the strongest connection. I have not read the manga, and very much intend to do so, now!
The story gives us a fairly easygoing plot line, of just following a specific group of people, carry out their lives. As someone who spends most of my life on the ocean(I'm a marine biologist), the "cabin life" storyline, really appealed to me. I also loved that they made it part "cooking anime", to a degree. Though, none of us can replicate the recipes, since they all use "dragon meat". But I'm going to try with other red meats!
I also appreciated the clear and present "humanity", displayed by the characters. Especially within the last few episodes. I did in fact, cry during a "certain part" of the finale. And I don't honestly cry all the easy.
All in all, it's a show that's at least worth giving a try, even if you're not sure about it. I started out thinking I'd drop it by episode 3, and now it's one that I'll recommend to anyone!
-Sheik
Datagrave
What an awful anime. I can't help but draw parallels to Japan's whaling practices. This anime seems to justify and even glorify it and instead of using whales they use something that resembles a dragon but are giant slugs, also the two dimensional characters taken from the lowest rung of jrpgs that only you care when you see a little of the slice of life but the rest is awful, selfish and plain characters. Specially Mika that becomes my most hated anime character ever. An anime that works as blatant propaganda for the Japanese whaling industry; nothing more. But yes, there are a few on goodthings like some of the backgrounds and some episodes but overall this is only good if you like Food Wars or another anime about cooking. I wouldn’t recommend it but if you want to see it you will find -maybe- some good things.
-Voidman-
Do you like: Interesting characters? What about dragons? Nice art style? And you obviously love a good story, right? Well, this anime has none of the above! This show is just a fantasy representation of whaling, just with dragons, that's if you can even call them that sins the hunted creatures us an organ to fly, instead of wings, and they all look like flying meatballs, with the exception of one that actually resembled a dragon.Story (1):
There is no story, it's a 12 episode anime in which we follow a group of people hunting down docile dragons, killing them, chopping them up and then either selling their body parts or eating them, typically it's the latter.
There is... nothing, no threat, no suspense, no drama, no romance, no comedy, just nothing it's kinda like an empty shell.
The idea is there, but the execution is non-existent.
Art & Sound (3):
Just your run-of-the-mill dumpster fire CGI: low quality, low frame rate and choppy animations.
The sound is in its own league of bad: no audio balancing, overused SFX and in some scenes the environmental noises are obnoxiously loud.
Characters (1):
Every character we get introduces to is bland, generic and forgettable.
There is no character development, they are just there to fill the void.
The only exception to the above is the main character that goes by the name Mika, but don't get the wrong idea - he doesn't get any character development, he's just really annoying, probably the most annoying character in anime history, all he does is yap about how he wants to eat every dragon in existence (including their babies), and this is portrayed in EVERY episode.
All in all, just another terrible anime you might wanna avoid watching.
NightSkyBlue
This was a really weird show. I tend to just jump into shows with little to no knowledge of what their content is, and that was the case with this one. At first I was like, oh cool, they are kinda steam punky air ballooning around hunting dragons. Well, that feeling lasted through the first episode. Then it quickly became "why am I watching this?" After the first dragon hunt, you basically need no more action in the show for a few reasons: 1. It's repetitive 2. There is no clear reason for why the audience should care if theykill another dragon.
3. No particularly interesting choreography.
So if not for action, why watch the show? What else do we have to look forward to? Let me quickly dive into these possible elements that pop into my head.
Story (plot): To put it bluntly, it's non-existent. What we have is 13 ish guys and 4 girls on an airship essentially doing the fantasy equivalent of whaling. And that's it. They have no interesting goals, there is no looming threat. They literally just are a group of whalers trying to kill these seemingly docile creatures for food and money. Not to mention none of the dragons look like dragons. They are random combinations of sea creature and reptilian features.
Characters: This, in my opinion, is the best part of the show. There are several interesting characters that you want to see interact and develop. The show is *kind of* an ensemble, but there are two standout characters that get most of the screen time and those are Mika and Takita. Unfortunately these two are pretty low on the list as far as interesting. Mika is just annoying, boring, and wants to kill dragons as much as possible because he's hungry. He's the strongest character (of the males at least) so he gets pretty much all the action scenes. But so what. Takita is way more interesting than Mika, but I still rank her only near the middle as far as characters I want to see more of go. She is good for gags and jokes though since she is the new girl on the ship. But the other characters are pretty interesting, and that really becomes the only reason to watch the show once you realize there is no plot and the action is pointless.
World Building: Not bad. It's a pretty interesting and well developed world for such a short series. But it would be far better if there was a threat or any sort of conflict at all. It's really hard to care about this peaceful utopian world thriving on the dragon trade.
Comedy: Nothing too memorable, but I know there were some moments in the first half of the show that made me smile.
Drama: Nothing.
Intellectual stimulation: Nothing really. It might be interesting if they wanted to go into the morality of what they were doing, but that wasn't the direction of the show. I will say that the final plotline that spans the last few episodes was confusing and not in a good way. It kind of presents a moral dilemma but then the answer that they come up with is nonsense.
So, overall I'd say not a great show, but has some interesting characters. I honestly spent most of the time just feeling sorry for the dragons. I feel like this show must have been written by somebody very interested in whaling and/or farming livestock because that's more or less the premise. And unless you really find it interesting to watch harmless creatures getting killed, harvested, and then cooked you may not find the premise appealing. I give it a 5 because I was able to mostly enjoy the show, despite it's problems.
bananek
Another CG series by Netflix. I thought it would be as interesting and engaging as Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai as it had similar elements, but it was nowhere near as good. This series is mostly about eating, preparing and butchering dragons with occasional hunting and drama, aka, everyday life of a dragon hunting crew. Takita and Jirou's arcs were okay but the overall experience is still lacking, especially when you're binging it on Netflix. They overused one tune and looking at the CG over and over is not fascinating at all. Overall, it's okay if you have nothing else to watch.
Georodin
I really love polygon animations and im a huge fan of Blame and Sidonia no Kishi. For me personally the show had two big issues. 1. The first was that I got the feeling that they try to justify nowadays whale hunting of Japanese fisherman. 2. And secondly: as other people here also mentioned. Mikas main drive is fresh dragon meat. The show was missing some originality in this point. Otherwise I would say were a bit spoiled from all these epic anime series that fit so much action into 12/13 episodes. In my opinion they did a great job filling the 12 episodes withcontent, it`s not stuffed with interesting plot and action like a triple A title but still very nice.
The Art and Sound design is stunning as always at polygon, so even if the story lacked something im looking forward to a second season. 10/10
vese91
This is my first review here so I ll try my best. Story: Never heard about the manga this is based on but I really liked the story base here. There was big potential on never ending exploration of skies for new dragon kinds but at the end it really did not deliver on it. The very last two episodes got my attention really going on: baby dragon, dragon mountain "arc". Most of the show is kind of a filler around basic formula: we see a dragon, we hung it, Mika jumps, Mika eats... So much potential - such a bad delivery. Sound: Hm... It didnot bother me, but it was too quiet most of the time, also sound effects for dragons and action were really mediocre.
Character: The only "developed" or driven character in my eyes is the Takita, she is the newbie dragon hunter and she wants to prove herself, also she needs a roof over her head and food. Sad part is that character's back stories are never really told, most of the time one protagonist will tell something like: I don't have where to go, so I fly and hunt.
Vanabelle is kind of a missed opportunity as well, why does she drinks so much? why does she feel so motherly to Takita? Nothing was answered. Mika, well he is just the regular jump, kill, hot guy trope.
Art: I did not mind the 3d style that much, even though I am myself a 2d anime enthusiast. The only big distraction were the face/face movements of the characters that were so bad looking, slow and really distracting to watch. Dragon designs were either hit or miss, but all in all it was not such a bad show from the art side of things.
Food "porn" side was good (anime food junkie here) but it was just slap on and it felt really out of place.
All in all it is a pretty mediocre final product with such a great potential to be something much better if we look at the core idea by itself. Netflix anime usually are like this, great idea, not so great end result.
Darynlxm
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 evenmore insufferable!" His quirky personality trait is that he's always hungry and always thinking of food! How original! His entire reason for being is to eat dragons.
Takita is a complete moron. Joins a Draking crew with no real knowledge of the profession or dragons. Her personality is bland and the show wouldn't really change much if she weren't in it.
I will say that some of the location art is pretty well done. Some nice colors and design.
I am also guessing they chose this wonky art style because it was cheap, but its that "Netflix Anime" style that just looks bad (from a character design standpoint).
The only thing I DID like was the opening theme. Its catchy and enjoyable. I listen to it every episode.
If you're looking for a Dragon / Fantasy Anime, go somewhere else. Skip this anime and forget it exists.
Cayusashi
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 thatthe 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
Rickcir
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, sweepingvistas and battles.
Curarpikt93
Feel good anime incoming! (If you can get along with hunting and cooking) Very nice story without a clear goal. Big Laputa - castle in the sky vibes because of the crew and their airship, I loved it. There is no exact storyline, you just follow the characters on their journey and that was exactly what I needed. I understand the bad reviews, because people maybe expected a big plotline and action and are disappointed. At least there is a bit action at the last episodes. And the comparison with whaling - I kind of see that.. There is very much meat cooking and sometimes I thoughtI was watching Shokugeki no Soma ;-) Sometimes a bit annoying but that's something you can skip.
The characters are very loveable and and the design is so pretty! You learn to love the characters and the development of Takita and Jiro is very interesting.
Sadly there are not much episodes, but enjoyable anyways.
If you are in doubt - please give it a try and watch! I would do it again. :)
