English Title: A Herbivorous Dragon of 5,000 Years Gets Unfairly Villainized
Japanese Title: 齢5000年の草食ドラゴン、いわれなき邪竜認定 [lit. A 5000-year-old herbivore dragon, unjustly recognized as evil dragon]
Director(s): Liu Siwen
Screenwriter(s): Liu Siwen & Li Jiajie
Studio: Studio LAN
Released: 2022, 2024
Season 1 Runtime: 12 episodes, ~13m each.
Season 2 Runtime: 12 episodes, ~13m each.
Starring: Yuki Aoi, Ootsuka Houchuu, Miyase Mariko, Saitou Shuka, Ishiya Haruki, Ishikawa Yui, Noguchi Iori
My Verdict: Interesting premise. A few chuckles but the plot, themes and humor lack depth.
Based on the light novels of the same name written by Enomoto Kaisei and illustrated by Shugao, this is a fantasy-comedy that follows the adventures of a young girl named Reiko and a dragon named Ravendia. I have not read the light novels so the review is of the anime only.
Reiko is a young orphan who offers herself as a sacrifice to the local dragon Ravendia in order to protect her village from the Demon King. Although Ravendia is 5,000 years old, he is not powerful and doesn’t accept human sacrifices. He is vegetarian. Some may describe him as cowardly but he is more weak than cowardly.
Of course, nothing he says convinces Reiko that he is not an “evil dragon” so he just pretends to consume her soul, hoping that she will go away. But then monsters turn up and she thinks she’s now Ravendia’s disciple and dispatches them.
Reiko is actually using her own power and Ravendia recognizes that she is a powerful wizard at a level rarely seen. So, Reiko and Ravendia set out to find the Demon King to take him out.
The premise comes across as something Terry Pratchett would come up with although the humor is nowhere near as profound. There is the role reversal: Reiko is more like an evil dragon whilst Ravendia is the kind one who tries to teach her decency and to keep her under control.
Most characters, like Reiko, do not believe Ravendia when he claims he is not an evil dragon. The more he tries to explain himself, the worse it gets. That and situations typical of the fantasy-adventure genre are set up just to have the characters flip to a reaction opposite to what is expected. And that is pretty much the humor.
Whilst it does play on the irony worthy of a few chuckles, the story and humor are somewhat superficial. It is not that the plot is a total farce or that the themes are entirely shallow or that every gag is forced but all three combined lean towards that way. Even treated as a comedy, it does not sufficiently play with every trope to make a clever satire and/or parody.
Season 1 follows Ravendia and Reiko as they set out. Eventually, they get to a city that was in effect founded by and is under the protection of a “saint”. But she is not who she appears to be.
Whether it is this character or others, the terminology is offputting even though morally grey characters are appreciated. The terms “saint” and “demon” in Christian theology are unambiguous. They do not exclude individual personalities or degrees but there is no muddling of the two either. So, using terms this way is at best tacky or at worse puts demons in a positive light. This is not uncommon and simply making up original terms would make better worldbuilding.
The premise of Season 2 is, as expected, more settled. Ravendia and Reiko arrive in the kingdom of Asga. This place was also founded by someone with powers. The monarch, a young lady, has to deal with an underground cult as well as a troublesome sibling. Of course, the cultists are evil dragon worshippers which again, totally makes Ravendia look bad.
Season 2 tries to have a little character development but they are somewhat crudely paced. Otherwise, it is somewhat typical fantasy. It is not a spoiler to mention that Ravendia and Reiko do not encounter the Demon King yet at the end of the second season.
The plotting in general is paced well enough. Any pacing issues are mitigated by the short episode lengths.
The other major concern is that this anime is produced by a Chinese company. Although the production is not bad, it is visually lacking in some aspects. There are noticeable inconsistencies in quality. Some shots are really nice but many lack detail. And whilst the linework is consistently clean, there is a lack of gradients (including highlights) that make the picture jump out.
However one looks at it, both seasons lack attributes that set it apart. Whilst the premise is interesting and there are few chuckles, the plot, themes and humor lack depth.
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