Dragon Drive

Publisher
Bandai
Director
Toshifumi Kawase
Production
Bandai, Madhouse, NAS, Shueisha, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
38 episodes
Year
2003

Dragon Drive V. 1

By David Rasmussen
20th Dec 04

Company - BANDAI
Rated - Age 7 and up.
Original Story by Ken-ichi Sakura
Serialized in Monthly Shonen Jump (whether or not Shonen Jump eventually carries it or just puts out Graphic Novels under it's Shonen Jump GN line is something only VIZ knows for sure).
Planning - Masao Maruyama
Series Supervisor - Toshiki Inoue
Character Design - Takahiro Umehara
Producers - Makiko Iwata (TV Tokyo), Tatsuji Yamazaki & Satoshi Kubo
Director - Toshifumi Kawase
Produced by TV Tokyo, NAS and BANDAI Visual.

Volume 1 - Amazing Transformation
It's just has to be one of those series where the protagonist is a born LOSER! Yup.
In this case it's one Reiji Ozora. Designated "Loser" in his Junior High.
Yeah. If that is to set up the motivation to enter the "D-Zone" and participate in Dragon Drive?
That's simply not enough motivation... why? Heard that one before? I bet you have!

Hero/Heroine is a loser, then such and such an event happens (which is essential to the story or the story revolves around) and said character enters said event or sport or whatever to prove they're not loser material. It's basically your useful plot device that, well, has been used to such a degree that it's cliche.

Just getting into Dragon Drive to prove himself is a start, Reiji entering to shake off the 100% LOSER material image and want to not be a loser. Ok. But that can't be all there is to Reiji's motivation in playing Dragon Drive. Something must happen that will set him apart from other players (and other characters who started out the way he did) and either make him a memorable hero, or another cliche waiting for his series to end. I'm hoping his potential outweighs his cliche-ness.
Ok. Let's get this review on the road.

Episode 1 - The Sleeping Dragon
Ok. So it's an established fact that the man character, Reiji Ozora, has been designated "loser".
But why is he a loser? Let me count the ways...

1- He seems to have sleeping habit more in tune with a certain Sailor Solider and future Queen of 30th Century Earth... mainly Sailor Moon/Usagi (and that alone should get him designated as a loser)!

2 - He seems to be a magnet for disaster which should designate him as a mobile disaster area -- please check your medical coverage, life insurance, and maybe body armor before going near him. Especially since he has a friend with an attitude named Maiko (who seems to have a hairstyle that looks quite becoming -- if she was 10 years old and named Chiyo Mihama).

3 - Said girl with an attitude as friend. Somehow she seems to contribute at times to his loser status... while at the same time trying to motivate him to NOT be a loser.

In fact it's her attempt to motivate Reiji that gets him introduced to Dragon Drive in the first place.
Which may be wishful thinking more than actual planning since how can even the most sophisticated game change a born slacker like Reiji.. Eh?

Oh dear god, the game is in a James Bond underground secret HQ set up with a Matrix-meets-(dot)hack set up world to fight in. (Q must have branched out into the video game industry while passing the time between Bond flicks).

The game, Dragon Drive, is basically dragons battling it out in city-scapes ala Godzilla and company, controlled by their "masters" in combat. But as for Reiji? What kind of dragon will he have to fight with? The computer systems simply have to jack into Reiji and find the dragon suited to him. And sure enough it's found... the mysterious dragon soon to be known simply as Chibi.

Looks docile now, but somehow it's a mystery. No power, but then again no information is available on it also. It is an anomaly. A mystery to even the people running the game.
Within this anomaly, this unexpected dragon, power may yet lie.

Too bad Reiji isn't going to have a chance to take his time to find said power since he's going to be thrown head first into competition whether he likes it or not! So he better get his dragon up, and ready to fight if he knows what's good for him -- especially since the guy who has the hots for Reiji's female friend is about to take his jealousy out on Reiji in a majorly bad way! Yeah. Here comes the pain.

Episode 2 - Promised Dive
The first time in the D-Drive just didn't seem to go well.
Chibi, Reiji's dragon, seemingly has no power -- but somehow it's perfectly synched with Reiji in a way that no other player has ever synched with their dragon before. That seems to add to the mystery of this strange dragon, and hints at the hidden power within. Power that is only beginning to surface in it's first experience in battle, power that amazes even the people who run the game. Power that may have no limit once Chibi and his "master" set their minds to winning.

Mind you that won't change Reiji's evil bad luck with round objects like soccer balls, but it's a start.
However it looks like things are not going to go well for Reiji since he's starting to get all egotistical over that one win. Man? You'll never stop being a Grade A Loser if you keep this up.

Speaking of loser, we still have potential stalker in the making Daisuke who loves Yukino, but hates Reiji.
Oh, as for said pal Yukino? She thinks it's a fluke what happened, and it may be at that if Reiji doesn't get his head out of the clouds and focus.

Maybe a fight against two high ranking players will get Reiji to snap out of it.
Then again maybe not. Looks like Reiji has already targeted one of the heavy hitters since he's taken it upon himself to slap said braggart down after he heartlessly butchered the dragon of a female player who surrendered to him, and it looks like he aims to fight even if it seems an impossible task.
But he better hurry before said jerk makes his next target Yukino and her dragon! Oh, and this isn't the time for a flashback, Reiji! Snap out of it!

Episode 3 - Revenge
"Ah, Kirk, my old friend -- do you know the Klingon proverb that says "Revenge is a dish best served cold"? It's very cold -- in space." (Ricardo Montalban - Khan Noonian Singh - Star Trek II-Wrath of Khan)

Pushed right to the edge, and driven to succeed even in the face of defeat, Reiji/Chibi bring down one extra powerful dragon and his scum master, hinting once again at the endless potential of Chibi.

But it seems their success is only drawing potential enemies right towards Reiji like moths to the fire.
But that's for later. Right now? Ever since he got hooked onto the game it seems Reiji's been heading over to play Dragon Drive every day. But while checking in one day he finds that his experience is -- zero?

Yup. That guy last episode may have been total scum, but he had a point. Apparently you can't earn experience unless you go total Predator cold blooded and totally destroy your opponent's dragon.
Somehow, however, I don't think Reiji's going to go this cold blooded route, even if this is just a game.

Meanwhile it looks like, while this is going on, Reiji's first "nemesis" (Daisuke) is seeking an ally to take another shot at Reiji. Too bad here, in this "game", revenge will be served anything BUT cold.
Seems he was a loser once himself, and the only one who said nice things to him was... yeah... Meiko.
Kinda can't blame him for being abit obsessed with crushing Reiji.
Sure he's stalker material and scary, but still... maybe he might change?
...yeah... not likely... oh, well. Here we go again. Once more into the "zone", so get your game face on, and resist the urge to say "whoa" at every amazing thing because it's showtime...

Oh, by the way, it looks like Daisuke should have picked a better "ally" because he's seconds away from getting betrayed, by more than his ally since it looks like the "powers that be" are going to get in on the game -- why? To draw out Reiji/Chibi's potential power more.

Episode 4 - Shocking Awakening
We'll stop here. Why? Because it seems every episode brings more of Chibi's true potential out, and as the episodes pass that true potential becomes clearer and clearer.

And it's also becoming clear that the "powers that be" behind Dragon Drive have become very interested in Reiji/Chibi, to the point of actually interfering with the game (secretly) -- but why? They're a mystery, an enigma, and it seems the "powers that be" hates mysteries. But what happens next?
I'll go over this the next time we come back to review the series. Eventually.
Let's break this down and check the extras.

Region One Optional Extras
Dragons and their Players Gallery - Split into two categories, you can check out the gallery of images for either the dragons, or characters from the series. Simple enough.

Holocard - Now this is something really nifty! BANDAI's been loading their DVDs with some high quality mini collectibles this past year, including the mini cels in Infinite Ryvius and Witch Hunter Robin (for starters), and the useful booklets in other DVDs. This one has both a useful booklet (recap of episode contents) and a new twist on the mini-extras, a holo card.

Dragon Drive Breakdown the 1st
What's Hot? - This series promised great potential, but does it deliver on that potential?
It seems to have a bit of punch to it, and great potential for Reiji/Chibi to grow together as partners to excel in this "game", and maybe even find purpose for Reiji in said game past him not wanting to be a loser.
That and the story is pretty good too. It had a potential to be overtly cliche but it holds up well.

Anyway it's a new title for the 7-up crowd so that's another brownie point. We don't see many titles in this range that is watchable, and this happens to be one of those titles which is quite watchable.

What's Not? - This series has great potential, but also a large pitfall it could easily fall into.
Luckily for it it doesn't take the dive into that pit and manages to take the high ground.
At this point? I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes next DVD.

Moments to Remember? - The battles are memorable, but so are the interactions between Reiji and graduate of the Chiyo-chan Fashion Club (Meiko).

What to Ignore? - Nothing. It holds up well. Of course it could all fall apart next DVD but I guess I'll have to get it to find out, now won't I!

Overall? A series with potential and a bit of a handicap to overcome in terms of it's motivation for it's hero which seems a tad cliche. Did it work out as we wrap this DVD (the first of four)? Guess only time will tell... if BANDAI ever starts bringing this and other series that have yet to get the Region 2 treatment out there that is.

-- David Rasmussen 20th Dec 04

Dragon Drive Images