Dragon Half

Publisher
ADV
Director
Shinya Sadamitsu
Production
ING, Victor Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
55 mins
Year
1993

Dragon Half

By John Huxley
28th Apr 04

On the back of the box Dragon Half claims to be 'The funniest anime ever made'. A bold claim maybe, but I'd hate to be the one to argue against it.

As with most comedy anime, the plot is utter tripe. But tripe in a good way. Right off the bat we're introduced to the two characters whom the tale will revolve around; Mink, the half dragon, half human of the title and Dick Saucer, a pop idol/dragon slayer. That sentence alone should be enough for you to fill in the blanks, but there's no harm in explaining further, is there?

Mink is head over heels for the dreamy pop idol Dick Saucer, who also happens to be the kingdom's greatest dragon slayer. But as Mink's parents proved, love between a dragon and a dragon slayer is not as impossible as might first appear. Mink's father was sent by the king to slay the evil red dragon, only he ended up marrying her instead! Now, for some reason, the king wants the dragon for himself and hatches a plan (with much help from his robe-clad cohort Rosario) to capture Mink and hold her for ransom. But Mink isn't any ordinary teenager and proves harder to handle than they first imagined.

Enter Dick Saucer. After numerous failed attempts to kidnap Mink, the king seizes the opportunity to convince the pop idol/dragon slayer that Mink is in fact an evil red dragon disguised as a cute young girl. Fully believing his story, Saucer heads off to slay Mink before his next concert.

And lets not forget the princess! She's also after Mink's blood because...well, because she just is. Things aren't easy when you're a dragon half.

As you've no doubt guessed by now, the plot is as madcap as the premise. But this is half the beauty; by ignoring an ABC plotline the writer (Shinya Sadamitsu) has let himself ignore the typical plot advancement scenes that can so often drag similar anime comedies down. You get jokes from start to finish, something that the director (also Shinya Sadamitsu) must have realised is key to keeping the audience laughing. If the laughter stops, it takes a really good joke to get them going again. While all the jokes in Dragon Half may not be side-splitting, it kept me giggling like a school girl for the full 55 minutes (including the outro). Having said that, there are several moments I almost lost bladder control. I won't ruin the moment for you, you'll just have to take my word for it.

As a character, Mink could have been extremely annoying. Despite being easy on the eye with unbelievably skimpy costume and cute face, she is nevertheless a teenager obsessed with a pop idol and has the demeanour to suit. The saving grace comes from the colourful cast of supporting characters, from Mink's constantly fighting (and I mean fighting) parents to the hilarious parade of ridiculous badguys. My favourite character has to be Domoromu, the half-wit warrior sent to kill Mink who is convinced of his own greatness despite being totally useless. With a supporting cast like this, Mink is just the foil for the hijinks.

The animation and artwork are nice enough, but they do show their age (if that kind of thing matters to you). The constant swapping between SD and regular proportions may alienate anime newcomers, but that could be said of everything else in Dragon Half. The music deserves a special mention. While it was hardly noticeable during the anime, the outro theme tune is downright hilarious (and very catchy to boot). It makes no sense whatsoever, with lyrics like 'If I don't boil it, it's still a draft beer' and 'Ah, not the eggs, they are mine' in no logical context. All this is sung to the tune of Beethoven's 7th, making it all the more insane. Insane, but pure genius. Ludwig would be proud.

So, why not a 9 or a even a 10? Well, I don't normally complain about length, yet at 55 minutes total running time Dragon Half is too short by...half. It could be argued that more of the same would have diluted the format, but I'm confident that it could have been twice the length and still remain funny. As it stands, things are over far too quickly with many loose ends left untied, leaving you wanting more.

Still, I was very close to awarding Dragon Half 9/10. This really is the funniest anime I've ever watched. While I may prefer the more rotund charms of El Hazard, this is infinitely funnier. It's appeal may be limited, but if you've been influenced by anime for long enough I promise that you'll love this.

NOTE: Since I reviewed this DVD we've dropped the 10/10 rating system.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: Scene selection, English & Japanese languages, English subtitles, Clean closing animation, ADV Previews. Contains both episodes.

Notes: You get both episodes on one DVD and a single-page insert with some artwork on one side and previews on the other. The features are nothing special, but they do the job just fine. Both the sub and the dub are of a high standard, and somewhat unusually for a comedy they are both equally funny.

-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04

Dragon Half Images