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Year: 2014
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Ecchi
Episodes: 12
Rating: 2 out of 5
What would it be like to have a dragon to ride? Just think about it. How cool would it be to live in a world where you could have your very own dragon and ride it anywhere, like in How to Train Your Dragon. That would be awesome. I would like a blue dragon who can breathe fire and be one of the fastest dragons around. It would be amazing. Hell, I even take a dragon like Pete’s Dragon where only I could see. Maybe not because people might think I was insane. Dragonar Academy is an anime where individuals in a fantasy land have dragons with whom they are paired.
Overview
In the mighty continent of Arc Strada, several special citizens called Breeders raise and train their very own dragons, aka Pars. A magical link called the Astral Flow helps bond the Breeders and Pars together. Some dragons have the mark of Seikoku, where they are born from Breeders who they deem worthy at a young age by the Mother Dragon. If a Par reaches the level of Holy Dragon, then the breeder can obtain nobility. That is a nice dream to have.
At Ansarivan Dragonar Academy, students learn to ride and tame dragons. For 99% of the student population, this comes easily. For Ash Blake, this doesn’t come easily, and he is labeled as a problem student by everyone. What is confusing is that Ash has an extremely large Seikoku, but his dragon has never appeared. One day, Ash’s life and fortunes change when he challenges fellow student and high-class student Princess Silvia Lautreamont. Ash challenges her to a dragon race. During the race, Ash’s dragon appears not as a dragon but as a beautiful and feisty little girl. Ash decides to name the girl Eco. Eco, in turn, tells him that she is his master and he must obey her. Ash soon finds that his life is turned upside down with Eco.
Review:
Dragonar Academy is one of those anime series that, if you’ve seen a bunch of anime series, you will not think much of. It is only 12 episodes long, and it is a series that lacks any depth or care too much about.
The story could’ve been so much more as it deals with Ash, who is labeled a problem student because he can ride any dragon but doesn’t have his own. When Eco shows up, he has his own dragon, but Eco is wild and thinks she is in control. The story goes from Ash being literally a nobody to a freaking white armored superhero who saves the kingdom. Ash goes from being hated to having almost every female lust after him; case in point, Silvia. This is where things become confusing because Silvia’s own brother, Julius, who they thought was dead because he killed his own dragon. Why? Because he thought it was possessed or evil.
The story jumps around and doesn’t really have a set plan of what it is doing or presenting. It would be great as a starter anime, but then comes the nudity. I have no issues with nudity in anime if it is done correctly. This anime showed Eco’s naked body and Silvia’s boobs left and right. When a beautiful female character rolls up, odds are something will happen where her breasts will be shown. Sorry, went on a side track. Like most other anime series, the story ends with a single season-ending. The bad dude gains their memory back and helps defeat the evil that was lurking inside them. The sun shines brightly in the distance, and everything is good. Once again, it’s a standard ending for a boring anime.
The animation looks dated to be a 2010 anime. It goes with the standard animation style with characters with wide eyes and bright-ass hair. Eco has pink hair and looks like a little kid. Silvia is the big-boobed, blonde hair and maybe blue eyes look. The animation of the fights is awful, and it just looks janky and not appealing to the eye. The only good part of the anime is the Mother Dragon scenes. When she is on, it has this dreamy, bubble bath look. It’s pink and seems warm and loving.
As far as the characters go, they are the types you can leave and forget it. The main character, Ash Blake, is the typical male loser who suddenly becomes good. He has the typical I am weak but then gains confidence when needed. There is really nothing special about him. Silvia Lautreamont is the typical princess who is beloved and a princess. She is not as rude as some other princesses I have seen, but she doesn’t impress you. She is eye candy. Eco is by far the best character. I love how she rolls up and tells everyone that Ash is her servant. She was a boss before everyone else in this film. The other supporting characters are forgettable. The only one worth talking about is Veronica Lautreamont. She had the potential to be a badass character, but she has this weird quirk or fetish that throws everything off about her.
Dragonar Academy is one of those anime series that you can skip. It has its moments, but they are far and few. The story and concept were okay, but the execution of the anime could’ve been a lot better and more engaging. The characters were boring, but Eco was the show’s star and should have her own spinoff show. If you need some mindless entertainment, you can put this on. You will be done in six hours if you can make it.
