Ruri Dragon

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From one of the most anticipated names, Masaoki Shindou's first manga series, Ruri Dragon, became Shonen Jump's newest big hit! Its first volume debuted with 74,874 copies sold in 6 days. Making it the second biggest debut in the magazine! The rookie mangaka debuted in Jump Cross at the age of 17 and went on to win Jump's Treasure Newcomer Manga Award in July 2016 with 'Twin Peach'. After a few more one-shots Shindou started their first series Ruri Dragon. The manga follows Ruri Aoki, who one day woke up with two horns growing out of her head. Her mother reveals that the reason ... might be because her father is a dragon. Although confused and shocked, Ruri decides to go to school unbeknownst to the chaotic life which lies ahead of her.

This story was an unexpectedly relaxing and entertaining read. Even though Ruri is from a different race, many people around her are understanding and supportive. In real life, that won't always be the case but in contrast, there is an abundance of such stories discussing discrimination. As a result, this title can be a bit refreshing. Although I always try to act mature and responsible around youngsters, there certainly are times when, on the inside, I'm completely confused or panicking like crazy. Of course, I can't show that in front of them cause it will make things a lot worse. So either I have to stay calm and fix it myself or get the help of other adults and try to sort it out together. Which was exactly what Ruri's mother did and I found that quite relatable. And in addition, the dialogues flow neatly and realistically. Similar to titles like Dandadan, they don't feel like tongue-in-cheek clichés or overly smart adults in the skin of children. They talk like regular people, which is surprisingly rare in the medium. Since it's only the first volume, the story has yet to develop into something complex or delve deep into its characters.

The art is not anything mind-blowing yet it is a delight to read. Character designs are well-illustrated and meaningful. Some notable ones would be Yuka with her soft curvy and bouncy shapes that match her bright and cheery personality and the homeroom teacher with his rigid lines that gives the feeling of firmness and maturity however his not straight but wavy hair hints at his laid-back nature. And finally, we can't forget our protagonist Ruri, she has a plain design that works well with her introverted personality. As a result, those sharp horns stand out a lot more, showing that there might also be an aggressive side to her. Of course, being a good illustrator is only half of the job for a mangaka. But Shindou doesn't fall short on the other technicalities either. The eyes are neatly guided through pages of well-placed speech bubbles, great framing and thoughtful layouts. These pages give time and space for the smaller interactions to build up into more impactful moments contained within larger panels with plenty of room. One of the best examples of that is the final page of chapter 4.

Finally, would I recommend Ruri Dragon to general manga readers? Aye, it's an easy recommendation for those who love slice-of-life series. The first volume felt like an iyashikei but whether it'll stay that way or develop into something more complicated is something only time can tell. Sadly, Ruri Dragon is currently on hiatus due to the author's poor health. I sincerely pray for the author's health and hope, once fully recovered, they'll continue the series. Furthermore, this essay will be rewritten with the release of new volumes as well.

I can definitely see plenty of potential within this manga and can already see this turning into an anime even though there has only been 3 chapters out currently. Hopefully this does come true and that it may become a very famous series in the works. I also just recently have seen more of the one-shot after not completing it the last time and picked it up after the manga and I must say I am now very confident that this story can really become something if we allow the author to continue it. There have only been improvements since the original one-shot inside of ... the new serialized manga, so I am 100% all on board with this.

I know that this review may seem like I am hyping it up a whole bunch, but I really do think it will do very well if this gets picked up by people especially for those who love the slice of life genre. Even if the manga doesn't get much attention, I only wish the rookie mangaka Shindou Masaoki good luck in his future endeavors.

Ruri dragon isn't really what some might call a breath-taking innovation when it comes to manga. It's your typical quirky slice of life but with it's own twist which the entire series revolves around, most of the themes tackled by the manga correlate to said twist. It's a lighthearted (for now) story about a girl living in a regular society who finds out that she's actually a half-dragon and we as the audience get to see how that changes her daily life.

While the plot in of itself might not be all that intriguing, the manga still manages to shine thanks to the relatable characters and ... it's realistic dialogue which results into the series having a coherent feeling to it. I often get annoyed at how sudden and nonsensical a lot of manga can be, it constantly ruins my immersion. However, in Ruri dragon, the characters reactions make sense, it feels like the cast are having actual conversations, which is what i found to be the series most enjoyable point.

The comedy though, is where i found the story to be quite lacking, which isn't really anything new when it comes to slice of life (at least for me). Despite not really making me activate my facial muscles while reading it, it still manages to be moderately entertaining.

The art is solid, the facial expressions are expressive and interesting to look at and the paneling is easy to keep track of, so overall it's quite aesthetically pleasing.

I would recommend it to anyone who isn't seeking anything thought provoking and just wants to read a comfy story.

Now, having said that:
HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE SIZE OF THE ACTUAL DRAGON???? Now look at the mother, then look at the father, then try to explain to me with a straight face how that's supposed to work. Either the dragon is capable of shrinking or perhaps change form or the mother is just built different. I hope she's elastic or something, cause that's got to have left permanent damage.

Ruridragon is a new addition to the shounen jump magazine by Shindou Masaoki.By the tag of shounen or shounen jump and the name of the series you might be thinking this is another action driven show with cool villains, rivals and protagonist's war filled demihuman life but that's not the case. Just like any other normal day a normal girl wakes up in the morning but gets shocked with the fact that she has grown horns overnight. By the flow of the story we can to get to know that her father is actually a dragon and she has also inherited the traits. Now here ... starts the wholesome yet meaningful adventure of our half dragon protagonist in the modern era. Even though you might think society and government would be scared of her and isolate her but the story story takes a mind blowing non complex route.Society didn't care if she was dragon or not but she got into the center of attention. In short, it's a mixture of Cute girls doing cute things and sol. The humor is simple and solid. and mostly I really liked ruri's mother character. She was always beside of her, caring and trying to help her to get out of the complexity of dragon concept. Also there is a broad chapter ruri's development from her insecurities and quick judgement. It's dealing with breaking her shell. The school stuffs and interactions were so wholesome, cute and there is some subtle hints of romance. Ruri is also a lovable character who day by day inheriting bizzare traits like fire breathing and electro discharge.There are many set ups of complex plot and characters which might take climax in future. Or maybe this will be always chill like this and believe me I won't hate it if it does.

The art is great , detailed and has some unique paneling method. The emotions hit the right spot by the art somehow. Character expressions makes the manga more cute. Only 6 chapters are out there and you can read them totally in legal way at mangaplus website.

As of writing this review there are only 4 chapters of Ruri Dragon. That being said this supernatural slice of life has some really solid potential. With the protagonist Ruri, who is a human/dragon mixed species, just trying to live her life and find out who she is and how to be a high school student, lots of good stories could be made.
The possibility of worldbuilding and new species amongst her classmates, friends, and teachers could even happen. As of right now, only Ruri is the only mixed species character. If she is the only one that is fine too, but the worldbuilding possibilities are ... an interesting point the mangaka could build upon.
The characters are sweet, Ruri's mother seems supportive and her friends are very sweet and understanding, though because there are only 4 chapters currently, not much else can be said about them.
I think this could make for a very sweet slice of life manga that could have a lackadaisical viewing of the charming yet lazy Ruri's journey of self discovery and surviving high school.

While Ruri Dragon's core premise may be a slightly heavy-handed attempt at depicting the wonder, peculiarities and anxieties present as an individual undergoes puberty, the manga ultimately stands out as an exemplary entry into its school-centric, somewhat slice-of-life genre through its excellent panelling, story pacing and mundane subversions of the supernatural.

What seemingly begins as a typical Shounen-style opening where the protagonist awakens to new power associated with their unknown genetics/heritage, is placed and integrated into a mundane setting of school life and very nicely fits to depict the feelings of anxiety, isolation and estrangement experienced by many adolescents transitioning toward adulthood. This story is ... executed in a very wholesome manner where despite the difficulties our main character undergoes for being different from her peers, she remains, for the most part, accepted by the majority. This makes Ruri Dragon a light and pleasant read that will surely lighten anyone's mood. Luckily for those adverse to tragic elements, you won't be finding much Shuzou Oshimi depression here.

Yet, it is precisely because Ruri Dragon has developed its story in such a wholesome direction, that the manga so far feels a little flat in its narrative for lacking a strong conflict apart from the social anxieties and uncertainty faced by the protagonist as she unlocks more of her Dragon genetics (an anxiety that was quickly and mostly resolved by her classmates' acceptance of her differences). Luckily, Masaoki Shindou is a keen artist and writer and he makes up for this with exemplary panelling and strong interactions between the characters, particularly between the protagonist and her mother - one chapter has the duo playing video games, and the sequence was rendered wonderfully. I am also aware that likely the story will eventually heighten in tension as these dragon traits will likely make it difficult for Ruri to continue school - the manga has already forebode this in its few chapters released.

Overall, this is a series with much potential! Looking forward to seeing how the story develops.

Edit: It got dropped... this had potential. I am sad.

This manga has only six chapters so far ao I can only judge it based on its potential and hook. The hook of it is great. This girl finds out she's half dragon and has to adapt to these changes in her everyday life. I think it has good potential, but it's labeled as a comedy and it hasn't really made me smile once. It's not that the humor doesn't hit for me, I can't even tell that there's supposed to be any humor. I also find it extremely unrealistic that this girl wouldn't want to meet her dad. Even adopted kids that love their ... adoptive parents to death have a desire to meet their birth parents. It's just natural. So, for this girl to have 0 desire to meet her biological, dragon dad comes off unnatural without some kind of explanation. The premise is amusing though and it feels more like a drama/slice of life rather than any sort of comedy.

This is literally K-On but with Dragon gimmick instead of playing music. May be I'm just too old to think that 1 missed week in a school is such a big problem, but the fact is that there's nor plot nor interesting characters. Dragon features exist just to be the reason to draw horns on the girl. They expose the feature, kinda do something to calm this wild feature and then it is never used again. They can mention it in talk but no actual use. No explanations on what are the other dragon features, no meeting with her father dragon, no asking mom anything ... about him. Big plus is the art style, but without story or jokes at least it is just boring.