Mar 31, 2022
(This is a review for Doratama up to LN 2. The English translation for LN 3 is slated to release early this April.)
Despite a lot of people telling me left and right that Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling (shortened to Doratama) was mediocre, I was pleasantly surprised by this light novel. I think the issue people have with this series is based solely on the web novel version, which IIRC dragged on for quite a lot of chapters. However, that has no bearing on the light novel version. Kumo Desu, for example, had a similarly slow and painful first 100~ WN chapters, and that didn't
...
stop the LN from being very well-written.
Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling is another entry to the plethora of "reborn as a monster" series inside the already bloated isekai genre. However, it does something I think is really special, and something you genuinely don't see very often.
See, Doratama's Illusia wasn't reborn as the crème de la crème of monsters. He also wasn't reborn with a crazy cheat skill. Though he is a dragon, and has the potential to become a walking natural disaster, he's reborn as an extremely weak, well, dragon hatchling (to illustrate, the description for his starting species would rather describe the tenderness of his meat than his power). Much like in Kumo Desu, Illusia has to work to get up to where he currently is at the end of the second LN, and even then, it's clear he still has a long ways to go.
Despite this, though, reincarnated life thankfully isn't all constant danger for him, and Illusia actually manages to have enough free time to ponder things like cooking the meat he hunts, picking spices to make a meal, or using clay he finds to create pots to store the other things he finds. Is it silly? Yeah. Is it boring? I'd argue it isn't, because having everything be dire all the time leads to reader fatigue, and besides, the LN is decently quick-paced.
Illusia is a nice guy in the most earnest use of the term. While he's a bit dumb at times, he's heroic, and he is gentle and caring. Seeing him progress in other aspects of his new life other than just the fighting is, I'd argue, just as satisfying as the violent bits, because it fits his character extremely well, and on the inverse, seeing his work not come to fruition is disheartening, and really does make you feel for him. Without spoiling anything, I'd argue the best Doratama has to offer character-wise, is Illusia defying expectations and circumstances to uphold his moral compass and help others. Is it cheesy? A little bit, but no more than any other isekai where the protagonist goes in the opposite direction and decides to snap.
The story isn't all just fluff, though. The action scenes are well-written and easy to visualize and enjoy. Due to the nature of the series, it's always fun to see Illusia and his friends overcome the odds against stronger monsters.
Is the series flawless? No, of course not. Despite the brisk pacing, there are some points in both LNs with a lot of "downtime". It's enjoyable downtime, don't get me wrong, but they might be frustrating to some readers. While I think Illusia is a great character, he has his moments of poor decision-making speed, and while this is an intended character flaw, much like the previous point, it might not be your cup of tea. Also, keep in mind we're still just at the second LN in the English side, it's entirely possible there's going to be future problems that are not yet present in the little media we have.
Overall, I'd argue these two LNs are a very strong start to the series' debut in the English-speaking audiences. If you're a fan of isekai, of "reincarnated as a monster", of stories where protagonists have to grow and earn their place in the world, definitely give Doratama a try. Don't be discouraged by the old reviews people have made about the series' WN version. Don't judge a book by its cover, don't judge a light novel by its web novel.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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