Forum - View topicREVIEW: RuriDragon Volume 1 Manga Review
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Turtleboy76
Posts: 180 |
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I've been reading since Chapter 1 as i keep up with most SJ titles, but man, that hiatus killed so much of the momentum. I honestly dont understand the hype for this series, like we are 30 chapters in an almost nothing has happened other than slight bullying and finding out powers to currently no greater outcome. I dunno, just think the attention should be put else where to stuff like Kagurabachi
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njprogfan
 Collector Extraordinaire Posts: 1239 Location: A River Named Toms |
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When I saw this on Jump+ and began reading it, it became my favorite manga being produced currently, so much so I bought the first Japanese volume. I wanted to support the mangaka to continue, especially with their health issues. I just adore how, if this actual really did happen, I can FOR SURE believe a teenager would act and react this way AND her classmates. It's so down to earth and realistic, (high school-wise minus the dragon stuff) it rings very true, especially the dialogue. Being up to date with the chapters online, it only gets better. I did buy the first English translated volume and will continue to do so. Also, this needs to be animated stat! Showing my age, as they use to say - "Number One with a bullet!!!"
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blahmoomoo
 SubscriberPosts: 515 |
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The new schedule is one chapter every two or three weeks. It is also still considered a Weekly Shonen Jump title, but it's only published in the digital version, not the physical. It's also posted on Shonen Jump+ too.
But yeah, there really isn't much else like this, if anything. |
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Gem-Bug
 Posts: 1350 |
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Man, it's unreal to be able to fumble every take like this. It really sounds like you're reading something that just isn't for you. There will always be a series with an edgy swordguy, but RuriDragon is something special as far as SJ titles go. The hiatus did nothing to the momentum. |
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FanGamer24
Posts: 119 |
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I agree the series is pretty overrated. It's an OK series, not bad not amazing just okay.
It's not very funny, not very dramatic and has no action. I have no clue what the series is trying to be but so far it's just an okay story where stuff happens. It's good but I definitely don't get the hype. I get that it's different but it doesn't really offer anything beyond that. |
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DamianSalazar
Posts: 786 |
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The series is trying to be a slice of life series with some fantasy elements. There's also a hint of mystery like spoiler[how does the teacher who takes care of Ruri know so much about dragons?] So far, I really enjoy where the series is going with the focus on Ruri living like a normal high schooler and her growing number of friends. And no action? spoiler[Ruri just controlled the weather and stopped a cyclone just so her school can host their sports day.] After Polar Opposites ended, Ruri just entered my big 3 titles on Jump+ alongside Dandadan and Kindergarten Wars, and is the only WSJ title I keep up with. |
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Turtleboy76
Posts: 180 |
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Fumble yourself. Even looking at big Jump commentators on Twitter, most western readers absolutely lost interest. Granted yes, Japan obviously still likes cute JK doing cute JK things. Also Kagurabachi is putting in the numbers. Its out-pacing JJK per volumes released at the time of volume publication. Also whats special about it? Just the fact its a slice of life with no immediate goal for the plot? Just watching a Girl, who happens to be a dragon go to school? |
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JustMonika
Posts: 1191 |
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It's about damn time this got an English release. Definitely going to Pick if up at some point!
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DamianSalazar
Posts: 786 |
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Are you seriously using Twitter as a way to measure Western interest in RuriDragon? According to Manga Plus, RuriDragon is the 17th most popular series on the platform, behind Blue Box and ahead of MAD (though that is subject to change due to a number of new series (like Stellar Friends, Sirens Won't Sing For You, Drama Queen (which is surprisingly popular) and a one-shot (Raise Me, Hero!)). I can't say for Viz's Shonen Jump app because I'm not subscribed to it. Also, I don't get comparing it with Kagurabachi, both had different circumstances. Ruri dealt with a hiatus due to the author's health whereas Kagurabachi was carried by the memes that originated from the start of its serialization. |
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FishLion
 Posts: 299 |
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I've been enjoying this a lot so far. It is laid back but also snappy in its pacing between bits. For people asking about the appeal, it has a lot of the vibes of a story about dealing with the challenges of puberty. I feel like other stories about dragon people like Miss Kobayashi that I have watched have focused on contrasting the dramatic parts of being a dragon against the more normal parts of everyday life as a comedy punchline. RuriDragon feels special because although it does contrast the wild dragon parts with the everyday life parts for humor I would say that isn't the main point of the story, the heart of the story is about a teenage girl going through strange changes and how she is a normal girl at heart underneath all those changes. That makes it a lot more relatable to the average person than some stories where the dragon is already experienced and dangerous but wants to live a more quiet existence despite that. I don't know if that will give her some dramatic role or destiny at some point, but I would expect it to be grounded in ways that make it feel relatable even if they went that route. I really think it is about finding yourself and familiarizing yourself with the changes you are going through much more than action or adventure, so I can see why that would be unappealing to some but to me it is a very unique take on slice of life for mixing grounded aspects with fantasy aspects while not being a story solely focused on her powers and what they can do.
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Shay Guy
 Posts: 2396 |
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Here's the plot of a movie: An 11-year-old girl moves to another state with her parents. It goes rough, she struggles with nascent depression, and eventually she decides to run away and go back to her old home. But she has a change of heart at the last moment, talks things over with her parents, comes to accept her feelings about everything she's going through, and eventually adjusts to her new home. Not much happens, yeah? But Inside Out is still considered one of Pixar's best movies. The question is whether you can make the events of the story feel significant. And to an awkward, moody, standoffish high-school girl? Things like becoming the center of attention due to something weird about your heritage -- something weird in your eyes, even if others see it as just kinda neat -- or having bodily functions go wrong in a very public and embarrassing way; or learning that your mom, who you've always been pretty tight with, knew things about you she wasn't telling you; or having to miss school and catch up afterward due to your weird family junk; or discovering that that loud, flashy, obnoxious girl is actually pretty smart, put-together, and genuinely friendly; or being in a study group for the first time; or confronting a classmate about a beef she seems to have with you; or taking on a major role in running the school festival? Those can all feel pretty significant. And a whole lot of people find that its clear, naturalistic approach really strikes a chord. It wasn't just "oh, it's a 'slice of life' manga in a magazine that doesn't do that often". It's unusual even among those kinds of manga. Hell, it wasn't long after its debut until Me & Roboco had a chapter with Roboco jealous about how much everyone loved Ruri. It's not just Japanese readers who are into it either. If you look at this handy-dandy Manga Plus views tracker, you'll find that despite being a biweekly series, its views-per-five-weeks are on par with Undead Unluck, and it was well above Blue Box before the latter got its anime surge. Back in early April 2024, after a month of weekly chapters, it was even ranking above Sakamoto Days -- it's true that the buzz around its return gave it a big spike, like Hunter x Hunter gets, but those aren't nearly as dramatic as what you see with an entirely new series. Honestly, if RuriDragon were a weekly series, I think it'd likely be outperforming Blue Box on M+ even now, after the anime surge. Or even Ichi the Witch, WSJ's biggest hit since Kagurabachi, which is currently outperforming Blue Box slightly. No, it wouldn't be outdoing Kagurabachi, which gets more than twice RuriDragon's views right now, but by any measure it's one of Jump's heavy hitters internationally. We're talking top third of WSJ, maybe top quarter. Oh, and if you want to use Twitter as an indicator, how about /r/manga? Let's look at the top-performing posts over the past month from the bot that links new chapters on Manga Plus. The popularity ranking is roughly:
(Of course, most One Piece chatter on Reddit takes place on its own subreddit, which is even bigger than /r/manga. And other manga vary in their /r/manga-vs-own-subreddit proportions, which makes any comparison tricky, etc.) |
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Dumas1
Posts: 88 |
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Fantasy-inflected slice of life, eh? This sounds like a series I might like. I seem to remember hearing about at least one manga about a girl who turns into a kaiju that sounds like it might run in a similar vein. Teenage monster girls might be having a moment.
I just hope I can manage to keep Ruridragon out of the shadow of Dragon Half, the other manga about a young half-dragon and her wacky friends. That one's a straight fantasy, though, so it probably won't be too much trouble to stop comparing them after a couple chapters. |
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njprogfan
Collector Extraordinaire Posts: 1239 Location: A River Named Toms |
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That would be Kaiju Girl Caramelise which is a pretty good manga, but nothing like RuriDragon. |
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kgw
 Posts: 1215 Location: Spain, EU |
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Hello, I just wanted to say that Ruri Dragon is already licensed in France (Glénat) and Spain (Norma), and there is even a Spanish-language edition in Manga Plus*. So much for the "lack of interest".
* Shueisha usually do not add "not-English" versions of their releases unless there is a big interest. |
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DamianSalazar
Posts: 786 |
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Especially since, Kaiju Girl is a shojo-style romcom while RuriDragon is hasn't ventured into romance territory at all yet. |
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