Title: Drifting Dragons: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Tadahiro Yoshihira

Studio: Polygon Pictures

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

Release Date: April 12th, 2022

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 minutes

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Dragons

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Drifting Dragons contains episodes 1-12 of the anime directed by Tadahiro Yoshihira.

Dragons may be huge flying leviathans, but their colossal bodies are also treasure troves of valuable oils and enough succulent flesh to feed small villages. So, even though it’s incredibly dangerous, the profession of draking is still profitable enough for the crews of airships like the Quin Zaza to risk their lives in the deadly pursuit of the airborne behemoths.

The mortality rate can be high, however, and the Zaza’s newest recruit, Takita, will have to learn the ins and outs of her lethal new vocation quickly, even as her reckless crewmate Mika seems determined to set the worst possible example. That leaves it up the rest of the Quin Zaza crew to keep the new rookie on the right side of the food chain as they pursue the deadliest catch of all!

Commentary:

Whenever you come across a series that pushes you comfort level in the first two episodes it becomes very hard to keep going. Drifting Dragons had that effect on me because it appeared to be focused on killing Dragons. Being a person who is less of a meat eater than most of the population I found it disappointing that this little series was focused on killing animal even if it was for food. I do understand and accept that part of humanity but it still makes me sad to think about.

But, once I got past the first few episodes the series changed and became a study of the crew and their personalities. It became interesting to discover what drew people to live in the sky and removed from the greater world. They became something more than just hunters.

Overall Grade: B

Drifting Dragons has its strong points with the character development but the production quality lacks finesse that would help with the overall enjoyment of the series. I found the computer generated (CG) imagery rather boring and too hard edged.

I did like the homage to Last Exile with the steampunk vibe and the blimp airships. The feel was much different and visual quality didn’t even come close but I did get the feeling that Last Exile was clearly an influence.

In the end I enjoyed the series and wish it had better visuals. I also wish it didn’t focus so much on the actual act of killing the Dragons. I ended up having a more sympathetic view of the Dragons throughout the series. Even in the end I understood the nature of things but still wished it would have presented in a slightly different way. Nonetheless, if you like fantasies about dragons you should enjoy Drifting Dragons.