Dragon Half
Encyclopedia
is a manga
created by Ryūsuke Mita
and serialized in Monthly Dragon Magazine from 1988 to 1994. It was adapted into a two episode anime
OVA series in 1993. ADV Films licensed the anime series in North America
.
The story follows Mink, a half human
/half dragon
teenage girl on a quest for a potion which will turn her into a full human so that she can win the love of the legendary dragon slayer Dick Saucer. In the manga, in order to get the potion, she must slay Azetodeth, the greatest demon in the land.
The story (which is a parody of the Dungeons and Dragons genre) is very tongue-in-cheek, and pokes fun at a number of anime cliché
s, most notably its overuse of super deformation
and its wide range of genre
s in a similar way to anime such as Excel Saga
.
Much of the manga contains references to role-playing games and occasionally either other manga or anything that begins with the word 'dragon'. Ryūsuke Mita's favorite animal is the dragon. As a result, several dragons play an important role in the manga, most notably Mana and her father, Titan.
After a number of adventures, mainly a conflict with a vampire
and her four handmaidens and discovering Dick Saucer's past, Mink finally comes face to face with Azetodeth. She manages to seal the Demon Lord away with the Gourd of Saints, and although she gains the potion, she chooses to remain half-human, half imperial red dragon forever. Instead of using the potion herself, she gives the potion to her friend Lufa, who had been turned into a toad by the Demon Lord's magic.
Village of the Red Lightning
. Parza's holy grail represents the mirror of wisdom, Lorelo's ball represents the Jewel of Benevolence and Gil's crown represents the sword of valor. However only Lorelo's ball and the jewel of balevolence correspond to each other in the story.
, and the second was a wideban release comprising three volumes which included extra galleries and interviews with Mita not found in the original releases. The manga consists of 65 chapters. After Dragon Half ended, Ryūsuke Mita created a sequel one-shot called Dragon Half Z about Mink's seven-year-old daughter Pink.
OVA
adaptation was produced by Victor Entertainment
. It was directed and written by Shin'ya Sadamitsu, with character designs by Masahiro Koyama and music by Kōhei Tanaka
. The first OVA, , was released on March 26, 1993. The second, , was released two months later on May 28, 1993.
The OVA series is based on sections of the first two volumes. There were originally going to be 4 OVA episodes but there was not enough interest so only two episodes were produced. The ending theme song, My Omelette, was written to the music of Beethoven
(Symphony No. 7, 4th movement
) and sung by Kotono Mitsuishi
while in character.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
created by Ryūsuke Mita
Ryūsuke Mita
is a Japanese manga creator. He is best known for his seinen manga series Dragon Half, which was made into an anime OVA by the same name. He also illustrates Futabasha game books under the pen name . Mita's father is Munesuke Mita, a well-known Japanese sociologist, and his grandfather was Sekisuke...
and serialized in Monthly Dragon Magazine from 1988 to 1994. It was adapted into a two episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
OVA series in 1993. ADV Films licensed the anime series in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The story follows Mink, a half human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
/half dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
teenage girl on a quest for a potion which will turn her into a full human so that she can win the love of the legendary dragon slayer Dick Saucer. In the manga, in order to get the potion, she must slay Azetodeth, the greatest demon in the land.
The story (which is a parody of the Dungeons and Dragons genre) is very tongue-in-cheek, and pokes fun at a number of anime cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s, most notably its overuse of super deformation
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
and its wide range of genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s in a similar way to anime such as Excel Saga
Excel Saga
is a manga series written and illustrated by Rikdo Koshi. It has been serialized in Young King OURs since 1996, with individual chapters collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha. The series follows the attempts of Across, a "secret ideological organization", to conquer the city...
.
Much of the manga contains references to role-playing games and occasionally either other manga or anything that begins with the word 'dragon'. Ryūsuke Mita's favorite animal is the dragon. As a result, several dragons play an important role in the manga, most notably Mana and her father, Titan.
Plot
Mink was born to a man who used to be a skilled swordsman and a female imperial red dragon. At age fifteen, she falls in love with a singer named Dick Saucer; but because he is also a dragonslayer, she has no choice but to get a potion that can change her into a pure human. She can only get the potion, however, if she can slay the most powerful Demon Lord in the land, Azetodeth, and go to his palace known as the Demon King's island. Not only does she have to reconstruct the Gourd of the Saints, an item that can seal Azetodeth, she also has to be aware of Princess Vina, her rival for Saucer's affections. Mink is aided by her friends Lufa, Pia, and a fairy mouse named Mappy on her quest.After a number of adventures, mainly a conflict with a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
and her four handmaidens and discovering Dick Saucer's past, Mink finally comes face to face with Azetodeth. She manages to seal the Demon Lord away with the Gourd of Saints, and although she gains the potion, she chooses to remain half-human, half imperial red dragon forever. Instead of using the potion herself, she gives the potion to her friend Lufa, who had been turned into a toad by the Demon Lord's magic.
Locations
The Demon King's island- A island where Azetodeth and his three sons live. This island has tall rugged rocks and is surrounded by a wall that prevents anything that goes through unless it goes into the main entrance which is difficult to find or a gate guarded by a receptionist named Suzuki who is beaten by Mink and runs off. The island is first seen at the end of Chapter 13. After making several more cameos, Mink finally gets on the island in Chapter 50. There is also a castle which is completely destroyed by Azetodeth in Chapter 64.
Village of the Red Lightning
- The village where Mink and her family and friends live. It is shown in the beginning having a river flowing through it and mountains surrounding it, and is shown again in the credits.
Items
The Gourd of the Saints- The Gourd of the Saints is a bottle that took 200 years for Mink's dragon great-grandfather to make. It was broken into three pieces which transformed into three holy artifacts 2000 years ago. The artifacts were Parza's holy grail (a goblet), Lorelo's Ball (a black ball that 'provides super-screw') and Gill's crown. The Gourd of the Saints is extremely important as it is the only one that can seal Azetodeth away.
The three holy artifacts
There are three sacred treasures required to resurrect the gourd known as the three holy artifacts(Sango no Jingi in the Japanese version). They are loosely based on the Imperial Regalia of JapanImperial Regalia of Japan
The , also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consist of the sword Kusanagi , the mirror Yata no Kagami , and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama...
. Parza's holy grail represents the mirror of wisdom, Lorelo's ball represents the Jewel of Benevolence and Gil's crown represents the sword of valor. However only Lorelo's ball and the jewel of balevolence correspond to each other in the story.
Manga
The comic was released in two versions. The first was as seven standard tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
, and the second was a wideban release comprising three volumes which included extra galleries and interviews with Mita not found in the original releases. The manga consists of 65 chapters. After Dragon Half ended, Ryūsuke Mita created a sequel one-shot called Dragon Half Z about Mink's seven-year-old daughter Pink.
Anime
An two-volume animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
adaptation was produced by Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
. It was directed and written by Shin'ya Sadamitsu, with character designs by Masahiro Koyama and music by Kōhei Tanaka
Kohei Tanaka (composer)
is a Japanese composer, arranger and singer. He is affiliated with the music production company Imagine. He has created numerous musical scores for famous anime TV series, OVAs, movies, computer games and tokusatsu series. Tanaka was born in Ebisubashi, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture on February 14,...
. The first OVA, , was released on March 26, 1993. The second, , was released two months later on May 28, 1993.
The OVA series is based on sections of the first two volumes. There were originally going to be 4 OVA episodes but there was not enough interest so only two episodes were produced. The ending theme song, My Omelette, was written to the music of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
(Symphony No. 7, 4th movement
Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, in 1811, was the seventh of his nine symphonies. He worked on it while staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health. It was completed in 1812, and was dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.At its debut,...
) and sung by Kotono Mitsuishi
Kotono Mitsuishi
is a prolific Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. As a young girl, Mitsuishi lived in Nagareyama, Chiba. Mitsuishi graduated from high school in 1986, and entered the Katsuta Voice Actor's Academy. While attending the academy, she began working part time as an elevator girl in the Sunshine 60 building...
while in character.