Dragon Half currently airs on Crunchyroll for Premium Subscribers only. The OVA is only two episodes long, each running less than 30 minutes, and debuted in Japan between March and May of 1993. The anime was originally licensed in the United States by ADV. A reprint of the ADV Dub and Sub is available through Discotek, though both DVD prints are available on Amazon.
I seriously have a hard time believing this is only two episodes long. There is no good excuse for this not to have lasted beyond two episodes, as this is pure comedy gold! Don't let the serious DVD cover fool you, this show will have you in stitches from the start. The subtitled version is a true delight as it features a who's who of famous actors. For Sailor Moon fans, Mink is voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi, who voiced Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Chibi Moon, while Pia is voiced by Taeko Kawata, better known as the R and SuperS voice of Momoko. Lufa is voiced by Mariko Kouda, who played Nayuki in Kanon. Mappy is voiced by Gundam actor Takumi Yamazaki, Dick Saucer is played by Yasunori Matsumoto, who plays Gourry in SlayerS, and Ranma 1/2 fans will recognize Vina (Rei Sakuma, better known as Shampoo) and King Siva's (Kenichi Ogata a.k.a. Genma) instantly. The anime crash-lands us through the backstory in very short segments. Years ago, there was a great swordsman named Rouce the Red Lightning, who was hired by King Siva to kill a red dragon named Mana. But as it turns out, Rouce ran away to marry the dragon, and the story picks back up with Rouce's 15 year old daughter, Mink. Rouce and Mana often have bloody fights in front of Mink, but have a steady relationship otherwise. Mink is very similar to Usagi Tsukino. She's a crybaby, hungry, adores pop culture, and has her heart set on Dick Saucer, a dragon slaying pop star. Even though Dick is employed by King Siva to kill dragons (starting with her) and has a vendetta against all dragons because he believes a dragon orphaned him as a child, Mink is still head over heals for her favorite idol, and is out to find a potion that will turn her 100% human, in hopes of winning Dick's heart. But Mink does have a few dragon abilities, and is actually the most powerful dragon in the region. She wears a special bracelet to stop her from becoming a more fierce creature. Mink's #1 rival is Princess Vina, the daughter of King Siva and a now deceased blob, who had temporarily turned herself human in order to marry the king and give birth to Vina. Vina is the president of the Dick Saucer fan club, and is highly jealous of Mina. Not surprisingly, she has designs on Dick, so Mina is a threat to her. Vina has the ability to use powerful spells and alchemy, but can't measure up to Mina. King Siva is an evil but highly comical king, who has had no problem getting over the death of his wife. He initially wants the Red Dragon Mana killed, but after seeing she's a hot babe, he instead chooses to have Rouse killed so he can marry Mana. But then when he sees that Mana has a daughter, Mink, he sets his sights on her, initially as bride-material, but later as "just kill her" material, after Mink wreaks havoc on his castle. The first episode shows Mink trying to deal with Vina's tyranny, while the second follows Mink on a tournament. Since the manga has never made it to America before, I'll go ahead and grant you a little spoiler, just highlight the text in the white box below:
Dragon Half was cancelled way too early, and deserves another chance. The manga ran in Japan until 1998, and it's an absolute crime it hasn't been reprinted for today's market. It's the most fun you can have in 50 minutes!
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Codename Sailor earthCodename Sailor Earth is a lifelong anime and wrestling fan. IRL she is cartoonist Koriander Bullard, formerly Koriander Ake, a happily married Chicagoan. Her favorite anime is Sailor Moon. A baby in the late 80's, the first anime titles she ever saw were Speed Racer, Voltron and Robotech. Archives
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