Ken-ichi Sakura

Reiji Ozora doesn't play video games because there's never been a video game that he's really gotten hooked on. That doesn't stop his friend Maiko from forcing him to try a new game called Dragon Drive. Each player is given a mobile and a card with dragon on it that matches the player's physical abilities (a machine computes your stats and spits out the card). Then, when you're in the virtual world, you fight other players and their dragons with your own dragon - your dragon levels up as it beats other dragons. At least, that's how it's all supposed to work, but Reiji's dragon is pathetic. The first time he sees it, it's asleep, and it has a fighting ability of zero. However, this is a game-based shonen manga, so of course things are not as bad as they seem. His dragon is tougher than its stats indicate (which is impossible, according to the game designers), but Reiji doesn't seem to have good control over it yet. He'd better learn quickly, though, because all the toughest players are starting to notice him, as are some of the people in charge of the game.

This series shows some definite promise, so I'll be getting more volumes once my library orders them. I'm hoping that future volumes allow for Reiji and his dragon, Chibi, to develop a decent friendship, rather than just focusing on the fighting, but, considering that this is a shonen manga, I'm guessing Chibi will mostly just be a mysterious and occasionally funny tool for battle, rather than a friend with a gradually developing and evolving personality.

If this game actually existed in real life in the same way it does in the manga, I guarantee people would be lined up for days to play it. I know I would. That aspect is part of what makes this manga fun. You get to imagine what it would be like having a virtual dragon that's matched specifically to your stats. The dragons themselves are also interesting. There's a bit of humor, too, but that aspect won't be enough to keep me reading this series. I'm interested to see if Sakura will be able to improve this series and continue to make it appealing beyond the things I just mentioned, or if it will stagnate.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (altro)