First, let me apologize for long review. Second, in this review, will have lots of my emotions. P.S. Read it with full of emotions. This review might piss lots of people who like this series, read this review at your own risk. You've been warned.
The first few volumes are a pain to read mainly because of how messy the panels are, and the art is terrible, of course, like many mangas, the art gets better, but not enough for me, it's still horrid. The characters are look the same, have inconsistency personalities and very inconsistent of changing the design characters look the same and super ridiculous names with many many many casts who can be forgotten within a sec. The messy panel is still there through the end of the series, especially during fighting scene. It's so terrible, I even don't know what they do during the battle. The battle panel is suck and so unclear. The first panel could be so intense, but the second one, it's over, without any trace of fighting. But they will keep talking to explain wth actually happened. Almost on every volumes, they will introduce a new characters. I even started not to care those three dragon knights because I can't keep up with these many many casts.
I hate the talking part, since mostly the talking is too long and pile of time-wasting nonsense. The mangaka also likes to make tons of cliffhangers which make it long forgotten only to remind the readers it was one of the cliffhanger. The armors of the dragon knights only come for a few scenes and guess what? It reminds me of Magic Knight Rayearth's armors. But of course, Magic Knight Rayearth is far better than this. Some of the humors are too forced and so unfunny. The inconsistency of the writing is killing me the most.
I endure it till the very end because all of the review I read said it's good and mostly are giving high ratings. It’s actually not that bad, even though in my review is all about how bad it is, but 26 volumes for talking about how unique, powerful and strong Rath is and what a powerful and beautiful sorcerer GOD Cesia is... it's really too much. I started to think that all these 26 volumes are just to show how bad the mangaka’s fashion sense is. See: vol. 22. It literary is about them changing clothes. UGH!
Now for the story, I'm going to be really honest for this review. Each time I read it, the lower the rating gets. So many plot holes, too dragging by making the characters for item searching quests, and ridiculous explanations just so the story can connect and continue. Like: Dragon lord poisonous blood which killed an officer (without any further explanation of how she died or why she touched it) but somehow the blood will make Iluser and Crewger his allies.
Another example is Zoma. He's a demon child with the bird as his legs who separated by birth (HUH??) and the bird isactually his legs, and why he can wander around the Dragon castle without the Dragon Lord's amulet? Oh I forgot, Zoma is NOT the main character we should adore, so no amulet from the mighty Dragon Lord with ridiculous name. Honestly, I like Zoma better than Rath and Cesia. OH and surprise! RATH IS THE ONE WHO UNITE ZOMA WITH THE BIRD. HAHAHAHA!! SUCH POWER...RATH SHOULD BE THE GOD!! ANOTHER SURPRISE, THE OTHER DEMONS WHOM HE KILLED ARE INSED HIM. SO CESIA WILL BE ABLE TO REVIVE THEM. HUHHHH!!!???
ANOTHER example: Nadil's head. It was cut by Dragon Lord I presume. Nadil's die in Dragon lord's hands and the Dragon Lord is too tired to bring the head with him? So, he asked his Dragon Knights to retrieve it?? Wow... What a lazy king.
Cesia and Rath are TOO mary sue for me. Everything that is good is for them.
Thank God, Cesia is not the wind dragon knight, or else, I will flip and won't even read it anymore. Good plot twist though. Nadil is the wind dragon.
Let's see about Cesia first:
she's a demon, who can REVIVE people or pets or maybe even anything who lives, the only one can speak to animals, A KEY POWER TO EVERYONE NEAR HER. Her mere presence will make you calm and feel save. Good with control wind magic, has power of virtue (whatever that means), good at fortune telling, GOOD AT SENSING SOMEONE FROM AFAR, brave, beloved by the queen and the king and also Nadil. Has double hair colors, THREE PERSONALITIES, also, she has the Dragon eyes, proof of a real Dragon Queen. This is also a ridiculous nonsense. Why she has them? Are they born with it? Or just poof! Mangaka decided you are the new dragon queen, so you will have these eyes.
And here's for Rath. Rath is really painful to read. Here’s why:
Rath is VERY VERY POOR WRITTEN. Inconsistency of character personality, it seems like a roller coaster of mood. One volume he can be carefree cheerful person, the next volume he turns into a jackass. Then the next volume (or even panel), he cries like an emo kid who wants to commit suicide. Then after that reverted into a cheery guy.
Rath, the MC, a child blessed by light but born under a dark star, a child of darkness and light (geez! Kingdom Hearts much), is the ONE and ONLY demon who ever become the dragon knight since he was a BOY and surprise surprise (until later volumes, even Gil was once a human who turned into a demon because Kharl and Bierrez got tainted by the blood of Dragon Lord, but Bierrez is an officer), he possessed fire elemental which is a typical element for mc. Ever since his childhood, everyone dotted him because he's special. He doesn't have any weakness except himself (his own past). Oh, and his REAL dragon is light (DEUS) who once belongs to the dragon lord. And if it's not enough, RATH IS the HEIR of the dragon throne. He's not Dragon Lord's son or brother or anything, just his pet who was tainted by Dragon Lord’s poisonous blood. He also ADORED by demons who think he's the most powerful demon. Oh, and did I mention to you that HE is also connected with Nadil, the DEMON LORD?? And demons started to call him DEMON KING?? Rath is powerful without any training (except if you count demon hunting WITH THE HELP OF HIS FRIENDS as the real training). Most of the enemy will get slaughtered by HIM ALONE within one slash of his sword which used to be Dragon Lord's. I never see him struggle through training to gain a new ability and only know how makes scene.
For example,
Rune lost his healing ability and need to regain it by his own self. He (though didn't do much) re-learnt how to use it again. Now, he can rescue his wife, Tinlet. We see how he (at least) struggle to learn. But for Rath? No, he HAS everything. Power over the East, so demon always obey him (because he WAS a demon king in that region), badass sword (again to remind: which belongs to Dragon Lord’s and the Dragon lord gave it to him since he has SPECIAL LIFE FORCE, and MIGHT BE able to handle it better than him. Jesus, aren’t you the Dragon Lord? And why Deus (light dragon) can be with Rath but you owned him first!? I'll tell you why? BAD WRITTING), 2 duel dragons (even though, I see Deus, who presumably died, is still with Dragon Lord in vol. 21, this is so frustrating), people who want to sacrifice themselves, even their own lives for RATH's sake, a surname even though we have lots of tons of casts, a future throne for Dragon's Tribe in Dusis, a throne for Arinas (because he is Demon Lord soul),
but he still acts like a selfish conceited jackass who never thinks about others, especially towards the Dragon lord. He turns into an emo kid ever since the story progress. All because his internal pain dilemma which I can't see it's such a big deal.
So, as I wrote already, Rath is
Dragon Lord's pet FOR A FEW MINUTES (AKA LIKE 2 PANELS) (but in vol.20, LIM said that ACTUALLY Crewger and Illuser are originally his pets, but brain washed by Nadil, but came back to the Dragon Lord. HMMMM!!! I don’t feel they are Dragon Lord's pet at all when the first time those pets were introduced. The mangaka is making such a sloppy job!) who used to be a demon who got tainted by Dragon Lord’s poisonous blood, instead killing him like the other dragon officer, he becomes Dragon Lord's pet, who died protecting Dragon Lord from Nadil's demon. So Dragon Lord wanted to revive him with tons of BS and the pet, Illuser, becomes Rath Illuser. Rath thinks that he's only a pawn for dragon tribes, a fake dragon knights, bla bla bla stupid dilemmas, so much pain. Help me... and thus is his internal pain. What a selfish bastard... The Dragon Tribe is good at you, stop being a jackass! Help them kill the demons YOU HATE SO MUCH WITHOUT ANY FURTHER EXPLANATION SO YOU CAN HAVE PERSONALITY. Crewger also died, but Dragon Lord doesn’t try to revive HIM! Cesia is the one who wanted to revive Crewger.
Oh wait! Crewger is not the MC. Sorry I forget... No SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR NON-MC, ESPECIALLY IF HE/SHE IS NOT THE MIGHTY RATH!!
Ugh… I really have enough with this nonsense manga. 26 volumes for nothing and I remember when I was a kid, I really wanted this manga so badly. Now, as I’m older and able to read it, I’m disappointed. Actually, all the characters in this manga are Mary Sue (except if you are bad demon), but nothing is more Mary Sue than Rath. If I want to write all of the plot holes and the nonsense stuffs, my time will be wasted in this one review only.
Overall, it's really not that bad, it's worth the time (if you are SUPER FREE), love standard of old time mangas, patience enough to read (or skip) the no brainer explanations and plot holes, eager enough to read through many many fillers to wait something will happens, strong enough to struggle from the sh!tty dramas and brave enough to see those characters with bad taste of fashion, then this is your choice. It's not suitable for modern time manga. Especially the story! Read it during quarantine to kill time and feel not amuse at all actually. Story kind of predicted, only has one good plot twist. The love story between those two Mary Sues is boring AF and feel so forced, just like their personalities.
I'm not saying that old mangas are bad, I love old mangas: Parasyte, Gin no Yuusha, Akira, Ninku, Doraemon (yes! Doraemon is a masterpiece despite your age), Mermaid Saga, Maison Ikkoku, Pet Shop of Horrors, Appleseed, every single mangas from Tezuka Osamu and many many more. And most of them only consists not more than 10 volumes, but can warp a very good story. Akira has so much talking, more than Dragon Knights, but I like it, it's not a bs praising the MC, it's a REAL talking so the story can progress. And what’s more? All of these mangas, I can tell which characters are who. The panels are clean and consistency is solid.
Ratings: 4.3 from me. It's not as good as what people said. Still (barely) passable though.
(-25)
