As a big fan of the Dragon Quest game franchise for a very long time, when I saw there was going to be a new full anime adaptation I was very excited to watch it. To fully disclose I haven't ever read the original source materiel so I personally don't have a connection in that sense so i'm reviewing this with somewhat fresh eyes
The series follows a heroic and brave Dai as well as his two companions Popp and Maam as they travel the world to put a stop to a great evil who has awakened darkness back into the land. This is very much a typical setup and in its early episodes it introduces you to Dai, a kind hearted boy who has always idolized the stories of hero's, aspiring to be one himself. He lives on an island with his guardian Brass an old monster who found and raised Dai all of his life. The opening arc does a great job introducing you to the main cast. The first few episodes take on a more episodic approach, having you get used to some of the magic systems which if you have played any of the games will feel very familiar with. Right from the first episode I fell in love with the character of Dai and the small adventures he would go on in this early point in the story. As the story begins to progress as certain characters and events begin to entwine with Dai's destiny, he eventually has to leave his home and sets off with Popp to being his quest.
This is where I feel the series to truly begins to find its rhythm. I don't want to go into too much detail for every ark because that's where the fun of watching the show comes from. Every ark that has occurred in the series so far has been very enjoyable. I really love the simplicity this series shoots for. Much like how the games strive for the classic JRPG elements, this series does so with Shonen. It has this nostalgic quality and charm that you miss so much in modern anime. While I really love when shows break the mold and push the boundaries of a genre its also nice to have the comfort of a series like this one. There has been a total of 23 episodes that have aired so far and I personally feel every episode has been very strong. I feel most of the strength comes from Dragon Quest's eclectic cast of characters.
>Much like how the games strive for the classic JRPG elements, this series does so with Shonen. It has this nostalgic quality and charm that you miss so much in modern anime.
The characters in dragon quest I feel are this anime's biggest appeal. The main cast of characters are all very kind hearted, brave, and flawed. The main three characters Dai, Popp, and Maam all bounce off of each other well each one has their own internal fears and struggle they have to deal with on their journey, as the anime has progressed so have the characters. Their bond on screen is one of my personal highlights of the series so far. The supporting cast here is also great to watch, some have surprised me more than I ever thought. Specifically this character who was introduced as an enemy early in the show has become one of my favorites and I always look forward to seeing him. They are all fun to watch on screen and it always brings a smile to my face when they pop back up now and again. Speaking of villain's, id like to touch on them briefly next. while there isn't a really complex villian in the series the series makes up for with some really fun and goofy villain's that are very fun to watch on screen. Each one has a great personality and very different visual design so one fight never feels boring or repetitive. Its very early yet so I'm curious if we get villain's that have more depth as the series goes on.
For the last part of this review I just want to touch on art and animation. The Dragon Quest series has always had that distinct style by Akira Toriyama, that I think Toei Animation translates it well on screen. The characters are well drawn and they animate very nicely. The colorful style feels very faithful to the Dragon Quest series. The animation especially for the fights I think is fluid and quite dynamic. I think the camera does a great job of sweeping around the battle showing you very cool and dynamic shots, the CGI isn't used too often and when it is its never feel too out of place it feels very much how the games look. The character designs are great here as well, I love the personalities of the monsters and how the characters express. It isn't MAPPA levels of consistency but I think it works well.
Overall I'm so impressed by this anime, if you go into this looking for a classic feeling anime that doesn't do much to break the mold but gives us a fun story, great cast, and fun fights, I say look no further than here. Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai is something I look forward to watching every week and I cant wait to see where are characters go next. Thanks for reading!
