Why so some guys get all the luck … and Rintaro gets all the bad?
Creative Staff:
Art/Story: Tsuyoshi Watanabe
Translation: Christine Dashiell
What They Say:
If Rintaro falls prey to eye candy, he could die. So it’s just his luck that Mell, his new arcade buddy, happens to be the Heavenly Ruling Tiger, one of the few girls who can hold her own against the dragons. But when the Dragon of Storming Jade, Rino, appears with her own agenda, it seems that she and Mell harbor a deep dark past – and now Rintaro’s at the center of it…! It’s a girl-ridden panic with no sign of escape!
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Dragon of Flashing Star has been after Rintaro ever since he started school at Nangokuren. It is not for anything he’s done, but for what she assumes he can teach her: Ayane wants Rintaro to become her new master. After days of relentlessly pursuing him, Rintaro finally concedes and accepts Ayane as his only student; however, there is one big problem – he has no idea how to teach anyone. School of the Blue Moon Reflected on a Lake was taught to him by his father to keep his body restrained, and thus condition in check. However every time she tries to imitate his teachings, Ayane’s moves unintentionally expose Rintaro to more stimulus and cause him to panic even more. After too much excitement, he has finally had too much and runs off screaming to hide in the city.
But this plan has backfired as Rintaro sees far too many curvaceous forms on the street, causing him to duck into a nearby arcade. After cooling down, he hears some commotion and a crowd gathering around one of his favorite games, which naturally draws him to confront the current champion. They are both evenly matched and after many draws, Rintaro is curious to see who has given him such a challenge, only to find a small girl seated at the opposing console. They immediately hit it off and begin an afternoon of fun, leaving the building as fast friends. However once the pair leave the premises, a gang of bullies decide to pick a fight … and are violently surprised by this child’s amazing fighting skill, easily defeating the grown men. Still stunned to see her abilities, Rintaro is unaware of his wayward student quickly approaching, only to be surprised that the two seem to know each other.
Ayane quickly recognizes the girl’s twin pigtails and is amazed to witness the return of the Heavenly Ruling Tiger – Mell. However she is not the only one who is here to greet this person … unfortunately this is also Rintaro’s chance to meet the last dragon of Nangokuren: Dragon of Storming Jade, Rino. While Tiger and Dragon stare each other down, the bespectacled girl demands that the younger one fulfill her promise – the Pledge of Heavenly Waves. Confused as to the conversation, Rintaro stands by trying to contain himself, until Mell sincerely states that she will not be able to complete her duty unless she can team up with him. Now even more perplexed as to what is happening, the child tries to explain that she is actually a third year student at the school, plus older than she appears to be – eighteen to be precise. How in the world did Rintaro get into this situation … and why is he always at the center of everyone’s attention?
In Summary:
Just when we think Watanabe-sensei will allow Rintaro have a normal story without any unnecessary stimulation, of course he will not leave the story well enough alone. I like how he introduces Mell: After giving our hero an afternoon of Ayane and her over enthusiastic fervor, then brings in an unassuming little girl who won’t effect his condition. But then everything is not as it appears to be, and once Rino makes her entrance, you can almost feel the noose growing ever tighter. Rintaro is surrounded by all of these female bodies, plus fan service exuding from every panel, but then we have the Tiger – someone lacking curves but still just as important in the plot than anyone else. Actually you could say this friendship is more essential than any other our poor protagonist may forge within Nangokuren. So, I guess could say not everything in this narrative is packed into an eye opening package.
I love how Watanabe-sensei keeps giving us these humorous stories packed with cleavage and panty shots, but then you turn the page and he reveals a tale which makes all of that seem null and void. While on the surface it may appear Dragons Rioting is nothing more than fan service, you cannot deny the fact that Rintaro’s bonds with the girls are the true goal for his suffering. With each one he meets, even within his clumsy attempts to avoid overexposure, you cannot help but feel he is becoming stronger as his willpower is whittled down bit by bit. Will he have anything left by the final confrontation … or does it really matter as long as we can laugh at this suffering in trying to avoid these essential contests? We will just have to wait and see.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Mature
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: February 23rd, 2016
MSRP: $13.00
