The first ten minutes of Chaos Dragon might be one of the most boring first episodes I have ever seen. Watching it, I was sure that the lackluster animation and detailed exposition would do nothing but make me completely bored. It wasn’t until the midway point of the episode that everything took a drastic turn and completely derailed my previously unexcited review.

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Chaos Dragon is completely surprising. A show I picked up solely for it’s inspirations and one I feared would be too low quality to enjoy is actually completely astounding. Rather than being predictable as I feared, once we reach a point in the episode it becomes inspired and takes the dark turn it’s creators are famous for. This is not a show where people are able to avoid the costs of their actions or the actions of others, this is a show where people are the price and they must be paid.

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The main character, Ibuki, is actually an orphan. His parent’s were very important however and were actually the king and queen of Nil Kamui, the now fractured country these kids are living in. While it’s split into three parts it is also being subject to the rampage of a dragon, and one of the occupying nations want to take it out in order to solidify their hold. As it happens, they bring a tool along that causes some serious repercussions for them: it awakens Ibuki’s potential.

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The episode is filled to the brim with important information and exceedingly interesting events. Once it hits about 11 minutes, the show gives up on it’s exposition and spends every minute surprising us. Revolution? Check. Powerful main character? Check. Absolutely surprising cost of said power? Check. The extents to which this episode goes, forcing the main character to pay the cost of his power in the lives of his friends, is incredibly dark.

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The way this show is set up, likely Ibuki will have to kill again. And for what? The power to save his country. The main character is now set up to use the power of the Red Dragon to defeat his enemies, and it’s a power we don’t mind being extremely overpowered because the cost of it is absurd. What happens when the day comes, however, when he must take the life of someone he loves and the power might still not prove to be enough?

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I am completely on board. If anything, I am dedicated to covering this show. The concept and sheer level the writers were willing to go has sold me. . . and I want to see Ibuki become king.

Oki