Summary
- RuriDragon remains popular by focusing on solid storytelling and art, not flashy gimmicks.
- The manga tackles real conflicts realistically, making it relatable to readers facing similar situations.
- By blending ordinary life with the interesting twist of Ruri being half-dragon, the series resonates emotionally with fans.
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While RuriDragon is not as sizzling hot as it was when it first debuted, after a two-year hiatus, it still ranks as one of Shōnen Jump's top titles, despite the manga anthology magazine's punishingly strict requirements to remain in its regular rotation of series. Its continuing success, however, is no fluke. While it does not have the flash and bang of other titles, RuriDragon's focus on the manga basics - quality storytelling and great art - means it will be around and popular for a while.
Masaoki Shindo's RuriDragon follows the joys and sorrows of Ruri Aoki, a typical 15-year-old high school student until the day she wakes up with dragon horns sprouting from her forehead. That shocking revelation not only leads to her discovering that her father is a dragon - a fact her mom and relatives failed to tell her about, but also to a newfound notoriety at her high school.
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Debuting in 2020 as a one-shot manga, Shōnen Jump picked up RuriDragon and converted it into an ongoing series which began serialization in June 2022. Despite being one of Shōnen Jump's most popular titles at the time, as a result of Shindo's health situation, the series was put on indefinite hiatus in August 2022 after the publication of just 6 chapters. Nevertheless, even on hiatus, RuriDragon continued to enjoy a dedicated fandom. Despite the eventual rumors of its demise, after nearly two years, the Shōnen Jump series restarted its serialization in April 2024.
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RuriDragon Has Stayed Popular Because It's Stayed Consistent
The Series Doesn't Use Any Gimmicks to Tell its Story
On its return, RuriDragon's popularity approached the levels it had achieved before its hiatus. While some of its post-hiatus success can be attributed to its fan base's desire to see it again, that cannot exclusively be due to fan worship. In other words, something more must be at work in its continuing position as a Shōnen Jump favorite. Fortunately, it's not hard to find the other elements of the title's success.
Simply put, RuriDragon is a well-constructed story that zeroes in on telling its tale as best as possible without any pretensions. Indeed, in a manga industry that often employs gimmicks to get and keep attention, RuriDragon opts for the simple, well-told, well-illustrated story. There are no existential battles between good and evil, or heroic hyperbole. Instead, there is a solid "slice of life" tale of a teenage girl trying to navigate suddenly being different in one of the most ethnically, culturally, and socially homogeneous cultures in the world.
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The way conflicts are resolved in RuriDragon is different. It's not about an all-out battle on the streets of Shibuya or a tournament on some distant planet. Instead, the conflicts are resolved in ways that are realistic and relatable - that is, in ways readers themselves might try if or when they are put in the same situation. Indeed, while Ruri's conflicts might arise from her being half-dragon, readers can substitute their own distinct features to understand what Ruri is dealing with.
RuriDragon Has Unlocked the Secret of Slice of Life Storytelling
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Slice of life stories are incredibly difficult to do well. Being normally stories about ordinary people experiencing ordinary events and the sundry challenges of life, they lack the "wow effect" of a battle manga or a supernatural thriller. Second, because they can cover such a wide range of topics, it's difficult to find a cohesive fan base. But this is not the case with RuriDragon. In fact, by putting readers in Ruri's shoes and asking them to consider if they would act like her or do something different, the series captures the essence of ordinary life.
Naturally, a story about ordinary people during ordinary things may not strike many as being an interesting story, but the series resolves that with the interesting "hook" of Ruri being half-dragon. Moreover, her "dragon" is not just some cosmetic ploy. Shindo goes into detail about how it changes her and the abilities it gives her. For instance, readers will notice how the pupils of Ruri's eyes change throughout the story as her dragon side becomes more pronounced.
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While these circumstances might be depicted as simple and ordinary, they nevertheless resonate with the reader and therefore evoke strong emotional responses.
However, once the hook reels in the reader, Shindo keeps them engaged by delving into the narrative's exploration of Ruri's character growth and development over intricate plot twists, including the revelation of her half-dragon identity, her Mom's sketchy role in keeping that fact hidden from her, her feelings for her father - whom she's never met - and her best friend's reaction.
While these circumstances might be depicted as simple and ordinary, they nevertheless resonate with the reader and therefore evoke strong emotional responses. Indeed, its slice-of-life depiction is where RuriDragon shines and sets itself apart, why Shōnen Jump has given it such tremendous support, and why it is still so popular.
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RuriDragon is now available on Manga Plus and from Viz Media.