Tomorrow in bookstores or on online retailers, you might find a manga that happens to bring together a few things:
- A fantasy involving a dragon
- Some video game RPG and adventure tropes
- Your experiences in looking for a house
- HGTV and general house-hunting shows
So with that in mind, let’s learn a few more things about the title from the Seven Seas editor working on it, Jack Sullivan:
TheOASG: In one sentence, how would you describe what Kawo Tanuki & Choco Aya’s Dragon Goes House-Hunting is all about?
Jack Sullivan: Dragon Goes House-Hunting is the quirky story of a young dragon trying to find his dream home–after getting kicked out of his nest for being no good at all the things you’d expect out of a dragon.
What’s been one of the biggest surprises you’ve encountered about this dragon trying to find a home?
I’m going to have to go with the appearance of the ‘Demon Lord of Real Estate’ as a major character pretty soon in the story! While the titular dragon starts out just trying to kind of wing it and find his home by himself, things pretty soon take on a more HGTV-style vibe, with a friendly (and slightly evil) realtor and architect taking him around to try out potential new lairs.
Who is this dragon? How would you describe this dragon’s attitude and personality as the manga goes on?
Our hero in this manga is a dragon by the name of Letty, and he’s a pretty endearingly earnest and optimistic sort–except he’s also a total wimp. He can’t breathe fire, can’t fly, and (since we’ve got a few RPG tropes in the mix here) his stats are total garbage. Still, despite being a scaredy-cat, he’s pretty determined, and whenever things go wrong he keeps coming back for another chance at finding his little slice of paradise.
Did anything in the manga so far remind you of a similar house-hunting moment or something you might’ve seen on TV?
I’m pretty sure all of us have seen the obligatory scene at the end of a real-life house hunting show where the realtor sits down with that episode’s house-hunters to ask them what they think about all the places they’ve looked at over the past half hour. There’s a few moments like that in this story. Most memorable, probably, would be when Letty has to weigh in on his reaction to a fixer-upper mansion–which just so happens in this case to be overflowing with the undead! Upside: You’d never be lonely. Downside: You’d never be lonely. For all eternity.
Finally, what should readers expect when they check out Dragon Goes House-Hunting?
If you pick up this title, you can expect a fun, heartwarming comedy that pokes a lot of fun at fantasy and gaming tropes. It’s a relaxing and lighthearted tale that’s a great laid-back read if you’re looking for something on the brighter side! The first volume comes out tomorrow and should be available from all major booksellers. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did helping to get it ready for English-speaking audiences!