Tenryu (Dragon Cycle) Vol. #05

By Patricia Beard     August 15, 2007
Release Date: April 26, 2006



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Sanami Matoh
Translated by:Neil Rae
Adapted by:Jake Forbes

What They Say
The epic journey of Hiryu and Ryukei builds towards its conclusion!

After two years of solo training, Hiryu, bandit-turned-Dragon-King, is ready to face his final battle. But his trek home is disrupted when Hawk Village falls under attack from the evil Torao's men, and Hiryu must come to the rescue.

The Review
The lighthearted touches that had characterized the first three volumes of the series are again missing in this volume, which echoes the serious tone that volume four had initiated. While the new focus has galvanized the narrative, some of the minor character subplots are lost in the move to a conclusion of this six volume series.

The Dragon Kings have been preparing for the return of Hiryu, the Dragon King of the Heavens, from the two-year training that Lord Raika has imposed in order to better prepare Hiryu for the battle against the obsidian dragon that only he can vanquish. The war of Lord Torao of the White Tiger Clan that had been limited to the dragon clans now expands to other clans as well, and the relationship of Torao to the rise of the black dragon with the golden mane is revealed.

What had begun as an easy paced adventure has now become a deliberate and focused march to a conclusion. The loss of the humor and comaraderie that had characterized the first three volumes is more than compensated by the very tightly told story and the exceptionally rendered fight scenes and character artwork.