From ANN:
Plot Summary: In order to avoid Earth’s impending destruction from an asteroid, the International Solarsystem Development Agency (ISDA) works on the “D-Project”, and creates the “Dragonaut” after finding a dragon egg under the ocean. However, they soon find out that the asteroid is not their only threat, as powerful dragon-like creatures appear on Earth. After witnessing a murder by one of the creatures, Jin Kamishina gets involved in the mysteries of the dragons and becomes the chosen pilot of the Dragonaut. Helping him on his journey is Toa, a mysterious girl who saves him from falling to his death after the creature attacks him. As they get deeper into the mysteries of the dragons, they encounter new friends and enemies, and also begin to develop a closer relationship.
With a description like that, you can draw one quick conclusion: Dragonaut is derivative. While I pointed to Fafnir as its inspiration, upon watching it a second time, I’m actually getting more of a Stratos 4 vibe from the setting, thanks to the asteroids. Granted, it lacks four cute girls serving food and flying interceptor craft, but it does have bridgebunnies!
Ryoko, Megumi, and Saki
Also, while I commented in the preview that the character designs remind me of CLAMP, the truth is, the character designer is Makoto Uno, who also did Gravion, Gravion Zwei, Witchblade, and a few other “busty” shows. His work here also seems awfully derivative, so it should fit right in. Click on the names below to see comparisons with their counterparts from other series.
Hey, Nagi! Didn’t your butler ever tell you not to sit around in your underwear? And when the hell did you grow those?
You even go out dressed like that? If not for your butler, I suspect you’d get tasered in an airport somewhere, PDQ.
Speaking of growth… Villetta, baby, sue the doc for malpractice. They’re not just huge, they’re ugly-huge!
So, Shirley, this mean you’ve decided to quit letting Lelouche mess with your head, and find another guy?
So what else can I make fun of now?
How about ISDA launcher design by IGPX?
This angle shows part of the 180-degree banked turn just before the shot above, but what I want to know is… what the hell are those cones on the front? Talk about lacking aerodynamic design!
Wait, I thought we had a story about flying dragons in space… who ordered up an ill-tempered werewolf?
Wow, you can jump really high, move really fast, and fight like an escapee from Ikkitousen… you even saved me from the werewolf. I feel we’re destined to be the romantic leads!
With all the Code Geass refugees in this show, is it any wonder I’m eating pizza for supper as I type this?
I think Dragonaut is trying a little too hard to play up the “Big Mystery” right now, and probably shouldn’t have introduced so many characters and plotlines in the first episode. At least, they’re all distinctive from each other, if not other shows and certain tropes. Still, it did one thing very well, in that it chose not to go with the “unexplained high-school kid with no visible parents.” Jin’s lack of parents gets explained before the opening credits.
More seriously, one commenter over at Chizumatic said the boobs were giving him a Divergence Eve vibe, but I’m sorry, DE was pure gold compared to this show. Dragonaut is not unwatchable by any means, but I’m getting a strong feel that it’s going to be “entertaining trash.” The key word here is “entertaining.” Code Geass still has my attention, and I haven’t lost that sense of guilty pleasure from DearS, so hey, if I find it entertaining, I’ll spend time with it. If it turns out to be stupid, I’ll drop it. So far, I’d rate it above Godannar, anyway.
New shows, about which we know very little, can be such crapshoots…do I lose blog cred if I say the new Evangelion previews make me want to see it?
The figure of the blonde in the first picture reminds me of Luna from Gravion. The clothes do, too. The face is also similar. The hair is different; maybe Luna is wearing a strange wig?