Dragon Drive Volume 7: New Power (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Number of Episodes 4 Language Options English/Japanese/English Subtitles Released by Bandai Entertainment Extras - Illustration Gallery - Lenticular Pencil Board
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Dragon Drive Volume 7:

New Power (DVD)

Chibi, the Guardian Spirit of Rikyu, still lacks the power to defeat Kouhei’s powerful dragon. In order to acquire more power, Reiji follows Ensui’s advice and finally reaches the destination. However, it doesn’t look so easy. He now has to battle against Hikaru who stands in his way, and rescue a beautiful girl who was kidnapped by a bandit!

The last disc left us on the edge of a battle between Reiji and Hikaru with the winner getting to battle against SinnSaber. Let’s go.

Episode 23: Sinn Saber

The battle between Reiji and Hikaru quickly intensifies and the two circle each other looking for an opening, but before either can dominate the match an outside interference occurs – SinnSaber comes out and attacks Hikaru. Reiji moves Chibi into the way and tries to protect Hikaru, but both are knocked down and unconscious. When Reiji awakens, he discovers that he and Hikaru have been saved by an old man who asks them for help in recovering his daughter. She has been taken by a band of bandits that have been stealing from his town.

Agreeing to help, the trio head towards the bandit’s camp and when the old man tries to attack on his own – the bandit leader tries to prevent the dragons on both sides from fighting. He explains that the fighting will draw SinnSaber towards the area – as this is exactly what Reiji wants, he gets Chibi to transform and begins to attack the bandits. After routing the bandits and freeing the old man’s daughter (who was actually a dragon), SinnSaber arrives and the fight is on. Reiji and Chibi charge into the fight which quickly becomes a power display when both sides fire their main blasts. With the energy being pushed from both sides, Hikaru and his dragon add their firepower to the equation to help overpower SinnSaber, but it doesn’t matter as they are thrown away by the force of the fight. Chibi suddenly overpowers SinnSaber and then forms a new object – a sword that can fire a much more powerful energy blast than previously shown.

Episode 24: The Price of Power

The new power sword that Chibi gains from his defeat of SinnSaber has drastically increased his power, so much so that he cannot control the additional power coursing through his body. Seeking to help his friend, Reiji asks the old man and he

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believes that the reason that SinnSaber lived in the mountain was because the ores in the mountain helped control his latent power. Hikaru helps Reiji by carrying to the peak of the mountain, but then leaves him stating that he needs to find a power for his dragon so that he can have an even match against him later. Reiji eventually brings back a pile of rocks from the peak and holds them against Chibi until his power recedes and returns to a normal level.

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The team is still training furiously, when they learn that Kouhei has returned and is now searching out the priests of all the shrines. Not wanting to let him operate freely, the team spreads out in every direction to make sure that every remaining shrine has someone to protect it. Rockaku is the first to come under attack, but by a new enemy a mysterious man wearing sunglasses that Thundervolt refuses to attack. Maiko and Daisuke are the unlucky pair, they come under direct attack from Kouhei. Maiko is quickly knocked down, and Daisuke gets her back on her feet and has her run to get reinforcements while he tries to tie up Kouhei for the time being. Ichirou and Taiyou link up with Rockaku once they discover that nothing was happening at their shrine and the increase in opponents causes the mysterious attacker to withdraw. Megaru arrives at that moment and tells them about Kouhei and the rest of the team arrives to see Daisuke knocked down. As the entire team prepares to attack, Reiji arrives on Chibi and he attacks using the new SinnSaber attack which causes Kouhei to retreat.

Episode 25: The Mysterious Warrior

Now with the new powers of the SinnSaber, Chibi is easily one of the most powerful dragons but the powers aren’t limitless as Chibi seems to get tired and slows down during prolonged combat. However, the power that Chibi can call upon is extremely dangerous and everyone is impressed with it. Rockaku is still upset about the fight with the mystery attacker and is reading Thundervolt the riot act over his reactions. Wanting to get revenge, he leaves the base to go look for his attacker.

The new opponent meets up with Kouhei and offers to join his team, only his goal is not necessarily to help him, but to get a chance to kill Rockaku. Kouhei is leery of new allies and offers a test of loyalty – he wants to see what the new member can do in a fight so the two will attack the main base of Reiji’s group. The mystery man attacks the team aggressively until Reiji joins the fight, and then once Chibi’s SinnSaber attack is unleashed, he realizes how much it tires out Chibi. Sensing his opponent’s weakness, he then counterattacks forcing Reiji and Chibi grounded until the rest of the team reforms to protect them. Accepting the newcomer, Kouhei calls the test successful and the pair leave. Just as the newcomer is about to identify himself, another new team member appears, Miss Sayaka.

Episode 26: Shadow of a Friend

The team heads out to begin searching for the Dragon Shrine as they believe that they won’t have much luck researching it. So the group of Taiyou, Reiji, Ichirou, and Kyoji heads out to look – Taiyo and Reiji fly together while Ichirou and Kyoji head out separately. Sayaka is quickly ingratiating herself into the heart of Kouhei, but the stranger isn’t buying her actions and wants nothing to do with her. So when Kyoji flies overhead, she offers to kill him to prove her seriousness. The fight between Kyoji and Sayaka is bad enough but then Kouhei and the stranger join in. The battle ends with Kyoji being overwhelmed and shot down into the forest below, but at this point, Rockaku heads into the commotion and attacks the stranger. Although Thundervolt won’t attack him, he heads into the forest canopy and decides to fight man to man with the stranger and he discovers that he is in fact Mahiru, the younger brother of Yakou. Mahiru blames Rockaku for his brother’s death and wants revenge, however, before he can get it Kyoji interferes and forces him away.

Reiji and Taiyou are out flying when they come across a pair of men who are using a freezing dragon to capture wild dragons. Not liking the practice, Taiyou and Reiji jump in to stop them but they take Taiyou hostage and the power of Chibi won’t prevent him from being killed, so they stand down and allow themselves to be brought to their boss, the Madam. The Madam is a dragon collector and expert and admits that she knows the location of the Dragon Shrine, but when she shows Taiyou and Reiji her facility where she freezes and stores her dragons for display, Chibi transforms and attacks only to be frozen as well.

This disc of Dragon Drive has been rather episodic, but the tension is once again building towards the inevitable confrontation between both groups. Not a bad disc at all.

- Tazman

(July 28, 2005)

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