Dragon Dad. Human Mom. High School Chaos Ensues | Manga Monday

Welcome to Manga Monday!This week we're diving into RuriDragon by Masaoki Shindo, a slice of life manga running in Shonen Jump that proves you don't need a single fight scene to be one of the most captivating series in the magazine.Ruri Aoki wakes up one morning with horns growing out of her head. Her mom's response? "Oh yeah, your dad's a dragon." And Ruri, in the most relatable move possible, just goes to school anyway. What follows is essentially dragon puberty, an introverted teenager navigating high school while her body keeps doing new and terrifying things like breathing fire when she sneezes. It's quiet, it's warm, it's funny, and it treats the anxiety of feeling different with so much genuine empathy that it hits way harder than it has any right to.Ranked first in Japan's Recommended Comics 2023, a KyoAni anime adaptation is in production, and it earned all of that off vibes alone. Sometimes the bravest thing a manga can do is just be gentle.If you enjoy the show, please rate, review, like, and subscribe to Sakura Society | An Anime Appreciation Podcast — and any other podcasts you love. It takes seconds, costs nothing, and means everything to us creators. (The algorithm only accepts 5 stars, just so you know.)Stay up to date with Brendan on Bluesky | Instagram | TikTok | TwitterJoin our Discord — a community full of anime and culture fans just like youFollow our Spotify playlistOur amazing sponsors:Audio-Technica — the best in audio equipmentIced Tea Aesthetics — anime streetwear done right (use code SAKURASOCIETY5 at checkout to save $5)Japan Crate — Japanese snacks and treats delivered to your door (use code ATEBIT15 at checkout to save 15% + get free shipping)