Weekend Anime Recommendation: Dragon Goes House-Hunting Combines Fantasy With HGTV
Local flightless dragon seeks a quaint starter home
Spoilers for Dragon Goes House-Hunting episodes 1 – 3
Hello there, fellow anime enthusiasts, and happy “it’s Friday and I already have plenty to watch but tell me about a series I should check out anyway!” Yeah, the Spring anime season is hitting us with a lot of exciting picks, so I thought I’d recommend a more chill series for this weekend.
That, and I unapologetically enjoy binge-watching home improvement shows with my wife. Like. Can you find a 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom, with a pool, and a backyard, near the beach, but also, near the city center, but also, in the countryside, for $100K? If you’ve got the elf demon lord, Dearia, as your realtor, you can probably get all of that AND a moat. Dragon Goes House-Hunting airs on Funimation every Sunday.
Synopsis
Dragons are some of the most fearsome creatures in the land – except for Letty, a timid dragon who only wants to live a peaceful life. That doesn’t fly with his family so he gets kicked out (though, to be fair, Letty did let one of their eggs get stolen). Now living on his own, Letty’s on a quest to find the perfect home, a daunting task when you’re a creature with valuable parts (horns, scales, etc.) that are sought after by heroes and other residents of the land. On top of that, the real estate market is a nightmare to make sense of, like, are there doors big enough for a dragon’s wingspan?! Fortunately, elf demon lord Dearia takes a liking to Letty, using his magic (and insider tips as a realtor) to help the dragon find a home.
Why you should watch
If you’re in the mood for a low-stakes, self-aware series in regards to fantasy RPGs and HGTVs television lineup, then this is a must-watch on Sundays. This series is fully aware of the type of show it is, so it’s full of RPG references – and video game references in general. Letty and the rest of the cast will call out things like character stats and abilities that haven’t been learned, making for entertaining dialogue as the dragon and his realtor traverse the land.
My absolute favorite plot thread in this entire series has to be how it depicts heroes.
Let’s be honest, heroes on a level grinding quest can be REAL assholes. Raiding the homes of low-level creatures just to get a boost in power. Breaking items in the hopes of finding health and treasure. The heroes in this series are textbook “gotta defeat the creature for them stats” characters, leading to Letty calling out their actions. It’s not like Letty is starting a fight (he’s not capable of doing such a thing) but since he’s a dragon, heroes have placed a target on his back. There are other examples of this, such as a slime couple who’s been forced to move because heroes kept invading their old home, or the fact that Dearia makes sure that the homes he provides come with traps to ward off heroes.
Speaking of Dearia, he follows all of the tropes you expect when watching an episode of House Hunters or Property Brothers or whatever realtor show you watch. He asks what his clients want and works to find them their perfect home. Since it’s a fantasy setting, the homes follow all the archetypes of that setting. A dark cave with healing pools. An old home with secret passageways. A discounted haunted house with a vacuum cleaner and ink ribbon (yes, that’s a Luigi’s Mansion and Resident Evil reference).
There’s even time given to showroom furniture with explanations on what would work best for his clients, right down to there being a door you can enter only after telling the password to the woman in the painting. Also, like every house show I watch, Dearia has an ungodly amount of resources. This includes his magic and the creatures he knows. He’s got fantasy contractors on standby and live-in security guards at the ready.
While the comedic bits are all well and good, this is also a series that’s just really cute. Dearia and Letty are sweet together as the realtor seems to genuinely care about the dragon, having had a dragon client in the past who he was fond of. Dearia also has the patience of a saint, which is CRUCIAL when it comes to finding someone a home. Dearia’s able to easily maneuver through Letty’s fearful outbursts without making his client feel bad about himself. Dearia’s also open to criticism. When he gets something wrong in regards to what Letty wants, he adjusts and tries something else.
As for Letty, I feel like the series is working up to him gaining confidence in himself. It’s obvious that everyone around him thinks he’s capable, he just has to feel it, too. That being said, I absolutely adore the fact that Letty looks like an intimating beast. With a premise that centers on him being cowardly, I expected to see a chibi-fied, cute dragon the whole time. However, Letty looks like he could eff some shizz up, he just… won’t, lol. Letty’s basically scared of his own shadow, but within his “OMG SCARY” commentary is a character who’s always pointing out some absolute truths about the situations he’s constantly put in.
Like.
I too don’t wanna stay the night in a haunted house.
I too don’t wanna have folks look at my body parts as a source for equipment upgrades and heroic notoriety.
I too want to have a home that’s peaceful.
I’m rooting for you, Letty! And Dearia, if you’re looking for new clients, I could use a home that’s tucked away at the end of a rainbow.
(Image: Funimation)
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