The Dragonewts are the top species of Earth in artist Kiyohisa Tanaka’s series “Juana and the Dragonewts’ Seven Kingdoms.” While the reptilian creatures have a human way of life, it appears that people exist only in the history books. It stayed true until Nid found a strange and large egg while scavenging for antiques. It cracked and then a young girl arose. The teenage dragonewt found a rare and possibly last “muernande”. After consulting some close acquaintances, he became the little girl now called Juana’s guardian. They helped Nid get him Juana the things needed to embark a journey through the Dragonewts’ land and find a place for the girl to call home.

While using the theme of “last of their kind” is not uncommon in fantasy story, Tanaka stands out by having the character Juana and the use of spanish (possibly even portuguese) words throughout the story. The words along with the items Nid finds perk interest on how human life was before the rise of the Dragonewts. Tanaka’s art has a soft and delicate atmosphere even with the presence of tough scales. There are some funny moments between Juana and Nid but the manga is an overall endearing tale about a pair of misfits looking for somewhere to call their own.

Volume Two of “Juana and the Dragonewts’ Seven Kingdoms” will hit shelves in May and then the final book in November. For more information, visit Seven Seas Entertainment’s page.