, also known as Two Flowers for the Dragon, is a Japanese

Japanese language

is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

 shōjo manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 authored by Nari Kusakawa

Nari Kusakawa

Nari Kusakawa is the pen name for a Japanese manga artist and creator of The Recipe for Gertrude, Palette of 12 Secret Colors and Two Flowers of the Dragon, whose real name is unknown....

. The manga series was serialized in Hakusensha

Hakusensha

is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....

's monthtly shōjo manga magazine, LaLa

Lala

Lala VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers.-Details:...

 and ended in the July issue of 2009 with 7 volumes. There collected volumes

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

 was published under the Hana to Yume Comics imprint and is now licensed for English publication by CMX

CMX (comics)

CMX was a division of Wildstorm Productions, an imprint of DC Comics which in turn is owned by Time Warner. It was DC's line of manga translations....

 in North America.
As of July 2010, DC Comics has dissolved the CMX Manga imprint. It is not known if another publisher will pick up the series to publish the final volume.

The last volume of the manga sold 32,366 copies in the first week of release in Japan and was ranked 21st. The first two volumes of the manga has been named as Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the Young Adult Library Services Association

Young Adult Library Services Association

The Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...

.

Overview

Shakuya, princess of the Dragon Tribe, can turn into a dragon, and has two fiancees. One fiance is Lucien, who was missing for a long time, now returns. The other is Kuwan, the captain of the guardians in the village, who she loves more. She has two tattoos on her arms; a rose for Lucien, and a Bellflower for Kuwan. These flowers grow as her affection for them grows. The story is about their three-way love.
Even though Shakuya is in love with Kuwan, Lucien is determined to change the mind of his beloved Shakuya.

Characters

Shakuya: The daughter of the Queen of the Dragon Tribe. She has the ability to transform into a dragon. She is very energetic, which annoys her fiancee Kuwan to no end. She loves Kuwan more, but it is shown when she is young to have loved Lucien very deeply. She has a tendency to end up in some compromising scenes.
Kuwan: The captain of the guardians, also Shakuya's fiancee. He tends to act cold and distant, which Shakuya has mentioned. He is the 'replacement' fiancee that was put in the place of the then-lost Lucien. He doesn't like Shakuya's ventures out of the castle, and often does not listen to her when she explains why she is out (which is usually to see him).
Lucien: The missing fiancee of Shakuya. After many years, he returns and causes some problems for Shakuya and the rest of the Dragon Tribe. He likes to, when talking to Shakuya, end his dialogues in some sort of seductive act. According to author, his name comes from Chū Shin Chi, the Japanese name of actor Stephen Chow Sing-Chi

Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...

.

Reception

Jason Thompson

Jason Thompson (writer)

Jason Thompson is a manga critic, journalist, writer and comics artist.-Life and career:...

 praised Shakuya's self-assuredness, and appreciated the age-appropriate level of fanservice in the manga.