The Dragon Ozora – king of kings?
10. 4. 2012
My first sight of the Dragon Ozora reminded me of something that happened when I was a kid.
When I was fourteen, one of my friends received a new football for his birthday. It was very high-quality and looked positively glorious with its shiny, white leather and smartly printed decals. A group of us took it to the local park to test it out. As the ball touched the ground ready for play, a wrinkle of concern appeared on my friend’s face. “Try not to kick it on the paint,” he said. At the time I thought it was funny, but now I understand his dilemma. You ask for this new, virgin item with the sole intention of being the first (and possibly only) person to make use of it, yet when it arrives, you realize you don’t want to spoil its perfection.
You will know this feeling if you acquire a Dragon Ozora. I must confess it was a while before I was brave enough to attempt any tricks (that and a snake bit my hand, which meant I couldn’t do any kendama at all). The paintwork is utterly fantastic. Truly, it is a joy to behold. It’s classy, cool and durable. A couple of days of play revealed that the paint does not suffer from Metallic Blue syndrome (easy flaking and chipping). The Dragon paint behaves the way all Ozora paint does: it dents instead of flaking off. Don’t be afraid to play; the paint can take it.
Metallic Black Dragon Ozora
Like all Ozoras, the Dragon is well-balanced and easy to play with. I’ve always loved the Ozora, but the Dragon seems to add an extra air of style to it. It responded well to all the tricks I tried. You might find lighthouse or lunar tricks more challenging to begin with, but once the paint “settles in” (which doesn’t take long) you’ll find they come as easily as with most other ‘damas.
I would go so far as to say that the Dragon Ozora is one of my all-time favourite kendamas. Wow, I hear you say, that’s saying a lot. If the Ozora is the king of kendamas, then the Dragon is the king of Ozoras. That is how I feel. You might think it looks great from the pictures and you’d be right, but just wait until you hold one in your hand. The only real problem with it is that you won’t want anyone else trying it, and if someone does convince you to let them play, you’ll reflexively find yourself saying, “Try not to land it on the paint”.