JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid – My Own impressions

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Genre: Comedy, fantasy, yuri

Studio: Kyoto Animation

Hello guys.

Welcome again.

Alright then. I started with very pretty serious material to talk about today, including Akame ga Kill and Made in Abyss, but now, in order to culminate this day, I will focus in one of the happiest and funniest animes I have seen even.

And one that will probably cheer you up on these days of quarantine.

Now… This is anime is…

But before I continue writing the review, I must ask you guys the typical question, even though I already ask you in my previous two reviews.

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy and happy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy. And remember…

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE COVID-19

I said it once, and I will say it again. COVID-19 is a dangerous virus with unpredictable consequences.

Now, having said that, let’s start talking about Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid.

PREMISE

Dragons are cute!

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Coolkyousinnjya, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (Kobayashi-san Chi no Meidoragon), tells the story of Kobayashi-san, a computer programmer and office person who lives a very simple life, until one morning, she is greeted by a huge dragon who suddenly transforms in a maid, called Tohru, and moves with Kobayashi-san to be her «maid». Then Kobayashi-san remembers that, the night before, Kobayashi-san was terribly wasted, and she meet Tohru, to remove a huge sword from her, saving the life of Tohru.

In gratitude, Tohru not only works with Kobayashi-san, but she actually fells in love with her. And then Tohru learns to be a maid, while also learning wonderful things about the modern world and making sweet special friends.

In terms of format, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, (Or Kobayashi-san for the rest of the review) consists in thirteen episodes, released between January and April 2017, and an OVA released in September 2017. And each episode involves the characters facing a lot of situations, including having parties, meeting rival dragons, the environment of the Comiket, moving out, attending school, and going to the beach; and of course, the main focus is the relationship between Tohru and Kobayashi-san.

And sometimes our characters deal with themes like prejudice and acceptance. Additionally, the opening theme «Blue Sky Rhapsody» («Aozora no Rhapsody») is performed by Japanese idol band, Fhána, while the ending, Ishukan Communication, is performed by the seiyuu of the characters, Tohru, Kanna, Lucoa and Elma.

Supposedly a second season was greenlit, but after the tragic death of director Yasuhiro Takemoto in the arson attack of KyoAni, the status of the series is in doubt.

STORY

Maids are cute

As I previously said, Kobayashi-san is a comedy series about dragons adopting identities and living among humans. And of course, the relationship between Tohru and Kobayashi-san. In other words, we meet a typical sitcom anime in which the characters evolve, and even though there is not precisely a plot for the series as a whole, each of the episodes are pretty delightful to watch.

Secondly, one of the strengths is that not all the characters are introduced straight away. First we got our main leads, and then Kobayashi-san gives its time to get to the supporting cast, including which kind of personalities do they have, and the type of relationship they got and their dynamics. After their respective introductions, we got our comedic episodes.

To be honest, reviewing this type of episodic anime is very difficult, because I have to analyse many little elements in many different stories, and since there is no defined plot, it is very hard to talk about the characters and the format in a few words, while making sense of myself. On the other hand, this is one of good points of Kobayashi-san. Our main characters can be themselves, they can enjoy the situations, and that alone gives some sense of consistency with what we see in the first episodes, and when there is a conflict, especially in further episodes, he see their evolution and their loyalty toward each other.

Of course, there is the comedy, And what drives it is how Tohru and the other fantastic beasts (No Pun intended) will react in the real world, and realised how ineffectual are their powers and customs really are. Now, I am not a master of comedy, but one of the best tips for comedy it is to make the characters to do wacky things that we, as an audience, know that will lead to disaster, but that, from their perspective of the protagonists, it is the right thing to do.

Another positive detail is that the series is not trying to force the comedy in the audience. The plot is organic, and it gets a better impact to us.

Now. this is another reason of why I had a hard time trying to review episodic anime, for what I have to say about an episode does not necessarily work for the other, and I can contradict myself.

Also, the animation of Kobayashi-san, directed by the late Yasuhiro Takemoto, is really solid, and matches perfectly the art of Coolkyousinnjya, who specialises, from my perspective, in very light character design and bright colours in order to create a friendly tone, perfect for comedic situations.

In fact, her other work, I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying also has an anime from Studio Seven.

This character looks like Kobayashi-san, but is not.

To put it simple, each episode has its charm and fun, and it is reasonable to say that we can have a lot of fun from these episodes, so many small stories to choose from.

And before I forget, the soundtrack composed by Masumi Ito is pure ear candy, and it matches with the colourful animation too.

CHARACTERS

Of course, we have a lot of delightful character; Kanna Kamui, the young dragon that likes to play and go to school; Elma, a water dragon who is «proclaimed» the rival of Tohru (or perhaps, she is suffering from what I called «The Yunyun Syndrome»); Fafnir, the greedy dragon who likes to cosplay as a young butler ala Sebastian Michaelis; Lucoa, the busty, well-endowed incarnation of Quetzalcoatl…

Luckily, Lucoa is not this scary as her FGO counterpart

And Riko Saikawa, who has a «particular» interest in Kanna; Georgie, the older sister of Riko; Makoto Takiya; Kobayashi-san’s co-worker; Shouta, a young wizard who «summons» Lucoa, among other great supporting characters that creates an amazing atmosphere, of one of the best works of Kyoto Animation.

And like the episodes and sketches, you can always choose your favourite character.

But before I forget, there is one last detail I want to share with you guys. Kobayashi-san’s seiyuu is Mutsumi Tamura. Do you which other character was dub by her?

Sayaka Kanamori, from Eizouken!

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is a very delightful series about a young computer programmer and her dragon, and despite its plot sounds insane, it is actually a series where you can have a lot of fun, especially in these lockdown times.

Part of the amazing talent and passion form Kyoto Animation.

So… what are you waiting for? Go to Crunchyroll and watch Kobayashi-san, or else…

Quetzalcoatl will f(*k you in the a*%^.

I am not joking!!