Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon
[Full Review]
Kyoto Animation
Objective Score: 8.5
Personal Score: 8.5
Season 1 (13) & S (12)
Times Watched: 1
Comedy, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Reverse Isekai
Awards: Seal of Approval
Recent Changesa: n/a
Despite its outward appearance, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is one of the cutest, coziest, and most wholesome shows I’ve ever seen. Episodes are broken up into short character stories with some overarching plot. The storytelling in Dragon Maid is surprisingly methodical, allowing ample time for each character and their subsequent stories. This is one of the best slice of life anime I’ve ever seen. The show does a great job showcasing real, everyday problems like back pain, working too much, and having a place to call home. Dragon Maid is incredibly wholesome, and that’s entirely due to the amazing cast of characters. The characters in this show are some of the best written and most human characters I’ve ever seen; even if a majority of them are dragons. Tohru is one of the most powerful dragons in the show, but acts more like a lost dog, and her love for those around her is on full display. Elma has a complicated relationship with both Tohru and other humans, but is sweet and loves food. Kobayashi is the obvious stand out in the show. She’s kind, stoic, and level-headed, acting as the mother for basically all the dragons and helps ground the story. Her traits and mannerisms are what make her such a relatable and realistic character like overworking, drinking too much, and an interest in maids. The show is strikingly beautiful with an abundance of color, soft and cute designs, and gorgeously smooth and fluid animation that looks pretty most of the time, but sharp and visceral when the action kicks in. The sound design is also brilliant. Sound effects pop and the music is melancholy and beautiful. The voice acting is great as well. Each character has specific mannerisms and quirks that makes just listening to them a treat. Love is showcased in many ways in this show. From Tohru and Kobayashi’s romantic love, to Kanna and Tohru’s sisterly love, to just characters simply loving life. Unfortunately, Dragon Maid’s outward appearance doesn’t do it any favors. Barring Kobayashi and Kanna, almost every female character has a bust size that would snap spines. Also, some of the relationships between characters can be seen as creepy and borderline fan service like Tohru’s lust for Kobayashi and Lucoa’s attention seeking behavior towards Souta. However, the relationships between these characters are more complicated than what’s on the surface, and watching the show would reveal that things are not so black and white. I can see several elements in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid as reasons why people might drop the show, but the show and these characters are just so goddamn wholesome that it’s easy to look past. The show is a hilarious, over-the-top yet down to earth slice of life fantasy show that is as sweet as sugar.