LIGHT SPOILERS (MARKED) AT THE END OF THIS REVIEW, DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING DIRECTLY ABOUT PLOT OR STORY.
I never saw myself saying this in a million years prior to watching Dragon Pilot, but this anime truly is the most tasteful vore in the industry.
What many see as an average or even below average anime, I see something fantastic. I've rated all categories a perfect 10 deliberately. Dragon Pilot is high up on my list of favorite anime, and has only been even more enjoyable watching it a second time. So many things are done right in this show, and my review certainly can't do it all justice.
The hook of the story is simple; a girl with no aspirations in life finds a meaning in life through becoming a dragon pilot. Dragon Pilot turns this relatively simple yet versatile prompt into 12 substantial episodes, without a single episode being considerably less enjoyable than the others. It's hard to say much about the story without spoiling anything, as most of it is developed in the second half of the anime, so I'll just leave it at saying it's definitely worth getting invested in.
The art is great. I'm no artist, so I really don't know what exactly makes good art good, but Dragon Pilot has a unique and memorable art style that doesn't feel like the creators sacrificed clarity simple for the sake of being different. One thing that particularly stood out to me in Dragon Pilot is the animation. Body animations and facial expressions are noticeably more expressive and realistic than many other anime, and it adds so much substance to the overall final product. And if you care about it, the aircraft look accurate, unless you're some kind of aeromorph lover who never got into trains as a kid instead. I'm sure someone like that could find flaws there.
The sound, more specifically, the sound track, is great. There are some repeat songs, but they still fit perfectly into the scenes they're used in, so I won't deduct any points from this category of the review. The music is memorable, adds so much emotion to scenes, and is good music even if you listened to it outside of the anime.
And finally, the characters. This is a character-centric show, and the creators pulled this off perfectly. Even characters only shown in a handful of scenes feel like they have a deeply developed character that fits well into the story and can have good synergy with other, more prominent characters. I think what makes the characters so perfectly in Dragon Pilot is ironically their imperfections. The characters aren't some invincible stereotypical anime protagonists who defeat all evil without ever breaking a sweat and can overcome any hurdle within the span of half an episode, rather everyone is unique and realistic, with believable strengths, clear goals, and unique yet realistic weaknesses. Altogether, these personalities create a diverse and interesting ecosystem of JASDF members on an airbase.
Overall, Dragon Pilot was a surprise gem for me, and I couldn't be happier that I chose to watch it. I've just finished my first rewatch, and I can see myself rewatching many more times in the future. It fulfills my need for an anime with a perfect blend of seriousness and lighthearted comedy. Media of any kind rarely captures somewhat realistic military slice-of-life well, so seeing it done well in an anime is quite satisfying.
--------------------LIGHT SPOILERS--------------------
Dragon Pilot carries a prominent message. It's not the forefront of the show, but it definitely feels like the creators wanted to say something through the medium of anime. Dragon Pilot encourages one not to blindly follow tradition or authority figures, especially if something or someone is at risk of being lost or harmed, particularly for an unknown "greater good". I don't wish to directly spoil anything from this absolute masterpiece of a show, so I'll just leave it at that. It's just something I found particularly interesting while watching that was made more clear when I rewatched.
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