Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

Honestly, I’m not a fan of writing negative reviews since I prefer to use them to recommend series that I enjoyed, but as a fan of both comedy and the “cute girls doing cute things” genre I felt disappointed with Maid Dragon, that was the anime I was looking forward the most for this Winter 2017 season. I know that comedy is a very subjective genre, so I can see why other people would like it, so in this review I will talk about what I liked and what I didn't from this anime, while trying to keep it as a recommendation to give it ... a try as long as you're fine with what this anime delivers.

The story begins when a woman called Kobayashi finds a dragon named Tohru, that looks for a home to live, and after insisting she becomes Kobayashi’s maid, from there other dragons start to appear and they become a part of the daily life of our protagonist. With each introduction we get hints that there is more to know about the dragon world and the conflicts that happen there, something that sadly doesn't get explored in this anime, and while I find that fine since this is just a context for the story and it’s still early on to really need development, I still feel a bit disappointed because the idea is interesting and I wanted to see more.

My issues with this series (and in the end what makes me like a comedy or not) is the characters and the comedy itself. While some characters were fine the way they were (Tohru and Fafnir in special were pretty nice and I enjoyed most of their comedy bits), there are some that very early on reached a point where I was annoyed with them, and the constant repetition of their gag (even 4 or 5 times in an episode at times) without them getting any development during the series to make me feel that there was more to them than that, reduced a lot my enjoyment of this anime.

First in that list is the duo Kanna-Ahegao girl (she's called Riko, but she really deserves that nickname), Kanna is cute, I get it, everything she does is made to be an overdose of cuteness, but all Ahegao girl did for the whole series was, yeah, doing an ahegao face when near Kanna because she was really cute like always, while some people find that face funny, I found it absolutely annoying right from the first time, and nothing about her character changed at any point to make the gag atleast funnier or different. One thing that really bothered me is how the series used Kanna for fanservice at times, and more considering how she has the attitude of a child. One scene with Ahegao girl in particular was very uncomfortable to watch and made me lose the hopes in ending up warming up to this anime sooner or later.

But if we're talking about uncomfortable, Lucoa definitely takes the cake here. I can resume her character in a single word: boobs, all of her comedy comes from them, either via having them bouncing, her wearing dresses that show them a lot (she even gets called as someone that “dresses like a slut” by Kobayashi, I'm dead serious), but definitely the worst part is her constant gag of breast smoothering a kid she lives with using them, I'm fine with some fanservice, but Maid Dragon reaches a point where I think that they went too far, both with how much it uses it, and to which characters the fanservices goes directed to.
Finally there is Kobayashi, our protagonist, that while I find her a pretty bland character, I think that this is exactly her purpose since she is there to bring the heartwarming moments of the series, related to her enjoying having all these weirdos around giving colour to the lifeless world around her due to her personality, I find that scenes well executed and I wish that the series revolved more around the family feel they create.

In the artistic part, well, it's KyoAni, really well animated moments in the scenes where the series needed them while staying nice from start to end. The series also provides a solid OST, with personal mention to the song that plays in the previously mentioned heartwarming scenes, that improved them a lot in my opinion, and the opening “Aozora no Rhapsody” that is a very catchy song to start the episode in a nice mood.

In the end, while I personally didn't enjoy this anime due to not being a fan of the comedy and the fanservice present in the series, it's definitely worth trying out if what I mentioned didn't bother you.

In the beginning, we see a dragon; how frightening!
It flies across the sky as fast as lightning
Finally, it arrives at the apartment of a woman
Does it plan on eating this helpless human?

When the woman goes over and opens the door
She beholds the dragon, and stands rooted to the floor
But then to the woman’s great surprise
The dragon transforms into a girl right before her eyes!

... The dragon girl calls herself Tohru, and gives her thanks
To the woman who had recently pulled a sword out of her flanks
And so that her debt to the woman can be repaid
Tohru asks to work for her as her maid!

The woman, Kobayashi, eventually agrees
And the dragon Tohru is visibly pleased
This event, I’m sure, Kobayashi will always remember
And thus the story begins with them living together

Being a lighthearted comedy, the plot isn’t that deep
But don’t let this be a cause for you to weep
For the anime excels in other areas
From the detailed designs to the funny characters

The dragon girls are drawn with many vibrant colors
Which makes them aesthetically pleasing to see
And although Kobayashi isn’t as detailed as the others
Her blandness can actually be sort of funny

Thanks to the art, we get many attractive females
And whatever your fetish, its surely represented
You got the tomboy Kobayashi and Tohru with her twintails
The loli Kanna and Lucoa who’s large chested

Ms. Kobayashi is the protagonist of the story
She always seems calm and acts reasonably
But if she's drunk, she can rampage crazily
Plus she gives the hopeless dragon girls helpful tips

Tohru is the first dragon we see
She wants to be a successful maid so badly!
She seems to be in love with Ms. Kobayashi
I wonder if she’ll ever kiss her on the lips?

Kanna is a dragon loli
Her cuteness levels are too much for me!
She basically eats everything she sees
And damn, she has some thicc hips!

Overall I’d say the characters are rather nice
But if I had to give the creator’s some advice
I’d say that the characters needed more depth and detail
But hey, at least their merchandise can make for a good sale.

What can I say, this show was fun
And now my poem is nearly done
But before I depart, I’ll leave some advice
And if you don’t follow it, you’ll pay the price

You better not lewd the dragon loli.

Ah, who am I kidding, resistance is folly.

I really liked this anime at first. Cute, easy to watch, wholesome moments and the fan service was tolerable (I’m used to giant jelly boobs in anime so whatever).

But then they started ramping up the fan service and pedo baiting bs, ESPECIALLY on episode 6. Like why. Why. Why can’t we just have a cute lesbian dragon and her crush raising a cute child without sexualizing the child? Why did they have to ruin it?

And then on top of how they did kanna, they also throw in Lucoa shoving her tits in another child’s face. Just. Why. It was so much better the first ... few episodes of them being a cute, quirky little family.

I give it a 5 for the first few episodes and the art style is pretty. I also found the characters tropes charming (especially Kobayashi). They just had to ruin it with the usual stuff that ruins these types of anime.

*******

Kyoto Animation Studio
October 6, 2016

After enduring the taunts, jeers, and sneers that resulted from the underwhelming Myriad Colors Phantom World, Mr. Hideaki Hatta, the president of Kyoto Animation, decided to recommit to the conventional. He guided the studio producers into a months-long effort in crafting a sequel to the massively successful Sound! Euphonium. When the dust settled, KyoAni’s staff, with the utmost confidence, released Sound! Euphonium 2, and then they celebrated. They engaged in several rounds of poker, and they consumed multiple tabs of LSD (One employee in particular swallowed six tabs at once), as well as a large helping of cocaine. 4 hours passed ... before Mr. Hatta summoned his employees into the meeting room. He stated, “I know that we already took care of the Fall season with Sound! Euphonium 2 but we need something to air in the winter. Any ideas, guys?”

The KyoAni employees, still buzzed from the booze, drugs, and other late-night adventures, quietly remained in a state of half-consciousness.

Mr. Hatta, visibly exasperated, muttered hopelessly, “Just blurt out the first thing that pops in your head.” It was Jiro Tazaki, a fresh-faced intern on his first day, that spoke up. It remains a mystery if it was the LSD, the alcohol, or God Himself that planted the idea in Tazaki’s mind but on that day, the concept he introduced would be the catalyst behind KyoAni’s latest heavy-hitter project.

After Mr. Hideaki Hatta spoke, what Jiro Tazaki responded with was, “Bouncing dragon tits.”

*******

With that, Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon was born.

If there’s one thing that could turn away potential viewers, it’s the cutesy character designs. From the woefully oversized eyes to the roundness of the character’s frames, and even the rose-tinted cheeks, the character designs are a victim of moé overdose. Then again, realism has always been a foreign concept for Kyoto Animation, so no surprise there.

Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon prides itself in its humor but early on, its comedy is a bit too dependent on unnecessary boob grabs for its own good. While that element is minimized yet never erased, the show leans more and more on its Fish out of Water jokes as the runtime progresses, and this is where the show strikes comedy gold. There are more than a few instances in which Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon constructs an exaggerated, fantastical contrast to real-world occurrences. When the characters are shopping for school supplies, a common stapler is interpreted as a torture device. When one character seeks to learn about sports festivals, events like running, ball-tossing, and tug o’ war are processed as medieval tactics in battle. It’s scenes like those that aid Tohru (Miss “Bouncing Dragon Tits” herself), and her other fire-breathing friends in adjusting to a world not their own.

It’s right here that you’d be tempted to think, “Slice-of-life/comedy about characters from a different world living on our own? Hey, this is The Devil is a Part-Timer all over again!”

While Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon does have a similar premise with that of The Devil is a Part-Timer, that is the extent to which these two titles are identical. While The Devil is a Part-Timer has its characters lead normal lives in a day or two, it requires a month for this show to do the same. While The Devil is a Part-Timer allows its characters to showcase their abilities in broad daylight, there are consequences that occur when this show does the same. While The Devil is a Part-Timer maneuvers its supporting characters to the sidelines, Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon allows its relatively minor characters (like the domineering Riko Saikawa, the perpetually anxious Shouta, or (my personal favorite) the brooding Fafnir) to claim their moments in the spotlight. While The Devil is a Part-Timer briefly mentions the characters’ past lives and never bothers to provide details, Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon reflects on the bygone days and consistently links that to the cast’s arcs. In short, Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon embarks on the same path as The Devil is a Part-Timer yet it contains a more enhanced storyline than the latter, as well as greater character depth.

Although, the aforementioned character depth is what distinguishes this series from its peers, the method in which depth is handled as flawed at best. Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon exists on the strained relationship between humans and dragons, as well as attempts to rectify this dynamic. However, the razor-sharp focus on this concept, though admirable, prevents this show from delving into potentially fantastic subplots. Sure, there are a few discussions about familial dynamics and self-exploration, but ultimately the show never truly ponders on these ideas. Though it appears quite underwhelming, the (very) limited range of thematic elements in Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon shouldn’t automatically blacklist this title (After all, Onihei isn’t exactly a paragon of versatility yet there are many, myself included, that consider it to be this season’s hidden gem). However, I must advise you to be prepared for this show’s “serious scenes”. Suffocating beneath the overwhelming weight of the warm, childlike atmosphere of the show, these segments provide a complete contrast to the rest of the series. At first, they carried grace, sophistication, and a unique charm (CGDCT + pathos wasn’t a formula I encountered before) but later on, it felt as though these segments were recycling the same handful of storyline beats over and over. By the fifth episode, I was bored to tears, and apparently so was KyoAni’s brain trust. They ensured that the serious scenes received a mercifully short runtime with each appearance.

Ambition is a trait that I absolutely covet when it involves anime. There are few things I adore more than witnessing an anime series journey beyond the conventional. With this series, however, I am satisfied with its exercise in normalcy. Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon doesn’t desire to reinvent the wheel nor to “save anime” in the vein of Studio Trigger. No; what it seeks is to entertain, and on that front, it has more than succeeded. Whether it’s the witty sexual innuendos, Tohru trolling Miss Kobayashi’s short-tempered supervisor, or her utterly breathtaking chasedown of a purse snatcher, Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon guarantees excitement. And that’s just fine with this run-of-the-mill reviewer. For once, the hype is justified.

6 dodgeball-playing dragons out of 10

I feel like having to justify a 6 here. This show is alright. It is nothing significant, and that is ok. It is fluffy and light, and that is ok.

The animation is amazing; KyoAni never fails to deliver, even in slice of life comedies. Fight scenes, although sparse, are fluid and dynamic, as are the movements of characters as they perform actions such as cooking or cleaning.

It's all made with a ton of love and care, so what are the problems?

Well, the relationship between Kobayashi and Tohru is very... weird. Chalk it up to just being anime, but it really does get creepy at ... times. That power dynamic isn't balanced. Lucoa and Shouta as well, for obvious reasons. There's some really uncomfortable pedolphiliac undertones in this show. It really does sour my enjoyment despite the overall enjoyment I have of the wholesome slice of life/fish out of water comedy that makes up the bulk of the content. This show is good for seasoned anime watchers, but seriously, I wouldn't let anyone catch me watching this.

Self-awareness might be the best friend of otherwise average to bad shows. The most recent example of how this works well might be Boku no Hero Academia. It doesn't promise you anything it can't deliver. And you get exactly what you were looking for, nothing more, nothing less. Sounds like a fair deal, right? With that in mind, Dragon Maid tries to do the same - this time among the vast ocean of slice of life mediocrities.

Many comment on the cute girls, casual humor, light fanservice and KyoAni's visuals. But what this show actually revolves around is often missed. Kobayashi is an office lady who ... used to live alone until Tohru and Kanna formed a family-like setup in her life. And that's it. How much becoming responsible for a family can change an adult? What Kobayashi's experience answers to us is that it won't change people at all. Sure, we do learn new things from raising a child, we do need to concede and make some sacrifices. That's why Kobayashi is the same person from episode one to the last. She's always the same laid-back, hard-working gal who loves a happy hour once in a while, with those dead-fish eyes to die for. And that's good enough.

Unfortunately, the other aspects​ of this show are almost negligible. Side characters have any but surface-level purposes such as comic relief or fanservice. Also the setting doesn't make any difference. We could not have any dragons and it woudn't touch the purpose of the story. Having only Kanna, Kobayashi and Tohru introduced would not change the theme of the anime. What is redeeming though, is the self-awareness of this show. Whenever it takes a turn on fanservice, comedy or a heart warming moment, Dragon Maid knows what it is doing. And will be honest about it whenever possible. The best example of this is might be the "beach episode". It sure has a dose of fanservice, but soon we get to know a little more about Kobayashi and Tohru. The result is a heartening experience, instead of what a plain showcase of the girls' bodies would provide.

This is far from being a sign of recovery by KyoAni, but it's already a step ahead. As expected from them, audiovisuals are of top-tier quality. Distinctive character designs, fluid animation, gorgeous backgrounds. All in a tradicional cartoonish style, uncommon to see in anime nowadays. OST might sound repetitive many times, but this doesn't bother at all. Also unskippable opening/ending songs make it up for the experience. Voice acting is on point too, with a special spotlight on Kanna and Kobayashi's voices - They stand out above the rest in their characterizations.

Sometimes making it simple is the best. Sometimes we need a more human, light hearted story to sit and relax after a long day. It's time for the industry to try to be more honest, sensitive, and human on anime. Let's hope that KyoAni gets the message. Let's make this the starting point. And one more word: Kobayashi is the best girl.

I really thought I would watch all the anime and really enjoy that time but, my dreams never came true. Oh god, just an anime about random "nerd" like, hard-working girl, who meets dragon. Well I even like an idea of dragon in "our universe trying to understand everything about feeling and world around it. but plz guys, this anime offers nothing more that some "funny" gags and ecchi humor. The plot was really poor, just random life with dragon. I know it's a comedy or something like sitcom, but i guess it's not worth to waste time to watch whole anime.

Ok, time to ... say something about art. Say whatever you want but it' so CUTE nad LOVELY, colorful and bright. Really pleasant to look, but still not too long.

Opening was amusing <3, cute and really easy to remember so I sometimes was singing this :3

At least I want to say, this anime isn't bad, it;s just getting boring with time. Ig you want ti chill out, forget about that depressing stuff around you, go ahead nad watch this anime, but I rather won't treat it like a something serious.

Alright, this is my first review so please bear with me on this.
I had recently finished watching the final episode of Kobayashi-san chi no Maid Dragon. How was it?

Well, it was alright I guess.

Yes, it's one of those everyone loves that I'm not too fond of.
I will do my best not to note spoilers.

Let's start with the story:
It's about a woman and a dragon girl. Simple stuff. It's basic slice of life stuff, generic at it's finest. It's themes of relationships and family are prevalent throughout the entire series. Not to mention, it also has a touch of fantasy.
I thought it was alright, but the ... entire structure has been seen in numerous anime previously, which is why I gave it a 5.

Art:
Surprisingly, I actually like the art style. It's simplistically adorable and appealing. The colour palette pops out like cherry blossoms on a rainy day. Just your average moe Slice of Life art style. But I'm giving it an 8 because I actually like the art style, but it's more of my thing and I don't really speak for others.

Sound:
I'm no sound technician, and it wouldn't be fair to write a review for the sound if I don't really know how to describe it.
All I can say is that the background music is fitting for different situations and the theme tune is super catchy!

Character:
This is where all the problems come flowing in.
The characters are either bland or serve no other purpose than to be pedophile fanservice.

Kobayashi is your Average Jane with a job. She is one of the relatable characters, like many other protagonists. As she is the titular character, you'd expect her to serve a lot of purpose to the plot. She is actually rather likeable. She's an otaku, she drinks beer and is a tomboy. But alas, her personality is... bland? Still likeable, but, eh.

Tohru is my favourite character because she actually has character. She's energetic, she'll do anything for Kobayashi and has emotions. Could I ask for a more bubbly character bubbly character in the show? To be fair, I kinda laughed whenever she flew Kobayashi over the city due to her humongous size in dragon form.

Kanna... as adorable as she is, a lot of situations she's in with her classmate Riko are... fanservicey...? I mean.... Kanna is supposed to be in Kingergarten or Elementary...? She's an emotionless (or kuudere) little girl who quickly becomes accustomed to Kobayashi. The only things I like about her is her outfit and the fact that she'll pretty much eat anything that moves.

Lucoa. LUCOA. I have nothing nice or positive to say about Lucoa. She's basically your local neighbourhood pedophile who was summoned by a 9 year old boy (whose name is a pun on "Shota(con)" who in return gets sexually harassed and abused by Lucoa. Her entire character is pretty much there for pedophile fanservice. I feel like her entire character is one massive disgrace to the actual Quetzalcoatl. Massive negative -10 to her. Maybe I'm just being a moral party pooper but... yeah.

Elma is an office lady dragon. As she had only appeared late into the series, I won't say much but... she's bland as bread.

Overall I give the characters as a whole a 5.

Enjoyment:
Let's just say that... without all the noncey stuff in it, it would be a lot better series. Every time I thing of the twister scene with Riko and Kanna and pretty much every scene with Lucoa and Shouta, I feel like I need to run into the nearest church building, and I feel like running into the screen and dragging the poor boy away from the Ick. The blatant in-your-face pedophilia is pretty much rife in this show. I have always been uncomfortable with this theme in the show.

I liked all the fantasy aesthetics in the show, and sadly, it wasn't really prevalent as the nonce fanservice. I'd love to see more of the fantasy.

Overall:
Kobayashi-san chi no Maid Dragon is nothing more than a harem anime with a pedophile fanservice theme. I'm only giving it a 6 because I enjoy the art style and the entirety of Tohru's character. I think I'd give it a higher score if it wasn't so rampant on it's fanservice.

Would I recommend it? Probably? Maybe. It's up to you to decide on how you see the show.

So, what do you get when you mix a Maid and a Dragon together? I guess we get an anime like this. I do have to admit, I did not have high hopes for this anime when I saw very large titted maids who were supposed to be dragons. I was about ready for it to be overly fan service with not much story. I was slightly right, but the story I got actually was a really cute one. It’s much more of a slice of life with the dragons trying to interpret our human ways.

Our main character is Kobayashi, a human woman who works ... hard and is a bit antisocial. After a very annoying day at work, she got drunk and went to the mountains, running into an injured dragon named Tohru. After helping her, she ends up getting Tohru to become a maid and live with her in her house. Cue hilarious antics vive slice of life misunderstandings and Yuri crushes. Ya, did I mention that Tohru has this very deep crush on Kobayashi for some reason and wants her to feel the same? The show reminds me of ‘Is This a Zombie?’ where they mixed aspects that they pulled from a hat. It’s not a bad way, but it’s in an odd way. I think the problem with these types of shows is the fact that it’s rather new. It takes aspects of things that we think won’t work together and seems to mash them together. Sometimes it doesn’t work, sometimes it does. I give props for them trying though.

Let’s talk about the characters. Kobayashi is a rather generic character. She is a typical Japanese salary woman who doesn’t get out much. The only thing that makes her stand out a bit is the fact that she is crazy about maids. Not the typical maids that we see in maid cafe's and social media, she loves the real deal. Even though she is very generic, I consider her like the straight man in a comedy act that her life has become.

Tohru on the other hand is the comedy part of the group, much like all the dragons are I feel. The misunderstandings are what fuels the comedy and I do have to say it’s done rather cute (when Quetzalcoatl isn’t around). They never tried to make Tohru to sexy even with the large breasts she had nor any other of the dragons (again, besides Quetzalcoatl) so it keeps the show rather innocent. Tohru herself is a very loving and dedicated person with a friendly personality that people seem to be drawn to. If Kobayashi was Yang, Tohru would probably be her Yin. Those opposites just work very well together. I do question one thing though, why does she want to make Kobayashi eat her tail? It probably explains in the manga but I haven’t read that yet. I do wish the anime would explain it.

The other main character I would love to talk about is Kanna Kamui. She kind of acts like the child of Kobayashi and Tohru in a way which makes for some really cute family time with the three of them. Kanna is the very image of innocence, and this is mostly because she truly is a child. The problem I had with her was that she didn’t seem to act like a real innocent child in the beginning, calling Kobayashi a slut for taking Tohru away. It didn’t take very long though for her to end up calming down and acting as a normal child (as far as dragons go).

While I said the dragons were rather cute and innocent, there is one exception. Quetzalcoatl is the fan service of this anime with her even larger breasts and scantly dressed outfits. No wonder there is a gag talking about her being a succubus and always getting in trouble for her choice in clothing. I was very happy that they didn’t make her a main character and only a supporting character as I wasn’t bombarded with her breasts in my face most of the time.

The animation is pretty nice, although standard. I think the interesting thing is that Kobayashi was made to look like a guy. She wasn’t given the large breasts, beautiful big eyes, or even the figure of a girl. She was given what Tohru calls ‘dead fish eyes’ where the pupil of her eyes is really tiny. The only time she really looks like a girl and not a girlish boy is when her hair is down which seems to only be in the bath or sleeping. The colors do fit the mood very well, pastel when it’s a very gentle and heartwarming time, to very bright when there is a lot of energy going on.

The English dub isn’t bad, I would consider it average for what Funimation does. It’s hard to get excited for dubs now when they are as nice quality as what Funimation kicks out. Kobayashi is voiced by Leah Clark who did a couple voices in other shows I have watched like Minami from ‘Baka to Test’, the fictional voice of Eucliwood Hellscythe in ‘Is this a Zombie?’, and Fuyuki from ‘St. Frog’ (yes, she played the boy) but her voice just never seemed to actually stand out to me the way she voices Kobayashi it seems. There is something about how she can give a rather plain character a bit lovable. It was also the same when she played Jiji from ‘Princess Jellyfish’, the character grows on you the more you see her and so does the voice. I also have to give props to Jad Saxton who did the voice of Kanna Kamui because she captured the really cute character well, and also to Garret Storms who did Fafnir really well. I have to add Garret Storms to my list of awesomely sexy deep voices along side Michael J Tatum. Not bad for someone who seems rather new to the scene of voice acting.

So now we come to the question on what I thought of this show. It actually grew on me. I liked the cute little slice of life that it had as much as I liked ‘The Devil is a Part-Timer’ which is another anime that this reminded me of. I got into the characters a little bit as well with how interesting there view of the human world was. It’s definitely a alright anime if your interested in looking it up, but I wouldn’t call it a most see.

Maid Dragon is a competently executed comedy/slice of life punctuated by standout moments of animated razzle dazzle. The show is, on the whole, pretty alright.

Unfortunately, that's the show's biggest sin. It's pretty alright... and that's about it.

This is an interesting counterpoint to another show from this past winter season, Kemono Friends, the low budget, abominably animated children's program about zoo animals turned into anthropomorphic girls. Where that show lacked in terms of flourish, Maid Dragon shines with aplomb. Granted, this is a KyoAni show, a certain level of visual fidelity is a given, but man is this show pretty. Despite the played-for-comedy mundanity ... of the premise, there are some sequences here that are just gorgeous. It's as if the studio is just showing off: a scene where two dragons play fight has visuals that could rival film productions. Throw in an OP/ED wombo combo of catchiness and you've got a show that excels aesthetically.

That's all surface level, though. A show like Kemono Friends drew in viewers because it had heart; it oozes with a passion that's endearing and infectious. Maid Dragon, on the other hand, feels a bit more hollow and thin. I wouldn't say the show is soulless, but it's thinner than a communion wafer and less fulfilling on both a spiritual and carnal level.

The eponymous Kobayashi and Tohru are decent as vehicles for the premise, Kanna's cute, Lucoa is best girl, and Fafnir is Jotaro Kujo as a NEET power gamer shut in dragon, which I appreciate, but there's not much to them beyond that. Elma is added late and leaves little impression. Saikawa and Shouta have one joke that gets repeated over... and over... and over again, without much in the way of subversion or wit.

I don't even mind the subject matter of the jokes (grade school lesbians and /ss/), but at least give me a little variety.

It's not even that the jokes are all bad or that I never laughed, a few really good setups found their way in, but it's all pretty predictable after a certain point. The show makes a few attempts at pathos and while it's appreciated, it never feels like the characters have much room to grow after the first few episodes. It's a shame, too, because a show like K-On! shows that the studio is clearly capable of making something meaningful out of a SOL premise, but they just didn't bother here. Maybe they didn't try.

For all the effort that went into the look of the show, everything else fell by the wayside. This isn't to say that Maid Dragon is bad, but it's only serviceable. KyoAni hit all the notes it had to and not a single note more. Maid Dragon is a decent watch as long as it's on, but there's nothing to think about or chew over after the credits have rolled. I won't say don't watch it, but this is the sort of program you save for when you have time to kill and you want something light, breezy, and ultimately insubstantial.

At the end of the day, for better or worse, Maid Dragon is filler for life. If that's what you're looking for, you could do worse. After all, it's pretty alright.

Hey folks, this will be a review for Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon. Honestly I was disappointed. The reviews and Gifs of this show made this out to be far more enjoyable than it actually was.

The story revolves around a dragon named Tooru, and her friend/savior Kobayashi. The start of the show we are introduced to both in a comical and crazy way. It appears to open into a slice of life show, with comical undertones with dragons learning the ways of humans. It also had some "deeper" connotations which might have been good if they kept feeding it to us like the first few ... episodes. However after about three episodes the show stops being about dragons and humans and becomes just about humans. The "deeper" moments also stop being dished out well, and are instead piled on at the end of the episodes like some cheap dressing.

The art was very pretty and well done, the soundtrack was really enjoyable as well. This is easily the best part of the show.

The characters start off interesting as well. Tooru is a dragon that can bring about Armageddon and has decided to live as a maid in Kobayashi's home. This is extra fun because she doesn't know what a maid is, in fact when asked she starts handing out pamphlets like you see in front of maid cafes. Kobayashi is basically a nerdy programmer girl who doesn't have anyone in her life outside of a co worker who also shares interests in maids. The clash of the hyper dragon and the "old woman" character in Kobayashi makes for some decent comedy and interesting setting.

A few episodes into the show they introduce a few other dragons. Each dragon has a strong and vibrant personality and you can expect some hi jinks to happen. However once introductions are finished and the show becomes melodrama and loses all interesting characteristics. The dragon's integrating with humans stops being an issue until the last two episodes where in they do the typical cheesy dialogue happy ending. I mean why even bother making them dragons, it didn't add anything to the show. In fact the angle they are trying to take with the drama would have been easier to achieve with an orphan or a runaway.

Overall I have to say I disliked the show. It took me a while to complete it because of the ending drama always killing my enthusiasm for the next episode. The show starts off unique and fun and turns into a mess because it tries to become two different things, and doesn't manage becoming either of them. For those of you looking for humor and cute scenes, there are a few but it doesn't deliver them as well as many shows in that genre. for those of you looking for an emotional show with decent dialogue and weighty scenes, it doesn't give you those. Honestly I would not recommend this show to people who are not fans of slice of life shows.

TLDR: Not great. Theme switches early and becomes an episodic formula which is frankly boring. Usage of dragons doesn't seem to matter. Art and sound both fantastic, check out the soundtrack.

The parts about Kobayashi and Tohru are fantastic, the parts about Takiya and Fafnir are exceptional, and once Elma shows up, we get to learn a lot more about the genuinely interesting facets of the dragons and their world. So much of the slow work life and interpersonal relationships is top-tier work. The art is adorable and expressive, and when it cranks up the budget the action can get INCREDIBLE, enough to rival even top-tier shounen works.

It's a practically perfect show that I would happily rate as 11/10, but it VERY unfortunately gets brought down by the weird/creepy way the camera frames its child characters, ... and also Lucoa.

This anime has received generally quite positive feedback, but the issues that it contains are not ignored all in the same. While I do not believe this is a bad anime by any means, it is not too good of an anime either; overall, I have a fairly mixed opinion on this series.

(WARNING: May contain spoilers)

Art-
The art in this anime is quite bright and cute; but that being said, it isn't anything special. Really, this is to be expected of any slice of life series, so not much problem there. It is kinda fun watching the colourful cast of characters animate, but ... not more than that.

Overall Art Rating: 6

Story/Plotline-
The story follows a rather simple, everyday girl whom suddenly takes in a dragon maid; from there, the anime shows growth in the bond between Kobayashi and Tohru, following their everyday adventures. I admit the plot is kinda cute, but it's nothing special; then again, that is to be expected of your typical slice of life anime. It's enough to keep me entertained, but not much more than that. I don't really have too much to say on this.

Overall Story Rating: 4

Sound-
Again, sound is nothing special, but it's decent. Nothing particularly memorable or anything, and the opening isn't too good either.

Overall Sound Rating: 4

Character-
This is probably the main point of my review; for there are a lot of issues with the characters in this series. While some come across as cute and awfully likeable like Tohru, Elma and Fafnir, others like Lucoa were a huge problem. There was also Kanna, whom despite fitting into the same category as Tohru, got ridden with child pornography. That doesn't go to say that I don't like her character, but it was just too much; sure, her relationship with Saikawa was cute at first, but it kinda got out've hand. Kids, while they may show interest in each other in the form of crushes, should in no way be acting like that; and even if they did, it's definitely uncomfortable to watch on screen. I admit at times it was funny, but the majority differed. That is really a minor problem however when compared to the worst issue with this anime.

And that'd be Lucoa, as I'm sure most of you whom have watched this anime can guess. While she initially just starts as a slutty, fan-service character, that changes drastically over the duration of her screen time. What I thought was hints at potential depth was merely the very outer surface of her horrible character, in which is an utter and absolute pedophile. Sure, maybe if they joked about this a bit it would be fine, but when it gets to the point that she's attempting to sleep and bathe with a much younger boy in a sexual way, it's inexcusable. It's just really uncomfortable to watch with her wearing purposefully slutty outfits and then trying to be a companion towards Shouta in a frankly lewd way; similar to watching Saikawa and Kanna but much worse, it's incredibly uncomfortable watching pedophilia. For there is no other bond between the two apart from the sexual desires Lucoa has for Shouta- gee, the poor kid.

On the bright side of this anime however, I did really like the emphasis on homosexual relationships; it was really cute watching Fafnir and Takiya get along, as well as Tohru and Kobayashi. I also really like the general personalities of many of the characters, and in particular Fafnir who I can kinda relate to myself; so while it is overall pretty good, there are underlying issues within that.

Overall Character Rating: 7

Enjoyment-
Not much to say on this either; it's a slice of life anime, and it's fun and cute to watch. That being said, it's not overwhelmingly engaging or especially deserving of a positive review; but that doesn't go to say it's bad or anything. Thus I give a solid 5 on this one, for I have mixed feelings on it.

Overall Enjoyment Rating: 5

Overall-
If you like cute, fun slice of life anime, this is for you; but only if you can handle the discomfort that this series otherwise brings. I do believe it is overrated, but it's not so bad either.

Watching Kobayashi-san's Dragon Maid reminded me a lot of Manabi Straight!. They are both "moe anime" who try to do something different. Manabi Straight tried really hard to shoe-in some sort of environmental drama which just made the "cute girls doing cute things" not that fun to watch.

Meanwhile, Dragon Maid tries a lot of different things. At it's core its a slice-of-life, but it tries to do romance, ecchi, comedy and even some drama. At least for me, it was too much. This is not really a objective look into the series, more of my personal feelings about it.

So, you have this dragon who becomes ... the house maid of a lonely programmer. Then, hijinks ensues, right? Well, not really. Life stays pretty much the same, except the maid is always trying to make her master eat her tail. Some more dragons show up, but none feel right. Kanna is cute! So cute, I almost died of cuteness every time she showed up. But that's it. That's the entire depth of her characther. In a moe anime, this should be enough, but somehow it doesn't. Lucky Star's Tsukasa, Azumanga Daioh's Chiyo and more were all cute, but they also had a great deal of personality which made them great to watch for hours which Kanna lacks. Then you have the serious attractive male dragon who just decides he wants to be an otaku for the rest of the series and not much else. I'll always be greateful for Lucoa's because I'm sure she will be great on doujins, but in the series she felt out of place almost the entire time.

So you can see the pattern here, the series has a bunch of characters they can never make truly great. Their designs and voices are top notch(Where did Kyoto Animation ever let us down in this department) but the personalities are just not there.

If not for the amazing animation, music and character design I would have probably dropped before the end, which I did for Manabi Straight.

Spoilers ahead (after the first paragraph) because I don't know if I can explain some things without saying what they are.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid starts off as a cute and funny series, with situations dealing about living at home, having neighbors, moving out, etc. It also points out some anime themes that are dumb or unrealistic such as "anime maids are just cute and nothing else and tarnish the reputation of real maids who actually work really hard", like the author knows and don't want to be yet another generic anime, but at the same time really likes the idea of a dragon maid, or ... at least that's my interpretation. That is good, you do what you wanna do and try your best, while being generic is bad.

The problem starts about... episode 7 or so. It gets appalling and lacking? There's no interesting living at home/daily life stuff to deal with and the cliché slice of life episodes starts gushing out without any of the show's initial appeal. Dragon fights are boring because they don't really have a climax and everyone seem to have equal strength somehow. Characters get flanderized, that is, their entire character get reduced to a simple characteristic or catchphrase. Some characters don't really have any purpose to begin with (spoilers starts here).

Such is, when Elma comes to the human world to fight Tohru, whilst claiming they mustn't interfere with this world. She is aware that she cannot go back on her own. Basically she came here to have a dragon fight but she doesn't want to influence the place and cannot go back, and also despite saying that she is of equal strength with Tohru, it seems she knows she is weaker. She is also initially hungry and there goes most of her personality. It's not like she has a huge appetite like a shonen protagonist, it's just that food is her top priority in life. "I came here for food", "I heard food I must eat", "This food is the best (every food is the best)". The rest of her character is leaving her rack vulnerable to jiggles, as if Quetzalcoatl wasn't enough.

Seikawa starts off as your common alpha bitch/brat and you understand that she's just really bad at socializing but Kanna does not run away or respond in anger so they become friends and Seikawa wasn't really a bad person to begin with. I thought that was nice, but then Seikawa just gets instantly wet whenever Kanna say or does anything, sometime just being there is enough to turn her on. Dunno how it's funny.

Fafnir is initially a blunt and harsh reality to Tohru's dreamy new life. Then he finds himself a human he likes. It's interesting because he is potentially or at least partly right, but he comes to understand why Tohru was so dreamy and happy about. Then he starts speaking in third person and do out of character things like participating in a play or trying to sell to the humans he hate a manga he made about curses. The Fafnir that was initially introduced wouldn't give a damn about those things. He hates humans. He has no fuck to gives. He developed to like video games and one otaku human. After a while he likes anything as long as he is angry while doing it.

Speaking of the otaku guy, I found him confusing. Is he the same character as Kobayashi's colleague or another character entirely? They look very similar but act differently, you never see them both at the same time and at the first party, the colleague is invited and starts playing with Fafnir but later on he's just gone and the otaku is there playing with Fafnir???

Quetzalcoatl is initially a cool girl with the "unfortunate" appearance of a gorgeous woman which always causes her problems. It's not a bad idea to deal with fanservice while adding fanservice to the show. It's never explained how exactly what dragons look like in their human form aside from their clothes so I want to say hey it's not her fault if she's born with that body, but I dunno, never mind that because it's just hypothetical at his point. The problem with her comes in when there really is nothing to do with her after introduction so she because full-time blatant and gratuitous fanservice and she never catches on that bouncing her gigantic rack is indecent and makes some people uncomfortable.

For some reason she also takes pleasure in tormenting a kid and burying him under her breasts while she sleeps. The kids' non-existent parents also doesn't seem to mind their son sleeping and bathing with her. Initially the whole demon summoning ritual and the shota (who is actually named Shota) thinking she is a demon is funny, but it devolves to sexually abusing a child all the time. It's fine when it's a girl doing it I guess?

The other characters are fine, although sometimes Tohru's yandere traits become really strong, then go completely absent in one episode, then reappears in another episode, etc. and she almost kills Kobayashi with a beam once, which is really weird considering she's completely devoted and in love with her.

Then episode 12 when they show suddenly remembers it never showed us how Tohru and Kobayashi met, something I was wondering about since the first episode and really there was no reason to keep that part out for so long. Then Kobayashi is able to lift a giant sword from Tohru's wound for some reason? And Tohru's dreams are exactly the same as a random girl she met, which undermine Tohru's character. She wants to be a maid because a girl wanted to be a maid??

Then in episode 13 we really have no idea anymore, so here is a last minute plot. Apparently there's a war and Tohru needs to come back and her dad kidnaps her. Then Tohru comes back, her dad follows and say you must come, she says no, he says yes, Kobayashi says no, dad says fuck you and go away. What?! That's just stupid and out of nowhere. Sure we know there's some kind of dragon/human/monster society in another world and there are factions but if you're born in the chaos faction you have to be evil, born in the harmony faction you have to be good, etc. That's just boring and it would be best not to say anything because the unknown is better than bad idea.

Other than that the show is good, just stop watching when it starts getting boring for you because it's never going to be good again.

Okay so i don't usually write reviews but things have been bugging me for a while about this anime so i want to come back to it.

First i want to talk about a side of the community saying Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon is progress for Kyoani into the shoujo ai/yuri genre. It's completely false. Like most slice of life, comedy genre anime with a cast that is mostly made of girls there is some kind of shoujo ai vibe (Hibike Euphonium for example) but even if they somehow confess, hold hands, hug, look intensely in each others eyes there is no actual ROMANCE. ... Not that i'm complaining because i really enjoy these type of anime anyway but there is no damn progress at all. In the first few episodes Tooru and Kobayashi hold hands, now, what happened in the latest episodes/ova even after some kind of "confession"? They still hold hands! No progress, nothing changed.

Alright now that this is out of my rant let's move on.

I'm entering a super sensitive subject that most people will be mad about but the amount of creepiness and pedophilia in this anime is off the roof. And i'm actually making this review because it's really pissing me off to see people defending it and making it look like a joke. Let's start with the less sensitive subject.

The hypersexualization of Kanna & Riko in the anime is really really creepy. I said it's the less infuriating subject because they are actually both kids but two little girls getting into really weird situations/positions for 99% of their scenes together is just.. abnormal? Yes it happens often in anime but why are people even defending it? The all crush thing between them is really adorable but why did they have to sexualize every single little thing between them? It's just weird but now moving on to the pedophilia aspect.

Who even thought that a mature woman throwing her boobs into a little boys face for all the appearances they made in the anime is a good idea? The creepiest part is the community (not all of course but the comments i've seen so far are fucked up) defending this saying it's just "innocent hugs" and that it only look like this because she "have big boobs". It is clearly not innocent hugs, she sleeps on him, wanna give him her body, call him "straightforward" when he plays with her boobs in his sleep and make him uncomfortable so many times i lost count. It's called pedophilia she is doing it without his consent, and i'm tired of people saying this is some kind of kink because it is not! He is a young kid not a teenager getting on with a milf.

I'm being mostly negative about it because it happens so many times during the anime that it ruined it for me.

Now for the positive points, Kobayashi & Tooru relationship as well as Fafnir & Makoto are really the main reason this anime wasn't utter trash for me. There is also many heartwarming moments that made me smile in multiple occasions including cute family moments with Kanna.

For the art, as expected of Kyoani it was great. A really colorful palette, one of the best art wise that they did in my opinion.

I gave a 6/10, i was really torn at first because there was a lot of sweet moments that made me happy but in the end i can't overlook the really negative things that happened and made me really uncomfortable. I would say this anime is worth watching if you don't mind the weird aspects but i wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

Just giving a quick synopsis and my thoughts on each character cause the plot is non existent and i do not have the want or need to rewatch this. Kobayashi is cool, i really like her dynamic with tohru and i also have a weakness for alcoholic characters (that dont groom people). Tohru is sorta annoying at first from what i remember but she does get more bearable later on. Kanna is just cute, literally nothing else to say about her. Her friend is really annoying and i do not like her at all. Elma is extremely adorable and my favorite of the girls. I ... dont like shota, not as a character but only cause he’s in as a “adult woman basically molests male child and its funny cause ????” Now for the reason this show is a 5 for me instead of a 7 (neither are bad scores btw i only consider stuff below a 5 to be bad), lucoa. An absolutely unlikeable and overrated character, only liked cause big boobs are boobs i guess??? She makes every scene she is in uncomfortable beyond belief as her entire character is to just sexually harass shota (nice naming btw). Now onto the objectively best character, fafnir. He literally starts off as this just extremely edgy dude and then ends as an extremely edgy dude that also gets banned in every multiplayer game he touches cause he sends death threats and i love it. Nothing gets better than a gamer dragon that also sends death threats

What Feelings This Anime Farms:
Laughter - No
Ecchi Arousal - No
Unstoppable Push from Compelling Plot - No
Wholesomeness - Yes
Action Dopamine - Yes
Unstoppable Push to Keep Watching - Kinda but not really

The value package of Dragonmaid is its wholesomeness factor.

... The animation is great to listen to and watch.

______

Laughter - I did laugh a couple times, but I do not think that this is the main feeling you should be expecting to farm from Dragonmaid.

Ecchi Arousal - A couple of scenes made me aroused, but I do not think that this is the main feeling you should be expecting to farm from Dragonmaid.

Unstoppable Push from Compelling Plot - A couple plot points were compelling, but I do not think that this is the main feeling you should be expecting to farm from Dragonmaid.

Wholesomeness - I think this is the main feeling you should be expecting to farm from Dragonmaid.

Action Dopamine - The animation is great to listen and watch to, but I do not think this is the main feeling you should be expecting to farm from Dragonmaid. Instead, just treat this as a welcome surprise whenever it comes up.

Unstoppable Push to Keep Watching - I do not think you should expect Dragonmaid to grab you by the head and keep your eyes on the screen. Instead, I think you should expect yourself to do that.

______

Personal Review:
I love this show.

I love all these characters. I love watching them talk to each other. I love how much of a family they feel. I genuinely want to be with them.

This review also applies to Dragonmaid S.

I can easily describe this show by saying that it's a hybrid of Devil is a Part Timer and Non Non Biyori, while being worse than both.

The majority of the scenes are what one can describe as "comfy": neither interesting or exciting, but not annoying either. Non Non Biyori is exactly the same, but provides more visual appeal through gorgeously detailed and colored backgrounds. In Maid Dragon, the settings are generally much more bland. Both shows share their rare moments that are genuinely funny or endearing. But for the most part, it's boring; in an oddly tolerable and comfortable way. ...

The characters are also pretty similar, with one exception, Kanna, who is a without-a-doubt-copyright-infringing-carbon-copy of Renge. Generally lovable, kind of tropy, shallow and uninteresting, the cast of Maid Dragon does its job in delivering the gags or looking cute.

I mentioned Maou earlier because this show is also peppered with moments of pseudo parodic chuuni battles and other dragon-related action scenes. There's also the fact that most of the cast are almighty dragons from another world rather than mere earthlings, but who choose to live among people. Ring a bell? The execution of these elements is nowhere near as good as Maou's, though. The animation is pretty mediocre and the parodies are not exaggerated enough to have a real comical impact.

Yeah.. There's not much to say about this show because not much happens within it. And it's mostly things you've seen before. But it's not unpleasant, so have a watch if you've got some time to kill.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

I really have to admit this work was more entertaining than expected. Has a certain charm, bizarre and misleading humor, a Dark Souls reference, and yet relatively personable characters. I find this exaggerated and creative kind of humor particularly appealing, which goes beyond the usual normality. The implementation of this was also subtle.

This comedy is actually of higher quality than I expected and I would have liked to have rated it a bit higher in its genre, had it not been for a certain aspect that dragged the series down.

The screen time distribution. There were actually some characters (especially the big-chested dragon ... and the little boy) who were terribly boring and got more screen time than they needed to be. The only 4 characters that made a difference are the 3 protagonists and Fafnir, the best Dark Souls Casual ever.
This made the episodes unbalanced. On the one hand, there was a good joke now and then, on the other hand, the episodes often drifted off to the other characters. They didn't get baked a single joke scene. Also, this questionable elementary school student apparently felt enormously attracted to Kana, even if she only touched her skin. Is that some kind of Yuri in kindergarten? And god she had way too much screen time. Instead, you would have preferred to see more of the actual characters that could actually be funny.

In terms of the plot, absolutely nothing happened here. Only minimal attempts to expand the cast with the smallest possible backgrounds. Something event at the end, which wasn't particularly interesting either.

Musically, the Osts were at least appropriate and were able to support the comedy scenes accordingly. The intro was mostly average and not worth mentioning.


Dragon Maid is a good "comedy" and shouldn't be approached with any other expectation. There was a lot that could have been improved on this series, which could have made it much better.