Joy and Love in Daily Life

A review of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (2017-2022) by Coolkyosinnjya and Kyoto Animation

𓆩❤︎𓆪 Premise 𓆩❤︎𓆪

Miss Kobayashi, a deadpan office worker in Tokyo, tolerates her life well enough. She spends most of her days at the office or relaxing at home, and always enjoys a good drink in the evening. She even has a friend, her colleague Mr. Makoto Takiya, to rely on and chat with about their mutual interest in maid history.

One morning, Miss Kobayashi wakes up with a terrible hangover, and forgets what happened the night before. There is someone at the door of her apartment, and she sluggishly trudges over to answer it. There, she finds a strange young woman, with horns and a green, scaly tail, wearing an unmistakeable maid uniform. The woman introduces herself as Tohru, a dragon from a parallel universe, to whom Miss Kobayashi had drunkenly offered a job as a maid the previous night.

Tohru is instantly enamored with Miss Kobayashi, and overjoyed even when Miss Kobayashi reluctantly accepts her as her maid. At first, Tohru’s boundless energy, eagerness to please, and ignorance of human culture all exhaust Miss Kobayashi. But, as the two learn more about one another and their respective worlds, Miss Kobayashi begins to notice the beauty in her life and the people around her in a way that she never had before.

Throughout her time living with Tohru, Miss Kobayashi befriends other dragons who have immigrated to the human world. She learns about their life stories, leading her to consider her own experiences through a different lens. It’s troublesome for Miss Kobayashi to introduce dragons to human norms, all while balancing her own daily struggles. And yet somehow, she can’t help but feel as if the missing piece in her life has finally fallen into place.

𓆩❤︎𓆪 Reflection 𓆩❤︎𓆪

I first started watching Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid around four or five years ago, and completed the first season at that time. I originally (sadly) dropped the anime, because the second season was unavailable on my preferred subscription platform. This year, I finally rewatched it from start to finish. This turned out to be one of the most memorable slice of life anime I have watched. Its deep and down-to-earth thematic core contrasts the anime’s comedic front in a refreshing way.

𓆩♕𓆪 art

One of the strongest points of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is its simple yet memorable character designs. Even people haven’t watched this anime may recognize a character or two. The character Kanna especially has a distinctive design, evocative of her role as an innocent and curious dragon child. The facial expressions are tailored to each character, especially when exaggerated for comedic effect. One of my favorite examples is a gag associated with Takiya, where he appears with opaque glasses and buck teeth in some scenes to represent the nerdy side of his personality. Although most character designs are aligned with their respective characterizations, some are somewhat over the top in the fan service realm. Ilulu is one example of this. Her design and portrayal don’t seem fitting for her personality.

Not only does the art colorfully distinguish the characters, but the animation also succeeds in bringing them to life. It’s smooth throughout both seasons, and brings special attention to important moments. The emotional scenes in particular are engrossing to the point of evoking empathy with the characters. The fight scenes are detailed and add to the anime’s playful atmosphere.

𓆩♕𓆪 Characters

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid offers an effective exploration of humanity, since the majority of the cast are dragons learning to assimilate into human culture for the first time. The characters are all ignorant, sometimes willfully, of how to be human. The charm point of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is watching how all the dragons find their place in human society, and how Miss Kobayashi gains a new perspective on human life.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid depicts the dragons’ adaptation to human society through their interactions with human characters. Miss Kobayashi’s relationship with Tohru, for example is central to the anime’s theme. As they grow closer, Miss Kobayashi begins to notice how Tohru enjoys the novelty of human life. Eventually, she learns how to relish even the smallest moments. Although Tohru’s romantic advances annoy her at first, she realizes that her life, once merely tolerable, is more fun with Tohru by her side.

The relationship between the Fafnir and Takiya is a more secondary but also interesting part of the story. Fafnir is a dragon with prejudice against humans and a foul temper. He takes a liking to comics and video games after coming to the human world. Eventually, he moves in with Takiya, whose apartment is a palace for comic and game fanatics. Even despite Fafnir’s initial coldness to him, Takiya plays games with him, invites him out, and treats him as a brother. It’s touching to watch the two men grow closer through their hobbies, in spite of their different personalities.

The character relationship that causes some controversy among viewers is that of Lucoa and Shouta. Lucoa is an older female dragon, who is laid back and only pursues her own pleasure (sometimes violating sexual taboos in the process). She has even been persecuted in her own world for these reasons. Shouta is a human child in a bloodline of mages, who unintentionally summons Lucoa into the human world. Lucoa makes flirtatious advances towards him throughout the anime. Scenes involving the two of them are intended to be comical, but naturally make some viewers uncomfortable due to the subject matter. My impression was that although it was exaggerated and hard to watch, it was appropriate for the purpose of characterizing Lucoa. If she didn’t follow sexual norms in the dragon world, it would only make sense that she would continue to act that way among humans.

𓆩♕𓆪 execution

Just as it was intended, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid tells a heartwarming story while also staying lighthearted most of the way through. The execution of the premise is good, with a few minor drawbacks. With regards to the pacing, there are no issues. The interplay of slice-of-life episodes and story-focused ones makes the anime feel lifelike. The story episodes aren’t rushed, and are deeply immersive.

The comedy, on the other hand, has many positive aspects but also some weak points. Seeing someone as cool-headed as Miss Kobayashi struggle to make the dragons behave themselves is particularly fun to watch. My favorite comedic moment from early in the series is when Tohru calls Lucoa and Fafnir on Miss Kobayashi’s telephone to ask for advice on a human issue, only to receive unsuitable responses from both of them. Although the humor is engaging overall, it’s repetitive at times. Most characters have a signature gag, for example, Elma’s gluttony or Saikawa’s lovestruck expressions. It’s a creative idea in theory, but because of it, the same gags are recycled throughout the series. Attributing multiple signature gags to each character may create more interest, while preserving the characters’ uniqueness.

𓆩♕𓆪 theme

The theme of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is one of, if not the most prominent reason why it’s so memorable. Found family and overcoming loneliness are central ideas in this anime. Since the cast is especially diverse, watching them come together and develop close relationships is a cozy feeling that lingers long after watching. The usage of non-human characters adapting to a human environment makes the theme of appreciating mundane experiences hit even harder. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is a story about simple joy, and the strength of love in every form.

𓆩♕𓆪 conclusion

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is an anime that feels like an empathetic journey. The combination of the interesting cast, artistic detail, and thematic expression make for an effective slice-of-life title. If you’re looking for an anime that is amusing on the surface with an emotional underbelly, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid might be the right choice.

˗ˋˏ$ˎˊ˗ Watch Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid here! Outside of the United States or Canada, this anime may be available on a different platform.

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