DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ComedyKobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon
OVA ComedyKobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon: Valentine, Soshite Onsen! (Amari Kitai Shinaide Kudasai)
ONA ComedyKobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon S: Mini Dra
SPECIAL ComedyKobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon S: Mini Dra EX
OVA ComedyKobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon S: Nippon no Omotenashi (Attend wa Dragon desu)

REVIEWS

• 

  AnimeDweeb

  80/100
  CHU CHU YEAH: A Roarin' Good Time!

  #Was I praying for a second season of *Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid* ? Nah.

  Look. Before you break out the pitchforks, please believe that this is coming from a fan who adored S1. For all the wholesome happiness Dragon Maid (DM for short) doled out back in 2017, I wasn't exactly clamoring for a sequel. Unlike countless one-season wonders that are crying for an anime follow-up to this day, DM didn't strike my skeptic self as the type of show that would either benefit from a continuation or significantly build upon the status quo.

  Oh, how wrong I was.

  Having completed this series' spectacular sophomore outing, I'm pleased to report that it's a worthy instalment for the franchise. S2 came not only with the realization of just how much I've missed DM, but also with surprising improvements. This sequel is one for both the skeptics and those dearly in need for some fun this anime season. The following review is spoiler-free, with a Tl;Dr if you'd like to go in blind. With that out of the way, let's come together and discover what "maid" this season so dang special.

  ---

  #The dragon gang's all here, as if they'd never left.

  The series premiere sets us right on-track with one of the funniest meta sketches yet, as everyone's favorite maid^ Lady Tohru finds herself taking her services to a Japanese maid café! The familiar fun doesn't stop there, with the rest of the cast in full swing. Kanna continues to redefine cuteness with her many playful childhood adventures, often accompanied by a lovestruck Saikawa. Meanwhile in the working world, Elma the sweet-tooth learns more and more about the worklife crunch of a middle class office worker. Takiya helps with her taxing load as a reliable colleague by day, before grinding out MMORPGs as a full-blown otaku by night, alongside the sullen NEET Fafnir. And lest we forget, our flirtatious Lucoa is still doing all sorts of unspeakable things to her beloved Shouta-kun, an eager mage-in-training. Finally, at the beating heart of this lovable community is Miss Kobayashi, a kindhearted dragon ambassador with an achy back and a knack for reaching out to her friends in need. Her affinity for booze is only matched by that of sharing thoughtful advice as a mentor for our scaly pals.

  #Things seemed the same as they have ever been.

  S2 simply maintaining the series' trademarks of great comedy and wholesome joy would already have been cause for celebration. If S2's episodes were just Tohru trying to feed Kobayashi her tail for 20 minutes, you can bet that I'd still be happy to laugh along each week. The lively, likable goofballs of DM had won me over long ago, so just watching their daily lives play out would have been enough to satisfy my SoL cravings. But to my surprise, S2 seemed intent on taking its entertaining formula to new heights. Take, for example, the introduction of a brand new cast member: the fiery Chaos Dragon Ilulu. Her backstory is sobering stuff, and her arrival draws some parallels to how Tohru's second life on earth got off the ground. The developments didn't stop there, as DM continued to spread its wings in new directions. I found myself taken aback by how much of S2 built upon the simple gags and sketches I'd grown accustomed to. S2 offers a great deal of thoughtful character maturity hand-in-hand with hilarious childlike shenanigans. In order to explain where DM's growth comes from, we need to go back to the roots of this series' simple success.

  #DM celebrates the fun of discovery and unity.

  S1 achieves this goal through the charming interactions between dragons and humans. For eons, these ditzy dragons have observed our human world from a distance. Now that they're finally able to experience our lives firsthand, the dragons embrace our mundane day-to-day activities with excitement and curiosity. Most of S1 is dedicated to these dysfunctional dragons settling into their new lives. The comedy and cuteness that ensues from our dragons' hijinks stems from them setting aside their differences. Getting together in harmony can be a wonderful exchange, allowing all from different walks of life to learn new things and foster new bonds. DM's many moe elements and comfy vibes further demonstrate how fun and rewarding this cultural experience can be. This solid, sweet foundation can still be seen and enjoyed throughout S2. However, this sequel doesn't shy away from broadening its horizons in unexpected ways.

  #S2 shifts focus from the dragons' pleasant present experiences to their lives in the past.

  Shocking truths and revelatory origins of our friends come to light, through various flashbacks that deviate from DM's typical tone and fluff. From these glimpses into the distant past, we're introduced to unfamiliar versions of our fire-breathing friends. Viewers will get a glimpse of what it's like to be a dragon, and where their selfish way of life differs from ours. At the same time, these origin stories tell us that maybe Tohru and the gang haven't changed that much at all. Perhaps they've always sought to see the world in a new light - to be kind, to be happy, to be loved. Perhaps the human world was a gateway to finally meeting those desires.

  #Here on Earth, a second shot at life presents our dragons with opportunities not possible in their previous realm.

  Before, these mythical creatures were content with isolation and chose to avoid the trivial activities of lesser beings. Now, having kept their horns hidden, our friends can fully explore what it means to be a part of a community, with shared struggles and relationships. Finally, these age-old beings can embrace simple innocence, and find all kinds of fun with friends and loved ones. For the first time, our dragons get to learn the meaning of selflessness, and how to act for the wellbeing of others. And let's not forget Kobayashi's end of things as well, as she muses over her own new life as a role model (and love interest) for our dragons. S2 portrays these brief arcs brilliantly, in ways that are both hilarious and heartwarming. Viewers get to live vicariously through the wholesome antics of the dragons, in large part thanks to Kyoto Animation's immaculate attention to detail. Seriously, they've outdone themselves once more with this one. There's no reason why a Slice-of-Life show should wind up being a legitimate contender for prettiest anime of the year, let alone contain stunning action cuts that put proper shounen seasonals to shame in the visual department^^. This season is sensational; probably the only downside I can propose is that of sequels in general. DM is still going to have moments that fall into "moe -blob" territory, and risqué jokes featuring Saikawa and Lucoa are still bound to raise a few eyebrows. This sequel is a sizable step-up over what came before, but shouldn't be expected to change the minds of those who dislike the first season. But as for the rest of us existing DM enjoyers, we can rest easy in knowing that S2 has deepened its already-enriching experience, on both a thematic and emotional level. Truly, a must-see sequel.

  ---

  #**Tl;Dr**:

  Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has always been about experiencing new things, and it's only fitting that S2 follows suit. In its absence the show we know and love has become bolder, tackling familiar SoL topics with a measure of character growth that's sure to resonate with viewers. S2 isn't afraid to stray from its sketch show formula, introducing flashbacks which showcase how much our dragons have grown. Of course, the series' trademark comedy makes a welcome return, embracing innocence and community with a leisurely atmosphere. Hilarious and wholesome in equal measure, Dragon Maid is back, and better than ever. 8/10~

  ---

  #STRAY RAMBLINGS (**SPOILERS**):

  • ^Sorry, Georgie. You did scare the shit out of me when you started showing up at several places at once.
  • ^^The fantastic animation quality is made way more impressive given that many key staff members were youngsters. Due to recent events, KyoAni being shortstaffed on talent was a serious possibility. Putting their trust in youngsters for some truly phenomenal cuts and visual choices just makes me love this awesome studio that much more. This production model bodes really well, and I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled for the kind of sakuga talent that'll bloom from this youth development in the years to come.
  • THE. KANNA. EPISODE. IN. NYC. GAVE. ME. DIABETES.
  • I think Elma's workplace story in Ep 9 doesn't get enough credit. I'm really surprised at how the sketch played out, given how unassuming Kobayashi's office culture must have been to a local audience. The things Elma were stressing over are practically non-issues over in Japan. Work culture is known to prioritise the company over the individual, to the point where workers feel bad about using mandatory annual leave. Plus, Elma's "lobbying" for workplace reform marks the rare occasion where the dragons challenge the human way of doing things. It was a pretty profound statement really, all while being a lighthearted watch at the expense of Elma's tremendous efforts.
  • S1's OP & ED are the better of the franchise's pair IMO, but I'm not complaining about what we got here. fhána's hook is unstoppable. SING ALONG, PAPARAPAPA...
  • BEST GIRL: Strictly in a waifu sense, Lucoa can get it. But how can I not shoutout Kanna for being so damn adorable from start to finish? AHHHHH~

  

  ---

  

  Thanks for joining me on this quick read! Now if you'll excuse me, watching Elma eat candies has got me craving for dessert. As if this show wasn't sweet enough as is! If you happen to like my verbose rants, feel free to check out my other reviews for seasons past and present. I also frequently post writeups under my list updates, so definitely take a peek if you'd like to see me mald over anime as they hit the airwaves. Peace~

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Magenta

  93/100
  Welcome Back KyoAni! And what a heartfelt, hillarious, and profound return it was.

  This review contains no spoilers

  My main opinion of the first season of Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid was that it was good, and possibly great even, but it didn’t show true mastery over what it did. I still stand by that opinion firmly. It has all of the elements of a great slice of life all the way through, but I felt that a lot of what it did was done better at least somewhere else. That is not to mention that all ecchi parts were a bit of a mixed bag. Still, though it was good fun that was especially aided by the Kyoto Animation’s golden touch. However, the wait for the sequel turned from more of a sense of hype to one of general emotion. Even though the tragic events of the arson attack on KyoAni’s Studio 1 building happened over two years ago at this point, it still somewhat feels like a surreal event. It sticks to my mind to this day due to how even in the current year, and probably will when it fades from the general consciousness of most of the anime community. Even though Dragon Maid wasn’t my favorite KyoAni property, it now meant something truly larger. A lot of the wait became more of a wait of an old friend finally coming home. Something familiar to all of us on our television or computer screens that once brought us joy was finally coming back. Even if Dragon Maid S was just okay or even sub-par, we would all probably still forgive it just on the fact that it just represented KyoAni’s return to TV. It didn’t have to be in the upper echelons of their catalog for it to mean something. However, even although it would’ve been well-received either way, the team at Kyoto Animation managed to pull off something truly beautiful. You know when I said that Dragon Maid didn’t have proper mastery of everything it tried to do? Well, this second season was about to flip my narrative of the show completely on its head.

  

  From the get-go, Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’s two main characters, Kobayashi and Tohru are like a match made in heaven. Even with the introductions of their personalities in the first episode, the two of them make for an incredible comedic duo. They foil each other in a remarkable sense. The idea of “opposites attracting” comes into full swing here. Seeing an eccentric mythical being head over heels for an ordinary office worker is just plain fun a lot of the time. The two’s chemistry with each other allows the show to be more reliably funny, as a lot of the comedy is centered around the characters rather than the situations. Since the bulk of the series follows these two, it allows nearly every segment primarily featuring the two of them to flourish. While this combination of personalities leads to incredible comedic potential, it also leads to incredible dramatic potential. Even if it isn’t at the forefront of the series a lot of the time, it is as integral to what makes Dragon Maid work as its comedy. While the obvious differences between Kobayashi and Tohru are in their personalities, the direction that their character arcs go in is completely different. Kobayashi lived a mundane life, but the introduction of Tohru brought excitement and wonder to her lifestyle. On the contrary, Tohru lived a chaotic life, but the introduction of Kobayashi in her life brought new peace and tranquility. While the directions that these two characters go in are completely different, they each end in the same place. In many ways, they complete each other. Like yin and yang, Kobayashi and Tohru are the two halves that make the whole of Dragon Maid.

  This is the main formula that makes Dragon Maid work, and the first and most of the second season have more or less the same approach to frame this relationship in the story. In the first season, the dramatic elements are nearly all used for heartwarming moments at the end of a segment. This is a common hallmark of slice of life series of this nature since their premises are so down to earth that heartwarming moments are one of the only ways to squeeze dramatic value out of the series. Most of the second season has the same approach, and it still works very well here. There is a common theme around slice of life shows of this nature. Since the characters grow on the audience throughout the series, the second season is usually better than the first just on the fact that the viewer is usually far more attached to the characters and is way more invested in their antics. This applies to the second season as well, but Dragon Maid S takes it an extra step. There are many segments where the comedy takes a backseat, and character development is the primary focus. In a comedy/slice of life series like this one, the changes to the writing don’t feel jarring due to the serious segments just building off of what the comedic parts built up in the background. To even further compliment these moments, there are also moments of very interesting philosophy explored through these moments. Part of the reason why Dragon Maid S works so much better than its predecessors is owed to the presence of moments that lack comedy.

  While the main duo was always what made Dragon Maid as special as it was, things start to get a bit more mixed when transitioning over to the side characters. Kanna is probably the character that gets the most screen time besides Kobayashi and Tohru. While not as deep as the two of them, Kanna’s ventures to figure out the human world around her are very entertaining. She exemplifies childhood wonder in a way that is very hard to replicate. The new side character, Illulu, is probably my favorite side character in this show. Her arc near the beginning of the series perfectly fits in with the general themes that the relationship of Kobayashi and Tohru set up. For the few episodes where she is the focus, she manages to be a perfect counterpart for both Kobayashi and Tohru. Illulu’s place in the story is completely natural in the grander arcs of Kobayashi and Tohru. This is the same with Elma, being instrumental to the growth of Tohru while just being an entertaining goofball in her own right. I don’t particularly find myself that attached to Fafnir and Takiya, even though I do still enjoy them when they are on screen. However, the two side characters that are the biggest stains on this otherwise beautiful picture are Saikawa, Lucoa, and Shouta. Saikawa is a singular joke on a broken record. She marvels at how Kanna is cute with the same face all the time, and it got completely old after the second time. The subplot with Lucoa and Shouta… is problematic. I don’t really want to mull on it since it makes me uncomfortable to think about, but the people who know what it is about these two know what I am talking about. This is the first season of Dragon Maid’s largest problem, and Season 2 more so leaves the bad side characters in the background rather than fixing anything about them. This was probably my biggest disappointment with Season 2, since leaving it in the background doesn’t exactly solve anything. Still, though the bulk of the side characters are entertaining but not as good as characters as Kobayashi or Tohru.

  

  this image shows this problems that i had with lucoa and shouta’s plot line, but i censored everything that makes me uncomfortable

  In terms of my biggest surprise, this series actually has some of the best action scenes all year. Kyoto Animation was never a shounen studio. They specialize in slice of life, and they are pretty good at bringing them to life. The first season did have action scenes, but they weren’t prominent enough to be memorable. With the action scenes in the second season on the other hand, what the fuck. To be honest, I am not exactly the biggest fan of battle shounen, take one look at my anime list to figure that out, but the action scenes and their animation of Dragon Maid blow my mind. Unlike with story or characters, I really can’t put into words why the animation of the second season is good, but I don’t really think it takes any analysis to see why it hits it out of the park. Kyoto Animation is just flexing their muscles at a time when they would be forgiven for not doing so. However, Dragon Maid’s action scenes go even further than just good animation. Since most of the series focuses on slice of life shenanigans, the few action scenes that are there are placed very purposefully. They either progress character development or the story when there are no better methods to do so. With the moments of action so sparse, it makes it far more rewarding when one comes up compared to a battle shounen with fights nearly every episode. If you told me a few months ago that Dragon Maid S would be the best action series of 2021, I wouldn’t believe you, but now I think it blows everything else out of the water.

  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  Out of any anime studio that exists, Kyoto Animation has a stranglehold on most of our hearts like no other. Dragon Maid S is a perfect encapsulation of why they are so special. It is a fun slice of life series with sprinkles of action with a lot of deep philosophy under the hood. It is as fun as it is deep. For a return of a studio after such tragic events unfolded, their return didn’t need to be a kick in the door like this. It didn’t have to have amazing animation. It didn’t have to break new ground. It didn’t even really have to be good just because we would be thankful that KyoAni is back. However, Dragon Maid S manages to rank as one of the studio’s best in circumstances that truly boggle the mind. Because of the effort put in by the ones behind the scenes, Dragon Maid S managed to be one of the bright spots of this year for me. And to be frank, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  ---

  Thank you for reading to the end of the review if you did. If you have any criticisms of how this review was made, you are free to message me or reply to this activity to critique what I had to say.

  Also, please don’t like or dislike the review without reading it.

  And most importantly, rest in peace to all at KyoAni that had their lives cut short. Thank you for the work that touched me and many others in their lives. You will forever be missed.

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• 

  Sirion

  93/100
  A fantastic slice of life of friendship and love, even more heart-warming than the first season

  A FANTASTIC SLICE OF LIFE OF FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE, EVEN MORE HEART-WARMING THAN THE FIRST SEASON

  
  </center>___MINOR SPOILERS___<center>
  It certainly cannot be said that this year's summer season has reserved for us particular works, or at least not like the 2 previous seasons but if there is an anime that I believe has really risen in this sea of ​​normality, that is Miss. Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, the latest work by Kyoto Animation and the first after the fire that hit the studio some time ago. 
  ______________
  __PLOT__
  Being a slice of life, the plot has no real objective other than to tell the daily life events of Kobayashi, Tohru, Kanna and friends. From the point of view of the basic concept, the anime does not seem to deviate that much from the first season. I actually noticed a much more particular type of storytelling and much more emotionally focused than the previous season, that was more focused on comedy. From this point of view there has been an enormous growth of the work in the use of the characters. In fact, these 12 episodes are sorted perfectly on all the "secondary" characters of the series, from Lucoa (and Shouta) to Fafnir (and Takiya), from Elma (authentic star of this part) to the new characters Ilulu and Take. All this without obviously forgetting the events concerning the protagonists. 
  </center><center>
  </center><img width='1000' src='https://i.imgur.com/p80h3G4.png'><center>
  _________________
  __CHARACTERS__
  So I take advantage of this speech to deepen the question of the characters, who, as already mentioned, have been much better valued. I start immediately with the hot topics, by congratulating on how the relationship between Kobayashi and Tohru has been made even more exciting. There was actually a risk that we could fall into repetition after the first season but I'm very happy that it didn't. Also really positive is the plus that has been given to Kanna and Saikawa, who continue in their mission to bring tons of tenderness to any of their scenes. 
  </center><center>
  </center><img width='1000' src='https://i.imgur.com/8UtVrEf.png'><center>
  </center><center>
  Closed the (short) paragraph on the protagonists, the scene this time the secondary characters took it out, while Lucoa and Fafnir were given that extra screentime so that they could be characterized even better, obviously both in relation to their human counterparts, I believe that the real star of this season was the one who has no human counterpart, or at least not one dedicated only to herself. Of course, I'm talking about Elma, Tohru's eternal friend/enemy. Friend/enemy because we had the pleasure of witnessing all the past regarding her and Tohru, what relationship they were in and how that relationship has evolved over time until reaching a situation of hatred in the present. Hatred that actually hides a magnificent friendship between the 2 as episode 9 (the best of the season) was able to tell us with that fight in the episode finale. In addition to the screentime dedicated to her friendship with Tohru, we also have other moments of Elma more focused on herself and her relationship with Kobayashi, which instead tell very well the evolution of her relationship with human beings in general.
  In closing, a note of merit should also be made to the new entry Ilulu (and her partner Take) who managed to bring further plot ideas, such as her past (which particularly moved me) and her acclimatization in the human world. 
  </center><center>
  </center><img width='1000' src='https://i.imgur.com/GA86Hrg.png'><center>
  ________________
  __ART/ANIMATIONS__
  Praise to Kyoto Animation, absolute king of animations and undisputed lord of special effects. Praise aside, KyoAni's work does nothing but raise an already beautiful work of its own to the nth degree, that with this level of graphics makes the whole story even more exciting and cheerful. Stunning character designs, top-level boards and a fighting quality that is the envy of 99% of battle shonen do nothing but confirm the level that the studio has reached in recent years, despite a terrible fire that has hit the headquarters and which prevented the world from witnessing their other works for a time that seemed infinite.
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  _______________
  __MUSIC__
  Opening and Ending very catchy like those of the first season, if not better. OST always on the piece even without leading to any particular masterpiece.
  ___________________
  __CONCLUSION__
  In conclusion, I underline how Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid was (at least from my point of view) clearly the best anime of the season and one of the best of the year, with her great ability to be able to excite with this ease in a story that shouldn't be anything but a slice of life and instead always leads to something deeper.
  </center><center>
  </center><img width='1000' src='https://i.imgur.com/SQqJEHT.png'><center>
  </center>_Thank You Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid  
      Thank You Kyoto Animation_~~~
  
  EDIT: Sorry for the mistake about the KyoAni incident, I apologize for the wrong information that I previously provided :(

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