Review of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S
I got into Dragon Maid recently, expecting a blob of moe trash. I'm not too hot on series like K-On or Love Live, and at first, I thought Dragon Maid was just a fantasy version of CGDCT minus any music or sport/activity to draw me in. Boy, was I wrong. Story: 8/10 Underneath the vibrant comedy and titty jokes, there's a heavy subplot. The cast is bright and quirky on the surface, but we see glimpses into each of their backstories, which are darker in contrast to the genre itself. Everytime it gets too serious, we're given a punchline - this is actually perfect, as it createssubversive jokes, brings us back to the bright and comedic surface, and shows us how the characters cope with some of their heavier emotions. Additionally, the world building is amazing because of how little we know - there's an air of fantasy and mystery, simply because we don't see much of Tohru's fantasy dimension. Dragon powers are never thoroughly explained, and neither is the world they came from. This is what brilliant writing looks like - we gradually learn that the world has layers and depth, without any exposition dumps - and all this for a comedic setup that doesn't require any of that! Writers definitely went above and beyond in telling Dragon Maid's story, and I appreciate it.
Art: 7.5/10
The art gave an appropriate vibe for the series. It was cutesy and cartoonish, with greatly exaggerated proportions fitting for comedy series. It reminded me of Nichijou, but with prettier lighting. I'm personally not a fan of this type of art, and the oversized boobs are off-putting at times - however, it's pretty and serves its purpose. But there is one thing I want to emphasize:
THE BEST PART about these character designs is definitely THE EYES. They're incredibly detailed, and scream "dragon". Lucuoa's eyes make her feel mysterious, like there's hidden wisdom and power beneath her quirky demeanor. Fafnir's eyes are aggressive. Tohru and Elma's are bright and still reptilian. In their dragon forms, you also see the reptilian second eyelid... it's these kinds of details that bring so much life into this Slice of Life, despite the outrageous and fantastical setting. As expected from KyoAni.
Sound: 7/10
The OPs and EDs are a bop - 10/10, only skipped them once or twice. They're fun, upbeat, and perfectly capture what the series is about. However, the OST we hear during the anime could be improved on - the main sad/serious theme that plays during the heavier themes isn't very subtle, and kind of takes away from the feel of the series. That being said, it's not bad either, and does what it needs to do. Nothing special, but I can confidently say that it's fine.
Character: 9/10
I came in with such low standards for the characters, expecting some shallow, one-dimensional CGDCT cast. And I was blown out of the water. However, this huge cast of ~4 major and ~6 supporting characters are each memorable, well-balanced, and unique when compared to each other. Each have their own backstory and motivations, so it's not like their personalities are unexplained. Each explore the morality and purpose of coexistence between Dragons and Humans, which creates a thick subtext where the characters are actually talking about their relationships with each other. This is what made me grow so attached to them - there's no way I would think an anime with a title like Dragon Maid would discuss deeper topics than "hurr durr life is fun", and I was pleasantly proven wrong.
Even the miniscule details in character development are cool to see - Shouta offers a small magic crystal for a favour, and later in the series receives a larger magic crystal for a favour. Kanna usually eats everything, but at the end you see her catching and releasing something. Saikawa slowly learns how to put a lid on her outbursts of excitement, etc. Everyone develops, and that's something I barely see in most anime today.
Enjoyment: 8.5/10
I started with a cynical attitude about the quality of this series, but quickly learned that there was so much more to this anime than meets the eye. This, my children, is how I was tricked into gushing over the cuteness of humanoid lesbian dragons, as a person who hates fanboying over 2D characters unironically. Also, I usually watch anime on 1.5 to 2x speed, since most anime aren't worth taking it slow. I just want to see the story and get it over with. Dragon Maid was different - I actually wanted to enjoy this series at a normal speed, which is kudos to KyoAni's rhythm and pacing. At worst, I'd watch some episodes on 1.5x.
Overall: 8.3/10. I'd say the current MAL score of 8.46 is pretty accurate. As a sequel, Dragon Maid S definitely added on to the first season and made it even better - which is actually uncommon for KyoAni works.