Review of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S

In February 2019, a sequel series was announced for the hit anime Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, a mashup of isekai fantasy, comedy, and slice-of-life with solid themes of family and society. The premise almost reads like an otaku wishlist: What if a dragon turned into a buxom maid and lived in modern Japan? The answer, of course, is a lot of slapstick, boob jiggle, and Kobayashi talking sense into all-powerful mythical beasts. Then on July of that year, the main office of Kyoto Animation was attacked, killing the director, Yasuhiro Takemoto, among several others, in the middle of what was presumably preproduction. It could not have been easyto pick up the pieces of the preproduction work and see it through to broadcast, even with a month or two hiatus and a worldwide outpouring of support. But you get the sense that Kyoto Animation wanted to accomplish two things with this production: First, to bring the laughter and tears of good entertainment to everyone who suffered loss (particularly poignant considering the outbreak of the global pandemic less than a year after the attack), and second, to memorialize those lost in that incident.

Not only did KyoAni succeed in both objectives, they delivered a production that raised the bar. I have to agree with many comments online that the fight scenes in this show easily outclass those from many action anime. The soundtrack expands on the mostly light-hearted music from season 1 to include epic battle themes and the kingdoms in the dragons' world, and the manga was followed pretty much dead-on but with the visual touch that only this studio can bring. This is the pinnacle of professionalism and perseverance in the aftermath of such tragic loss.

Tatsuya Ishihara was brought on as director, and since he's directed Nichijou, Haruhi, and Clannad, I'd say he's the best guy for the task, and the results speak for themselves.