Review of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S

Four years ago, if you told me Season 2 of Kobayashi was somehow even better than the first, I would’ve thought you’re crazy, especially with a Kyoto Animation that no longer has Yamada OR Takemoto! I mean, Season 1 was pretty much perfect in every way, and I thought themes were already so well-explored that there’s no way a sequel could live up to that quality. Boy, was I wrong, because Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon S blew me away! It’s rare to come across an anime that’s this pandering to my taste, but I am so glad I get to indulge once more in thesucculent goodness of this cloyingly adorable show of found family.

But before I even talk about the profuse comfort I feel from the show’s overall narrative, I absolutely MUST talk about the prepossessing, utterly stunning animation! Even without 2 of their best directors, KyoAni still has one of the absolute most talented staff in the industry. They only work on a small handful of projects a year, but they pour so much love and heart into each and every one of those projects, and it really, REALLY shows. What’s even more impressive is that they somehow keep improving from one project to the next, taking all of what they’ve learned from the previous project and building upon it. It’s so exciting just to see what they’re going to do next, and the moment that OP played in the first episode, I had quite a euphoric eureka experience. The way each shot zooms into each character in this high-acceleration way, only to transition to the next character, looks EXACTLY like Nichijou. Not only that, but it looks so much better than it too! Nichijou had characters mostly still, or doing simple motion, but Maid Dragon took it a step further and made each shot have amazingly complex character animation alongside the zooms to create such a remarkable display of talent. Then I looked up that Ishihara, director of Nichijou, is directing this project, and it made me SO excited for no reason. Fast forward 10 minutes, and then we get one of, if not, THE most impressive energy blasts I’ve ever seen in the past 10 years I’ve been watching anime. Witnessing that for the first time had me floored and outright flabbergasted by just how incredible the animation is (I need to find out the animator responsible after this review). Even just the way each character moves looks spectacular. I remember, towards the end of episode 2, the way Tohru jumps between Kobayashi and Ilulu, the way her dress spins around in a circle, the way she randomly throws a peace sign in front of her eyes, the way wildly flails her arms, and that amusing expression she has on her face, it all adds up to such a delightful experience. This is a sakuga nut’s wet dream. I seriously can’t stop gushing about the animation because it’s just that good! I couldn’t tell you how many times I hit that left arrow just to rewatch a clip. In this audiovisual medium, the animation is the most important aspect of a show. You can have a story by reading a book or watching a Hollywood movie, but you’re not going to get stellar animation. For me, animation has LIMITLESS potential, because you’re not bound by reality like you are in live-action. So, it’s baffling to me that so many studios don’t take full advantage of the medium. So many anime has the same cookie-cutter look, and here we have KyoAni just flexing on everyone. And that’s just the surface!

Beyond that shiny surface is an unexpectedly down-to-earth portrayal of found family. Each and every relationship is awkwardly intimate in its own amusing way, but they instill a profound feeling of warmth and comfort for one another. It’s that sense of acceptance and welcoming that makes the show feel so unabashedly genuine. It feels as though, no matter who you are or where you’re from, whether you’re a nutcase on the street who wants to destroy the city or an adorable loli who needs some affection, there will always be someone who can accept you for who you are and welcome you with open arms. Even if you don’t have a home yet, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a home waiting for you, and that sentiment is just so sweet. Dragons represent those “weirdos” who believe they don’t fit in with society, that they must ostracize themselves from the rest of the world because they’re just too “different” or some bullshit like that. They claim to be independent when really, they just need the comfort of a friend just as anyone else would. I really appreciate how shamelessly forthright the show is with its fetishes. Every dragon has balloon tiddies, aside from Kanna and Fafnir (for obvious reasons). While I’m not into that myself, considering the show’s themes of acceptance, I quite admire the confidence to include this in the show. This season, we’re introduced to a new red-haired dragon, and she’s both a loli AND big-titted. It looks goofy as hell, and I love it. KyoAni has a reputation for subdued fanservice, so I’m glad they didn’t hold back in a lot of these ecchi scenes, because it isn’t totally vapid. It’s a strangely taboo subject matter, but sexuality plays a major part in one’s life, and many people have been shunned for their odd preferences. Allowing Maid Dragon to explore this near-universal aspect of one’s life only adds to its already thematically rich narrative. Also, it’s just great comedy. Having most of the cast be world-ending fish-out-of-water dragons adds a unique slant to an otherwise tired genre. I mean, epic action scenes have no business being in a slice-of-life, and yet it’s some of the best I’ve ever seen.

So yea, if I haven’t made it clear yet, I love Maid Dragon. Just watching these characters interact and finding solace within one another fills me up with so much joy. And the way the show just sprinkles in brief nuggets of wisdom makes it all the more reassuring. And above all, it gives me hope, hope that I will one day be able to find my own home and create my own family, and also hope that great anime like this will continue to be made.

Thanks for reading!