Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Your everyday, casual life can suddenly take a 180-degree turn with the appearance of just one individual. We meet hundreds of people on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, depending on our lifestyles, but some people are special, and you may know it the second you lay your eyes on them. The realization may hit later, but they really know how to stir up an otherwise uneventful life into a rollercoaster of memorable situations and experiences. So, while we continue our lives beside these special people, we often look back and wonder how things would’ve been without them, either in a positive or negative light. How would yours be?
“Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon,” also known as “Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid” and “The maid dragon of Kobayashi-san,” is a 13-episode TV Anime series that aired from the 12th of January till the 6th of April in Winter 2017. It was produced by Lantis, Pony Canyon, and ABC Animation; licensed by Funimation and Crunchyroll; and brought to life by Studio Kyoto Animation. The main staff behind it includes Justin Cook, Shinichi Nakamura, Shigeru Saitou, and Mikio Uetsuki as Producers. It features genres such as Slice of Life and Supernatural, with each episode running for 24 minutes and earning a PG-13 rating for teenagers 13 years or older.
The anime is based on the Manga series of the same title, which is the work of author and artist Cool-kyou Shinja. It began publication on May 25, 2013, and is still ongoing, featuring the genres of Fantasy and Slice of Life, serialized in Monthly Action. It has also been published in English by Seven Seas since October 18, 2016. A single special episode titled “Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Valentine's, and Then Hot Springs! (Please Don't Get Your Hopes Up)” aired on the 20th of September 2017 by the same studio and ran for 23 minutes. This is essentially the 14th episode of the main series, which was included in the seventh Blu-ray/DVD volume. Another mini-series of special episodes titled “Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Something” ran for a total of seven 3-minute episodes from March to September 2017. These were Special Editions that were initially included with the Blu-ray/DVD release of the main series. The sequel series, “Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S,” ran for 12 episodes in Summer 2021, following the events of the Manga courtesy of the same Studio.
The story revolves around the average office worker, Kobayashi, who lives a typical life in the city with nothing particularly eventful happening around her. As she attempts to set off to work on yet another day by opening the door to her apartment, she is met with a shocking and scary sight from across the balcony: the head of a dragon staring right at her! However, the same dragon immediately transforms into a cute, blonde, human-ish girl, both busty and energetic, donning a maid outfit no less. The dragon introduces herself as Tooru and proceeds to remind our MC of what had transpired the night before: in a drunk stupor, our stoic programmer had met this dragon during an excursion to the mountains.
After discovering this mythical beast had nowhere else to go, Kobayashi invited Tooru to live at her home! More than happy to take up this unexpected offer, the dragon was also ready to repay her “savior” by working as her personal maidservant. Our MC is left regretting her drunken words and hesitates to keep her promise, but a wave of guilt and a showcase of Tooru’s incredible dragon abilities lead her to take the girl in. As time passes, Kobayashi realizes that while Tooru is very efficient at her “job,” her unorthodox means of housekeeping can be straight-up horrifying and often causes more harm than good. Making matters worse are the circumstances of this mythical creature's arrival on Earth, which are more complicated than they seem, while Tooru herself struggles with difficult emotions and painful memories that weigh heavily on her. The icing on top of the cake is that the dragon’s mere presence ends up attracting more mythical beings into the household, all of whom possess quite eccentric personalities. While our MC makes her best efforts to get a grip on all the crazy situations that unfold, nothing on earth could have possibly prepared her for this hectic new life beside a dragon maid!
There isn’t much of a story here, but the premise is really unique and fun, with many tangents to explore in each episode that never ceased to entertain me. The narrative is episodic, mainly, and there isn’t a large overarching narrative to control the flow; everything revolves around Kobayashi’s real and unreal experiences alongside Tooru. We do learn that the dragon was in some sort of danger or was going through a dilemma when she met a very drunk Kobayashi, and her kindness causes the dragon to fall into undying love and loyalty towards this regular human. But as Tooru is a pretty big deal among dragons, more and more mythical beasts start entering Kobayashi’s home with all sorts of objectives and plans, causing a huge mess every time but also allowing the two MCs to grow and connect at a deeper level, honestly, it’s never a dull moment in this show, because even the everyday office life is portrayed hilariously. At the same time, Tooru whips up mayhem in the background, which would surely come back to bite them all.
The characters are the highlight of the show, and it is safe to say I love them all without reservation. At first, I found Kobayashi to be a bland person, too accepting of the daily office grind, and devoid of any special characteristics, and I was absolutely correct. The thing is, this show made me love her for being exactly that! She is your average salaryman who goes to the office, drinks on occasion, and returns home every day to repeat the cycle, but she is also kinder and more accepting than most. This simple trait changed her life, but despite having to be the straight man amidst all the craziness with her deadpan expression, she always warmed the hearts of those around her with her interactions and gestures, which showed how much she cared for them.
Meanwhile, Tooru is an eccentric powerhouse who goes above and beyond for her beloved, often causing more trouble than good, but we know it comes from a good place, and everything she does is entertaining. Her tail is supposed to be an unmatched delicacy, and she keeps trying to serve it to poor Kobayashi, who is visibly disturbed by it. Next is Kamui Kanna, the adorable loli dragon who is in no way annoying and manages to make me smile ever so often. She’s just so cute and gradually becomes Kobayashi’s daughter-like figure through genuine character development and earned respect. Quetzalcoatl is the onee-san dragon of the show with her massive assets and “Ara ara” personality. Her relationship with Shouta Magatsuchi is beyond hilarious because she’s like a doting mother figure hovering over this tiny, shy boy, and his flustered reactions are priceless.
Fafnir is the only male dragon in the main cast, and he is my favorite because this man is a MOOD. He seems dark and evil on the outside, but is a total gamer otaku on the inside who cannot get enough of human pop culture. His relationship with Takiya Makoto, Kobayashi’s co-worker, is hilarious because he is this down-to-earth dude accommodating this edgy otaku dragon like it’s nobody’s business. Every dragon in this series has their own human whom they are closest to, and each duo’s interactions are what make this cast so lovable. Of course, there are thrilling interactions between the multiple duos, which just double down on the mayhem, and I’m all for it!
As for Art and Animation, this is Kyoto Animation doing its ever-reliable work as always. The color palette primarily consists of lighter, yet vibrant shades, and a sense of muted brilliance that consistently makes the visuals soothing. The character designs are unique and exaggerated, effectively highlighting the characters' traits. The dragon designs are wacky and over-the-top, while the human designs are intentionally bland. Are the latter bad in any way? Absolutely not; they serve to highlight the glaring differences and bring out the best in each other. The art style is cutesy yet simple, with prominent eyes that convey a multitude of emotions, while the backgrounds appear lived-in and calming. The exaggerated expressions and reactions are spot on, flowing smoothly with cartoony animation. I loved every step of the way.
The Sounds and Music department is very similar, in typical Kyoto Animation fashion. The Opening theme is "Aozora no Rhapsody" by fhána, which probably won’t be making many playlists. However, it is still an enjoyable and uppity piece filled with ridiculous visuals that perfectly convey the hilarious vibe of this show. The Ending theme is "Ishukan Communication" by Chorogonzu, which is sung by Tooru (Yuuki Kuwahara), Kanna (Maria Naganawa), Elma (Yuuki Takada), and Quetzalcoatl (Minami Takahashi). This is a very chill piece that shows each character in their daily routine, a nice way to log off after each episode. Voice Acting is stellar across the board, with each dragon delivering unhinged performances while exaggerating everything they possibly can about their respective tropes. Kobayashi and Takiya are the most chill, nonchalant people on the planet and deliver equally straight performances. OSTs didn't stand out to me much, but they did elevate each moment alongside the quirky sound effects.
Overall, “Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid” is a beloved comedy series I would recommend to anyone. The jokes are diverse and funny, with their jabs at mundane human life hitting the mark for me. The fact that they are delivered alongside the ridiculous dragon humor makes it even better. Everything about this show is soothingly funny and chill, making it perfect to watch after a long day while you chuckle to yourself. Do not take this show seriously at any time, because it’s meant to be enjoyed at face value and nothing more. It has its heartwarming moments too, so yeah, please give this adoptable show a watch, and you’ll start wishing you had your own dragon companion to live a mundane life beside.
