Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon S

Well... here ends the second season of this anime that, even with impeccable production, I couldn't like at all. Many weird and strange jokes... with a slice of life that didn't really catch my attention. I tried giving the second season a chance, thinking it might be better, but no, it's still pretty bad ------------------------ Pt/Brpoisé... aqui acaba a 2 temporada desse anime que mesmo com uma produção IMPECÁVEL, eu não consegui gostar nem um pouco Muitas piadas esquisitas e estranhas... com um slice of life que não me chamou muito a atenção. Tentei dar uma chance para a segunda temporada achando que poderia ser melhor, mas não, ainda é bem ruim.

It's hard not to see why Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has a strong, peculiar fanbase from years past. Made by the fact that for one, this was Cool-kyou Shinja's way of introducing us into the world where dragons once were at war. And one of them (Tohru) snuck out into the human realm, where her encounter with this drunken woman (Kobayashi) changed the perception of the relationship between humans and dragons, so much so that other dragons thereafter (Kanna, Lucoa, Elma and Fafnir) followed suit and became the apartment community that we all know and love. The other fact is because of one of the crèmede la crème animation studios that is well-beloved by fans in the anime industry: Kyoto Animation (or KyoAni for short). May I formally remind everyone of the tragedy that is KyoAni's mid-2019 arson attack that struck and stunned the world to its knees, being one of the worst post-World War 2 attacks, and losing valuable staff such as Season 1's director Yasuhiro Takemoto who has been a KyoAni veteran mainstay since 1996. For that sense, Season 2 paying respects by crediting and immortalizing his name as "Series Director" is a well-deserved sendoff to a legend. RIP Yasuhiro Takemoto. That said, since we already know much about Dragon Maid, what's there left to say about it, other than this being the 2nd of 3 Cool-kyou Shinja's works in the Summer season, repeating the usual daily antics of Tohru, Kobayashi and the rest of the characters? More than KyoAni rising up from the ashes once again with new staff joining onboard, it's the arrival of another dragon: the Gigantomachia voluptuous size-breasted fire-breathing Chaos Dragon girl Ilulu to rock the scene, continuing what Dragon Maid has done best with its fantastical slice-of-life comedy. VA Tomomi Mineuchi voicing this dangerous, busty dragon who's got her mentality set impaired from the influence of other Chaos Dragons with their beliefs that humans and dragons cannot co-exist with one another from young, especially from the fact that her parents were exterminated by humans. And oh boy, if there was someone worth saving ears and eyes from bad influence, it's Ilulu, because as much as human interaction she'd have some experience having fun of, it's ultimately at the hands of non-sensible adults that spoil the childrens' mindset that gave way to building Ilulu's desperation for world destruction. As such, it's thanks to both Tohru and Kobayashi for pointing fingers and protecting this kid dragon who deserves to live a second chance to live the normal life like Tohru and the other dragons do...and secretly steal Tohru's place for Kobayashi's closeness of affection. Believe me, Season 2 might feel the same as Season 1, but the story and plot, as much as it is a slice-of-life series, is vastly improved for the most part. The secret to the dragons and their never-ending war between factions to fight between achieving Chaos or Harmony, as well as Ilulu's constant development to be a better and senseful dragon living alongside Kobayashi, Tohru and Kanna in the same old apartment, never gets old. With new adventures from Kanna and Ilulu's part of their own endeavours, as much as some old feud flames between Tohru and Elma, Season 2 opens up the floodgates for more character interaction that is largely the same since the prequel. Both Takiya and Fafnir are forever Otaku lovers, while Kanna is the constant love interest affection of deredere Saikawa's with loveshots beaming at even the slightest contact. Oh, and I mustn't forget that Shouta has adapted well to Lucoa's antics (while being surprised every now and then), and last but not least, the teeny hidden bit of affection from Take to Ilulu. From hindsight, fans of KyoAni would've been less optimistic that after the horrible tragedy, works that are in production that are left on-hold would not be possible to be continued. And that these works would take years before their eventual release to cope with the loss of many notable, valuable and talented staff, young and old alike. But here we are, 2 years (from the time of this review) after the fateful tragedy that KyoAni has came back strong and better than ever. Season 2 amps up KyoAni's production values, giving more flare to flex with both the visuals and animation that are a step up from Season 1, made in no small part from the replacement that is another KyoAni legend director Tatsuya Ishihara, who has directed Haruhi Suzumiya and Clannad to name a few of the most notable favourites, along with Season 1 staff coming back to helm this sequel. KyoAni has seen better days, and those better days have returned to come back with a vengeance. As much as I would want to like the goodness that is fhána's 2nd OP of Dragon Maid, Season 1's "chu chu yeah~" of a damn catchy intro beat really just immortalizes the series as a whole in a far better light. This is as close to a mountain peak's equivalent of a virtually untoppable OP if you ask people what is the first thing they remember about Dragon Maid. The ED is a whole lot better than Season 1's as far as I remember, because there's not only the addition of Ilulu into the band of dragons that makes for such a cute song, but also the anime MV (which is up on Lantis's YouTube channel) which sees the VAs reprise their characters in cosplay, having all that fun and jazz. Overall, Season 2 puts the prequel to shame in all aspects, but that's not to say that Season 1 is bad, not at all. If anything, the prequel laid the groundwork for yet another amaze-balls season of Dragon Maid, and we're blessed with one of many KyoAni's resurgent works, so much so that watching Dragon Maid for its second inning brings out the kid in us once again. This is the success story of KyoAni's return to form, and Cool-kyou Shinja's beloved series leads that charge with increasing popularity that ages like fine wine. Gotta have more of Maid Dragon, and help children be led the right way to live, uphold and watch over their growth like Kobayashi's to Ilulu. If there is a lesson to be learnt in this sequel, it's this: "Teach Your Children Well".

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!

Yasuhiro Takemoto’s influence is clearly gone and very missed, but I don’t think anyone could complain about anything other than that. Call me a baby, but after the arson, I had a really hard time returning to Kyoto Animation, and rewatching Takemoto’s work in particular was honestly draining and left me an emotional wreck. From a practical perspective, you could make the argument this show has the greatest opening in anime history, because it does the best job of letting the viewer know exactly what they’re in for. Tatsuya Ishihara is a rightfully beloved director who carried this studio through its nascency, but with himhelming the project, it’s hard not to feel a palpable sense of emptiness where Takemoto’s brilliant storyboarding used to be. The opening is still a great time, and it brings back Ishihara’s fun little zoom-in trick from Nichijou, so I don’t want to rain on the parade any more than I already have, but you get the point. No matter how good it is, it’s not the same. This series demonstrates the loss we’re going to have to live with, as well as the talent and passion which will help us do so. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid was originally authored by Coolkyoushinja, and while I say this with love, Coolkyoushinja is a serious degenerate. Their hyper-fetishized sex comedy is ridiculous, but in its own weird way, it has charm. It’s ironic many viewers found these elements hard to swallow in season one, because they were actually dumbed-down compared to what they were in the manga to make room for more emotionally grounded storytelling. This was Takemoto’s vision for the anime: putting less focus on the gag-comedy and elaborating on the themes which the manga merely scratched the surface of. Yamada Naoko did the same thing with K-On, a series which many are surprised to learn was adapted from a 4-koma manga, because she filled in so many gaps in its plot and characters at her own discretion, the result was genius. Doing this is a double edged sword, though, because it comes at the cost of giving people the wrong impression of the source material, so if the adaptation were to fall into different hands and become more faithful to the manga, the change could be jarring. This is what happened with Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S. If season one felt like a typical Kyoto Animation show, this season feels like pure, unadulterated Coolkyoushinja. The fanservice is kicked up a notch, and the fetishes which were omitted from season one appear in full force. From futanari to oppai loli, all the hentai tags which were missing from Takemoto’s adaptation have found their way into Ishihara’s, and if it wasn’t for the fact Kyoto Animation doesn’t put nudity in their shows anymore, this would be a 1:1 adaptation of the manga. The comfy found-family moments from season one were what made the show feel so genuine and mature despite its appearances, and much like Yamada’s adaption of K-On, this season made me face the realization these touching moments either weren’t in the manga, or were based on much more standard drama. While none of this is to say this season has no emotional depth, it certainly never again achieved the same show-don’t-tell subtlety or contemplative atmosphere which season one could so naturally shift into and out of. I know this review has consisted almost entirely of comparisons which, in a certain light, may not seem positive, but I promise I’m being totally neutral. Whether you prefer a more faithful adaptation of Coolkyoushinja or one more in line with Takemoto’s vision is entirely up to you. I just want everyone to known this is a fundamentally different show from season one. And this isn’t just about Takemoto either. Mikiko Watanabe, Yoshiji Kigami, this was never going to be the same without these people, but those they left behind truly cared about doing it justice, and their love shows. For whatever you may think about its new creative direction, the series is still overwhelmingly delightful, the characters are still the most endearing people on the planet, and the animation is still extravagantly beautiful. It is, indeed, still a fantastic show that melts your heart and makes you smile, and it’s clear Kyoto Animation is trying to make a statement. They want the world to see they still have the talent and passion which has always made them who they are, and even after sustaining such devastating losses, they’ll continue being a source of joy for so many and producing by far the most polished, technically impressive anime the industry has to offer. Thank you for reading.

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