Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

The series consists a diverse yet noticeable character cast. I’ll be honest though, main female protagonist Kobayashi is probably the least interesting character. She is the epitome of normal in this show when compared to others. Face it, she looks plain with an average paying job and average personality. However, Tooru finds her very appealing because she is honest to others and herself. Speaking of Tooru, she stands out as the most interesting character in the show. Coming from an entirely different world, it’s no surprise that she lacks common sense about Earth and its people. From the first few episodes, it’s shown that she lacks knowledge about being a maid at all. She also has virtually no experience with technology, cooking, or job skills. However, Tooru adapts well or at least she tries. Kobayashi is her main motivation to improve and she even comes to like Earth as time passes on.

Other noticeable characters in the show is a young dragon named Kanna. As one of the youngest characters in the show, she behaves exactly like a child. In the beginning, Kanna has a disdain for Kobayashi and wants Tooru to return with her to their world. However as time progresses, she is more accepting of Kobayashi and even starts treating them like her family. Kobayashi’s life gets even more complicated when Tooru’s other friends Fafnir and Lucoa makes their appearances. Speaking of Kobayashi, we can also see that she is slowly but surely warming up to Tooru. She is more accepting of her presence and the other dragons despite knowing how different they are compared to her. In the meantime, the others learn from Kobayashi about how human behavior works and even begins to adapt with their society. A clever example is Fafnir where he develops an addictive habit of playing video games. Another would be Kanna adapting with school life and making new friends including with schoolmate Riko.

In essence, I think the primary successes of this show relies on its character chemistry and humor. Character relationships are important as it establishes personalities and allows the audience to understand them better. It also makes the show much more entertaining as we see how humans and non-humans interact. There’s also change and development too with characters like Kobayashi, Fafnir, and Kanna. The way their roles are played out makes the audience curious about how far they can change. This is shown with characters such as Fafnir through his interaction with Makoto Takiya, Kobayashi’s co-worker. Fafnir begins to accept and even becomes obsessed with video games and culture thanks to his influence. On the other hand, there’s the comedy. It’s freely defined and sells its humor without going over the board. Characters such as Kobayashi, Riko, and Tooru are prime examples of this as they display out-of-character qualities at times. (I mean, just look at Kobayashi when she is drunk!) In retrospect, the show makes an attempt to get the audience’s to laugh and I have to admit, it works.

Kyoto Animation doesn’t let down expectations when it comes to production quality. The show looks very colorful and filled with energy. Almost every character has their own distinctive look especially the dragons. Characters such as Tooru, Kanna, Lucoa, Elma, and Fafnir all display traits of their dragon characteristics. (Example: tail, horns, eyes, etc) In the meantime, director Mikiko Watanabe puts his talent to work and makes a strong impression. The way the camera angles are directed makes certain scenes feel impactful. The colorful action can also be very noticeable with spectacular choreography from early episodes. The series even has a charisma for decorative outfits as seen in certain episodes to make the characters look more fashionable. The only questionable tactic the show uses at times is its fan service. Lucoa is probably the guiltiest of this as she wears skimpy outfits and a running gag of the show even has her being on top of Shouta.

If you thought the art presentation was impressive, then soundtrack doesn’t fall far from that level either. While it can be dismissed at times at being dull, the overall delivery is well crafted and fitting for the slice of life genre. OP and ED theme songs are highly decorated with colorful themes.