First Look: Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon
Has the thought of having a dragon working as a maid for you ever crossed your mind? Yeah, didn’t think so. Kobayashi-san Chi no Dragon Maid (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid) is a light-hearted comedy about the dragon in question, Tohru, showing up at Tobayashi’s doorstep asking to move in with her. This means Tohru is going to need to adapt to society and learn her work duties, but the transition is not going to be smooth.
*Minor spoilers ahead.
Tobayashi is an office lady with otaku traits and Tohru is, for the most part, a cute and caring girl — although her dragon nature occasionally shows up when she gets angry. The comedy in this anime works surprisingly well, and seeing Tohru struggle with doing things the human way is hilarious — not understanding why she should wash clothes in a washing machine when she can just chew them until they’re clean, for example. It will be interesting to see how the relationship between Kobayashi and Tohru evolves, as the chemistry displayed between the two main characters is splendid. From what I gathered from the first episode, the story may even have some depth, as we get some foreshadowing of Tohru’s past towards the end, which is refreshing for this type of anime. It’ll be interesting to see which direction they choose to go in, since there is a lot of potential to be found here.
The music is terrific, you can’t help but bob your head when you hear the OP at the start of the episode. The animation is solid and the art style resembles that of the manga, from what I’ve seen, and it’s a perfect fit for Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon. I didn’t expect anything less from KyoAni, the same animation studio responsible for a lot of great-looking anime like Hibiki! Euphonium, Musaigen no Phantom World, Clannad, and K-on!!. Although both the art style and animation differ from their previous works, I do believe that this new look is more fitting for this sort of anime.
I get the feeling that Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon will end up being an anime that you have to take for what it is: an easy-to-watch comedy that you can cuddle up under a blanket and watch while sipping some tea and just enjoy the ride. Be careful with the tea though, you never know when you might burst out laughing.
Hype level: ‘’D-cup. D! For Dragon!’’ (3/5)
