Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Review

Raise your hands if you like dragons? I'm now going to assume you all raised your hands. Dragons are probably one of the coolest ideas to come out of or brains. Giant flying lizards capable of supreme destruction and chaos but also complex creatures capable of high intelligence. I love dragons so much that I've given my car a dragon name (it's Kazonnoth The Marvelous if you were curious) so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I was excited about Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid when it started back in winter. The winter season is far over now and after a good thought, I determined that Kobayashi's Dragon Maid was definitely one of my favorite shows from the winter season. From great animation, to nice comedy, this show had a lot of good things about it which brought me a lot of joy so go get some chips (or whatever, I don't know what you like to much on) and enjoy this review of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid!

SPOILER FREE (THANK GOD!)

SYNOPSIS

Our story begins when Miss Kobayashi, a normal office worker opens her apartment door to find a ferocious green dragon at her doorstop. The mighty dragon then turns into a cute maid and offers to work in her household as a maid due to a drunk experience the two shared deep in the forests of Japan. After remembering the incident, Miss Kobayashi allows the dragon Tohru to live with her as a maid (although reluctant). What possible Hi-jinx cold this pair get into, right?! (That totally sounds like the end of a 90's sitcom commercial). 

STORY

Although the premise of the show is quite simple, the show takes that simple premise and turns it into a lovely story full of different themes. I think it's due to that very simplicity. Kobayashi's Dragon Maid isn't confined to any boundaries, it's free to experiment and do as it pleases. That freedom allows the show to really thrive because the story progresses for the most part naturally and doesn't feel manufactured (except for that beach episode, we all know the animators just wanted to draw the dragons in swimsuits). The story takes its events and is able to turn them into a learning experience for the characters (mainly Kobayashi and Tohru) and in return, they grow a little more as people (or dragons, don't want to species racist). I like the themes that this shows plays with. It likes to play with the idea of family which I thought was really great. Both Tohru and Kobayashi are used to being lone wolves but then suddenly living together (along with Kanna) teaches them the good things about having someone by your side and what it means to be part of a family. It's not just Tohru and Kobayashi though, Fafnir and Lucoa also find a human companion to grow with so companionship reaches many characters of this show.

Another big positive I have to give this show is its comedy! I'm not saying it's the best comedy in the entire world (I would give that honor to Nichijou) but it does a good job and was probably the funniest show of the winter season. It answers all the hard hitting questions we ask ourselves everyday like how would dragons play dodge ball?! Ok, perhaps not 'hard hitting' but fun none the less. The majority of the show's comedy comes from the dragons' attempt to fit in with human society but as you can tell, that more or less fails! Whether it's dodge ball or a play, they find a way to give it a dragon twist! I really enjoyed seeing the dragons not fully understanding some aspect of human society and making an absurd scene out of it and along with good animation, the execution of these funny moments are fantastic! Overall, the show does a good job of telling its story and making me laugh along the way.

CHARACTERS

If I had a negative for this show it would be in this department! The characters themselves are very good. I enjoy every one of the characters because I find them all to be hilarious and well fleshed out. Their personalities may be more on the simple side but I enjoy them a lot so I don't find it to be a problem. My issue with the show is different. My issue is that there are a number of characters that do not get enough screen time. I don't know if it's because of the original source, the direction or other outside factors but I was disappointed when characters that could have made the show even funnier didn't get any time to shine! I'm referring mostly to Lucoa and Elma! I wanted Lucoa to be more than a big sister character with titanic (YES TITANIC!!!) mounds and I wanted Elma to be more than a dragon that's used for food gags! The episode when Elma finally appeared (after like eight episodes!) and it was my favorite episode! I wanted so much more from her and then the show just nipped those dreams in the bud and made her a useless gag character! (Can you tell I'm angry?) I understand that Kobayashi and Tohru are the main characters and deserve a lot of the screen time but what is the purpose of these other characters if they're just going to be used for gags! There needs to be a balance and the show did not find it (in my opinion). 

MUSIC

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has some pretty good music. My favorite piece of music is the opening, "Aozora no Rhapsody" by fhána. This song is super addicting! I generally like fhána's work but I thought they killed it with this song! It really showed off the personality that this show has; energetic, happy, and a bit random. You can't help but tap your feet along to the beat as you wait for the show to start. The ED, "Ishukan Communication" by Choro-gonzu, Yuuki Kuwahara, Maria Naganawa, Yuuki Takada & Minami Takahashi is also pretty good. I enjoy the chorus a lot and it gives off a lot of the same energy as the opening. The majority of the music in the show gives a happy strolling feeling and sometimes a feeling of curiosity. The music is used to describe the mood of the environment. Whether wanting to depict a heartwarming scene or a comedic moment, the music does a good job at laying out the scene. I would say that the music does a satisfactory job at effectively aiding the show.

ANIMATION

The animation is fantastic, Kyoto Animation has done another great job! Kyoto Animation always brings great quality animation and it shines here as well. The animation throughout the show is consistent but gets a whole lot better during comedic or action scenes. The best example I can give is the scene where Tohru and Kanna are playing (if you call what they were doing playing) on an open field. There is a lot of work put into that scene and ends up becoming one of the best moments for the show. Dragon Ball Z could only wish to meet this level of quality!!! Another great example is the scene where Kobayashi holds Tohru's boobs. (I don't want to sound pervy, but there's no other way to say this) The fluidity of Tohru's bazongas as they bounce up and down is so (unnecessarily) well done that I can't help but stand and give a huge applause! I also applaud the moe character design! I'm picky when it come to the moe genre but I definitely like the design of these characters. The show uses a variety of bright colors for their characters and I say 'good choice!' The color palette makes the characters stand out a lot (which is good since they're dragons!). I think the eyes are the best part of the character designs because they're just so big and full of color (hell, Lucoa has double the color!). I have nothing but positives to say about the animation quality but I'll leave it at that, good job KyoAni! 

FINAL VERDICT

Techinical Score- 8 out of 10 (B)

I loved watching this story of new friendship and family. It made me laugh so much with its comedy and had me in awe at its animation! You can tell a lot of work was put into this show and it really shows. This show is full of addicting music that gets stuck in your ears and helps tell or lovely story. There were characters that deserved more time on screen and could've improved the show but overall, this was an enjoyable show!

Personal Score- 8.2 out of 10 (B)

I enjoyed this show a lot, mainly in part that it reminds me of one of my favorite comedies, Nichijou! It has good comedy that can be totally random but enjoyable none the less and a set of characters you can't help but love. I was genuinely excited for every episode that came out and I loved seeing the relationships between humans and dragons grow into beautiful companionship. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this review! If you did, drop a +1 or comment down below about any other shows you want me to review. I have platforms you can follow me on so you know when a new blog comes up so check out the links I have below for Google+ and Twitter! Also check out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime for anime reaction videos! I currently have series for Berserk 2017 and Danmachi Sword Oratoria so if that interests you, check it out! That's all I have to say so I hoped you guys enjoyed and I'll catch you next time!

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Music Awards Winter 2017

The winter season is over and with every season comes new great music but which OP's and ED's were the best of the season? Today I will be giving out four music awards for winter's set of music! The four awards are:

• Best Audio OP 
• Best Visual OP
• Best Audio ED
• Best Visual ED

For each award I will be doing a top 3. I will only be posting music for the top spot in each category but I will talk a little about the runners up as well so don't worry. Out of the 12 possible spots a show could land in, I only have six shows that are featured on here. That's not to say that other shows not mentioned here did a bad job. It just means that these six shows pulled in clutch in each respective category. I would like to remind everybody that this is based merely on my opinion so you don't have to give two shits but I hope you enjoy this little post. Also I have more awards coming up exclusively on my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime, so check out my channel to see that exclusive content.Without any further interruptions, let's start these music awards!

Best Audio OP

        Let me just start off by saying that female singers really killed it this season. I generally prefer female singers but all of my OP award spots go to groups with female leads. That's insane! 3rd place in this category goes to Scum's Wish (Kuzu no Honkai) for their opening song, "Uso no Hibana" by 96neko. This Pop-Rock song was absolutely great to listen to. From that infectious guitar rift (you guys know which one I'm talking about) to the lead singer's vocals, The slightly fast paced song really represented the roller coaster of emotions this show was. Aw, and that piano bit at then end hits me good! 

In 2nd place is Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu for their opening song, "Imawa no Shinigami" by Megumi Hayashibara. I really like the feeling this song gives off. It feels for lack of a better term 'other-worldly.' The mix between Orchestral and Jazz was a very good decision. Add that with Hayashibara's voice and you have a smooth jam that gives you a bit of chills. 

Finally, in 1st place for 'Best Audio OP' is 3-gatsu no Lion for their OP, "Sayanora Bystander" by YUKI. This was my favorite song of the season! The music is good but what makes this song my favorite is YUKI's voice. It's like rough but sweet at the same time and I LOVE IT! Especially in the second half of that song; she begins to sing with much more emotion and it nails me in the heart so good! I also like the inclusion of piano; I am a big fan of pianos in my OPs so that was a plus. Overall, this is the type of song that gets me going. I like songs where I can feel the emotion; feel the very nature of the show! This song did that for me and for all these reasons it lands in my number one spot!

Best Visual OP

There were a couple of OPs this year that did a great job visually. They used a variety of different techniques to make their openings come to life! This award goes to the show that dazzled me best with their OP performance! 3rd place goes to Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid for their OP "Aozora no Rhapsody" by fhana. Kyoto Animation did a great job with this show in general but the OP is just fantastic. The whole OP just screams zany and weird much like the show. We have dragons doing silly worm dances, multiple Tohrus sprouting from each other, Fafnir's head blooming from flowers. I love the weirdness of this OP because it's just so eye catching. That and fluid animation from Kyo-Ani make this OP all the better! 

       2nd place is 3-gatsu no Lion for their OP, "Sayanora Bystander" by YUKI. Aside from the fact that this song is my favorite of the season, Studio Shaft really made the OP creative and just artistically beautiful. For example, the scene with the flowers blurring in and out was beautiful  and then when the chorus hits, we just get an explosion of animation in its glory. Rough line art and constant movement make those 15 seconds look badass! 

In 1st place is Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju for their OP, "Imawa no Shinigami" by Megumi Hayashibara. That's right, we had a little switcheroo with the #1 and #2 spot. The Opening for this show was well directed to say the least. This opening is full of meaning and symbolism that I can't touch on (case then this post would be long!!!) but If you look at the OP and start to think what happened in the show, you'll be able to notice what little scenes in the OP mean. In fact, it's kind of fun because you find new meaning in scenes every time you watch it. Anyway, this Opening lands at #1 for being full of everything an OP should be filled with like symbolism and deeper meaning. 

Best Audio ED

Onto a new award. Now, the EDs weren't as strong as the OPs but there are some golden gems worth talking about. This award goes to EDs that had killer music and awesome vocals. Starting with 3rd place is Saga of Tanya the Evil for their ED, "Los! Los! Los!" by Aoi Yuki. Aoi Yuki (the voice actress for Tanya) delivers a great song! It was actually quite unexpected but I guess for that very reason, this song makes the list. The song gives off a victorious feel; Patriotic in a way. I guess it should since the lyrics are about going to war and fighting for the empire! I especially love the part where she stops singing and just shouts out like a military commander. That part gives me the chills!

In 2nd place is Scum's Wish for their ED, "Heikousen" by Sayuri. I like this song because I think it's very beautiful. Beautiful and lonely at the same time, much like the show itself. Even the lyrics give a lonely feeling; talking about never being able to touch the one they love so they'll just have to do their best to move on! Oh god the tears are starting to roll! This song touches my heart and for that, it gets 2nd.

In 1st place is Tales of Zestiria for their ED, "INNOSENSE" by FLOW. The best way to describe this song is...'RAD!' This is the kind of song you listen to get pumped up; like a battle song! Yeah, if you haven't noticed, EDs have done a good job of representing the show! The best part is the very beginning! The guitar rip followed by the string section followed by the yell from FLOW make those beginning seconds truly epic! The 'flow' of the song (see what I did there) is pretty damn good too; It immediately gets you excited but then cools down a bit and then comes back with full force to give us a cool ending! This is my favorite ED of the season and gets the award for Best Audio ED.

Best Visual ED

The last award! There weren't a lot of EDs with great visuals. There were many that were just single shots and maybe they pan toward a direction but that's about it. I was able to find a couple of EDs that had great visuals though so lets start. In 3rd place is Tales of Zestiria again for "INNOSENSE" by FLOW. Ufotable always does good animation work but it really shows here in the ED. The beginning starts with some stills that look incredible. Each character looks like a bad-ass hero of justice and then the shot of them looking up at the lord of calamity is epic! Then there's the section where everyone jumps out to fight transition to a still posing all cool like!  This Ed definitely deserves to be up here.

In 2nd place is Scum's Wish for their ED, "Heikousen" by Sayuri. What I love most about this ed was the art style. It's very rough and almost mosaic. Everyone is nude but not graphically nude and the mirroring is interesting. It really mixed well with the song and lyrics; this is why I say the mirroring effect is interesting because it compliments the lyrics (Parallel line and what not). For these reasons, this songs gets 2nd place but who's number one.

In 1st place is 3-gatsu no Lion for their ED, "Orion" by Kenshi Yonezu. This was a nice ED to look at. I love how the blizzard was animated and just the overall minimalist style of animation. There's a light watercolor touch to the ED which is always a plus in my book and seeing Rei in some of those scenes had me choke up a bit (especially the scene with Rei in the rain). Combine that with some kickass singing from Yonezu and we have our winner. Studio Shaft did a good job this season and their ED gets 1st place in my book.

Sorry, couldn't find a video for this one so here's a shot from the ED.

I hope you all enjoyed this post! If you did, please check out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime. I got exclusive content on there such as anime episode reactions, and more reviews! I'll have more posts up as soon as possible so stand by and I'll see you all later!