I absolutely adore Dragon Maid, warts and all. I understand it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea and it certainly has some scenes I'd rather not be there that you'd be embarrassed to have someone walk in on you watching it but I really do think it's one of KyoAni's best and I love the characters and their interactions and the genuine family dynamic that Kobayashi, Tohru, and Kanna build. Also my favorite character is definitely Kobayashi herself.
I think you perfectly described my opinions on Dragon Maid. There's a lot to like in the show, but also a lot I have problems with. It was a fairly enjoyable watch when it wasn't all about Lucoa, and Saikawa. I have a fairly sizeable anime collection, including most of KyoAni works. Unfortunately, this is one I probably won't be adding to my collection. With as much there is to like about this show, I can't overlook it's glaring problems. Because of those issues, this is my second least favorite KyoAni work, behind Myriad Colors Phantom World, which just has terrible writing, and relies way too much on fanservice.
@@Totaraum of course, I'm not saying it doesn't have merit, it certainly does. When I say it's second worst, it's like I'm calling Phantom World a 1.9/10, and Dragon Maid a 7/10. Which really just speaks to the high bar of quality that KyoAni has set. Maybe Air and Kanon are in between those two, but those are the only KyoAni works I haven't seen yet, and I'm not sure where to watch them.
I am a big fan of dragon maid, but i do think that they do the Riko obsession with Kana thing is done all wrong... Kana is adorable, she is drawn meant to be adorable, and IFFFF Riko's obsession was played a little more up as strait "Girls love cute things" similar to how a little girl might get hooked on my little pony, or perhaps a line of cute stuffed animals, and no in the pervy way that it veers a far to often, the series would be better for it.
@@ninyaninjabrifsanovichthes45 Honestly i can kinda see that there is some trope aversion even in the Kana Riko, in normally it is the 5 thousand year old dragon who still looks like a human kid who falls head over heals for the conspicously too young kid, but they justify it with dragon who is already 5 thousand, the difference between 10 and 18 is almost nothing to him... never stopping to ask the question, why if its almost nothing to him, doesn't he wait the 8 years
Dragon Maid is one of my favorite slice of life - even with its obvious issues - specifically because its a breath of fresh air, not another generic highschool setting etc. I disagree with the episodic criticism you mentioned, as much as I love story-driven shows, sometimes a little episodic content just works, and slice of life is definitely a genre this holds true in. Everything else - good and bad - I fully agree with, except your take on Kanna. I think she fits her role within their little family well enough to work, and her solo adventure to America was one of my favorite episodes
I get where you're coming from, the premise is very unique and opens the door to a lot of cool possibilities. Personally I thought it relied on a lot of tropes, be it with character archetypes or scenarios, that made it feel more like a standard slice of life for me. With Kanna, to each their own, but I respect that you appreciate her role in Kobayashi's new family. Thanks for sharing!
Perfectly described my thoughts on Dragon Maid. Any second with Lucoa and Saikawa on screen was a second too long. I could tolerate Kanna though that doesn’t mean I found her particularly interesting but I never found her that annoying either. I do quite like Dragon Maid but this is an example where the shows more pervy aspects can be a detriment to it, unlike something like the Monogatari series. Great video man!
@@Totaraum Thats probably it. I watched both Dragon Maid and Monogatari pretty close to each other recently and the difference was kinda night and day in terms of that more otaku fetishy aspect. For me Dragon Maid just felt like the author was writing it in because he was… genuinely into that stuff so the series lacked a bit of self-awareness in how weird it is in that regard, while Monogatari it was very clear the author was parodying that type of stuff while utilising it to deconstruct his characters. They’re very different shows so maybe they’re not comparable but I can’t help but compare the differences in my mind considering how inside baseball both of them are with otaku culture and how closely together I watched the two series.
All in all, Dragon Maid is probably one of the more problematic series of this current era. But honestly, that's mostly due to what is within its source material. KyoAni couldn't exactly stray away from the source, so they did it justice as much as they would allow I feel. But because of that, the anime we got was much sweeter and a lot more emotional than what would have been in the manga, and I honestly thank KyoAni for that.
Mushoku tensei is the most problematic at the moment, but I know that the way the characters act in that show is supposed to be seen as negative as they have to outgrow those terrible traits. In dragon maid they dont use this to develop at all.
I think the good heavily outweights the bad of the show. I agree that Lucoa/Shota stuff are pretty bad (and even those scenes are WAY more tamer than the manga). I don't think Kanna is really an issue, she adds a very nice and cute daughter/mother relationship with Kobayashi. She does a lot of effort to support Kanna to the point of overworking herself just to see her at a sports festival.
I felt the same way about Dragon Maid. Kyoani can't produce a masterpiece every time, but I will still fully support their works nonetheless. Unrelated, but have you seen Aria the Animation?
Absolutely, it'd be ludicrous to expect them to knock your socks off every time. I'll always be there to watch what they make, though. I've heard that name thrown around a lot, I'll see if I can start it after I'm done with Samurai Champloo
ouch, this video hurt me due to our exact opposite views, but hey at least we share a semi-love for Dragon Maid! xD I agree that it can be a very off-putting show to people who don't understand Japanese culture, otaku culture, or just an acceptance of certain fetishes that the japanese love to include in these genres...but that adds to the fun of the show. You definitely can't be someone like that mother from the news clip if you are gonna watch something like Dragon Maid, looool.
Definitely, I'll bet it's a much easier sell in Japan than it is in the west. It's good to hear that you appreciate the show a lot more than I do! I still think there's a lot of great stuff in it
This resembles my love for kyoto animation and my favourite show, Miss Kobayashi's dragon maid. It was one of the few animes I've seen back in 2018 when i was new to anime. I love the laid back fibe and the vibrant fluid colours this show brings. The day I heard about the incident on July 2019, it broke my heart because it's one of the studios they made me tear up with shows like K on, a silent voice and clannad.
This captures almost exactly how I feel about the show. Season 1 is the biggest definition of a mixed bag but Season 2 honestly won me over. I'd say the show's issues were still there but it felt like the show somewhat got its shit together and had better character writing and scenarios.
I have to admit I really enjoyed this anime, even if it was lewd and degenerate at times. Kobayashi just being an ordinary everyday-man (or woman in this case) is a refreshing take on your typical cutesy high school girls you see a lot of in these types of series. She's my favorite character because of that. Bonus points for her also being a redhead.
Yeahhh, I kinda have mix feelings with Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid sometimes. There’s some part about it that I really adore, while there’s some part I dislike about it (which is why some people find it problematic)
I’m gonna watch this show eventually. And I feel fairly certain in saying that there is going to be some wild whiplash between me loving it one moment and HATING it the next. I’ve seen scenes from this show that look like some of the most wholesome shit ever, and other scenes that make me regret the very existence of animation. It’s weird blend
My introduction to this show was someone sending me a clip of Shouta playing with Lucoa's breasts during an argument, saying that I'm just "jealous of Shouta." Now, I did not know _who_ Shouta was or what the hell Dragon Maid is, but I watched the clip anyway. It took me 4 years from that point for me to give the show a chance.
Hey, Totaraum, it's some kind of off topic, but have You already watched/read Spice and Wolf and/or Kemono no Souja Erin (The Beast Player)? I recommend especially reading the LN for the first title (anime has stopped after two seasons, but manga has been successfully finished) and watching anime/reading LN for the second. These two are made really brilliant, with amazing plot and also The Beast Player is the hidden gem of the anime world...
I dunno, man, Kanna is manufactured the same way Kanna from Tamako Market was manufactured, right up to deadpan delivery and lol so quirky cuteness. And Kanna was the best part of Tamako Market according to you. In the cases like this I do a little thought experiment - can I name some character traits except the baseline moeblob cuteness? And with DM Kanna I clearly can. At the very least she openly and shamelessly manipulates people with her quirky cuteness in-universe. Everything Shota was cursed as hell tho Also, you know how there is that yellow change cards (for the lack of the better word) between chapters? The one right after THAT twister scene is 4 star wanted level. Go check it out, it's true
I think both Kannas are presented in completely different ways. DM Kanna has a much more important role than her shallow nature should allow her to have. They try to give her emotional moments and full episodes dedicated to her. Tamako Market Kanna shows up, is funny whenever she's on screen, and that's all they needed her for. When she is in a serious scene she offers support while never becoming the main focus. Also I had no idea about the four star thing, that's pretty funny
Honestly I was expecting the heart-mouth gremlin to be a LOT worse and (aside from that _fucking_ twister scene) I didn't really hate most of her scenes. Shouta makes me want to obliterate an entire continent.
For the people expecting another season of the anime, the creator and everybody in the kyo’ani studio tragically died in an arson attack. Edit: Apparently because some lunatic thought that the creator had stole his work or got jealous or something. (although this is what I heard from the story online so take it with a grain of salt please and thank you.)
Dragon Maid has always kinda been on my radar, not high watch priority but vaguely interesting enough that I might give it a look eventually. All I ever really hear about it is that it's a super wholesome slice of life; this is the first I'm encountering the complaints about, for instance, sexual harassment being played for comedy. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. A lot of anime does skeezy shit like that, and with the... emphasis placed on certain character design elements, that should probably have been a big red flag here.
If you can look past that they do have a ton of kyoani style wholesome slice of life moments. I don't think they're nearly as impactful as their other shows, but I'm sure a ton of people would disagree. I'd say give it a try for yourself and see what you think
@@Totaraum Yeah, I think it's really going to depend on how much tolerance I have for that specific brand of Dumb Anime Bullshit. And said tolerance, for me, tends to be lower than most other watchers. I do have enough faith in KyoAni to not write it off completely though.
I actually grew up watching this (I was like 12) and I actually loved it,but I never managed to finish watching because the lolicon-ish and shotacon-ish stuff made me uncomfy since I dont like little fictional kids in weird situations because at least to me its clearly not okay Despite some of the unnecessary lewd jokes I find the anime endearing most times and im glad im able to enjoy it despite the stuff that makes me sigh,I really do apreciate reviews and rants like these that remind me exactly how I felt when I used to watch it
I had the same issues with the writing. They also hint at there being so much depth to the Lucoa character, but they prefer to go with... let's go with "sexual harassment of a child" instead. One of her eyes is a Mayan calendar. She mentions offhand that she can time travel. All we really know about her is she was a goddess but got drunk and got in trouble. We never see what happened, and I don't think it's like the Noodle Incident from Calvin and Hobbes where not knowing is somehow more compelling. But, it still had plenty of heart in it, and it was worth the watch. I also had no idea it was the first thing KyoAni did after the arson. If that's the case, a whole lot can be forgiven, and they made an even stronger second season. That's probably the best memorial to the victims they could've made.
its a dumb comedy show adaptation of a manga that was made by a hentai artist. its not supposed to be deep and it never was deep. it disgust me that you bring up the arson incident just so you can somehow make your opinion more morally correct. just admit you have issues with it because you actually hate it.
Good video I hope to read and watch more anime like you again since I don’t watch enough anymore but if i may recommend this one called deltora quest it’s based on an Australian novel series and the anime is great
@@Totaraum I’d especially say sub and you can watch it on youtube too and the sub work is great, and i prefer the sub especially because of the opening and ending they are both great songs and they are great especially the ending song by rythem, i hope you enjoy it
It's a show made by otakus for otakus wherein a bunch of misfits that are the embodiment of fetish tropes interact and joke in a lighthearted manner in a slice of life format. If you go in expecting anything else or you're offended by any of those tropes you'll be in for a bad time. Especially true for clueless Karens lol
I’m pretty sure the daughter didn’t show her mom the manga. 😆 She probably caught her daughter reading and protecting her identity. I can be wrong too.
the kornyness can be nice but deeper stories and rich enviroments are nice too and more up my lane, sexualizing lolis is fine but more story focus anime would be nice
I saw a couple episodes. I was confused what Touru liked so much about Kobayashi. Kobayashi was so unattractive compared to other anime women like let's say Hinata Uzumaki in Baruto,
I think it's my yuri bias talking but, I just can't bring myself to hear out criticism for dragon maid, that show is one of if not my favorite anime of all time. I guess I don't care if a show is written well, if it has gay characters, I'm all in.
I can admit that it's not the best show but I love the mood it puts me in. The characters, the art/animation, and music are super cute. Awesome video btw! Looking forward to seeing more :)
It does have a great vibe to it, every element combines to make a really relaxing experience. I found that Lucky Star did something very similar so I recommend checking it out if you haven't already I'm glad you liked the video! Also it's great to see all those ambience videos going back up on your new channel, they work wonders for sleeping or focusing on work. I'm sorry you had to deal with all that copyright and demonetization stuff
@@Totaraum It's ok, I'm dealing with it one day at a time. Lucky Star is definitely on my list! I've recently gotten into moe anime so I'll get to it eventually. BTW, you have a really good voice for video essays! And you're currently the only channel I'm subbed to on this new channel so congrats 😁
@@AmbienceAcademy Thanks! It's a big honor to be this channel's first sub lol. I hope you enjoy Lucky Star when you give it a look. It's definitely a product of its time, but I still found it to be very relaxing and wholesome
9:00 just you going on about how you hate otaku culture and accept some because it has 4th wall breaking stuff. Millennial writing shit. It was cool then, it isnt cool now when dragon maid released. Dragon maid had none of that shit. you're just bitter and not accepting of fun stuff for the sake of it.
Dragon maid is hm.... yeah pretty mid, since first going into season 1. I already read the manga up to around volume 4 so me being me, I thought I had a pretty good rough understanding of how the show would play out. So I watch it, finish it in like a day and it really underwhelmed me. As I'm writing this comment, I'm struggling to find the right words to really express how underwhelming the show was when I first watched it. Man it put me out of the loop, I spent the next day questioning what the fuck I just watched the night before. Became a philosopher that day
The manga is peak fan service at best but a wacky and not really good slice of life at worst, I don't know dude. I have such mixed feelings with this series, I don't think i've felt this with any other anime/manga besides maybe the first season of re:zero
@@Totaraum Yeah I agree there's quite a few ups and downs but in the case of re:zero, I could boil it down to a lack of understanding on my end. You see I initially gave that show a 7/10, it was entertaining and the "return by death" gimmick was interesting, but it wasn't really anything to ride home about. That was my stances until I did a complete rewatch of season 1 in preparation for season 2, and well. Let's just say opinions on things truly do change over time
My introduction to this show was someone sending me a clip of Shouta smothered between Lucoa's breasts during an argument, saying that I was just "jealous of him." It took me four years from that point to finally check the show out, because that soured my opinion of the show hard. As soon as season 2 came out I found out that in the first episode Kobayashi gets a... temporary sex change. I flipped out and declared that I would never watch the show, but my friends begged and pleaded with me to give it a chance, so I hate-watched the first episode of season 2. I ended up sort of liking it, so I binge watched the rest of the show, and I ended up liking it. Of course I skipped most of the Lucoa/Shouta stuff, and basically the entirety of Season 1 episodes 6 and the first half of 7. I never thought I'd watch the show, let alone like it, and yet I watched it, and I liked it. Of course this show has lots of flaws, such as the Lucoa/Shouta relationship which borderlines on CSA and grooming, and the weird treatment of Saikawa and Kanna. But I was genuinely surprised at how enjoyable the show overall was, I even liked Ilulu after watching the show, while before I thought she'd be nothing more than fanservice. I still hope the show can rectify its issues in the future, but with the way the manga is going, it's hard to see how much they can cut out. I'm still looking forward to season 3.
You had me with you until you called Lucoa and Kanna (my favorite characters) terrible... 😢 You completely miss the mark with them, and have a surface-level view of the characters, imo, although I guess I can kinda see where you're coming from
