Episode 1 – “New Dragon, Ilulu! (Please Be Nice to Her Again)”
First Thoughts.
Kyoani is back! I already felt reassurance while watching the series of shorts of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid in the spring season. But those were only one-minute-long slice-of-life vignettes. Twenty minutes of sustained energy and quality is another story. The deadly arson fire at Kyoto Animation’s studio in 2019 claimed the lives of the season director and art director from the first season. But most of the staff returned to produce the second season. Does it look the same? Yes. Is it better? Yes!
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid first aired in 2017, so animation techniques and technology have progressed since then. But all the fun and fluffy comedic effects sound familiar. Hearing the first “boing” sound made me smile so big! The bright color palette and fun art style remain the same from the 2017 series too. The hand-drawn action sequences felt more fluid and spectacular.
Hmm.
The theme of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is that bonds make a family, not that family makes bonds, and it continues to influence the overall plot development. Ilulu, the new dragon, hates that Tohru, the most powerful dragon in the Chaos Faction, lives quietly among humans. Tohru’s father was the main villain in the first season, whose concern about his daughter caused him to kidnap her. Ilulu looks like she wants her best friend back.
In the first season, Kobayashi’s philosophical debate with the Dragon Emperor was the dramatic climax. Here, Ilulu’s conversation with Kobayashi about caring about people who have many differences between them serves as the starting point for Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S.
Ilulu is a funny character who can’t accept when she’s wrong about something. She thought Kobayashi only loved Tohru for her body, not recognizing that the human was a woman. This strong dragon doesn’t know the power of yuri! Instead of accepting her ignorance of human attraction, or her incorrect assumption of heterosexual horniness, she decided to make Kobayashi a man! Ilulu has balls, and she gave them to Kobayashi! That’s a hilarious cliffhanger.
Heh.
Quick introductions for those watching Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid for the first time or if it’s been a while. Is Tohru the ultimate maid? Of course, not! Ultimate dragon maid? Maybe... Ha! She wants to raid a maid café! Burn them with moe, moe love! Ah. Tohru came back with a job. How? Because she’s Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid!
Fun opening credits with fhana performing the opening theme song. I want to see all these dragon girls in their cosplay outfits.
The cute maids immediately recruited Tohru when she raided them. Oh. Tohru became bored with not much to do after Kanna started going to school, so a part-time job makes sense to fill her days. Kobayashi, the maid expert, warns Tohru not to underestimate the service industry. Fun! Kanna gave us her first “oh!” of Dragon Maid season. Kobayashi laments the bygone era of moe maids.
Huh. Tohru became head chef, not the head maid. That’s a lot of omelet rice orders! Nice. Tohru in a short skirt. Hahaha! The scream! Tohru realized she was a chef, not a maid! Tohru puts her own spin on the maid waitress flavor spell. It’s a curse, not a blessing! The animated magic effects are ridiculously detailed. Eh? Quitting already? Oh well. She taught the maid waitresses how to do her magic chant, magic circle included for humans.
That was a fun way to get back into Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. Let’s get to the plot. And I do mean PLOT!
Oh no! Something happened to the special place where Tohru first met Kobayashi. It looks like dragon damage. Whodunnit? Fafnir says no. Lucoa was out of the country. That leaves Elma, right? Punch to the mouth! Look at the eating expert save the taiyaki! There’s the new dragon. Ilulu. Another summer season short stack comes to break the internet. Thank you, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S.
Ilulu and Tohru have a history as Chaos Dragons. I don’t see Ilulu picking on Fafnir for living peacefully with a human. Big fight! Tohru might be at a disadvantage because she needs to protect the city and defeat Ilulu, while Ilulu has no restraints. I hate escort missions too... Ohohoho! Look at the fire sacs on that short stack! Elma needs to stay neutral... unless snacks are involved! Ilulu can’t hurt Tohru, but Tohru begins losing her patience. She wants to slap Ilulu, but that would destroy the city and kill Kobayashi. Hold it together, Tohru! Hungry Elma’s help is on the way! It's one shot, and it’s over. See? Escort missions suck. Head pats are the best monster drops!
Yay! Dancing Lucoa. That’s a strange phone conversation about compensation. I will remember that for later in the Dragon Maid season. Eep. Ilulu meets Kobayashi. Um, Ilulu’s already down the wrong path here. Refusing to eat Tohru’s tail is a metaphor, people. It’s a metaphor! Dumb dragon. Ilulu thinks Kobayashi is a man!
Ilulu has the same opinion as Tohru’s father that humans and dragons can’t coexist. Her reasoning rests on how different they are. Tohru’s father worried about humans’ short lifespans causing inconsolable heartbreak. Ilulu projects her feelings onto Tohru because Ilulu had negative experiences from befriending humans in the past.
Oh, boy. Literally! If Ilulu’s argument didn’t work because Kobayashi wasn’t a man, well, then she’ll just make her a man! So petty. Don’t leave Kobayashi hanging like that! Oops. That’s an even worse cliffhanger. Fafnir can’t log in to his video game! The fate of mankind is in jeopardy!
Dragon girls are cute in the end credits. The end cards are dragon versions of horoscope signs. Leo the Lion is wicked!
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