Episode 4 – “When in Rome, do as the Romans Do (It's Hard to Match Others)”
Hmm.
Dragon Maid S used a fun character study on Elma to explore the theme of adaptability. In the first part of the episode, Takiya provoked an emotional response from Elma when he described Kobayashi as the “pillar” of their coding group. Elma’s rigid mindset did not let her realize that her memories of “pillars” in the dragon world did not apply at all in Kobayashi’s world. A human pillar in Elma’s world became a human sacrifice to dragons! Did Elma see any human sacrifices made at the company while she was there? No. Dragon Maid’s episode title fits the theme of accepting distinct cultures well.
In the episode’s second part, we saw more of why Tohru found Elma so grating on her nerves. Elma assumed Tohru’s motivation to patrol the neighborhood meant she strived toward justice now. Notice how Elma tried to fit the evidence to her worldview instead of asking Tohru why she wanted to keep the area safe from a black-clad weirdo. Since Tohru’s actions matched what Elma would do, they must be thinking the same thing, right? Wrong. Dragon Maid taught us a lesson on accepting different perspectives.
Elma wasn't at the amusement park, but there was still a rigid mind learning to go with the flow. Kobayashi, who had never been to such a park, discovered that it didn’t match her preconceptions. She found out how to have fun in a place she thought she wouldn’t like. She now has extra reasons to go too, since she found a Victorian maid café. Georgie is Kobayashi's best comrade for all things maid-related, a great big sister for Riko, and her best wingman. Georgie was the MVP of the Dragon Maid episode this week.
Heh.
Yay! Elma can stop serving tea and start doing her actual job of programming. Look at Dragon Maid giving us character development and progress. Kobayashi is harsh! Like Tohru, Elma is a high-spec dragon too, you know. Oho. Elma looks precious taking praise. Uh oh. Now Elma gets her complete assignment instead of just serving tea all day. Takiya explained that Kobayashi is the “pillar” of their coding group. Whoops. Elma thinks that word means something else. A duel? For what?
Ah. Tohru knows Elma well. Kobayashi now understands why Tohru finds Elma annoying. She also challenged Tohru to strange duels back in the dragon world. Har. "The North Wind and the Sun" straight out of Aesop’s Fables. They fought so hard together, so they must be great friends! Not in Dragon Maid. Oh no. Kobayashi has a “resting Chaos dragon face.” What kind of duel will Elma propose? Kobayashi doesn’t fight fair! Straight to the snack bribery! Elma takes the contest seriously.
So, “pillars” are a specific role humans play by becoming a sacrifice to support others. Dragon Maid reminds you that dragons are aliens to Kobayashi’s world, where words and concepts don’t translate exactly. Elma explains that some of her Harmony Faction dragons accepted human sacrifices for helping humans. This adds context to that dragon Cremene’s attitude towards humans. Kobayashi heard enough. Dekkopin (でっこぴん, poke in the forehead)! Kobayashi cleared things up, she and Elma finished work, and now it’s time to drink! Hey, Takiya took off from work, but he still gets to drink? That guy, living his life. Poor Elma. Takiya and Kobayashi abuse her on two fronts. One for her glasses as ornaments and the other, uh, for her frontal area.
Dragon Maid’s next chapter starts off with KyoAni drawing cute magical dragon girls. Wait a minute... this sounds familiar. Hahaha! Neighborhood Watch warns against Fafnir! Tohru knows how to catch suspects, so she can handle patrolling the neighborhood. Hahaha! Tohru swore in English! Ooh. Casual Tohru. Very pink. Very cute. The Blender lady isn’t good in a fight. Rude delinquents learn a bitter lesson about good manners. Pinky poke! Hilarious. The gang of toughs calls themselves Team Dragon Busters.
Ah. Tohru picks fights with Elma too. Dragon patrol! Elma can’t believe it. A Chaos faction dragon fights for peace! What has Tohru been doing all this time after meeting Kobayashi? Oh, right. Same thing. Keep up, Elma. Look how happy Elma can be in Dragon Maid without involving food. Oh, there’s the stickler Elma can be. Her scolding of children for barely jaywalking shows how Elma has no discretion or sense of proportion. She needs to be more flexible, a bit more, oh what’s the word? Chaotic. Now Elma feels annoyed with Tohru.
Oh, right. How about looking for Fafnir, er, that “suspicious person?” There he is! Practicing an anime dance. Because, of course, he would. Fafnir nails the theme of the Dragon Maid episode. The common sense of this world doesn’t entirely mesh with the dragons’ understanding. Tohru claims reconciling those differences is the fun part. That argument resonates with Elma, who just experienced that with Kobayashi.
The philosophical conversation paused. Gang fight! Some guy named Ryuu (龍, りゅう - dragon) is the sole reason the gang has a dragon name. There’s a girl with detailed eyes in this gang. Will we see her later in the season? Flawless victory for the real dragon maid. Those delinquents were polite to their elders after that. Particularly to the neighborhood boss, Tohru. Ryuu trains to beat Tohru, but he can’t even fight a bear yet. Keep training!
That was fun, but Dragon Maid can have more fun taking the dragon kids to an amusement park. Can Kobayashi refuse Kanna? Not with that adorable little pout. And not allowing Tohru to show her up about her own world. Kobayashi is competitive in her own ways.
Haha! Georgie works at the amusement park! Georgie knows what Kobayashi would enjoy at the park: a maid café. Nice for Tohru. She gets a date with Kobayashi at the park while the kids run around by themselves. I like how Dragon Maid lets Ilulu learn how to adapt to this world by grouping with Kanna and Riko. The amusement park is all brand new to Kobayashi too. Holy cow, Georgie is the best big sister wingman for Riko. Tohru knows about unicorns in her world. She won’t let him have Kobayashi’s virginity. That belongs to her! Riko is in heaven. Kobayashi is too after she went to the Victorian maid café.
Fun. Kids and adults ride the Ferris wheel together. Georgie is a pro stalker. Tohru thinks an amusement park simulates riding a dragon! That’s a novel perspective. Kobayashi says that Tohru only has rollercoasters, no slow rides.
Next time, Ilulu finds a job. Elma’s Pisces sign is the end card. Her advice is to repent. Elma would say that.
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