Maidragon S: Turning Differences Into Bridges to Connect People.

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon S

---

From my perspective, happiness can be found in simplicity. Wonderful stories are not always full of plot twists, villains and epic settings. The best tales, in my opinion, are the ones that immerse the audience in the story. Many people, including me, love narratives and characters out of this world, but, in my estimation, this world—our world, can be more magnificent.

Kyoto Animation, the studio in charge of many anime considered gems of Japanese animation, such as Koe no Katachi and Violet Evergarden, surprised us by announcing a long-awaited second season of Kobayashi's Maidragon. Having the first season succeeded to delight us with a well-developed production, the second season of Maidragon had to be at least at the level of its forerunner.

This second season, Maidragon S, starts high with a swift-expanded episode that shows Tohru and Kobayashi's daily life, including a development in the plot of the season. This sequel could be compared to how Nichijō—which shares animation studio with Maidragon—was screen-written in the sense that both of them include short stories while developing the base of the show itself. From the very first episode, one can infer what kind of anime this is going to be: comical and funny, but not shallow.

First, Maidragon S deepens into the character development of Kobayashi, the main character of the anime. When comparing the personality—and average mood—of Kobayashi during the first season to how she is in Maidragon S, one can tell Tohru and the other dragons have strongly influenced Kobayashi. She, who used to be a slave of her work who would sit in front of a computer for several hours to then drink booze at the bar, demonstrated herself that the situations she went through with the dragons were not for nothing. She, Kobayashi, found a reason to be happy, a reason to go back home, people—or rather dragons—to hold dear. Therefore, the Kobayashi from the first season of Maidragon is not the same as the one from the second season.

On the other hand, Maidragon S strengthens Kobayashi and Tohru’s relationship in a well-paced, appealing manner. The relationship maiden-master portrayed in most anime is too ambivalent to establish a common structure; however, even as they are different, Maidragon diverges in an original way. Kobayashi, the master; and Tohru, her maid, have been on familiar terms ever since they met each other, but as time flies away, so does the curtain separating them. Maidragon S shows how these master and maid have put aside their differences to become more than close friends, therefore showing how Dragons and Humans can coexist and even cooperate. If you are interested in how this pair—Kobayashi and Tohru—did after the first season, then you should watch the second one, since you are going to get what you wanted.

When it comes to coexistence, the core of the matter is a tiny bright sphere called communication. And just as the Big Bang theory, this singularity conveys a whole universe within—in proportion to their significance, of course.

“If we are to live together in peace, we must come to know each other better” - Lyndon B. Johnson.

Human society is based on how people interact with each other, and as the former American president, Lyndon Johnson, said, it only takes communication to establish harmonious relationships. Maidragon S portrays how dragons and humans have dealt with a conflict for ages up to the time of the story. Dragons who try to atone for the violent acts towards humans, others who cannot stand them in any way. Maidragon S shows how the Dragon-Human conflict has evolved over time and how our protagonists deal with it. What is going to happen when both species clash?

Maidragon S, on the other hand, deepens the bonds of Tohru and Elma, who previously happened to be in not-so-good terms. Although focusing on developing a cosy, funny aura is important to this anime, expanding the personalities and story itself of the main characters is also a key point to this second season. Fortunately, Kyoto Animation managed to adequately build a balance between character development—including dramatic moments—and genre development, as Maidragon S has a funny yet sentient outline.

Another—in my opinion—outstanding aspect of Maidragon S is how dragons see humans. Perhaps for us human beings, most contemporary society attributes are common, as we got used to them (E.g. holidays, celebrations, greetings, farewells, peace, war, bloodshed, inequality...), but what if a different, reasonable species were to inspect our traits as humans? What if a perhaps more rational being were to examine us?

Maidragon S criticizes the human selfish, deplorable behavior by taking a look at ourselves from the perspective of dragons.

Ultimately, Maidragon S show us how differences do not mean walls between people, but rather bridges to connect them, to learn new things, to meet new people, to explore the unknown and swallow it up—as Kobayashi would say. Dragons and Humans. A maid and an office worker. People—humans, dragons, and any other species in Maidragon—are not water and oil, which do not mix; Maidragon S is about how you can go against distinctions and mix up with other people. Maidragon S is a beautiful, funny, sentient, reflective experience, it is one of KyoAni's best works.

Regarding animation, soundtrack and more technical aspects, go and find out by yourself. What I can assure is that this anime was made with love by talented animators, scriptwriters, directors, voice actors, etc. It is Kyoto Animation, after all.