Selfawareness might be the best friend of otherwise average to bad shows. The most recent example of how this works well might be Boku no Hero Academia. It doesnt promise you anything it cant deliver. And you get exactly what you were looking for nothing more nothing less. Sounds like a fair deal right? With that in mind Dragon Maid tries to do the same this time among the vast ocean of slice of life mediocrities. Many comment on the cute girls casual humor light fanservice and KyoAnis visuals. But what this show actually revolves around is often missed. Kobayashi is an office lady who used to live alone until Tohru and Kanna formed a familylike setup in her life. And thats it. How much becoming responsible for a family can change an adult? What Kobayashis experience answers to us is that it wont change people at all. Sure we do learn new things from raising a child we do need to concede and make some sacrifices. Thats why Kobayashi is the same person from episode one to the last. Shes always the same laidback hardworking gal who loves a happy hour once in a while with those deadfish eyes to die for. And thats good enough. Unfortunately the other aspects of this show are almost negligible. Side characters have any but surfacelevel purposes such as comic relief or fanservice. Also the setting doesnt make any difference. We could not have any dragons and it woudnt touch the purpose of the story. Having only Kanna Kobayashi and Tohru introduced would not change the theme of the anime. What is redeeming though is the selfawareness of this show. Whenever it takes a turn on fanservice comedy or a heart warming moment Dragon Maid knows what it is doing. And will be honest about it whenever possible. The best example of this is might be the beach episode. It sure has a dose of fanservice but soon we get to know a little more about Kobayashi and Tohru. The result is a heartening experience instead of what a plain showcase of the girls bodies would provide. This is far from being a sign of recovery by KyoAni but its already a step ahead. As expected from them audiovisuals are of toptier quality. Distinctive character designs fluid animation gorgeous backgrounds. All in a tradicional cartoonish style uncommon to see in anime nowadays. OST might sound repetitive many times but this doesnt bother at all. Also unskippable opening/ending songs make it up for the experience. Voice acting is on point too with a special spotlight on Kanna and Kobayashis voices They stand out above the rest in their characterizations. Sometimes making it simple is the best. Sometimes we need a more human light hearted story to sit and relax after a long day. Its time for the industry to try to be more honest sensitive and human on anime. Lets hope that KyoAni gets the message. Lets make this the starting point. And one more word: Kobayashi is the best girl.