The eighth volume of coolkyousinnjya’s Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid presents a story that is a little more serious than its usual comedic offerings. But does a more serious story fit within the series, or should coolkyousinnjya stick with the comedy?
Front cover of the eighth volume of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, featuring Kanna, Miss Kobayasha, Tohru, Kimun Kamuy and Azad.
Off to the World of Dragons!
Kanna’s father, the great chaos dragon warrior Kimun Kamuy, has appeared to take Kanna back to the world of dragons. Kanna will go if it means finally getting her father’s approval, but Kimun Kamuy is more interested in Kanna as a comrade-in-arms than a daughter. And what is the mysterious mage Azad up to? Suspicious and still hoping for a reconciliation, Kobayashi and Tohru head for the world of dragons to try and stop a disastrous war before it starts!
I’ll start by answering the question I presented in the first paragraph: yes, a more serious story does indeed fit in with Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid – in fact, volume eight may just be my favourite volume of the series so far.
It looks at how certain dragons living within human society have been changed by the people they know, and contrasts that with those from the dragon world. It is also another example of Kobayashi not backing down when confronting a dragon; for a human, she pulls of some rather impressive stunts.
We also get to see Kanna’s shrewd side in this volume, which certainly comes as a surprise to certain people.
Talking of which, an impending war between chaos and harmony dragons loom, and something is inciting the two sides towards violence. Ilulu’s role in this volume is to go on reconnaissance to uncover the truth is what happening, and that information helps Tohru decide on what it is that needs to be done.
That isn’t to say Tohru is completely confident about it, though. Doubts creep in, but some training with Fafnir soon sets her on the right path – and highlights just how much she has changed since before meeting Miss Kobayashi.
There’s a lot going on in this volume, and it is all utterly fantastic stuff. All the dragons have got a variety of roles to play, especially Kanna. She is very much the star of this particular volume.
Overall, an incredibly strong volume of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, with a compelling story set in the world of the dragons.
Rory Muses 