Tohru is a fictional character of the fantasy comedy and slice of life Japanese manga series named, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. The series is written and illustrated by famed manga artist, Coolkyousinnjya. Coolkyousinnjya is famous for the I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying comedy manga series. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid series is of the Yuri genre i.e. one that features girls being romantically involved. The mangaka had it published in May 2013, through the publication house Futabasha’s Monthly Action magazine. Futabasha has also serialized four other spin-offs of the series. In North America, Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the series and two of these spin-offs. The English volume was first released in 2016. The spin-offs have been illustrated by various illustrators.
- Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life – illustrator Mitsuhiro Kimura.
- Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Elma’s Office Lady Diary – artist Ayami Kazama.
- Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Lucoa is my Xx – artist Utamaro.
- Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Fafnir the Recluse – artist Nobuyoshi Zamurai.
Anime Adaptation
The manga had been adapted into an animated series by Kyoto Animation of K-ON, Nichijou, Lucky Star, and Haruhi Suzumiya fame. The anime aired in Japan from January to April 2017. The series was directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto with Nobuaki Maruki as chief animation director. Yuka Yamada was the screenwriter and Miku Kadowaki designed the characters. The music score was composed by Masumi Ito.
Crunchyroll telecasted the series and Funimation released an English dubbed version in February 2017. Madman Entertainment imported Funimation’s version into Australia and New Zealand.
A second season titled Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S was announced but delayed due to the expected demise of the director, Yasuhiro Takemoto. Tatsuya Ishihara has replaced Takemoto as director, while the remaining entire team has been allotted. In July 2021, a second season was planned and premiered.
Plot
Kobayashi is an office worker and programmer, who manages to save a dragon during a drunk mountain expedition. The very next day, the female dragon, Tohru, takes human form and approaches Kobayashi with the intent of returning her kindness. She offers to help out Kobayashi by being her maid and doing all of the house chores, as Kobayashi is unable to, being a busy office-going woman. As both dragon and master co-resides, they attract other dragons and mythical beings. In a similar situation, a comparatively younger dragon, Kanna comes to reside with Kobayashi and Tohru. The plot carries on with the comic and everyday life of the master of the house and her two dragons, who with time become a happy family.
Main Characters
- Kobayashi
She is an average working woman who has an unexplained curiosity for maids. She is often mistaken to be a man for her lack of feminine features. A bad drunk, she often has hangovers and is seen to be nursed by her cohabitating dragons posing as humans. She is warm and kind-hearted and easily opens up her home to strangers. She is shown to be an upfront blunt and honest character.
- Tohru
Tohru is a chaos dragon who can assume human form but with horns intact and at times her tail. An expert in household chores, she was always taught to be wary of humans. As Kobayashi breaks her belief of humans being evil, she falls head over heels in love with her savior and starts living with her to reciprocate her kindness. She is friendly and naïve. Her cheerful, energetic, and outgoing personality shines throughout the series.
- Kanna
Kanna is a young female dragon who has been debarred from the dragon realm due to her pranks. She is younger than Tohru and treats her as an older sister. Kanna is soft-spoken and stoic but emotional. She is extremely adorable, likes frequent naps, and has a ravenous appetite. She is mischievous and loves playing pranks. Abandoned by her father, she latches onto Kobayashi hoping for the filial love that she so desired.
Voice Actor Credits
The main characters of the English version are voiced by the actors:
- Kobayashi – Leah Clark – 269 credits – Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z, Plunderer, Deadman Wonderland, Evangelion, My Hero Academia, Fairy Tail, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul: re, etc.
- Tohru – Sarah Wiedenheft – 209 credits – Orange, Dragon Ball Super, Black Clover, Fire Force, Plunderer, Azur Lane, Dr. Stone, Attack on Titan, etc.
- Kanna – Jad Saxton – 269 credits – One Piece, Wolf Children, Fruits Basket, High School DxD, Death Parade, Fire Force, Black Clover, Plunderer, Azur Lane, My Hero Academia, Food Wars, etc.
- Fafnir – Garret Storms – 91 credits – Black Clover, My Hero Academia, Fire Force, Fairy Tail, One Piece, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul: re, etc.
- Makoto Takiya –Jeff Johnson – 142 credits – Fire Force, Black Clover, Overlord, Tokyo Ghoul: re, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, etc.
- Lucoa – Jamie Marchi – 349 credits – My Hero Academia, High School DxD, Fruits Basket, Attack on Titan, Black Clover, etc.
- Elma – Rachel Glass – 73 credits – Black Clover, Dr. Stone, My Hero Academia, Azur Lane, Fire Force, Overlord, Cardcaptor Sakura, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, etc.
- Riko Saikawa – Sara Ragsdale – 129 credits – Azur Lane, Black Clover, One Piece, Plunderer, Fruits Basket, Fire Force, Fairy Tail, etc.
Reception To The Series
The series has an IMDb rating of 7.7 and a MyAnimeList rating of 8.0. It is well-received for its light-hearted nature and comic scenes. The story has suggestive adult humor, hence it is rated TV-14 (meaning not suitable for children below 14 years). The character of Kanna is adored by the viewers. The friendly and warm atmosphere is what keeps the series a hit amongst viewers straying from the main genre of hardcore animes. Critics have applauded its simple storytelling format and it is believed that the anime adaptation has brought out the real beauty of the manga.
How Old Are Tohru And Kanna?
Tohru has an appearance of a 16-year-old but is believed to be more than 500 but less than 1000 years in dragon age; while Kanna appears as a 9-year-old but is believed to be around 300 years in dragon age.
