Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S - Episode 9 Review - Tohru and Elma Finally End Their Feud
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The episode begins with a story focusing on Elma and Kobayashi. Elma is demanding better working conditions for their department. She feels the employees are forced to work too much overtime. Kobayashi thinks Elma has good points but feels there’s nothing that can be done about it, that’s just the way it has to be.
Elma doesn’t give up and starts writing formal proposals to change things. She has Kobayashi check the proposals and gets her feedback before taking them to upper management.
Even though Elma eventually gets Kobayashi’s and Takiya’s seal of approval, upper management still says no. Then their boss calls up all three of them to meet.
I don’t think this was ever mentioned before - apparently their boss is Shouta’s dad! Who is also a mage, and well aware that Elma is a dragon. And that Kobayashi and Takiya are friends with his son. He just wanted to meet them a first time. Anyways, he still says no to Elma, but she doesn’t budge. She tries starting a labor union, and even Tohru helps. That’s because Tohru hopes it will mean Kobayashi will get to be home more if there’s less overtime.
Elma can’t beat Shouta’s dad in the end. And we find out the reason she wants the changes is sweets, of course. She wants to get out of work in time to buy limited time sweets.
In the next story, Kanna, Saikawa and Shouta ask Elma to chaperone them on their day off as they take a picnic trip up in the mountains.
Saikawa and Kanna go fishing, and Elma is able to advise them on the best spot to fish. There’s a number of times Elma almost reveals her dragon identity to Saikawa. I love those little gags.
Elma gets cocky, thinking it’s easy to chaperone kids. She relaxes in the water for a second, and the kids take off without her noticing. She freaks out, afraid Tohru will call her pathetic for losing the kids. So she does everything she can to find them.
Shouta just wanted to research ley lines for his magecraft. The three go back to camp. But Elma doesn’t know. She loses it and turns into a dragon. Saikawa sees this but luckily Shouta makes her sleep with magic. In the end, Elma forgives the kids because Kanna gives her a sweet flower.
In the last story, Elma unexpectedly asks Tohru to fight with her for exercise. Kobayashi and Fafnir join them in a secluded area so that they can stop the fight if it gets out of hand.
This fight is even more epic than the last one we see between them. They’re dragons so it makes sense we see Dragon Ball levels of destruction! Really it’s just Elma’s reason for asking why Tohru chose to be best friends with humans but never tried to be best friends with her again. She misses Tohru. Awww. So they finally make up after all these years.
