Parents' Guide to

Dragon Pilot

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Charming anime centers on brave, funny female pilot.

Dragon Pilot Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 16+

It's not as kid-friendly as it appears.

I made an account here because I feel very strongly about this. For starters, I would not recommend this to a 12+ age group. This show is more suited to 14-16+. Here's why I think that: This is a 'moe' anime. For those uninitiated with Japanese subcultures, 'moe' is a genre of anime/manga about cute, young girls who behave in 'childish' ways. In some instances, it has unfortunate sexual undertones. Many people are sexually attracted to cuteness and youth, especially in Japan, and this anime appeals to that audience. Episode 1 of this show is innocent enough, but immediately in episode 2, we are introduced to a character who constantly comments on the bodies of the young women at the air force base. He gropes them, he talks about their cup size, and he designs extremely form-fitting flight suits for them to wear. In every context that the girls are wearing their flight suits, the situations are not sexual. However, the camera angles and animation highlight their butts and boobs. In some shots, they are bending over, and their butts are very close to the camera and the animation is very detailed around the curves of their buttcheeks. Their flight suits are designed to look like they are wearing panties. This is a fact that is even commented on by a character, who is embarrassed to see his crush walk in to the hangar wearing it. It is impossible to tell how old the main characters are, but based on context, we can assume they are fresh out of high school, putting them in the late teens, and they may be underage on American standards. The girls are drawn in a more simplified, cuter style than the boys, which makes them look younger than the men in the show. It is unfortunate, but the sexual aspects of the 'moe' genre are a big selling point, especially in Japan. So the girls are drawn looking very young (even underage), the men are drawn looking more 'adult' and 'mature,' and all the men on the air force base constantly talk about the women's bodies. This show has it's good moments, highlighting the importance of friendship, teamwork and sacrifice. However, when you look at it through the 'moe' genre lens, you may be just as uncomfortable by it as I am. There is a lot of things written in to the show that just... don't need to be there for the kind of story it's trying to tell. As "cute" and "innocent" as this show may seem on the surface, and as appealing as it might be for children and young girls, you may want to talk to your kids about sexual harassment, society's views on women, the standards of beauty and sexual attractiveness, and how easy it is for sexual subtext to be slipped in to otherwise innocent media. (Also, in some instances of the show, characters outright address that they are being sexually harassed, but it's played off as if it's funny. That's another issue I have with anime and sexual harassment issues: in many instances, its played as a joke, as if it's funny that these girls are being groped and lusted after. Very uncool. This sort of attitude towards sexual harassment is, unfortunately, extremely common in anime- especially moe and shonen, which are very popular genres.) Your mileage may vary. If this sort of thing doesn't bother you, then absolutely, enjoy Dragon Pilot and show it to your children. I strongly believe that the sexual undertones deserve to be more strongly addressed by Common Sense Media, however. Watch it first before you determine if it is appropriate for your child and their maturity level.

This title has:

Too much sex
2 people found this helpful.
age 17+

Not okay for kids under the age of 13

This show is okay for kids that are soon to be 13 or 13 very inappropriate for and kids under there are a lot of parts that the trailer didn’t seem to mention AT ALL it makes the show looks sweet and like there is nothing bad.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (5):

The "magical girl/chosen one" concept is one you see a lot in anime -- and dragons are certainly having a moment in TV and film -- but this story has a charm and sweetness all its own. Hisone is a supremely likable protagonist, imperfect and yearning to find her place in the world, like so many of us. The other D-Pilots (Dragon Pilots) in the OTF program are perfect foils for her, each having their own fun quirks. It's especially gratifying that the writers don't draw out the initial rivalry between Hisone and her co-worker Nai Kaizaki (Sarah Anne Williams) for too long -- the ultimate theme being that we are better together. Dragon Pilot may not be groundbreaking anime, but it's genuinely funny and heartfelt, with snappy dialogue and engaging characters that make it compulsively watchable.

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate