Dragon Pilot's trailer enticed me to the series because it reminded me of How To Train Your Dragon, still an excellent animated film. It shows a girl who gets picked by a dragon and doesn't understand what is happening at all; it seemed like it'd be funny, and at 12 episodes, it wouldn't hurt to watch it. What I got was a highly original concept, some stunning art and animation from legendary studio, Bones, and some solid voice work--not to mention a killer soundtrack.
The Story:
Some characters come off as tropey in the beginning, but do not discount them yet. There is a lot of growth to be had between them all, and it seems like there are some more stories to be told here. One of the characters aspires to be a combat pilot, what of her dream? Hopefully a season 2 comes soon. Overall the plot is wholly original, and i will not spoil what happens, but it does echo HTTYD in a lot of respects.
Animation:
Smooth overall, not many noticeably lower quality cells.
Sound:
Voices are good, some of my personal favorite American VAs are present here, such as Christine Marie Cabanos of K-On! and Squid Girl fame, Erica Harlacher of Persona 5 and Toradora, not to mention Bryce Pappenbrook from Attack on Titan and Durarara. Soundtrack is great, the big standout is the credits song.
tl;dr good anime if you liked How To Train Your Dragon. Prepare for a bit of an "earn your happy ending" though.
tl;dr good anime if you liked How To Train Your Dragon. Prepare for a bit of an "earn your happy ending" though.