「あの子にご執心?」 (Ano Ko ni Goshuushin?)
“Infatuated With That Girl?”

After a showing that I can only classify as random last week, my curiosity was naturally piqued on where things would go from there (har har). While Hiroshi does return as Brave, the story for the most part has gone back to the usual ways that I’ve grown accustomed to. Eiko returns briefly as well, seen alongside one Yamato Bouichirou (Shingaki Tarusuke), who possesses a pendant that projects an image of what looks like a blond version of Keena with the same hairpin. Other than showing how he’s closely observing Akuto and disinterested in Eiko’s grudge with Junko’s family line, there wasn’t a whole lot else revealed about Bouichirou at this time, including his name that I only found out about from the credits. However, his appearance does raise more questions about the overarching story surrounding who Keena is in relation to Akuto outside their brief meeting ten years ago.

Based on how things have proceeded thus far, I gather the plot will continue to slowly build around that notion and come to some not overly profound conclusion at the end of this anime adaptation. I know that sounds like I’m writing off anything meaningful coming out of this series, but that is actually well within my expectations when I first got into it. As such, I’m not disappointed how things seem to be going somewhat predictably down that path, but instead relieved that there is some sort of story being strung together every episode. Given the nature of the series and its fairly harem-esque and fan-service-filled nature, it’s realistically all one can expect. If nothing else, it works well to balance scenes of Fujiko getting ravaged by some snail monster’s tentacles and hearing Itou Shizuka moaning as if she were sexually aroused. Interestingly enough, this is actually the first time I recall hearing Shizuka’s “skills” in this area, even though she’s apparently no stranger to adult-themed anime and games under a different stage name. Still, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard this side of her, so it was for a lack of a better phrase, quite the treat.

In any case, Fujiko herself is proving to have little more than a comic relief type of role ever since the backstory on her brother was more or less wrapped up in episode five. It’s a bit weird seeing her get along so well with Peterhausen and still attempt to be a demon king’s queen in light of how her brother gave up his life to try and seal the dragon away, but that still isn’t quite as jarring as seeing Akuto accidentally activate her monster egg on contact, throw it out the window in broad daylight, only for it to wind up completely pitch dark when they go outside and check on it. It’s one thing to cast off Fujiko’s current behavior to her messed up personality and lust for power, but the discontinuity in the passage of time is a little more difficult to explain. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal even if it happened two episodes in a row now, but does prompt questions on what Artland studios is doing when it’s glaringly more obviously than hands drawn with six fingers.

Anyway, with a mutated two-headed chicken causing havoc and Hiroshi dispatching it with relative ease, he also ended up scoring a kiss from idol Hoshino Yuri (Iguchi Yuka), befitting of his superhero status. Oddly enough, I didn’t mind Brave’s appearance so much this time around with the background track they play for all the action scenes, mainly because we didn’t have the over-the-top comic book style of animation to make it feel even more out of place than it already is. I still wonder how no one noticed the big honking blue bracelet Hiroshi has on his wrist now, though I admit that the transformation sequence activated by it did look pretty cool. A superhero was probably the last thing I was expecting to see in this series, but at least it’s been portrayed in a way that doesn’t make it come off completely cheesy.

As for our main characters of interest, I never thought much of Keena’s love of rice much before, but it’s really grown on me over the weeks and I find her absolutely adorable when she shovels bowl after bowl down. With that in mind, I got a good laugh at how Akuto used her rice cooker to threaten to distance himself from her because she wouldn’t attend her classes. Korone on the other hand was fairly unassuming in her housewife get-up, but her Matrix-like talk on the theory that God acknowledges those with powerful magical abilities and how it’s tied to an almost religious belief did put a more serious spin on things. Last but not least is Junko, who’s become so ridiculously love-struck with Akuto that I almost miss the brash side of her personality. I suspect her mood swings come in waves however, which the next episode involving a supposed marriage interview with Akuto and her parents set up by Korone should entail. Overall, this was a pretty decent showing in light of last week, simply because of its better balance of all story, character development, fan-service, and even superhero elements.

 

25 Comments

  1. Well this was a funny episode with some insigth of what is coming against Akuto and his harem, but I can´t wait for mariage interview in the next episode. It´s going to be awsome.

    haseo0408
    1. Heck yeah! Junko <3 She's my fav followed by korone and then fujiko. Keina might be better if she stopped acting like a brat and got serious. Besides, it's pretty clear she's hidding alot of info from Akuto.

      GP
  2. ?HughUuH Can they get rid of power ranger pink … I mean Brave. with Keena and Junko around I find it a waste of time to focus on him. Unless he’ll challenge our demon lord later on; because his one liner thinking how the demon lord raise to power. Also Korone, the prez and her gang, et.al. Let the girls brawl for the prize and stop the power ranger power up to stop the tamago of the day 🙁

    Island Esper
  3. Fifth!!!!
    heehehehhe episode was good.
    Well at least better than the random one last week.
    And I cant help but to notice that the words random and curiousity
    appeared in the first line of this review.

    rasone0104
  4. I think out of all the girls Keena is my least favorite, she annoys me with her sometime idiotic, sometime smart, or maybe actually very smart but acting like a dumb bimbo attitude. Getting nake all the time and going inside someone elses room without permission doesn’t help her image either.
    She is so much like a spoil little childish brat, I just think she need a good slap or two.

    My favorite is the student rep, something about that witch hat, the scarf, her voice and the way she speak is just so adorable.

    mike
    1. I agree with you as well though I like Junko more (mmm those mood swings are fun), but the pres is high up as well. Keina is dead last in my book. I also don’t like how Fujiko is now more or less just a slapstick comedy character. They need to bring her back into the fold please.

      GP
  5. I noticed they changed Fujiko’s censor during the tentacle scene :P. Also what was noted about Akuto saying things identical to the past Maou makes me wonder if the past Maou was even that bad of a guy. Especially since Akuto said something pretty noble when Hiroshi made the connection.

    Click
    1. i was thinking that too, with the whole rejection of the Matrix like thing Korone was talking about being rejected by Akuto as being a twisted system, it might be where the plot is going.

      Izu
  6. Done with this series. I can already see where the hell this is going and I will not be a part of it. A powersuit of all things. I’m surprise they didn’t have someone screaming, “Blathering blatherskite!”

    Remy
  7. if fujiko had been more smart, cool and bold on akuto, she would been my 2nd vote for akuto’s girl. my choice would be keena now because of how she seems to know some stuff and her closeness to akuto and it does look like they will end up.

    in case they dont, my vote is for lily since she reminds me of shizuku(kampfer) except for the fact they have opposite looks.

    amado
  8. Well at least its starting to build towards a climax it seems to me that he will become a demon lord mainly because its the only way to control the situation. I think this is going to be one of those anime series were being a demon doesn’t make you evil and those who portray themselves as just and right are the more evil and willing to do anything in the name of their ideals. This is actually one of the aspects i like about anime in that demons can be the mc of the story while things that are typically portrayed as always being good in wester stories ie angels can be evil because of their view of themselves as absolute and right and their willingness to sacrifice even the innocent for their goals.

    chaos
  9. oright first kiss x siss and now this
    i think hentai will be aired in japan very soon
    theu are lucky :ppp
    but i really love this show it’s funny and i hope they add more fights

    lilakou
  10. the opening joke xD .. GG >:D
    if i had known that moaning was from hinagiku i would have paid more attention when i watched it :/ (i dont pay attention to seiyus)

    N0216332
  11. I feel Hoshino Yuri will cause the gap between Akuto and Hiroshi based on the fact that she said she hates magic beasts and Akuto awakened the magic beasts. So I think she will convince Brave to fight against Akuto; which the fight will reveal Hiroshi as Brave to Akuto.

    Maximilian
  12. A late comment, but I just watched this episode.

    I wouldn’t be surprised, based on some bits here and there. for example when they comment that this and that that Akuto say is exactly what the previous demon lord said, if the previous big evil was just simply someone who tried to change a semitotalitarian system (or a system he believed was unjust) or similar into something more civil and the government painted him as the evil one. But, that’s just a theory/hunch.

    Greg

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