First Impressions / Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu

「魔族襲来」 (Mazoku Shuurai)
“Fallen Assault”

So there are challenges to Diablo’s power in this world.

I’ve said it before: the point of an overpowered main character (in an action series—One-Punch Man was a different beast) is to smash them against other overpowered characters and see what happens. It’s the action figures theory of storytelling, where you have Goku and Superman fight and see who wins. So, in order to challenge Diablo, he needs equally powerful opponents—and no, I don’t mean this Emile Bichel Berger (Okiayu Ryotaro) chap. Though what’s not to love? He is delightfully baka, and with mental fortitude to be envied. More of this guy, please! He’s my kind of idiot.

No, I’m referring to the Fallen, and perhaps enemy-cum-future-ally Edelgard (Katou Emiri). Though I suspect he’ll be notably more powerful than her as well. Maybe, though, her in your face combat style will give Diablo difficulty, and if nothing else, the sheer attrition of the Fallen troops is already giving him some pause. Good! He’s still hella strong, but the world around him is weak, which necessitates him taking more of the burden upon himself, which puts him in over his head… Good. If one person can’t challenge him, multiple is fine. I just want that drama.

I did get a chuckle out of how Diablo kept overestimating people in this world (Galluk, Emile), up until the point he underestimated them. Or didn’t estimate at all. Mayhaps it’s more Celes who underestimated Galluk’s male fragility, because it drove him to kill himself and turn into a Fallen in order to make sense of the world that doesn’t automatically adore him for his sociopathy, which, lulz. Not exactly a subtle example of the form, but I can’t say self-implosions of this caliber don’t happen. With less magic daggers, natch, but with similar chances of collateral damage. Only maybe less so, because if Rem dies and the real demon lord is released…

Looks like Team Diablo should start sticking together. And recruit the Fallen girl. Mhm mhm mhmmm, that outfit. Stilts-oniichan like!

Random thoughts:

  • 10,000 lulz for everyone getting bent out of shape about Diablo’s horns, when they’re really just a cosplay item. Hah! It’s little details like that which make the demon lord roleplay come to life.

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Full-length images: 12, 34.

 

Preview

20 Comments

  1. It was a good idea to have Diablo facing the Fallen on a narrow bridge so they can only attack him one at a time rather than invoking a tired shounen battle trope to do that. I like the detachable horns too, reminded me of Maoyuu Maou Yuusha.

    Three episodes in and this is a keeper. Even if you weren’t quite sure, how could you avoid watching episode 4 after that cliff-hanger? OK, so he’s bound to win, but the question is how does he do it and add Edelgard to his harem?

    Angelus
    Reply

    1. Given who she is and her situation, I wish they’d come up with a better reason than not wanting charity to separate her from Diablo. Sure it’s cute how proud she is, but that can take a backseat when you know there’s at least one disgraced crazy(that’s actually sorta powerful by this world’s standards) roaming the city that might have a bone to pick with her because of Diablo.

      I mean, I could understand if she couldn’t completely trust Celes since she’s only nice to her because of her curse, but still. The cheesecake is great, but a little more meat would’ve been nice, too.

      Aex
      Reply

      1. Not knowing the source material at all, I wondered if Celes knew the Fallen were about to mount an invasion and needed Diablo at the bridge but without the risk of having Rem there. One Fallen would present a lot less danger to her than 100.

        Angelus
        Reply

  3. Just to give Galluk a little more substance I’ll point out that they breezed over(or will add later) the part where the Fallen inside the dagger basically brainwashed him by whispering to him how superior Galluk was to everyone since he got the thing. He was an ass before that, but Celes isn’t so stupid as to completely miss an unhinged psycho right next to her.

    Another thing about Diablo’s bridge fight is that it shows how utterly screwed everyone would’ve been without him. The Fallen are this world’s boogeymen for a reason even if Celes’ barrier would still stop them, and they even figured out a work-around for that. I like this kind of thing more when it’s not that it would’ve just be a really tough fight without the overpowered main character, but that they wouldn’t have had a friggen prayer if he hadn’t been there. It makes them necessary and deserving of the praise you know they will get if the people are decent, not just someone that butted in but then still gets worshiped as the only reason their side won.

    Aex
    Reply

    1. Fair enough on Galluk, though I can’t help but think that he wouldn’t have been brainwashed if he wasn’t so open to corruption. It does exonerate Celes quite a bit though, which I like.

      Agreed on Diablo earning his praise. On one level it means challenges should probably be few and far between (outside of the social realm), but at least he’s gonna deserve it when he gets praised! Even if he was only in the right place at the right time because of massive convenient coincidence (or so-far-untold-to-us foreknowledge by Celes—which would be dicey even so, if she was willing to send Rem to the front of an invasion).

      Stilts
      Reply

  4. This show is starting to suffer from same fate as Death March adaptation, it’s getting stale very fast, all these terrible Isekai shows have same exact problem, interesting story part that holds in viewers is in episode 1,6,12,13, episode 2-3-4-5-7-8-9-10-11 are just are a filler.

    john
    Reply

    1. Disclaimer :: I am a huge Death March fan! Having said that,
      I would’ve liked the Anime adaptation to be a little more animated
      (too many panning still shots for “action”). But for me, it really
      captured the underlying heart of the Death March story, some of
      which are very touching.

      I think the real problem is that a good Isekai (or any concept)
      that has any real depth cannot be well characterized in 12 episodes;
      Death March (the Web novel) does some decent world and character
      building, and it takes several volumes to be appreciated. Many of
      those details made it into the Anime, but you won’t notice them
      without reading the WN.

      I’m catching up w/Overlord which has been graced with 3 seasons,
      so there’s more opportunity at a well rounded story telling series.

      I still have hopes for this series, and so far it’s not been bad.

      mac65
      Reply

    2. I actually quite enjoyed Death March, though I can see how it would bore. Its most important character was its world, and its overpowered main character was more about enabling a comfy tour through that world than it was about him defeating challenges. That (+ how he didn’t get all hentai on his loli harem, since they’re his slaves/charges and that would be morally wrong) made it an interesting spin on the genre, rather than the same old thing.

      This is more in line with genre norms, just with a surer hand on the tiller than most. If yer not enjoying it though, I’d suggest not wasting your time. It is what it is, and I enjoy it for some silly fun, but if it annoys you, I doubt it’ll be such a world-beater as to justify getting annoyed each week.

      Stilts
      Reply

  8. https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2029.jpg
    Idiots, like this, need to stay as a Janitor for eternity. To even beat up his former co-workers, wow, I am shocked no one had retaliated against him.

    https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
    Must look for hot female characters, that have the same fashion, or at least female Lancers. I hope that girl won’t suffer, learn that being a Lancer is full of misery.

    Greed
    Reply

  10. In addition to this being a generally fun show, I like how it hasn’t really fallen into the traps of endless exposition, world building and game mechanics. Diablo gives us bits and pieces as he takes care of things, but there really hasn’t been the typical slog through the swamp that most such shows force upon the viewer — a symbolic death march, if you will. The show uses shorthand, e.g. Level 30, 40, or 50, or that the Fallen typically served as level bosses, to let us know what to expect. I don’t want to be beaten to a pulp with game mechanics — I don’t want it when playing a game let alone when watching a show — so this is a great relief.

    If I were to complain it would be that there was a lack of action in the episode. We only got to see him whack one of the Fallen, and really… would it have hurt Diablo that much to take Shera for a quick dip in the river? We actually got more combat scenery from his confrontation with Emile than with the Fallen horde so far. I expect more next week.

    Celes seems like a good choice as leader of the guild or association or whatever. As with another commenter here, my first reaction was to wonder if she was trying to separate Rem from Diablo. I found Galluk’s self-centredness to be his most endearing trait and well done (although I thought that Seiken no Blacksmith handled that type of possession even better). What I do wonder about is, why is Edie not like the other Fallen? And just what does it mean to be the ‘best lancer’ amongst a troop that doesn’t have any other mounted warriors? I’m willing to indulge her pretensions for the time being though.

    Along with Grand Blue, this is probably the most fun show this summer for me (and if I think about it, maybe for the year so far).

    Mockman
    Reply

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