Posted by OP Sequence
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OP: 「DeCIDE」 by SUMMONARS 2+ (Serizawa Yuu, Waki Azuki, Hara Yumi, Ookubo Rumi, Katou Emiri
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「魔王演技」 (Maou Engi)
“The Demon Lord Act”
Or, the one with the Gary Stu you’ll actually like!
This season’s major magical-fantasy-action-harem-ecchi anime is here, and it’s got that isekai flavor added in, mm mm yum! This show is fascinating to me, because both in the source material and this first episode, it does several difficult things well, even if it’s in service to a story that probably won’t aspire to much beyond “have fanservice can lulz.” Chief of all: its main character is a Gary Stu who doesn’t suck.
In the preview, I referred to Death March in discussing why Sakamoto “Diablo” Takuma (Mizunaka Masaaki) works as a main character. Because he’s a total self-insert Gary Stu-type character, totally overpowered and with the ability to solve nearly any of his problems from the get-go, not to mention possessed of two beautiful girls who very literally cannot leave him alone. So why doesn’t he suck? Because his intense social anxiety means he can’t take advantage of his position nearly as much as a more functional person could.
Now, real social anxieties are no laughing manner! I’ve got friends with them, I’ve seen them get panic attacks, it’s no fun. But I’m going to chock Diablo’s issues up to an extreme lack of practice, because that both seems to be the case and because it makes it easier to have fun with it. Which is aided by how the show isn’t ridiculing him for his lack of social skills, it’s merely using it as a way to keep him as a likeable character, rather than a School Days-level womanizer and bloody tyrant who is thoroughly capable of slaughtering his way to the top. That would be wish fulfillment of another type, but not what we’re into here. Here the goal is to have fun following a guy who can solve all his problems save one: himself. Also, there are a lot of cute girls and ecchi stuff, which is always fun too.
This first episode was fairly streamlined, and did a good job of adapting the source material to the changed medium. there was little fat (one area excepted), and it jumped straight into delving into the characters of both Rem Galeu (Waki Azumi) and Shera L. Greenwood (Serizawa Yuu). Most notably the former, and boy was Diablo’s “torture” a lot of fun! I like how this show is determined to stimulate the mind’s eye as much as giving the cheesecake away, it makes for a more balanced ecchi meal. Also, Shera eating instead of saving Rem is just great character work. We’ve got a good sense of these three main characters, and we know at least some of what they’ll be doing. That’s a good first episode’s work.
I don’t know if I’ll be blogging this, but it is an easy show to talk about, so I’ll probably give it a couple more episodes at least. Not because I’m the ecchi blogger, though! Because I’m not. It’s just because it’s easy to write about, and because it’s fantasy. I’m the fantasy blogger. Get it right, jeez. B-bakas.
My SECOND novel, Freelance Heroics, is available now! (Now in print!) (Also available: Firesign #1 Wage Slave Rebellion.) Sign up for my email list for updates. At stephenwgee.com, the latest post: Risk Tolerance in the Creative Life.
Full-length images: 27.
ED Sequence
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ED: 「Saiaku na hi demo Anata ga Suki」 by Serizawa Yuu
Preview
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Isekai Maou’s author, Murasaki Yukiya, is more known for his political war/strategy LN series Altina the Sword Princess (Haken no Kouki Altina). That work has yet to be animated despite it ongoing at 13 volumes.
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/altina-the-sword-princess/
Because Altina is considered by many as a deeper, better written work, some community readers were shocked that he also wrote Isekai Maou as well (“How can someone of his talent produce such crap?”).
Personally I think he considers Maou as his “getaway work”, what he writes to unwind and relax from writing more serious stuff. Something like a fine dining chef who cooks up burgers and junk food on their off days.
Source novels are being officially released by J Novel Club; they’ve released 4 volumes so far.
https://j-novel.club/s/how-not-to-summon-a-demon-lord/search
There’s also an ongoing fantranslation of the LNs that is reached to the latest Vol 10.
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/isekai-maou-to-shoukan-shoujo-dorei-majutsu/
Note the fantranslator’s policy is to remove translations of previous volumes that J-Novel has licensed; to date fantranslations of Vol 1-2 have been removed.
Isekai Maou will only be 12 eps long, according to Japanese wikipedia.
There’ll only be 3 Blurays containing 4 eps each; each Bluray will only be released in late September and November 2018, and January 2019.
The spice here is that no one has heard of Demon Lord Diablo, despite having continent-shattering demon lords like Rem’s internal problem. Diablo gave a little away announcing himself as a Level 150 to someone who can “only” summon a Level 30 creature.
I’m also interested to see if Diablo still has “menu options”, or is his equipment more organic and natural now?
I’m guessing it’s more organic and natural, but that’s just my guess based on this episode + the parts of the source I read. It could have just not come up yet.
From my perspective, he is a player, and is supposed to be detached from the game, an outside interference in control of the game when he’s playing it, thus it makes sense that the NPCs (i,e the game chars) will have no knowledge of him. Unless of course the is another explanation in the LN.
If becoming a solo player is always guaranteed to have best gears and own anybody else, perhaps i wouldnt have stopped playing mmo for a long time.
Theoretically possible if you spend insanely long hours (as in shut-in level of long hours) to farm and the game has heavy pay-to-win elements.
Also, maybe “solo” means he’s not in any guild but still work freelance to join raid?
Now that, dear makers of Desu Maachi Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku, is how to do overpowered Isekai. My only concern at this stage is the relative lack of experience of the director, but for now this is a must-watch.
https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2027.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu%20-%20ED%20-%20Large%2002.jpg
Flat chest is a status symbol!
Disregarding the little perverted content, this is a strong showing for epsiode 1. Looks like i will stay a little while and watch
Stilts — there can be only one ecchi blogger – and that’s you!
I was pleasantly surprised to hear Azumi Waki’s voicing of her character
very similar to Rie Takahashi’s voicing of Megumin from Kono-Suba —
as well as a similar appearance – wonder if that’s intentional considering
Megumin’s appeal…
Anyway, hopefully the intro ecchi’s out-of-the-way, ’cause there seems to
be a decent story (I haven’t read the LN). Overall, it’s pretty balanced
1st episode between plot/humour/drama. Looks like it’ll be a fun watch.
Though the first volume or KonoSuba does predate the first volume of Isekai Maou by a year, I doubt Megumin is Rem’s major influence. They’re nowhere near close enough for that. Besides, I’m not sure if Megumin even was popular back then. Rem’s got her own plethora of antecedents to draw from, me thinks.
So, no one is going to talk about the spell he used at the end?
EXPLOSION!!
Lol.XD
That’s a low-level attack spell in this world.
Out of the isekai shows I watched this season so far (the other being Shichisei no Subaru) this one is has much more trashy premise but at the same time it’s a lot funnier and has more care put into designs and animation. It wins easly so far even though I wouldn’t call this one good either. Will watch at least 2 more episodes.
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with some trashy fun, my friend. Embrace it with meeeee!
You bloging the show would definitely be a good reason for watching it. Sometimes I enjoy your posts and insight more than the show itself. I will see how it goes.
Uh huh. It’s this kind of show. I guess i had it comin the moment I found out the first damn word in the title is Isekai.
Good thing that there’s no resemblance to another ongoing anime (cough, cough Overlord). Is Diablo willing to massacre people like Ainz is, or will everything be played for laughs?
I wouldn’t consider the main character a “Mary Sue” type (I’ve never thought it necessary to change the trope name because the character is male). “Diablo” is powerful because in our world he worked hard to build up the character, so it isn’t a matter of “just because”.
Show Spoiler ▼
Additionally, he has serious social interaction issues, but still turns out to be a decent guy (and thus why people like him).
Additionally, one reason he’s successful early on is because he’s familiar with the game and already knows what’s going on and how to deal with a lot of what he faces.
Show Spoiler ▼
He’s not a “true” Gary Stu, but I found it useful in describing how he’s totally overpowered and should be able to solve all his problems easily, but does not/can not because of the reasons that make him tolerable/likeable/fun. The work doesn’t matter, tbh; Kirito worked for his power too. What matters is plot armor, power, and how overly idealized the character is. Diablo works because he’s only powerful, he doesn’t (so far) have the rest.
I was watching this at work during lunch time and I got really nervous but that only happened after realizing what my coworkers could seeing out of my iPad while passing by sent chills down my spine.
https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
For a fantasy blogger, you sure pick up almost all the ecchi shows Stilts…
Besides, how can you deny this blonde girl what she wants? https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu/Isekai%20Maou%20to%20Shoukan%20Shoujo%20no%20Dorei%20Majutsu%20-%20ED%20-%2001.jpg
Slander! Slander and lies!
I’m waiting for the red-headed megane, lol.
Went into this blind having only seen some of the LN art, it was surprisingly fun to watch. It doesn’t hurt to have cute girls and a ‘harem MC’ isn’t dense or afraid of physical contact.
Obviously it’s not for everyone but it is unfortunate that many will turn their noses up just from the genre and/or synopsis.
To my surprise, I actually enjoyed watching this. It did deliver a level of entertainment I wasn’t expecting .
Despite all the ecchi-ness the show doesnt put me off…
because the main hero is by virtue (pun intended) of being soically awkward utterly incapable of taking advantage of the situation
he is not too bad person by himself anyway, he’s seemingly really dedicated to help solve the catgirl’s problem