The Misfit of Demon King Academy – 03 – My Castle, My Rules

Misha may be clear that she likes Anos because he’s kind, but Sasha is more hesitant to come right out and say it. All she knows is, he’s the first person she’s met with eyes like hers, and the only person other than Anos to look straight into her eyes was Misha, who’d take her hand and smile when Sasha was in the darkest of places.

Just all ’round great sistering, which results in all kinds of warm and fuzzy sibling feels that endure and last right up to the point they’re cut short without warning, like a rude record scratch.

When Ivis Necron, one of the vaunted Seven Elder Demon Emperors created by the “Founding Ancestor” visits class to give a lecture on great magic, Anos greets him like an old friend, making his teacher go apeshit. Ivis is more forgiving, especially after Anos uses magic to extract his lost memories from 2,000 years ago.

Anos isn’t sure what Ivis’ deal is (and vice versa), but Anos is intrigued by the name “Avos Dilhevia”, whom Ivis says is the Demon King of Tyranny who created him. An impostor who tampered with the Emperors’ memories, or the result of a two-millennia-old game of Telephone?

When their class participates in a dungeon treasure hunt at Demon Palace Delsgade, Anos takes his sweet old time, since he’s confident only he can reach the lowest level of the palace where they’ll be able to retrieve a scepter that will give them a perfect score. Why is he so confident? Well, first of all he’s the Demon King Reincarnate, but also Delsgade happens to be his old crib.

He knows where all the treasure is, and also the location of all the “secret passageways.” I put that in quotes because when he reaches a solid stone wall, he simply casually walks through it and it crumbles around it. It’s the only major gag in the whole episode, but I was rolling since it was so damn unexpected.

On the way to the scepter altar, Anos learns from Misha that it’s almost Sasha’s birthday, and she wants to give her a gift. Distracting Sasha with the scepter, he leads Misha to a room packed with magical treasures. Sasha finds the perfect gift: the Phoenix Robe.

When Anos asks her if she’d want anything—it’s her birthday too, since she and Sasha are twins—she smiles and says she doesn’t want anything. She repeats that when she presents Sasha with a gift and her first response is to lament she didn’t get anything for her. Seeing Sasha happy makes Misha happier than she’s ever been.

When Anos goes into the next room so Sasha can try the robe on (which is odd, as she doesn’t actually remove any clothing), he returns to find Sasha has stabbed Misha and is preparing to flee with the scepter. She revokes their Zacht (something Anos didn’t think possible) and tosses a barrage of insults at the “magic doll” and her skin-crawling sentiments.

Sasha puts up an okay performance, but it’s clear she’s not as mustache-twirlingly heartless and evil as she’s presenting herself. For one thing, Anos considers her method of killing Misha to be well below “entry level.” Two, Sasha’s Demonic Eyes of Destruction are an open book, showing Anos exactly when she’s sincere and when she’s putting on an act.

Sasha is about to flee when Anos grabs her hand, deactivates her Rent spell, and reveals that he’d healed Misha the moment he saw her stabbed; the wounded Misha Sasha saw was only an illusion. Considering Sasha wasn’t sincere about the things she said about Misha, he wants to know her true feelings.

Only Misha comes to and tells him to let her sister go. Sasha flees with the scepter and likely the top score for the dungeon, but it’s unlikely that’s what she was after. Misha is finally ready to tell her first and only friend Anos the truth: at midnight on her fifteenth birthday, she’ll disappear. More than that, she never really existed in the first place.

Was Misha created in that dark place so Sasha could learn to live with her Demonic Eyes? Now that she’s coming of age, does that mean Misha’s work is done? Has Sasha been hostile to Misha in order to deny she has feelings for someone she’s destined to lose? The possibilities are many. This certainly wasn’t the funniest episode of DKA, but it was the meatiest, from a plot and character perspective.

The Misfit of Demon King Academy – 02 – Anything You Can Do He Can Do Better

This week begins back in the Mythical Age, where Demon King Voldigoad expresses his weariness with endless war between humans and demons. He makes a deal with the human hero Kanon: he’ll sacrifice most of his magical power in order to isolate the four realms and “snuff out the spark of war.” Kanon takes him up on this, and two thousand years of peace follow.

Fast-forward to about a month before the present, baby Anos opens his eyes for the first time, and just as his parents are about to begin considering a name, he says his name—in his stern adult Anos Voldigoad voice. I swear, if I had taken a drink of anything prior to hearing that voice, I’d have surely done a spit take all over my screen! It was exactly the comic sting needed after such a serious and sincere prologue.

Back to the present, leaders and teams are chosen for the team competition in a week’s time. The homeroom teacher declares that no students in white suits can be team leaders, so he proceeds to not only pass her test, but point out that it is flawed to such an extent, a simple adjustment by him doubles its power. He also meets Misha’s big sister Sasha, who does not care for Misha.

In fact, she considers her little more than a “soulless, lifeless doll animated by magic.” Pretty harsh! This spurs Anos to defend his new silver-haired friend, telling Sasha she should be peering deeper into the abyss. When Sasha lashes out with Demonic Eyes of Destruction, Anos easily deflects them with his own.

Anos offers to let Sasha join his team, even though she’s the leader of the other team. Instead, Sasha makes a bet with Anos: if he wins the team competition with just Misha on his team, Sasha will join them. If he loses, he’ll become Sasha’s property. Obviously, Anos agrees.

Just as Sasha and her team are setting up their Castle, Anos has Misha stay back at theirs and then walks right up to Sasha’s. He breaks through their communications and all of the castle’s defense magic, then lifts it out of the ground and launches it into the air.

He catches it with one hand before it falls, than spins it around like a carnival ride before launching it into the forest. That he does all of this without breaking a sweat makes for an utterly awesome bit of ownage. Like baby Anos talking in an adult voice, I simply did not see him treating the castle like a stony volleyball!

In a last-ditch effort to defeat Anos, Sasha decides to unleash Jio Graze, the most powerful fire spell that requires the unique skills and magical power of the entire team in unison. In response, Anos unleashes the weakest fire spell, Grega, though with his superior power it’s more than enough to dissipate Jio Graze and blast the remains of the castle to smithereens.

Sasha, initially ungracious in defeat, promises to one day kill Anos, a threat that amuses him, because killing him isn’t enough to make him die. Since they entered into a Zacht (a magical contract) she can’t go back on her word, so she joins Anos’ team. When he tells Sasha that Misha wanted her on their team, her stance on her little sister softens. When Anos tells Sasha that her demonic eyes are beautiful, she swoons.

That night, Anos brings both Misha and Sasha to his parents’ for another celebratory feast. The super-hyper folks are elated that he’s already brought home “Bride #2”, and Sasha is just as charmed by their extraness as Misha was.

Anos ends up walking the sisters home, and Misha and Sasha notably hold hands the whole time. I’m actually a bit surprised their rift was repaired so easily, considering Sasha didn’t even see Misha as a human or a sister at the start of the episode. Maybe beholding Anos’ power made Sasha reconsider a lot of preconceptions she’s had.

Sasha also makes it a point to ask if Misha likes Anos—and Misha answers plainly and clearly “yes”. Sasha then waits until Misha goes into their house to thank Anos for helping her make up with her, and give him a “kiss from a friend”. Those aren’t usually on the mouth in most cultures, but hey, what’s the harm of a little Demon King Love Triangle?

The Misfit of Demon King Academy – 01 (First Impressions) – Three-Second Rule

Now that’s more like it! While Lapis Re:LiGHTS felt sterile and lacked oomph, The Misfit has style, passion, and confidence in the story being told, and manage to mix some appealing character moments in with the obligatory introductions. It also teaches an essential lesson about being kind to others, especially family, and not judging books by their covers.

Within two minutes of arriving at the titular academy, our initially nameless MC makes a new friend and gains an enemy. During the entrance trials, that enemy learns that despite looking like a normal new student without a drop of royal blood, the MC makes sport of their duel, killing and resurrecting him at will until he loses the will to go on.

Contrast that with his attitude toward his new friend Misha, whose letter he picks off the ground before they met, can sense his immense power, and whom he invites for dinner at his loving, doting, conclusion-jumping folks. Those folks, by the way, reveal that their son is only a month old.

It’s abundantly clear before he says his name or reveals his true self that the MC is the reincarnation of the Demon King of Tyranny, Anos Voldigoad, and to its credit the show doesn’t over-explain anything. Instead it lets the cozy chemistry and quiet friendship between Anos and Misha play out organically, with her patting his head unbidden when he lists all the horrible names he’s been called.

Their instant easy rapport contrasts nicely with Anos’ absolute ruthlessness in the arena, be it a school-sanctioned trial or in the case of his would-be rival’s brother’s case, a sudden ambush. Where Zepes Indu was a cocky little shit, his brother Leorg throws racism into the mix, deeming only those of pure blood to be worthy of the Demon King’s power.

Before telling Leorg who he is, Anos simply shows him, by letting the older brother’s origin magic bounce right off (since Anos is the origin) then zombifying Zepes and forcing Leorg to reconcile with his brother in order to face him together. It’s interesting that this reincarnated Demon King isn’t so much concerned with toying with far less powerful opponents (though he does) as much as he wants to make them stronger so they can give him a fight!

Anos sensed from the start that as his descendants, the apples have fallen very far from the tree, but perhaps the first step to making them stronger is by strengthening the bonds of family. After all, he’s got himself some very fine parents, while Misha’s guardian also adores her (though her folks are apparently busy, she also has an older sister whom we’re sure to meet soon).

As Anos strikes down all comers, Misha stays by his side, heartened by his kindness and his offer to be comrades and friends, and there to tell him when his two-millennia-old jokes won’t cut it—an amusing quirk of Anos’ that isn’t overused.

Misfit of Demon King Academy is fun to watch but also gratifying because it feels infused with the enthusiasm of its creators, rather than feeling like an exercise of efficiently going through the motions. Most importantly, Anos is one cool, sassy dude; a nice complement to Misha’s understated charm. I’m definitely down to watch more of this!

Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger – 04 – Brains, Trains, and Automobiles

Kershner sends an envoy to cut the Hyakko Party off from Alma Company’s funding, but Hyakko’s leader doesn’t like that, and kills the messenger. Williard takes the measure of the Alma company, a front that looks on the surface like any respectable downtown business office. While on the lift he’s gently prodded for info by Major Iba, but doesn’t give away much.

Iba is spotted by his old academy mentor and new chief of weapons development, Maj. Gen. Kakizaki, who is glad he got Iba into intelligence, considering how much his student already knows. Willard convenes with his subordinates in V Shipping and determines that the vampires and Hyakko had a falling out, but the vamps must’ve managed to collect all the “parts” they needed.

Both Major Iba and Willard know where to go next: Shizuoka, where a weapons “exercise” will be taking place. A restless Yuliy volunteers to take the trip, but Dorothea accompanies him to keep him in check and on mission. After having a formal Japanese meal with Minister Naoe and Ryouko, she learns of their trip and decides to tail Yuliy, too intrigued to heed his warning for her to keep her distance.

Meanwhile in Shizuoka, Gen. Kakizaki witnesses in horror as the Frankenstein-type monster the Alma Company commissioned eliminates an entire battalion of soldiers with grim efficiency. As Yuliy, Dorothea, and Ryouko board the Shizuoka-bound train, the Hyakko Party raids Alma Co.’s headquarters and slaughters everyone in the office, believing them to be vampires even though they’re only humans.

Yuliy suddenly smells blood, and when the train stops, he switches to the one going in the opposite direction, as Dorothea—and a Ryouko determined to have lunch with them—both follow him. Major Iba also transfers from one train to the other, believing Kakizaki to be aboard. Kershner and his Dr. Frankenstein-y mad scientist subordinate are also aboard, along with the monster.

Finally, when Dorothea goes off to count passengers, Yuliy ends up encountering his brother Mikhail once more. Practically everybody is on this damn train! That means there’s sure to be some fireworks in short order; woe betide Ryouko or any other civilian caught in the fray.