Shinmai Maou no Testament

This is the closest harem to Highschool DxD that I've seen yet. That is a plus in my opinion although everyone seems to either hate or like this series.

The story is rather simplistic but overall interesting to see the relationships between the demons and hero clan. I think there is much more depth to be mined in future seasons.

The OP and ED are very reminiscent of Highschool DxD in both the style of animation and type of music used. The music is good and fits the show.

The characters are underdeveloped which is to be expected for a harem that consists of only ... 12 episodes. I think more complexity will be added in following seasons especially with the revelations of the last episode which does hint at a greater depth than previously seen.

I enjoyed this series. It's very humorous and entertaining. The anime is heavily censored which is to be expected. I'm sure an uncensored version will be released eventually. If you like Highschool DxD, give it a try.

Story - 6
Art - 7
Sound - 7
Character - 6
Enjoyment - 9
Overall - 8

It’s quite an achievement to stumble across something so unfathomably bad that you struggle to find the right words to sum up how awful it can be. The okatu-pandering, aimless and empty Shinmai Maou no Testament fits the bill and is the latest offering to leave me speechless for the wrong reasons. It’s a self-insert power fantasy featuring a sad excuse for a cast, the bulk of which whose sole purpose is attempting to procreate with a main character who has the charisma of beige wallpaper. Perhaps the most laughably bad aspect of Testament is that there is an attempt to weave a plot into ... the show, because the sole purpose of the events that take place is to force characters into cringe-inducing sexual acts with each other. It’s repulsive. Not a skerrick of Testament is memorable and not one facet of it gives it any redeeming qualities. It is an example of the dregs of what the anime industry has to offer.

Shinmai Maou no Testament follows the story of Basara who has two “step-sisters” (you be the judge of that), Mio and Maria, move into his house. When Basara’s father departs overseas it leaves the three alone in the house and who knows what wacky adventures our trio will get up to! There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the new arrivals and Basara gets caught up in a world of boobs, magic, swords, boobs, heroes, demons and more boobs quicker than you can say “Oh god why did I start watching this train wreck?”. There is honestly little more that can actually be said for the story. Seriously. That synopsis I gave you might actually be myself overselling the complexity of it. Some opposing force shows up against our characters but there’s little to ever worry about because you know that fanservice is number one on the agenda – not story – meaning there is no way the ‘writers’ (a term I’d use loosely) would risk doing anything to put a dint in the harem.

I have no sense of what the characters are even fighting for. There’s some ham-fisted backstory plus a generic ‘redemption’ driving force for our main character. Apparently we’re supposed to empathise with a group of people we know practically nothing about. That’ll work, for sure.

The solution to every complication is predictable. Literally every female character in the show is eye candy and nothing more. Any attempt at the storyline in becoming more ‘serious’ is instantly cancelled out by a laughable plot point that leaves every female character degraded and at the mercy of our MC’s libido. All Shinmai Maou no Testament does is act as a lowest-of-the-low sexual fantasy that positions men as an all-conquering force, who without women cannot function or find their own sense of direction. It’s demeaning and insulting. Many anime have been guilty of such a thing in the past but this show has found a way to kick it up to a new level.

Speaking of those female characters, they’re all there to fulfil a particular fetish that exists in the audience. Hair colours, statue, breast size, personality traits – all of which feel cookie cutter and like you’ve seen them 57 times before. The fact that there’s not an inch of depth to them only makes this laziness in their design all the more prominent. Make sure you include the infallible MC to really sell how much effort you put into making something of merit!

I did not have a single positive experience upon viewing Shinmai Maou no Testament.

Do not watch Shinmai Maou no Testament.

Shinmai Maou no Testament... man this show was ALL OVER THE PLACE

One minute I'm watching and it feels like a pretty darn good action anime...which then falls apart into a mediocre "comedy" ecchi harem that borderlines hentai...

So basically the story is...
Basara is moving into his new home with his newly adopted sisters Mio and Maria. Basara is told by his father to protect his "sisters" because they are now family. All seems well until all 3 "siblings" discover that none of them are who they appear to be. Basara and his father are actually exiles from the "Hero Clan" and are natural born ... fighters whose mission is to stop and destroy evil demons. Meanwhile Mio is actually the daughter of the former Demon Lord, and Maria is a succubus who is protecting her. Basara decides to keep his promise with his father and protect his "sisters", which being that Mio is a demon lord's daughter, means that many other powerful demons are trying to get a hold of her.
...Oh! and Maria has Mio and Basara perform a master-servant contract that backfires causing Mio to become Basara's servant, who if she ever disobeys will be overcome with lustful desires until such time that he sexually pleasures her and calms her down...yeah... I know...

Animation and sound quality aside...which were fine by the way, I thought. Definitely the least of my problems with this show.
My issue with Testament is it just couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to be. Now there is no problem with mixing ecchi harem comedy with action... but the thing is Testament just did it so poorly, or rather I should say didn't mix them at all. They are almost like two completely separate entities to the same show... I mean here you have an awesome set up to a plot with an actually really great male MC. As a matter of fact I thought character wise he was so good I felt bad that he was wasted in this show. Then you add the concept of Maria being a playful succubus obviously calls out the ecchi in this (if you don't know what a succubus is it's a demon whose powers revolve completely around sex)... but to the extent that it does so and it's reasoning behind it is just completely unjustified. It just seems really out of place...
Not to mention I feel it is extremely necessary to warn you that when an ecchi...or really ill say soft-core hentai scene takes place... be prepared for over half of your screen to be beamed with white or have a ridiculous picture covering up half the screen distracting you completely from whatever was supposed to be happening. Now DON'T BE ALARMED! that's not your computer screwing up, it's just the animation company's idea of "censoring". Now I don't know if they did that on purpose for "humor"... but it was definitely annoying.

In terms of enjoyment I would have to split it into two different categories.
As an action anime, honestly I loved it. I'd give it a 8/10. It had really cool fight scenes with high intensity that really drew me in.
However as a ecchi comedy I'd say It was mediocre. 6/10 maybe. I thought all that stuff only took away from the story itself and just distracted me from what was important.

Would I recommend this show? Maybe... depends on what you're looking for. Action? Yes if you can deal with the poor comedy and ecchi parts in between.
Ecchi Harem? I mean... honestly no, simply because you won't be able to enjoy it because of the ridiculous censors...

(This has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

The Testament of Sister New Devil seems like a rather generic anime. And for the most part, it is: there is no shortage of magic, nakedness, and harems within it. But it at least attempts to play with the theme of protection. Which is funny when you think about it; in an anime whose strongest aspect is the very “ecchi” it thrives on, you’d think that “protection” would be the furthest idea from its mind. Regardless, this is what the show hones in on. Protecting the things you love, especially those people dearest to you, is ... something that we all do whether we know it or not. And while this one tries its best to flaunt this motif, the majority is mediocrity that suppresses any sense of worth it may have.


STORY

Testament pits Basara Toujou as the male lead. One day, he obtains two new “relatives,” Mio Naruse and Maria Naruse. As events pile up and paths cross, it’s revealed that Mio holds the greatest demonic power within her, Maria is her succubus servant, and Basara is an exiled man of the Hero Clan.

If Testament does anything correctly, it is in the “ecchi” service that it provides. While nearly all of it is censored, what is shown and what can be inferred is some of the greatest to grace the medium. The show refuses to hold back; it never shows full-blown genitalia but it gets rather close to crossing that line, making the anime nearly pornographic in its presentation. Not just kissing but make-out sessions; not just showing breasts but fervently fondling them; and not just holding hands but hip grinding, butt squeezing, and even orgasms. Testament revels in the sex that permeates the show, going so far as to make one of its key plot points follow down this path. This plot point of course being the “master-servant” pacts that cause a disobedient servant to undergo immense pleasure. And then, in order to strengthen said pact, going through with these perverted actions “deepens” the relationship, making both people come out for the better. Literal and figurative hot shower scenes, body-on-food eating, a succubus whose proportions grow; the diversity of the “ecchi” scenes and the originality of many of them easily demonstrate its overall execution in the genre it itself made a pact with.

As talked about in the introduction, Testament’s prominent – and only – theme is the idea of protection. Or more specifically, protecting the ones you love. Many of the characters have this sense of righteousness about them: Yuki wishes to protect Basara, Maria wishes to protect her mother, and Basara wishes to protect everyone. Surprisingly, the show here as well showcases quite the range in relation to its theme. Protecting someone sometimes means doing what has to be done as opposed to what is the right thing to do. Maria’s betrayal to save her mother is an easy example. It may also involve a sense of self-lost protection; Basara, through his actions, protects those around him but makes others incapable of returning the favor. The structure of the series follows essentially three separate arcs, each focusing on one of the main girls and their reason for protecting. The developments therein always lead to the same outcome – Basara adding one more woman to his ever-growing harem – and the actual exploration of the theme isn’t expansive – the morality mentioned previously isn’t discussed nor is there ever any “bad” conclusions – but Testament is at least consistent in its thematic presence from start to finish.

ANIMATION

Testament’s art is a testament to boringness. While the protection theme was inching towards the generic field, it’s here where the anime begins to fully find itself in. Many of the locations visited are typical, tried, and tired: a school classroom here, a dark forest there; the anime, despite having all of these characters from various backgrounds, never provides the audience with a look at anything even remotely interesting. And while the “ecchi” moments are top-tier, most of them are sadly censored. Not so much that it is impossible to discern what is occurring behind the miniature caricatures they use to hide it, but enough to make you frustrated that all of the goodness is being kept just out of reach.

The character designs fair a bit better in comparison to the art style that surrounds them. Sticking to its sexy roots, the women are often clad in such a way as to make their signature assets that much more appealing to look at. Mio’s black-and-white school outfit with long, red hair helps to magnify her breasts that much further. Yuki’s skirt is just short enough to reveal her butt when needed. And adult Maria’s garb is black-and-pink – a sultry combo – that doesn’t leave much room for the imagination. Basara’s design – cuts and scars across his entire body – provides him with the physical evidence needed to demonstrate just how much he is willing to protect those he loves.

When looking at the show’s actual animation, it’s a tougher call. The anime can bring its game during certain action sequences, and especially so during the “ecchi” material. But since these are usually seen about once or twice per episode, the majority of what the anime offers in terms of movement is average.

CHARACTERS

When it comes to Testament’s cast, many don’t see a huge amount of development. Basara is far and away the weakest character and isn’t an interesting person in the slightest. He’s the super strong, super nice, and super gung-ho guy who exists as nothing more than the leader of the harem. He’s the same from start to finish, seeing only minimal investigation in the form of a small flashback. Meaning, while he exemplifies the theme that the anime focuses on, his actual character suffers through monotony and severe lack of development. The majority of the cast is treated the same way; that is, as not really changing over the course of the season despite having their own “arcs.” Part of the problem is due to the segmentation of the season itself and due to their overall powers. The characters being a trained succubus, a renowned sword fighter, a daughter of the Devil, and a man who is capable of reversing any attack against him are unfortunately written into the corner of “no improvement” rather early on. However, all is not completely lost on the girls, for Basara does aide each of them in becoming a better person.

Maria is a mommy’s girl; she is conflicted given the position she was forced to take, and attempts to do everything on her own. But Basara proves that sometimes, it is necessary to rely on others, because it just isn’t possible for us to do everything by our lonesome. Yuki fights the demons due to her Hero Clan status, but she isn’t blind. She’s honorable, following her own heart when dealing with the situations she faces instead of mindlessly following the “rules” set around her. This thinking was directly inspired by Basara who, as her role model, does the same; fights for what is right as opposed for what is “correct.” And Mio starts off pretty dependent, leveraging other people’s good-will to get her through the day, but still refrains from connecting with anyone too seriously due to her own dark past and familial loss. So through Maria’s guidance, Yuki’s friendship, and Basara’s love, she realizes that she doesn’t have to be alone. In essence, she “opens up” to those around her, becoming closer to those who had been close to her the entire time.

While the show doesn’t put too much thought into nearly all of its characters, it still manages to inject a bit of direction when looking at each of their move-sets. In essence, their outward actions symbolize their inner person. Maria uses hand-to-hand combat because she’s very hands on in her dealings with people as a succubus. Instead of fists, Yuki uses a sword that mirrors her personality: sharp, direct, yet extremely elegant. Mio’s fiery magic is easy to see; it reflects not just the immense power she has within her, but also the passion she has for her closest friends. And Basara’s “Banishing Shift,” his ultimate move, defines who he is deep down. That is, his ability to completely give back any move thrown his way matches how much he gives back to others through his constant need to protect the ones around him. The rest of the cast can be looked at in a similar fashion, demonstrating that the anime can appeal not only to our hormones but to our brains, too.

SOUND

Testament’s weakest component is arguably the sound that makes up nearly all that it does. The opening theme isn’t so much grating on the ears as it is just painfully boring. And it knows this; it tries to make it more enticing by adding in faux-nakedness here and there, but the visuals aren’t enough to distract the audience from having to listen to the generic beat and overdone guitar playing. The ending theme is even worse, containing a lot of singing, choirs, and drums that all mash together in such a way that nothing seems to be working. In other words, it’s at this point that the anime’s inability to focus on what it does well – the “ecchi” and sexiness – begins to easily show.

Much of the original soundtrack contains pieces that are mired in heavy use of “powerful” instruments and group singing, in order to give everything a grandiose feel. It could even be said that the direction of the music is meant to sound “church-like,” given that the anime is entitled after portions of the Bible. At the same time, many of the tracks contain guitars, saxophones, and other, ambient instrumental effects that heighten “the mood” and therefore the sense of sexuality that permeates the anime during most scenarios. There are sad piano pieces for the melancholic times, flute arrangements for the laidback ones, and mysterious string tracks that fill those unknown moments. Unfortunately, like the OP and ED it finds itself between, nothing within the OST is memorable, let alone impactful, making much of what it sets out to do go unappreciated and therefore ends up unappealing.

And in order to round it all out, the voice acting for the show is average at best. There are no special shout-outs to be had.

ENJOYMENT

This one is all about the “ecchi” content. Being a fan of such material myself, it was definitely a pleasant surprise when the show decided to go as far as they were going with nearly all of its offerings. It was nice to witness not just the daringness of the show but also the uniqueness of the content, contrasting hard with the rest of the generic aspects of the anime. I’m a big fan of Mio, adult Maria, and especially Yuki, so watching them on-screen being lewd every now and again was never a sight for sore eyes.

But while such promiscuity is very well-done, I never found myself to like anything else. The action sequences are a lot of explosions here and there, the emotional events never moved me, and while it tries to be comedic at times, it isn’t that funny, with maybe an elicited laugh at very specific moments. A large portion of the anime are long stretches where these kinds of developments occur, and when they were going on, I really just wanted it to back to doing what it did best – employing Yuki and the other girls in the “ecchi” antics.

While The Testament of Sister New Devil finds itself muddied by mediocrity, not everything within is entirely lost. The sexual content is executed nicely, its theme remains relevant both with the narrative and the development of the characters, and the designs of the girls are enticing to see. But it’s all dragged down by a less-than-stellar main male lead, an uninspired art style, and lackluster music that, when all combined, concocts a show that is simply run-of-the-mill.

SUMMARY

Story: Good, fantastic “ecchi” elements, and consistent yet unexplored theme

Animation: Fine, boring art style, very nice character designs, average actual animation

Characters: Fine, Basara is bad, Maria, Yuki, and Mio experience some development, and everyone has purposeful abilities

Sound: Bad, lame OP and ED, below average soundtrack, average VA work

Enjoyment: Fine, the “ecchi” is great to watch but nothing else is

Final Score: 5/10

"I can't abandon a girl when people are after her life just because she's the previous demon lord's daughter. I'm going to protect her! But... Am I allowed to have only one precious thing to me? Must I limit myself to one?"

No, that's not me pretentiously attempting to attach some meaning or something -- Those are a few lines of dialog that summarize Shinmai Maou no Testament. It's all you need to know about the show, as it is about just as much as the show cares to let us know.

So yeah, Shinmai Maou no Testament is another harem whose sole purpose for ... existing is to fill out a time-slot. A show that makes you wonder if the people behind the scenes are engaging in copyright wars from making such an uninspired amalgamation of several elements from other shows put together to make the same harem you've seen a dozen times over. It's so lacking in creativity that it uses the "I accidentally walked into you when you're undressed" cliché four or five times. -- said shows that come to mind are: Inuyasha, Bleach, Highschool DxD, and perhaps Tokyo Ghoul for Takigawa, Yahiro and it's EDGE.

"Basacchi". Oh lord, pls no.

Basara is your typical self-righteous "hero" devoid of personality; an indecisive, apologetic asshat, whom let's himself go wild on the girl's tits when he damn well pleases. When his sexuality reaches points where it can be brought under question, he gives in to his urges then he seeks to be comforted by said tits from having gone too far with his manhandling. By the shows end he's only a few notches away from being another despicable Itou, Makoto. If only. If only that would have actually been the case, at least he would have been less forgettable. All the girls in the show line up to feed the ego of whomever uses Basara as their surrogate. They exist just to get their breasts fondled or consistently refer to him as "onii-chan" or "B-baka".

A little too delusional, but not to the point of aggravation.

Most of the ecchi is constricted to a single gimmick — the partner binding spell crap — the rest pretty much revolves around it. The art design is easy on the eyes, yes, but still quite forgettable. And while surely not tame, the ecchi is presented in a very boring fashion. Though it may "look" nice, it still might as well be some dude in an ad testing Tenga products. Or perhaps sadder still, are the junkies who will rush in to buy the blue-rays.

As for the sound or even action? Nothing stands out, everything about this show just screams "routine". ...You might be familiar with a seiyuu who I believe goes by the name of Nomura, Kenji. You know, in bleach, that hot headed bulky bald bitch of a subordinate that follows Ulquiura? Well, Kenji plays that same bulky bald bitch here, same powers and everything, except skin tone. He suddenly appears out of nowhere for a fight and is just as briefly tossed aside so that Basara and galls can go back to breast fondling. *sarcastic cheerful claps* He stacks up a grand total of 5 seconds of screen time. Talk about pointlessly anti-climatic.

Initially tolerable even with the rather harmless tonal shifts, but then it becomes increasingly irritable as the series progresses from schizophrenic harem to obnoxious shounen.

How to easily earn money without putting much story into it:

Step 1) Make your anime with a shit load of ecchi (this anime is borderline hentai) and put harem in there.

Step 2) ??????

Step 3) Profit.

Story: 6/10

The story isn't that original, mainly because I've seen other successful ecchi anime that have this story. Not only was the story unoriginal, but they also made the anime before Highschool DxD BorN's first episode. Though, a lot of people do enjoy these types of stories (mainly because of the fan-service and harem, duh) and personally I do too, but without too much fan-service. The ecchi was basically borderline-hentai and ... overdone. If you want to watch ecchi, you might as well just watch a hentai. The action was actually quite decent, because the main character had a special ability. I do wish that the dad had more screen-time, because he's a total badass. The anime doesn't just start with a massive harem, but it starts to progress throughout the anime.

Art: 7/10

To me, the art looked like it was illustrated back in 2006 and someone found them in the drawers and decided to make that into an anime in 2015. Though, the animation was quite smooth and one thing that bothered me was how similar Issei and Basara looked a like. Mio looked a bit like Rias, but Mio looks younger. Also, there was one part where they censored a FUCKING TONGUE-KISSING SCENE. What the actual fuck?

Sound: 7/10

The OST was quite nice, sometimes it made the scene epic or made it more sad (or even more erotic). It fit the scenes nicely and wasn't overused or loud. I actually liked both OP and ED, but the OP more so than the ED. The OP is rock mixed with piano that fit the theme of the anime. The ED has a very calm and happy tune mixed in with rock. The episodes I didn't watch had subs for the ED but I'm sure they were talking about dreams and love (also, the ED animation had titties without nipples. If you're putting titties at the end, then you might as well either censor it or put nipples on it, or else they look like some hybrid alien.)

Character: 5/10

Toujou Basara, the hero and the protagonist of the story. A very cliche character for a harem anime. If you're a hero and the protagonist, then you're likely to have 5 million chicks sucking you off every minute. Basara is a man who does anything to protect his 'sisters', thus making him a very kind person. As the anime progresses, he gets stronger. '

Naruse Mio, the soon-to-be Demon Lord. Well well well, another cliche character. I've seen a lot of anime where the demon lord and the hero aren't fighting each other. In fact, sometimes they both fall in love with each other. She relies on Maria a lot, thus making her weak, even though she's a Demon Lord. Sometimes, whenever she's enraged, she does use her real strength. She grows much more attached to Basara as the anime progresses. Mio is really fucking useless though.

Naruse Maria, the loli-succubus. Aren't succubus supposed to have the desired body to attract male?? Why does Maria have a childish figure? Maria is a very strong and helpful character, fighting along side Basara to fend off against enemies, whilst protecting Mio. She likes to tease Basara a lot when they're both alone.

Nonaka Yuki, the female hero and the childhood friend of Basara. Yuki is very attached to Basara and has a lot of feelings for him, to the point where she hugs Basara on their reunion. She is ok in combat, at least not making herself useless.

Enjoyment: 8/10

The story was unoriginal and the characters were eh, but I still enjoyed this anime somehow. Even though half the time I was watching this anime there were white lines censoring the sexual activities, it was still ok. I enjoyed the actions scenes quite a bit.

Overall: 7/10

If you're planning on watching this, then please watch to the very last seconds of episode 12. After the ED, it's pretty epic. Would I re-watch this? Well, season 2 has been confirmed and if I like that, then maybe I will.

According to me, this is High School DxD on steroids. Don't get me wrong, I really like High School DxD. But I like this one better. Why, you ask?

Story is okay. It makes more sense to me than the HS DxD one. There are demons, the demon world and the hero clan. The MC is from the hero clan, and his dad has once been known all across the world as the "god of war" and feared like that. And out of the blue, he tells him that he got with a new woman and that she has two daughters and now he has two ... sisters. Tell me whatever you want, but that's a more "believable" story than DxD one.

Anyway, the MC is like Issei, but gets way more ass than him. Be warned though that unlike DxD here ---- there is censoring. I hate this anime for that and I've read that others hate it too. For a good reason. That's the one part I feel they made a critical mistake.

There is more action, WAY more ecchi and *cough* bdsm. I loved it.
Way way way more than in DxD. I know, I shouldn't compare the two
but IMO I like both the female lead and the male lead way more than
DxD and they are very similar. I like Mio way more than Rias. That's just me.

The sound is great, the art is great. Hell, just watch it and figure it out.

FYI, there is season 2 coming in october I believe, so fear not there is more coming. Hopefully without censoring, but don't hold your horses.

I recommend it, especially after you watched Highschool DxD.

My instinct is to say you should skip this and just watch hentai instead, but there was a time in my life when I actively sought out and wanted to watch softcore shows that featured nudity in a non-hentai context. I suppose the thinking was that actual hentai is too gratuitous, so I wanted to see the titties of actual characters that have personalities in more serious shows – I wanted to feel like I’m getting away with something. It’s been a while, so I can’t really relate anymore, but I kind of get it.

As it stands, Shinmai Maou is tied with Masou Gakuen HxH ... as the most openly lecherous show I’ve ever seen that stands on a knife’s edge. A light breeze could tip it over into being hentai. That said, unlike Masou Gakuen, I did in fact not hate it. The basic notion of how the fanservice works is almost identical, but again, it feels less gratuitous, which makes it a touch more enticing, and additionally, the fact that the first softcore scene is not literal sexual assault on an unconscious girl helped – a lot.

Insofar as the cast of girls is concerned, I appreciate the fact that the protagonist goes on a type of Pokémon hunt collecting girls of every kind, from every species, the best ones from each arc. Unfortunately, unless this is baby’s first ecchi anime, this harem is unlikely to be memorable enough to monopolize your fantasies for years to come. There’s not a single girl that I didn’t feel I hadn’t seen before, written better elsewhere. Suffice it to say that the notion that you will be tempted to adopt a permanent waifu from this anime is a dubious proposition at best.

For starters, the main heroine is nothing to write home about. She’s the same flame-wielding tsundere with red/pink hair and pigtails I’ve seen in several other shows. Stella Vermillion from Chivalry of a Failed Knight could very well be her literal clone. Even their school uniforms are practically identical. The one thing unique to her is her extremely irritating catchphrase: “I’ll kill you a hundred times over!” Sure enough, that could be a badass line if she were in any position to be able to actually do it, but for most of the series’ run, she’s surprisingly weak and useless, so it just rings hollow, and she repeats it ad nauseam.

Furthermore, the secondary heroine that gets introduced is somehow even more uninspired. I swear, every fucking show has this exact character, the frigid childhood friend with short(er) light blue hair, a (white) ribbon above her bangs, typically unemotional, but very aggressive in her flirtations with the MC, extremely possessive of him, and generally has some kind of ice powers of some sort. It’s baffling how many characters fit this exact description, down to the cosmetics.

Most of the other waifus run the gamut from meh to okay, with 2 meaningful exceptions, one of them being the absolute Best girl with a capital B. You cannot change my mind.

The protagonist, for a nice change, is actually kind of interesting, being that he is an actual badass, and I don’t even mean that he is a Kirito-clone who is overpowered simply because the author wants wish-fulfillment. You can immediately tell that this dude is not an average Joe from his design alone. The guy is full of scars all over his body, so you get a sense that he can throw down from more than just the fact that he has a spiky haircut. His power escalation is full of ass-pull, of course, but at the very least, he never feels unbalanced. He is always just about as powerful as it’s appropriate for him to be at any given point in the narrative.

By far the most surprising thing about this series was the OST. In the main, it was pretty forgettable, but it surprised me with some pretty fantastic orchestral crescendos in the show’s more climactic moments. I’m going to lay this out as plainly as I can, an anime as trashy as Shinmai Maou had no business having music this good. The OST was composed by Yasuharu Takanashi, the same guy who composed the music of Fairy Tail. This smut did not deserve him.

The premise is thus. Basara lives alone with his dad. One day, daddy-o drops a bombshell on him. He’s getting remarried! But wait, there’s more. Basara is getting 2 younger step-sisters out of the deal, Mio, a redhead with huge tits, and Maria, a silver-haired loli. Surprise, though, daddy-o was magically brainwashed and the whole remarriage jazz is a lie. It turns out that Mio and Maria are demons, Mio being the literal daughter of the previous Demon Lord, and they fled to the human realm for reasons of political persecution. Having already brainwashed the dad, they try to do the same thing to Basara and have him permanently leave the house. Hold on, double whammy! It transpires that Basara is also not a regular human, but a member of the Clan of Heroes, so he hits them with a hard pass and tells them to get the fuck out of his house. Alas, once outside, they get attacked and in their moment of need, Basara takes pity on them, saves their lives, and decides to let them back into his home and they all lived happily ever after!

Naturally, Basara’s dad was fully aware of what was happening, he just played along with the brainwashing theatrics for the sake of offering Mio asylum. You find out later that the guy is the literal strongest Hero to ever live and he is famous among the Demon Realm as a sort of apocalyptic figure, so it makes literally no sense that, of all the humans in this world, they would pick this guy to scam, but here we are. The point is made very clear that Basara and his pops being heroes comes as a surprise to Mio and Maria, which would explain everything, but given how legendary you later find out big poppa is, it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t have known. Like, you would think that the moment they decided to flee to the Human Realm and find some poor son a bitch whose house to steal, their #1 priority would be to make sure “Ok, but whatever we do, let’s make double, triple, quadruple, quintuple sure that we do not fuck with the literal singular one (1) human on this planet we should never fuck with under any circumstance.” Well, whatever, I guess this isn’t the kind of show you’re supposed to think too deeply about.

So far you might be thinking, welp, that sounds like a pretty standard set-up for a fairly generic action show. Where’s the porn come in? And to be fair, Shinmai Maou almost manages to be a decent action show. I always say that my litmus test for lewd anime is whether or not I would watch them in the absence of the lewd content, and while I would personally not watch this, there’s no doubt in my mind that there are people who would enjoy it and get really into it. That is to say that there is an actual story there, such as it is.

The lewd aspect comes from the nature of his relationships with Mio, Maria, and the other girls who eventually join his harem. To begin with, the series is as basic as they come. Basara is constantly accidentally walking in on the girls while they’re changing or bathing, always tripping over their tits or panties, the works. The introduction of the honest-to-God main heroine is Basara inadvertently walking in on her while she’s on the toilet taking a piss – I wish I were joking. It essentially starts out as an as middle-of-the-road ecchi show as they come that transparently has no interest in stepping even a single toe outside of the conventions of the genre. If that sounds just as tired and exhausting to you as it does to me, then feel free to not give this a second thought and skip it. That said, generic as though the writing may be, it does treat you to a litany of fairly generous scenes of top nudity, so if that’s what you’re looking for, by all means, you will find what you seek.

Still, “accidents” can only go so far in keeping the fanservice fun and sexy. As such, before long, we get to the actual in-universe mechanic that turns the softcore scenes into an actual plot device. Through some kind of pretzel logic, the narrative puts Basara in a position of having to form a magical Master-Servant bond with Mio. There’s nothing deep or complicated about it. It’s a conspicuous attempt to satisfy a dominance fetish, and if you’re into that, you’ll have fun. The spicy part is that the greater the level of trust between Master and Servant, the stronger the magical bond becomes amplifying both of their power levels. How do you strengthen this magical Master-Servant bond? What a silly question! Why, you make your magical slave waifus cum, of course! Whenever it is convenient for the plot, the magical bond will make the girls pant like bitches in heat, feeling levels of sexual arousal to the point of being physically painful, and Basara has to attend to them in order to ‘relieve them’ – for their own good, you understand – and they’ll incessantly say stuff like “Dominate me!” and “Please make me submit!” to him. Like I said, Shinmai Maou sets out to scratch a specific itch, and, oh, me, oh, my, does it ever scratch it.

As a quick sidenote, the initial in-universe reason that is given for Basara forming his first contract with Mio is in order for him to, uh, always be able to know where she is in an emergency, 'cause they're, uh, at war, and you never know when she might, uh, get kidnapped, so this is, uh, a totally reasonable and necessary precaution. Ok, that’s all fine and dandy, but then a demon shows up and actually kidnaps Mio and takes her to the Demon Realm. When Basara tries to use his magical slave GPS to locate her, he remarks that he can locate his other waifus, but not Mio, because she’s inside some kind of barrier or some such contrivance. To which, I must ask, then what the fuck is the point of the magical slave contract in the first place? To be sure, the trust-level-power-up gets added later as an additional mechanic in order to justify his other magical slave waifus, but for the first one, the main heroine, the given reason is the magical GPS, so he can always find and save her, and the very first time that becomes necessary, it doesn’t work. Good on you, brodie, you can slave GPS locate all the waifus except the literal solitary one you've made a contract with with the express purpose of locating her. Winning!

Fortunately, the magical slave waifu mechanic serves to make all the girls explicitly be part of Basara’s harem, so they stop bickering and just indulge in their polygamous relationship. This is probably just a consequence of me being too old for this shit, but I no longer have any patience for long, drawn-out sequences where the girls just stand around and argue about whom the dick belongs to. It’s like, give me a break, it’s an ecchi harem show, just shut up and show me your tits. Word of warning, there is a fair amount of that infantile quarreling going on in the first couple of episodes, and I considered deleting myself in fear that this would be the status quo going forward, but it goes away fairly quickly.

The same can be said about Mio’s tsundere shtick. From the moment I mentioned she’s a tsundere, if you know the first thing about the archetype, you might have had alarm bells going on in your head. Does this mean that in spite of her liking him and him saving her life numerous times, she still acts like she hates him and becomes violent towards him every time she’s embarrassed? Yes, and it’s just as stupid and cliché as it sounds, but like I said, that goes away fairly quickly, too. After about 4 or so episodes, she mostly mellows out and becomes a loving harem centerpiece. She still occasionally has her obligatory tsundere outbursts, but they’re not directed at Basara. You’ll see.

The only one who bothered me fairly consistently, ironically, was Basara himself. I’m talking about the way his sexuality is portrayed. Shounen protagonists are generally portrayed as mostly asexual, presumably because the worry is that Goku and Naruto would otherwise teach young boys to be overly sexually aggressive and harass girls. Let’s table the discussion about whether or not that holds water for another time. The point here is that this is not a typical shounen. This is explicitly a harem story about engaging in lewd acts with multiple women. What bothers me is that the anime wants to have its cake, and eat it, too, by trying to have Basara’s sexuality simultaneously accommodate the young shounen audience and the adult audience, so he will evidently be turned on and enjoy himself during every lewd scene, but maintains a quasi-puritan attitude towards any mention of lewd behavior during every other scene. At times, he seems genuinely scandalized by the suggestion that he ought to ‘advance’ his relationships with the girls by being even lewder and kinkier with them, clutching his pearls. He often comes across as beleaguered whenever he has to ‘relieve’ the girls, like it’s somehow a chore, as if he doesn’t actually want to do it, but ugh, fine, *eye roll*, it’s for a noble cause, so he’ll do it because he has no choice. But then whenever it comes down to it, he’s greedily sucking on their titties within 2 seconds flat and transparently having the time of his life. The fuck is up with that?

Again, I understand why Ichigo doesn’t openly thirst for Inoue – as he should, mind you – but like I said, I get it. However, that kind of restraint has no place here. This is an explicitly sexual show. Nobody is confused about what they’re here for. It's ok. Just let him be openly horny for them. There’s nothing weird about it. Ain’t nobody here for moralisms about sexual modesty.

When it comes down to it, the ultimate question is just how sexually explicit is Shinmai Maou? As it so happens, it might surprise you to learn that the source material, the light novel this is adapted from, is just straight up porn. In order to increase the rank of their Master-Servant bonds, he has sex with all of the girls, creampies, all manner of kinks, the whole 9 yards. Shockingly, that’s not really kosher for TV broadcast. Consequently, all of the sex is removed from the anime and all you get is just endless rubbing and fondling of erogenous zones, because like any worldly gentleman would know, if you grab a chick’s tits and just sort of, uh, move them up and down, she will totally scream in extasy and cum. That’s totally how it works. I think I heard Andrew Tate explain that in a podcast. Source: Just trust me, bro.

To be fair, nipples are fair play and there are copious amounts of nipples sucking, even a scene where a chick lactates, but that’s about as explicit as it gets. You can easily tell the scenes where they were originally supposed to have sex, because they’ll be on top of each other in missionary or doggy, but still wearing their underwear or pants, so no penetration, not even implied. This begs the question of why they didn’t just adapt it into a straight-up hentai, but I suppose there’s more shekels to be made from TV broadcast.

There are only 2 instances of implied oral sex in the show, one in an OVA, one in the main show. In the OVA, one of the girls kneels in front of the MC, she grabs her own tits, and starts moving them up and down in midair, simulating a titty fuck, after which the screen quickly fades to black. Next scene, the MC is just coming to, indicating that he had passed out. I checked the LN, and she does indeed blow him at that point, and I think it’s fair to consider it anime canon, as well. The other scene is a fleeting shot in season 2. While Basara is having a rubbing and fondling orgy with all of his waifus – in preparation for an upcoming big fight, of course, it’s all in order to power up, get your brain out of the gutter – there’s a momentary shot of him with his face deep between one of the girls’ legs and she’s not wearing any panties. Again, I would submit that we can consider that another anime canon instance of oral.

Like I said, I didn’t hate it, but I also did not enjoy it. With the sole exception of the OVA oral scene, I found nothing in this show exciting enough to, so to speak, take me there. One scene is a poor trade for 9 hours of my time, but it felt longer. Your call.

P.S.: I mentioned that Mio becomes Basara’s step-sister. To be absolutely crystal clear, there is no relation between them whatsoever, so there are no incest concerns. However, Mio insists on calling him onii-chan during their tender moments. Given how popular step-something-or-other porn has become in recent times, chances are good to fair you would be into that, but I just thought I would mention in just in case. I can imagine that it could be jarring depending on how averse you are to it, but I was able to reasonably easily ignore it, especially given that Mio wasn’t the best girl I was rooting for, anyway.

Just read the review...

STORY
If I were to guess at first, this show is basically a HighSchool DxD clone. Down to the presentation, character design and, to some extent, the storyline. As such, Shinmai Maou no Testament basically includes devils, a harem for the MC, and the obligatory fan service.

I would be lying if I say that I didn't enjoy the show it its entirety, there were some aspects of the show that were noteworthy at most. But overall, the story is just generic, bland and predictable. The fan-service, though obligatory in this kind of anime, does somewhat annoy me. There are even scenes that's ... just borderline hentai! Speaking of which, I can't really blame the producers of the show of the amount of hentai present, since it is an 'indirect' element in the story. There are some decently presented fight scenes, but that alone just can't put this show in good light.

CHARACTERS
I don't know if it's the author's intentions to base of the show's characters to that of High School DxD, down to their designs. Either way, the characters are flat and are nothing really noteworthy, except for the fact that it's really similar to that of High School DxD's.

AESTHETICS AND AUDIO
The visuals for the show are decent, to say the least. The characters are designed nice and the animation is mostly good. Overall just great.

Same goes for the soundtrack. It complements well into the scenes, but on it's own, it's rather bland if not forgettable. Voice acting is also decent, fitting well into each respective character.

CONCLUSION
I mention High School DxD numerous times in this review because that's the overall impression I had before and even after I watched Shinmai Maou no Testament, but to the lesser extent after watching since it has some originality. You won't find any serious storyline and interesting characters, but for what it is, Shinmai Maou no Testament is a show that exists to entertain to people for its content. And I even admire it for having planned a second season.

For the past couple years, the idea of Ecchi has changed dramatically, and what anime is allowed to showcase over the course of their runtime. As the years went on, the idea of what is ecchi and what is hentai has been blurred to the point of almost crossing over into one another. And here, I believe that we have an example of that right here. Here it is, a review of Shinmai Maou no Testament, or The Testament of Sister New Devil, a show that I believe, like many others, could've done better as hentai.

Story (6.11/10): The story of ... Sister Testament as I call it, follows the life of a boy named Toujou Basara, a boy who has a father who is remarried, gaining two little stepsisters in the process. However, not is all that it seems, as it is later revealed that the two "sisters" that he now has is the budding demon lord, and a succubus. In addition, Basara is hiding his own secret, hiding the fact that he is from the hero village, a place where they regulate the demons of the world. With the two sides now coming together, what challenges will they face with demons seeking the demon lord's power?

At first glance, sister testament seemed to be a little bit more than what the synopsis led one to believe. The first episode wows you and honestly, surprised me with a complete 180 on the show's comedic feel by putting in an action scene that made me for a moment, rethink the entire series altogether. It was that value of shock factor that really made me think for a moment that this was going to be a good show, and that I was in for one hell of a ride. Quickly though, that idea became less and less prominent as the holes began filling up with regret rather than joy.

While not only a series about action and the conflicts between protecting the new demon lord, Mio, Sister testament proudly shows itself (quite shamelessly might I add) to be an ecchi show in the worst possible way. In the show, there is a technique or plot device known as the "succubus curse", where one person becomes the "master" over the other, allowing the two to become bonded and grow stronger together. This one little detail manages to completely screw over the show plain and simple. Because this plot device exists as the basis for the show, the actual plot for the series I feel becomes jaded more than anything. Basically, the show makes it so that character strength is equal to the intensity and frequency of any kind of sexual act (as pointed out by the show's own characters) which can lead to, well...you get the idea.

The biggest flaw that I felt about this series was just purely about how frequent and how starkingly intense this show's ecchi moments actually were. They were done in such a way that they had to do a Tokyo Ghoul-style censorship involving censor bars that basically blocked so much of the screen that you can't see anything, and above all, made any sense of the actual storyline completely disappear. In this show, it seemed like the perverted moments took priority over anything, and for a show that actually seemed to have a decent plotline and story elements, it just really felt disappointing cause all of that stuff that makes a good anime is put in the trunk. (Not in the backseat, the trunk.) In terms of actual story, the progression was moderately well done. Because of just how often you'll see fanservice, ranging from a casual stripping of the clothes to full-on foreplay, the story won't come as often as one might think, and just isn't fleshed out as well as it should've been.

Overall, sister testament just failed to be any sort of proper story. Because of its way of "getting more powerful", the show showcased sexual foreplay more than anything, making that the first thing anyone thinks of whenever they talk about this show. In fact, I strongly believe that this series could've done better, and should've been a hentai more than anything. In the end, the story suffered a lot from the show's "other half" and would've done better had it not had the amount of fanservice that it did have.

Overview:
+ Decent story idea
- Story suffered greatly
- Fanservice overpowers the show GREATLY

Characters (5.55/10): The characters in sister testament similar to the story, don't really feel as fleshed out as they possibly could've. Rather, each one of them except a couple few don't get what they should've gotten.

First, we have Toujou Basara, our harem/main protagonist of the series. As a member of the hero clan, Basara has the ability to summon down a weapon that he himself can wield, and uses it to fight the demons if need be. Basara is more or less your standard harem protagonist. While he does get a sort of backstory to explain his overpowered ability (cause every harem protagonist these days is either useless, or OP), Basara follows your cookie cutter troupe of the "nice/good guy." Even though the girls he now lives with deceived him, he, throughout the series, makes a VERY conscious effort to protect them as their older brother. (Even though that idea becomes completely redundant and useless by episode 2.) He gets nervous in ecchi moments, he tries to protect his loved ones, you get the shtick. Moving on.

Naruse Mio is the main female protagonist in this series, aka the tsundere (cause main girl ALWAYS is one)/damsel in distress/one with the big breasts. As the upcoming demon lord who had her throne taken after having to run away when her father was usurped, Mio serves more of the Zelda/princess Peach character of this series because she very often can't fend for herself, relying more on Basara for that job. Since Mio follows the tsundere troupe to a certain degree, there really isn't much to say about her since it's such a stale troupe.

Apart from these two, we have the succubus character, Maria, who is both one of the better characters in the series for having some slight character development, and the ultimate reason why this series went down the drain so fast. (That's cause the curse was suggested and inflicted by her, ergo, it's her fault.) In addition, we also have Yuki, the character who serves as the childhood friend of the MC with a stone cold face, as well as Takamine, the one character who I thought was really the only shining glory in this cast of tired, old troupes regardless of how little he shows up.

In the end though, the cast of characters for Sister testament were more like a troupefest more than anything. Characters aside from the ones I have already mentioned barely get any substantial screentime, so there's not much to mention there. Because of this, aside from Takamine, the characters in this show really aren't anything special aside from being called what they are, troupes.

Overview:
+ One decent side character
- Tired anime troupes for characters

Art and Sound (6.50/10 and 7.00/10): The art for this series isn't really much to write home about. There really isn't any standout animation for this series aside from maybe the magic casting circles, and the series overall doesn't really have much of an impact art-wise.

What the art does have an impact on is simply how much of the series you can watch. Because this show is so ecchi centered, the show wants to tell you that, a lot, like at least ten minutes per episode. As I have mentioned before, the fanservice in this show is REALLY fanservicy to the point of it actually being sexual foreplay and should be considered hentai more than anything. Yes, my dear readers. This isn't ecchi, this...is hentai. And because of this, the show as of right now blocks any form of watching it because you get censors, flashes of light, and darkened areas that essentially cover up the whole screen, not allowing you to witness of what is going on behind the chibi versions of the characters. Because of this, watching this show can be quite frustrating because half of the time, you won't even get a clear picture as to what is going on.

Sound for me was a sort of solace for this series, as we have Sweet Arms make the opening for this series, which is a track that I feel like was rather good. While the show that it was tied to isn't really all that good, the opening itself is actually a rather good and actually somewhat memorable. Of course, upon mentioning this, the rest of the soundtrack is mediocre at best and really doesn't stand up too much.

Overview:
+ Good Opening
+/- Standard animation
- Ecchi. (Normally, I don't complain all that much about fanservice, but this is just simply too much.)
- OST didn't stand up on its own

Personal enjoyment (5.00/10): While I admit that I was wowed in the first 23 minutes of the series, the next 5.5 hours didn't really prove to be anything that I would bother rewatching or care for. As the weeks went on, I was more disappointed in this show than anything because without all of the foreplay, this show actually could've done really well. It had groundwork that it could've used, and a curse that was more of a curse on the show more than anything.

What did I like about this show?

If anything, it would have to be 1. Takamine (cause honestly, he's the only character in this show I give a damn about). And 2. The action sequences. While the animation was standard at best, the action sequences managed to for a moment, forget that you're watching a show that about a guy molesting his stepsisters (wait a second...that sounds familiar.), but rather one that also centers around the idea of action and heroes vs. demons, to some degree.

What didn't I like about this show?

The bland characters and the execution were really some big issues. The story was never fleshed out enough for it to be different than any other hero vs. demon story, and the idea of the damsel in distress was really more of a bore than anything cause it just added another member to the useless female group, a group that we seriously don't need to add more characters into. Above all though, I have to say, like what I've been saying this entire review, the fanservice by far is the worst thing to come out of this series. Not only is it prominent, so prominent that it's both ruined the story and my viewing experience, but because of the way it's presented, you probably won't be able to see it until a blu-ray release.

Would I recommend this show?

Honestly, I feel like this show is a waste of time. Throughout its runtime, there wasn't anything that stood out. The story wasn't made to be interesting enough, the characters were bland to all hell, and there wasn't anything fantastic aesthetic-wise. Because of how strong the fanservice was, there really wasn't much to make note of, thus creating this series' downfall. (I still don't know why they're making a second season. It boggles me.) If you want some hentai-esque material, go ahead and watch this. Make sure to get the DVD uncensored version because if you're watching for ecchi, I can guarantee that you that as of this review, you won't be able to anything but censor bars.

Overview: 5.00/10

(reposted because I apparently forgot to update my episode count to show as complete. Derp)

TL:DR: Testament of Sister New Devil is ecchi at its most ecchi & not in the least bit ashamed of it. It's the kind of show that validates every criticism & concern non-ecchi fans have of the genre & non-anime fans have about Japanese cartoons in general. But aside from that, it's pretty fun, albeit in a masochistic, I can't believe what I'm watching but I can't look away kind of way. Not to be watched with other people in the room...or within hearing distance.

Boobs. If there is one thing teenage ... boys & lonely authors love, it's boobs. Boobs can be big; they can be small; sometimes they're not there at all. But one thing is for sure, where there are women, there are boobs. & where there are boobs, there are good times to be had.

Our story begins with one Basara Toujou. For reasons that don't matter, he is accompanying his father to a restaurant to meet his two new stepsisters, yet only one of them seems to be waiting at the table. Needing to pee, he excuses himself & makes his way to the toilet, where he shockingly encounters a busty red head mid business. As you would expect of someone whose just been walked in on while on the toilet, she makes to scream, & being a male of strong character & morals, he does the reasonable thing of pinning her against the wall to stop her doing so, for fear that they might cause a scene in a public place.

It only gets better from here.

To cut a long story short, said red head is by hilarious coincidence his other new stepsister. Only they're not really his stepsisters, as that was just a story contrived by his father for no reason. In fact, red headed Mio is the daughter of the recently deceased Demon Lord & is on the run from those within the Demon realm who want to capture or kill her for her power. Maria, her loli goth companion, is actually Mio's succubus bodyguard. A rather pointless attempt by them to get rid of Basara reveals him to actually be a Hero, the enemies of Demons (but in that yin yang kind of way where they're more concerned with keeping each others powers in balance than defeating each other) with magic powers of his own. This awkward business out of the way, it's time for the show to get what it's really about, a guy & several girls who all insist on calling him onii-chan while the line between ecchi & hentai gets pushed to its limits.

Yes, Testament is one of those shows that, to put it in a sentence, basically takes the setting, characters & general plot of High school DxD & sets about seeing how far they can push it before the censers tell them to go straight to DVD. The story is your basic angels (heroes) vs demons affair with the main characters caught in the middle while they just try to live normal teenage lives. The characters are barely worth mentioning for anything but their aesthetic qualities. In addition to the main trio, we also have Yuki, Basara's aloof childhood friend who apparently hasn't been talking to him until now but boy is she going to be a third wheel in his & Mio's "romance." Takigawa fills the role of the one other male character who isn't a one episode antagonist or parent. Would it surprise you to know he likes talking about girls? Actually that's selling his character a bit short as he does play a more significant role in the story that most token guy friends do in anime. Oh & I guess there is Basara's aforementioned father, but he makes his excuses to leave his son alone with Mio & Maria in the first episode so we need not mention him again.

But lets face it, we're not here for the characters or indeed the story. We're watching for that other kind of “plot” that hides behind clouds of steam & light beams, & boy does Testament have that in spades. One of the more contrived ideas introduced early on is the master – servant contract Maria convinces Basara & Mio to sign in the second episode. Nominally, the idea is that it will let them know where each other are & help them both get more powerful, but there's a sexy twist. You see, because Maria's a succubus, & because the contract goes a bit wrong & makes Basara the master (they never actually properly agree to the contract, but lets not sweat the small stuff), Mio now finds herself cursed to go like your mum did at fraternity parties whenever she thinks mean thoughts about him. The only prescription for this fever, it turns out, is for Basara to molest her repeatedly. He doesn't want to, of course, but his manly man duties as both a male & her brother (seriously he makes that point about them being family a lot) mean he has no choice but to grope & grapple with her cleavage until the curse is lifted. The first time this happens, we fade to black (with many a “no onii-chan” screamed) only to see Maria cleaning up a puddle on the floor while commenting about how many times Mio came. 10/10 IGN best plot ever.

The show feels like it's constantly trying to one up itself as its ecchi scenes come ever closer to crossing into hentai as the series progresses. Yuki, naturally given this is anime we're talking about, upon learning about the contract between Basara & Mio decides she wants in on that too. So once again poor old Basara has to go through the oh so unhappy job of finding her erogenous zone as well. In case you were expecting it to also be her breasts, more fool you. She's relatively flat chested you see, but she got da booty & that's where the booty be stowed, so to speak. You can imagine how little of that scene was viewable. Weirdly (or not), Yuki signing a contract with Basara is not so much a source of jealously to Mio as it is the start of Mio & Yuki becoming friends, or at least frenemies, I guess due to their both being in bondage together. Porn logic, I guess. & if you were worried the final episode might try to take the high road, fear not. I won't go into details, suffice to say we get hentai's favourite motif: sexual assault that turns into consensual fun times because she totally wants it, really.

It's hard for me to really explain what watching Testament is like. The best I can come up with is that it's a bit like reading The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs from South Park. The ecchi scenes are so...well ecchi & so creepy that it's impossible to watch without audibly groaning in discomfort. Yet watch I do, cursing myself for it but doing it all the same. It isn't erotic in any sense, although I think it's supposed to be & I might think it was if I was 14 & hadn't discovered internet porn yet. The censorship is pretty heavy, as you'd expect, & pretty in your face about it, especially after the first few episodes when they introduce chibi versions of the characters to cover up the goods. Some people may find that annoying but personally I actually prefer that kind of censorship. It's funny to me when the makers pretty much cock-block the audience with a “buy the Blu-Rays, perverts” chibi stamp. It's not like you don't know what breasts drawn by someone whose never seen a real pair look like, anyway.

Of course you don't just want to know what the show has, but how it looks. Well the art itself is pretty good, if nothing beyond standard. I have seen others comment on characters going off model at times but tbh I've not really noticed it yet. What I have noticed is that the overall animation quality is pretty poor. Jerky movements, apparent jumps between key frames with no in betweens, reused footage & other little things occur with enough frequency to make me question the editorial skills or resources of whoever was in charge of proofing everything. It stands out in particular when compared to the opening animation, which is surprisingly well made, with smooth character movements & a rare sight of characters slowly rotating without looking jerky or weird as their perspective changes. It is perhaps unfair to compare an opening credits sequence with the show as a whole, but the difference in quality between them is noticeable.

So there you have it. Thus far (& I don't expect anything to change) Testament is an ecchi for the sake of ecchi high school fantasy with no real redeeming qualities beyond cheap titillation & attempts to push the boundaries between what is & isn't allowed on TV. That it's the most popular new show of the winter season according to Crunchy Roll doesn't fill me with confidence of the anime fandom, but then again shows like this have been bizarrely popular since at least the 90s, so it's not like its anything new. It doesn't try anything new but it also doesn't ask its audience to think with anything but their genitals, which makes it pretty easy viewing if you can switch your brain off enough to get past the really creepy when you think about it context to a lot of the ecchi stuff going on. There's much better ecchi shows out there, but you could do worse than watch this one.

A lot of people havent enjoyed this anime, the score is honesty much lower then I think it should be. People have their own reasons for not liking it, but if I had to say what one big reason for why people didnt like it, it would be the DAMN CENSORSHIP OVERLOAD.

I actually started watching this series when it aired, I watched the first episode then immediately gave it a 4 and dropped it.
Why?
Because the censorship was so ridiculous I couldnt take this anime seriously, the censors ruin any mood that is built up.
But then the uncensored version was released, and so I gave it ... another try and was not disappointed.

Story: 6
Its fine, protagonist protects girl from baddies. Honestly not much, pretty generic but done right.

Art: 7
The characters look good, the backrounds are solid, but nothing overly eye popping. Except for, you know, "Those" scenes. Animation in "those" scenes very smooth. The fight animations are well, what you would expect, theres nothing top notch but still good.

Sound: 8
The OP and ED are okay, nothing special, after seeing it once I would then proceed to skip them in other episodes.
The ost however, fits the mood in whatever is happening.
A silly scene, a catchy upbeat theme.
An intense scene, a badass serious theme
Here we go, the VA's are top notch.
Mio's squeals are refreshing, its not the usual "Kyaa" it actually sounds like a woman screaming.
Basara's voice definitely fits, a nice manly voice which changes to the situation. I know his VA as characters who are silly, so it was surprising how well it fit in the serious scenes.
Another I would like to mention is Takigawa's voice, his VA I never would think would suit him but I was wrong as he thoroughly pulled it off. I underestimated his abilities as he did a beautiful job doing him.

Character: 7
Basara is a great harem protagonist. When compared to others such as Rito (To-Love-Ru) or Issei (High School DxD), this guys in a league of his own.
He acts just as a normal man would when a hot chick comes on to him.
He has self control but also a realistic breaking point.
And one great thing about him is he's not one of those characters who would defeat a really trashy enemy and not kill him. Like "Oh yeah, im not gonna kill you so you can come back and cause more trouble that could potentially harm someone important to me"
Basara gets stuff done.

Im not going to review all the girls but I will say that none of them are unlikable.
Usually in a harem, there will always be one girl that annoys the hell out of me, but not here. Every girl here is great in her own way.

Enjoyment: 8
I enjoyed it a lot. To the action packed scenes to their daily lives theres not a dull moment. The last episode didnt end badly either like some other series im thinking of.

Overall: 8
In conclusion,
With censorship: 4
Without censorship: 8

DONT WATCH IT CENSORED.
IT WILL RUIN IT.

Shinmai Maou no Testament is definitely an interesting series. Evidently, a range of inconsistent reviews render it to the category of "you either hate it or love it".

The overall story is simplistic at best. The character development offers nothing unique; a hot red-head is presented as the primary love interest, a long lost childhood friend is introduced almost immediately after, former enemies develop feelings for the main character, and so on. Most of these clichés are now well-established fragments of the harem genre.

The battle scenes are not exactly terrible, nonetheless they offer nothing special. The overall animation and sound quality are also quite ordinary ... and not memorable.

Well then, it begs the question; why is an average, mediocre series rather interesting? Bluntly speaking, the sexuality in this series is beyond over the top – make no mistake, if you happen to be watching the uncensored version, the ecchi and fan service scenes turn into borderline hentai. I found myself questioning whether I was watching an ecchi/comedy or hentai on numerous occasions. Further, the show takes itself very seriously into catering the “step-sister” fetish. By the 3rd episode, I realised it was a guarantee that a serious scene will be followed by “onii-chan I need you touch me” scene.

And this reviewer feels the poor juxtaposition of such two scenes is the downfall of Shinmai Maou no Testament. The willingness to push into hentai boundaries leaves little in the comedy to be desired. The attempt to connect the sexuality into the story is rushed and poorly executed. Granted, the story is neither thought-provoking nor original, however at least the comedy could have been much better appreciated overall if the show didn’t emphasize the “I must pleasure my sisters” element so seriously.

Nevertheless, much of the series is entertaining enough for harem/fantasy fans. If you can tolerate borderline hentai, I would encourage you to check out at least the first 3 episodes and see the interesting juxtapositioning for yourself.

For what it’s worth, here’s a summary:

DO WATCH IF:

- Enjoy watching a likeable MC slowly acquire a harem
- Enjoy demon – fantasy settings that are not gloomy but rather comedic
- Interested to see an ecchi series pushing the borders into hentai

Shinmai Maou no Testament - or the Testament of SIster New Devil is another one of this season's battle harems. With focus on powers, ecchi and girls, this is the typical classic harem, just better. Definitely recommended for everyone who likes a good story.

Story: 7/10
Surprisingly, this is one of the stronger parts of this show. While many harems tend to have a very brainless story, the plot is just secondary and mostly disappoints. However Shinmaoi Maou manages to introduce quite a lot of interesting plot twists and introduce mysterious characters masterfully, while still keeping faith to the usual harem tropes. It also set a good ... basis for the second season. Sadly, the big picture of the storyline remains predictable and a tad generic.

Art: 9/10
While mainly used to animate boobs and censor unwanted body ares, I was pleasantly surprised by the art style. Especially the MC and his father had some badass looking scars and overall style. The enemys and monsters aswell were quite an improvement from certain other shows who decide to simply not animate those. Ecchi is all censored, but imagination is the best artstyle amirite?

Sound: 8/10
With fitting male voices, good battle music and really good OP, this department also did their work. I didnt quite like the battle effects and the exaggerated moaning, it mostly felt unnecessary and out of place.

Character: 9/10
What? A harem gets 9 in character? Yes, its true. For the first time ever, we have a quite intelligent and not just plain dense MC who annoys the hell out of us, he actually takes the initiative and gets to town himself. THe girls of course are simpler, but more independant and powerful than what you'd actually expect.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Yes,I love harems. But this show has so many good things. We finally see some damn villain die, we see an MC that does dirty things with his harems and we get the feeling of a more natural approach to the whole ecchi theme. Of course, in the censored version we get to miss a lot of the interesting things - if you know what I mean - but as soon as the blu-ray is released this will turn to the better side.

Overall: 8/10
Honestly, a quite funny and well done show who's also suited for a non-harem lover. While this may not apply to everyone, I'd suggest waiting for the uncensored version - like with Highschool DXD, while its pointless, it somehow just makes it better.

The next season is gonna start in october, so I'd suggest everyone to have watched it until then - with an appearant high budget and big fandom, we can only expect that the second season is even better!

In short, this ‘Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha’ is a more ecchi version of ‘Date A Live’. has some obvious flaws, but it is still worth watching. Its plots are a bit platitudinous; just ordinary protecting endangered girls. However, it tells a continuous story without significant logical failures, which is kind of rare in such ecchi harem genre. Also, the plots provide the characters with reasonable motivation to do the ecchi activities, while some of competitor anime make characters love and f**k each for no reason.

The ecchi scenes are wonderful. They are the Essential parts with the best animation in the anime. However, that there ... is no f**king scene is a bit sad.

Plot(4/7)/Animation & Art(1/2)/Action(1/1)/Erotica Extra Points(2)
Total 8/10

Gods I don't know why I watched this anime as long as I did... I probably would've dropped it so SO much earlier if it weren't for the amount of censoring that was in it... The problem is that with anime like No Game No Life (which is still fairly ecchi without going over the top... might be a bit of a stretch to say) and this being the same rating on here (R+ Mild Nudity), I was going in expecting not to have the shock that I actually got...

Then I realised how f***ed up this anime actually was around episode six or seven... I'm ... one of those people who impulse skip certain moments to forget that they ever happened, so it took me a while to realise how many moments I was impulse skipping before I went 'okay, this is over the top."

The story starts out with a premise that tries to be unique, but, when I look back on it, it really was quite f***ed up to begin with. Extremely awkward moment where the two main characters meet (And like Leonard from the Big Bang Theory when meeting Sheldon for the first time, this should have been my first warning to how the anime would go.)

I will admit that the story was interesting. A runaway demon lord, a hero exiled from his village, some people on both sides who don't want them to live in peace... Sounds familiar, but the execution was done poorly. There is a different anime that has a similar plot that is much more interesting. The main detraction from the story has to do with the fact that one of the main characters is a succubus who puts the two characters in this awkward bond that doesn't let any moment in the anime stay normal for more than three minutes...

The character designs and art, not much I can say about it. Generic, but not terrible. Music a bit less than good. Once again, the awkward scenes really detract from the rest.

Characters are interesting in my opinion, except for those awkward moments that really detract a lot of value from the characters... and little miss succubus who just grates on my nerves... Hero who was exiled from his hometown after unleashing an epic power who is trying to be normal. Demon lord who is trying to be normal. Succubus who is trying to f*** up both their lives. A childhood friend who wants to help them but has a code of honour to uphold... In any other situation, I would like 3/4 of these characters... the third one being the one I'd hate under any circumstances.

My Enjoyment with the anime was a it awkward. As I mentioned before, I unconsciously skip past any scene to any scene that is either an awesome fight scene or some scene with some slight comedy... Then after the episode I would remember there were those scenes and I would suddenly hate myself for enjoying the other parts of the anime... It was weird...

In all honesty, I think there is a good concept in this anime, but the huge amount of ecchi really brings down the quality of this anime. As I've said, there were moments that would've shined had it not been for the unnecessary amount of ecchi throughout this show. Sure, there are those weird people out there who would enjoy this sort of stuff, but the rest of you, I would say that this anime is not worth watching.

Well, this has been the biggest roller-coaster of lewdness and perversity i've watched since DxD, but that doesn't mean it's good, nor does it mean it's bad, but, eh, this show just hits some buttons right and some very wrong, and i'm not even sure which ones, well, this should be fun...

Story: 7

So, Shinmai Maou no Testament follows our lovely MC Toujou Basara, as he is suddenly thrown in the deep end with his two brand-spanking new step sisters being demons, and what's that?!? Basara is actually a former hero from the opposing clan?!? WHAA-? As you can see, these *cough* innovative *cough* introductions basically ... plot out the course of the show, with the introduction of new characters at frequent intervals, and the big finale practically writing itself. The story isn't bad by any means, but the depth is worse than the shallow end of the kiddy pool. I can't say a huge amount more without spoiling the outcomes for some characters and how they fit into the final battle but I will say that plot-wise, it kept me watching, and probably will keep you watching as well, that it because 90% of your attention will be set on the abundant fan-service scenes with lots of uncensored boobies!

Art: 6

So the art is average, characters are very generic looking, and as much as it looks alright, it's easy to get bored looking at it. If you've seen any other magical, demon, supernatural, ecchi show like this, then you'll instantly recognise the magic insignia's that appear when attacks are launched, the sparkling effects of weapons appearing and dissipating, stuff like that. Not to say it hinders the art style, but it's not hard to say it's overused. Animation is about on par with a lot of shows involving a story such as this one, it's good enough, but won't blow your mind. Also boob jiggle physics animation is on point.

Sound: 8

So the opening of this show is fucking amazing, absolutely loved it, the ending is fairly good as well so you've got that to look forward to when you start each episode. SFX is as expected, metal clanging sounds and magic blasting sounds can be picked out and heard in various other anime but really it still sounds good and adds the intended effect. Voicing for most characters was fitting, one character though I wish had more dialogue simply for his voice actor is Jin Toujou, Basara's father. Keiji Fujiwara's voice is music to my ears. His voice and the OP managed to bump the sound up to a solid 8.

Characters: 7

Well, shall we go through the list of generic characters that populate this and hundreds of similar shows? Yes? OK THEN! We have the shy, yet totally in love with MC girl. Perverted girl, who happens to be the loli character AND the comedic relief character. We have the cold-monotone voiced character who also plays the role of childhood-friend character. There's the hot sensei who gives MC advice. And there's a few more I really shouldn't have to list just because you know them already. These persona's respectively belong to Mio, Maria, Yuuki and Hasegawa. Oh, and there's the main character, Basara. Who is a lot like other MC's in that he would NEVER, EVER do anything lewd to his harem members, and gets all embarassed and what not when walking in on them, but he is very powerful from the beginning of the show, something that is used nowhere near as much as the good old "weak at the beginning and then gets stronger as more and more women begin to appear and fall in love with him" strategy most harem, ecchi, action, magical anime use. But it does work for our MC Basara in this case as he is actually a very good character with a mildly tragic backstory with a lot of experience, and they do show his experience throughout the show, which I did enjoy very much.

Enjoyment: 7

I'm gonna explain my enjoyment of this show with an analogy, imagine your really hungry, like starving, like about to keel over due to your stomach attempting to digest itself. You spot a fast food outlet, and next to it, a gourmet restaurant. They both cost the same amount of money. you can either go to the fast food place and get a quick, alright meal that tastes pretty good and satisfies your hunger, or you can go to the restaurant and order a magnificent 3 course smorgasbord of food that will take you to another world, but it will take a long time to prepare, and your hunger is getting worse with every passing second. You opt for the first option, this show is the first option. Shinmai Maou will satisfy your hunger for lovely pairs of uncensored boobs and fan-service, you'll get it quick and easy because they're in almost every episode, and in the end you know you could have gotten something better. But you don't regret getting the fast food, because it did it's job, it could have done it much better, but you are no longer hungry. Hopefully that made an ounce of sense to some of you reading this because I really do think it was a viable option in judging my enjoyment of this show.

Overall: 7

All in all this show was good, but it wasn't very good, or great, or a masterpiece, just good. I enjoyed watching this show and I am going to watch the second season simply because I don't regret watching yet another tit-filled harem with generic characters, as odd as that may be, i've seen a fair amount already. If your looking for something like what the synopsis describes, and don't mind the bountiful fan-service, then watch it, but for those who can look at the cover art, the characters and the synopsis and can already predict the story of each episode, this show might not be for you, unless of course you're into this kind of thing then by all means watch away with pride. Like I said at the beginning of this now much longer than I intended review, this show hits some buttons well, and others not so much. And it won't resonate well with everyone regardless of how many similar shows you may have seen already. But for what it's worth, Shinmai Maou no Testament will make you laugh at it's stupidity, and then make you laugh more at it's boob physics. And once it achieves that smile from you, it's done it's job well enough I say.

~Xeno156

Very similar to HS DxD, but with more ecchiness. I mean, the intimate sexual acts are really great, you either would call this hentai but its not but it looks like one.
God/Angels vs. Demons vs. Humans and within them thier own faction issues like betrayal and forming new alliances.
And the master servant pact.... its both a curse & benefit, depends on which side you are.
Basara's personality drastically changes during the master-servant initiation ceremony and the side effectsafter pact was made. From a gentalmanly calm, naive, innocent seemly clueless teenage boy on how to make his servants happy by making them moan in ectasy, he begn ... to make sexual acts (ala hentai way) towards them and for a moment he was ashamed and refuse to do so..... talk about playing it hard to get.....
Mio seems to be the most ecchi character next to Chisato, She appears to be a average 11-12 y/o girl but she hidden locked her real form (as a mature teenage succubus, her powers increases) and can be unlocked if she wants to.
The story is not bad but lacks other character participations, the story revolves mostly on the main casts daily lives on how to live everyday filled with mischiefs that leads to having sex due to various reasons. Only the last 4 eps. where the story finally picks up..... but many questions still remained unanswered. Hopefully season 2 can answer and most character inter relations and more action but still maintain the hot moments as those are the anime's trump.

MOD NOTE: May contain spoilers.

Watching a car rust is more interesting than this show.

Dripping with excessive fanservice, Shinmai Maou no Testament (The Testament of Sister New Devil) is a failure beyond words. Enter Basara, a seemingly "normal" high school student, who, in reality, is an ex-member of the Hero Clan. Two demons enter his life - Mio and Maria - who will forever change the course of his life.

Seems pretty straightforward, right? Not.

The Testament of Sister New Devil's plot is foremost its weakest point. Without going into too much detail, there are too many plot elements that are unexplained or weakly developed. For instance, we ... do not know much about the Hero Clan except how it centers around Basara and his father. Its purpose is briefly mentioned, but the anime doesn't go into any further detail beyond that - which then makes it seem like the Hero Clan is only there for no particular purpose but to establish a dichotomy among multiple warring factions.

Furthermore, this show has way too much fan service - up to the point where it significantly detracts from the enjoyment of this show. Fan service is practically present in every single episode, and it is usually presented in some overly exaggerated fashion that is completely unnecessary. Additionally, the censoring is done horribly - it mostly consists of patches of light or some random drawings/figures/animations to block out nudity - but you can still kind of infer what is going on. Don't get me wrong - some fan service is generally okay, especially if there is a reason behind it - but this is just beyond disgusting. All in all, pretty much every female character is treated as more or less a sex object in this show. Which is absolutely horrible.

Lastly, the theme is poorly incorporated into the story. If you've been carefully paying attention to this anime (or if you're about to start watching this, which I don't recommend to), there is one common theme that unites the plot: family. Everything Basara does in this series is to protect his family - again, which is a pretty good reason for someone to act the way he does. However, given this, this theme is constantly being shoved into the viewer's face. Every time after Basara does anything, he literally stops and then takes a second to explain that "it's to protect my family." By the time you hear this the second or third time, you can basically figure the pattern out.

Everything about this show is poor. Don't watch this. Please. I watched this garbage so that you don't have to. Save your sanity, I'm sure you have a lot of better things to do.

tl;dr

Pros
- Can't really think of any, lol, unless you're really into fan service I guess...

Cons
- Horrible character development
- Poor thematic incorporation - themes should unite a plot, not be randomly thrown into the plot when the main character feels like it
- Inconsistencies within the plot line
- Plot does not flow well
- Excessive fan service that treats the female leads horribly and detracts from the plot

This is my first review so please don't hold a grudge.

It is a harem anime, so if you like harems i would recommend you to watch this anime if not DON'T.

This Anime has a lot of mixed feelings, some are scoring it a 6 and some an 8. The anime that is a lot like is Hischool DxD, though in my opinion it is better. It has better fights and the MC isn't an annoying horny kid who isn't getting any stronger after 2 seasons but the characters are in both anime's equally good.

Story: 7
The story is good but don't expect anything from it. In ... this world exists demons and a clan that is called the heroes clan. A girl that is the daughter of the former demon lord is being chased after by the new demon lord. The MC right in the beginning of the first episode is told that he is getting 2 step sisters. And right from there is your typical "I have to protect them" thing. But I don't dislike these sort of stories.

Art: 7
The art isn't anything special but the character models are pretty cute so that's why i give it a 7. BUT the one thing that annoyed me was that when they where "having sex" the frrikking screen was overloaded with censored prictures. They could have just uncensored it like DxD or just throw the echhi part away. It was pretty pointless to watch it when the only thing you could see where the characters faces.

Sound: 7
I never really draw my attention to the music, but sometimes when i did pay attention it did have a pretty good soundtrack and the opening is also pretty good. Most of the characters voices do fit with the charaters imo, but the only VA I wasn't really fond of was the MC's. I think it is because I hear in a lot of anime's and have become tired of his voice (that is just what i think).

Charaters: 8
The characters are pretty good. The MC isn't a wuss like the MC of DxD so that is a +1 in my book. There are 3 main girls. One is the former demon lord's daughter who is you typical tsundere BUT she isn't annoying like most tsundere characters in most anime. Tsundere characters are one of the most annoying type of characters in anime's because they most of the time are valiant who are always abusing the MC of beating the crap out of him, luckily it isn't the case in this one. The other girl is a succubus who is always scheming to get the MC in a horny situation. And the last one is the girl of the Hero clan who happens to be the MC's childhood friend.

Enjoyment: 9
I did enjoy myself pretty good.

Overall: 8