Maoyuu Maou Yuusha: 'Kono Ware no Mono to Nare, Yuusha yo' 'Kotowaru!'
MAOYU: Archenemy and Hero "Become mine, Hero" "I refuse!"

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EDIT:
English is not my main language so there might be some mistakes ... however :
I have only read 11 chapters so far...

After having read the synopsis , you may think '' yay another shounen adventure with a kind guy and a big breasted girl , who gonna fall in love and safe the world...'' . That's definitely wrong. The story is very complex ... in my opinion (i may be the only one who thinks like that). It's more about economy and the reasons and consequences of war between humans and demons.


You may think now , '' but in the description,it says : action,adventure,... '' ... . Well... the autors tried to get action and shounen feeling (with comedy, heroic moments and scenes from the frontline of the battlefield) into the manga.But still...you could say some of the action was replaced with war.I know it sounds strange,but you will understand after you've read it ( well... i hope so ).


The main thing that keeped me reading the story was the fact was the idea behind it. It doesn't really matters if you are demon or human, economy and war are still 2 big factors of living.
(of course the second reason would be : i love romances, and especially good guy x bad girl *grrr*)


But in the end , i can say everything was fair and i could enjoy it.The art was really good. I would recommend this manga to those who want to read something like 'Spice and Wolf' with a bit more action but the same romance ;).

When i picked up this series i thought it was gonna be a fun, dumb fantasy manga with a somewhat unique premise. oh boy was i wrong the entire manga was pretty much like watching a political thriller with a "main" story attached to it the story was the selling point for me, the art is pretty good and i really like the characters as they are portrayed as more realistic and more human than most in most mangas. The comedy, main story, romance, and political/economic thriller elements just all blend together in a nice combination. The ending arc was pretty good if you ask ... me, personally it kinda reminds me of the evangelion ending arc but with a happier more hopeful tone, the ending is definitely not for everyone but hell i like it anyway

Overall 10/10 amazing masterpiece

Overall, highly recommend this series if you are interested in the premise and are prepared for a lot of economic talk, politics, and stuff like that. It has great characters with some layers to them and a really interesting story.

My biggest problem with it would be the inclusion of a low-key harem trope that wasn't really necessary, as there are few enough romantic moments between the main characters. And then there is the inconclusive ending of the series for its main characters. So that took away from my overall enjoyment of the series, but I still enjoyed the time I've spent reading this.

7/10. ... A good read, but be prepared for a somewhat disappointing dynamic between the main characters and not that really satisfying of an ending, IMO.

!SPOILER DISCUSSION AHEAD!

So, as I've said, IMO the harem inclusion really took away from the amazing dynamic Hero and Maou had at the beginning of the series. They were so adorable in their shy attempts to show affection and become closer to each other. Then the story rocketed ahead, often splitting the two for prolonged periods of time, and adding to that, the inclusion of Female Knight and that low-key harem, essentially halted the development of their relationship to a stop, which is probably the biggest problem this manga has. The characters themselves grow up and change a little, but their relationship remains the same except for the part when they kinda decide that it's fine to be a threesome.
In the series where we had several panels of sex between Ash King and Lily bitch, we didn't even see any of the main characters kiss! Even at the end, which I've found to be really disappointing. This may sound like a petty gripe, but when you spend a lot of time with the characters, it's really anticlimactic to end the series without really showing their relationship grow.

Plus, what was that ending? For some unknown reason, the author decided to throw the main trio of characters onto the other continent to continue their "adventure" and end the series with a somewhat open finale, but that doesn't make sense! They wanted to see "what lies on the other side of the hill" and often repeated that, but that wasn't a literal thing, was it? They wanted to see the world change, so why would you throw them out of that world like that in the end, leaving all of their close friends behind as well? Especially considering that you left the head maid in the mansion all alone.
I understand that the world didn't need the Hero or the Demon King after the whole thing and that was the point, but couldn't they just settle in a mansion to live a peaceful happy life together? That ending was such a downer that I'll probably knock 1 more point from the overall score.

Just a quick warning... this Manga is probably not for everyone. It's very in-depth information-wise, and I even read a review that it was the equivalent of putting a college history/anthropology course into a fantasy story, which is pretty accurate. That being said it's extremely interesting, weaves the story elements with the historical elements very well, and has a lot of great characters that have strong arcs throughout the manga. The romance elements are also very solid, although you do get common tropes of which one to go with and slow romantic development throughout, there is a solid reason why this is ... the case with the Protagonist and it's great to see that bit develop.

Warning: if you don't like to read a lot than this might not be the manga for you, although there is a fair bit of action as well and it's handled very well.

Now... for my gripe. If you're a native English speaker than you're out of luck for now. I have only read through Volume 16, and that's because 17/18 have not been translated into English. I've scoured the web looking for this... Both through manga websites and through the book shops. They have up to Volume 16 translated since early last year that they were selling, but 17/18 is not. I read some speculation that this was because of a licensing issue, and that yen publishing has picked up the license and were going to release sometime in February of this year (not sure if all the volumes or just 17/18), but I haven't heard anything official. So be prepared to be as disappointed as I was having read through everything but the end :(

BTW if someone has any info on an English version of 17/18 PM me.

Alright, Imma be real with you. I tried to give this manga the benefit of the doubt, I really did. After seeing so many positive reviews, I thought that this manga had to have something to it. I kept telling myself to push through and read the next chapter because there was no way this many people would praise this series over nothing, so I just kept on pushing through chapter after chapter... until it was over. Let's just say that I was pissed when I finished reading it. I wondered, did I seriously waste all this time suffering through this story for nothing? Apparently ... I did and that's not okay. That's why I feel like I have a moral obligation now to give this series the hate that it deserves so more people can avoid falling victim to its dreadfulness as I did.

First off, the art is bad. I was debating whether I should start off by rewriting the synopsis or reviewing the story, but I think this is more important. The art is not bad in the sense that it's a unique style that's hard to get used to, but in the sense that it's just lazy and sloppy. The panels are missing a lot of detail, and I mean a lot. Most of the panels have little to no background, and the backgrounds that are drawn are extremely minimal. The details in general feel very messy and low quality. The very best panels that this manga has to offer are well below average. Literally nothing stands out, from the character designs to the battle scenes to the diagrams used for explanations. Everything is just not good, and it only marginally gets better with time. The art seems like something a 6th grader would draw when they want to create their own manga. It's that level of quality. The art is so watered down that it actually takes away from the experience.

Sloppy and forgettable doesn't just apply to the art, it also applies to the characters. Sometimes a manga has a cast of characters that are so well written that they leave you with fond memories like Beck, sometimes a manga has a cast of characters that are so horribly written that they piss you off like Mirai Nikki, and sometimes a manga has a cast of characters that doesn't stand out either way but they're still good enough to leave you satisfied like Claymore. This manga does not fall into any of these categories. The cast of characters in this manga is so mind numbingly dull that I feel nothing toward any of them. Hell, I straight up forget most of them just a few days after finishing the story, that's how forgettable they are. The only thing that I remember well about any of the characters is that the Demon Queen has big tits, that's about it. The personalities are one dimensional, their backgrounds make little sense, and there's little to no character development (the only character that got any actual character development is the older maid sister, and even then it's average). I have zero emotional attachment towards any of the characters, I just couldn't get invested in the characters.

When the characters and art are this bad, there has to be some powerful story to cover the gaps and then some. Maybe this is the case in the light novels (I haven't read them nor do I plan to), but it definitely isn't the case here. The story presented in this manga is very flawed and weak. The main story is a cliche premise of the two main characters being on opposite sides of a conflict and then working together to end the violence. I don't have an issue with a story being cliche if it's executed right, and this story is definitely not executed right. I have three issues with how the story was handled.

The first is the lack of development. Nothing really moves in this manga. The romantic relationship that was established in the first chapter goes nowhere over the course of the entire series. The main characters, as previously mentioned, stay largely the same with the exception of maybe one character. The complexity of the plot doesn't progress and it stays very underwhelming. I just didn't see any growth, and that's a big issue for me. What a separates a good story from a bad one in my opinion, is this type of growth. The developing progress is what makes a story interesting, it's what makes characters relatable, and it's what makes readers invest in the series. The fact that this manga was so lacking in this regard firmly puts it in the trash category of stories.

The second is the lack of complexity. The main selling point of this story is supposed to be that it explores economic and political concepts, supposedly giving it a sense of intellectual depth. However, the concepts that are mentioned are not deep or complex at all. The benefits of crop rotation? The concept of inflation? The idea of the printing press? Really? Who's impressed by this? It doesn't help that the explanations given are very simple and oversimplified. Maybe I've gotten too old, but these concepts are so basic that they just seem childish to me. They might seem complex to a kid in middle school who hasn't learned basic economics/politics yet, but if you're any older then it's not intellectually stimulating at all.

The third is the shallowness of it all. One example of this is the interactions between the characters. The vast majority of them are so damn agreeable, it's excessive to the point where it hurts the story. There's no conflict between the characters, there's no drama, and there's very little disagreements. You have about two 2 or 3 supervillains and everybody else is a yes man. It makes the story predictable and repetitive. Another example of this is the comedy, which I think was not very well handled at all. Most of the jokes in the story just revolve around the size of the breasts of the female characters... which I just don't find funny. I would been more fine with this type of humor if there was more to it or something else accompanying it, but there isn't, the size of the breasts is the whole joke again and again and again. I also would've been fine if it was used in between arcs where comedic relief makes sense, but instead we get some of these thought provoking jokes during climatic events, like when a coup d'etat is happening for example. To me, these jokes just showcase that the author himself doesn't take his story seriously. If the author can't get invested in his own story then why should we?

As harsh as I am being with this series, it's not all doom and gloom. There are a single digit number of pages in this 57 chapter book that are pretty good. Hell, a couple even made me "heh" out loud or hold my breath for a second or two. So it does have appeal, but only for specific demographic. This story is probably a decent read if you're in middle school and wants a quick feel good story. It has a plot that explores concepts, comedy, and romance at that level. However, if you're any older, this story will only come off as childish and weak and is not worth your time. If you're above the age of 13 and are considering reading this manga, then take some advice from uncle Breezy, and just don't. I suffered through this manga so you don't have to. If you want to read a story that goes in depth with war politics and strategies the right way, read Kingdom. If you want to read a story that explores intriguing economic topics while balancing it with a complex romantic relationship, read Spice and Wolf. If you just want to read a damn good fantasy story with demons and war then read Berserk. All three of these are better than this manga in every way imaginable. This manga just ain't it.

Meh. Meh. MEH. I got into Manga recently. Started reading the mangas of animes that didn't finish the story. Started reading this

Great concept for a Romance! Cute Characters! Nice politics and economics sides. A bit cliche tropes and overly competent characters but hey, it works.

But don't expect a good romance. There's very little romantic interaction. And that's also ruined by ANOTHER LI. Yeah, we've got a harem situation. And both girls are just alright with it? Like someone never studied how harems actually turn out irl.

Well that's really what I want to say. Don't read this for romance. Read it for the sort ... of powertrip that the main cast takes. They're strong af. Make some downright perfect decisions.

Looking back, it's not the greatest manga. And the ending sucks. So idk why i'm giving it 7.
Should be more like 6.

Maybe It's just the start that's very good, but Female Knight ruins the relation between Yuusha and Maou. They barely have significant interactions as it is. But when she just barges in and steals some of that time... She doesn't get enough, Maou doesn't get enough and yuusha is oblivious as ever.

In short: FEMALE KNIGHT BEGONE YOU FLAT ANVIL

I stopped after chapter 40-ish and returned to find out it was already completed, so I decided to reread and finish the series. And what can I say but a very interesting read.

If you're interested in world building, then this is a great read. Want to learn a thing or two about economy, then I also recommend this. I sometimes spend more time just reading about about theoretical and macroeconomics instead of the manga itself, just like a certain clan in the story.

The art style, compared to the anime, is vastly different and I much prefer the manga art. Even sceneries and landscapes are just ... so amazing, but sometimes, you would need a bit of time inspecting it further as there are too much ink and contrasts. There are also quite a lot of waifus to choose from, so that'd definitely a plus.

Overall, would give it a 10. The anime was interesting enough which made me come and read the manga. Was a bit shocked by the change in art and made me go 'nyo ho ho ho' like the Old Man.

Also for those coming from the anime, I recommend reading from the beginning as it provides more background to the story and since some parts were not included in the anime.

TL:DR
primarily about politics and economics and a bit of military tactics. Weird end. Not great characters, splash of harem. Conditionally recommend, only for people who are interested in a more cerebral political/economic/military type of story.

Story: 7/10
Primarily about political movements and economic developments across the world this manga is set in. I like the developing world and the slow introduction of new players. The ending gets a bit mystical, which is a disappointment considering the very grounded plot prior to the conclusion.

Art: 6/10
The character design is pretty good. The backgrounds are nice too when they're used however there is usually a blank grey instead of ... background art. There are also some particularly lazy portions where there is simply text on an empty panel, though this is very rare.

Characters: 4/10
Characters are not the focus here, and it shows. As if to tell you this, all characters are referred to by titles (e.g. "Hero"). Not much growth, outside of a few characters. The personalities aren't very interesting either. The romance is boring and feels out of place. Again not the focus of the manga.

Overall: 6/10
A good, more intellectual manga but flat characters and forced romance(s) drag it down. The end feels very out of place compared to the rest of the manga. While the focus is not on the characters, it would be improved with having more interesting personalities to carry the plot. I conditionally recommend this only for people who enjoy the political and economic aspects of the manga.

tl;dr: A manga that chronicles how a fantasy world evolves with a massive amount of depth and a large cast of fleshed out and interesting characters, though it somewhat fumbles things with it’s main characters towards the end and has pretty weak art.

Maoyu is a manga that takes an incredibly generic and generally shallow premise, a struggle between a hero and a demon lord, and uses it to tell an incredibly unique and insanely deep story with it. The manga begins with the Hero coming face to face with the Demon Queen and ready for a fight to the death. However, she instead asks him ... to become hers. As the title of this manga suggests, he refuses. He was expecting some sort of offer of great power or wealth if he helped conquer the world or something like that. However, as they begin talking, he discovers she has something different in mind. She discusses the flow if history, how the demons and humans have always been at war and how in the grand scheme of things they would remain at war regardless of who died if they were to fight. However, she has a desire to “look over the hill” at what lies beyond the current state of the world. And she has a plan to do it. Complete social, political, and economic reform of both humanity and demonkind.

This is an incredibly wordy manga. After all, her plans require a lot of explanation of a lot of different things, from the effects of potatoes on the economy to how religion and politics intertwine to the evolution in tactics that needs to occur due to the introduction of muskets. Still, the manga does try it’s best to minimize how much it explains in the midst of the story, generally explaining the minimum necessary to understand the plot while having one page ‘lectures’ in between chapters that are just walls of text with further explanation for those that are interested. However, once you also take into account that it needs to do a tremendous amount of world building of the many factions on both the human and demon side with their various cultures, histories, and competing interests, all of whom are constantly changing and developing, and in the end in the end it still ends up an incredibly wordy manga.

However, despite that the story still flows incredibly well. It starts at a somewhat small scale with the Hero and Demon Queen planting the seeds of change in a small village. This is partially through the introduction of new techniques and technologies. But more importantly is in that the Demon Queen, who also takes the moniker of the Crimson Scholar, begins tutoring a number of pupils. At the same time, the Hero, who also takes the moniker of the Black Knight, begins dealing with problems in the demon world. Through this a number of side characters begin growing tremendously, and as the story progresses and larger scale events start happening, they take center stage in guiding the world towards a better future, continuing to grow in the process and guiding many others towards growth as well. The character arcs aren’t particularly complex and to a degree they’re mostly all similar, they all involve characters becoming wiser and more open-minded. Still, they’re all executed incredibly well and in the later stages of the manga these side characters are what really hold up the manga. Ultimately, the human vs demon conflict had a great ending followed by simple but satisfying epilogues for the core side characters and world overall.

This is a double-edged sword though in that in order for the side characters to have a more prominent role the main characters, whom I would consider the Hero, Demon Queen, and Lady Knight, are pushed into having a smaller role. While the conflict between demons and humans remains a core aspect of the story throughout the manga, towards the latter half of the manga another plot line that’s somewhat meta and involves the origin of the hero vs demon lord system comes into play which the Hero and Demon Queen end up distracted with. Ultimately, I do feel that this was worth it, because to be frank the Hero and Demon Queen are overpowered and if they were dedicating their full attention to the demon vs humans conflict it would likely play out in a much more predictable and not as interesting manner with far less suspense. Leaving things to the side characters allowed for a lot more variety to things which ultimately resulted in the manga feeling much better paced, not to mention it was essential for the side characters to really shine.

However, this meta plot line overall was pretty weak, especially in comparison to the human vs demon conflict. While the human vs demon conflict was multidimensional and a battle of interests between various parties who all had reasonable interests that made sense, the whole hero vs demon thing ultimately becomes a conflict against a one-dimensional cartoon villain with a bunch of other generic JRPG tropes thrown in as well without doing anything particularly interesting with them. And while I would say the ending is reasonably satisfying regarding the Hero, Demon Queen, and Lady Knight, the writing felt somewhat disappointing in how it handled the side characters that were more involved in this plot line than the human vs demon conflict, namely the Lady Mage and Chief Maid. It also felt like it lacked a sense of closure regarding the romance aspect, though to be honest the romance was pretty weak throughout.

The other main weakness of this manga is the art. To be frank, it’s not very good. It certainly can look good, as can be seen with the cover art, color pages, and the extra illustrations at the end of certain volumes. After all the style and character designs are pretty solid. However, in general the quality is pretty low, and I feel it actually gets worse over the course of the manga.