Machikado Mazoku

There was same nature of anime this year called Endro, its like that anime but with better comedy.

The whole anime basically revolves around just two characters, and that is lot of burden of on those characters. They have to be funny and show chemistry between them to carry the show. Lucky for us Yuuko (as known as shamiko) and Momo are the cutest things I have laid my eyes on this whole year. The funny moments between them keep the anime fresh and want to make me come back for more, specially yuuko is so funny and cute and momo's laid-back attitude is what drives ... this whole anime. There are others characters too but they for me do not come as important or are funny for the most part.

I do not know how but this anime looks visually this good and have decent animation despite its coming from the same studio who gave us abomination called OPM S2, thats right studio J.C staff is behind this anime. Maybe it looks and have best animation because director knew what was he doing and kudos to that director.

The only problem I have is that, characters talk fast, I mean really fast that I had to stop 2 times for a single sentence. I do not know why characters talk so fast, maybe budget was narrow thin or director wanted to add more into the single episode.

This anime is at core is what people call cute girls doing cute things, if you like that kind of anime then you will enjoy this one too.

Machikado Mazoku is incredibly cute and at times brings a warm smile onto my face.

Now this sentence doesn't explain my score on the show and you'll see why in a moment.

It's a cute show, don't get me wrong. But the contents and delivery of said contents are difficult to swallow. The direction and pacing are all over the place. Sometimes its too slow and scenes/jokes drag on for far too long, and other times its too fast giving you hardly any time to take in the information. The story itself (or premise at least) is cute but it's nothing special. Honestly most of these slice ... of life with fantastical elements type show have some basic structure and predictable plot elements to them, with the delivery and execution of its contents differentiating them from one another. Like, Endro had a very similar premise (with a switch in perspective), but that show at least felt good to watch and was pleasant to sit through. Machikado on the other hand felt downright claustrophobic at times. The characters are fine, but I never really liked Shamiko. Her being the tsukkomi to most situations just boil down to her explaining what just happened to the audience. A very lousy way of setting up jokes. I quite liked Mikan breaking up the monotony but she appeared far too late into the series by which I was already exhausted. Similar shows would typically incorporate characters like these somewhere in the middle as that's usually the point where they would exhaust the standard jokes and setups with the existing cast. In either case, the narrator is surprisingly my favourite character of the bunch. His optimistic "Ganbare Shamiko!" never fails to make me smile and out of all the cast, he is the only one to receive any payoff by the end of the show. The music was surprisingly nice, although maybe I tend to notice it more since I usually zone out watching the show and start paying attention to the background elements.

I deliberately didn't include any paragraph spacing just now to demonstrate how it felt watching the show.

4/10

Ganbare Shamiko! May you receive better adaptations in the future.

"Don't think this means you've won!" - Yuko a.k.a Shamiko

If the Summer season hasn't been graceful to comedic slice-of-life anime, it's because of how it has become the fad in recent years due to the overwhelming and continuing trend of Isekai series (which should be stopped). Remembering how Grand Blue and Asobi Asobase did wonders last Summer in the comedic space, we have Joshikousei no Mudazukai and Machikado Mazoku this year. Unlike the former's increasing attention, the latter (which is this series) is constantly being forgotten on the wayside. But that's why I'm here to tell you that this is also a damn great SoL ... comedy series that is definitely worth a watch too that doesn't take itself seriously. Hell, I'd pick this super underrated series over the other show anyday (what's up with underrated series being the most enjoyable ones this season?).

You know how Mahou Shoujo series go with the Magical Girl and Demon Girl, that's pretty bog-standard. What sets this episodic series apart is in its spin/take of the parody that is the ever popular Mahou Shoujo genre. Gabriel DropOut is one prime example of this, and this series retains both the character casting, with the comedy and feelings as if you're watching a heartwarming SoL series, and mainly being character-driven as well. Ara ara, did I forget to mention that it's also a CGDCT series?

Starting off with what is easily the most adorable but very Zannen (unfortunate) demon girl, Shadow Mistress girl Yuko Yoshida a.k.a Shamiko (guess where that name came from) is more than just your average demi-human. Due to unfortunate circumstances with her family, she is constantly having to fight against "undesirable forces" just to make a living, and she has to lead the daily life of misery and poverty. Compared to her, yet another cute Magical Girl Momo Chiyoda enters her life to wreck...er I mean, help her improve her life for the better. More than just being rivals to each other, the smart and intelligent Momo finds that Yuko is TOO WEAK to fight her, even in the bestest of conditions (plus saving her from being isekai-ed as a first meeting), so Yuko pacts a truce with Momo to be frenemies in alliance until their (supposedly) "final" (and friendly) battle.

Adding to the insanity is the partners of Shamiko and Momo, Ancestor Lilith from her support Demon God statue on Shamiko's side and Mikan from Momo's side. Ancestor Lilith is the epitomy of dumbness, whatever she could think of is constantly derided by Momo, and even thrown into oblivion. Mikan is the type of friend who is blur and situationally unaware of everything around her, so much so that Momo has to get her into awareness and asks of her basic understanding.

What this all comes down to essentially, all characters are idiotic and stupid, but yet funnily memorable in their own unique ways that sparks the endless amounts of heartwarming joy in the hearts of people.

I remember the times of (former) J.C.Staff who are just willing to be just random and make anything worthy of their stellar quality in both visuals and overall production, and this series harkens me back to the times where time and money aren't a major concern, and the people there are willing to dabble into such random stuff and still be remembered to this day. Unfortunately, as much as memorabilia serves, this series only has decent art quality and animation that doesn't stand out for reasons I will never know. Maybe it's that "comedy is subjective" notion, and that the current J.C.Staff is absolute trash.

The music here doesn't scream wonders, but more of its cuteness overload. The OP featuring both Shamiko and Momo's VAs is easily one of my uncontested favourites this season, not just for the happy hoppity-boppity music, but also how heartwarming and enlightening it is always to not skip it every episode. The ED is fine though.

What all this boils down to, is that this show teaches kindness and positivity in the most cutesy of ways possible, and that giving up is never an option to achieving the power to be your best.

It's been a great experience watching this stress reliever of a show, and i highly recommend this series to people whom has too less time of their hands watching anime, and need this as a means of a cooldown.

When a show focuses on making a particular character the butt of the joke it can be hard for the show to fit into the mold of a typical CGDCT. CGDCT strive to be lighthearted and fun, rather than mean. Having a character get "bullied" can easily change the tone of the show and in a genre that lives off of the heartwarming and/or lighthearted vibe, like CGDCT, it can be a delicate balance. And while there are shows that I have watched that have tried it and failed, Machikado Mazoku is able to blend the two of them very well and creates for a ... very enjoyable viewing experience.

What really makes this balance work so well are the characters. To have a character being "bullied" you need someone or something to do the bullying. And while circumstances can be a less mean way to do it, often when shows go this route it feels forced, and can be frustrating to see the universe conspire again and again to pick on the victim. Certainly circumstances do happen to Shamiko many times, but a good portion of it also happens to come from her magical girl friend, Momo. And when I say friend I mean actual friend and not "friend" as can often be the case in this sort of set up. Despite some of the tricks, although much more tricks of wit than actual tricks, that Momo inflicts on Shamiko, it's clear that Momo cares for Shamiko a lot, and more than anything enjoys her over the top reactions. Most of her tricks aren't just for her fun but actually help Shamiko out as well, whether it be to get Shimako stronger, or to postpone their pointness matchup in which Shamiko would lose badly. And when they aren't Momo usually goes to great effort to plan around the curse and make sure no serious harm can come because of the curse. This makes these tricks fun to watch. By knowing that Shamiko will be ok and that she isn't going to get screwed over, we can enjoy what happens without having to feel bad for her or worried about her, because she will be fine, if not better off, by the end of it. In fact one thing that sets Machikado apart from other alike shows is how willing the show is to progress. Rather than kep Shamiko stuck in the status-quo so she can be bullied to infinity, the show does let her grow. She isn't forced to stay at level 1 forever and while she is still the lovelable pathetic Shamiko her circumstances and traits do get better throughout the show. Shamiko is allowed to have her victories too, even if it's not Shamiko's skill that lets them happen. Despite being in the bully role Momo also is used as the butt of the joke as well, keeping the show feeling more balanced than if it had the rigid power structure of Momo always winning and Shamiko always losing.

The characters aren't just good in their roles but are generally good characters overall. Momo is a very good example of this. Despite being a pink haired magical girl she isn't insanely cheerful and optimistic, which is very rare for a pink haired magical girl. And it's not as if they make her super edgy to "subvert" the trope. Rather she is a kuudere and a realistic kuudere. Because while her emotions don't really show through in her expression or voice, she does have emotions, sometimes strong ones, that are easy to read if her reactions are watched. There are subtle reactions that she has, and differences that do show how she feels about the various items and events around her. For example it's easy to see when she is trying to bait Shamiko into doing something she wants or would find humurous. And while her reactions and expression is muted for it, it's easy to see her gameplan and how much she likes it. In a sense Momo feels more drained than anything, a side effect of being a magical girl for so long and having to protect the town. While the lack of luck and skill of the main character, Shamiko, is a decently overused trope, I think that they do well with that trope and use it to faciliate her position and manage betwen the more bullying ascepts of the comedy while also using it for the lightheartedness. It's also interesting to see a good-hearted character try to do her best to be "evil" and fill the role that she now has to live up to. She has a good balance between her pureheartedness and her insecurities and desires, allowing her to be swept up by her role and try to do her best as a demon of the dark clan.

Despite the bullied and victim roles that the two of them have they actually make a great pair and show geniune concern and care for each other. The two of them balance each other out well and make a pairing that I think is mutually beneficial to the both of them. Shamiko may lack skills and have dire circumstances but she is a pure kind soul and has the optimisim and heart that someone like Momo needs. In a sense she is able to bring light to Momo and allow her to have fun and bond with someone. And on the other hand Momo with all her skills can protect Shamiko and help her overcome her weaknesses and her circumstances. Despite all the skills Shamiko lacks that Momo has the two of them come off as equals in their friendship. The two of them are able to help each other in the ways that only they can.

The art also helps out the show a lot. The art style looks really vibrant and warm. It matches very well with the type of show that Machikado is. It's very cute on top of that. They did a great job with the character designs, not only making them look really cute and nice but also having them match well with the characters. Shamiko wouldn't be as fun to bully if she wasn't so cute and precious and didn't have such dynamic and adorable reactions. Momo's height advantage and Shamiko's shortness do well to highlight the differences between the two and give Shamiko more insecurities that she tries to fight against in her battle with Momo. The characters look great and work very well for the show. Overall the art is really nice and well done and fits a very good package. The sound design is also pretty good and works well for the show.

For all the benefits the show has there is one significant detractor for me, and that is the pacing. Handling both the serious, comedic, and heartwarming moments can be a hard task espeically with only 24 minutes per episode. However, I do wish they handled it a bit better. In several key episodes it felt like the pacing was going too fast. And while it was fine for the comedic moments, the more serious and heartwarming ones were hurt by the speedy pacing. At times it felt like there wasn't enough time to feel the mood of the scene and really let the feelings of the characters sink in. And while the moments were quite good still, I think they could have been even better if there was more time alloted to them.

Overall, Machikado Mazoku is a very enjoyable watch that gives us all the fun of watching a character get bullied while also being heartwarming and pleasant. The characters are quite nice and their dynamic and bond is a big highlight. I'd recommend this to fans of the CGDCT genre and for those that like this bullying style of comedy. The show has a lot to offer in my opinion and does well to have a show that gives us the joy of bullied humor while also being heartwarming and pleasant at the same time.

Simply put, Machikado Mazoku is heartwarming slice of life with a spin - which is magic girl parody.

Sound and animation are average, they don`t stand out in good or bad way and when they are needed to deliver punch line, they do just that.

Since it is slice of life show, it`s episodic, but some overall story is present event though it misses a proper goal.

As a character driven comedy, it doesn`t disappoint in this regard. From all the possibilities (terrible people, weirdos, stupid v straight man etc.) it choses tragic characters. And makes them adorable. Main duo is ex-child soldier with ptsd living ... alone almost unable to take proper care of herself and kind, gullible, weak girl, who just wants to get along with everybody, tasked to fight the former to escape misfortune and poverty.

They are surrounded by other incompetent characters clumsily trying to get on with life or reach some vague goal. Overall message of this anime seems to be kindness and not giving up in face of your own incapability.

Art style is a great fit, since it supports the aforementioned cuteness and positivity.

Machikado Mazoku is a great example of uplifting comedy that doesn`t take anything seriously. There is a tendency to compare it to Gabriel DropOut, but thats more because of the setting (with this one you feel pity and need to support the characters, in Gab most of them are just adorable a-holes).

Edit: I watched till the end and nothing about this review really changes, but MAL won`t let me rewrite number of seen episodes.

This anime is really underrated. I always love this kind of anime. Anime that makes me feel good. Just pure comedy and slice of life. It is so fun to watch it.

What I like from this anime is the art very suit with the mood that anime has. It is so colorful. The animation sometimes goes to "chibi style" to deliver the comedy, which is good. The sound is very support the anime, such as the sound effect to make the comedy scene more funny.

Then again, I love every character on this anime. They are very adorable and I can't hate them. I love every ... moment, there is no serious moment so far, full of comedy with kawaii and adorables character. Highly recommended from me.

*spoiler free*

As i often do with shows i don't like, i'll start with the positives.

The art is good. The music is decent, and everything feels up to par to modern industry standards. That's about it. Then what about the bad? Well, there's surprisingly not a lot of that too - its slice of life (which doesn't HAVE to be a negative but when its TOO boring it is), there is not a lot of comedy, which would probably save this show, at least for me. The story and characters are very poor - moe blobs that fit standard tropes and don't do anything outstanding...

So what ... made me drop the show instead of at least finishing it? I've seen far less good looking, far more boring and plain, badly made shows that i DID finish... So why? I shall put it in one simple sentence.

The protagonist is TOO PITIFUL TO WATCH.

That's right. Looking at someone cripplingly poor, stupid, gullible, immature, but who just wants a normal life and is NOT obnoxious get bullied around (lightly and comedically) is, at least for me... Hard. To make matters worse, unlike say Hinamatsuri's Anzu, the character is not interesting enough and the show doesn't manage to create interest and COMPASSION to at least keep you going... They crack jokes at her crippling poverty and helplessness. This show is like watching someone get bullied in real life, while everyone seems to try pretend its funny, except you can't do anything about it aside watch (because its behind the screen), or get on with your life. So i did. And as far as recommendations go, i'd say you probably should do the same, unless, well, you really like pointless bullying.

I absolutely adore this series. It's my favorite comedy since Gabriel Dropout.

It brings to mind Tentai Senshi Sunred in which the glory days of super sentai heroes are over and now he and the villains have to deal with everyday life. In this case it feels as if the glory days of magical girls has passed and they've settled into a mundane lifestyle.

Enter Shamiko (Shadow Mistress Yuko) who inherits the destiny of her Dark Clan ancestors who opposed the Light Clan of the magical girls. Only Yuko is woefully unfit to be fighting anyone.

I'm a sucker for humor where the protagonist's main ... struggle is against their own ineptitude and poverty. I love watching her succeed through her good nature, perseverance, and the merciful pity of her adversaries.

A cute and sweet series that does not stand out


Released on July 12 during the summer season of 2019, Machikado Mazoku, or as it is also known, "The Demon Girl Next Door", is the anime adaptation of the manga published since 2014 by Izumo Ito, the series is a production of J.C. Staff studios directed by Hiroaki Sakurai, which came to have a total of 12 episodes.

Being one of those titles to which I did not pay much attention during its premiere, to the point of passing it, Machikado Mazoku was a series that I decided to keep an eye on after seeing some screenshots ... of it on Twitter, finding in it a simple and adorable-looking title but at the same time quite fun and enjoyable.

The anime, then, is a slice of life with a comic tone, which largely parodies what would be the typical anime of magical girls, telling us the story of a young girl named Yuko Yoshida, a seemingly normal high school girl, who a day after a peculiar dream wakes up with tail and horns, discovering after this to her surprise and through the words of her mother, that in fact her family is descendant of the clan of darkness apparently eradicated ages ago, and that now Yuko as successor of it, has been chosen to become a demon girl and make war on her enemies, the clan of light, who in the past imposed on the dark clan a horrible curse that forces them to survive with a misery of money a month, so with the order to improve the finances of her family, our heroine, now known as Shadow Mistress Yuko, or simply Shamiko for short, must look for some magical girl from the which get her blood to break the curse, a difficult thing since not only the awakening of Shamiko as a demon girl has not really granted any remarkable physical or magical ability, the girl being a full-fledged weakness, but also because Momo Chiyoda , the first magical girl she meets, and who is a classmate of her school, is not only ridiculously strong, but also does not take Shamiko very seriously even pitying her, dedicating herself more to trying to train the demon girl so that she has some chance against her before confronting her, and constantly looking for ways to help and coax her so that she does not feel like challenging her, being born with this a peculiar friendship, with which Shamiko will not be very happy.

The series then follows the day-to-day life of Shamiko in her otherwise unsuccessful and innocent attempts to defeat Momo, or she, at least, considers her a rival, while the latter one on her part does her best to make crumbs with our protagonist despite her stoic personality, being then the attractiveness of the series precisely seeing the entertaining interactions of these two characters, as well as how they coexist with the other secondary characters, such as their classmates, the family of Shamiko, or some other magical girl who makes an appearance later, and in addition to obviously seeing the different blunders and bad fortune of our protagonist in her daily life.


We have then with this and as I already mentioned, a fairly simple series in premise and execution, but by others pleasant and entertaining, that among its competent comedy, pleasant characters, adorable aesthetics and enjoyable atmosphere, you can see it in nothing.

Visually speaking the series is fine, delivering a competent but not outstanding animation, some beautiful and aesthetic character designs, a palette of colors you could say pleasant and lively, and a fund work for nothing remarkable.

Likewise, there is nothing to say about soundtrack, this being an element not at all outstanding in the work.


In conclusion, a light and pleasant title that comes in handy to pass the time, like many other titles of this style is not that it is a work at all essential, being in fact very surely a work that you will forget shortly after finishing it, but even with all this, it is an entertaining work that comes quite well to kill some hours of boredom.
This is not the kind of series that I recommend as something that you have to see yes or yes, much less. However, even if you do not miss an experience that changes lives by not looking at it, this story of adorable and clumsy girls doing adorable and awkward things is a light and optimistic spectacle perfect for spending time. If you are a fan of the slice of life or the moe, this is a series that cannot be missed. Something adorable and generally innocent does not do bad every so often.

I can see that people are comparing this anime to Endro, but Endro is far worse than Machikado Mazoku. I mean, if Endro's comedy was like dangling keys in front of a five year old, Machikado Mazoku's comedy has to at least be on par of dangling keys in front of a twelve year old.
To be honest, there's not A LOT of positive things that can be said about this show. It's a comedy show, thats not super funny with a host of characters that aren't very original. The cast is pretty small, consisting of basically 2 main characters, and like four side characters. Not ... that a small cast prevents a comedy from flourishing, but the comedy of this show isn't amazing. A lot of things don't make the most sense, but the show tries to make it work with the ending, which, it kind of does? I mean, the logic of the story also isn't the biggest deal either. It's just that the comedy isn't great.
However, one thing I can say about this show that makes it a 6/10 instead of, lets say, the 3/10 Endro was, is the plot. Machikado Mazoku features a demon girl that isn't really demonic as a main character. Usually, these types of characters are worthless side characters meant to generate a laugh in other shows (Gabriel Dropout, for example). So, to make it a main character is an interesting move, and something I at least, have not seen before. Therefore, I will rate this plot as pretty original. However, with a kind of unique plot comes a need to develop interesting skits, scenerios, and dialogue. I think all of these things are not up to par with the plot that this show provides, unfortunately. Plot and setting are important to a comedy in terms of the scope of things you can do in terms of scenarios, and obviously, this show chose a pretty broad scope of basically the entire town, but also narrowed it a little bit by having a demon main character girl that's generally a gimmick in other comedies featuring a demonic girl. Having to come up with scenerios with this could be hard, and it shows in this anime.
Obviously, even if the plot is a pretty fresh idea, if the comedy falls short of a comedic show, I can't give it much of a score. A 6 is already within the upper limits of what I can give it. Also, the whole thing with the ancestor is pretty dull, boring, and something I've seen a million times. Again, you don't need to reinvent the wheel, but the comedic effects that the ancestor gives is close to zero, and the scenes featuring it get more painful to watch, honestly.

Kore de katta to omou na yo!
(Don't think you have won!)

The only one Manga Time Kirara Anime in this year. Of course, this is will be one of my anticipated anime. Whats make me more happy again is my favorite VA, Akari Kito and Konomi Kohara are the cast staff of MC. I know Konomi Kohara always doing her best effort when she have major role, such as Chika in Kaguya Sama. And Yeah! Konomi Kohara is very good doing her role as Shamiko. Shamiko is now my favorite character of the year because its her cuteness noise.

Story: 9/10
I think it was another boring magical ... girl when I saw it on the Manga Time Kirara Carat's cover. But I was wrong, this MC of the story is from your usual magical girl's villain, yes the MC is a girl who suddenly turned into demon (to be precisely: succubus) named Shamiko. And her mission is to obtain the magical girl's blood to unseal her JPY 40.000 curse. Of course the premise seems funny to me. At first it was like another SOL CGDCT anime, but at the 3 last episode there is a twist plot which make this cute show more interesting.

Art: 8/10
Art is fine, simple but cute.

Sound: 10/10
This is what I like, VA's acting is really good and makes me laugh as hell, especially Konomi Kohara's acting. Mob character sound is cute too. there are many cute sound effect and cute noise that's make this show more lively such as: POGAA!, KUNURABA! KIKI KANRI! and more that makes me wants to re-watch again just to hear that cute noise.

Character: 9/10
Samiko's character is too pure to be succubus. Succubus is a demon who loves showing her body. But Shamiko is truly a shy girl. You can see her wearing long stocking for her uniform outfit. This is very funny to watch Shamiko. Oh yes I love her tail too. Her tail is like cat for me.
Momo's character design reminds me Madoka (in her battle form) but luckily she isn't dead at the end.
Oh, this show give us a adorable loli too. She is Shamiko's little sister. The author seems know what I need in CGDCT anime. (and then FBI comes to me. LOL)

Enjoyment: 10/10
Usually, Manga Time Kirara Anime is just your boring moe anime which just only show about cute girl. FYI, I said it as Manga Time Kirara fans. But for this one, I really enjoy the show that each episode I re-watch it again for 3 times. The comedy itself is fit and also those cute noise really amusing me! this show is very lively!

Overall: 9/10
This show is surprisingly amusing for you. I know most of you are not planning watch this show. But, believe in me! I have been 10 years for watching anime and I always know the anime that worth to watch. I am so sad that no one talking this anime in social media although this anime is full of memeable moments. I hope in the near future from this. It will be an anime that be loved by those who watching this anime later.

Machikado Mazoku (2019)

Cute girls do cute things is what this is but with a magic girl format.

The show focuses on the demon girl which is a really nice thing to go with the 'evil side'. Her ancestor trapped in a totem of sorts is hilarious. The outfit the demon girl wears is raunchy and not as you'd expect on a girl like her but cute. The magical girl's personality also doesn't fit her current dress.

The show does have great art and it is nicely suited. There are times it feels a bit plastic. By that I mean it feels false and not so infighting ... with the rest of the show. Like using precut backgrounds in a play.

The OP is fun and the ED is nice. The voices are great in Japanese. The general sounds throughout the show are great especially Yuuko our little demon.

Characters develop nicely with Yuuko the demon girl and her ancestor being a focal point. The ancestor has some great moments with her finding out all these new things. The magical girls Momo and Mikan are great too.
I do enjoy how even with Momo they make it clear that being a magical girl is hard work and the horrors she has been through.

The show does show a really nice side of what is usually a horrible conflict. Even though the demons in the city are being held in a poverty style life which can change they are also protected from the outside. Momo has many stories like you would expect of the brutal realities.

Overall the show is fun, cute and enjoyable. I do wish it got a second season I really do.

Ugh, I really wanted to like this one. I passed it up when it first aired, but after learning a bit more about it, I thought I'd finally give it a try after I finished some shows. But let me ask you: Have you ever watched a show that, even though it has a small number of episodes, took you months to finish in its entirety for whatever reason? But you couldn't bring yourself to drop it completely? The Demon Girl Next Door, Japanese title being Machikado Mazoku, is one of those shows for me. Basically, a girl named Yuko Yoshida finds out she's descended ... from a family that serves a demon, Lilith, and they've been constantly defeated by magical girls over centuries. When her demon powers awaken, her family wants her to take on a local magical girl, Momo Chiyoda, so they can break the curse that another magical girl put on them long ago. But Yuko is weak and tiny due to being sick and living in poverty, and Momo, seeing how pitiful she is, would much rather be friends with her, though decides to train her anyway.

This show is mainly a comedy, and comedy can be very subjective. A lot of the show's humor comes from pointing out, lampshading, and poking fun at typical magical girl tropes, along with rapid-fire dialogue that never seems to slow down, bordering on parody. Normally I tend to like this sort of stuff, but MachiMazo really pours it on really thick. I watched this in Japanese first, and even with the subtitles, I found the dialogue to be really hard to follow. All the characters speak really fast save for some, and it felt to me like the actors were struggling to get their lines out as quick as possible rather than talking naturally. Many of the same jokes are constantly reused over and over. Hey, Yuuko is so weak she can't punch anyone hard enough! Hey, Momo is a stoic magical girl who's super strong and thinks Yuuko's weak attempts at villainy are cute! Hey, Yuuko's sister Ryoko idolizes her big sister so much she constantly misunderstands everything she does! Hey, Yuuko's demon outfit is skimpy and revealing!

It doesn't really help that the story meanders a lot, and often times, it felt like the show was struggling to give the characters something to do throughout each episode. A lot of it just consists of misunderstandings between Yuko and Momo, the two leads, or just them messing around and not doing anything to progress the plot. The characters don't really fare much better, as they're all either generic or are just made up of one gimmick and nothing else, with Shion and Mikan being the worst offenders, as the former is defined by her weirdness and obsession with the occult, and the latter is defined by the fact that she has a curse that causes bad things to happen when she gets anxious or flustered. That's it. The final two episodes try to rectify this and inject some genuine storytelling that does work, but unfortunately it doesn't do enough to save the show, as it comes so late that by the time the series ends, the audience really doesn't have much of a reason to care anymore. The show really should have tried harder to flesh out and develop the characters more.

For what it's worth though, the animation, while nothing noteworthy, is pretty crisp and sleek-looking, and the music is fairly good, too. But again, they're both nothing special. One thing about the animation did bug me, though: For some reason, the tops of all the characters' hair are a different color than their usual hair color. For example, Yuko's hair is brown, but the top of it has purple shading, and Momo's hair is pink, with the top of it being yellow. Everyone else has this weird quirk too, and I don't know if this was deliberate, or part of the art style, or something else, but it really bugs me to no end. It really says something when I find myself liking shows like Sleepy Princess over this. Oh, and the series doesn't really end, as it sets up plot points that are not gonna go anywhere because the anime is just a commercial for the manga. In all honesty, I found this show kind of boring.

Not one of the better comedies or magical girl parodies out there. But if you want something sweet that'll make you laugh, knock yourself out with MachiMazo. It may not be for me, but I'm sure it's someone else's cup of tea.

"Ganbare Shamiko!"

It's safe to say that recently anime has become over saturated with isekai and other fairly predictable shows, so having a show like this is a breath of fresh air. While the slice of life genre of anime isn't one that stands out much, this is a show that everyone should give a try to. Easily being one of the funniest shows in a while and having such a cute plot, this show is a visual anti-depressant. The story revolves around Yuuko, who one day wakes up as a demon and sets out to improve the conditions of her family by defeating a magic ... girl, however, as it often does, life had other plans and our resident magic girl (Momo) ends up saving our new found demon-girl and start training her to awaken her powers.

What makes this show so entertaining is the banter between these two. Instead of the usual format, here you get a demon who's an optimist and a magic girl who's a depressed pessimist (think of something along the lines of Vignette and Gabriel from Gabriel Drop but funnier). There is never a dull moment between the two and even the most mischievous behavior between both of them is always out of love. Anime always makes a big point about how "special" friendship is but actual interactions always seem forced or too cute and fake, but these two without a doubt show that they have each other's back without any hesitation. Adding to the warm and fuzzy feeling of the show is the artwork which in an of itself is beautiful, even the op and ed fit the show perfectly. Not every show needs to be deep and meaningful, even in real life some of the most beautiful moments we'll live are just day to day things and this show is like that. It was definitely one of the highlights of the 2019 summer season.

An outstanding moe anime.
I would have never expect that Machikado Mazoku is such a jewel before I started watching it.
It does not only have one of the cutest character relationships and even one of my favorite character relationships in general, it even has an interesting story, good character development and especially one character with a depth you would never expect from a moe anime (not that I don't like moe anime, I love them, but it was unexpected good).

Yuko and Momo carry the show and I loved every moment of interaction between them. Even though it basic structure is to be lighthearted, but there are ... also serious moments which balances perfectly.

It even is comparable to Madoka Magica in some moments. I really can recommend you to watch it.

If Magical Girl anime like Madoka Magica are deconstructions of the genre, then Machikado Mazoku is a reconstruction. Rather than focus on a naïve, optimistic child becoming a Magical Girl and then breaking her down with the cruelties of life, this anime starts us off with a Magical Girl who has already been beaten down and put through hell, and then goes through the process of reteaching that girl how to find happiness and hope again, through a would-be rival demon girl no-less. And I think that is precious. From the one person who should regard her most as a natural ... enemy comes a heart that decides instead "no, this adorable pink-haired girl who's been through so much DESERVES to smile, and I'm going to make her."

Saw a Youtube comment by Chunk McBeefnob and thought it belonged here. I did not write the above. credit to Chunk McBeefnob.

Machikado Mazoku, an anime about some girl who turns out to be a demon lord, Because anime just didn’t have enough demon lords except she is kinda shit at it.

Machikado Mazoku follows Demon girl Shamiko who wakes up one day to learn she descends from some demon clan that was thrown into poverty by the light clan of Magical girls. If Shamiko wants to lift the curse from her family, she needs to defeat the town's magical girl. Shamiko is sweet but rather brash and she also has a very smooth brain.

And Magical Girl Momo, Shamiko’s rival turned friend. She's your classic ... kuudere, shy and reserved but also quite smart. She’s a cool character I would say.

Other characters include, Shamikos’ Mother Seiko, Her sister Ryoko, her ancestor Lilith and Mikan, another magical Girl.

Now as weird as this anime was, I actually like it. It’s incredibly stupid but was actually funny. The whole goofy aspect of it wasn't for me but some of the lines delivered were funny. Sometimes the randomness of things was funny and anime doesn’t normally make me laugh. Of course, It isn't full-on laughter, but it would make me smirk every now and then.

The animation is good for a show that’s a few years old although there aren’t any scenes where it shines enough to say that it’s “amazing”. There aren’t any huge fast-paced fights or anything like that.

That being said here are all the complaints I have to say about the show:



The opening didn’t have a great song, it wasn’t bad but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it. The only reason I didn’t skip it was because the visuals were decent.

I think there's a narrator or something but he does a pretty bad job if I’m honest. He would either say something that didn’t explain anything to the point where he was literally talking to himself or he would say something obvious that I thought wouldn’t be missed by anyone. Sometimes he tried to give the most useless piece of advice and I wanted him to shut up.

Why is the English name “The Demon Girl Next Door”? There was no main character who lived next door to her… Who lives next door to her then?!?!

Shamiko often introduces concepts to the audience we’re already well aware of and While I think “Show don’t tell” Is the worst piece of advice ever created, it’s very relevant in Machikado Mazoku.

There is so much talking over the top of other people talking that sometimes the subtitles took up half the screen and were impossible to keep up with which was really annoying. They also speak too fast and so you constantly have to pause the screen to read all of the subtitles.

After a few episodes, I realised this would be the kind of show where nothing happens and I was right. This was probably the biggest issue I had with Machikada Mazoku. Like I could say anything about this anime and It wouldn’t be a spoiler because it just doesn’t matter.

Overall, Mahikado Mazoku is a wholesome, smart and funny anime but not something I would recommend for people to watch. It’s not really a plot you get invested in and watching it is a grind. It’s definitely not on the list of anime that all weebs need to watch, It’s a waste of your time and not really worth it for the grind. I’m not saying it’s a bad show, it’s just not really a good show either.

Machikado Mazoku was an Anime I enjoyed way too much.
Compared to JK no Mudazukai this season, the comedy is definitely not as good. But it was still very enjoyable. The characters are so well done, even if they don't show any development except for the main characters.

This show basically revolves around the bond of Yuko and Momo while every other character is nothing but a sidecharacter without any spotlight. Mikan would be the only exception here but she too is not that an important character and feels more like support for the story.

The story however, is not paced that well. It's kind off all over ... the place since it starts with a story beginning and then switches between story and ''filler'' all the time throughout the show. So much that it's hard to actually recognize what really is 'story' here.
The enjoyment part doesn't suffer on that tho. Despite the mediocre pacing, the parts are really fun to watch, Shaimko alone is so hilarious.
Without Shamiko this show would be worse ngl. Shamiko is the core in this whole show and keeps it alive with comedy and waifu material, while the other characters add in more to the comedy. Momo brings in the drama, especially at the end where the show gets a bit more serious, but still keeps up the usual silly jokes etc

So this show doesn't have that much going for it, except the Comedy that may or may not suit your tastes and Shamiko, where I can't imagine how you could not like her.
In my case, I enjoyed it. But nothing more. It was not a series where I could think about future plot or interpret too much into something, since it just never came to it.
Solely for the purpose of amusement, it's a good Anime. 8/10 from me

This was my experience watching this anime.

The episode would start, something would happen that made me laugh my ass off, get up to rewind it, laugh a couple more times, keep watching the episode, repeat.

Not a single other anime has made me laugh and enjoy it as much as this one.

Story: 8
This show isn't just mindless interactions between a weak demon-girl and the powerful magical girl. There is actually plot progression moving along by episode and the relationship between characters become stronger as the show goes on.

Art: 7
The art and animation itself isn't the greatest, but this is not a show that required it. It ... worked well enough that it made me laugh a lot. Off the top of my head, the part I replayed the most was Momo's drink-shaking sequence.

Sound: 10
The voice acting for this show was incredible. The sound effects for motions and occurrences added a lot to the show as well.

Character: 10
The voice acting really helped the characters come to life, however the characters themselves were written incredibly well. There is a reason for every characters quirks and nuances.

Enjoyment: 10
Again, probably the show I've enjoyed the most all-time

Overall: 9
Despite it being the most I've ever laughed, it does not reach a 10/10. At the end of the day, there is no imposing message that I can take away from the show. It is just a comedy anime; but it does a very, very good job at it. I very much look forward to a second season if it ever happens and for a re-watch of the show if it doesn't

This series is one of those shows every season that will take you by surprise. Similar to Endro and Kyuuketsuki-san, this little bundle of positivity just exudes wholesomeness on a whole new level. Forget the bland and cliche settings, the not-so-detailed art and music, or even the somewhat directionless plot. Machikado Mazoku is one of those stories where you can just forget everything, forget being reasonable for a moment and just be there and appreciate what's in front of you.

This show has already claimed a position on the list of series that I would not forget.

Storywise, this is just a series of random pseudo-CGDCT. ... Nothing notable to mention except for the lack of hostility between supposed-to-be hostile to each other MCs.

The art itself is plain and simple, bunch of colors here and there, a bit of lackluster but what I like about it is the consistency.

Sound's a bit of okay, I suppose. Typical sound you'll hear on a magical girl show without the angst of course.

For the characters. I should say that the chemistry between both MC is quite enjoyable. I like how demon girl-san tries her best to "antagonize" magical girl-chan but ends up with this cute exchanging of words that usually end up with"Don't think this means you've won!" from demon girl MC.

I truly enjoyed this show. It ended today so I thought I should write a review to express my gratitude to the whole cast of this show. Not hoping for a season 2 or anything but it would be great.