Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid (The Duke of Death and His Maid)

As the elegant, frail flower petals wither away into lifeless ashes, the young duke is tragically reminded of the despicable power forced upon him—the ability to kill anything he touches. Scorned by his family, he is sent away to live in near isolation. Fortunately, he is not entirely alone, as the manor's staff—his dutiful butler Rob and the flirtatious maid Alice—keep him company and make his life less miserable.

As the duke's romantic feelings for Alice grow, so does his continued frustration for the limits set by his unfortunate ability. Therefore, he resolves to break the curse cast upon him all those years ago, not only for his sake, but Alice's as well—for he is painfully aware of how difficult it is to avoid the touch of a loved one.

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Adaptation:	Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid
Sequel:	Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid 2nd Season

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Lendrott, Alice

Main

Mano, Ayumi
Japanese

Bocchan

Main

Hanae, Natsuki
Japanese

Caph

Supporting

Kuramochi, Wakana
Japanese

Zain

Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi
Japanese

Rob

Supporting

Ootsuka, Houchuu
Japanese

Viola

Supporting

Minase, Inori
Japanese

Daleth

Supporting

Hikasa, Youko
Japanese

Walter

Supporting

Uchida, Yuuma
Japanese

Lendrott, Sharon

Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko
Japanese

Gerbera

Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka
Japanese

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Staff

Oowada, Tomoyuki

Producer

Umemoto, Tooru

Producer

Kondou, Shuuhou

Producer

Yamakawa, Yoshiki

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

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Opening Theme

"Mangetsu to Silhouette no Yoru (満月とシルエットの夜)" by Bocchan (Natsuki Hanae) & Alice (Ayumi Mano)

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Ending Theme

"Nocturne (夜想曲（ノクターン）)" by Alice (Ayumi Mano)

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Sep 19, 2021

Stark700

Recommended

Imagine living with a beautiful maid everyday who serves you, pleases you, and wants to be with you at all times. The only problem? You can't touch her. It almost sounds appaling but that is the fate of Bocchan, a noble man who suffers a curse where he kills anything he touches.

When I heard news of the manga getting the anime adaptation, it wasn't a bit surprising. It's one of the most popular manga from Sunday Webry and contains a premise that is suitable for a fantasy rom-com. With the manga running over 190 chapters, it also seems clear the anime doesn't have enough ... time to cover everything. Yet here we are, with a 12-episode adaptation. Created by Koharu Ikami, it is their only work yet shows that the author wanted us to experience the life of a noble and his maid.

Watching The Duke of Death and His Maid is about as simple as it sounds. At its core, it's about the relationship of the duke (Bocchan) and his maid, Alice. As a timid man lacking social experience, Bocchan has difficulty making friends or expressing his thoughts around others. This becomes a troubling experience and running gag throughout the show. Why? That's because his maid Alice just absolutely loves to tease him at every single chance she gets. With her lascivious body and flirtious personality, Alice tests the limits of his curse. In various episodes, she often gets Bocchan to the point where he ends up being speechless. While most of these scenes are lighthearted and humorous, we have to remember that this is also a punishment for him. Remember, Bocchan can't touch Alice or anyone due to his curse. And it's a traversty.

As we learn to understand more of Bocchan and Alice's relationship, we also meet others such as Rob, Viola, Walter, Zain, and Caph. These characters are intergrated into the show as a way to show the aristocratic lives of the cast. Most of them are protrayed in a Victorian way that adheres to the show's common themes. Characters such as Rob and Walter represents the gentleman stereotype. Others such as Viola and Caph has a more self assertive personality who speaks their thoughts confidentally around others. But perhaps distinguishable character is Zain. He has the head of a bird with a playful personality, who can easily get around others. It's an unorthodox addition to the cast who perhaps represent freedom. He always behaves with an open mind and freely expresses himself around others. From the show's viewpoint, you'll soon realize these characters exist there to be themselves and their roles. They're not there to further the duke and his maid's relationship. To me, that's an example of creative writing in establishing characters in their own unique roles. Unfortunately, this season didn't prepare enough to fully develop them. Let's face it, the anime is only 12 episodes and 190+ chapters is far more than a 1-cour show can handle.

But the more I watched this anime, the more I realized why this show is a fantasy rom-com. It aims to flesh out Bocchan and Alice's relationship as much as possible without them becoming an official couple. Of course, this has a valid reason because of the curse. However, Alice's personalty goes deeper than just what we see. She truly cares about Bocchan beyond her flirtious facade and through some flashbacks, we can see that she was a vulnerable young girl. What's also fascinating about Alice is her lack of fear despite knowing Bocchan's curse. This is due to her immense trust in him. In fact, their relationship is built on trust from the very start. She never fears to be near Bocchan and always puts on a happy smile. If anything, she is perhaps Bocchan's savior and his personal hero.

Admittedly, I did approach this show with a sense of trepidation. That's because the promotional material contained CGI quality material. And for a rom-com like this, that hardly qualifies as encouraging news. Luckily I believe the CGI ultimately doesn't deteriorate the quality of the anime although I do wish J.C. Staff took a more traditional approach at animating the show. On the other hand, Alice is decorated with an alluring figure. Dressed as a maid in goth-like clothing, she has lavish blonde hair and crystal blue eyes representing her beauty. It's no wonder why Bocchan gets so nervous when she comes near him.

It's a not uncommon trend for a maid and her master to fall in love in fiction stories. From this story, we witness the unorthodox relationship of Bocchan and Alice. It's easy to accept their relationship but hard to understand it completely. That's where the anime needs improvement and it became obvious the length of the show isn't enough. Still, I do recommend The Duke of Death and His Maid, especially if you're a fan of rom-coms. This is a show that just loves to be what it is.

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Sep 19, 2021

Garbagepickles

Recommended

This show, though it appears to be tragic, at its heart it is just another romcom(that will make us smile and feel good for the rest of the day) with a nice premise. I'm saying this, because I'm sure some of you came to this show after hearing it's premise, and though it was gonna be a tragic show with complex characters.

(APPROACHING SPOILERS)

So, I'm gonna make this short, this anime is really good. The premise is very interesting; so close, yet so far. Tragic, yet wholesome, and I think it would make an interesting story. And they absolutely nailed it.

Let's get the small ... stuff out of the way, like everyone says the cgi, is very icky and emotionless, but its not that bad, it doesn't drag down the other elements and tbh I'm ok with watching this cgi (because the story is beautiful). Music, very fitting for the theme and setting, and the op SLAPS.

Ok, so the characters. Let's talk Bocchan, his character is pretty interesting, a curse that was put on him, which made his life miserable, that would make interesting interactions and room for growth. And they did it, his growth wasn't really shown in the first few episodes, only implied, but in the later episodes they fixed the problem. In the flashback he grows, he finds resolve to live and actually looks forward to his future. He also shows growth, in the part when he asked Zain to destroy the journal, that's him putting his friends, which he didn't want before, over his own goals. And the part where he stands up and defends his love for Alice, not caring about status or pissing of his mom. So basically, the main reason he changed, is because of Alice.

Speaking of Alice... Ok some may say she's bland and emotionless and only being a tease to make Bocchan happy, but in the later episodes she starts to show her true emotions, which was great to see. Speaking of being bland and emotionless, isn't that the image of maids, she needs to not show her true emotions, but that cold image is warmed by Bocchan throughout the series.

Next, is Rob, nothing much to say, which may seem bad, but imo I like it that way. He keeps this image of a cool old guy, with wisdom and skills, but that's not the extent of his character. In the Rob backstory-ish segment, it's shown that he really is a wonderful servant, that focuses on his duty. And the part where he hires Alice, it really shows his resolve to make Bocchan's life better. Then there's Cuff and Zain, both have complementing, personalities. Cuff being the clumsy, short-tempered, aho girl and Zain being the composed, carefree, perverted dude. But though out the series, they break out of character for each other, Cuff wanting to be responsible, and Zain, being very overprotective and willing to sacrifice his friends for Cuff.

Then there's Viola, who serves as Alice's friend and a perspective in the main house. Her liking Rob was really fun to watch and her giving and failing to use her advice was hilarious. As the show progressed, it is stated that she wants praise and to be herself, this gave the idea that Bocchan's life is a happy one, compared to his siblings. Speaking of that idea, the one that is openly implied is for Walter, he lives in Bocchan's shadow and is just the "spare", the ironic thing, is Bocchan's main priority isn't to become king. Anyway, his growth is shown as he meets his brother and agrees to help him, this may seem like it's to take the achievement of lifting the curse, but I think it's because he genuinely wants to see his brother happy, after seeing him. Last, is their mom, well she is a scary power figure, and it is shown that she is absolutely ruthless. However, in is implied that she actually cares for her son, and in the last episode, she is happy to see her son stand up for himself. I really think that was a powerful moment.

So, the story, I won't say much. The first act, gives exposition and embodies the spirit of Takagi-san, where the Alice teases Bocchan in a lot of situations and that gives us the feel of the show, classic romcom wholesomeness. The end of the first act also, gives us a possible solution to the curse. The second act, shows backstories and the growth of most characters, it shows that Alice is actually in love with Bocchan and not just being a good maid. They face challenges, and moments where they want/need to embrace, but can't.

So overall, this anime is fantastic for a romcom enjoyer like me, it has it's flaws, but I'm very satisfied with this show. Can't wait for next season!

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Sep 19, 2021

KANLen09

Recommended

Me: "Oh hello, busty Takagi-san. Is that you trying to entice the love of your life, if in an alternate world where Nishikata was cursed and he cannot touch you?"
Takagi: "Nope, my dear male MC Nishikata is trying to be Code:Realize's MC Cardia Beckford, a lady whom can decay anything at the slightest touch. He's trying his very best to break out of his curse, just like Cardia. And thank god that he's not in a harem."
Nishikata: "Yes, I'm cursed, so busty Takagi can only do her teasing through sexually harassing me to the best of her abilities and make that her usual running gag ... joke. So get those soft boobs outta my face please, for the love of God!"

In a typical relationship between a boy and a girl, there're many works that display the kind of teasing that is similar or akin to Souichirou Yamamoto's Karaki Jouzu no Takagi-san, arguably the most popular work of all if ever there was a credited influence from. A lot of mangakas whom thereafter created similar works like it don't really credit this back to Takagi-san because of the overt similarities that it shares, while making theirs stand out in a special way (see Uzaki-chan and Nagatoro-san). And now there's one more to add to the mix: newbie mangaka Koharu Ikami's Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid a.k.a The Duke of Death and his Black Maid. A fun fact that these 3 works were released around the same time in 2017, just a month separate from each other, with Shinigami Bocchan in October, Nagatoro in November, and Uzaki in December (yet the anime adaptation airing is in the reverse order, fate much?).

I need not mention the story (or rather, its plot) itself because it's just that: the Duke of Death Bocchan getting cursed by a witch, which makes everything he touches decay, and moving into this mansion where that is the limit of his extensive reach, being shunned by friends and family alike. Thankfully though, he's not alone, with the maid Alice and butler Rob, and the sole goal of Bocchan is to find a way to get rid of the curse and be a normal boy again through all means, even engaging with the supernatural. Sounds simple, but it works really well. The story expands over time and makes your time well worth spent, because as much as the Duke Bocchan wants it done and dealt with, that also gives way for his black maid Alice to poke her fun towards him, because they're in a relationship right off the bat. The dialogue sometimes can be a little dis-interesting and forced when compared to Takagi-san as one-trick ponies, but as a sole work, I'd say that it checks all the boxes if you're willing to relax on a rom-com like this.

The comical part is when the material dives in on the sense of contact a.k.a touch, because Bocchan literally CANNOT touch anything, not even his sexually alluring maid Alice, even if he wants to. It sounds kinda dumb when a curse is what literally holds you back from doing everything but anything that concerns your hands, but it's a miserable life indeed for Bocchan. To make matters worse (or better), it presents itself in a black gothic, Transylvania feel that complements the setting, so it services as the gateway between Bocchan, Alice, Rob and the other characters in their midst. Concerning the other beings, there's the red-haired witch Caph (because why the hell would you mistranslate that as Cuff) and bird wizard Zain, and just like Bocchan and Alice, they're in love with each other...but wiith a caveat: neither would sound out the confession. And try as the child-like Caph and the pervertic Zain would mingle amongst each other, their character dynamic adds to the dark tones of the duo's balance like yin and yang. In addition, Bocchan's family of their harsh mother Gerbera, youngest sister Viola (who has a thing for old men like Rob) and the younger brother Walter (which laments being 2nd, as if he's accursed by the number 2) makes the whole character complement work very nicely, I must say.

And then there comes the CGI part. Whenever 3DCG studios like Shirogumi or Sanzigen uses complete CGI to produce anime, it raises hairs for it being bad, but it's not really that bad, hell I'd say that we've come a long way from getting used to fully CG-produced anime like Orange's Beastars or Houseki no Kuni a.k.a. Land of the Lustrous (which is still the undisputed king of 3DCG anime done purposefully right). In hindsight of J.C.Staff, director Yoshiki Yamakawa directed High Score Girl, which is the first J.C.Staff show to ever be produced in full CGI that's aided by SMDE (Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment). Since that and Shinigami Bocchan are serialized under the Shogakukan banner, it makes sense why Hi Score Girl (though not originally planned to be one) and this show would be fully animated in CGI, and it's quite the look. And this will be a hot take, but it's a subtle improvement over Hi Score Girl in the CG sense that I'm quite accustomed to now.

There are also some nice things in the music department. VA Hanae Natsuki is a mainstay giving that child-like tone to Bocchan, but this is VA Ayumi Mano's first lengthy break playing the main character after doing support roles, and her voice suits Alice's teasing demeanor of a charm. Also, the OP is kinda of a sweet touch where it gets interactive between both characters with that playful-ish feeling of singing, teasing and having just a good time together, honestly, it's a nice song all wrapped up together to serve that light-hearted ambience together with the ED, which is presented in a ghost-like solemn manner to complement the song.

All in all, as someone whom reads and watches way too much AniManga that uses the now famous teasing trope to entice and keep the relationship going, I can say that I leave this show being pleasantly surprised. Sure, it isn't quite as polished as Takagi-san is when it comes to the rom-com rhetoric, but as a standalone material, it is one fun ride that I can recommend if you're searching for more shows that aren't so much Takagi-san lookalikes for changes in settings, but you get my drift.

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Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid

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Lendrott, Alice

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Caph

Zain

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Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid

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