Above all, a show has to be entertaining. If it can’t keep an audience engaged in one form or another, it’s failed. That’s where I think this show really shines. Every episode felt meaningful, with a good amount of actual progression. Whether a year or a month goes by in a single episode doesn’t matter; it’s what occurs that does, and I feel that this show really feels jam-packed with content. Although at times the pacing is a bit disconcerting (I’m looking at you, 1 year jump when Hero’s out exploring), the rapid pace is a great way to keep the audience engaged. It’s great that they avoided the pitfall many of even my favourite animes have fallen into (~Ahem~ Code Geass ~Ahem~) of the meandering, pointless middle section. I feel obliged to mention a few downsides, though. It may be hard to follow, given how fast it goes. I enjoyed it, but it’s certainly not for anyone, and I know for a fact I really enjoy fast paced anime: something many of you may disagree with. Secondly, it is very erratic, lending to a general feeling of what I call “bumper cars”. The story will blast through a year, then slow down for a week, and then immediately feature another month-long time skip. It’s somewhat jarring, and imperfect in many ways.
The second way the show deliberately keeps me coming back for more, is by keeping its episodes self-contained stories. While several episodes end on cliffhangers, or midway through a story arc (not counting the stop the war story arc that permeates the entire story), most episodes are incredibly self-contained. This not only made it enjoyable to watch when it was airing, as this may be personal bias, but I’d have a satisfying ending over a cliffhanger for an episode any day.
The third, is the cast of characters. Admittedly, this isn’t its strongest point, but the cast is indeed entertaining, if shallow. The titular Demon King is your smart girl with a body pillow, the MC is a bland OP character, and everyone around is fairly one note. The development of the sisters (only the older sister, really), is engaging, but really nothing to write home about. However, it is clear that these characters are only there to reflect the ideologies, and values this anime tries to push. Let’s be real here, the characters weren’t great, however, it allowed the conversation that pushed this anime forward. It demonstrated human nature, human innovation (or demon innovation, I should say), and human bias. By creating these blank, type-set characters, this anime allows the ideas that it tries to communicate, to become timeless, as you could just as easily see this entire plotline play out in Westeros, as you can in Edo Japan. Maybe I’m justifying cliche characters here, and giving the writers too much credit, but I did enjoy the characters, uninspired though they were.
But honestly, when you boil it down to its routes, it’s an entertaining, unconventional tale of how two unlikely allies (and more, but the show WON’T SHOW US) end up using revolutionary means to change a world. The story isn’t too heavy, it’s fun, it’s funny in many places, and it was certainly a ride I want to take again, and again. It’s not for everyone, it has its issues with pacing and characters, but at the end of the day, the art is beautiful, the sounds and soundtrack deliver, and it’s an entertaining show I would definitely recommend.
Of course, many would disagree. Much of this review is simply my personal opinion, and how I enjoy my anime. I happen to enjoy OP main characters, fast pacing, and a fantasy world, and so my opinion about this show is no doubt higher than the average viewers’ opinion, but I have to say, that for all the flack this show gets, it was a hell of an entertaining ride, and contributes to another reason why I want to be able to read Japanese; ALL THE LIGHT NOVELSSSSSS.
