Do you love power fantasy stories, with the lore of the actual MC not being a fuccboi and doesn't take a shit or 2 about others taking his place, all while being massively OP? Well then, like Mahouka's Tatsuya, Misfit's Anos Voldigoad will wreck you with his full-on "lay dormant for 2000 years" rightful Demon King powers so cold he'll knock you senseless to death, and then revive just to satisfy his desires of meting out rightful punishments to crush the morals of his enemies, NOW THAT'S SATISIFYING.
So the story goes like this:
The usual demons vs. humans battle of wars and strife enraging for 2000 years, the TRUE Demon King Anos Voldigoad facing off against the typical Hero Kanon, in an unfathomable (but understandable) action of sacrifice to ensure the future peace between hybrid demons and ordinary humans (reincarnations of heroes, if you will). Fast forward 2000 years of another reincarnation, Anos finds that all is not what it seems: the codependency future of hybrid demons and humans living together, has taken for the worse with the typical class system that divides between royalty and commoners, not to mention that magic itself has weakened overtime, AND A FAKE Demon King shaping the post-history that completely wipes out his legacy of existence.
In the seemingly new timeline of things, Anos must make right of A LOT of issues, starting with his enrollment into the Demon King Academy and make-do the class system of royal and lower-class hybrid demons, not forgetting the Hero side as well in a now 2,000 + 2,000 = 4,000 year-old never-ending implication and consequences of "living lives for vengeance to revenge" and the lore to "put an end to something", ALL WHILE BEING A "magic-illegible failure" of a MISFIT.
Onto the characters:
OP MC Anos Voldigoad is one strong-willed, bad-ass man, and try to play funk with him, and you'll be severely awaiting death in the most insane of magnitudes. A strong-willed guy whose growth ascends fast from being a 1-month old infant, he is someone who walks the talk and honours his word from the moment of request, and honestly a hot figure to look out for. He is in every sense of the word: A CONFIDENCE MAN. No matter if he's looked down upon by everyone from the start, all he needs to do is prove through his magic of the sheer terror to shut his silencers up. Unlike the serious Takuya, Anos at least isn't serious the entire time, and knows how to crack a joke or 2 as ways to allay or make fear in the most unpredictable or comforting environments.
Oh, and how can I forget Anos' mother? She is easily the best supporting mum after Tohru's deceased mom (from Fruits Basket), legibly supporting their only child (with Dad) whose lives have been blessed since his birth, and what a close-knitted family who does not shake at Anos developing a harem and just plainly cooking dinner for more invited people. What a mother figure.
Of course, what's a ridiculously OP MC without some women on the side?
From the descendance of one of the Seven Elder Demon Emperors, Ivis, comes twin sisters: the Dandere Misha and the Himedere-cum-Tsundere "Witch of Destruction" Sasha, both of demon descent. The former likes to do things quietly, while the latter is a brash "princess"-like girl who wants the people to know how superior she is. The true purpose of the Necron sisters is to fuse into a single, powerful demon when they reach 15 years old, that somehow under Ivis' direction to split Sasha's fetus into 2. Until then, the Hime-sama character will always continually shred Misha of her existence and not acknowledge her for life, that is until their 15th birthday where Sasha's true intentions are not to kill her, but to save her from calamity, from an alternate version of Anos's Demon King-like character called Avos Dilhevia. Personally, Misha is the sweetest of the 2, but give Sasha a break of time, and she'll reveal her tsundere side to Anos's appeal (but of course he'd reject out of friendship rightaway).
The challenged Royalty of a Demon-turned-ally, Lay Glanzudlii (or for better words, the manga adaptation of the LN-named Ray Grandsley). Like the other Royalty demons, he was once the opposing faction with the others, and taking up Anos's challenge to defy the odds of a commoner-turned-Royalty privilege, all while being at the behest control of the Royalty over his family (or rather, his mum's severe condition). Of course, we'd expect Anos to save the day as usual and convert him into a useful ally. Along with Misa Ilioroagu, another classmate who's a Unitarian, not only does she acknowledge Anos as the TRUE Demon King, she is fighting to deride the class system as well with her full force, but clearly needing some help with. The loveline for both is quite small, but eventually the ship gets going (but I'd wish it'd be real).
And speaking of Unitarian, The Unitarian Club, or more famously known as the AFC: Anos Fan Club. The entire group of bishounen-ish fetish girls for Anos. whom like Misa, also supports Anos as his rightful place of being the Demon King, and their support for the OP MC has been in every sense of the way, dangerously beautiful. I really like this twist of things that bring a fresh air into the power fantasy genre, adding the idol-like songs which emit a pinch of inspiration, not to mention the praises of the ONE AND ONLY TRUE Lord of their lives.
Overall, the character cast of which I've had immense terror and fun of watching for the past 13 episodes, and my excitement can only go the way up, not the way down.
Silver Link has been on a winning streak for 2020 so far for Spring's BOFURI and Summer's Otome Game, both series earning a Season 2 after the end of their TV broadcasts, and to be honesty, it'd be sad if this series didn't follow the past adaptations streak of getting a sequel. Regardless, it's rare for shows to have 3 directors, 3! Assistant director Minato Mirai (of BOFURI), Director Masafumi Tamura (of Kenja no Mago), and chief studio director Shin Oonuma, but to me it seems like Tamura-san had some involvement, and Oonuma-san being a direct influence in order to NOT turn this show into yet another Kenja no Mago. To that extent, I sincerely thank you Shin Oonuma for making the right decisions to make this show VERY enjoyable. The art style and animation can be said as a fusion between BOFURI (in the action) and Otome Game (in the character designs), and it's quite overwhelming for Silver Link to really go ALL OUT to deliver one of their best action-fantasy shows ever, but it delivers on ALL FRONTS. Great heck of a job done well.
There might be nothing to sell on the sound department, but for what this show has to offer, it has also been pretty good. CIVILIAN's OP was the bog-standard fare of action, but how about adding Anos's VA Tatsuhisa Suzuki for a twist of fun? He did a remarkable job voicing Anos, yet to sing for the OP as well, what favor did the producers do to make him stand out even more. Tomori Kusunoki is back for another insane ED, and it's also another great song to add to the already impressive repertoire of an OST.
All I can say about this show is: WOW...JUST WOW. BOFURI and Otome Game has exceeded my expectations for their respective genres, and Maou Gakuin is definitely THE addition to Silver Link's most ambitious show productions in just 2020 alone. To the elitists I say: SHUT YOUR TRAP and see this show for what is worth. The world may be unkind to the minority, but it's all A-OK to follow your own opinions.
Just let the power fantasy rolls its flex.
