Machikado Mazoku fills a unique niche a never thought was possible, by somehow being a romcom despite not being a romcom. I mean, it ultimately depends on how you look at it, but that's how I see it. More on that in a second.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, here's a brief synopsis of last season: High-strung high schooler Yuko Yoshida one day wakes up to find out she's sprouted a demon tail and horns, learning that "oops, you're demonkin". Also there's apparently another student at her school who's a magical girl and thus her mortal enemy.
However, kuudere magical girl Momo Chiyoda isn't about the whole rivals thing and they instead become friends (sort of). In addition to the initial various hijinks associated with Yuko's newfound appearance and powers, the duo try to sort out their intertwined magical ancestries.
So first things first, Machikado has an actual plot with progression, which automatically elevates it above the vast majority of cutesy girl-centric animes similar to it.
Second, this series is what I'm personally referring to as "Yuri Bait". The two female leads are far too close to simply be just friends. They're somehow just close enough that you literally HAVE to ship them, but just far enough apart that you can convince yourself that they are just friends. Thus creating a weird limbo where it's a disgustingly adorable character dynamic despite not actually being romantic, dangling the Yuri in front of you like a tantalizing carrot on a stick. I don't know why but it's a perfect recipe for this kind of anime and keeping it 100% PG.
STORY - 7
As previously stated, Machikado has a half-decent plotline. It's by no stretch of the imagination going to win any awards, but it's more than enough to keep things interesting and entertaining. Definitely one of the highlights of the series.
ART - 6
Nothing special. Not particularly extravagant but does nail the magical girl shtick whenever it comes up.
SOUND - 5
The soundtrack this time around is pretty meh. The voice acting is good but towards the beginning of the series I found it a bit lacking.
CHARACTERS - 7
By themselves, the characters are fairly bland if not outright stock/stereotype. It's their dynamic that really sells it. Again, I've already ranted about this so I'm not going to repeat it. The main characters do develop, but the side characters not so much.
ENJOYMENT - 8
I'm enjoying it. Nothing but sugar, smiles and nosebleeds from me. Honestly, though, it doesn't take much to get me hyped about a series nowadays so take that with a grain of salt.
OVERALL - 7
As per usual, this series is not for everyone. It's fluffy and lighthearted, and certain viewers could be outright annoyed by the characters. I know at least one of my friends found Yuko to be whiny.
Nevertheless, Machikado remains a series you can both really get into or casually throw on in the background. And it might even cleanse your soul in the process. Or give you diabetes. Probably both.
Don't forget to join the Momo x Shamiko shippening while you're at it. IDK maybe you're not about that, but I'm fairly certain the vast majority of this series' fanbase would agree with me.
