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An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride. The title pretty much says everything you need to know about this story. A sorcerer finds himself lovestruck at the sight of a beautiful elf slave "Nephy" and decides to purchase her. The problem is he doesn't know the first thing about love. I decided to watch this since I'm already past 60 chapters of the manga adaptation. What initially attracted me to it was how well the characters were drawn. Such smooth drawings and cutsey chibi designs for all the tender and comical moments. The anime copies this animation style almost perfectly. While many will be attracted by the Isekai-like title (it isn't one) or the fantasy cover of a cool spellcaster and a beautifully mysterious elf, those who stay will likely do so for the shoujo lovey-dovey feels. That's not to say there isn't any confrontation to speak of. As an Archdemon, our protagonist Zangan will have to deal with several interruptions to his attempts at getting to know Nephy better. There is a bit of drama here and there, so it's not all rainbows and butterflies. But in regards to battles, they tend to get resolved relatively quick. They aren't half assed CG effects, but they aren't what sold it for me either.
I don't like giving mixed feeling reviews, especially for stuff I genuinely like. But for the sake of others, I must warn you that the progression will feel painfully slow unless you absolutely love the characters (which I do!). If I had to give a comparison, it would be something like Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu or the more recent Love After World Domination, but with the comedy turned down a few notches. I don't even remember the story all that well, and yet the main couple, Haruka in particular, was absolutely adorable! And Nephy gives me that same feeling. Seeing an awkward couple try and figure out their feeling for one another is the biggest selling point here. Anyone looking for epic battles and power fantasies should probably look elsewhere.
