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Plot Synopsis

Yuri Shibuya was living a pretty normal life. That changed the day he was dunked into a toilet after an attempt to save a classmate from a gang of bullies. Instead of just getting a good soaking, he's pulled in. The next thing he knows, he's in a world that vaguely resembles medieval Europe. If that's not odd enough, he's told that he is to be the next Maoh, just because he has black hair and black eyes. The Maoh is the King of the Mazoku, who are coexisting not-so-peacefully with the humans in this world. Much to his subject's dismay, he's totally different from the rulers they're accustomed to. He's kind, considerate, a believer in justice, and not willing to use violence to solve conflicts. Not exactly someone they want running a country on the very brink of war. Now, Yuri has to deal with trying to become a good Maoh, while at the same time attempting to adapt to this land's customs and culture, all in a world where the tension between the humans and Mazoku is reaching its peak.

Story & Characters

"Kyou Kara Maou" roughly translates to "From Now On You're the Demon Lord" and details the adventures of a high schooler named Shibuya Yuuri, who would love nothing better than to play in the Japanese major leagues. His plans are sharply derailed when he encounters some bullies one day after school, and (being the wimp he is) gets dunked into a toilet. Unfortunately, the whirlpool keeps spiraling on downwards… and Yuuri lands in another world.
You know, stories where characters get transported to other dimensions/worlds/universes and become pivotal characters in that new world are a dime a dozen (Fushigi Yuugi, 12 Kingdoms, El Hazard, and Escaflowne are just a few that come to mind.) Instead of trying to reinvent the genre, Kyou Kara Maou decides to make fun of it instead. After an encounter with the locals (which Yuuri cannot understand since he doesn't know the local language) and a dramatic rescue (by a bat-winged skeleton), he is told (after some magic confers the ability to speak the local lingo) he is the Demon Lord, King of the Mazoku, and they know this because of his black hair and black eyes (to which Yuuri protests that ANY Japanese person would fit the bill.)
As such, he's whisked off to the capital of the Mazoku kingdom and dumped straight into a set of politics (the humans fear and wish to destroy the Mazoku, although the Mazoku really don't care unless the humans encroach on their territories), intrigue (what happened to the previous Maou? Why did she retire and decide to spend the rest of her life on a pleasure cruise? More importantly, why do certain situations cause the true Demon Lord to appear and give Yuuri incredibly strong magical powers?) and even love (sort of… one of his advisors has a hopeless crush on him, and he ends up accidentally getting engaged to one of the palace soldiers.) As a note, Kyou Kara Maou is heavily laced with shounen-ai (male-male) relationships, yet it manages to make a mockery of that, too. Wolfram, Yuuri's erstatz fiancée, turns from angry soldier to a jealous hanger-on at a speed that's just absurd, and Gunter (Yuuri's advisor) has a crush that everyone else seems to make fun of. In this alternative dimension, everyone is perfectly fine with male-male relationships, yet human-Mazoku relationships are so taboo that individuals found in such a compromising spot are severely punished.
The story isn't very original, and a lot of the characters are strongly reminiscent of characters from other series, but it doesn't try very hard to be a groundbreaker either. Instead, it revels in humor and parodies (such as the story arc involving the magical sword, Morgif, which is more of a pain to have around than a boon), with just enough seriousness to make you laugh when it all falls apart again.

Rating

6 (average)

Art

The art is nothing special. This is a low-to-mid-budget series, and it shows. The colors are pretty bright and saturated for the most part, being a light-hearted show, but the character designs look like they've been ripped out of half-a-dozen other series (especially the Angelique franchise.) However, as this is a series aimed at the gals, there's plenty of bishounen, even if they're not superbly animated much of the time. There's very little noticeable CG, and there is a bit of reliance on speed lines and other animation budget-savers. At times the art design gets a bit absurd, especially with the bizarre creatures that inhabit the alternate world (like sand-bears with panda coloration, or the giant bears with bee bodies and wings). Still, the art has been consistent so far, unlike some series which start off fantastically but go downhill after episode 10.

Rating

5 (moderate)

Sound

The sound is similarly not too special. The opening is a feel-good rockish song and the ending is a rather absurd, silly song by the same group. The background music doesn't stand out at all, and in fact I can't remember a single tune from there. It's not overpowering music as in some series, but it's easily forgettable.
However, the voices are one of the better qualities of the series. Despite the fact that most of the production seems fairly low-budget, they have pulled in some pretty popular voice actors. Takahiro Sakurai plays Yuuri (also plays Haruka from Tactics, Sasame from Pretear) and does a good job in separating his “Yuuri” voice (spunky, light-hearted and a bit whiny) from his Demon Lord voice (deep, serious, and sexy). Mitsugi Saiga (also plays Junior from RoD the TV, Tsukasa from .hack//sign) plays Wolfram, and is good whether playing the serious soldier or the jealous lover. Akio Otsuka plays Gwendal (also Batou from Ghost in the Shell) and has no problem pulling off the serious, dedicated soldier, while Toshiyuki Morikawa's Conrad (also plays Sora from .hack//sign, Alex from Last Exile) manages to inject a more light hearted nature into his soldier character. That's just a sampling of the great cast they managed to get involved (and how they got ALL of them involved is still a mystery to me) but certainly makes the show much more enjoyable than I had originally expected.

Rating

7 (above average)

Presentation

Kyou Kara Maou is a comedy. It's nothing special, and the subject matter may turn off a lot of viewers. In fact, I consider it one of my guilty pleasures. It's a bit of a train-wreck of a series, yet I keep watching it, because it always makes me laugh (even if it's because the show is so absurd I can't believe they'd do something like that.) Someone, despite all the craziness, I found I really do want to know what happens to all these characters, although I'm worried it won't resolve anything in the end like so many other train-wreck shows. It's a fun way to pass a half-hour, a good study break to lighten up the mood and to think, “How did they ever get this idea past marketing?” Although a lot of the jokes have gotten a bit old (especially Wolfram's jealous lover bit) it still manages to make me laugh, and in the end, that's the only reason I need to continue to watch this. A show like this appeals best to its niche audience, and it will be interesting to see how ADV handles the release. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who'd like to see a silly and absurd take on the “transportation to another realm” genre of anime, and who doesn't mind shounen-ai relationships. It's a hoot, if you can get past all the initial bizarreness.

Rating

6 (average)

Final Verdict

6.00 (average)

Reviewed by Tama-Neko, 3y 40wk ago