Maou-sama, Retry! Episode 1 Review: Demon Lord's Descent

The first episode of Maou-sama, Retry! is here. It is an isekai series, full of adventure, fantasy, and drama. My first impression is positive, considering the fact that it’s the first full length anime of Studio Ekachi Epilka. So, I’m looking forward to see how the story continues!

But, first things first. Let’s take a look and see how it all began!

Plot

The story started pretty straightforward: Kunai, who seems to be the main character, somehow got trapped in the virtual world of his video game. There, he meets a cute but tortured young girl, Aku. They decide to stick together throughout their journey, while he tries to stop being the Demon Lord and return to his world, and Aku struggles to survive as an exile.

I have to admit that I would have preferred a smoother beginning, where I would get the chance to learn more about Kunai as a person and more about the video game. I am not complaining, though. The first episode was quite explanatory and it left me with few questions. The plot seems interesting and I’m always in for adventures, explorations, and conspiracies.

Episode Highlights

Overpowered: The main character seems way too overpowered. Yet, I don’t mind, since it seems that he uses his crazy abilities only when he has to. I quite enjoyed the village scene, where those jerks took what they deserved. In general, I find the main hero sympathetic and I expect him to have depth and an original backstory too.

Age gap: Do you think I didn’t see the blush in Aku’s cheeks? Cause I did. Do you also think that I didn’t see her share a bed with Demon Lord? Cause I also did. For the love of God! She is a kid -or at least she looks like one. If there is a romantic relationship between those two, I will be shocked!

Themes & Trivia

Production: The series is directed by Hiroshi Kimura, while Ouka Tanisaki is handling the composition and Chiyo Nakayama is designing the characters. Kaori Ishihara is performing the series’ opening theme song ‘Tempest’, while Haruka Tōjō is performing the series’ ending theme song ‘New’. Some quite popular voice actors, such as Kenjiro Tsuda (Fairy Tail, Tokyo Ghoul, Attack On Titan) and Rina Sato (Sailor Moon, Bleach) are members of the team. I sense that we have a lot to wait from this studio, since, as I said, this is its first full length anime and I applause it. Plus, I’ve seen way worse anime by famous studios. Cheers to this first attempt!

Edo Period: While Aku is taking her bath, Kunai mentions the Edo period (1603-1868) when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country’s 300 regional daimyō. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies, a stable population, ‘no more wars’, and popular enjoyment of arts and culture. The shogunate was officially established in Edo on 24 March 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration on 3 May 1868, after the fall of Edo.

Comments

So far, we got a nice and decent start. It was an introductory episode, which gave us the opportunity to get to know the two main characters and get a general idea about the whole setting. I can say that Aku and Kunai seem to have a great chemistry and I am looking forward to learn more about their world. I like the idea of the main character been trapped in a video game world. Isekai anime are becoming excessively popular, but that’s ok with me since I like this genre. Back to the point, it seems to have a good plot and I hope it stays that way. I would appreciate some improvements in the design and the sound, though I’m not complaining yet.

‘Don’t let other people determine the worth of you…’

I am satisfied with this very first episode! What did you think about Maō-sama, Retry!’s beginning? The anime is going to be part of our weekly anime previews!