Forum - View topic(The) Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army was a Human (TV).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11443 Location: Frisco, TX |
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(The) Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army was a Human (TV) Source: Light Novels (completed @ 5 volumes, written by Ryousuke Hata, illustrated by Kuma) Demographic: Seinen Animation Studio: Studio A-Cat Genres: action, adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy Themes: aristocracy, demi-humans, demons, isekai, medieval, reincarnation, sorcery Plot Summary: Ike is known as "the strongest magician in the demon king's army" and has single-handedly conquered fortresses. The way he mowed down enemies with his immense magic is truly a "monster" that makes him feared by both allies and foes alike. However, he had a secret that he could not tell other demons: " I'm actually human." He aims for coexistence between demons and humans while the leader of the demon's army hides that he is actually a human. Air Date & Platform: June 26, 2024 (Wednesday) Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: Pending Last edited by Tony K. on Thu Jun 27, 2024 6:18 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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JohnnySake
 Posts: 586 Location: Auburn Hills, MI |
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Not a bad introductory episode. I'll probably hang in there and keep watching for the foreseeable future.
However I did want to comment on the ending format of images streaming through a crystal ball. Recently I had watched Super Dimension Century Orguss, and that series also had ending credits which featured images scrolling through a crystal ball. What is old is new again. 
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Edjwald
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If it weren't for the relatively recent surge of anime like Chilling in my 30's and I'm Quitting Heroing and Helck that blur the lines between demons and humans and good guys and bad guys, or shows like Tsukimuchi Moonlit and Yada Yada Slime that build empires trying to form a bridge between humans and demi-humans, I'd give this show some bonus points for originality. Or at least, for calling back old shows like Maoyu: Archenemy and Hero, etc.
As it is, I didn't hate the show, but I pretty much gave up on this being a top tier anime when they brought in the low comedy value maid early on. I could feel braincells abandoning ship every time she overreacted. In fact, I'm making up a word for tropes that are supposed to be cutesy and adorable but are just dumb and annoying. Adhorrible. Adhorable? But I agree it wasn't a bad show. It's more like the show that I keep watching until more, better shows arrive on the same day, and then I find out if I'm enjoying it enough to keep watching or if inertia has set in. The balancing act where Ike tries to discretely build a small empire where humans and demons work together - at least, that seems to be where the show is going - could be sort of interesting if handled half-way skillfully. And from where I'm watching, handling it halfway skillfully is exactly what the anime is doing. Oh, and I'm editing to add something I liked since someone went to the trouble to write, draw, and produce this show, and I should be appreciative. The enigma of the lost civilization (ours maybe) and the demon lord's interest in it could have some promise. The witch commander was also watchable, and not just because she's bursting out of some kind of corset swimsuit. It's not entirely clear if she's a frenemy or semi-crazy or what, and that's fun. Sidenote: because of all the anime that have had people eating orcs that look like talking pigs, I found myself mentally screaming at the poor second in command. Run! Run! One stray arrow and they'll be treating you like bacon! |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2667 |
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That was indeed a solid first episode and that word applies to every aspect of it. The show looks solid enough, the premise is not unique at all but seems interesting enough to watch atleast a bit more of and the characters are neither bad enough to dislike or good enough to find interesting, again, solid.
The problem is that solid can turn to boredom pretty quickly. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2667 |
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Hmm, I am unsure if the second episode was an improvement or downgrade compared to the first one, I feel inclined to say the latter. The second episode added some things to the mix to expand the story such as the different kingdoms working together and the political intrigue that comes with that. We may also have an assassin on the loose that is not from the human side (seems to be the case given the hands shown).
On the other hand, the budget and with that the animation is pretty close to New Gate level, the harem bickering is just awkward/unnecessary and the writing plus pacing are less than great. Breaking into a prison just to ask the captured general if they send the assassin after you is a....unique choice. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1586 |
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I was actually thinking of New Gate while I watched this. I almost didn't watch the second episode of this anime, and if another good anime besides Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian pops up next Wednesday, I probably won't watch a third.
But once I started watching the show, I didn't mind it. It kept teetering between moments that I thought were surprisingly solid and moments that were predictably bad. Solid: I thought it was cool that Skullface was successfully shot. Most anime of this nature would have had his cloak be magically protected or something, and he would have then turned things around with a power tripping monologue about how insignificant the assassin was. Bad: The interaction between the maid and...I can't remember the female demon attendant's name, and I think calling her horny girl would probably be a bad idea...was pretty much predictable yawn material IMHO. Solid: The maid's depiction of her former station in life was a pretty good way of building a groundwork for why demon occupation might not be all that bad under some circumstances. Bad: They turned right around and had Ike - who's supposed to be the number one strategist - bust into a prison by having harem candidate #2 just walking in and karate chopping people. Dumb. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11600 |
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But that wasn't Ike's strategy, that was Pinkie disobeying his repeated requests/orders that she not make a scene or hurt anyone. (I don't recall her name either - hell, her hair so dominated my impression of her that I remembered her as being pink, and not just her hair)
That and her ridiculous spat with Maid slave, along with the camera's fixation on all the boobs, and I'm on the fence about sitting through a third ep. It's like Maid's got a split personality - too innocent to live regarding ordinary moment-to-moment interactions, but turning on a dime to savvy jealousy bitch who grasps the innuendo of Pinkie's designs on MC-kun. I suppose her generalized stupidity could be an act of self-defense, like protective coloration, but I doubt this series is that layered. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1586 |
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Well, sure, but he should be able to exercise some nominal control over his subordinate. This is supposed to be a genius commander of the demon army and his follower, not Pinky and the Brain (wonder why I thought of that show all the sudden ) And if he can't control her because she's the demon lord's cousin or a walking A-bomb on the power scale or something, he should go back and come back later after he's sent her on an errand, not just close his eyes, keep going, and hope for the best. We're not exactly talking Sun Tzu level strategizing here.
There's enough dumb to go around IMHO. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2667 |
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Besides Pinky being a wild one there is the very premise of his plan being faulty. He wants to break into a prison to ask the former enemy commander if she has send an assassin after him. The question if she would even listen to him aside, the fact that she is in a prison and the assassination came close to succeeding makes one wonder. If she had set it up and as far as the humans know succeeded, why would she be locked up?
Ah well, maybe we are all expecting too much? |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2667 |
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Well, episode 3 was a step in the right direction compared to the second one. Ike managed to talk himself out of the situation and given his mindreading magic it makes his breaking into the prison a somewhat more sensible plan. I liked his move of summoning his troops and using mind reading once more to sniff out the mole and thus get a lead on the traitor. The plan for dealing with said traitor was also solid, the episode proved that Ike's title is not just for show.
With the Dullahan at the end it seems like the show is adding an enemy that will not be so easily disposed of. For the story as a whole it means another layer and a divided humanity and demon situation makes for more excitement. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11600 |
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Now I'm having reservations about whether he's smart or not. Wouldn't it have been easier to call the troops together and mind read them before going to the trouble of breaking into the prison? If no traitor turned up among his troops, then go do the break-in.
And yeah, I think Maid-chan really is too stupid to live. She'll probably blow up the castle trying to figure out what to do with the rice. Speaking of which, if he doesn't know even how to cook rice (if he can't even offer ideas about how to cook it, it suggests he's never seen cooked rice), how does he know it's more productive than wheat? I'm not even sure that it is, depending on soil and climate. I think in a medieval society rice would be more labor intensive. And you can eat wheat without cooking it, though it's tastier as bread or porridge. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1586 |
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I have to agree that if Ike could cast a mass mind reading spell - and what kind of BS OP power is that anyhow?- his trip to the enemy prison fortress was pretty pointless.
I also found myself wishing that they'd made Jace - the traitor - a bit more formidable. There wasn't a whole lot of tension or suspense to be found watching an OP wizard with force fields and death magic squaring off against a goblin with...ummm...an eyepatch. That said, I thought this episode was better than 1 or 2. The stare-down between Ike and the enemy general was sort of interesting, and the loose cannon commander brings some energy to the proceedings. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2667 |
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Well, your wish has been granted with the Dullahan commander: he is a traitor who does not seem to be that easy to snuff out. That said, I would wager that the same goes for the demon king, I do not believe for one second that the surprise attack took her out. As for all those undead, does Ike not have some turn undead or purify or something? Magic can usually make short work of undead.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11600 |
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Yeah, she's got too nice a character design to be toast.
 Instead of plot armor, esthetic armor?
Anyway, this is an ok series in a weak summer (of the ~10 romances, I'm only watching 3, and one of those is on shaky ground). But the OP song is excellent. Its country rock vibe doesn't quite fit the series, but it's about the only OP/ED I never skip. Can't you just see the goblins and skeletons line dancing to it? 
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11600 |
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That was a weird battle. Did Pinkie just Keijo!!!!!!!! her undead opponents?
I don't recall them mentioning the town Ike was in charge of before. Is this the first time they've brought it up, or is this just my normal brain worms eating my memories? Anyway, seems like a nice place to live. |
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