Kora
“Two thousand years ago. The Mythical Age. There was a man who wiped out the nation of humans, burned down the forest of the spirits, and even killed off the gods.”
I think the one element that The Misfit of Demon King Academy is sorely lacking is a good straight-man. It’s not the only aspect which causes issues, but it’s the factor that stood out like a sore thumb right from the start. Not every comedy series needs a straight-man, but those that thrive without a character in that role do so by being completely ludicrous. Demon King Academy isn’t quite silly and farcical enough to get away without having one. There are a few comedic moments that land, but it’s easy to see how they could be much more effective in their execution. The characters introduced in this first episode also aren’t strong or interesting enough to carry the show, and the narrative itself falls into the realm of standard light novel fare. In essence, despite some quality production, there isn’t much to warrant continued viewing of The Misfit of Demon King Academy.
The story centers around Anos Voldigord, the reincarnation of a Demon King from 2000 years prior, as he enrolls at an academy which was designed to train his descendants to become new Demon Kings. Right off the bat, the premise just sounds like the boiler plate generic light novel plot, but this was coming from Silver Link who had really impressed me with last season’s My Next Life as a Villainess which had also sounded a little flimsy on paper. Unfortunately, this doesn’t prove to be an effective comparison. Anos is joined by another classmate, Misha Necron, who is something of a blank slate. She takes everything in stride, even as she watches Anos casually defeat opponents or listens to his parents ramble on about how he’s only a month old. These could be solid comedic moments, but, without someone to provide the appropriate reaction, they just don’t land properly. The end result is a show where we watch a character who approaches Kirito levels of power as he bulldozes his way through every challenge in circumstances that could be funny, but don’t have the proper setup and execution necessary.
The production itself really is solid though. Most comedy anime with a generic premise such as this would settle for subpar animation, but Silver Link put in the effort to make it look good. The action scenes in this first episode rely more on magic than actual physical fighting, but the effects are well integrated, and the kinetic movement of the bodies looks good. I wonder whether the comedic missteps are due to shortcomings on the part of the production staff or if it is due to the source material. I can’t say I would be surprised by either. The director, Shin Onuma, has had a hand in many series over the years, including both seasons of Ef and this year’s BOFURI. That being said, BOFURI also had difficulty getting its jokes to successfully land in any memorable way, so it’s hard to say where the fault lies.
Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:
- The one joke that worked moderately well for me came when Anos was tasked with fighting an arrogant opponent as part of the entrance exam. It becomes a silly, if morbid, game of whack-a-mole where Anos snaps his fingers and kills his opponent before reviving him seconds later and keeps repeating the process until his opponent surrenders. The key factor which helps make this scene funny is getting to see the audience’s reactions as they’re understandably horrified, allowing them to act as impromptu straight-men for the bit.
- BOFURI had a similar issue with not featuring good straight-men. Early on, Maple’s crazy antics evoked some fun reactions, but, as it progressed, characters just became resigned to her OP nature and the jokes lost what little impact they had.
- You know, for a show that isn’t an isekai… it sure FEELS like an isekai. All it would need is like 10 seconds of, “I used to be a mild manner business man until I was hit by Truck-kun, and now I’m the Demon Lord,” and Bam! you’ve got yourself an isekai.
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