I’ll be blunt: I had no interest in The Misfit on Demon King Academy. Hence why it was omitted from the Summer Season Preview. I’m not a fan of the magic high school trend in light novels and absurdly powerful protagonists is a tiresome cliche. Does the premiere change my mind? Not really.
The Misfit of Demon King Academy centers around Anos Voldigord (Tatsuhisa Suzuki), a reincarnation of the Demon King. Seeing that the world has become too weak and complicit in his absence, Anos enrolls in the prestigious Demon King Academy expecting to be recognized as the one true ruler. And despite very compelling evidence that he is what he claims to be, the Academy somehow brands him as a misfit within the class and forces him to make his way to the top. Maybe it’s because his name is Anos Voldigord. I don’t think this is a godawful premise per se but it is certainly one anyone with a cursory knowledge of light novels has heard in other series.
As the protagonist, Anos is fine. He’s definitely very arrogant and ruthless against his opponents but he’s not without principles such as when he takes issue with one of his opponents disregarding his brother even though said brother previously tried to belittle him in an earlier fight. It’s also clear that he can be quite kind. This is first demonstrated when he tries to befriend Misha (Tomori Kusunoki), a classmate of his, though the best example comes when you see him return home to his doting parents (who seem to be oblivious of his true identity). Despite their eccentricities, Anos appears to genuinely love them as a son typically would. It’s really just the central conflict that’s holding him back. I don’t at all buy him being labelled as misfit, not when his prowess is so blatantly obvious and people ranking higher in nobility are already cowering before him. And while there’s a degree of entertainment to be found with seeing the extent of his abilities (dude can kill someone with the mere beat of his heart), it doesn’t make for riveting action when there’s no stake or sense of challenge.
Judging by the key visual, there’s going to be a number of girls in the cast, all presumably love interests for Anos. Misha is the only one formally introduced so far and frankly, she hasn’t sparked any attention. I get that she’s the emotionally blank one but she seems so ingrained in that archetype, to the point that it gives Anos’s own personality little to bounce off of. Anos acts very polite and outgoing to her and she’s just sort of there, not giving much of a reaction. Their interactions with each other is the least memorable part of the episode. Maybe that’ll improve over time…or maybe the other girls will prove to be much better characters.
Since we’re in a very light season of anime, I’ll give The Misfit of Demon King Academy more of chance. Mind you, I don’t see this being a keeper for me.
Thanks for reading!
Watch The Misfit of Demon King Academy on Crunchyroll
Support the blog via:
Find me at:
Xenodude's Scribbles 