WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. Today I am starting a new review series for the show How Not to Summon a Demon Lord. As for the first episode, I definitely liked it and am looking forward to reviewing the rest of the series. I thought the show did a good job introducing us to the main characters quickly. We are getting a good feel for what kind of world this show is taking place in. The episode also had some nice humor sprinkled throughout it.
Meeting Diablo, it is clear Diablo is being set up as a flawed protagonist. He is hard working, determined, and genuinely cares about others. Still, his methods of pursuing his goals seem like those of a flawed hero. He is clearly not the nicest person in the world. He also seems willing and even eager to engage in shady, gray area moral decisions to achieve his goals. This can set up well for the series, as having a flawed protagonist is a very workable path going forward that has plenty of potential. It’s also clear that Diablo is socially awkward which will be interesting to see how he comes across to people as the show goes on.
As for Rem, she appears to be a tsundere. She comes across as a depressed and sad character. I get the feeling she is determined and righteous, but is not a cheery individual and seems rather pessimistic.
So far, my favorite character is definitely Shera, who appears to be a deredere character. She comes across as a cheery, ditzy, happy-go-lucky character who is enjoying herself and seems very positive as well as funny and enjoyable to be around. I love girls like that in anime. I definitely get the feeling that Shera will be a very fun character and will make this series more fun with her than without her in it.
Additionally, it’s intriguing that the show is already telling us who seems to be the main villain of the series. This could turn out well depending on how the show handles it. One one hand, it’s often useful giving a villain buildup as it helps to develop that villain and can make the showdown with the villain more epic. However, it also can cause problems because it can potentially ruin the possibility of surprise as to who the villain is and can make the show too predictable. It will be interesting to see how the show manages Krebskulm in future episodes.
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord. Funimation, 2018. Web.