Reviews for Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero

I went into this one expecting mediocrity, especially given its mundane premise, blobby visuals, and initially-sub-7 rating, but it proved to be much, much more than that. There are nuanced character motivations, layered political schemes, and a surprising amount of humanization/justification for behavior that normally gets reduced to just "bad" in simpler shows. While no conflicts or plots are taken too seriously, each one gets multiple takes from different perspectives. The two main characters also have great chemistry with each other. I am recommending this show because it goes well beyond what I had initially expected and far beneath its seemingly surface-level tropes. It reminds meof the first season of Hataraku Maou-sama (2013), Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu (2021), and even Porco Rosso (1992) with its themes of redefining yourself and failing to fit in. I am somewhat surprised by its merely lukewarm reception, and I suspect that a lot of people are unfairly writing it off the way I was.

Level 1 Demon Lord and One-Room Hero has no business being as heartfelt and engaging as it is. It's been a pleasant surprise for me because I, like many others, was prepared to brush it off as a yet another raunchy comedy starring an annoying shitgremlin paired with a bargain bin "I quit the hero party" protag. While the "raunchy comedy" part of that description is certainly fair (*cough* Zenia's ass *cough*), the rest isn't, and discarding the series on those grounds would be missing the forest for the trees. The main thing that sets Level 1 Demon Lord apart from the typical example of its genreis how much informed effort went into writing its characters into the setting. The author takes the popular fantasy premise of a group of heroes vanquishing the demon lord and deconstructs the aftermath of such a group having to live with the consequences in the new world they've helped create. They had trained and honed their skill to fight the demonic threat, but nothing prepared them for what was to come.

This is an inherently interesting subject to explore. It's easy to delude oneself into thinking that if somebody becomes renowned for their superior skill or efforts in doing something particular, they should be expected to perform just as well in other aspects of life. But the bar on that burden of expectations becomes unreasonable even when you're doing something much less heroic than literally saving the world. Especially so when any single one of your actions is scrutinized, and at the same time all sorts of unsavory people are trying to take advantage of you and your fame. Previous season's Oshi no Ko dedicates a lot of attention to this theme.

Unsurprisingly, our hero Max has failed to live up to that and become a valued member of the new society that owes its livelihood to his heroic deeds. Taking a number of bad hits to his reputation right from the start, he chose to keep a low profile to protect himself and his friends from scorn and abuse, knowing that he shouldn't be caught involved in something that would be spun as unbecoming of a hero. But by his mere existence, Max attracts bad encounters. This lifestyle turned him into an impoverished alcoholic deadbeat, and the show doesn't attempt to sugarcoat that. A horrible, crushing situation to find oneself in—not just for himself but also for his friends and admirers. But as disillusioned and bitter as it gets, but, even at his lowest point, he still upholds his humanity and the virtuous principles that made him a hero—because that's who he is.

And this is where the (adorable) Demon Lord steps in. Having resurrected after ten years... prematurely, in an androgynous childlike body, but still full of admiration for his fated rival, the Lord immediately goes to check out how Max has fares after their epic showdown. And seeing his sorry state, doesn't become the selfish deadweight as would be expected of a typical shitgremlin character, but rather takes Max's side and actively helps get his life back on track to be worthy of the person he was at their first encounter. It's a heartfelt relationship based on sincerity and respect, which makes their onscreen dynamic a joy to behold.

There's a depth and charm to these characters that you can't help but notice already by the end of episode 2. At that point you already know you want them to succeed. And the best part is that the series isn't even a slice-of-life account of Max's rehab: it has an actual plot that involves the rest of the hero crew who adapted to the new reality in their own separate ways. Every episode brings forth some new development; other characters have agency, various events are happening, and things are moving forward. There is very good music (some heavy metal for once!) and voice acting to complement the plot and characters, too, and surprisingly expressive animation to top it off.

Now, to address the elephant in the room, which is Zenia—the Demon Lord's trusted secretary—and her monumental body features. She's pretty much the fan service character (it's even more egregious in the manga, having one of the scenes literally subtitled as the "obligatory money shot"), and the camera never fails to show off her curvy assets in the most distractingly blatant ways possible. Personally, I feel right now it detracts from the show more so than it adds, but maybe they're going somewhere else with it. In any case, this is mostly limited to her character and doesn't really occupy a lot of screen time as the show goes on.

To sum it up, if you want a genuinely sweet and interesting buddy comedy that deals with some very heavy themes but still has more than enough levity to avoid becoming Welcome to the NHK, do yourself a favor and give Level 1 Demon Lord a chance.

One room hero is one of my unexpected hits of the season. It’s a rare example of a post-fantasy modern society and follows a former hero on his path to find purpose again. A fresh premise combined with great comedy, insane but loveable characters and some political drama make this a very entertaining watch. When it comes to fantasy shows, we’ve seen plenty of hero goes on a quest to defeat the demon lord style shows in recent years. We rarely get to see what that world looks like in the future and what happens to our heroes. If it’s one thing history has taught us,it’s that people have incredibly short memories and will quickly forget all you’ve done for them.

What I like about One Room Hero is that it covers that unfortunate reality. Max goes from hero to zero quite literally. He has lost all motivation and purpose in life and things look bleak. That is, until he meets his former adversary, the demon lord. He and the demon lord form an unlikely but genuinely beautiful and organic friendship. I really enjoyed seeing their chemistry and how silly every moment they had on screen was. Seeing both of them try to live in a world that quite frankly no longer needs heroes or big villains was incredibly interesting.

While there’s no real consistent overarching story, at least not until the final third or so of the show, it manages to remain engaging through the introduction of dynamic and hilarious side characters who bring their own quirks to the story, comedic situations and heartwarming emotional and personal growth moments for Max. It starts off very slice of life focused before branching into a more serious direction later on, but those slice of life moments had a degree of gravity to everything that’s to come later.

Visually, the show is very pleasing to look at. It features a bright colour palette and some solid character designs. I haven’t read the manga yet, but I’ve heard some fans complain about how a few characters were “nerfed” if you get my drift, but as an anime only everything was fine for me. The animation is ok to decent up until episode 11 where the studio seemingly unlocked their full potential and went crazy with the action.

In closing, one room yuusha is definitely worth checking out. It’s a shame that it aired in such a stacked season where it flew under the radar, but if you’ve been looking for a funny anime to watch or something new, this is a great candidate. Fresh story, well written characters and a fun ride.

One room yuusha gets 8, out of 10.

Jahy x Older Kazuma any one? That's the sort of vibe I get when watching the two MCs of this show engage. But also in context of strong characters having natural chemistry together. Having strong out going personality characters can really push an anime far. If the anime, stuck to a bland motive, then it would be much lower on the mark. Having such strong characters when it comes to have they act, and add on the goofy nature of the show in general, means this will bring an enjoyable experience. I am glad they took this direction. Story and characters: 8 This gets such high marks fromme, as it's pure enjoyment. While you may have seen this sort of story a dozen times, but in this context, it's way more enjoyable. Like I said at the start, if you loved Jahy like I did, you'll more likely enjoy this. Really playing off as if it's come right after 'another anime had just wrapped up.' Going from there, as we follow our demon lord MC in Maou, finally reincarnated, hoping to find the hero again, and expecting him to be in high class, and looked at fondly, the works. Only to find that he is a bum,and the shenanigans go from there.

It's silly, it's goofy, and it's fun to watch.

While I've touched on those two characters, but there is so much more that really adds to this show. Some of it isn't even properly explained, but from how it was presented in general, it'll make you want to watch more, and see where it takes us next. It's captured us, hook, line, and sinker.

Art and sound: 7

The art is on point, and is animated really well. But not only that, you can tell the voice actors have such a fun time vocing the characters, and the way they are expressing themselves is really fun and engaging. Polish that off with a good artstyle, that really captures the tone of everything that it's presenting. Like I can mention how one particualr scene in the first episode, it really captures how far gone the hero is, and how much of a bum he truly is now, and it's well done. Compare that, to how the night looks, and it really shows how well they capture everyting.

Watching this expecting some over the top comedy fantasy,got some heartwarming display of friendship between two rivals. Imagine a world where "peace" has been achieved,a world where all problems are no more than justa few criminals doing minor act of tomfoolery,a world so calm and "boring" to the point where a news about a man getting chased by a naked woman is a hot topic.This world is already in their "good time" phase but... who made it the world the world the way it is today ? Who drives away all the threat ? Well,all thanks to the heroes,the world is saved. Hearing the world "hero" youdefinitely think of someone who bask in the light of glory,praised by everyone,LOVED by everyone ,someone that enjoy all the things and gifts from the grateful world that they saved but turns out the hero is nothing like he was.No friends,no social life,no lovers,no nothing,abandoned by the kingdom that he saved,blamed for a lot of scandal that he didn't even started,parted away from his companion, nothing but a lonely man...a forgotten veteran but then this lonely man find a little light and warmness in his cold and damp live and it cames from the very thing that he DESTROYED,the things that he droves away,his arch nemesis,the demon king.

Seeing the two of them interact is like seeing two war veteran from opposing side that already get over it,they joke around,they laugh it off and all those battles are memories to them and they don't hold any grudges anymore.

It's a funny and lighthearted show that can be "heavy" at some points,it depicted what war veteran have to live with after the war, they're not the best at depicting it but it definitely gives you a hint of how uneasy and stressfull the life of veteran is.

The voice acting is also very good in this one, especially max cause you can actually feels the "im so done with this shit" in his voice,the music is lovely,the op is catchy yet calming at the same time, looking up the meaning of the lyrics just make me love it even more.

Animation is on point, it's not the best in this season but it does the job,the close up of "assets" here and there also add extra point for those who love fanservice.

Overall a good fantasy comedy anime with heartwarming story and a little bit touch of harsh reality,give it a chance

Washed out hero concept is not really tackled much in media. This series is largely about the washed up hero having one of his former slain demons as someone who respects him, and wants him to improve out of his slump. This series has a lot of heartfelt moments which was a big surprise for me. Max, the hero, is largely still a guy with a good heart disallusioned with the modern lifestyle he never got used to. Also has some ecchi often used to set up comedy. I loved the humor, and I have a weak spot for somecute chibi designs. This series covers some modern topics in very fun ways like how news can spin things for clicks, or how streaming is. I gladly give this series a 10/10 so far for all the fun and laughs I had watching it. If you are up for comedy, this series will not disappoint. Also, if you are looking for a subtle romance I would also recommend this series.

Turn out better than I thought, not just a mid comedy fantasy anime This anime is just the good amount of happiness, brain dead comedy, action, and drama. So if you're looking for a time killer, or a background anime to watch without paying much attention, or anime where you don't want to think much, this one is for you. This is a pretty mid comedy fantasy slice of life anime. If you've seen one of these type of anime before, for example: Irruma kun, dragon maid, etc., then those are better for this type of anime and this anime will pale in comparison, and I wouldrecommend watching those first, but it's up to you. BUT this anime still have some of it spotlight.

The one thing this anime got better than other average anime in the same genre/demographics is the gimmick really. The gimmick of having the retired hero with the reborn demonlord is very interesting and looks fun to follow through. Though I must say that this gimmick does pale as time goes on and left behind by the story, although some plot points will still refresh the gimmick and keep it interesting.

The fanservice is plenty though, perhaps too much in my opinion, but it's part of the comedy so its ok and it doesn't take away the plot too much, and its plot doesn't rely on the fanservice unlike others anime airing this season (yes Im talking to you my tiny senpai).

Overall, the production quality, while is average for the genre, it's enough for this anime and it doesn't bother that much, cuz the main selling point of this anime is really the comedy and character interactions.

In conclusion, this is toward the top for average comedy fantasy slice of life anime and is better than most average anime in this, but IS still average at the end of the day.

I've been a fan of this manga for a while, so I was pretty excited to see that it was getting an anime adaptation; and they didn't disappoint with it. I don't really know what more to ask for. The story is fun, the characters are likable. The action scenes were animated really well. The voice acting for the JP side was superb. I'm giving this a perfect score for what it is: an extremely well executed dumb, fantasy comedy with an interesting premise. I recommend it, especially if you're a fan of the Isekai comedy genre (though I guess this isn't really an isekai,just feels like one). I'm sure the echi fan-service bits will put some people off, but as long as you get past that, it's a strong series and a great show.

This one is a hidden gem .... Lovely characters, the plot is really simple but omg ... the characters make it really entretening ! Ok, but let´s calm down and talk about it. It´s a roomcom with a retired hero and the demom lord, at first glance it would be meh ... but the hero is someone that lose faith in everything and turns a shut in guy. And the demom lord after being beat to the pulp wanna a rematch with the hero. The demon lord turns out to be the niceset girl in the anime and we really understand why the hero is a truehero, and how they start to change is pretty nice and hearthfull.

The jokes and laughts are in the right spot, the support characters are really well written and the word is not so different from our real world, but the diffs is easy to understand.

The music and the soundtrack is kinda normal. 7/10

The jp-dubs are really great. 10/10

The animation is great, but the traces and art is simples, but the few actions scenes are pretty nice. 9/10

History wise... 10/10

Characters 10/10.

Overall 10/10 .

Gender Chaotic. Possibly the hidden gem of the season, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero is the second coming of The Devil is a Part-timer that White Fox denied us and that Studio 3Hz’s mostly failed to deliver unto us. Max the hero and his companions have defeated the Demon Lord and saved the world from destruction. Unfortunately, in times of peace and a rapidly evolving society -which goes from a generic medieval fantasy world to modern-day capitalist Japan in ten years- there is no need for a Dragon Quest-esque hero. After the ancient Demon Lord resurrects in the body of a gremlinso it can enact revenge upon its greatest enemy, he’s disappointed to find Max hungover and lying in his own filth. Thus the Demon Lord vows to help Max out and get him back on his feet so they can fight it out again with the help of a swimsuit-clad demon secretary who's just as stupid as the two of them combined.

Despite the relatively simple premise, the execution is genuinely hilarious. There were multiple times

Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero had me laughing my ass off. Max finding the courage to rise above his cynicism for the human society that cast him aside and defamed him with scandals with the Demon Lord's help goes as well as you can imagine. From a drunken street brawl with a drunk demon lady wearing nothing but brass knuckles that don’t chuckle, to becoming a shitty content churning Youtuber and getting banded after he tries to get his non-binary Demon Lord friend who can transmogrify between an androgynous gremlin and a sexy woman wearing a lewd high school uniform, exactly Max’s type, to take off its clothes on a live stream, it’s a long, arduous and weirdly sexually tense journey for Max becoming a responsible member of society.

Meanwhile, Max is constantly being pestered by his former party member Fred to help intervene in a potential war between the Kingdom and a rising Republic led by another of his former party members that he wants nothing to do with.

I’m genuinely impressed at how well Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero is animated. Studio Silver Link has always been quite good at making engaging anime out of little resources. Some of the fight scenes (especially the final one of the season) are much better than they have any right to be.

That can be said for the entire anime. It's way better than it has any right to be. Sure it’s a bit trashy, the underlying conspiracy happening in the B plot is a bit tedious and the show’s pacing takes some time to get going, but overall I really enjoyed Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero. It’s funny, honest and a lot of fun.

7/10 Good.

“Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero!” is what happens when You dial up a bromance up to 11. The Hero Max and his companions are able to defeat the Demon Lord. Ten years later the fiend reawakens. In the body of a small androgynous child. Eager to fight his adversary again he quickly tracks down Max. Unfortunately the last decade wasn’t kind to the former hero. He became a lazy slacker neet. After the initial shock the Demon Lord decides to move in with Max and get him in shape both physically and mentally so they can have their rematch. Not gonna lie, the premiseis the reason why I watched this. It sounded awesome. The reality… isn’t as interesting.

For starters let’s have a look at the characters that matter for the plot:

Max - The Hero who led the team, then defeated the Demon Lord a decade prior. Today he’s washed-up, lives in a small one room apartment, and has plenty of scandals under his belt. He acts like he doesn’t really care but he still holds on to his old, holy sword and even talks to kids about his adventures proving he is, at least to some degree living in the past. He tries to avoid trouble but he gets dragged in anyway.

Maou - The reborn Demon Lord. Despite being quite masculine in his previous incarnation he now has a body of an androgynous but still rather feminine child. He has the ability to transform into a young woman and doesn’t seem to want or can change into other human forms. He has an unhealthy obsession with Max. Like really unhealthy. Instead of taking care of his domain, maybe preparing for the reawakening of the demon king, he decides to take care of Max. Not in a Hitman: Code 47 kind of way but more like a mother or wife way. He cooks, cleans and tries to get the former hero on his feet. He even gets flustered when Max says something nice about his cooking or is looking at his adult female form stunned.

Zenia - officially a secretary of the Demon Lord. She’s the reason why he’s wearing a sailor’s uniform with a skirt. Unofficially practically everything that the demon lord needs. She’s proficient at gathering information doing that for the last ten years so that the Demon Lord would be up to date. She can’t really hold her liquor. She got drunk and caused a commotion and trouble for Max after just one beer. Let’s be honest, she’s in the show as eye candy and little more. Despite that I think she’s the most underutilised character in the show.

Fred - no, not the barber Fred from “Courage the Cowardly Dog”, this time we have a cleric Fred. He’s one of the members of the Hero team that kicked the Demon’s Lord ass. Friend to Maou and Leo even though he has a strange way of showing it at times. He serves as Chief Secretary at the Royal Bureau of Magic aka a government slave. He’s competent, skilled, confident and likes to have an upper hand when “negotiating”. He cares for his friends but shows it in a very tsundere way.

Leo - Another member of the heroes party. Leo was the tank of the team. Strong, loyal and always having a positive attitude with sometimes infuriated Fred. After the Kingdom tried to swindle his people out of natural resources on their land he was forced to declare independence and with that started a civil war. He did that but made sure to not kill any soldier on the opposite side. He’s strong, like to fight and is loyal to his friends. Of course that doesn’t mean he’s not more than willing to get into a fight with them.

The cast is pretty strong with most characters having some pretty good motivation to their actions. If I have to be honest, the worst one is Max. He’s the only one without any true motivation or goal. It seems like everyone is doing something except the hero. Well… that’s not entirely true. He does reject both his friends when they try to involve him in their conflict. He’s as passive as passive can be. A reborn Demon Lord moves in with him? Cool. He’s practically kidnaped and forced into a “field trip” to another nation? No problem. I get he’s supposed to be a washed-up loser but come on. That’s overkill. He does bare minimum, just to keep himself alive. It takes a war for him to stop being pathetic and even then it’s pretty much a stretch to call him a hero again.

When it comes to the plot itself it’s a weird mix. The show starts off as a comedy but as the show progresses it begins to show a bit of political thriller and at the end it’s almost a full on political action thriller. I don’t really mind that. I have a soft spot for well written political thrillers. This one.. Is not it. The problem is mixing comedy and politics. The comedy doesn’t really hit with all the conniving and manipulations and the politics isn’t a good match for the type of characters Max and Maou are. Despite Maou sometimes acting like a proper demon lord and trying to recruit the hero and other characters to his side, he mostly acts like a wife or girlfriend. It kills the drama for me. Especially that some of those moments are played completely straight.

World building has some problems as well. The part that I truly don’t get is why the war with the demons even happens. There is a point when we see the Demon Lord instruct his minions to not kill humans mindlessly as they do not reincarnate. That shows that Maou cherishes life. So why the war? Why would someone who doesn’t want to kill humans go to war with them? The only reason I could think of is that it’s the result of humans benign humans and feeding people some bullshit to get the riled up and forcing demons to defend themselves. It’s a huge hole in both world and character building.

Apart from that the writing isn’t anything special. It’s just a middle of the road comedy that plays with some romcom tropes. To be honest it did get me to chuckle now and then and the relationship between Max and Maou is a pretty interesting one. Threading the line between a bromance and a full on romance at times. I liked it. It took cliche tropes that got old a decade or two ago and put a nice twist on them.

All in all it’s not a bad show but it’s not great either. The potential is there and the show ends in a way that promises more things to come and those things could be more political in nature. I wouldn't mind that to be honest. If the writers would do a better job at balancing the politics and type of comedy this could be a really solid show.

After defeating the demon lord 10 years ago, the great hero Max is now a deadbeat leaving in a tiny apartment. The demon lord having now been reincarnated as a little demon girl is disappointed to find the hero they once respected in this current state. They decide to stay with the hero and help him regain motivation in his life. But the demon lord's feelings for Max may be deeper than just mutual respect. The demon lord has a very funny personality especially when compared to their original form. Max is fine. He's just the guy trying to mind his own business but gets dragged along for theride. However Max is not someone to be underestimated as he is incredibly strong and skilled.

The demon lord also has a secretary. She provides most of the fanservice. With constant shots of her butt in skin-tight clothes.

It starts off entertaining. Unfortunately it devolves into something about politics, terrorism, and a territory that wants to secede from a kingdom. Feels like 2 anime awkwardly mashed together. The original plot feels completely lost.

Once in a while, the sweatshop workers in Japan tunes their overused formulas just right enough to produce a series that meticulously combines overused plot with charming characters. We're sometimes bestowed with a unicorn in anime comedy: a show that doesn't critically rely on big breast physics or sexual harassment to deliver its jokes. And this summer, unfortunately, we are again deprived of such unicorn. But we do get the next best thing, the anime equivalent of a narwhal: a well-executed comedy that has lovable side characters and flawed yet charming protagonists. Yes, we're talking about Lv1 Maou and 1 Room Yuusha, the anime abouta gremlin sidekick paired with a perverted yet overpowered protagonist who has crippling porn addiction and severe lack of motivation.

A lot of things can go wrong when you're writing a story where the demon lord is trying to learn about the human world. You can mess up badly and write a harem story about your Demon Lord working in WcDonalds while amassing a cast of most deplorable characters in existence. What salvages Lv1 Maou & 1 Room Yuusha is its setting and lovable characters. We're gifted with a humble and polite Demon Lord (Maou) who, while committed to being evil, try to help the hero regain his lost glory. Maou serves as the voice of reason yet is also innocent of many flaws that Max has. Max, despite being the hero, lacks any heroic characteristics. He's a cancelled hero in his post-glory era due to womanizing. He's a bum who spends time loafing around and watching pornography. And the story is structured around the comedic events that occurs as Maou try to straighten up Max's behavior.

It's refreshing to see Maou work diligently to get Max back to his former glory. The show doesn't take itself too seriously. There are still residual cringe humor and fan-service shots that is usually delivered through Maou's magic-lacking secretary:Zenia. But when compared to many other series, this shows does a well job of avoiding blatant ecchi and also avoids creating a harem. Zenia is still a likable character who is committed to helping Maou gather intel despite her lack of magic. We're also introduced to Max's former friends: Fred and Leo. While they seem like antagonists at first, they are still allies of their old friend Max.

The art isn't anything special. It's simple but it fits well with the story. Maou is drawn like chibi character with 3 eyes, which allows him to amplify both comedic and emotional scenes. Max is drawn like a deadbeat adult-manga protagonist and it allows a lot of anti-climatic scenes. Zenia is drawn for fan-service. The animation is also good and always nails the comedic timing.

One of the most surprising element of this anime is voice acting. Naomi Oozora has done voice acting for many gremlins but she does an excellent job of portraying Maou in both his chibi form and in the adult bishoujo form. It's a demanding role since Maou is a child but acts like an adult, a nagging housekeeper, and also a blushing heroine. The voice acting across the board is good, but Naomi Oozora stands out by perfectly portraying Maou.

The Opening and Ending themes are good, but for some reason, the OST feels like someone took the DVD from Bleach:Sennen Kessen-hen and made a Soundcloud version of it. It's still good but the similarity between some of these tracks is comical.

Overall, I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for a comedy anime. It's feels like a modern-day version of Tentai Senshi Sun Red or an actual funnier version of Hataraku Maou-sama. At times, it also resembles OnePunch man with Max resembling Saitama a lot. It's not a masterpiece or an era defining anime by any means but it is definitely a lighthearted comedy that will probably bring you a laugh or two.

The Hero's party defeat the demon lord ushering in a era of peace to the world. A decade later the demon lord is resurrected (in chibi form) and is off to find his great hero... who is now a bum has-been living in filth. Refusing to give up on him the demon lord settles in to make a hero out of him once again! You know, I think someone had a lot of love for the source material. While the animation budget did seem tight in spots a lot of care and attention was given to the artwork. Mostly though this was just a very cuteand sweet show.

Someone who was past his prime, who got stepped on by life, and yet.

From the promo I worried about the loli aspect of the demon lord but thankfully it wasn't that.

The characters sweet, the plot fluid and the jokes land. I might have laughed a little too hard at a recurring "The Ring" joke to be honest.

I think if the show had a flaw it would be taking the setting from medieval times to modern japan in just the span of a decade. Seems a bit fast but they were clearly trying to tell the story of someone past his prime just needing a little support to try again.

In a sea of isekai and "ordinary Japanese schoolboy" anime, this series stands out as a breath of fresh air. Its story is not just unique but captivating, with characters that are both well-written and original, setting a standard for character development in the genre. The lore and storytelling mode draw a delightful parallel to "Isekai Ojisan," yet manages to surpass it with its depth and engagement. Visually, it shares a similar art design with "Meikyuu Black Company" and "Sentouin, Hakenshimasu!" which adds to its charm. Each episode has been a joy to watch, consistently delivering quality content that keeps viewers hooked. This anime isa must-watch for anyone looking for something different yet thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a difficult one to categorise, for once it is not an Isekai, but it is a reincarnation, and there aren't many fantastical elements here, but it is a fantasy, and though it seems serious, the cameraman makes it his life's mission to amplify the seriousness with angles and shots of the sort even the most hard hearted can admire. Plot: The synopsis more than succinctly summaries the plot, as such there isn't much to write about without spoiling something major. This Anime certainly has a similar vibe with Devil is a Part-timer and I'm Quitting Heroing, but it is also a distinct entity byitself. The comedy is on point, at times when the plot turns a little heavy it hits well, and the light hearted moments are done well too. The dialogue seems decent, and the flow of the story is sustained.

Characters: Most of the characters feel and behave like actual characters rather than types, which is a rather pleasing sight in an Anime of this kind. Their individual character traits distinguish them from others, and the chemistry between them is used extremely well to move the plot along. Quite impressed so far.

Animation: This is one of the better animated shows of the season. The scenes flow from one to the other fluidly, the general outlines are sharp and appealing, and the sequences have a neat colour to it. Also, the opening animation was certainly worth a mention from a character centric standpoint, though the still frame count kind of sticks out like a sore thumb.

Music: The music for the most part is decent and well integrated, it compliments well what is shown in the screen. Also a special mention to the Opening theme, one of the best of this season so far as far as music is concerned.

Voice acting: Given the absolutely stacked line up of Seiyuus, this deserves a special mention in that department. All the more reason to look forward to it.

Enjoyment: Personally I've enjoyed this very much. A tinge of light hearted humour, a touch of heaviness, a peal of merriment and a awful lot of good sustained plot, a good recipe for enjoyment. Just don't expect anything too much and you're good to go.

The premise is pretty straight-forward. The Hero Max defeats the Demon Lord and saves humanity. 10 years pass. The Demon Lord is resurrected. While 10 years was not enough time to restore himself to his previous power level, the Demon Lord rushed his own resurrection because he was anxious for a rematch with his nemesis, Max, before the human’s death. As such, the prematurely resurrected Demon Lord, who looks like a thick loli now for whatever reason, goes to the Human Realm to face his opponent in glorious combat once more. What he finds, however, is far from the stuff of legend. Fame went tohis head, and after numerous scandals, his degenerate behavior caused Max to be shunned from society. He has let himself go and now lives as a complete NEET.

In essence, it’s an idea that has been done to death in comedy – previously revered and legendary character has now fallen off and is the butt of every joke. I find this premise fairly ridiculous, and I’ll reiterate what I said about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. A dude who has literally saved the entire world would earn carte blanche to do literally whatever he wants forever, but that’s neither here, nor there, so I digress.

Given this sad state of affairs, through some kind of pretzel logic, in order to revitalize his rival and bring him back to his former glory, the resurrected Demon Lord essentially decides to become Max’s live-in maid. Hilarity ensues.

While a lot of humor is derived from it, the narrative logic is thin, much like in The Devil is a Part-Timer!, so don’t try and think too much about it, but unlike the aforementioned show, which I did not enjoy, this is not massively popular, so I did not go into it expecting anything impressive, and as such, felt adequately entertained! It was still weird, though. Let us forget about them being mortal enemies for a moment. The Demon Lord is a dude, but comes back as a loli (not a shota), and whenever he walks around town with Max, he transforms into a presumably barely legal bombshell chick. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I got the distinct impression that the show is trying to softly ship them, which was just bizarre. No actual romance happens, to be sure, but the finale was pretty sus.

On an unrelated note, I’d like to note that though the show explicitly states that Max has ‘let himself go’, the dude is still crazy strong and in shape, it’s just that there’s stubble on his chin now and his eyes have lost the sparkle of youth. What I specifically want to point out here is that I find Max to have the ideal male anime action hero physique, much like Zoro from One Piece and Laxus from Fairy Tail, though those 2 have their over-the-top shots. Max is muscular, unlike some scrawny git like Naruto or Ichigo, but also not cartoonishly big like Escanor from T7DS or some Baki character. The show also doesn’t feel the need to constantly explicitly point out to the audience the fact that he is in fact muscular, like Amazon’s Reacher. You don’t even really see him without a shirt. You can simply tell that the dude has a perfectly built and proportioned strong physique that’s hiding in plain sight. Show, don’t tell.

As for fanservice, yeah, there’s some, but nothing too outrageous, so if you’re thinking about watching this show for a quick tug, don’t.

I will say, though, that while there is no action to speak of throughout the series, the finale features a protracted three-way battle that put on a pretty impressive spectacle. Not only was it a pretty light show, but this random gag show made me actually invest in the mechanics of the fight and the abilities of these dudes that weren’t foreshadowed or explained before in any way whatsoever. There’s even one particular scene where this massive rock gets shattered, and there’s an incredible number of particles flying around on screen, and 2 characters are jumping from flying rock shard to flying rock shard, chasing and hitting each other, and the 3D camera movements tracking them were legitimately amazing. If you’ve seen One Piece Film: Z, and you remember the fight between Sanji and Bins, the Mosa Mosa guy, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

In the final analysis, if you find this kind of parody humor to your liking, give it a go, but it’s not overly deep or brilliant, so I’d posit that there are lots of other shows that would better occupy your time. Like I mentioned earlier, The Devil is a Part-Timer! feels very similar and is massively popular, so setting my personal dislike aside, there’s a good to fair chance you’ll enjoy it. A much better recommendation, though, would be YuuShibu (#83), which, apart from sharing an almost identical premise and being a whole lot funnier, is also just downright softcore porn. A quick tug is back on the menu, boys!

Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero. With a title like that one would think this to be an anime adaptation for some narou isekai. Combine it with an art style straight of 1990s and you will get a recipe of the most overlooked anime of this season. In actuality this anime is probably among the best anime of this season, here is why. Story The main plot of this anime is pretty simple. Ten years after getting defeated be the hero party, the demon lord resurrected and then live together with the washed up hero to make him great again. It's a great vehiclefor them to explore the secondary plot, the political conflict between two nation and two ex hero companion. Now I did said "political" but it is far from complex, the way they presented it is actually really simple but nuanced. And in the end it will tied back to the main plot of the anime about Max's growth which is great. Also the story of this anime is completed with little to no loose ends, which really rare for a seasonal one cour anime

Character

This is probably the biggest strength of this anime. All characters in this anime are likeable especially our two main characters. Max is our main protagonist, he is your typical tsundere cynical main character that hate the world but not really. What make him great character is the fact you can see all his good (and bad) traits from his action and along the story you start to actually understand why Maou really like him. Next is Maou themself, they are a demon lord (hence why we call them maou) that get reincarnated into a cute sized moth demon. From their design you would think they will have a bratty personality. While they do have some moment of flair, their personality can be described as a really supportive but strong minded wife. They will be there for Max but they will not afraid to speak or act up when they are not agree with Max. Overall they are a really lovable and pleasant person. Oh and there are hints of romance between Max and Maou, which is really cute.

Art/Sound

This anime is not among the most highest budget production of this season for sure. You will notice several budget saving technique use here and there but it's never too egregious (Except for the OP animation), but once in a while this show will give you a really high quality animation especially during fight scenes. Art and sound wise it really remind me of 90s anime, and if you have watched anime for that long you will get a sense of nostalgia from it, which is a good thing for me.

In conclusion, it is a really enjoyable and charming show. If you can tolerate or better yet enjoy the old school aesthetic and a bit of ecchi, you will found an amazing show about character growth.

Don't get me wrong, while I'm giving it a tentative recommendation, my feelings are definitely mixed in some ways. Especially when it comes to the Demon King, if you know what I mean. The review can wait. Would you do him? Him? Her? A homie who looks like a child most of the time but can also look like a hot girl and also cooks like a pro chef? It might just be the way... Oh and I'm signing the contract. Sorry, not sorry. Ehem, anyway, I expceted something like Jahy, Jashin or Demon Girl Next Door but it doesn't quite work as well overall. Theaction parts are better than expected and the occasional fanservice was fairly nice while not detracting too much from what was happening. The characters are quite specific and might not be to everyone's taste though. The hero is an asshole with a heart of gold but the asshole part is not downplayed. If you'd like to see a washed up hero who rarely gives a damn and goes to adult cinemas to rub one out then you would enjoy him. There is also (one) room to grow which might bethe ned game of his character. The Demon King is confusing in so many ways though... As a character they work but... It's technically a dude but most of the time they look like a child... Gremlin... Kinda... Thing... And sometimes they look like a hot girl... They certainly behave in a feminine way and most likely have a crush on the hero and would probably not mind getting it on as a female... You see what I mean? It is a good way to explain why the hero doesn't want to stick it in the Demon King though. And I guess if you are an immortal being who can change appearances then you would play both teams anyway.

The supporting cast is nice but desperately needs more screen time. Fred's entourage can be fairly fun and they would probably shine with more development, Zenia is hot and endearing and the hero party can also be quite entertaining and charming if given enough time.

Overall it's definitely not bad and can get better with more episodes.

Oh and both the music and action can be pleasantly surprising. The story also has some potential.

One of the better releases this season which people put down. I liked One room hero mainly for how good its comedy was and the chemistry between Max and the demonlord who reincarnates to find the hero being a miserable but funny mess and the potential for comedy was utilised decently between them and the other side characters. The setting of the world was good although going from old europe to modern japan was a bit off but funny since they used the modern day to make more gags and not just slice of life stuff. the characters are what you'd expect from a comedy so not toomuch detail is needed as the primary focus was the comedy and then story which picks up in the second half of the anime.

The story also wraps up so the creators aren't trying to scum a season 2 with some kind of cliffhanger at the end, although it's not a big fullfilling conclusion and is more of one fitting of a comedy.

With all that in mind I'd say it's definitely an anime which will make you laugh just from how much Max is put through because of a demon that looks either like a child or an insta thott.