I
like this Demon Queen!
I technically went into
Maoyū Maō Yūsha knowing what to expect, but it was still somewhat surprising to see the shift from traditional fantasy to economics pulled off so quickly and easily. It was definitely done well, and this first episode proved much more enjoyable, funny, and interesting than I expected. I'm not exactly comfortable with economics; the very mention of the subject brings back unpleasant classroom memories and dull textbooks, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was genuinely interested in what
Maou (Japanese for "Demon Queen") had to say about war and its positive consequences on the human and demonic kingdoms.
Maoyū is based on a light novel by
Mamare Touno and features characters without proper names (in a similar fashion to the 2012 series
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, which featured the heroine Watashi, Japanese for "I"). The plot follows
Yuusha (Japanese for "Hero"), a champion chosen by the humans in a war against demons, in his quest to destroy the Demon King and end the fighting through his victory. However, upon reaching the Demon King's castle on his own, he finds not a King, but a Queen (
Ami Koshimizu, who played
Anemone, one of my favorite characters in
Eureka Seven)
awaiting his arrival with a very friendly "konnichiwa!" and a ridiculous amount of cleavage. Yuusha (
Jun Fukuyama, of
Code Geass fame) is confused further when Maou shows no fear or aggression towards him and instead asks him to "become hers". He flat out refuses, wanting nothing to do with a demon who has caused all the misery and suffering of the war, and she further surprises him by explaining that the war is actually a desirable thing, for both human and demon parties involved.
According to Maou, the human kingdom is suffering from food shortages and it is only because of the war that they are receiving aid from neighboring countries. We are shown smart and well executed inserts of the situation from the eyes of those who prosper the most during war time:
nobles and merchants. Without the war aid, the economy of the human empire would fail, and more people would be driven to poverty and starvation than already are. When Yuusha proudly exclaims that the aid given by the Central Empires implies the kind and selfless nature of humans as compared to Demons, Maou simply states the obvious; the Central Empires are simply buying security by ensuring that the Southern Human kingdom keeps the war at bay for them for as long as possible. Yuusha's fighting spirit exhausted, he finally succumbs to her arguments and she proposes a contract between them. Traditionally the Hero and King split the world between themselves, but due to that the conflict between Humans and Demons always remained, so Maou instead asks for something along the lines of a marriage proposal, so that both she and Yuusha may stay united as they lead their respective peoples to a better future. Yuusha, by now convinced whole-heartedly, agrees, only to accidentally discover that Maou has been fantasizing about him and practicing her meeting with him on a pillow... he probably should have thought that through a little more.
For an anime about economics, I found myself honestly laughing several times, especially at the last reveal of Maou as something of a stalker. To be honest I really liked Maou instantly as a character, fanservice aside. She's clearly intelligent and ambitious, and Koshimizu brings her to life as a slightly mischievous figure. Yuusha is an interesting character as well, though somewhat pompous, and makes a good match with her. Another thing that struck me was the
art, which is really beautiful and textured, almost like a watercolor painting or print.
ARMS certainly impressed me with this first episode and it's very likely that I will continue to blog this past the "three episode test."
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