How Not to Summon a Demon Lord (Review)
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Follows a Craze but Avoids Cliches.
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord continues the trend of characters waking up inside the worlds of their favorite video games. It’s an anime that seems to cherry pick themes, elements and concepts from series such Overlord, Log Horizon, and Gate. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing since it manages to only use those that have worked so well in that past. Because of that, the only real downside of How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is that it’s such a short-lived series that ends before it really gets a chance to begin.
Like some of the series I mentioned earlier, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord follows a gamer who is summoned to a fantasy realm by two girls who are trying to summon a demon lord. Luckily, our heroic geek wakes up in the body of his incredibly powerful MMO character, Diablo (Eric Vale) which means he doesn’t really have to worry about getting a smackdown in this new world. He does have to worry about his two summoners though, Shera L. Greenwood (Sarah Wiedenheft) and Rem Galleu ( Jad Saxton), who initially intended to enslave him. Being super OP though, the spell backfired and the two women find themselves in the servitude of an anti-social gamer. Fortunately, he’s one of those shy perverts and never takes advantage of his female companions. Instead, it turns out that he’s quite the heroic Demon Lord.
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is fantasy meets fan-service (which might be a little redundant to say). Before you think it’s all busty girls stumbling over each other the series actually gives the female characters good reasons to want to stick by Diablo’s side. It’s not just that he’s handsome or powerful or the ever cliched idea that he’s a beloved childhood friend they’re reunited with. Instead, both of them have pretty serious problems that they’re facing and Diablo is literally the only one who can help them with those problems. His protection and genuine interest in their well being is something neither had in their lives previously and because of this, they slowly start to care more and more for him. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of opportunities for raunchy misunderstandings and clothes to be torn asunder in battle, but How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is one of the less gratuitous fan service series I’ve seen in years. Plus, it’s hero manages to refrain from playing “handsy uncle tickles” as much as possible over the course of the series.
Ajia-do Animation Works manages some beautiful animation for the series. The characters are all incredibly detailed without seeming overly designed. Instead, it feels exactly what one might expect to encounter in an MMO gaming series. Fortunately, though this anime is no based on a pre-existing gaming series. What really struck me though was the anatomy of the series. Of course, the female characters have some pretty absurd proportions at times, but, to be honest, I’ve seen way more exaggerated ones in my years as an anime geek. Instead, I found myself impressed with the use of musculature in it. So many anime series seem to have trouble adding a bit of brawn to their characters, but How Not to Summon a Demon Lord managed to make the characters seem athletic and power without being over-encumbered. However, even with it’s attention to detail, it’s a series that still very much rooted in the traditional anime style that so many of us enjoy. It’s just a lot crisper and richer than a lot of the recent anime I’ve seen.
The biggest downfall of ow Not to Summon a Demon Lord is that it’s so short lived. The series is only 12 episodes long, which means you can binge it in a few short hours (which is pretty standard for a lot of anime out there). However, this causes it to feel rushed towards the end. Characters are introduced at breakneck speeds as the series sprints towards its climax. Characters who I would have liked to have gotten to know better and seen them interact with the three protagonists more. In a way, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord only feels like the first act of what could have been an epic fantasy series. Though I guess that just goes to speak to how much I really enjoyed this anime overall. The fact is that I didn’t want it to be over so quickly.
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is a fun and quirky series. It plays heavily on the fact that the protagonist is an anti-social gamer who has to learn to interact with those around him in a manner that isn’t completely off-putting. Because of this, it felt as though it was touching on an overall thematic message that “powers isn’t everything.” He could subjugate the entire world he finds himself in, but instead Diablo sets out trying to prove himself worthy of someone to be followed. This is a message that I feel a lot of us probably need reminding of these days. The only real complaint I have with How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is that it feels unfinished. Still, don’t let that stop you from watching this series. I certainly didn’t regret it and I doubt other anime fans will either.
