I don’t have time to do this series justice, but it’s turning out not to disappoint. The art & animation could be a little better, but they didn’t do what I feared most, and turn it into a totally brainless jiggle-fest. It’s a weakness in the source material that the story looks like exactly that for the first half. Nor am I saying that it’s high-brow entertainment — it is a harem comedy with some big boobs, and a whole passle of tropes, and it doesn’t aim to be a lot more.
Still, though, the main point I liked about the manga has carried through here: Yuto has some ‘nads. They’re kind of soft and squishy to start, but as his memory comes back, he starts asserting himself a bit. Episode 8 was a major step up in that regard. (If they get far enough into the story and stick to the manga, he’s going to start sounding VERY Western in regards to war and fighting). The childhood marriage betrothal flag has been played, and she (Kueso) is a babe. But for various reasons, she’s pushing too hard, and wants to kill all of Yuto’s friends among the demons (which amounts to 3/5ths of his harem, at this point), then marry him. Yuto finally sits Kueso down and tells her “Not happening — I see what you’re really after, and I WILL NOT AGREE.” Pre-meditated decision, not a “heat of the moment” thing, which makes it even more impressive. Now, whether you agree with what happens next or not may vary, but I thought it was lampshaded hilariously — and Himari’s method of putting Kueso in her place was funny too. (Note that if it continues to follow the manga, she’s not entirely persuaded…there’s going to be some ‘testing to destruction’ coming later if there’s a season 2.)
It looks like the series big bads are about to show up; there’s only 4 episodes left, and it’s about time. Worth noting that in the manga, it took everything the girls and Yuto had to pull off a draw….they’re nasty, and it’s not resolved yet in the manga. I expect an open ending.
I may have more to say about this later, with a few screenshots. I swear, the girls have to be using superhero glue to keep those outfits on.
