Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou

Title:Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou
Color Wars
Demon King Daimao
Ichiban Ushiro no Daimao
Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaō
いちばんうしろの大魔王 (Japanese)
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - Artland
Production - GENCO, Inc.
This story of "love, magic, and battles" revolves around Akuto Sai, a boy who aims to become part of his country's highest order of magicians and contribute to society as one of its clergy. On the day he is admitted into the Constan Magical Academy, his aptitude test predicts the following: "Future Occupation … Demon King." Thus begins his severe school life in which he is resented by his studious female class head, desired by a girl with mysterious powers, and guarded by a beautiful female android. (Ext link: MAL)

Anime adaptation of Shōtarō Mizuki's magical school story which has generated 7 novels and 1 manga volume.

12 TV episodes (~24 min)
Scheduled to begin airing on April 2, 2010
Chrunchyroll confirmed to stream series (Series link)

See side story: Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou Specials

Read the translated manga online at MangaFox.
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 8 8 9 7 8 9 21 [series:2184#3223]
Great series, but the pacing at the end was really strange. The show could have done better with some more episodes. Maybe 15-16, but I don't think that would work well with TV slots. It just seemed like the end was rushed. Also the last episode was a bit anti-climactic considering the action had been high since Sai was attacked at Hattori's house.

Last updated Tuesday, August 03 2010. Created Tuesday, August 03 2010.
Buy 8 8 9 7 8 9 Dreamer [series:2184#2279]
Wow!! This series throws everything at you, including the kitchen sink with the half bowl of left-over Ramen noodles in stale broth. But somehow, there's nothing confusing about it....

Art, Animation & Character Designs
Artwork and animation was good. Very rich details, vibrant colors and excellent overall artwork. The character designs were well done, and even the monsters were great looking and not all cheesy as found in many other anime. Artwork definitely shines in the female anatomy.... areas... for sure. Many of the girls were kawaii too. I'm always a fan of the buttocks of the female persuasion.... hehehe!

Music
The OP was a nice rock piece with female vocals. It actually sounded pretty good and fit well with the overall series. The soundtrack had some nice dramatic pieces, along with climatic orchestraic snippets here and there. The ED was a pop-rock piece.... not as good but acceptable.

Series and Episode Story
Good lord! This series has every topic and subject mashed into a single 12-episode setting. It's a mash of everything from Magic to Mechs, from demons to gods, from ninjas to airships, from power-ranger-like suits to time travelers.... and all played out amongst mild gore, breasts, butts and kick-ass action. wheeew, that was a mouthful. The thing is, if you really pay attention to everything, it's really not confusing and all of that together actually works too!

One of the best parts of this series is how it almost masterfully blends action, drama, comedy and naughtiness (ecchi), into various episodes, and for the most part, throughout the whole series. The characters were great... especially the "Observer" Korone, and prob my favorite, Keina. As it drew to a close, it got more dramatic and serious and less humorous. I mean, it gets to the point where we've got various factions of everything and everyone from every side from east to west and any other direction, all battling it out for one reason or another. Wheeew! All of this, and it still retains a semblance of sense. The only real one drawback was the lack of episodes. This series had a lot going on, too much to be packed into 12 episodes.

Overall, this is a great series to do a marathon on. Great characters, excellent story telling, plenty of humor and action. Prob one of my favorites in a fairly long while.

Last updated Monday, July 05 2010. Created Monday, July 05 2010.
Watch 8 9 8 8 Xenoknight [series:2184#2967]
watching now... 10 uncensored eps watched...

Ep 10: Things have become a little too serious if you ask me. What happened to the great harem humor? Everything is so serious now. At this rate, they'll need a 24 ep run or a second season all together to fill in the gaps and give both versions (funny harem) and (serious action) a chance to end properly.

Ep 9: This is it! We finally learn Akuto's role as Demon King and it isn't as clear cut as one would think. Through some unnecessarily confusing developments, Akuto vows to fight with the righteous in mind (due to his scarred childhood), but is this path really good or is he playing right into the hands of his cursed fate? Does he destroy the world under the pretense of saving it (!) or does he do nothing and let the bad guys win, which would make Akuto an accomplice to evil? What is a Demon King to do?

Impressions: Harem seekers rejoice. This title consists of a solid story complimented by great action and a strong side order of comedic ecchiness! Every episode has me laughing it up and becoming more intrigued as the events continue to get better with each ep.

Our hero (or villain) -Sai Akuto- wants to help others in the name of peace, but instead, gets damned to a future occupation entitled - Demon King! He also has the power/strength to destroy the world in an instant, but refuses to accept this fate and thus we have a story of one boy and his crazy adventures trying to live a normal high school life with a righteous conscious while being the epitome of darkness. Being a harem, we have 5 girls after Sai, each with their own reasons (some for his righteousness and the others for his wickedness).

How can anyone hate this title: the ecchi flavor is steady, comedic material is constant, action is intense, romantic element is charming, story is entertaining, and the overall package has FUN written all over it with great visuals and sounds/music. This title easily qualifies as a candidate for best title of the 2010 spring season!

This title gets two thumbs up!

Check out my award list to see some of the best anime titles in the world!

Never forget Xenosaga.

Last updated Wednesday, June 16 2010. Created Sunday, April 25 2010.
Unevaluated Silence [series:2184#2939]
All episodes watched. But I am confounded by the flow the events. Perhaps a rewatch will do this series more justice? A final review will come after then.

Last updated Saturday, June 26 2010. Created Wednesday, April 07 2010.
Watch Stretch [series:2184#628]
(All episodes watched):

Ichiban UnD was a show which, to use the analogy of a horse race, shot out of the gates, taking a distinct lead, but just as quickly lost it and sank back into an average place. It did save a little energy to make one last dash for the finish line, however.

As I watched episode one I was startled to realize that for once I really was laugh-out-louding at what had at first seemed another ordinary anime comedy series. The mix of a fantasy prelude and a setting in modern day Japan seemed like fun; the railway station crotch shots less so. What first suggested that there was something truly special about this show was the announcement of Akuto's magically predicted profession: Demon Lord. A guy in a magical academy with super powers is unexceptional, an identical guy with presumably evil super powers is something else. And everything the hapless Akuto does, from volunteering for cleaning duty to apologizing to his new female friend only reinforces everyone's certainty that the career prediction was correct. Best of all, these were not the usual cheap, predictable gags, recycled from past series, rather they were original jokes of genuine comic talent, set in an original premise. Once I had suspended disbelief about the basic premise, the story had an unusual sort of common sense and believability to it: that is, if a guy in such a situation was declared a Demon Lord, things really might go this way. After all the pandering mediocre shows lately, that's an all too uncommon sign of talent and effort at work. This was different, and I was liking it, yet I couldn't say where things were going, which was intriguing and fun. I guess the basic premise was so well chosen (even if it isn't absolutely original) that it opens the floodgates for all sorts of fresh jokes and makes me sit up and take notice. This was looking to be my favorite show of the Spring 2010 season.

But whereas episode one was novel and great fun, episode two immediately reverted back to the standard harem cliche--what a disappointment. The quality takes such a plunge that I had a hard time continuing to suspend disbelief; I was expecting another great episode but instead it just felt like the VAs were recycling the usual stale gags instead of playing convincing roles. Hattori seemed an interesting person in episode one, but she hardly appeared at all in this episode, instead we are introduced to the usual selection of shallow harem girls--did this show expend all of its resources making just one good episode? Some sort of double-cross of Akuto appeared to be in the making, but I was so disappointed that I didn't really give a damn. I decided that I would probably continue to watch, but don't build my hopes up so high if you're not going to deliver.

I guess his show is by no means terrible, just pretty average rather than the standout performer which episode one suggested it would be. The green-haired girl amuses me with her deadpan joking. Whether this would be a humorous or serious show remained unclear for a good while. I wondered what would happen when I started watching 'uncensored' episodes; as it turned out, I hardly noticed any difference. Episode five reminded me of Asura Cryin', in that it seemed that the plot was fairly complex but poorly explained. The problem was that the show in general didn't elicit enough interest from me to take the trouble needed to figure it all out. For one thing, is being a Demon Lord good or bad? It seemed horrible at the beginning, but was treated as little more than a joke at times later on. So I adopted a policy of just casually watching to enjoy the jokes and action without trying to fully understand what was going on.

In episode seven the bizarre 'Mister X' appears, and again, I was confused by mixed signals. Is he more of a threat, or a joke? What did they say he was trying to accomplish, and why? It seemed like a lot of effort was put into this guy, yet ultimately he was just a villain of the week. A neat touch was Hiroshi getting a chance to play a major part, rather than just remaining a comical sidekick to Akuto. Episode nine was kind of neat as it bounced back and forth with a touch of skill between several different subplots, and gave us the impression that a likeable character might be in distinct danger. On the other hand, we get more magickal gibberish, like 'Law of Identity' and 'the Gods wish to be ruled', which is unexplained and makes little sense. The general mood of episode ten felt like the series had already reached it's climax, yet I couldn't help wondering if I had accidentally skipped an episode. The plot of this show seems so scrambled that I have only a general idea of what's going on, which doesn't bode well for me getting a major thrill at the climax.

In episode eleven countless characters which I care/remember little about pop out of nowhere. It feels like the makers tried to spread the credit and fame of the final victory among too many people. I asked myself, What the f--- is going on? Who is this 'guy with the creepy suit'? This was not making much sense to begin with, yet new plot strands are tacked on anyhow. A confusing show like this demands tremendous concentration in order to keep track of what's going on, but when the signs are that I am unlikely to get my money's worth, it's not forthcoming. Hurry up and wrap this nonsense up.

Fortunately, once all the supporting characters had gotten their spotlight time in episode eleven, episode twelve was more focused and better than I was expecting. The climactic fight scene was actually kind of cool. There was too much nonsense last week, and in the weeks before, for me to completely understand what's happening (a dragon sprouts computer cables?), but when that's the case a little 'coolness' goes a long way. I can't help feeling that just like the first episode, extra effort was made to ensure quality in this last one. In short, Ichiban UnD might be summarized as two good episodes and ten average ones.

My favorite line: "Be careful. He's definitely a freak" --Hattori

Last updated Saturday, August 17 2013. Created Monday, April 05 2010.
Rent Forbin [series:2184#1573]
6/9 Well while this started as my #1, it fell down to #6? It's a nice show but it suffers from some major pacing issues. Sometimes I BLINK and I missed something important, other times it takes a whole episode to show one point.

I still watch it but it's deep in the RENT category where this should've been a guaranteed BUY.
4/16 WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

My new Maburaho is here! Lets see if it can defeat the king!

Last updated Wednesday, June 09 2010. Created Friday, April 02 2010.
Buy Jan-Chan [series:2184#967]
There are two versions of this series floating around -

The Censored series is more tame, freely using black-out-boxes and redrawn scenes to keep everything PG rated.

The uncensored version is more ecchi - showing naked b**bies and appears to oriented to being 'more thrilling'. ___________________________________________ Here is what ANN sez about this series....

Based on Mizuki Shoutarou's Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou magical fantasy romance novel series. The story of "love, magic, and battles" revolves around Akuto Sai, a boy who aims to become part of his country's highest order of magicians and contribute to society as one of its clergy. On the day he is admitted into the Constan Magical Academy, his aptitude test predicts the following: "Future Occupation … Devil King." Thus begins his difficult school life in which he is resented by his studious female class head, desired by a girl with mysterious powers, and guarded by a beautiful female android.

Last updated Sunday, June 27 2010. Created Sunday, December 27 2009.

Other Sites
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Official Japanese Site http://www.mmv.co.jp/special/daimao/

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