Warning: Contains spoilers for episode #1 of The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human!
Summary
Crunchyroll's choice to start the season with The Strongest Magician was met with initial skepticism due to the premise and introduction of the show's main concept. The show's protagonist, Ike, is introduced by navigating a precarious situation that seems to set the tone for the series going forward. The series differs from similar properties due to its darker treatment of subject matter.
Crunchyrolldecided to debut their summer lineup with The strongest mage in the Demon Lord's army is a human is a risk that skeptics have yet to prove otherwise. Of course, a lot can change after the first episode, but it would be disingenuous to say that no thought was given to how a season should start or the chosen entry had any impact on how viewers felt, and the direction The Strongest Magician took in Demon Lord's Army is a human one. To be It's understandable that this will be worrying for those who aren't clear about the ending of the first episode.
The immediate appeal of the strongest Mage in the Demon Lord Army being a human that is The identity of the main character, Ike, can be discovered by the demon lord who is the enemy of humanity. There is a tense scene when the two actually meet for the first time to help emphasize Ike's miserable state, which really gets this message across. However, by the end of the episode, Ike had turned away from those keen eyes. to a place where he is in charge and those who work for him are nothing more than sycophants.
The focus now is on how he carries out his duties. with less chance of him being exposed. As mentioned before, a lot can change in the next episode, but so far, it's been frustrating for Crunchyroll to start with a series that's advertised as a dark fantasy, often with a lot of conflict and resolved it at the end of the first episode.
The strongest mage in the Demon Lord's army is a less dark human than a similar series
Based on the novel series by Ryousuke Hata; produced by Studio A-Cat
Ironically, a recent shojo anime actually explores this darker dynamic much more effectively, which is even more absurd considering that The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human is a seinen, which is notorious for being darker and more violent, especially when compared to shojo. Some might even be surprised by the fact that the eponymous human and non-human characters from the shojo in question, Sacrificial Princess and King of Beasts, are engaged, so a lot of the interactions are romantic in nature.
Anyway, this shojo is very similar to The Strongest Magician in Demon Lord's Army Was a Human. The king, Leonhart, pretends to be a full beast while in reality he is half human, which could cause great damage to his reputation, or worse, as his kingdom is at odds with the humans. Although he has successfully hidden his true identity for many years, Leonhart's decision to marry instead of killing his human sacrifice Sariphi constantly puts him under closer scrutiny from the entire world of beasts and demons.
That being said, like Leonhart, Ike finds himself in the same predicament. A powerful female demon first realized that Ike was a human, and the newest addition is now a female servant serving Ike to help protect his secret. The fact that the female demon, unlike Ike's servant, could expose him at any moment adds to the tension, but so far, she has been too amused by his predicament and has gone out of her way to protect him. Furthermore, She apparently didn't go with Ike to the last-minute move..
Meanwhile, Sariphi convinces Leonhart to be more benevolent and kind in Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. Most episodes involve Leonhart having to constantly justify his benevolence to his subjects, raising the suspicions of some of his harshest critics. Even more complicated situations involve people who love their king and whose desire to overthrow their human princess (and possibly him) is done in what they believe is in Leonhart's best interests, even if his majesty may not share that view.
While all of this could still happen in The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human , the fact that the first episode seemingly exempts Ike from this kind of nuanced oversight doesn't do much to assuage the skepticism of viewers who have been critical of this initial direction for the series—and Crunchyroll's entire summer. Of course, the case could still be made the other way, as the three-episode rule has indeed been proven time and time again. Regardless, like Leonhart himself, the fact is The strongest mage in the Demon Lord's army is a human is the first anime of the season Crunchyroll This will naturally increase scrutiny and criticism from people – and this is not good at all.