ANIME REVIEW: HOW NOT TO SUMMON A DEMON LORD

How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 18
Running Time: 300 mins
Release Date: 17/2/2020
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Gaming has been a cultural phenomenon throughout the world and especially in Japan. No one is who they really are in the gaming world and that takes us to Takama Sakamoto, famous online in the MMORPG, Cross Reverie, but in real life, he has no friends; something with which many gamers share.

In Cross Reverie, Takuma plays as Diablo and is taken to a world by two girls who want to use him for their own ends, though he turns the tables on them  - giving them a taste of their own medicine when he enslaves them! He doesn't expect this to happen, for them to take his Diablo persona seriously, and in a way, he through the game starts to get the respect he wanted in real life.

Although the premise doesn't seem like much, what makes us want to watch this series is the characters. If we like them and can identify with them, then we might invest time in the series. This as far as I'm concerned tickets all the boxes with the plot, characters and the main story as Sakamoto Takuma has to assume his role of Diablo when he is taken into another fantasy world where anything goes. After two girls try to bring him in and their plot is turned on them, Diablo could make their lives a misery in this world. Instead, being the nice guy he is, he wants to understand their motives so befriends them in a more amicable way (even if they do wear slave collars!)  

Diablo wants to also understand why he is in this world, and it won't take long for viewers to realise why either; the place he's in being a fantasy world makes it easier for him to try out being a more mature type who can get what he wants in life without feeling shy or think he might not be accepted by others, and by being Diablo he can easily get what he needs without showing how truly powerful he is. His secondary characters of two slave girls are also more than they look; they are more than his playmates as they have personalities all of their own, even if one has more brains than the other, together they make Diablo stronger.

How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord has a decent plot, good characters and a new protagonist whose only goal is to become more of a man at the end.


Bonus Material: Episode 1 Video Commentary, Promo Video and Textless Songs.

Summary: Comical, fun and a lifetime in the world of an otaku!