The following content contains spoilers from Misfit of Demon King Academy Season II, episode 1, currently streaming on Crunchyroll. When Misfit of Demon King Academyfans last left off, Anos Voldigoad and his loyal subordinates had just taken down the mighty Jerga, liberating the humans from his autocratic control and breaking the chains that bind Eleonore Bianca and her clones.
Azeshion and Dilhade have subsequently returned to a state of relative peace, although the in-house bickering between hybrids and purebloods continues. Despite his display of unfathomable power, some still refuse to acknowledge Anos as the true Demon King of Tyranny and remain delusionally loyal to Avos Dilhevia instead.
Reflecting on the Past
With a convenient flashback for context, Season II starts out in the depths of Forest Aharthern, just as the Great Spirit Mother Leno decides to take a trip to Delsegard. Her plans take a detour when the Heavenly Father God NousGalia attempts to impregnate Leno against her will; however, Anos and Shin Reglia rock up just in time to save the damsel. Even though God's are supposedly invincible, Anos finds a loophole using the deadly Degzegd spell in conjunction with a Looting Sword; however, for Divine beings, death is only temporary.
To prevent this scenario from repeating, Anos orders Shin to remain by the Great Spirit's side as she travels to Delsegard and back home again, and, as expected, the pair's constant proximity inspires affectionate feelings (more obvious in Leno's radiant visage). However, their tentative love story is interrupted by tragedy as they find Aharthern under attack by a (familiar-looking) spirit-devouring entity who calls himself Anoshu Polticoal.
The Current State of Affairs
Welcome back to modern times, where elitism runs rampant at the Demon King Academy, although Anos doesn't seem as phased by the Royals' backhanded remarks as last time around. Ms. Menou Historia tries to keep things calm as she makes a few announcements, including the introduction of two (fan-favorite) Human exchange students and a rather suspicious-looking teacher, who are all apparently not up to the Noble students' standards. Erdomaid DittiJohn (aka Eldmed Ditigeon) first proves his worth to the skeptical students (who demand an upper-class teacher, not this) by unveiling his connection to the Four Evil Royals/Kings, the strongest Demonic commanders to ever exist, save for Anos Volidgoad.
Things only deteriorated from then onwards as the purple-haired the Blaze Death King denounces Avos Dilhevia's claim to fame and demands that Anos gets the respect he deserves, forcing the red-uniformed Royalists to their knees with some magical persuasions. Anos answers by returning the elitists to their seats and makes a moving statement declaring that he no longer cares if others recognize his status, as there is little need for a Demon King of Tyranny during times of peace. He goes on further to explain that he wants to be treated like any other demon and that the distinction between hybrids and purebloods must be abolished for the sake of prosperity. As class finally resumes, Anos, seeing straight through Erdomaid's disguise, ponders why NousGalia would infiltrate a school in the first place.
The Four Evil Royal Forces
It appears that the Heavenly Father God NousGalia doesn't excel at keeping up appearances, as it doesn't take long for him to reveal his true identity to the class, with some more patronizing magic in tow. Targeting the noble students once more, Erdomaid threatens their lives with some intense choke holds while speaking of his virtuous plans to restore absolute order to the world (by eliminating the Demon King of Tyranny from the equation.) First, NousGalia must find the Child of God, who will allegedly lead to Anos' destruction and, as it turns out, also happens to be one of Voldigoad's hand-selected subordinates.
The King of Tyranny puts an end to NousGalia's nonsensical monologue with Venuzdnor, the Magic Sword of Destruction (even after the Heavenly Father's outlandish claim that the world "will fall apart" without him.) As to be expected, Anos doesn't hesitate to skewer Erdomaid to test his theory, and to no one's surprise, the universe doesn't crumble at the loss of its self-entitled God. He does resurrect the imposter again; however, this sets off a series of events that summons other members of the Four Evil Forces, who proceed to make a beeline for Anos and his team, setting up the suspense for the next round of battles:
- Zeik Ozma will take on Anos Voldigoad in a challenge of wits.
- Gerad Azrema tackles Misa (and Lay), attempting to steal her Source for Kaihilam Jiste by her father's command.
- Zabro Gaze surprises Eleonore and Zeshia with some poison-fueled tactics.
- Rinka Theornes challenges the Necron Sisters to a battle of Magic Eyes.
Love is in the Air
It is cute to see Lay and Misa sneaking sweet nothings in the sunlight, reaffirming their devotion and making plans to fight alongside each other, regardless of what dangers are on the horizon. These lovebirds get quite a bit of screentime to stop and smell the roses during this jam-packed episode, suggesting they may have a vital role to play in the Great Spirit Arc. Misa is a hybrid after all, with Spirit blood flowing through her veins, while her mysterious father has left fans with a rather sinister first impression. Viewers have also received adequate forwarning about the fan club's impending musical numbers, which will apparently be of great importance; prepare for the cringe!
While the stellar visuals from Season 1 of Misfit of Demon King Academy leave little concern for the complaints department, the artwork in the second installment takes things to a whole new level! Crisper linework, more radiant colors, and breathtaking lighting techniques enhance the viewing experience significantly, and just in time for all the new Divine character debuts. The change in Anos' voice actor may take some getting used to; however, Yuichiro Umehara has an adequately arrogant tone to his performance.
Information Overload
Much of the Lore is skipped over or rushed through in Season II's debut, especially pertaining to the Goddess of Destruction and the pact that led to Anos' sacrifice; however, it is still early days and there is always time to revisit certain issues. Overall, this episode would have been more satisfying with slower pacing, as there was simply too much information crammed into 23 minutes, without allocating adequate time for the audience to absorb all the new information. Almost a dozen new introductions also get crammed in, and while light novel readers could possibly keep up, other viewers received a bit of a stimulation overload. Regardless, many Misfit fans are accustomed to the rich world-building and remain unperturbed by the pacing, just simply thrilled to have the OP Anos back in business after COVID's interference with production.
New Characters Introduced in Episode 1 (alone):
- Heavenly Father God NousGalia (Creation of Order and Gods)
- Great Spirit Leno (Mother of Spirits)
- Anoshu Polticoal (Young Anos)
- Blaze Death King, Erdomaid DittiJohn
- King of Curses, Kyhilam Jiste
- Scarlet Monument King, Gilisiris Dello
- King of Netherworld, Eges Code
- Goddess of Destruction, Abernyu
- Zeik Ozma (Blaze Death King's Military Advisor)
- Zabro Gaze (Scarlet Monument King's Lieutenant)
- Rinka Theornes (aka Linka Theorness, King of the Netherworld's adjutant)
- Gerad Azrema (Demonic subordinate of Kaihilam Jiste)