An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride

MaDoMe - The infinitely better version of the "Naughty" show from last year. Back last Fall, there was a show called Konyaku Haki sareta Reijou wo Hirotta Ore ga, Ikenai Koto wo Oshiekomu a.k.a I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness, shortened to IkeNaiKyo. That show had a lady who was framed by her own circumstances and fled to a sorcerer's place for recluse against her enemies, which he took her in, and the seeds of romance just somehow blossomed between the two in love, resulting in a VERY awkward relationship. Somehow, the writing in that was too whimsical formy tastes, not to mention the "realism" in that was somehow lacking, despite a good character cast, and ultimately, I came up feeling short and lackadaisical on that front. But as for novelist Fuminori Teshima's Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii? a.k.a An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, shortened to MaDoMe? Now this was what I was waiting for, not just as a source reader, but because I know that everything that the series offers, is basically the superior version of IkeNaiKyo (for a lack of better words). The work itself is rather charming for a good read (or watch), which brings us to the eventual anime adaptation of the source material...and yes, it may be inferior to the LN and its manga adaptation, but you should not just dismiss this as a generic, run-of-the-mill show either. If you've watched IkeNaiKyo before, you'll find that it and Madome share a lot of similarities in overall traits and aesthetics. But ultimately, as per the longevity of the original source material, you'll instantly know which one is easier to have in the long run, or whether it is an inspiration to "copycat" copy-and-paste imitations just like it (not going to get into comparisons because that's NOT the point of the review). Both Zagan and Allen Crawford are magic sorcerers in their own right, having the woman of their lives come to a point when they least expected it (Nephelia a.k.a Nephy, during an auction, and Charlotte Evans, the noble lady who was framed and kicked out by her own family, only to settle in Allen's place), which subsequently grow to become the adornment of the core relationship of the series. In Madome's case, it's the lone Zagan living alone in his rather big castle, taking up the place in the rank of Archdemons after one of them passed away, with so much treasure to sell that it becomes a free-for-all in the manner of an auction. Together with his close buddy of fellow sorcerer Barbatos, Zagan caves in to see the items offered in store: from regular magic items that archdemons would keep...plus an elf for a slave? Initially sold for a high price (like all elf slaves are and do), Zagan literally fell in love at first sight of the beauty and splendour of Nephy enough to offer all of his fortune for her...only to be met by pure awkwardness on how to deal with another person, let alone his "fated" partner for time to come. And cue in the title drop, because that's how we get to see Zagan and Nephy's relationship cure over time from a master-slave to a pure, lovey-dovey one, that'll have your heartstrings squealing for joy. It is easily seen that Zagan and Nephy's relationship is rather typical for fantasy standards (if you count IkeNaiKyo as being one of it), though this is what makes the series special in the first place. Sure, it's just as awkward as the relationship between Allen and Charlotte in trying to figure out who loves the other more, though I'd argue that Madome does the formula first, and does it with justice that you can't help but root for Zagan and Nephy's relationship to bloom. Over time, Zagan learning that Nephy is enslaved because of her dangerous high elf magic, only gives more reason to the relationship being a very costly one, pitting the both of them together to take down evil forces for good. This is alongside the rather colourful cast, from the young Holy Knight of Chastille Lillqvist, who'll eventually come from targeting Nephy to embracing her, and Zagan's relationship as the clumsy and emotional Knight of Justice, as well as the demi-human winged store runner Manuela, whom Zagan frequents her clothes store for Nephy to get acclimated to the human world. The overall cast may be small, but I'll take this any day to see the romantic hijinks of the main couple. It's no secret that the big elephant in the room lies with the production. Brain's Base and (especially) its in-house director Hiroshi Ishiodori may not have the greatest of reputations for giving effort to the shows directed (the most recent being the new generation of the Duel Masters franchise), but for a director who's mainly absent from directorial duties, this show is a decent comeback thanks to the strong writing of the source material, as well as some fine animation that, while it doesn't look impressive, serves the job well enough to look good at the very least. The music...is rather underwhelming. Sure, the OST is decent, but both The Brow Beat and Sayaka Yamamoto's respective OP and ED songs are just too slow for my taste, they can very well serve as songs before you sleep. Very forgettable. All in all, I really recommend this show if you're looking for another romance show to watch. With the fantasy elements every now and then, that break the momentum, it doesn't lose sight of its main theme: the ever-so frenzied dilemma of loving an elf bride, like no other, for an archdemon.

Animes like this were what made me start liking anime, and even today I love watching this type of anime. For me, what brings a good experience to the viewer is the feeling you get when watching, many animes forget that you need to create a plot that makes you want to watch anime. This type of anime is the harmless anime, which, without having to invent much, manages to deliver a great experience for the viewer, the script is extremely consistent and well executed, very good to watch. It even brings me nostalgia for when I watched romances like Plastic Memories and Acchi Kocchi, havinga new anime like this brings me back to the time when watching anime was always a pleasure. The producer Brain's Base is experienced in making romance animes, which greatly reinforces the quality of the anime, despite the more pragmatic "romance" that it is (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU) they aimed for a simpler proposal, but with an execution with mastery. I recommend.

The anime starts strong with the premise of an awkward, yet wholesome romance, embedded into a cruel fantasy world. It includes interesting concepts, which make for some good fantasy world building. At first, I thought this anime was about developing the main relationship. It's literally what the title proclaims. But then it delves into all sorts of subplots that end up not adding much to the development of the relationship. Neither does it really explore its fantasy setting in more than a superficial way. The romance does not feel like it's developing naturally. Instead the main relationship is seemingly put between guard rails. In the later episodesit's going through plenty of run-of-the-mill tropes and the characters end up being tackier than they have to be. Finally, it all settles into some kind of family setting, which takes away space for our awkward couple to explore their attraction. But hey, at least the two MC's relationship can be cute, even if it's super tame. All in all, kinda interesting and kinda boring at the same time. A lighthearted show with slow romance for when you need some comfort food.

An Archdemon's Dilemma is a fantasy slice of life anime with a romance theme, but it ultimately doesn't quite manage to decide what it wants to be, and falls a bit flat in all respects. Animation / Art / General Visuals - 6/10 ----------------------------------------------- While the base art and detail is fine, the animation is very bare bones. Most fight scenes are barely more than static characters charging at each-other. Magical effects are similarly done in the most simplistic ways possible. Some chibi art style moments for comedic relief are also barely animated. As a whole, it is very unimpressive. Sound / Music / Voice Acting - 7/10------------------------------------------ OP and ED is nice, voice acting good. But nothing overly noteworthy. Story - 6/10 ------------- There isn't a whole lot of story, but the show does make it clear early on, that it's going to be focused on a fair bit of slice of life, so one shouldn't even have expected anything overly grand. Basically, a powerful sorcerer ends up purchasing a slave girl after falling in love with her. As he spends time with her, he ends up changing from a gloomy, introverted hermit, to a more approachable individual that learns the value of friends and family. On the side we have some minor fantasy political stuff like the ever common overly zealous church who fights the sorcerers, and the sorcerers who get up to a bunch of mischief. There's a bit of a grander storyline underneath it all, but it's mostly unexplored. The story tries to focus on a romance but there really isn't much of a one. The romance essentially boils down to the two characters staring at each other awkwardly and occasionally holding hands. It doesn't really go anywhere and thus isn't fulfilling at all. Characters - 7/10 --------------------- Probably the strongest part of the show. The characters aren't particularly deep but they're likeable enough. The main character is basically a sorcerer NEET who is so unapproachable that everyone thinks he's evil, even when he's mostly just indifferent. His inability to understand social cues and his own intimidation factor, make for some nice comedic moments. Secondary characters feature a fellow sorcerer friend who is basically the direct opposite of him, the slave girl love interest who is mostly just a nice decoration piece, a daughter like character who is a funny kid, and a possible secondary love interest who mostly ends up being a bridge to link the love story with the grander story of political conflict and such. Even though the characters don't have much depth, except for common backstory tropes, they fit into the story just fine, and aren't insufferable, which is good enough --- Total - 7/10 --- An Archdemon's Dilemma is a fun little fantasy show, but it doesn't really know what it wants to do with itself. There's a fairly OP protagonist, but it's not really a major power fantasy angle. There's romance, but it's very bare bones and doesn't go anywhere. There's a grander storyline, but it's not really explored. There's slice of life, but it's all very basic stuff that doesn't go beyond "hanging out a bit". A relaxing watch for fantasy fans, but don't expect to be impressed by anything.