MAOYU: Archenemy and Hero "Become mine, Hero" "I refuse!"

Meh. Meh. MEH. I got into Manga recently. Started reading the mangas of animes that didn't finish the story. Started reading this Great concept for a Romance! Cute Characters! Nice politics and economics sides. A bit cliche tropes and overly competent characters but hey, it works. But don't expect a good romance. There's very little romantic interaction. And that's also ruined by ANOTHER LI. Yeah, we've got a harem situation. And both girls are just alright with it? Like someone never studied how harems actually turn out irl. Well that's really what I want to say. Don't read this for romance. Read it for the sortof powertrip that the main cast takes. They're strong af. Make some downright perfect decisions. Looking back, it's not the greatest manga. And the ending sucks. So idk why i'm giving it 7. Should be more like 6. Maybe It's just the start that's very good, but Female Knight ruins the relation between Yuusha and Maou. They barely have significant interactions as it is. But when she just barges in and steals some of that time... She doesn't get enough, Maou doesn't get enough and yuusha is oblivious as ever. In short: FEMALE KNIGHT BEGONE YOU FLAT ANVIL

Alright, Imma be real with you. I tried to give this manga the benefit of the doubt, I really did. After seeing so many positive reviews, I thought that this manga had to have something to it. I kept telling myself to push through and read the next chapter because there was no way this many people would praise this series over nothing, so I just kept on pushing through chapter after chapter... until it was over. Let's just say that I was pissed when I finished reading it. I wondered, did I seriously waste all this time suffering through this story for nothing? ApparentlyI did and that's not okay. That's why I feel like I have a moral obligation now to give this series the hate that it deserves so more people can avoid falling victim to its dreadfulness as I did. First off, the art is bad. I was debating whether I should start off by rewriting the synopsis or reviewing the story, but I think this is more important. The art is not bad in the sense that it's a unique style that's hard to get used to, but in the sense that it's just lazy and sloppy. The panels are missing a lot of detail, and I mean a lot. Most of the panels have little to no background, and the backgrounds that are drawn are extremely minimal. The details in general feel very messy and low quality. The very best panels that this manga has to offer are well below average. Literally nothing stands out, from the character designs to the battle scenes to the diagrams used for explanations. Everything is just not good, and it only marginally gets better with time. The art seems like something a 6th grader would draw when they want to create their own manga. It's that level of quality. The art is so watered down that it actually takes away from the experience. Sloppy and forgettable doesn't just apply to the art, it also applies to the characters. Sometimes a manga has a cast of characters that are so well written that they leave you with fond memories like Beck, sometimes a manga has a cast of characters that are so horribly written that they piss you off like Mirai Nikki, and sometimes a manga has a cast of characters that doesn't stand out either way but they're still good enough to leave you satisfied like Claymore. This manga does not fall into any of these categories. The cast of characters in this manga is so mind numbingly dull that I feel nothing toward any of them. Hell, I straight up forget most of them just a few days after finishing the story, that's how forgettable they are. The only thing that I remember well about any of the characters is that the Demon Queen has big tits, that's about it. The personalities are one dimensional, their backgrounds make little sense, and there's little to no character development (the only character that got any actual character development is the older maid sister, and even then it's average). I have zero emotional attachment towards any of the characters, I just couldn't get invested in the characters. When the characters and art are this bad, there has to be some powerful story to cover the gaps and then some. Maybe this is the case in the light novels (I haven't read them nor do I plan to), but it definitely isn't the case here. The story presented in this manga is very flawed and weak. The main story is a cliche premise of the two main characters being on opposite sides of a conflict and then working together to end the violence. I don't have an issue with a story being cliche if it's executed right, and this story is definitely not executed right. I have three issues with how the story was handled. The first is the lack of development. Nothing really moves in this manga. The romantic relationship that was established in the first chapter goes nowhere over the course of the entire series. The main characters, as previously mentioned, stay largely the same with the exception of maybe one character. The complexity of the plot doesn't progress and it stays very underwhelming. I just didn't see any growth, and that's a big issue for me. What a separates a good story from a bad one in my opinion, is this type of growth. The developing progress is what makes a story interesting, it's what makes characters relatable, and it's what makes readers invest in the series. The fact that this manga was so lacking in this regard firmly puts it in the trash category of stories. The second is the lack of complexity. The main selling point of this story is supposed to be that it explores economic and political concepts, supposedly giving it a sense of intellectual depth. However, the concepts that are mentioned are not deep or complex at all. The benefits of crop rotation? The concept of inflation? The idea of the printing press? Really? Who's impressed by this? It doesn't help that the explanations given are very simple and oversimplified. Maybe I've gotten too old, but these concepts are so basic that they just seem childish to me. They might seem complex to a kid in middle school who hasn't learned basic economics/politics yet, but if you're any older then it's not intellectually stimulating at all. The third is the shallowness of it all. One example of this is the interactions between the characters. The vast majority of them are so damn agreeable, it's excessive to the point where it hurts the story. There's no conflict between the characters, there's no drama, and there's very little disagreements. You have about two 2 or 3 supervillains and everybody else is a yes man. It makes the story predictable and repetitive. Another example of this is the comedy, which I think was not very well handled at all. Most of the jokes in the story just revolve around the size of the breasts of the female characters... which I just don't find funny. I would been more fine with this type of humor if there was more to it or something else accompanying it, but there isn't, the size of the breasts is the whole joke again and again and again. I also would've been fine if it was used in between arcs where comedic relief makes sense, but instead we get some of these thought provoking jokes during climatic events, like when a coup d'etat is happening for example. To me, these jokes just showcase that the author himself doesn't take his story seriously. If the author can't get invested in his own story then why should we? As harsh as I am being with this series, it's not all doom and gloom. There are a single digit number of pages in this 57 chapter book that are pretty good. Hell, a couple even made me "heh" out loud or hold my breath for a second or two. So it does have appeal, but only for specific demographic. This story is probably a decent read if you're in middle school and wants a quick feel good story. It has a plot that explores concepts, comedy, and romance at that level. However, if you're any older, this story will only come off as childish and weak and is not worth your time. If you're above the age of 13 and are considering reading this manga, then take some advice from uncle Breezy, and just don't. I suffered through this manga so you don't have to. If you want to read a story that goes in depth with war politics and strategies the right way, read Kingdom. If you want to read a story that explores intriguing economic topics while balancing it with a complex romantic relationship, read Spice and Wolf. If you just want to read a damn good fantasy story with demons and war then read Berserk. All three of these are better than this manga in every way imaginable. This manga just ain't it.

TL:DR primarily about politics and economics and a bit of military tactics. Weird end. Not great characters, splash of harem. Conditionally recommend, only for people who are interested in a more cerebral political/economic/military type of story. Story: 7/10 Primarily about political movements and economic developments across the world this manga is set in. I like the developing world and the slow introduction of new players. The ending gets a bit mystical, which is a disappointment considering the very grounded plot prior to the conclusion. Art: 6/10 The character design is pretty good. The backgrounds are nice too when they're used however there is usually a blank grey instead ofbackground art. There are also some particularly lazy portions where there is simply text on an empty panel, though this is very rare. Characters: 4/10 Characters are not the focus here, and it shows. As if to tell you this, all characters are referred to by titles (e.g. "Hero"). Not much growth, outside of a few characters. The personalities aren't very interesting either. The romance is boring and feels out of place. Again not the focus of the manga. Overall: 6/10 A good, more intellectual manga but flat characters and forced romance(s) drag it down. The end feels very out of place compared to the rest of the manga. While the focus is not on the characters, it would be improved with having more interesting personalities to carry the plot. I conditionally recommend this only for people who enjoy the political and economic aspects of the manga.