The Summer 2023 Anime Preview Guide

Helck

After the demon lord is slain at the hands of a lone human warrior, humans rejoice over the end of his reign of terror. Over at the Demon Realm, an intense tournament is held to determine the next demon lord, and it has drawn in the unlikeliest of contestants—Helck, a man who claims to hate humans but is one himself! Doubtful of Helck's intentions, Red Vamirio—one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" who oversees the realm—seeks to uncover what Helck is truly after. With the title of "Demon King'' at stake, the fate of the demon world may very well rest on her shoulders.

Helck is based on Nanaki Nanao's manga. It streams on HIDIVE on Tuesdays.

We've all seen far more stories about demon lords - defeated, undefeated, reincarnated, etc. – than might be strictly healthy for anyone. However, Helck still manages to find its special niche within the genre: what if the guy in the running to be the next demon lord was a human? Maybe it's not completely innovative, but it's a good enough tweak to the formula, and there's something bizarre and joyful about watching a guy who looks vaguely like a periwinkle-haired He-Man grinning his way through competition after competition with a big grin on his face and panache. Even the demons are all rooting for him to win the tournament!

But fun as this concept is, it suffers at least a little in its execution. My biggest pet peeve is how Vermillio the Red shrieks 95% of her lines. It makes sense in context; she's in charge of the tournament set to find the person who will replace Demon Lord Thor, and that's a tremendous amount of responsibility. Thor's only been dead three months, so he must be replaced because that's barely a mourning period for the fallen. And given that he was killed by a human hero, having Helck as the frontrunner for his role isn't a great look for the young demoness hoping to get ahead. (Especially once she figures out that Helck's brother was the one who took Thor out.) So she's got every reason to be hysterical…but that doesn't make it any funnier every time she starts screaming and emitting flames. It's a bit that was old when Slayers first came out.

The episode also tries to cram too much into a twenty-three-minute premier. We're introduced to far too many characters both in and outside the tournament, and the progression of time is a bit unclear; when did Vermillio have time to send spy Asta out to learn about Helck? Because it looks like there aren't enough hours in the day for her to become suspicious, dispatch a spy, and have that spy report back. We don't have a firm grasp of how long the tournament has been going on, either, and there's some disconnect between the goofiness of the Vermillio scenes and the sense that there's something deeply wrong in the human world, as Asta discovers. Helck almost would have done better to make this two episodes to give equal weight to both the silly and the serious elements.

Despite these issues, this is still a lot of fun. Helck himself has some things in his past that he may be trying to escape, and the idea of a giant, multi-abbed human deciding that he's going to participate in the tournament to become the next demon lord is entertaining all on its own. Based on what I've read of the source manga, this series will benefit from having a second (or a third) episode to grasp better how it will handle things in the future. It's got enough potential to make it worth giving it that chance.

First off, props to this show for casting Sora Takui. It's entirely a “me” thing, but I'm just always happy to hear her voice, even when a show isn't good (Anyone else remember Two Car?). Thankfully, so far, this show is pretty good, playing with well-trod fantasy and comedy ideas in a way that, while not transformative, is at least fun and endearing.

I tried this series's first volume a while back and bounced off of it. Something in the artwork or the paneling kept the comedy from working for me, and while there were hints of a larger story behind it all, I wasn't interested in sticking around. However, the anime has smoothed out those issues because this episode worked well for me. The art is polished and expressive, capable of effortlessly transitioning from the comedy that makes up most of the episode to the more serious fantasy drama we get hints of on occasion. That's a difficult balance to keep, but they nail it here, and by the end credits, I wasn't just curious but actively excited to see another episode.

Granted, your taste for this series depends on how much you can stand Vermilio shouting. Her consternation at Helck's presence and her increasingly desperate Dick Dastardly plans failing is a big chunk of this episode. The timing is snappy, and there's time spent assuring us she's not just a blustering mini-boss – she does have a good reason not to trust a human trying to become her kingdom's new ruler, and by all appearances, is doing this out of sincere concern – but it can be rather one-note. Helck, however, is delightful: a brawny, square-jawed goof who roles with all the crazy punches and seems to genuinely like all the demons he's brawling with. There's the mystery of why he's joined this tournament, and his true intentions are an enigma. Still, in the immediate present, he's a fun personality that makes Vermilio's antics work as punchlines. Despite never speaking a word to each other, they manage to have great comedic chemistry as the hero no-sells her nefarious plans.

I also found myself interested in whatever the more serious story is, mainly because all the demons we meet seem like pretty cool folks, and I don't want to see anything bad happen to them. The cold open gives us a glimpse of something freaky going on in the human realm, and elements like armored soldiers with angel wings and abandoned towns suggest it's pretty bad. While we don't see much action in this episode, the short bouts against Helck are a lot of fun, and if they can apply that animation quality to more serious battles, then the serious side of this story will be in good hands. There's no way to know if all this will pay off or work properly when juxtaposed with the wacky comedy, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

As I said, the premise and setting aren't anything to write home about, but this premiere proves that execution is more important than having a mind-blowing elevator pitch. It's funny, looks good, and there's potential here for it to be an engaging, earnest fantasy series if handled correctly.

Have you ever been so convinced that you were willing to move heaven and high water to prove it? That insane and obsessive mentality is at the heart of Helck. I'm a fan of the original manga on which this material is based, and I've been looking forward to this adaptation for quite some time. I had the opportunity to catch the premiere at Anime Expo a few weeks ago, and my opinion on the show so far seems to be about the same, if not slightly better, than my initial first impressions. While the anime isn't as over-the-top as the original manga, it still takes advantage of the medium to play up the absurdist comedy as much as it can. The soundtrack alternates between being overly triumphant and dramatic, and overly cartoony, while the animation helps punctuate some of the already absurd elements. I love how Helck's bulking frame is so comically huge compared to everyone else, even though he appears to be a strong human in a world of demons.

The anime tips its hat a little too early, though, as it makes it clear there's something off about Helck sooner than I think the series could have. I like the fact that the first few minutes are played up in an overly dramatic way, and then everything gets reframed in a more comedic fashion after the opening. However, there is a general air about the anime that leads me to think that there is something more suspicious and unfunny on the horizon. It makes me think that Vermilio's suspicions are justified, and it would have been funnier if we genuinely didn't know. I worry that this misdirection might downplay the comedy until some of this foreshadowing pays off, whenever that might be. Still, this is an overall solid adaptation so far, and I'm curious to see what other elements will be played with moving forward.

I think the best thing about this first episode of Helck is that it doesn't waste the viewer's time. Instead of retreading a setup we've seen a billion times before, the anime lays it out in seconds. The human hero killed the demon lord, and this is the story about what happens after. However, immediately, it starts to build on and redefine the archetypal story.

The humans view the conflict between them and the demons classically—i.e., the demon lord is evil, and once he is killed, the demon threat will be ended. However, from the demon's side of things, it's different. The "demon lord" is only one of many—the ruler of a single castle. Far from being defeated, the demons are simply preparing to retake the castle. But first, they are choosing the person who will be the new demon lord for that castle through a tournament. Of course, the twist is that the current front-runner is not a demon, but rather the level 99 human hero, Helck.

Much of the episode is played as a comedy, with Vermilio trying to rig the various events so that Helck can't win. The question is never "if Helck will win," but rather "how Helck will win"—and that "how" almost always elicits a giggle or two.

Yet, beneath the slapstick, there is a serious undercurrent of mystery and looming dread that only grows with each revelation. What would cause a human hero to join the demons and vow to eliminate the humans? What caused the disappearance of the humans in the nearby villages? What is the deal with the army of angels attacking the demon realm? And perhaps most importantly, why did the kind and noble Helck kill his brother, the hero who defeated the previous demon lord?

All of this makes for a great little first episode. The comedy keeps things entertainingly moving along, while the ever-increasing horde of mysteries acts as a hook to keep you coming back for more. Additionally, all the characters—especially Vermilio and Helck—have fun and varied personalities, making this one of the shows this season that deserves a watch.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I know some people were looking forward to Helck. I'm pretty tired of demon lord narratives overall, but I'm willing to overlook their overdoneness if they have a decent comedic twist, a la The Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle. "Human himbo with a tragic past wins over the hearts and minds of the demon population through a combination of strength and likability" seemed like it had the potential to be a winning enough story to keep me interested, provided it was well-made. It has a director whose work I have enjoyed and the endorsement of people whose taste I trust.

My literal friends told me they were looking forward to this, I am so sorry. The highest praise I can give Helck's premiere is that it is... fine. The animation is fine - a bit stiff and limited, but at least it's consistent on the model. The humor is fine. It's not offensive or anything, but it didn't do much to make me crack a smile. The writing is fine - there's some okay foreshadowing of things to come, but there wasn't a lot of wit or warmth to it. It was perfectly acceptable, but it isn't good enough.

As someone unfamiliar with the manga, I don't know exactly whose feet lies the blame, but my biggest complaint is the poor delivery of the jokes. The episode is made up mostly of a single run-on gag: Vamirio is upset that a human hero is doing well in the tournament to determine the next Demon Lord and suspects he has an ulterior motive. She and Hon (played by a wildly cast against type Akira Ishida) try to change the competition to one he can't win, but then he excels against their expectations. Vamirio yells a lot. Sometimes she causes explosions. It's funny(?). These jokes are delivered flatly, without any comic timing or energy at all, as if it doesn't realize it's supposed to be humorous, but there's not any other way to read the situation.

With a more skilled presentation, I could see this situation being fairly compelling. There are hints of tragedy behind Helck's hulking exterior – he hates all humans, and is wanted for killing his younger brother, who was the hero that killed the Demon Lord. He may be a big, lovable goof, but something is lurking beneath the surface for him to have ended up in this position. Something is very, very wrong here, and I am curious to know what.

Perhaps I'll check out the manga. As it is, much like how Helck killed his brother, Helck is killed by poor presentation.