How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord

Episode 4

So now that I'm over the initial shock of How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord not being blindingly awful, the task at hand is to evaluate just how serviceable (and fan-serviceable) it can get. This fourth episode picks up from the previous one's odd cliffhanger, detailing Diablo's efforts against the revenge of the Fallen. As with those preceding episodes, Demon Lord shows that it's a different breed from lesser isekai shows that are all power-fantasy-driven game-world tours. Basic storytelling conceits like build-ups with payoff are respected, such as Emile's seemingly frivolous introduction last episode actually serving to foreshadow his more serious arrival this week.

This opening segment of Emile defending Rem and Celes from the Fallen soldier mostly seems to demonstrate how Demon Lord might function without its titular anti-hero. Without Diablo around to do his nervous internal-monologue thing or even remind us that this is technically a game-based world, how entertaining is this otherwise simple fantasy show? Like the rest of the show, it's surprisingly functional! The story isn't much more interesting than basic hero fights bad guys fare, but there's competent pathos and characterization here, even if I find myself wishing the battle was more interesting than one Gilgamesh-looking dude getting smacked around in an alleyway.

Diablo's fight outside the wall brings more spectacle to the effort. It does start off with the old DBZ speed-fighting special, saving some of that precious animation, but as with other elements of Demon Lord, this battle proves to be more well thought-out than expected. Probably the most low-key strength of this show so far has been that while Diablo is strong, he's not that strong. He has none of the divine assistance or game-breaking hacks that other isekai protagonists get; he's simply extremely high in level (and not even by that much for the version of the game world he came from). So there's a lot of internal back-and-forth as he strategizes how to ration his high-MP-cost spells or even end fights early.

This all builds to the coolest part of the episode, where Diablo parlays his high HP pool to tank his enemy Edelgard's most powerful attack. It's an interesting spin on a common concept, seeing a super-strong bad guy shrug off something like that from his perspective. More interestingly, the trick doesn't actually work, when it's revealed that Diablo's actually been out-gambited by Edelgard and her band of monsters. Isekai stories, power-fantasies that they are, often make their heroe infallible and, even if they have to put effort into something, they still win every single time. Our main character realizing that he didn't have enough power to win outright creates some real tension that results in more interesting storytelling.

So of course Diablo pulls an instant-win spell out of his ass at the last minute and teleports off to save the day. To the show's credit, it does try to write some drama into this detail, with the implication that Diablo had to spend more of his MP pool than he wanted to generate that crater (along with some fanservice from Edelgard). It also briefly teases out that his teleportation spell might not be expected to work in this version of the world. But all those issues are glossed over too quickly; the teleport spell turns out to be quick and easy, and Diablo still has enough magic juice left to take on the single Fallen that hasn't moved from the alley since the beginning of the episode. There's a sense that even with stronger writing holding it up, the structure and plot of this show are still firmly concerned with making sure Diablo is as awesome as possible above all else.

Indeed, this results in watching our ‘hero’ curb-stomp the monster being less interesting than his fight in the first half. There is an effective sense of seeing a jerk get his comeuppance, but that's pretty basic stuff for a fight that's largely static magic casting and reflection. The most interesting touch is the way the show lets Diablo give a villain monologue without hearing any internal commentary from him; at this point, the show trusts that we understand the joke well enough to just speculate about how he's carrying on in his head and find that funny.

It's all average material peppered with above-average touches, but the series just can't hold off on the worse habits of its premise at the end of this first story arc. Honestly, I was happy to forget about the whole slavery premise, but it gets dredged back up at the very end as Rem and Shera gush to Diablo about how happy they are to be his ‘possessions’. You were so close, Demon Lord, you don't have to make this a running gag! Thankfully, the snuggly Shera shenanigans at the end of the episode are much more good-natured. I'm starting to think that any scenes that just focus on her and Diablo are a best-case scenario for the show's fanservice.

But if that's the worst I have to deal with from Demon Lord, I'll take it. The rest of this episode gets by on the same decent action and surprisingly interesting game vs reality world-building the show has traded on so far. There's even set-up for the next arc at the end of this episode, dispelling fears that we might descend into the unfortunate meandering of other worse isekai shows. For a series I had no expectations for going into, that counts as a win in my book.

Rating: B-

How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.