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| Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero's main characters at the end of the OP |
Growing up, most of us had that group of friends in our youth where we felt like we belonged and shared countless memories. We start as peers before becoming closer and more comfortable with each other. We create what seem like mundane memories at the time, only to look back on them years later and realize how much they meant to us. We remember playing basketball, staying up late playing Counter-Strike, having our first beer and drunk-texting our crushes.
But time changes things. We drift apart, not necessarily because of some huge falling-out, but because life simply gets in the way.
Still, there are times when we find each other again. It might be at a wedding, the funeral of someone we knew, or simply because of an out-of-the-blue invitation to have a beer. For Max in Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero, or Lv1 Maou to One Room Yuusha, that reunion comes in the form of the reincarnation of the demon lord he once defeated alongside his party.
The Heroes After the Battle
Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero starts off after the defeat of the Demon Lord by Max and his companions. After the great battle, the four decide to go their separate ways and live their own lives.
Fred, the cleric, ends up joining the Kingdom's government and eventually leads its Magic Bureau. The warrior Leo is now at odds with the Kingdom and has set up a "republic" seeking independence. Yuria, the wizard, is now living a peaceful and private life away from the public eye. While Max, well... he ain't doing so hot.
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| Max clearly no longer looks the part of the hero who defeated the great Demon Lord |
What has the hero been up to in the past 10 years?
After defeating the great Demon Lord, the hero Max basically became the target of scandalous headlines. He spent the past few years juggling 10 babes at a time... allegedly. He weaseled his way into a marriage, claiming that the woman was a hero-hunting gold digger and that the husband was in on the scam. He also beat up a few civilians who he claimed were thugs trying to shake him down.
All of this has led to his reputation taking a nosedive. He is now an unemployed porn connoisseur who lives in a dingy, haunted one-room apartment and spends his time getting drunk on cheap booze in the park after playing with the neighborhood kids.
The past ten years have turned the once-adored hero, brimming with potential, into a cynical shell of a man. My guy ain't no Frieren. Instead of developing his skills or becoming an influential member of society, the world simply passed Max by, leaving him in this depressing state.
Enter the Demon Lord
As the world embraces the peace brought by Max and his party, the nameless, sexually ambiguous Demon Lord sleeps, waiting for the time when he can reincarnate and begin his pursuit of revenge and world domination.
BEHOLD!! THE GREAT DEMON LORD HAS COME!
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| Yeah... ugh.. Demon Lord could have used a bit more time in the oven... |
In Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero, demons reincarnate, making them essentially immortal. However, reincarnation does not mean they immediately regain their original strength. This results in the once-fearsome Demon Lord manifesting as a cute little gremlin.
The Demon Lord Meets the Max of Today
Seeing the man who successfully led a party in defeating it fills the Demon Lord with great anticipation. Expecting a man of enormous influence or immense power, it's safe to say that the Demon Lord is disappointed.
Whether it's pride preventing the Demon Lord from accepting that the man who hacked into its shoulder has fallen this far, or genuine admiration for the Max of ten years ago, it is clearly disappointed by the decrepit state Max is in. Instead of sowing the seeds for an epic rematch, the prospect of defeating the once-great hero no longer seems appealing.
After wading through a sea of used tissues, the Demon Lord attempts to instigate Max by threatening to destroy humanity. When that doesn't work, it threatens the lives of his companions, to which Max responds with encouragement, hoping he will no longer have to pay back his loan to Leo.
This brazen exhibition of Max's douchbaggery provokes the Demon Lord into charging at him, which Max easily counters. Upon realizing that the old Max is still somewhere inside this crusty, jaded ojisan, the Demon Lord takes it upon itself to live with Max and try to unearth the once-great hero who defeated him.
In doing so, it also gets the chance to learn more about the human it intends to conquer.
And it is this relationship that anchors the comedy and overall appeal of the anime.
Max and the Demon Lord's Domestication
Unlike the untidy Max, the Demon Lord is actually a great homemaker. It immediately cleans the room and is able to cook hearty meals. This becomes a great incentive for keeping it around. And the Demon Lord's ability to shapeshift makes it the perfect sexless waifu!
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| Yeah, Demon Lord can become a baddie... in a high school uniform |
Along with the Demon Lord, its secretary, Zenia, also moves in next door. This actually serves as the catalyst for Max's involvement in the Kingdom's geopolitical crisis.
After a bit of drinking, Zenia ends up getting nude and chasing Max all over town. The incident is ultimately captured on camera, embroiling Max in yet another scandal. This catches Fred's attention, as he immediately recognizes Zenia as a member of the demon clan.
The People of Our Past Know Things About Us We Tend to Forget
Fred tracks Max down and humbly asks him to join the Kingdom in suppressing Leo's forces. He presents it as a great opportunity, reminding Max that his savings are dwindling. Max, being the cynic that he is, turns down the offer and tells Fred that he is not so great.
And this is where Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero reminds us that the people from our past usually know us best.
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| Contrary to the public's perception, Fred knows how great of a person Max is |
Shunned by the people who are benefiting from the hardships he went through to defeat the Demon Lord, Max is indifferent and irreverent toward humanity. And frankly, he is even indifferent to his own well-being. Like an overworked adult battered and bruised by the corporate grind who has lost the idealism he had in his youth, Max is now, well... a mess.
And it is uncanny that the mess that is Max is now being sorted out by the Demon Lord he once vanquished.
Throughout the show, it is the Demon Lord that peels back Max's layers. After declining Fred's lucrative offer, the Demon Lord presents Max with an even more lucrative offer: joining the demon clan and their apparent socialist paradise.
Max's rejection, and his refusal to let go of what he believes makes him who he is, shows a surprising level of self-awareness. He may not be the great hero he was ten years ago, but he is not willing to completely let go of himself either.
So... he decides to become a YouTuber.
The anime is a comedy... come on...
The Person We Were May Not Be the Best Person We Can Be Now
The relationship between Max and the Demon Lord shows some great development throughout the show. Dare I say it becomes more... romantic? No... not yet. But it is apparent that the Demon Lord's investment in Max grows beyond simply returning the hero to his former glory.
Beating up a failed YouTuber can't be high on the list of things that make a Demon Lord feel good.
The initial thought of building Max up just so it can tear him down eventually fades. Instead, the Demon Lord seems to genuinely want Max to become a better version of himself.
From supporting Max in his futile attempts to become a YouTuber to getting involved in the lengthy back-and-forth between the Kingdom and Leo's republic, it becomes apparent that the Demon Lord doesn't simply want the old Max back. It wants a better Max.
And throughout the anime, through much hesitation and effort, Max pulls through.
Life has a way of steering the people from our past back into our path and reminding us of who we once were. This story has been told before in many forms of media. A Silent Voice is a good example, with Ishida's past transgressions haunting him throughout the movie.
But Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero does the opposite.
Max is haunted by the present. And what once haunted him—the Demon Lord—is now the one digging him out of the muck of his reality.
Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero manga is over and the prospect of a season 2 is abysmal. But we have 12 episodes. And honestly, they're 12 pretty damn good episodes.
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