A second season to expand on the fun with.
What They Say:
Yuko thought that her life had been turned completely upside down when she learned that she and her entire family were demons, but it seems the universe has only begun to mess with her now-horned head. For example, what’s a succubus supposed to do when she challenges one of the local Magical Girls to a duel, but they misinterpret it to be an invitation to hang out instead? Then there’s questions like what kind of restrictions should you put on ancestors who borrow your body? And let’s not even get into the issues of proper etiquette when the other local Magical Girl moves into one’s apartment complex or inheriting stupidly powerful magical artifacts! Basically, Yoko’s life is going to be hell as it’s just one bedeviling problem after another!
The Review:
Audio:
The audio presentation for this release brings us the original Japanese language in stereo using the DTS-HD MA lossless codec as well as the English language dub in the same form. The show is mostly dialogue driven with some solid comedic moments throughout that give it life while sticking to a fairly standard design. The result works pretty well for it as it balances the character material well with the more outlandish bits The music during the opening and closing sequences are where things sometimes stand out the most with the warmest and fullest moments, but the show hits a lot of good marks throughout with the placement of character dialogue and some depth in a few scenes as well. The show doesn’t really go big when it comes to this aspect of it since it’s fairly relaxed or spoken in low tones, but it all comes across cleanly and clearly without any problems such as dropouts or distortions during regular playback.
Video:
Originally airing in spring 2022, the transfer for this series is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p using the AVC codec. The show runs for twelve episodes and is spread across two discs in a nine/three format. Animated by JC Staff, the series is one that has a very good look to it with its character designs and colors where there’s a good bit of vibrancy and richness to it. A richness that definitely stands out more here in high definition as it has a lot of vibrancy, detail and just pop in general. Colors are strong throughout and even the mild banding that comes from the source is negligible at best, particularly compared to what we had before. I had liked the show well enough in standard definition after seeing the simulcast, but it just takes on a greater life here.
Packaging:
The packaging design for this release comes in a standard-sized Blu-ray case that holds the two discs. The front cover works with the familiar key visual that gives us our two leads together looking cute on the fork like a broom where they’ve got on cute and skimpy outfits with a nice pop of color. The background goes for the simple white with a little mixed in for some soft pinks and blues that gives it all a little more cohesion. The logo itself is one that I like with the demon tail it mixes in and the way it works the color design in a creative way. The back cover keeps to the same color design overall as we get a nice group of characters which puts its focus on Lilith while also delivering several small but very colorful shots from the show. The summary of the premise is done with white on black that’s very easy to read while the extras are a bit smaller than usual as they’re scrunched next to the production credits. With an accurate technical grid that breaks down how the set works, it’s a good-looking design overall that doesn’t come with any inserts or a reversible cover.
Menu:
The menu design for this release is pretty nicely done with some good colors to it that give it a lot of pop. With the character material taking up the static image slot that dominates, each lets one of the main characters take center stage in their colorful costume design, which for Yuko in particular looks really good even if it’s showing off way too much skin. Set against a white and blue background, it has the right softness there that lets the character artwork stand out all the more. The left side has the navigation with the logo along the top the same as the main cover while below it we get the blue selections with episodes and their titles spread across it. It’s filled with wordy episode titles so there’s a lot going on here. But it works well and is easy to navigate. The language option is standard design and the extras are kept to the second disc, keeping everything together in one place.
Extras:
This release comes with the cute bonus of The Girl Next Door Mini episodes, which are lighthearted brief bits that should make you laugh, as well as the clean versions of the opening and closing sequences.
Based on the manga Machikado Mazoku, The Demon Girl Next Door began its run in Manga Time Kirara Carat back in 2014 and has six volumes out in Japan – only one more than when I reviewed the first season back at the end of 2020. Written by Izumi Ito, the four-panel manga series previously made the leap to anime form and we now get a second season that landed in the spring 2022 season. JC Staff took up the animation for it originally and returned here where they give it a very solid presentation with Hiroaki Sakurai directing based on the scripts handled by Keiichiro Ochi. It’s the kind of solid comedy that definitely works well because it handles its outlandish moments just right and by coming from a four-panel work it ends up going through a good deal of material without lingering too long on bits that don’t work. It’s got a looser and lighter feeling to it even while dealing with some larger character problems.
This season is a lot like the first season in that there is a kind of overall story to it but it’s more about the moments and instances than anything else. That’s not a surprise considering its four-panel origins because even though have story material but it’s not about these rich and deep arcs. It does make for some creative adapting, however, and what’s enjoyable is that the series makes us care about these characters beyond those origins. Just taking the time to flesh out the gags and bits and making it so that it feels lived in with time to breathe around it, even when it’s quite active, achieves a lot. That said, the second season plays with the story more than the first but that’s a natural evolution to it and one of the reasons that an adaptation of a four-panel strip, even with as much material as there is, will be more interesting because it has to fill those gaps in-between.
If anything, the second season may be a bit divisive for some in that it expands on the cast with more characters. If one of the draws of the first season was that it kept it fairly small, focusing largely on Yuko and Momo, then it may be frustrating to get more time elsewhere here – though they are still central to things. And some of the interactions are fun, such as when Yuko ends up working at the cafe with a tapir demon that’s got the traditional Manager appellation to them. There are some fun gags with him because of his form but it’s amusing to watch Yuko navigate all of this and to have something else to play off of for a while. The cafe location provides for some of that in general but the Manager just has some really fun little gags to them.
The cafe also gives us Lico, which is a familiar fox-type character but that unlike the manager is human for the most part. She’s fun because of how she interacts with everyone and her boss in particular because we see pretty quickly not just why she’s the real boss but also how. Again, this gives someone for the other two to interact with and a location to immerse themselves in so it works well. All of it clicks but, like the first season, it’s going for the gags and the layered approach of being from the four-panel source, so you have to pay attention and keep it all together. It works and definitely delivers some laughs but it reminded me that the first season was something that I had spread out instead of doing a binge-watch for a very good reason.
The show spends a good chunk just enjoying the whole summer break aspect of things and it has a lot of good material to play with overall. You get some time off from working here and there and enjoying the sights and sounds of this place. And the sounds of summer in anime really do etch into your brain where just saying the words mean those sounds come to mind from so many regions. Spend as much time as we do with the summer period hits a sweet spot, from various activities to the shopping and just the brightness of it all. We do get the return to school toward the end of the season, and that leads to its own silliness, but it felt more like a lot of other series where things are light and mostly fun for much of the show but just turn serious for the final two episodes as it tries to deal with Mikan and her curse.
In Summary:
I always find adaptations from four-panel works to be fascinating simply because of the couple of options in how they can be handled. This one still feels pretty light overall in terms of story, as to be expected, but it gets nudged a bit more this time around. With a couple of years between seasons you lose some of that energy as well, especially if you consume a lot of anime as opposed to just watching a few shows. That said, the season has a pretty good evolution overall with some new characters that add a bit of fun to the mix and gives it a little more interplay that works well for all involved. It’s pretty good-looking with great designs and its focus on the summer season is always a draw as well because the season can just be so distinctive in this form. Sentai’s release hits the right notes here with a great encode, a very fun dub that captures the characters well, and the inclusion of the mini-episodes as well. Fans of the first will be well-served by what they do here.
Features:
Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Language, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Language, English Subtitles, Clean Opening, Clean Closing, Mini Episodes
Content Grade: B+
Audio Grade: B+
Video Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Menu Grade: B
Extras Grade: B-
Released By: Sentai Filmworks
Release Date: May 9th, 2023
MSRP: $69.98
Running Time: 300 Minutes
Video Encoding: 1080p AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
