Reviewed: Is Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-kun Good?

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun) is a Japanese fantasy shonen manga series by Osamu Nishi.

The story focuses on young and kind-hearted Iruma Suzuki whose parents sell him to demons out of pure selfishness.  Iruma is now pulled into the world of demons; where he is adopted by a demon named Sullivan and must attend demon school as a part of his new life.

The first season of the series has been completed as of March 7th, 2020. A second season has been announced and is scheduled to premiere in early 2021.

1. Quick Review

Fourteen-year-old Iruma Suzuki was forced to become an adult at a very young age and earn money as a result of having irresponsible parents. One day, he finds out that his parents sold him to the demon Lord Sullivan.

 Iruma’s concerns about his fate are put to rest when he meets Sullivan. He learns that the demon simply wants a grandchild and nothing more. Sullivan takes good care of Iruma and just like any boy his age, he must now attend school, only this one is a demon school called Babyls.

On his first day at Babyls, Iruma tries his best to avoid attention out of fear that the other students may discover that he is human.The situation takes an unfortunate turn for Iruma when he learns that Sullivan is the chairman of the school and is a likely candidate to become the next Demon King.

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun excels in creating a wholesome comedy. The simple storyline tells us all we need to know about the main character’s background and where the story is headed. The series is child-friendly with light-hearted humor without depending on mainstream vulgar comedy to carry the show.

2. Info Card

3. Is it worth watching?

The series plays out as more of a comedy than an action show. The anime contains hilarious scenarios, wild misunderstandings, and great chemistry between the charismatic characters.  The characters are constantly evolving owing to a solid and straightforward plot.

With fantastic animation and colorful artwork, the series is a great watch if you’re looking for a unique yet effortless comedy without putting too much thought into it.

I. Plot

Iruma Suzuki’s parents sold him to a demon for money. The demon known as Sullivan has nothing but good intentions towards Iruma and officially adopts him as his grandson after taking him to the Demon World.

Sullivan enrolls Iruma in the Babyls School for Demons where he is the principal. Iruma must now become a student in the school of demons without ever revealing that he is a human. The series follows his bizarre adventures at Babyls as he makes friends and adjusts to his new life.

The series is a comical treat for audiences of all ages with a PG story and action scenes. The characters are well-written and have great development individually and in their relationship with each other. Besides its quirky humor, the show carries its story with good animation and colorful artwork.

II. Characters

Iruma Suzuki

Iruma is the titular character of the fantasy anime series.

He is a 14-year old human boy who works hard at a young age to support himself as a result of his parents’ neglect. His parents sell Iruma for money to the Demon Lord Sullivan who adopts Iruma to make him his grandson. Thus, Iruma is now part of the demon world and attends the demon school Babyls.

Iruma’s character is kind-hearted and avoids conflicts at all costs. Due to the difficulties he faced while growing up, Iruma has developed great defense skills. Now in a caring environment surrounded by Sullivan’s grandfatherly love, Iruma develops and for the first time, makes goals and has dreams for himself.

Lord Sullivan

Sullivan is the adoptive grandfather of Iruma Suzuki.

He is also the principal of the Babyls Demon School. Sullivan is one of the most powerful and influential demons in society and is a possible candidate for the new Demon King. His character is a contradiction being an adoring grandfather to young Iruma and an all-knowing powerful demon in society.

Alice Asmodeus

Alice Asmodeus is a demon, Iruma’s best friend and loyal companion.

After the fight with Iruma on his first day of school, Alice ends up warming up to Iruma and becomes his best friend.

He is one of the strongest among his peers who can wield fire. Alice’s character is initially egotistical but tones it down and becomes more down-to-earth when he becomes Iruma’s friend.

III. Setting

• Location: The series is initially set in the ordinary world of humans until Iruma Suzuki is taken to the world of demons when he is sold by his parents to the demon Sullivan.

After being adopted by Lord Sullivan who looks after Iruma like a grandson in the demon realm, he is then sent to the demon school Babyls where he must try to fit in and deal with bizarre adventures being the only human in a school of demons.

• Animation: The animation has a fantastic and nostalgic old school vibe to it. The characters in the background have the most simple movements with people cheering in a crowd being depicted by a few basic hand movements.

 The main characters in focus, especially Iruma, have swift and sometimes comical movements adding to the humor of the scene. The series uses 2D animation similar to that of the early 2000s.

• Artwork:  The color scheme and designs used in the show have been specifically chosen to attract their target audience – young children.

Directed by Makoto Moriwaki, the scenes display a bright and colorful palette when designing the demons in the show making them seem less frightening and more relevant to their young demographic. The backgrounds in most fight scenes are a swirl or daze of abstract patterns and colors, which adds to the

IV. Theme Songs

• Opening theme songs :

Title	Original Artist	Genre	Episodes	Reference Links
“Magical Babyrinth”	Da Pump	J-Pop	1-23	Youtube Spotify Apple Music

The opener “Magical Babyrinth” is a quirky theme to begin the series on a high note. Sung in English, the song is an upbeat pop song that becomes an earworm throughout the show.

• Ending theme songs :

Title	Original Artist	Genre	Episodes	Reference Links
“Debikyū”	Yū Serizawa	J-Pop	1-23	Youtube Spotify Apple Music

“Debikyu” is the ending theme song for Season 1 of the series. The song is sung by one of the character’s respective voice actors and has an adorable and catchy ring to it. The visuals in the ED are silhouette versions of the characters set in front of a bright, kaleidoscopic background.

•  Original SoundTrack (OST):  With Akimitsu Honma composing the music, it is no surprise that the OSTs in the series are a musical treasure. His other works include music he composed for other series like RIN-NE and Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku.

The soundtracks used in the show complement the series carrying the same light-hearted and comical tone with subtle demonic instrumentals. The OST that is sure to become a new favorite is “I’m a devil! Iruma-kun”. The music initially has a spooky and sinister theme that transforms into an upbeat and playful track.

• Background score: The BGM used in the show adds a unique atmosphere to it and plays a key role in creating the fictitious realm of demons. The eerie and bizarre music makes the ambiance of the scene captivating and entertaining.

• Sound effects: The effects added when magic is being dispersed, Iruma’s heartbeat, etc. are minor details that make the entire scene feel more complete and appealing.

• Voice Acting: The voice acting is decent with the main character’s voice having a nice range between serious and comical tones. The voice of the characters suits them most of the time except for some mediocre quality reflected in a few scenes.

V. Action Sequences

Most of the show has light-hearted comedy. The action scenes in the series are made to be child-friendly and rather goofy-looking. We can see that the series focuses on comedy rather than “to the death” action sequences from the very first fight that takes place between Iruma and one of his classmates in Babyls. All of Iruma’s peers expect a great fight from him unbeknownst to the fact that he is a human teenage boy and not a demon like the rest of them.

4. Grade: 4 out of 5

5. Final Thoughts

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun will pleasantly surprise you. The easy-going comedy and

Genuine characters make the show a pleasure to watch. The concept of the series is easy to grasp and the plot moves smoothly without leaving any questions unanswered.

The story is wholesome thanks to a well-written script and a beautifully directed series. It is a breath of fresh air that leaves you in a fit of laughter and leaves you hooked on for more with its retro artwork and graceful animation.