First Glance: The Silly Angel Dances with the Satan
Manga Adaptation by Children’s Playground Entertainment
Premise
Akutsu is a Hellish teenager. No, in actuality. He has come to Earth in an attempt to enlist people in the struggle that humanity is now losing against the angels of heaven. Akutsu approaches a fellow transfer student for assistance, but there seems to be a problem with her.
Euri’s verdict: Almost enjoyable
I was more than ready for even a mediocre romantic comedy this season after seeing some real stinkers. Although some clumsy gags about Akutsu switching to a human school prevent The Foolish Angel Dances With the Devil from taking off right away, there are hints of an intriguing idea beneath it all. It’s only the introduction of the supporting characters, so it’s not a huge issue.
Halfway through the episode, it becomes abundantly evident that Amane, a fellow transfer student and the girl Akutsu sits next to in class, is not quite right. This anime is all set up for future demon against angel classroom shenanigans, as the title suggests strongly, and that’s at least a semi-interesting twist on the standard school rom-com formula.
Akutsu admits to Amane toward the end of the episode that he is the devil. Naturally, she already knows, as she revealed her angelic status prior to a combat scene involving superpowers. A love-hate connection between these two characters with some over-the-top combat sequences sprinkled on top? This was the part of the episode that really sold me. Sounds excellent!
But as soon as I was convinced of this absurd idea, the show abruptly ended and I lost interest.
Since Amane is an angel, the show chooses to portray her as a ferocious sadist, but what if she was really the devil? On paper, this seems perfectly acceptable, but I’m not into seeing this actual youngster make rapey, sexual allusions while forcing the man to become her slave. The scene where she makes reference to smoking after having sex and Akutsu sobs in the fetal posture next to her is my particular pet peeve.
I apologize, but this isn’t humorous. Even though I’ve heard a lot of people online say this sequence is amusing and that many people won’t care, it still sets the tone for the rest of the show. I’m not interested in it.
