A Fangirl Tribute to Kyou Kara Maou!

I've been a devotee of anime for quite a few years now. And there are some series that are extra special to my heart, ones that I watch multiple times--because yes, I am that nerdy. But I have favorite books that I do this with as well. Anime is just a different medium.

For the past few days I've been glued to my computer watching episodes of one of my new favorite series, Kyou Kara Maou, on YouTube. Geneon has been bringing out the episodes on DVD here in the USA but their release schedule is slow and of course, the DVDs are expensive. I will buy them all, but I was dying to continue on with the series and didn't have the patience to wait for the DVDs. I'm a total addict when it comes to serialized narratives. I just can't get enough. It's like a compulsion and I have to see it to it's end (which usually comes at some godforsaken hour of the morning...). Hence my love for long fantasy series with massive tomes (except Robert Jordan, because dude, I gave up on that).

So anyway, I found a lovely gal who'd put up a whole bunch of fansubbed episodes of KKM on YouTube and I danced on over there and...got sucked into watching 40 some odd episodes! Eek gads! Yet it seemed to go by pretty damn quickly...how scary is that? (The Pixies "Where is my Mind?" does tend to play in the background of my brain at moments like this)

Alas, not all of the series episodes are up and available yet. I watched everything that was on there, but now I'm still waiting for the last 14 episodes (eee!). I've seen a few unsubbed clips from them which have me salivating in major fangirlish ways. It looks like the climactic end to the series should be pretty freaking awesome. Yay!

But I digress. I want to explain to all my dear readers, especially those of you who think my love of anime is tad strange, just how unbelievably cool this series is. I feel compelled to spread the anime gospel according to moi and get people to watch this stuff. I mean, you can do it for free online. So why not?

Why Kyou Kara Maou is the Cat's Pajamas:

1. The premise of this show is wonderfully wacky. A teenage boy ends up getting sucked into a magical land of hot bishonen...by being flushed down a toilet! That's right. A toilet. Can you get much cooler than that? I think not. But wait...actually it can! Because once said boy ends up in the magical world he inadvertently ends up slapping another guy and...well...in this magical world that means they are now engaged! Trust me...sheer hilarity ensues. :)
2. There are loads of bishonen hotties and tons of boy-love in-jokes that always make me giggle.
3. The overall humor of the show is just very wacked out and bizarre, but in a totally Japanese way--which always appeals to me. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm completely nuts when they hear me cackling away in the wee hours of morning at my computer.
4. The characters are super cool and loveable, which is crucial for maintaining my interest in a series.

So...on to the Players

Yuri: He's our boy who falls in the toilet and ends up being transported to the magical world. Once there he discovers that he is in fact the new Demon King who has been sent to save their world from disaster.

When he finally manages to access his own magical powers he transforms into the Demon King (his hair gets longer, he gets bigger, and his eyes change).

Yuri's path between worlds requires the conduit of water, and he often falls into lakes, ponds, barrels of water, fountains, etc. and ends up back home for short periods before being summoned back to the other world.

He's a rather naive young guy but he grows over the course of the series to become an effective Demon King and basically save the world. He's got a really big heart and wants to bring about peace and happiness for everyone. He has his own flaws though, which make him a likeable character rather than an annoying saint.


Wolfram: Yuri's fiancee. And a total bishonen! (Yuri makes a remark to this effect when he first sees Wolfram.) Wolfram starts out a bit whiny and bitchy as a royal prince with a strong sense of entitlement, but he grows on you once he starts to change. And he becomes very possessive of Yuri, taking his role as fiancee pretty seriously. He even goes so far as to share a bed with Yuri (non-sexually) at night, which generates a couple of hilarious moments. :)

He has magical power over fire and he's a talented swordsman. He often leaps into the fray to protect Yuri when necessary. But he also manages to ruffle Yuri's feathers quite a bit. Their relationship is very low-key shonen-ai, but there are some great moments between the two of them that are just super cute.


*Aren't they adorable?!*








Conrad: Okay, I have a very big soft spot for Conrad. I think he's my favorite character. He's muy sexy for an anime dude, and he's got a great voice (by seiyu Toshiyuki Morikawa--he also does Tatsumi on Yami No Matsuei! That's another favorite I'll get to at another date...)

He actually travelled to earth and helped Yuri's mother give birth to him. He was also the one responsible for delivering the soul that would be Yuri's when he was born (a plot point that is revealed much later in the series, so I won't give away any spoilers just yet!).

Conrad is a veteran soldier and he's also half demon and half human, which becomes a problem at various points in the story becomes in this world demons and humans have a long history of wars between one another. He is also brother to Wolfram and Gwendal.

He has a bit of a tragic past, which always suckers me in. And he has a long story arc in which he loses an arm and nearly dies, becomes the enemy (although this later proves to be a masquerade for secret purposes to save Yuri), and eventually saves the day big time. Total hero, but he's very unassuming and sweet...aw shucks, I heart you Conrad! :) (And no snotty comments Monkey, I can hear them coming already!)


Gwendal: Okay, another super hottie. Gwendal is the strong silent type. But he's got a soft side (he knits cute little stuffed animals!) and he is an efficient bureaucrat who shows Yuri his responsibilities to the kingdom.

He doesn't think Yuri is cut out to be Demon King at first, but he slowly bends and learns to respect Yuri and his vision of peace.


Gunter: I'm not sure what to make of Gunter...he's a bit of a fluff character. He serves as frequent comedic relief. He's totally got the hots for Yuri and throws himself at him a lot. :) But he's completely loyal and saves Yuri's life several times, once nearly being killed himself.





Murata: Yuri's school chum who turns out, in fact, to be the reincarnation of a famous prophet from the past know as "The Great Sage." He ends up providing important assistance to Yuri in his endeavors and acts as a voice of reason.



So, that's a little breakdown of the show. If you're interested, go check out the first few episodes which are available online at YouTube. This show provides endless entertainment!