Men have to protect women because they’re weak and totally helpless.
That was the line that almost had me putting a hole through my TV screen. Unfortunately, this is the same line that would help put some sense into this anime’s connect-the-dots events, so I advice young feminists out there to temporarily sheathe your claws.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a hentai anime with conceptualization as amazing as Demon Warrior Koji’s. It is, of course, no less than what I expected from Toshio Maeda, the famous creator of Urotsukidoji. While DWK is as rich as Uro in terms of story line, Koji’s tale isn’t as confusing as that of the Overfiend’s. The scenario is one big jigsaw puzzle that must fall into place. Questions will arise, and one cannot help but try to find the easiest answers. What lies beneath the relationship of an old man, his daughter and his grandson? What is the chief investigative officer hiding? Where is the woman named Yuki and what are the incidents leading to her disappearance? Many of these questions will remain unanswered, and it is up to one’s imagination to decipher what the rules of the game really is. It also doesn’t hurt that Mr. Maeda seems to have injected a bit of a romantic element to Koji, since this angle has been dealt with more emotional agony and realism than mush.
Maeda’s character design is nothing short of superb. Koji doesn’t look like your generic h-anime protagonist. He may look strange if you view him up front, but he looks dashing if you view him sideways. His demonic form isn’t bad either. He does, in fact, look a bit like my favorite Final Fantasy VIII’s Guardian Force Diablo in terms of form and bearing. There are also interesting people in the supporting role, like for example, that big chunk of a man who has a gatling gun for an arm (think Barret of Final Fantasy VII). There’s the undead Jun, whose powers are like the combination of Jean Grey’s, Gambit’s, and Wolverine’s. Jun is an enigma, especially as she can’t feel pain yet can get horny pretty fast with just a simple touch (ahem). Other members of the team are a Grim Reaper look-alike and two horny airheads. They certainly don’t lack action sequences, as it would be such a waste to just let these fascinating personalities just stand there and be gawked at.
The art? Now, that is what you call a masterpiece. I could swear Maeda is the only person who can outdo himself in this line of work. The ending theme, Ice Rain, matches it well too.
Individual Rating: Art/Animation: 9 Story/Plot: 10 Characters: 9 Sounds: 10 Ecchi Level: 7
