Thursday, November 29, 2007

Kyo Kara Maoh!!! - God (?) Save Our King!!!

Gunter von Kleist, Conrad Weller, Yuuri Shibuya, Wolfram von Bielefeld and Gwendel von Voltaire from Kyo Kara Maoh or God Save Our KingKyo Kara Maoh!!! [God (?) Save Our King!!!] is a novel written by Tomo Takabayashi which have been adapted into an anime series released domestically by Geneon USA, a manga and a series of audio dramas. The story follows the adventures of 15-year old Yuuri Shibuya as he discovers his future in a world where demons and humans are fighting against one another.

Yuuri Shibuya is an average high school student whose passion in life belong to a baseball game. His life change when an unexpected incident happened, some guys bully him and used to flush him in the toilet. His head get dunked in the toilet but surprisingly he sucked into it and ends up in another world. When he reach mysterious land, he sees some people dressed in medieval costume and speaking in some weird vernacular. There he meets Adalbert von Grantz who uses some form of magic so Yuuri understands the local language. He also meets Conrad Weller and Günter von Kleist who rescue him and take him to Blood Pledge Castle, the residence of the Maoh, where he soon finds out he is the new Maoh or Demon King will rule over “Shin Makoku” (True Demonic Kingdom). He is declared the 27th Maoh of the Mazoku (Demon Race) because of the strange power that suddenly transforms him into the Maou, deliverer of justice, this form can be recognized mainly by the longer hair and demon eyes.


Yuuri Shibuya, Wolfram von Bielefeld and Conrad Weller from Kyo Kara Maoh or God Save Our King

At first encounter with Wolfram von Bielefeld at the Demon Kingdom, he ends up engaged to him due to a mishap. It is because Wolfram get angry that Yuuri has been chosen as the Maou so he makes the mistake of insulting Yuuri's mother which earns him a slap. Unfortunately there is a noble rule of a Mazoku propose a marriage, it is by slapping another noble on his/her left cheek. Actually the slap was considered as unmanly but it is explained that Yuuri slapped Wolfram because he has a beautiful face, otherwise he would have punched him. Incensed by this insult, Wolfram challenges Yuuri to a duel, which is also mistakenly accepted because of Yuuri's unfamiliarity with Mazoku custom (he picked up the knife that fell off the table). During the duel Yuuri transforms into the true Demon King for the first time, proving that he has a right to the throne. Throughout the story, Yuuri gets dragged between the two worlds at inconvenient times. He also constantly confronted with the results of even the smallest choices he makes.

Yuuri Shibuya and Wolfram von Bielefeld from Kyo Kara Maoh or God Save Our KingThe series is predominantly made up of good-looking young men which lead to an assumption of being a shōjo (anime and manga written for a female audience). The series is often mistaken for such boys love because of its calm acceptance of homosexuality in the setting such as an early plot point that ends with two male characters becoming engaged, accurately the series can be called a “male harem”. Romance is not a main theme of the series, though it has a flourishing fan-community dedicated to various romantic pairings. As the series goes it reveals that it is more about justice and friendship.


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