English Dub Season Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Himari’s (Bryn Apprill) 16th birthday will be one she never forgets. Unexpectedly, she receives a will detailing her inheritance of a mysterious estate: the Momochi House. She arrives only to discover that the home was built on the cusp between the human world and the spiritual realm. There, she encounters Yukari (Aaron Dismuke), Ise (Van Barr Jr.), and a peculiar boy named Aoi (Cody Savoie), who seems to be concealing a shadowy secret.

Our Take:

The Demon Prince of Momochi House is an anime adaptation of a manga series written and illustrated by Aya Shouoto. It is directed by Bob Shirahata, and Yasuko Aoki is writing the script. The series is produced by Drive, known for producing adaptations of Actors: Songs Connection, KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World, and Uzumaki. Mariko Oka provided the character designs, and Ayana Tsujita and Tomoyuki Kono composed the music. The opening theme is “Hozuki,” performed by Yoh Kamiyama, and the ending theme song is “Aiyue,” performed by Muto.

Having a place all to yourself is great, especially since you can do whatever you want to your heart’s content. But if the house you own happens to have a bunch of yokai swarming around, that type of freedom doesn’t last very long. This sums up the events Himari experienced when she inherited the Momochi House and came across three unexpected spiritual roommates. On the bright side, that means more Yokai adventures for anime fans, including me.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House consists of twelve episodes depicting an orphaned Himari inheriting the Momochi House following her parents’s tragic passing. What she didn’t realize was that the estate was built as a bridge between the human world and the spirit realm, and she was chosen as the protector of those worlds. However, that role went to a young man named Aoi, who had been imprisoned in the mansion since he was young. With his shikigamis Yukari and Ise, Aoi seeks to maintain the balance between the two realms as a Nue. At the same time, Himari strives to help Aoi escape his “curse” while their relationship grows. The characters also confront several yokai adversaries and mishaps that deter them from their primary goals, including the occasional appearances of Aoi’s rival, Kasha. 

From the concept alone, this seemed like another episodic, sitcom-like series involving the protagonists encountering different spirits while surviving each other. While that’s proven to be the case sometimes, the episodes in The Demon Prince form an interconnected plot with Himari helping Aoi regain his normal life. Amid this struggle, Himari strives to learn more about her late parents while uncovering the secrets behind the Momochi House’s curse. This leads to a confrontation against a formidable foe seeking to destroy the house’s balance, which forces Himari to make a life-changing decision. The Demon Prince offers many narrative elements we’ve seen in other shows before, including supernatural beings as roommates. However, regarding its enjoyment factor, I would consider it a pleasant time that isn’t without its humor and surprises that maintain my interest.

One of the things I liked was how it developed its characters, especially Aoi’s shikigamis. Himari is a determined yet periodically stubborn teen willing to protect those closest to her while seeking answers to her past. Near the end of the season, she’s forced to confront a decision between everyone she befriended and her own desires. Aoi is a kindhearted young man who often hides his scattered past with a smile despite being separated from the human world for years. While the romantic tension between the two protagonists was pretty obvious, they provide enough likability in their traits to make the standard romance formula watchable, especially regarding the performances by Bryn Apprill and Cody Savoie.

I also credit the series for providing backgrounds on the shikigamis: Yukari and Ise. The fourth episode, “Crimson Burns the Dark”, showcased Ise as a hotheaded and headstrong Ayakashi who became cursed in his previous life because he unleashed his powers in the human world. He broke the law to save his friend before Aoi saved him. Then, there’s Yukari, a generous and wise shikigami who became Aoi’s first bodyguard. The sixth episode, “Fleeting Times”, further explored Yukari’s past as a human falsely accused of being a demon until the dragon god Ryujin allowed him to be reincarnated as an Ayakashi. While initially portrayed as comic relief, the shikigamis provide a surprising amount of humanity in their indifferent personalities, thanks to these episodes, while delivering some decent humor.

The series also provided some suitable animation, which was produced by Drive. It’s far from revolutionary, but regarding its Ayakashi designs, lighting, and backgrounds, the style was as endearing as the little yokai. After watching this and An Explosion on This Wonderful World, Drive is now two for two regarding its presentation. As a result, I can admit that the upcoming third season of KonoSuba should be in good hands.

Overall, The Demon Prince of Momochi House is another enjoyable trek through the world of yokai fantasy and romance that, like the Ayakashi roommates, is easy to tolerate. It doesn’t offer much else than what is given regarding its plot, but it’s a watchable and often humorous series that provides enough spiritual essence to satisfy the genre’s fanbase. From the likable characters to its decent uses of animation, The Demon Prince showcased that the Momochi House is worth a visit. It’s far from my top pick of the year, but my experience with it was pleasant enough to keep an eye out for a possible second season.