English Dub Review: Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun “The Dem-dol Games”

Overview

Keroli/Kuromu goes to Iruma and Lead for help to join the Dem-Doll games (basically a contest between Singing Idols within the Demon world) by having the two crossdress as fake singing Dem-dols to help her compete in a contest against a rival from her past…

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, Welcome the show wastes no time kicking things off with a new, Keroli-focused story arc centered around the Dem-Dol Games, a massive idol competition between agencies. When Keroli enlists Iruma and Lead to help her take on her former rival, Gyari, the two find themselves disguising themselves as Dem-Dols and getting dragged into the competition. Between the Olympic-style parade and Lead’s hilarious fanboy reactions, the series wastes no time establishing just how wonderfully ridiculous and chaotic this arc is going to be.

For those who don’t remember, Keroli has been part of Iruma’s Misfit Class since the first season, but she also has a bit of a “Hannah Montana” situation going on as the under the hugely popular Dem-Dol persona “Kuromu”. Using both magic and makeup to disguise her identity, she keeps her stardom separate from her life as a student so she can enjoy a normal education away from the spotlight. Iruma has previously taken on his own Dem-Dol persona, “Irumi”, and has worked alongside Keroli in past storylines, so the fact that she comes to him and Lead for help feels especially fitting. It also gives Iruma a genuine stake in the competition rather than simply throwing him into another random tournament.

Overall, this looks like another wonderfully absurd arc that mixes idol competitions, disguises, rivalry, and comedy without taking itself too seriously. Gyari in particular makes for an entertaining rival thanks to her over-the-top personality and surprisingly personal motivation, while Ameri’s unexpected involvement only adds to the chaos. The setup may feel a little thrown together at times, but that’s also part of the charm. After all, when Iruma is back in a frilly outfit, Lead is losing his mind over idols, and Ameri has somehow been dragged into the whole mess, what could go wrong?