Kyou Kara Maou

Yuuri

Conrad, Yuuri, Gunter

If you've ever watched Fushigi Yugi, Twelve Kingdoms or Escaflowne and thought that the story might be more fun if the main character were an adorable high school bishounen instead of a bishoujo, then Kyou Kara Maou! is for you. Instead of a "magical girl in another world," this anime focuses on Yuuri, a baseball-loving high school boy who gets flushed down a toilet (any water drain will do, really!) and lands in another reality. Of course, one of the first things he learns is that he's really the king (or Maou) of this new world! Hilarity, naturally, ensues.

One of the first things that our hero, Yuuri, discovers is that he has four advisors to help him learn how to rule the kingdom he's fallen into. First we meet Conrad, a smiling and kind military man who rescues Yuuri from his first run-in with a revolutionary group who isn't too keen on the Maou being from another world. Conrad immediately adopts a very fatherly sort of role toward Yuuri. He comes to Yuuri's rescue early and often; it seems that Yuuri's coming has been known of for quite awhile already!

Next, Yuuri meets Günter Von Christ, another advisor, this one beautiful and elegant with long hair... and an immediate, inappropriate crush on the new Maou! Günter is hilarious in the way he reacts to Yuuri, who just so happens to often wind up naked or half-naked, or wet, or taking off his shirt or putting on the traditional thong undergarment of the country. Günter is very obvious in his adoration of his "Heika" (Japanese for "Your Majesty"), and he is sweet and protective even if somewhat dramatic.

Gwendal and Yuuri

Wolfram

Finally, when he reaches his castle, Yuuri encounters the other two men who make up the central cast: Gwendal and Wolfram, both brothers of Conrad (they had the same mother but different fathers). Gwendal is gruff and scary at first, but protects Yuuri despite his resentment. Wolfram, the glittery blond bishounen, hates the fact that Yuuri is the new Maou and fights with him constantly. However, it's Wolfram that becomes his main slashable "love interest" due to a misunderstanding of foreign custom in the second episode.

With a fun cast of characters and a lot of great comedy, Kyou Kara Maou is very entertaining and a lot of fun to watch. The plot is pretty thin, and the story is moved along jerkily, as though plot were just a vehicle to get to the next pun or sight gag. But along the way, Yuuri is a sympathetic, likeable hero with a good heart. He's a great deal more interesting and a whole lot less annoying than most of the "girls in another world!"

The other characters aren't skimped over, either. Despite the madcap comedy in many episodes, real plots do develop, and the characters have real -- though often overblown -- personalities. Each character is developed, revealing unexpected twists in their personalities and changing in their relationships due to Yuuri's positive influence on their lives. Even the supporting cast is funny and interesting: Lady Cecille, the former Maou who is determined to find "free love;" Annissina the scientist who is the bane of Gwendal's existence with her hare-brained inventions; Yuuri's mother, the fantasy-loving airhead who might be a little too affectionate.

This series was released in Japan in mid-2004, and licensed by Geneon before it even finished airing. If you're looking for the next great bishounen ensemble show... this probably isn't it. But if you want entertainment and a lot of good yaoi-related jokes, Kyou Kara Maou is not going to disappoint.