Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 2

Episode 14

There are plenty of urban legends, internet rumors, and ghost stories about Disney World, so it would make sense that Walter Park would have its seamier side – and that in the Netherworld, all of those stories would turn out to be true. We already got a taste of that last week with the revelation that the entirety of the Happiest Place Under Earth is fueled by the mana of criminals, so now it's time for the not-so-surprising revelation that the evil extends above the prison as well, at least in part because Kiriwo and his pals would need to have aboveground allies to pull off their plan. And what better place to hide than in plain sight?

That's the plan that the notorious Six Fingers criminal band is following – all six of them have not only infiltrated the park, but for plot reasons have also interacted with all three groups of the Babylis kids. I really do think that was largely coincidence, with the probable exception of leader Wetoto, who was babysitting Ronove; that one feels much more deliberate because it required infiltration of the highest levels of park administration, and holding the boss' kid hostage is a tried-and-true way to getting what you want if you're a bad guy who wants something nefarious. But the other meetups just seem like happy plot point happenstances – Kalego's group is near the games where two of the Fingers are working, two more are running a clothing store where Opera's group ends up, and no one could have (although maybe they should have) foreseen Iruma getting lost and being rescued by Shiida, the Finger with the highest chance of changing sides. Iruma's appeal cannot be overstated. Putting him near any demon is basically like dropping a puppy off at a university: mass melting from cuteness overload ensues immediately. Not that he's the only beautiful surprise for Balam's group in this episode; Ronove makes a major miscalculation when he takes Agares' sleep mask off and reveals the demon's stunning good looks, which may be a throwaway gag. But wouldn't it be more fun if his shoujo hero beauty charmed the incoming villains?

It may not happen, but there's still the sense that this episode is only masquerading as happy-go-lucky. Yes, everyone's having a lot of fun (well, almost everyone; Kalego's doom cloud aura is taking a toll on his group) but we already know that trouble is brewing just below the surface. That means that even the most apparently perky “playmates” (as the Walter Park staff style themselves) should be looked on with suspicion, because there's something dark about this supposedly happy place. Certainly the fact that it was created as a way to help the Demon King cope with his evil cycle isn't a great sign, but there's something highly suspect about the too-perky attitudes of everyone who works there. It's like all of the people who are later revealed to be Fingers are simply trying too hard to fit the Walter Park image, and it rings a little false. The most obvious are clearly the two barkers Jazz, Lead, Camui, and Goemon run into; I mean, we all know those games are rigged, but they're definitely taking it too far. But there's something off about the two at the clothing store as well – the way their lines are delivered feels more fake than you'd expect. Shiida, the woman who saves Iruma, does the worst job at blending in, but that feels like more of a misdirect to make us not notice Wetoto, especially since Shiida's not likely to stick with the Fingers once things get going.

With all of this going on, it's great that the usual silliness still remains, at least until the Fingers drop dragon eggs on the park in the first step of their plan. I will never get tired of Kalego looking furious in his bunny ears and flowers, but Asmodeus' constant barrage of grandparent-style picture taking is also amazing, and I even kind of love the way Ronove just stands there gyrating his pelvis for no reason all the time. Bad things are coming, but that doesn't mean we can't still have fun along the way.

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Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.