Original Run: April 17, 2021 - September 11, 2021 Number of Episodes: 21 Genre: Comedy, Supernatural Based on the Series Created By: Osamu Nishi
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 2nd Season. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Welcome back to the demon world’s premier institute for education, Babyls Academy. We rejoin our hero, Iruma Suzuki (voiced by Ayumu Murase), as he continues to live his life as a human in a land of magic and demonic strength.
Although he must still keep his true identity a secret, Iruma has grown accustomed to his daily life, even though it remains a bit unusual.
However, with more friends than he has ever known, Iruma would not trade his situation for anything.
Series Positives
Throughout 2021, there have been many big-name continuations – Attack on Titan Final Season, The Promised Neverland 2nd Season, Non Non Biyori Nonstop, Re:Zero Season 2 Part 2, etc. As such, I wouldn’t want you to overlook Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 2nd Season (Iruma-kun 2). Though it was excellent, I feel this series’s first installment, Iruma-kun 1, didn’t create the biggest buzz when it came out.
Then again, there was, apparently, enough cause to justify the production of not only a second season but a third as well (the release date of which is unknown as of the review going live). So, maybe I am getting myself worried over nothing.
Regardless, the entire Iruma-kun series, and especially this second chapter, is well worth your time, particularly if you are looking for a show that, at its core, is nothing but fun.
Sequels in franchises that are as character-based as Iruma-kun have an inherent advantage over their first installments. Think about it; in Iruma-kun 1, it had to answer many initial questions:
- What was this show’s setting; who were its characters?
- To what extent was the danger the titular Iruma, a human living in the demon world, faced.
- How did the demon society work?
- What was the significance of the demon ranking system?
- When facing an obstacle, is this a series that plays it seriously or does it goof around?
Iruma-kun 1 had to establish a lot. Therefore, in terms of stuff-that-needed-to-get-done-and-still-be-worth-watching, season one outshone its successor. However, if we are looking at pure entertainment value and memorability, then Iruma-kun 2 is the clear victor.
Since this series had already introduced all the stuff we had to know, Iruma-kun 2 had far more freedom to expand, play around with its material, and build upon new ideas. From this installment, the “Royal One” and “Walter Park” storylines were noticeably enjoyable because they heavily employed this series’s greatest asset: Its characters.
Now, when I say characters, I am referring to the whole Abnormal Class, a.k.a., the group of students Babyls Academy deemed the most problematic. Although this collection includes Iruma and his two best friends, Alice Asmodeus and Clara Valac (voiced respectively by Ryouohei Kimura and Ayaka Asai), they were merely the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking about the ENTIRE class, most of whom were simple background entities in Iruma-kun 1.
In this season, because they had tangible goals to achieve, the Abnormal Class came into their own. Despite consisting of pure troublemakers, this group embodied the principles of the demon world; they were agents of chaos. The Abnormal Class could overcome the hurdles before them because they were creative, quick thinking, insane enough to attempt long-shot risks, and extremely powerful.
To take things even further, Iruma-kun 2 didn’t just improve the cast it already had. This season gave us two new characters who I hope play far more significant roles in future installments. Okay, to be fair, Iruma-kun also gave us a third new character, Professor Balam Shichiro (voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi). Professor Shichiro was also quite fantastic, sure, but his impact was far less than these other two:
- Alikred (voiced by Shinichiro Miki)
- Wicked Phase Iruma
To start, Alikred is, even after this season, a huge mystery. Neither he nor Iruma knows where he came from, his purpose, or the extent of his power. But what Alikred lacked in answers, he more than made up for in personality.
Currently, Alikred appears to be on Iruma’s side and has looked out for our hero’s best interest in his own way. Granted, Alikred’s “own way” has had its share of complications. One such complication has resulted in one of this series’s best characters, Wicked Phase Iruma.
And as for Wicked Phase Iruma, he was so drastically different from our protagonist; we must consider him a separate entity.
It is a good thing the normal Iruma is such a likable character because his alternate form would otherwise overshadow him entirely. Wicked Phase Iruma was confident, calculating, commanding, and tough. It would be impossible to think he was a magic-less human if we didn’t already know better. Wicked Phase Iruma was every bit as demonic as his classmates.
But though he was far sterner, Wicked Phase Iruma possessed the same level of kindness and caring as his goody-two-shoes counterpart. The main difference was, Wicked Phase Iruma was far more willing to stack the deck in his favor and play dirty when necessary.
When he was on screen, Wicked Phase Iruma took this series down a fascinating road.
To conclude this section, Iruma-kun 2 was a progression of this franchise. This installment didn’t simply redo what its predecessor did. That said, this season retained the same light-hearted humor, enduring goofiness, and feel-good charm that made Iruma-kun 1 such a surprise blast.
It is comforting to know that a third season is currently in the works. This is a franchise that still has plenty of life in it.
Like I mentioned at the top, do not allow this series to slip under your radar.
Series Negatives
If you are going into Iruma-kun 2 hot off the heels of Iruma-kun 1, you’re in for a nasty shock.
In my case, a solid year passed between my viewings of these two seasons (April 2020 to September 2021). Nevertheless, I have not forgotten how the first installment ended, a rather impressive feat given how often I fail to retain details after extended periods.
Iruma-kun 1 concluded on a teaser of Wicked Phase Iruma. However, Wicked Phase Iruma didn’t appear in this season until the end of episode 5. Although that doesn’t sound like a long time, when you’ve been wondering who this alternate Iruma is for over a year, it’s a bit jarring when the long-awaited sequel doesn’t acknowledge its predecessor’s cliffhanger right away.
Additionally, Iruma-kun 2 also did its fair share of establishing.
In the latter half of this season, each multi-episode story arc finished on a lingering question. And since this series now has precedent, I can’t help but wonder how cluttered a season three might be.
Of course, I expect Iruma-kun 3 also to be twenty-plus episodes, or, at the very least, two parts equaling up to twenty-plus episodes. So, it’s not like this series won’t have the time to explore. Still, it feels as though a lot is riding on the next chapter.
Fortunately, that might prove to be a good thing. Sadly, I have seen enough shows overburden potential continuations. Here’s hoping that won’t be the case here.
Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed this season, and, ultimately, isn’t that the goal?
With its first installment, this series was a surprise; it was funny, weird, and entertaining as hell. This second chapter proved that that wasn’t a fluke. Thus, we can expect more great stuff to come out of this franchise.
And now the countdown begins for season three.
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 2nd Season has earned a recommendation.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 2nd Season? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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