The Demon Girl Next Door 2: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Demon Girl Next Door 2: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is a comedic anime with a demonic side – horns and all. The series comes from original creator Izumo Ito. The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is from producers Atsushi Yoshikawa (Dream Eater Merry, Engaged to the Unidentified), Hiroyuki Kobayashi (Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Gourmet Girl Graffiti), Junichiro Tanaka (Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl, The Quintessential Quintuplets), Shinichi Nakamura (Beyond the Boundary, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid), Takaaki Nakanome (The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬, Dagashi Kashi), Tomoyuki Ohwada (Death March to The Parallel World Rhapsody, I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level), and Yōhei Hata (Princess Principal: Crown Handler, The Misfit of Demon King Academy). The series is executive produced by Masahiko Ito (Platinum End) and Sadakazu Kikuchi (Tokyo Mew Mew New). Featuring animation by J.C. Staff (A Certain Magical Index, Daphne in the Brilliant Blue), The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is a quirky comedy for the demon in all of us.

Yūko Yoshida (Konomi Kohara) was surprised to find her entire life transformed when she discovered that she is actually a descendant of a line of Dark Clan demons: a tribe of unique and gifted demons adorned with horns. Yet her life was not entirely tossed upside down. Instead, despite some of the strange events following her demon lifestyle change, Yūko enrolls in school.

One of Yūko’s fellow classmates is none other than the city’s magical girl Momo Chiyoda (Akari Kitō). At first tasked with challenging Momo, the two find themselves spending time hanging out. Things are changing up – dramatically, even – but it doesn’t change the entire course of Yūko’s life.

Yūko’s life is bestowed with problems but there are remedies. Changes at her apartment complex make things interesting. As problem after problem arise, it begins to seem as though everything has gone to hell in a handbasket. Yet the demon girl won’t succumb to giving up.

The quirky cast of characters are essential to the production. The series just wouldn’t be the same without the two lead characters: Yūko Yoshida and Momo Chiyoda. Yūko and Momo are quite the compelling leads. These goofy demon characters add a sense of charm and comedic sensibility to the production. There is something compelling about these unique odd ducks in the world of demons and the zany contrast between these characters is something that keeps the comedic antics unique and a lot more entertaining.

The character designs by Mai Otsuka (Non Non Biyori, Shakugan no Shana) are one of the most impressive components of the production. The character designs for the series are excellent. Otsuka is an excellent character designer and has done good work on a variety of anime productions. The effort here is commendable. The designs certainly make a solid impression and work well within the genre. These are above average designs and the quality is certainly respectable. This translates in to an even more effective series.

The art direction by Shinji Kawai (Happy Seven, Tonari no Seki-kun: The Master of Killing Time) is one of the strengths of the series, too. The animation plays a big role in the success of The Demon Girl Next Door 2. The series chief animation is under the direction of Mai Otsuka (Non Non Biyori, Shakugan no Shana) and Takamitsu Satou (Lostorage incited WIXOSS, Angels of Death). The animation is essential to the series balance of comedy and drama. The team of animators involved with the series do a good job with the production and bring a nice sense of artistry to the series.

The cinematography by Yoshihiro Tōgō (One Punch Man, Flying Witch) is a worthwhile element of the series and imbues The Demon Girl Next Door 2 with some extra charm. Tōgō balances the visual style with good lighting. The use of color and styling by the cinematographer is appreciable and makes the series all the more beautiful looking.

The original score composed by Miki Sakurai (Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater, The Quintessential Quintuplets) is a charming and enjoyable aspect of The Demon Girl Next Door 2. The score by Sakurai provides the charms that audiences will expect from the series. As a comedic tale, the score has a fun and breezy quality. The music is charming above all else and this is one of the reasons the effort here is so commendable.  

As written by Keiichirō Ōchi (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax, Our Home's Fox Deity), The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is a uniquely silly and charming comedic anime. The concept is nice and the execution plays a good role in the success of the program too. Anime fans who appreciate a comedic series will enjoy this element – the writing showcases the characters first and foremost and this where most of the comedy comes from.

Directed by Hiroaki Sakurai (Cromartie High School, Di Gi Charat Nyo), The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is a surprisingly fun anime. Sakurai has a good time exploring the concept and bringing it to life with the production showing a nice balance of comedy and drama. The series has a silly nature to it and this makes the program more compelling than something that is too serious. Given the genre, director Sakurai handles the series well. The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is something comedy fans will find entertaining and amusing above all else.

The Demon Girl Next Door 2: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. A compelling high definition presentation, The Demon Girl Next Door 2 looks stellar on the release. A wonderfully vibrant and colorful encode. The high-definition visuals are excellent and the colors certainly "pop" with good depth. The line art and background animation are well reproduced. A wonderfully crisp and engaging encode. A good encode from distributor Sentai Filmworks.

The Demon Girl Next Door 2: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is excellent and a nice component of the presentation. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear throughout. The score is well reproduced. The soundstage is surprisingly excellent for a stereo audio presentation. Regardless of if one opts to experience the series with the original Japanese language audio track or with the English dubbed version, Sentai Filmworks has preserved the audio well with the lossless encoding.

The Demon Girl Next Door 2: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 3:05)

The Demon Girl Next Door Minis:

#01-04 (HD, 4:54)

#05-08 (HD, 3:55)

#09-12 (HD, 3:57)

#13-16 (HD, 4:01)

#17-20 (HD, 3:53)

#21-24 (HD, 4:52)

The Demon Girl Next Door 2: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Demon Girl Next Door 2 is an entertaining and charming comedic anime series with a demonic side (horns and everything). The program has a slice-of-life element to it and this is something that makes the production all the more compelling. A well-crafted anime series with good production merits, The Demon Girl Next Door 2 has exceptional animation - bright and colorful (and with excellent character designs). The series is well directed by Hiroaki Sakurai (Cromartie High School) as well.

The Blu-ray release from Sentai Filmworks includes an excellent video and audio presentation. The audio encoding is impressive on the release as well – with lossless sound presentations in either English or in the original Japanese language. The Blu-ray release also includes a small but appreciable selection of extras (including a variety of mini episodes). Recommended.