Basic Story Spoilers.
Overall: 6.5/10
This show had a lot of hate at the beginning because it's a very cliche story right from the get go filled with tropes. Essentially, it's about the eternal fight between humans and non-humans (mainly demons), and the heroes/mad beings that lead them.
Story Construction/Plot: 6/10
Construction-wise, the story is a fantasy version of the Overpowered Character Trope that we've ironically seen re-popularized by the trope deconstruction in One Punch Man. Instead of a bald-headed normie gaining superpowers through a crap-load of basic exercise living in the modern world, we follow OP character Anos Voldigoad, Demon King of Tyranny, leader of (obviously) the Demon faction, fighting against the undying Spirit Saint, Hero Kanon, leading the Humans. This battle has lasted as long as time itself, with the Hero's special ability of regeneration, he comes back to life even upon defeat and fights against the Demon Army time and time again.
But plot-twist! Demon King of Tyranny Anos Voldigoad is a pacifist (?!) The Demon King invites the Hero Kanon to his castle to parley. The two strike a deal. The demon king is sick of senseless war. He's actually a benevolent king and is distraught at the death of his Demon subjects, and so he offers the Hero Kanon a way to end the fighting, offering to lay down his life and magic energy to create a magical rift between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm to keep the two sides at bay. Being the almighty Demon King, of course he is not going to simply die with no plan. He has developed a form of magic that will regenerate his spirit over the course of 2,000 years. And so, the Hero and Demon King come to terms to stop the fighting in the hopes that the two sides will lose their appetite for war and destruction in the 2,000 year peace, and the moved Kanon swears to the Demon King that after the 2,000 year regeneration period of the Demon King's spirit, the Hero Kanon should also reincarnate and they should be friends in a time of peace.
Of course, despite the sacrifice of the Demon King in hopes of peace, not everything goes to plan. Anos Voldigoad reincarnates in a time where all records of the promise between the Hero and Demon King have been forgotten. Something is afoot! Follow the Demon King in his quest to uncover what happened in the 2,000 years he was regenerating while navigating the new world and the various new problems that have arisen such as the aristocracy, classism, racism, and dark plots!
Animation: 6/10
The animation was perfectly normal. No particularly jarring scenes, but nothing particularly striking either. Overall it's a cleanly drawn anime that shouldn't distract your eyes too much. The character designs are fairly simple, and the magic is displayed with highly detailed symbols for the most part that might interest people who like that kind of thing.
Characters: 5/10
Being a one cour show (13 eps) there are limitations to how deeply you can go into individual character arcs. The attempt is made to show the basic stories for the most important characters, but it has to be said that some characters are left on dry land in the end... One might end up wondering why certain characters were treated as being so important without getting enough development.
Audio/Music: 6.5/10
A purely subjective matter, but I personally found the OP/ED to be great. If I were simply basing my rating on the opening and ending, I would have given them a 7 or maybe a 7.5. There's nothing in particular amazing about them, but they are great songs that both fit very well with the story if you understand the lyrics. Both are J-Rock, but the ED singer Kusunoki Tomori does very well with some powerful vocals. The band that plays the OP, CIVILIAN, is reminiscent of other J-Rock bands that do anime songs, and it's a very familiar sound for anyone who watches enough anime. The problem with the music in Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha is that there are some parts of the show that involve singing... that doesn't really need to be there.... It's not good.
Key Takeaways:
I shortly mentioned it in the Review Summary, but really the show has a rough ending thanks to the one cour pacing. It really needed more time to expand on the story. Some characters could have been given a better handling. The rush to the ending leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. For a story that has a 2,000 year period of mystery to start delving into, it doesn't take advantage of the use of lore and leaves a lot on the table.
Baseline:
If you're looking for something simple to watch, I could possibly recommend Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha, but you have to go in with low expectations.
Essentially, the appeal of this show is based in the main character Anos Voldigoad's quirkiness as a truly OP schemer. Following him as he gains followers and learns more about the new world that resulted from his decision to sacrifice his life. Another cour would have really helped the story, but it feels like they've closed the door with the way they closed out this first season.
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