The Demon Girl Next Door

Spoiler free.

For a while I ignored this show while it sat in my plan to watch. Hell I even removed it a couple times because it seemed from the outside at least, that it was just a cheesy CGDCT show. Kinda hypocritical coming from someone who loves Non Non Biyori but who knows.

I think this show somehow managed to combine a plot in to a slice of life show perfectly. Think of The Devil is a Part Timer, but a ever so slightly more serious. While it's not focused on the plot to the most extreme extent, every episode adds something that tallies up to the finish. It might not be the best written or explained, but it was implemented in to the show well, with the important parts given so you know what's happening. All through this, slice of life aspects, comedy, and heartwarming moments are stitched in making it both a great slice of life and also a show you could viably watch for plot. Granted you might not have the best time if you do that. Unfortunately, in terms of plot, I think the first season was just a level of setup, and it almost feels like it was written without the expectation of a second season. It doesn't detract from the plot by any means, but it sucks having watched this before the second season was out. I want a little more of the plot, but I can't have it right now outside of reading the manga. I think if it really wanted to improve, they could've addressed what threats there were/are, but I think I might be going to the wrong show expecting that. It just surprised me at the level of plot, when I expected a peaceful slice of life.

As for the characters, I think the show struggled a little. Yuuko was so dead set on accomplishing her goals, I'd argue there wasn't much in terms of noticeable development for her outside of the very end. The show used this part of her personality quite a bit for comedic effect, but it started to get a bit obnoxious for me by the end. Maybe they were just trying to be more truthful to the manga, who knows, but it was saved by bits and pieces of comedy that were either meta or more along the lines of "shitposting in anime form" to carry it along. It's not like it became tiring, just that the main became a little annoying because of how they preyed off her personality. On the other hand, Momo, the other "main", did see a level of development up until the end. It's was just a bit more subtle, because her personality was such a stark contrast to the more outgoing main. They also preyed off her personality for comedy, just to a lesser extent, which made it a bit funnier when it happened. The show also had a habit of telling that characters were friends, but never showing it. It was really notable with side characters, who were described as friends, but were only around when it was convenient for comedy. Or saying that one character did a lot for another, but never showing or saying what it was. I get you can't say everything, but hell at least give me a little backstory on some of these characters you keep showing me.

Edit: The manga had a bit better pacing with this. It does eventually sorta happen, the show just ended a little before it. Also one more small note, the show is wildly truthful to how the manga was done. Almost no content was cut, and most of the extras from it are in the show, which is why it may occasionally seem to jump around a little. It's a nice touch.

Audio wise there really isn't much to say for the show. The OP/ED were decent, I prefer the ED more. Some of the sound effects are really good, some of them are fine. But one notable thing was the one of the sides making a lot of... noises. You'll know what I mean when I watch it, because I'm really incapable of describing it, but it was odd. Not really bad, because at times it was funny, but it was weird when it was inevitably used out of place. The soundtrack was also pretty good, nothing impressive but it fit well and never stuck out anywhere as bad.

Visually I think it was above average, but it didn't really have any time that it wowed me. It just managed to be above average, everywhere, consistently. Whether it be the backgrounds, the character models, or some of the graphics. Nothing else to really say for this, I guess the OP/ED were done well too?

Overall I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to season two. For me, it was the perfect combination of plot and slice of life that really hit a balance that appealed to me. I honestly went in just expecting a peaceful slice of life, since that stuff is like candy for me. Anyone that goes in for plot however might be disappointed, because it could feel like filler in a shounen or whatever, but hey, that's their fault for not reading up on anything.