Once more I need to talk about Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun! Specifically about Mephisto.
As such, manga spoilers ahead!
I've been thinking of the Scala exam a lot recently, and about Mephisto's reaction to Iruma. I realized that this is the first time in the manga that we see someone contrast Iruma from Delkira instead of compare him to.
If you think about it, it is often repeated through the series about how similar Iruma is to Delkira. Asmodeus saw him as Delkira during his first evil cycle when sitting on the throne. Repeatedly Sullivan sees Delkira in Iruma. Amduscias saw Delkira in Iruma during the musical festival. We are pretty consistently reminded the similarities between Iruma and the previous Demon King. It's kinda like we start to see Delkira as this amazing, never wrong being.
I think that is why it is so shocking when we get Mephisto's view point on the very beginning of Delkira as Demon King. For the first time, we see someone viewing Delkira in a negative light. We see Delkira be greedy and selfish enough that someone was essentially fired from the position that they had held for centuries. Mephisto was cast off on the whims of Delkira.
I think it is so interesting that it takes hundreds of chapters to get to this point. When I first read it, it felt wrong. Like 'that's not right.' Iruma is compared so often to this person that seeing something negative about them feels off putting. It's a reminder that Delkira was not perfect.
I also think that is why the conversation between Mephisto and Iruma is so beautiful. Mephisto realizes how different Delkira and Iruma are from each other, and because of those differences, Mephisto sees a future king in Iruma. That Iruma cares so much that he would never cast aside anybody. Everybody is important to him no matter who they are. This is the first time we finally get someone looking at Iruma as a future demon king because he is different from Delkira.
No one means ill by comparing Iruma to Delkira. Instead everybody means the highest respect by doing that, but there is something so refreshing about Iruma being seen as a future leader for being Iruma. For being greedy in a different way. Instead of making it all about himself and his desires, his greed stems from wanting everyone to be happy and fulfilled.
I was not expecting this outcome from the Scala exam. Initially I was very wary of Mephisto, but now I've come to love his character. He just wants to feel needed again, and Iruma offers that without even realizing it. Iruma is so clueless to the impact he has on the demons around him.
I hope my rambling was coherent. Basically, I am really excited for the series to continue and to see how this all progresses. To see Iruma continue to make a name for himself, as himself. This manga is just so beautifully done.
I’m saying this AS a deku stan. my literal favorite character in the whole goddamn world. what HAPPENED to him?
where is the "kacchan and everyone else" deku…
"what would kacchan do?"
"in the heat of battle I can't help but mimic you because you're my image of victory"
"all might was my hero, but you were the one actually in my life"
“I always chased after you”
"I can't imagine a world in which kacchan doesn't exist"
the "control your heart" deku.
the deku that only ever looked at katsuki with an awestricken, admirable expression. the deku that was so obsessed with katsuki.
katsuki was deliberately targeted by the villains because of this… I liked that deku was flawed in this way. that he prioritized someone in his life that was awful to him in the past. it’s one of the things that made him so interesting! that he was SO hopeful and so determined to be friends with katsuki again. (it added a comedic contrast to their dynamic too. like ‘wow he still wants this guy in his life so badly despite the bullying?’ YES.)
deku fans, deku haters, EVERYONE used to have something to say about his katsuki obsession. it was a repeated, central discussion for YEARS. even in parodies by non-shippers, deku’s katsuki obsession was constantly poked fun at. even if you hated bkdk you couldn’t deny how dedicated deku was to katsuki.
WHAT HAPPENED????
I was introduced to the idea of Fem Bakugou having a mullet , and I love it! Like a punk style mullet would be perfect!
To add onto the Kalego thing :')
In the anime (I'm getting through the manga rn) there's a handful of times where Kalego is like ???? Why WOULDN'T you summon me? In a very 'you SHOULD' have summoned me way.
Then him picking out the mentors for the harvest festival.
THEN Iruma finally popping up with the seed of beginnings and him being like !! I don't care about the plant! Are you hurt? Are you going to forefit? It gives worried dad energy then 😩
Man I just love Kalego, I think
Right?! I just love how he goes from so against the idea of being Iruma's familiar to getting genuinely annoyed when he isn't used as a familiar. And the small moments that show he worried, like the harvest festival 😭 I also just really love him
I finally got Procreate! What a better way to break it in the doing all the sticky note drawings I’ve done at work for Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun. I’m still figuring it out, but you know, I’m pretty happy with my beginning attempts.
"They bear our marks."
Drew one my favorite two page spreads from the manga. I love the misfit class so much
Clip Studio Paint | December 23, 2024
Since the manga didn't give me my glorious greatest hero in action..... I'll do it myself and I also have more on the way ☆
I don't really do backgrounds so this was very challenging and had to do a lot of back and forth 😭 had to pull out the ancient texts (spiderverse screenshots)
I have a speedpaint posted if you guys are interested ^^
Did some more redraws of Mairimashita Iruma Kun becaue Osamu Nishi's art style when it comes to demons in the wicked cycle (espesially Irumi) is just really pretty. And I love the contrast of Irumi's comfidence between the first and second time singing with Kuromu
I had a sudden epiphany regarding Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun, and I need to talk about it. It does contain spoilers for the manga!
In the manga, it is pretty obvious that Iruma has some sort of connection to Derkila (spelling based off the official translation), but it is not told to us what that connection is. BUT I was thinking about it today and made some connections. Namely Ali-San.
I always thought that Ali's full name, Alikred, had to be important somehow. They way he says it at first is so solemn. So I took a second really look, and it felt like someone slapped upside the head. Alikred is just Derkila backwards. Maybe others noticed that, but it just hit me.
In the manga, before the Heartbreaker arc, Iruma uses the mana readout machine, and everyone thinks it broke when he used it. Later, though, we learn that it actually has Derkila's seal and accordingly to Baal, this means Iruma has Derkila's mana.
Little things start to make sense when you look back at it then. Like how the first time Ali-San uses his mana to have Iruma experience his evil cycle, Iruma comes up with the plan to open Royal one, AKA the classroom that Derkila used during his time at Babylus. One that has been held in perfect suspension for Derkila and no one else to use.
Once Royal one is opened, he sits on Derkila's throne, and Asmodeus alludes to the fact that in that moment, Iruma looked like Derkila.
During the Harvest Festival, Iruma uses the rings mana (and Lied and Clara) to have the Legendary Leaf bloom. When it blooms, he gets a vision of Derkila saying, "So, it's you." At that same time, Ali-San 'goes to sleep.'
Ali-san is not woken up until Amducias plays Purson's trumpet after the musical festival arc. Earlier in that arc, Amducias mentioned that only Derkila could hear their music, but after the Misfits win, they play the trumpet to begin the promotion ceremony. (Amducias also mentions that Iruma reminds them of Derkila for some reason). Overall, it was Amduias's music that woke up Ali-San.
In the end, Ali-San is mostly definitely a part of Derkila. Whether he is actually Derkila, who knows, but I think Ali is more than a manifestation of the mana in the ring. It is really interesting to look back and start to make connections for this idea. The writing is so well done, and I am so excited to see where the manga goes and how everything will be explained one day.
The vigilante and his adopted dad :) decided to do another drawing based off my fic on AO3
We Pick Up the Pieces and Make Ourselves Stronger
First let's start by the "afterword", the note Horikoshi left after 430 and before the extras, chapter 431.
Original japanese for those who understand.
The best traslation I found and most people are agreeing with.
Key sentences are:
1.The real final chapter is 429, 430 is more like a curtain call.
2. PS: For chapter 431, I turn off the cameras and free the characters from their dramas.
This note being left after 430 and before the extras is so important. . The clarification of "the real final chapter is 429" and 430 is the curtain call is screaming: the show has ended here. This is further stated by "i turn the cameras off" by the man who use to refer himself as the camera man, I leave you with an example.
(They're talking about Vol 37 cover)
And back to point number 2: "and free the characters from their dramas", which could perfectly be understood as "the characters are no longer tied to their previous plots and drama" no longer connected to the main story.
It may seem like a reach until here, we're just trying to convince ourselves that's not canon, right? They´re delusions, right?
The problem is how far away everything about 431 antagonizes the whole story, the characters doesn't feel like themselves, they even regress back all their development, the drawing style looks totally different and there are many irregularities that call for our attention.
Dabi, 431 and by Horikoshi
Toga and Ochaco in 431:
Toga and Ochaco by Horikoshi:
All Might's signature for Katsuki (Horikoshi would never mess this up):
Kirishima with 6 fingers lol, Horikoshi loves drawing hands, he would never.
Katsuki's odd teeth what the fuck. (His hand looks good to me)
Ochaco and Shoto just look, weird. It's clearly not Horikoshi's art style.
And this awful background (center) was the main giveaway.
Horikoshi's backgrounds are so professional:
At this point I'm getting tired since the difference is astounding, don't believe me, just check the manga.
I don't think Horikoshi would've allowed those mistakes had he have a role in the making, maybe he did, there's no saying about that, but clearly if he did his involvement was very low.
Character's development wise now.
Seriously? "Deku"? And Katsuki complaining for picking him up. He cried his eyes out when Izuku lost his quirk and now he's back at season 1?
Izuku would never in a million years turn down that offer. And if he did, it would never be like this, so devoid of emotion and empathy.
430 showed us an Izuku aiming for his dreams again and at 431 this Izuku ¿? It's okay with being a teacher? Ok. And if that's not the problem, why he outright rejects Katsuki out of nowhere? When their rivalry was one of the main points of the plots for 430 chapters and now just um over? Without justification? Ok.
Ok.
Now specifically about that ship canonization and bkdk.
Horikoshi has been doing this for 10 years. The choices he took the whole manga were incredibly intentional, all those romantic tropes given to bkdk, his interviews, all stand in direct opposition to what happened in this last chapter.
I, myself, don't know much about Jump but what I've heard is they end lot of shonens with the same heterosexual formula. I don't think all of this is a coincidence.
Something really important that needs to be adressed to is what happened back in June (I think), when suddenly MHA announced it was ending in 5 chapters could've something to do with this. The manga was suddenly rushed to its ends with unsatisfying resolutions and as if that was not enough, one month later (at most) the same happened to JJK and all of this came accompanied by a switch of one of the heads of Jump.
About 431 again though.
I was just thinking what would I do if I was pressured to write something that ruins the biggest project of my life and goes against everything I was hoping for? Refuse. Tell them to write it themselves. If I can't do anything to stop it and it'll be there, alright, but I WON'T DO IT.
And I think this could be Horikoshi's case.
I've never seen a shonen manga come so close to implying his male protagonist and his male deuteragonist are in love before. Yes, it was not EXPLICIT but it was so fucking clear if you knew how to read, all the way up to 430. All those cliches tropes he gave them, he knew, we know.
I thought I'll die trying to explaineverything that seems wrong with this with nothing to back me up but the fact that he added that note is clear for me. I'm surprised they allowed him to publish it, I thought we wouldn't even have that.
PS:
It's interesting this being posted the same day 431 comes out. Also "heroaca is pretty dark, huh?"
I'll not go into this anyways because it's kind of a reach but the conclusion is: I think it's a "soft" censorship and Horikoshi did his best to relay his message given what he had.
Thanks for reading!
She/her | Mainly I draw but I can be found on AO3 with a few fics of the MHA nature | still figuring things out but that's okay :)
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