Well, the title says it all, doesn’t it? The boy now called Art was once the all-powerful Varvatos, Lord of the Darkness, conqueror of nations, wizard without peer, triumphant over heroes and gods. And…it all got boring. He wished someone would come and defeat him already, but nobody ever did. He couldn’t connect with his fearful subjects, either. So he decided to reincarnate in a random village in a future, less magically advanced era, discreetly keeping his OP status just in case, but bent on living as a mere “successful commoner.” At age ten, he’s quite satisfied with the results in the family circle: his parents love him and are proud of him. Now is the time for the next step, a long-time wish of his: developing a “friendship among equals” with other kids. But this proves tricky. At last, he decides to pursue the friendship of an Elvish-looking girl called Ireena, who has been bullied in the city. Too bad that she doesn’t want anything to do with him. But wasn’t there a white-haired elf lady in Art’s past life, too?

This was an entertaining little episode. I liked Art’s “reverse chuunibyou” antics, and his parents were interesting characters. His Dark Lord internal monologue is quite entertaining, and I was invested in his failed advances, his strategic approach, and the way he integrated the hints he received. As he went from sinister to overly courteous to excessively poetic to just immature and inexperienced, I smiled a lot and even laughed out loud once. Ireena’s arc, while quite typical, was effective. The moment Art firmly rejected his past life was cool. The visuals are good, and the music conveys a feeling of emotion and adventure. But I’m afraid that very little of that will carry on to the next episodes. In the last scene, our hero is older, Ireena’s trust issues are well behind her and she’s now, ahem, throwing herself at him in a way that is barely legal. They will be going to a magic academy, and some reincarnated teenage girls loom on the horizon. Harem? I hope I’m wrong, but this doesn’t fare well for Demon Lord.

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The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody can be streamed through Crunchyroll.