{"id":483,"date":"2018-08-14T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T22:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=483"},"modified":"2018-08-14T07:29:35","modified_gmt":"2018-08-13T22:29:35","slug":"how-not-to-summon-a-demon-lord-shows-how-to-write-an-exciting-superman-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/14\/how-not-to-summon-a-demon-lord-shows-how-to-write-an-exciting-superman-story\/","title":{"rendered":"How Not to Summon a Demon Lord<\/i> Shows How to Write an Exciting Superman<\/i> Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Take <\/span>Overlord<\/span><\/i>, mix in your standard ecchi harem, add a dash of softcore porn and what do you get? A surprisingly well-done <\/span>Superman<\/span><\/i> story, as it turns out.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord<\/span><\/i> is the story of a shut-in young man who has next to no social experience. He spends his time in MMORPG <\/span>Cross Reverie<\/span><\/i>–but even there he shuns others and plays as a <\/span>\u201csolo player<\/span>.\u201d His character in the game is the feared Demon Lord Diablo, a max-level character sporting incredibly powerful end-game gear and items.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u7570\u4e16\u754c\u9b54\u738b\u3068\u53ec\u559a\u5c11\u5973\u306e\u5974\u96b7\u9b54\u8853\u300d\u516c\u5f0f\u2726\u6b21\u56de\u7b2c7\u8a71\u306f8\/16\u653e\u9001\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

However, one day, he finds himself inhabiting the body of his character–summoned into the world of <\/span>Cross Reverie<\/span><\/i> by buxom elf Shera and loli catgirl Rem. But when these two try to enslave him, the spell is reflected (thanks to his gear) and enslaves them instead. Faced with an insane situation and zero social skills, he does the only thing he can think of: he doubles down hard on his roleplaying–attempting to solve his problems by acting like the prideful Demon Lord he\u2019s often pretended to be. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there is one other issue he must contend with: his own power. While the world he\u2019s appeared in appears to be the world of <\/span>Cross Reverie<\/span><\/i>, the people–and monsters–are much weaker than in the game. If he\u2019s not careful he can easily kill even an army with a single spell. So while he was strong in the game, he\u2019s nearly invincible in the fantasy world. He\u2019s basically Superman in a world where true rivals are seemingly non-existent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u7570\u4e16\u754c\u9b54\u738b\u3068\u53ec\u559a\u5c11\u5973\u306e\u5974\u96b7\u9b54\u8853\u300d\u516c\u5f0f\u2726\u6b21\u56de\u7b2c7\u8a71\u306f8\/16\u653e\u9001\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

When you have a character so ridiculously powerful, it can cause problems for the narrative. Basically, if there is no danger, there is neither tension nor suspense. Moreover, if it\u2019s obvious the character will win regardless, it can be hard to empathize with the character.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the problem that many people have with <\/span>DC Comic\u2019s iconic Superman. Despite having an interesting cast of allies and villains, the fact that physically harming him is largely impossible (outside of his specific weaknesses to Kryptonite, magic, and red sunlight) makes it hard to see the potential drama in his stories. However, that\u2019s why the best Superman stories aren\u2019t about the \u201csuper\u201d but the \u201cman\u201d–about the personal issues that Superman must deal with. <\/span><\/p>\n

After all, being so powerful causes its own slew of problems–and this is exactly what <\/span>How Not to Summon a Demon Lord<\/span><\/i> is all about.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u7570\u4e16\u754c\u9b54\u738b\u3068\u53ec\u559a\u5c11\u5973\u306e\u5974\u96b7\u9b54\u8853\u300d\u516c\u5f0f\u2726\u6b21\u56de\u7b2c7\u8a71\u306f8\/16\u653e\u9001\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

The most obvious of these problems is that, while Diablo is nearly invincible, those around him are not. At the climax of the first arc of the story, Diablo stands on a bridge, protecting a castle from an army of the demonic Fallen. At the same time, a single, yet powerful, Fallen has infiltrated the city nearby–the same city where Rem is currently waiting. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The dilemma is not whether Diablo can beat them or not–neither the army of Fallen nor the single Fallen in the town presents much of a challenge given his powers. Rather, the issue is that he can be in only one place at a time. <\/span><\/p>\n

While he can beat the Fallen at the castle, it\u2019s quite clear that no one else can. If he leaves, the castle will be all but overrun and everyone inside will die. On the other hand, if he leaves the single Fallen in the city to run free, not only will many people die at its hand, but it will kill the person responsible for keeping the city\u2019s anti-Fallen barrier in place as well. This will in turn all but assure the city will fall in a future Fallen invasion. It\u2019s a genuine dilemma and one that causes tension thanks to Diablo\u2019s limitations and the danger to his friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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That escalated quickly… (via How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord) pic.twitter.com\/lbD4EVfi4I<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Crunchyroll (@Crunchyroll) August 1, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n