Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid (The Duke of Death and His Maid) has been either greatly beloved by the anime community or disliked for the animation style that ruins the experience for many. But, while animation is greatly important for one to pick up an anime, so is the very plot of the story. Thankfully, The Duke of Death and His Maid saves itself in terms of plot because it has, quite possibly, one of the most beautiful plots for this season.
The relationship between the Duke and Alice and the curse that is placed on him that kills everything he touches are intertwined and we see how important it is to touch the one you love, especially when you’ve never received even one chance to do that. This is why the Duke resolves to lift the curse no matter what so that he can be with Alice but it, of course, isn’t going to be that simple.
The Inability To Touch The One You Love
It is set up from the very beginning of the anime that the Duke has a curse that kills everything he touches. This curse was given to him by a witch and as we soon find out, she is dead. Unable to lift the curse now, the Duke is searching for other alternatives that will help him remove the curse so that he can finally hold Alice in his arms without any worry. There are many moments where we see the Duke extremely troubled that he cannot touch Alice. One moving moment is when the Duke and Alice want to dance together but they can't touch each other. Another important moment is when the Duke and Alice are in bed together and Alice starts to tease him saying that she is going to strip because that’s how she usually sleeps. The Duke is reminded of the fact again that he cannot hold her like a normal person.
The Past and The Present
In more recent episodes, we learn a lot about the past of the Duke and Alice and how they ended up living together. From a very young age, the Duke was such a kind-hearted soul that Alice couldn’t help but fall in love with him. However, with her mother, a maid in the household passed away, Alice was sent to live with her aunt who treated her cruelly. This was around the same time that the Duke was cursed by the witch. The witch’s specific words were “Nobody shall love you and you shall love nobody” and this stays with the Duke till Rob, the butler, hires Alice to help him. Having left her abusive aunt, Alice is more than happy to see the Duke and serve him again because she still loves him. However, the Duke doesn’t remember her anymore and tells her to leave him alone. But Alice is persistent and soon the Duke realizes his one wish: to love someone and be loved.
Final Thoughts
It is still unclear whether the Duke will lift the curse placed on him and have a truly deserved happy ending with Alice or if everything will remain the way it is, but one thing that we are sure about is that everyone at Honey’s Anime is going to be rooting for the Duke and Alice, whether they get to lift the curse or not (we truly hope they do, though).
While it is true that the character animation of The Duke of Death and His Maid ruins the show for many, we think it’s rather romantic that the background is painted like an oil painting because it only strengthens the major themes of the anime set in the Victorian era. Moreover, it shows the tragic beauty of the relationship between the Duke and Alice perfectly with its soft, dark yet very comfortable tones.
We hope you enjoyed this article! What is your favorite DukexAlice moment from The Duke of Death and His Maid? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Author: Evita Vincy
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