My Little Demon Spawn
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Fantasy, Slice of Life
- Airing Date : July 2019 – September 2019
- Producers : Maho Film
Contains Spoilers
Uchi no Ko no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou wo Taoseru Kamoshirenai Introduction and Story (No Spoilers)
Dale Reki is an 18-year-old respected traveller known to many in the city of Kreuz as one of the best adventurers out. While hunting for magical beasts in the forest, he finds a little girl of the demon race named Latina. She is hungry and alone after her father dies, so Dale decides to take her in as his own. Her sweet compassionate nature renders Dale a doting parent, enjoying the various challenges of parenthood while juggling his life as an adventurer. However, various mysteries surrounding Latina concern Dale and the people around him. Latina herself grows as she is exposed to a somewhat human life.
The very first thing we are introduced to in the anime is the fantasy setting. We are shown Dale Reki in the middle of one of his adventures and it is immediately clear that he is no ordinary adventurer. Little Latina is the main element of the show and she is an immediate catch – small, cute and incredibly sharp, the audience is already able to sympathise with her and in this regard, Uchi no Ko does very well to make the audience feel like Dale Reki themselves.
After he adopts Latina, Dale assumes the role of a doting father, wishing that he didn’t have to work so that he could spend all of his time with his daughter. However, as the short series progresses, we see elements of world-building as it is made apparent that Latina’s broken horn is a symbol of a criminal in the world of the demons; in addition to the discrimination Latina experiences while attending school with human children. The series mainly tracks Latina’s growth as a child and as a character living in an environment that is, for the most part, extremely healthy given the brutality of the world in which they live; brutality which is only ever alluded to.
1. Latina
As far as main characters go, Latina is the prime example of an extremely likeable character. Not only is she adorable and highly intelligent, she also has a seemingly dark past. The anime itself sets Latina up to be everyone’s favourite character and even all the other characters have a hard time disliking her because she oozes compassion and a sense of responsibility towards herself and the people who changed her life.
2. It’s Cute, Dude
As mentioned before, Latina’s likeability is the show’s biggest selling point; however, Uchi no Ko as a series is overall an incredibly adorable show with a cast of characters that are all decent people. With the exception of three characters, all of whom are minor, Latina’s compassionate nature is greatly reflected by the community in which she lives. Seeing the powerful adventurer Dale Reki turn into putty whenever Latina pouts or is upset in anyway tugs at heartstrings, although his performance of parental duties borders on obsessive.
3. Perfect Watch For Downtime
After watching an extremely jarring, entertaining or even downright distressing anime, Uchi no Ko has the advantage of being like a palate cleanser. The show is perfect for watching in between shows that are more demanding of the viewer and being only twelve episodes in length, Uchi no Ko is the very embodiment of the phrase “short and sweet”.
1. Lacklustre Worldbuilding and Open Ends
Despite being set up in a fantasy world, most of the world’s fixtures in Uchi no Ko are mentioned in passing or serve only as minor story elements. There are important elements about the Uchi no Ko universe that are needed in order to answer important questions about Latina’s past and the overall composition of the world in which she lives. At the end of the twelve episodes, there is a feeling of incompleteness with the series as it fails to use the elements it laid out for itself. While it is a plus that the show does not take itself too seriously, there is the feeling that perhaps it would have become an excellent anime had it been paced with the long-term in mind.
Final Thoughts
In closing, Uchi no Ko is a good show for those who enjoy slice of life anime. Since it features a father-daughter relationship, it may be reminiscent of shows like Bunny Drop (not the manga) and Amaama to Inazuma (Sweetness and Lightning), shows which focus more on the development of the child character and their parent, as well as the dynamic between the two. If you like cute anime, Uchi no Ko is definitely what you’re looking for.
Author: Hoshi-kun
