This has to be one of the best series I have ever
seen. The story was just so absorbing
and suspenseful. The central characters
were all interesting and magnetic. A
wonderfully delivered plot, plus great performances, plus a smorgasbord of
themes, made this an intensely gripping and emotional story.
The title is literally
translated as “devil king”. That’s
because the central character is a lawyer who’s being dubbed as “angelic” for
his reputation for clearing accused people who were really innocent of their
purported crime. In truth, though, this
lawyer is very carefully manipulating his clients and his entire career in
order to stage a vengeance that took him eleven years to plan and execute. When he was seventeen years old, Manaka Tomoo’s
brother was accidentally stabbed by a classmate named Serizawa.
It all began there. Slowly but surely with each episode all the
events that led up to Manaka’s bitter search for vengeance unfolds. Death comes one by one to people who were
related to the case. Serizawa, who now
has become a police detective, tries to unravel the mysteries surrounding the
deaths caused by a mysterious figure called Amano Makoto. Eventually Serizawa finds out the truth about
the deaths that seem to be hounding his friends and family and their connection
to the painful past that he has been trying to overcome since the unfortunate
incident eleven years ago.
Unfortunately, the tides cannot be turned anymore. Manaka and Serizawa must confront each other and
face the consequences of their actions, and the series comes to an
appropriately tragic conclusion.
The series dealt with some very serious themes,
including guilt and atonement, closeness to one’s family, loyalty to one’s
friends, betrayal, justice, sacrifice, and the redemptive power of
forgiveness. It also had a supernatural
element, represented as a psychic ability possessed by Manaka’s love
interest. That particular aspect of the
story gave the entire series even more depth because although Manaka finds love
and the hope of happiness, he ultimately sees himself unworthy of anything good
– love, forgiveness, or joy. I was truly
enthralled by the story, its twists and turns, and the unexpected ways Manaka
delivered his vengeance. He was so dead
set on it that he gave up his entire life for the fulfilment of his crusade. The pacing was excellent, and the characters
were all flawlessly portrayed. I highly
recommend this series to all who are looking for something of a detective
thriller/mystery, because you will definitely get much more than you
expect. Maou has quickly become one of my most favourite series of all time.
