Endro!
Endro! is an original Japanese anime television series produced by Studio Gokumi. The series aired in Japan between January and March 2019, and a manga adaptation was serialized from August 9, 2018, to February 15, 2019.
Plot
On Naral Island, a hero named Yulia "Yusha" Chardiet and her party of friends confront the Demon Lord plaguing the Kingdom of Lapanesta. However, their sealing spell goes wrong and the girls inadvertently send the Demon Lord back in time to before Yusha became a hero. Reverted to the size of a small girl, the Demon Lord, now known as Mao, becomes a teacher at Yusha's Adventure School with the aim of expelling Yusha so that she'll never become a hero in the future.
Characters
;Yuusha / Yulia Chardiet
;Seira / Ellenoar Seiran
;Fai / Fai Fai
;Mei / Mather Enderstto
;Mao / Demon Lord
;Princess Rona / Rona Pricipa O'Lapanesta
;Chibi Dragon
;Female Knight
;Meigo Maid Golem
Media
Manga
A manga adaptation by Izumi Minami began serialization on Hobby Japan's Comic Fire website from August 9, 2018, to February 15, 2019. One volume was published.
Anime
The anime series is directed by Kaori and written by Takashi Aoshima, with animation by Studio Gokumi. The series' character designs are provided by Namori, and Haruko Iizuka is adapting the designs for animation. Egg Firm is producing the anime. The series aired from January 12 to March 30, 2019, on Tokyo MX and BS11. The opening theme is "End Roll!" performed by Hikaru Akao, Shiina Natsukawa, Ari Ozawa, and Inori Minase as their respective characters, and the ending theme is "Wonder Caravan!" performed by Minase. The anime series has been simulcasted by Crunchyroll.
Reception
The anime adaptation's first episode garnered generally positive reviews from Anime News Network's staff during the Winter 2019 season previews. Nick Creamer praised the premiere's flawless understanding of "visual humor and comic timing", highlighting Misaki Kuno's performance as Mao and its delivery of "familiar RPG-riffing jokes", and the production for its expressive character designs, painted backgrounds and fluid animation, concluding that: "All in all, while the "comic riffs on RPG conventions" genre space is pretty crowded, ENDRO! is executed with such consistent excellence that it gets a firm recommendation from me regardless." Paul Jensen was critical of the opening scene being "a little too gimmicky" and not funny enough to justify its screen time, but felt the series settled into its "comfortable comedic groove" by delivering well-timed punchlines without any "overt video game references" and the "reasonably strong" chemistry of its main cast, saying, "It's cute, amusing, and competently produced, so it should work just fine as long as you're in the mood for this style of comedy." Theron Martin praised it for executing "a number of surprises and atypical twists" on a "half-dozen staple fantasy tropes," concluding that "this one looks like it could be a nice little diversion from the season's heavier content." The fourth reviewer, James Beckett, saw potential in the "cute premise" but critiqued that its a "fairly rote" outing with "cliché fantasy shenanigans", concluding with: "I don't think the show is exactly for me, but it could certainly be worth checking out for anyone that needs a bit more candy in their anime diet."