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hopeymchope · 2 years

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“Love After World Domination” isn’t interested in its own damn premise

“Love After World Domination” isn’t a BAD manga/anime. It’s actually pretty good..... at what it chooses to do.

It’s just that what it chooses to do is DEEPLY FRUSTRATING. Because it chooses to straight-up IGNORE ITS FUCKING PREMISE.

So here’s what I’m gonna do.

1) I’m going to briefly explain The Premise.

2) Next, I’ll tell you What We Got Instead. Which will include details of the (minimal) ways in which they explored the premise before just giving the hell up and making this something that doesn’t need the base premise at all.

3) Finally, I invite you to Consider Other Possibilities. I’m essentially going to propose some ways they could’ve tried to dig into this premise without betraying the lighthearted, goofy nature of the show. This section here? This is basically fanfic corner.

THE PREMISE:

“Love After World Domination” is a romantic comedy in which a superhero and supervillain — both considered rising stars in their respective fields — somehow fall in love with one another over the course of repeated confrontations. They begin dating in secret, desperate not to let their respective teams know what they’re up to. And: Antics ensue.

To be more specific about our setup: We are in the realm of Sentai/Power Rangers parody here. Our hero is the team leader, the Red Ranger (a.k.a. Fudō). Our heroine is considered one of the most dangerous lieutenants for the enemy organization — the deadly Reaper Princess (a.k.a. Desumi).

Don’t let this gif make you think this an action show. It is absolutely not.

Who doesn’t love a story about star-crossed lovers, right? This is “enemies-to-lovers” at its absolute purest. I guess love really can bloom on the battlefield, Otacon!

Besides, a love story between a hero and villain is so much more than your typical kind of “star-crossed.” Imagine how much fun we can have watching their opposing goals and morals clash! That’s the entire core of the idea, right?! It’s like having a demon fall for an angel — it’s a notion that’s beautiful, poetic, and fascinating! The most powerful superhero on the side of good hooks up with the first lieutenant on the side of evil? That’s like, Captain Marvel and Ebony Maw falling in love in the middle of the Infinity War/Endgame crisis! (...or feel free to substitute Maw with Proxima Midnight if you prefer.)

Imagine how they might compromise on their individual desires in funny/entertaining ways because they care more about one another than they do about their roles, which gradually makes them (either one - or both!) understand the other side of the conflict better. Maybe they gradually drift to becoming centrists in the fight, or maybe one slowly drifts to the opposite side. Or... maybe we could get some serious, dramatic interludes amongst all the comedy wherein they must confront just how disparate their individual ethics really are, then question whether the relationship is worth it. Hey, I usually enjoy when a series tries to juggle multiple shifting tones! And I think it only enhances a comedy when you can make the emotions underneath the goofiness carry real weight.

HOWEVER...

The show isn’t interested in exploring a romantic relationship between a hero and a villain. It can barely give a single, solitary fuck about that concept.

WHAT WE GOT INSTEAD:

The relationship between Fudō and Desumi is treated exactly like any other story where the people dating are all “Oh no, my peers/family would so greatly disapprove of this!” They might as well be from competing business or opposing families. They might as well be from the Montagues and the Capulets. They could be Vision and Wanda, for god’s sake. Desumi, the goddamn Reaper Princess, could just as easily be ANY teenage girl who’s trying to date a person of color while dealing a super-racist father.

Although the “hide the significant other” game can be fun in and of itself, that’s... not the promise of the setup. It’s part of the promise, I suppose, but as I said, there are plenty of stories that do that already in various genres. The interesting thing is the thing that’s the most unique - the fact that they’re on opposite sides of an ongoing super-powered conflict.

I mean, SURE, when the series begins, they’re forced to still pretend to be fighting one another whenever they meet up on the battlefield. Right from the jump — indeed, the first scene of the first ep! — we find our characters in the first stages of their relationship and trying to get some time alone together in the midst of a battle. We quickly learn that they both have basically zero dating experience this before point, and they’re researching such things online to figure out what they’re supposed to be doing — very cute. One of the hero’s teammates comes over the ridge unexpectedly while our couple is hanging out, which requires them to suddenly act as though their date is actually a brutal battle.

This stuff is fun. And we get flashbacks to the development of the relationship that are equally fun. The bits with them acting as though they’re enemies while in public yet simultaneously managing to secretly plan dates or compliment one another? Like I said — best material in the series.

So naturally, that is all abandoned after two friggin’ episodes.

The only other way the concept is ever explored is through (so far, as of episode eight) just two one-second comedic exchanges. Both of which boil down to: Desumi says she’ll solve a problem by killing someone, and then Fudō quickly interjects to remind her that she REALLY shouldn’t do that. And the whole KILLING PEOPLE subject is instantly dropped, with neither of them discussing the fact that... Desumi wants to murder people and claims she’s quite good at it? And Fudō is clearly (and naturally) extremely anti-murder? So like, how do they square those two approaches between one another?

.................................... Stop asking. It doesn’t matter. They’re not gonna talk about that.

In fact, Desumi is ultimately not even that evil to begin with! She’s a pure-hearted soul who is just trying to follow in her father’s footsteps by working in the field HE wanted for her. In fact, she didn’t even apply for this job! Her family applied FOR HER! So she’s never even been evil at all!

She’s not invested in doing evil; she’s just naturally good at it. She can come up with evil plans totally by accident while pursuing wholesome goals. She loves her co-workers enough that she doesn’t intend to leave her position, but she simultaneously has no investment in or interest in the titular World Domination that her boss is pursuing.

................which undercuts the core premise that was used to get us to come here in the first place.

The Series Asks: “How will two people from opposing sides of an ongoing battle make their star-crossed romance work?”

The Series Answers:

The majority of the series is simply “We’ll be in trouble if our friends/family find out!” and the cover-up antics that ensue.

Plus SO FAR, THEY HAVE BEEN WRONG TO BE CONCERNED. Admittedly, I haven’t finished the story. (I’m 8.5 episodes into the anime, and I’m not sure whether I’ll go the distance with this.) But at this point, everybody who’s found out about it is totally in support of their relationship! And NOT ONE of them says “Hey, uh, how can you possibly date someone who’s... y’know... like that... ?”

CONSIDER OTHER POSSIBILITIES:

If you’re like me, the very concept of this series immediately starts your mind racing with questions and possibilities. Straight away, I heard it and thought: “What happens when they meet and face off in public view during a battle? How do they manage to fall for each other while having diametrically opposed worldviews — and how will they confront each other and/or compromise over their conflicting moralities?”

The former question, I imagined, would be fairly easy to address even though it could still be fun to see it play out. I pondered, “Perhaps they could choreograph their combat or signal one another/quietly tell each other their moves, like professional wrestlers?” And check it out: Pretty early on, this idea was proven to be exactly how the series would deal with that issue.

I absolutely *nailed* this!

....but I think the latter question is where the real gold mine lays for comedic potential. Yes, REALLY! I understand that maybe you’re thinking “But this is a show about wacky hijinks which never confronts anything seriously.” But, although my suggestion may sound like fodder for drama, you can definitely just have FUN with it!

Imagine our leads having to compromise on the most extreme elements of their personal moral compasses in order to make their relationship work. She could be like “I’ll stop murdering people if you stop reporting graffiti artists and jaywalkers to the police” or something. I mean, they’d obviously like each other so much in so many other ways that they’re both willing to work through/overlook their radical differences. That’s heartwarming, and it can also be legitimately funny.

Let me draft one possible example:

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The Scenario: Our leads are on the phone together

Hero: Hey, are you free to have dinner tonight? I know it’s short notice, but-

Villain: *delighted* Oh, absolutely! As soon as I’m finished torturing the mayor for information, I can grab-

Hero: *interrupting* Uh, sweetie?

Villain: *realizing* Oh riiiiight. Right, right. *sheepishly* I... said I was gonna stop torturing people, didn’t I?

Hero: *firmly* You did.

Villain: *whining* But it’s so fuuuuuuun...

Hero: *gently* Come on now, honey. We’re both trying to compromise, remember?

Villain: I know, I know. I promise that I’m trying to do better, ok? Old habits just die hard, haha! *murmuring* -and so does the mayor.

Hero: *laughing good-naturedly* I get it, really. Do you think it’s been easy for me to just stand by and try to ignore your public acts of property destruction?

Villain: *grumbling* Kinda seems easy...

Hero: It’s really not! I’m supposed to stand up for truth and justice and all the other stuff! At the end of the day, I can’t stop trying to give the public hope and security any more than you could ever stop trying to make them live in fear. *affectionately* And, honestly? That dedication to your work ethic is something I love about you.

Villain: *blushing* Aww, baby...

Hero: Even so, I think it’s important for us to try and shave off our most extreme edges. Just a little bit, understand? That’s how we’re gonna make this work

Villain: I know. I get it. *clearly nervous* So, um... look. If I stop torturing the mayor, then... after dinner... could you do me a favor?

Hero: Y-yes?

Villain: Can you, y’know... look the other way? While I break into a nice car for us to drive around town in?

Hero: *pauses to think* ....yes. *obviously struggling* I will... I’ll... you... *gritting teeth* you may commit grand theft auto.

Villain: *excited* You’re the best, you know that?!

Hero: .........this is a one-time thing, right?

Villain: *teasing* No promises, ya big dork!

Hero: *speaking softly, almost to himself* I just need to remember: I’m doing this for love. I’m doing this for love.

Villain: Oh my gosh, I’m so pumped! Can we have dinner early?!

Hero: *happily* I don’t see why not!

Villain: Fantastic! Just let me kill the mayor real quick, and I’ll get-

Hero: *CLEARS THROAT LOUDLY*

Villain: *moment of silence as her mistake sinks in* *facepalming* God DAMN it.

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Or — and maybe this is better? — our hero and villain could find that they both share a particular hobby, only to find that their motivations are both wildly different AND surprisingly similar at the same time.

In that vein, Side Idea 1: What if they both volunteer at the homeless shelter in their free time? The hero wants to support those in need because he believes kindness will make the world a better place. The villain thinks it’s important to support the poorest among us because the system is utterly broken, keeping them down, and that’s why she wants to tear the system down and start over. And the hero at first is like “Uh, whoa there, let’s step back a whole bunch from that ledge” but realizes the he actually agrees that sustained inequality is kind of baked into modern society. And she’s like “So you get it! You get why we need to destroy the world’s governments and create a new system out of the ashes!” and he’s like “Oooorrrrr, maybe we could just encourage people to support programs that assist the downtrodden and educate the poor on how to vote in favor of their own interests, or something like that? Hm?”

Side Idea 2: Maybe they both love animals and they both have pets, and THAT’S the common ground. So the hero is like “My dog is my loyal companion. She is sweet, smart, and always has my back. I take her out to the dog park every Sunday. We jog, we play fetch together — it’s delightful.” And the villain enthuses, “I love dogs, too! I have three beautiful doggos! And yeah, they’re totally smart. I’ve actually trained them to rip out the throats of my enemies on command! They’re the best!”

*deep breath*

Unfortunately... we have to cope with the anime we got instead of dreaming idly about the one we deserved.

And what we got is... fine. Pretty good, even? Probably! It’s hard for me to separate what I feel it could’ve been from what it is.

It’s a sweet teenage romcom about a couple trying to keep their relationship on the DL so they don’t get in trouble. Friends, family, co-workers, and even the press must be dodged effectively at different times. Some cute things happen as they maneuver around all this.

And the fact that they’re both so new to love really makes their interactions feel as pure as the driven snow.

But... there are plenty of teenage romances with similar setups. Two people who’re new to dating? Sure, that’s easy. Two people in a secret relationship? Of course that’s out there.

I wanted then to really dig into the whole “Hero and Villain romance” thing on SOME level, even if it was just a silly one. That, to me, is the elevator pitch — “a romcom about a superhero and supervillain in love.” But they kick that angle to the curb right quick, leaving behind stuff you’ve seen before in plenty of anime romcoms. Though at least there’s a thin Sentai/Power Rangers parody overlaid on top.

#love after world domination #anime #anime review #恋は世界征服のあとで #Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de #anime screenshots #anime gifs

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conqueror-taiwan · 12 days

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