Waifu Wednesday: Desumi Magahara (Love After World Domination)
We can’t possibly talk about the leading man of Love After World Domination without also celebrating Desumi Magahara, the object of his affection and the female lead of the show. She is a deadly combatant with questionable morals, which makes her exactly the kind of woman who captures my attention. Still, despite the intimidating title of Reaper Princess, there is a bubbly young woman beneath that intimidating mask.
This week’s Waifu Wednesday is Desumi Magahara from Love After World Domination, a show that has surprised me with how fun and charming it turned out to be.
Who is Desumi Magahara?
The setting of Love After World Domination has no business being as sweet and innocent as it appears to be. Secret Society Gekko has successfully burned half the world to the ground and has set its sights on the other half — but it’s being held at bay by the efforts of the Gelato 5. At the heart of Gekko’s efforts for world domination is Reaper Princess, a fighter who has quickly built a reputation for being as ruthless as she is powerful.
Behind the intimidating persona, however, is just a high school girl named Desumi Magahara. The daughter of a low-ranking Gekko minion, Desumi was groomed from a young age to not just follow in her father’s footsteps but to surpass him in nearly every way. She showed combat skills from a young age, which were honed and encouraged through years of training until she was ready to take her place as a high-ranking fighter in Gekko’s evil army.
Why we love her
Of course, there is much more to Desumi Magahara than just being a formidable fighter and leader of an evil army attempting to take over the world. She has a love of all things cute and cuddly, including her highly protective pet cat. She wants to support her friends in everything they do, whether it is trying to become a more effective evil henchman or winning over the beastman of their dreams.
It is the duality of Desumi that I find so appealing. She is terrifying on the battlefield — someone who provides a challenge for the combined strength of the Gelato 5 — but she is also sweet and caring. She welcomes her romantic rivals, seeing them as someone she has something in common with rather than an opponent to be crushed. And her affection for her beloved Fudo is all-consuming, even if she is woefully inexperienced in matters of the heart. It is adorable and hilarious to watch her stumble through the intricacies of a high school romance while feeling right at home commanding soldiers in combat.
Why you’ll love her
Desumi Magahara has a lot of layers to her, each mingling with the other to create an adorable bundle of contradictions. One moment she is locked in heated combat with the forces of good, and the next she is blushing at the prospect of holding hands with Fudo in the fleeting moments that they have together. She will lash out at her boyfriend when she suspects he might be cheating on her before happily befriending her rival for his heart without a moment of regret. She might be part of a self-proclaimed evil organisation, but it is almost impossible not to root for Desumi every time she is on screen.
With the rise of slice of life anime in full swing, more shows like Love After World Domination will be coming down the seasonal pipeline. If you want to catch up on all the episodes of this surprisingly charming show, you can stream both the sub and dub episodes on Crunchyroll.
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