The Duke of Death and His Maid

The Duke of Death and His Maid
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Duke of Death (right) and Alice Lendrott (left)
死神坊ちゃんと黒メイド
(Shinigami Botchan to Kuro Meido)
Genre
Manga
Written byKoharu Inoue
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
MagazineSunday Webry
DemographicShōnen
Original runOctober 3, 2017 – May 17, 2022
Volumes16
Anime television series
Directed byYoshinobu Yamakawa
Written byHideki Shirane
Music by
  • Gen Okuda
  • Takeshi Watanabe
Studio
  • J.C.Staff (production)
  • Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment (animation)
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Original networkTokyo MX, BS11, ytv
English network
Original run July 4, 2021 – June 23, 2024
Episodes36 (List of episodes)
icon Anime and manga portal

The Duke of Death and His Maid (Japanese: 死神坊ちゃんと黒メイド, Hepburn: Shinigami Botchan to Kuro Meido) is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series by Koharu Inoue. It was serialized online via Shogakukan's Sunday Webry website from October 2017 to May 2022, with its chapters collected in sixteen tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff aired from July to September 2021. A second season aired from July to September 2023. A third and final season aired from April to June 2024.

Plot[edit]

A young noble named Viktor is cursed as a child by a witch, causing him to kill anything he touches. As a result, his mother disowns him, and sends him to live in a separate estate with only a maid named Alice and a butler. In the process, the noble becomes close to Alice, and she to him. He tries to adapt to living with the curse and attempts to find out about the person who cursed him.

Characters[edit]

The Duke (坊ちゃん, Botchan) / Viktor (Junior) (ヴィクター, Vikutā)
Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae[1] (Japanese); Clifford Chapin[3] (English)
A young noble who was bewitched since childhood with a curse that kills anything he touches. Because of it, he is disowned by his mother and sent to live in a separate estate inside a forest with only a butler and his maid Alice.
Alice Lendrott (アリス・レンドロット, Arisu Rendorotto)
Voiced by: Ayumi Mano[1] (Japanese); Kristen McGuire[3] (English)
Viktor's childhood friend and personal maid who is infatuated with him. Despite knowing that touching Viktor can kill her, Alice likes to flirt with him, usually with comical results.
Rob (ロブ, Robu)
Voiced by: Hōchū Ōtsuka[4] (Japanese); Kent Williams[3] (English)
Viktor's old butler and his only servant besides Alice.
Viola (ヴィオラ, Viora)
Voiced by: Inori Minase[4] (Japanese); Kayli Mills[3] (English)
Viktor's youngest sister, Viola likes older men and has feelings for Rob, usually visiting her brother's house just to see him.
Walter (ウォルター, Uorutā)
Voiced by: Yuma Uchida[4] (Japanese); Alan Lee (English)
Viktor's younger brother who was chosen to replace him as the family's heir. Despite that, Walter always has a feeling of inferiority towards his brother and always attempts to surpass him.
Cuff (カフ, Kafu)
Voiced by: Wakana Kuramochi[4] (Japanese); Sarah Wiedenheft[3] (English)
A young witch who befriends Viktor and Alice. Cuff is skilled with fire magic and works in a circus with Zain. Cuff views the world with a sense of immaturity, and child-like wonder (as evidenced by her affinity for Santa Claus). It is hinted that she has feelings for Zain.
Zain (ザイン, Zain)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya[4] (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo[3] (English)
A wizard with bird features and a perverted behavior who is Cuff's companion. Zain always attempts to flirt with Cuff, who rejects him at first but eventually warms up to him. Zain is skilled with time magic, a rare and powerful trait that makes him the target of other witches.
Daleth (ダレス, Daresu)
Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa[5] (Japanese); Katelyn Barr[6] (English)
The leader of the witches, replacing her older sister Sade. Like Cuff and Zain, Daleth also befriends Viktor and Alice, helping them to look for a way to break the curse. In the past, she was disfigured by Sade and since then she disguises her head with a skull-like mask in shame, until Walter compliments her true face, which also makes her fall in love with him.
Sharon Lendrott (シャロン・レンドロット, Sharon Rendorotto)
Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese); Felecia Angelle (English)
Alice's mother who somehow has a connection with the witches, despite not being one of them. Years ago, she was apparently killed by Sade but revives later in the story, reuniting with her daughter.
Gerbera (ガーベラ, Gābera)
Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese); Michelle Rojas (English)
Viktor's mother who disowned him after he was cursed. Behind her strict facade, she still cares for her son and wants him to break his curse so that he can return to the family. She is good friends with Sharon.
Sade (シャーデー, Shādē)
Voiced by: Yūko Kaida (Japanese); Dawn M. Bennett (English)
The main antagonist and former leader of the witches. Sade is responsible for several acts of cruelty such as the duke's curse, Daleth's scar and Sharon's apparent death. It is stated that she died many years ago but traces of her magic are usually seen, as a sign that she was not completely destroyed yet.
Ringmaster (座長, Zachō)
Voiced by: Masaaki Mizunaka[5] (Japanese); Anthony Bowling[6] (English)
The ringmaster of Circus Gemini. He is also the husband of Amelia, whom he rescued a decade ago.
Amelia (アメリア, Ameria)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda[5]
The octopus witch and the wife of the Ringmaster.
Niko (ニコ)
Voiced by: Natsumi Fujiwara[7]
A wizard who is cursed with immortality by Sade years before her death. Niko is the headmaster of his wizardry school.
Ichi (イチ)
Voiced by: Masako Katsuki[7]
A wizardess and the lover of Niko. She is highly skilled with water magic.
Free (フリー, Furī)
Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata[7]
An instructor of Niko's wizardry school. Despite the fact that Free is actually a witch, he highly admires Niko and addresses him as "Brother Niko" and emulates Niko as he shape shifts into an older carbon-copy of his physical appearance.
Viktor (Senior) (ヴィクトル, Vikutoru)
Voiced by: Banjo Ginga
The grandfather of Viola, Walter and the Duke, who was named after him.
Liz (リズ, Rizu)
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara[8]
The grandmother of the Duke, Viola and Walter. Liz and her husband Viktor are depicted in a painting in the Duke's ancestral home.

Media[edit]

Manga[edit]

Written and illustrated by Koharu Inoue, The Duke of Death and His Maid was serialized on Shogakukan's Sunday Webry website from October 3, 2017,[9] to May 17, 2022.[10][11] Shogakukan collected its chapters in sixteen tankōbon volumes, released from January 12, 2018,[12] to July 12, 2022.[13]

On July 2, 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment announced they licensed the series for English publication.[14]

Volumes[edit]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 January 12, 2018[12]978-4-09-128099-2May 31, 2022[15]978-1-63858-410-0
2 April 12, 2018[16]978-4-09-128222-4August 9, 2022[17]978-1-63858-417-9
3 August 9, 2018[18]978-4-09-128480-8October 11, 2022[19]978-1-63858-724-8
4 November 12, 2018[20]978-4-09-128697-0December 20, 2022[21]978-1-63858-843-6
5 February 12, 2019[22]978-4-09-128856-1March 14, 2023[23]978-1-63858-987-7
6 June 18, 2019[24]978-4-09-129192-9May 30, 2023[25]978-1-68579-578-8
7 September 12, 2019[26]978-4-09-129357-2July 25, 2023[27]978-1-68579-812-3
8 December 12, 2019[28]978-4-09-129427-2September 12, 2023[29]979-8-88843-012-5
9 May 12, 2020[30]978-4-09-850106-9November 14, 2023[31]979-8-88843-045-3
10 October 12, 2020[32]978-4-09-850191-5January 2, 2024[33]979-8-88843-097-2
11 February 12, 2021[34]978-4-09-850402-2March 12, 2024[35]979-8-88843-389-8
12 May 12, 2021[36]978-4-09-850547-0May 14, 2024[37]979-8-88843-482-6
13 July 12, 2021[38]978-4-09-850657-6July 16, 2024[39]979-8-88843-663-9
14 November 12, 2021[40]978-4-09-850805-1September 10, 2024[41]979-8-89160-055-3
15 June 10, 2022[42]978-4-09-851137-2November 5, 2024[43]979-8-89160-056-0
16 July 12, 2022[13]978-4-09-851218-8——

Anime[edit]

See also: List of The Duke of Death and His Maid episodes

An anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff was announced in February 2021. The CGI-centric anime series was directed by Yoshinobu Yamakawa, with Hideki Shirane overseeing the series' scripts, Michiru Kuwabata designing the characters, and Gen Okuda and Takeshi Watanabe composing the series' music. Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia.[44][45] Plus Media Networks Asia licensed the series in Southeast Asia and aired it on Aniplus Asia.[46] Medialink licensed the series in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau, streaming it on their Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.[47]

The series was broadcast on Tokyo MX, BS11, and ytv. The first season aired from July 4 to September 19, 2021.[4][1][48] At the end of the first season finale, it was announced that a second season had been green-lit,[49] which aired from July 9 to September 24, 2023.[11][50] At the end of the second season finale, it was announced that a third and final season was in production,[51] which aired from April 7 to June 23, 2024.[52]

Reception[edit]

By February 2021, the manga had sold over 1 million copies.[53]

Cartoon Cipher of Anime News Network praises the first season of the anime for defying his initial expectations by blending teasing with heartfelt wholesomeness and effective world-building and adding that the anime balances lighthearted moments with a deeper exploration of its world, depicting the Duke's secluded life as a refuge from harsh realities. He also noted that the CG animation maintained the original manga's expressive style despite some choppiness. He concludes that the show offers a surprising amount of love and wholesomeness, suggesting it should be approached as a romance rather than a dark fantasy.[54]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 2, 2021). "The Duke of Death and His Maid Manga Gets Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The Duke of Death and His Maid". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Hazra, Adriana (September 13, 2021). "Funimation Reveals English Dub Cast for The Duke of Death and His Maid Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Mateo, Alex (May 11, 2021). "The Duke of Death and His Maid Anime Reveals Promo Video, Theme Songs, Cast, July 4 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Hazra, Adriana (March 25, 2023). "The Duke of Death and His Maid Anime Season 2 Reveals Cast, Staff, Teaser Visual, Promo Video". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Dempsey, Liam (July 28, 2023). "The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 2 English Dub Reveals Cast and Crew, Release Date". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 10, 2023). "The Duke of Death and His Maid Anime Reveals 3 More Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (June 15, 2024). "The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 3 Anime Casts Mai Nakahara". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  9. ^ 大井昌和の格差ラブコメ＆坊ちゃんに逆セクハラ楽しむメイドの物語がWebに. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. October 3, 2017. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  10. ^ Pineda, Rafael (February 15, 2022). "The Duke of Death and his Maid Manga Ends in 6 Chapters". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
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  46. ^ @ANIPLUSAsia (June 17, 2021). "[Simulcast Announcement] The world's most wistful mutual love. How does it feel to love someone, but yet be unable to touch them...?🥀 It's a bittersweet Summer with【The Duke of Death and His Maid】on ANIPLUS this July ✨ Premieres 04 July, 22:00 [GMT+8]" (Tweet). Retrieved June 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
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  54. ^ Cipher, Cartoon (January 20, 2022). "Duke of Death and His Maid". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2024.

External links[edit]

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