I caught this at AX 22 and was intrigued by it, despite the over-the-top fan service and all that goes with it. It’s another offering in the Magical School genre and this follows the misadventures of a would-be magician and all that goes with it, so we have the short title, “Vermeil in Gold” and its full title, “Vermeil in Gold: The Failing Student and the Strongest Scourge Plunge Into the World of Magic” (“Kinsō no Verumeiyu: Gakeppuchi Majutsushi wa Saikyō no Yakusai to Mahō Sekai o Tsukisusumu”), and all that goes with it.
Let us start off with him, Alto Goldfield. Now, he is what I call an ‘up-and-down’ as far as a student goes. His scores and abilities are almost off the charts. Well, so is his summoning skills, but they are off the charts in the other direction. He can barely summon up the courage to do anything (Hyuk! Hyuk!) In any case, he is on the verge of being held back, as he cannot pass this one last test and that would put a damper on anyone and anything. While in the library, looking for anything to help, an old book falls off from those out of reach shelves and flattens him. It has JUST THE RIGHT SPELL for him to summon (and what he is summoning is a familiar) and he does. Well, much to his shock and horror, he summons a very naked demon (potentially a succubus), Vermeil (that is her in her hornless/tailless but clothed presentation).
Well, there is nothing in the rules that prevent you from having a human familiar, so he passes. Sadly, Vermeil is very flirty and wears that skimpy black dress. Oh, and as a demon, she does not understand the concept of undergarments, so, there you go. All the boys lie in a pool of their own blood, stunned and overwhelmed. However, childhood pal/potential girlfriend Lilia Kudelfeyt (the ginger) is not going to take this lying down and challenges Vermeil to a match, where Vermeil pastes her to the floor. The series is all the troubles Alto gets into, and it’s a lot.
A lot of the fan service is not just Vermeil naked or nearly naked; there is a lot of suggestiveness. You see, Alto has mana to spare and Vermeil, after being trapped in a book for 200 or so years, needs a lot to get motoring. Now, kissing is a very nice way to transfer this power, but there is an even BETTER way to do this and…and…and…you’ll never see it in this series! Also, because she is a demon, a lot of unwanted attention is delivered onto her and that causes a massive series of problems in the middle portions of the show, as it draws the attention of the Student Council, as they always want things to go smoothly, especially in a magic academy, where there are always problems and issues just under the surface.
It’s not a bad show, but I had issues. I do not know if it was Vermeil’s flirtiness or Alto’s reticence, but that began to wear thin. He may be of an age where carnality is both a distant thought and a scary proposition and he might be concerned as to how it might change the dynamic of the relationship, but he should actively consider it. Besides, it might have made for a hilarious episode where he decides to do the deed and wants to set the proper mood and it all goes ka-blooie.
It has an undeniable charm to it, as everyone learns just how they have to grow up and deal with the issues of being an adult. As to binging, I say it’s a full go. I mean, if he goes to school ‘every day’, then the binging just accelerates all the issues that come to the forefront. I do not feel it will get stale and repetitious and the more dramatic sequences play out better for all involved. Oh, yeah, and the ending guarantees the thought of a second season. Set aside a good chunk of the day for this. Now, if Vermeil would only get a larger wardrobe.
On a scale of 1 to 10:
Artwork 8 (Gosh, she’s cute for a demon)
Plot 7 (Rather typical)
Pacing 8 (Especially the action parts)
Effectiveness 7 (We aren’t getting the whole picture on this)
Conclusion 7 (It reaches a coupler point, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service 6 (A similar show would be “Mahoromatic”)
Bingeability 9 (It is a grand candidate for it)
And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. I need some mana.