[charizardpal]

Spice and Wolf vs Maou

Let the inevitable Spice and Wolf comparisons begin, since I'm sure it was an influence on the author. S&W was a bit slow, but at least the economics talking points were less simplistic. The world left out cheap "dungeon crawling" fantasy tropes, and used the time to develop the ever-present church, and guild dynamics. In other words, rather than just playing with our expectations, S&W ran an original direction.

The male lead also had a rational mind, and if you read the book Holo wasn't just sexy (she was loli too), I mean, Holo had a distinct personality with multiple sides. She'd browbeat the protagonist, then turn dere. She'd act like a lazy spoiled princess, and then reveal she was scheming all along. Around other people she acts like an innocent nun.

Holo has more meat than Maō. Why are people still watching this show? Go read Spice and Wolf!