The Demon King’s Daughter EP. 1 Review

by: JoYi L.

Cuteness and just straight-up pureness are what this episode provided! The beginning starts with Ahriman, the Demon King, who wants to take over the world… but immediately puts a stop to it because of his adorable daughter Doux, who’s way too kind. She’s honestly so cute and happy saving that baby lizard—it already sets the tone perfectly. The opening song is upbeat and fluffy, leaning way more into a heartwarming slice-of-life vibe. That contrast with the dark Demon King intro is kind of the whole joke of the show: it keeps setting up something intimidating, then immediately softens it.

Anyway, instead of scolding Doux for saving a lizard, Ahriman decides the solution is to assign Jahi to “teach her how to be evil.” Doux, of course, is just excited about it, which makes everything even more wholesome in the worst (best) way for Jahi. Jahi’s first plan is to train Doux by making her intimidate humans and deal with weak demons in a dangerous forest. Honestly, I thought, “Okay, this is actually a solid setup.” Then Ahriman immediately ruins it by blasting a massive hole straight through the forest instead of letting them walk through it. It completely undercuts Jahi’s serious plan, but it also fits the tone perfectly—nothing stays serious for long here. Even his over-the-top parenting moment turns out kind of sweet.

From there, Jahi and Doux travel through the cleared path, and Jahi tries to act like a strict mentor. Of course, Doux instantly disappears, and it turns into her yelling, “Come and get me!” like it’s a game. That alone should’ve been a warning for Jahi. Then it suddenly turns into a full song, “A Fun Game of Hide-and-Seek,” sung by Doux, which honestly caught me off guard in the best way. She’s just hiding behind trees, bushes, logs—completely happy—while even the forest animals join in.

Meanwhile, Jahi is losing her mind trying to keep up. Once she catches Doux, Jahi reminds her they’re not playing games and that demons are supposed to “steal, oppress, and kill.” And Doux immediately ignores that by feeding a horned rabbit because it looks hungry. That contrast never stops being funny.

Then a red-and-blue demon shows up to attack them. Jahi takes down the red one instantly, but when she turns around, Doux is calmly patting the blue demon’s head like it’s a pet. That moment really shows how strange her effect on everything is—even enemies just… don’t react normally around her. Jahi concludes that Doux isn’t spoiled—she’s just naturally kind. And honestly, that tracks, especially after everything we’ve seen so far: saving animals, helping slaves, assisting demons. At this point, kindness just seems built into her.

Then they arrive at a human village for Doux’s “trial,” which is supposed to involve stealing or threatening humans. Instead, she politely asks an elderly woman for a sweet potato while completely forgetting the “evil” part. This scene was honestly one of the cutest. Doux is reading cue cards like she’s doing a school presentation, while the elderly woman just plays along without realizing she’s interacting with an actual demon. Even when she points out it’s technically stealing, she still gives her the potato anyway.

Then we get a surprisingly emotional turn—the woman explains she can’t walk due to injured legs. Doux just heals her without hesitation, no drama, no hesitation, just kindness. And of course, the woman is so happy she gives Doux the potato anyway. It’s simple but really effective. When Doux comes back smiling, Jahi is obviously not impressed. But Doux actually concludes on her own: she can get things by helping others, so she wants to be a demon who helps people. I like this part because it shows she’s not just naive—she’s actively forming her own worldview. Ahriman shows up, happy as always, and takes Doux back. Even the potato gets shared around, which just reinforces how soft everything around her becomes.

In the second half, Jahi returns to the village, and we see Doux making a doll of her, which is kind of sweet in a quiet way.

Meanwhile, Ahriman learns that Doux has been helping the elderly woman daily and suspects something suspicious is going on. He introduces something called “Puppet Salt,” which lets people be temporarily controlled. It’s kind of funny in practice, though, because Doux immediately uses it just to make Jahi pat her head. That alone says everything about how this “evil tool” gets used in this show.

Then things get a bit more emotional. The elderly woman is moving, her old home is falling apart, and she ends up giving her handmade plushies to Doux. We also get a small backstory about her lost family, which adds some weight to the moment.

Doux, instead of just accepting it, uses Puppet Salt again to “command” the situation, keeping the dolls with the woman. It’s weirdly touching—her way of rejecting sadness is just turning everything into affection and connection instead. By the end, Jahi looks completely defeated, Doux is happily showing off dolls, and even Ahriman is just proud of everything. Jahi ends up with a matching doll, too, which honestly feels like the start of her slow emotional surrender.

Overall rating: 7/10! ^-^

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