Gabriel Dropout/Dropkick on My Devil

 I lately saw these two comedy anime, both based off of manga. I found them really funny.

Both shows have similarities and are also reminiscent of the anime Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, a series I am a big fan of, despite its unfortunate problematic elements (neither Gabriel Dropout nor Dropkick on My Devil have those kinds of elements).

Both series are about they are about angels and demons coming over to the human world, in the slice-of-life genre. Both shows deal with folklore and mythos, which is always welcome.

Gabriel Dropout follows two high-achieving angels who are sent to Earth via their student exchange program.

Upon arrival, the main character Gabriel, almost immediately becomes addicted to gaming, losing her angelic disposition in favour of a misanthropic, slovenly, and lazy demeanour. The other angel, Raphiel, becomes a sadist. Then they meet two demons, Vignette and Satania. Vignette is a polite and kind person, ironically being more like an angel in behaviour rather than a demon. Satania is a comically inept demon. She tries to be truly evil, but her schemes blow up in her face.

Dropkick on My Devil is about a witch, Yurine, who summons the demon Jashin-chan from Hell. Yurine does not have the spell to send Jashin-chan home. The only way Jashin-chan can get back home is to kill Yurine. Unfortunately for Jashin-chan, Yurine is pretty much unkillable. Following this, the two become unlikely roommates. The cast grows to encompass Jashin’s friends, Minos and Medusa, an angel stranded on Earth from losing her halo, and various other wacky characters. In this version, Medusa turns humans to stone, not because she’s too ugly, but because she’s too cute. It’s a cute subversion.

Gabriel Dropout is especially funny. The anime is better than the manga because of its impassioned voice acting, which serves the comedy. Satania is both adorable and hilarious.

The characters of Dropkick on My Devil are pretty fun. They all have their distinct personalities. The series has a bit too much fourth-wall-breaking to my liking, but some of those jokes land.

Interestingly, both shows subvert the standard dichotomy of angels and demons. In both shows, the angels are ‘bad’, while the demons are more ‘good’ in comparison. In Gabriel Dropout, the angels are worse than the demons. In Dropkick on My Devil, we have ‘Pekola’ who is a nice and naive angel, but there are two other angels, her former subordinates, who are not kind. Minos and Medusa, despite being demons, are completely affable.

I found some implications of Gabriel Dropout very interesting.

• The idea of angels is that angels are good only as a consequence of their birth. These series’ challenge the idea of morality being based around birth.

• Gabriel becomes a shut-in because her life as a perfect angel was a lie, one built on pressure and the need to conform. She rejected the high standards imposed on her.

• In the episode where the four girls return home, we see the demon parents, but not the angel parents. Furthermore, in Gabriel Dropout, the angels represent the higher class, while the demons represent the lower class. We see the angels live in very wealthy homes, while the demons live in poorer homes.

• I definitely don’t mean to imply that everything funny has to have some deeper meaning, it was just something I thought was interesting.

Both series are reminiscent of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, because, while Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid deals with dragons coming to Earth, it’s the same fundamental premise about higher beings from other worlds interacting with humanity. And all the folklore and mythological references that ensue.