English Dub Review: The Misfit of Demon King Academy “In Between Royalty and Mixed Blood”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Avos Dilhevia, who appeared in Delsgade, was actually Misa, who was being controlled by traditions and rumors. After getting the demons in central Dilhade on her side, she declares that she will destroy Anos. Anos is making his way to the Demon King’s Castle to rescue Misa. Meanwhile, in the city, the people being controlled by Avos were attacking mixed blood demons, and they had even started making their way to Anos’s parents…

Our Take:
In a shocking turn of events, the proclaimed Demon King Avos is back to foil Anos’s journey to reclaim his title. What makes this more surprising is that Avos’s real identity this time is none other than Misa, who was last seen being stabbed by the Spirit King. You might think she could’ve been her evil clone or even her twin sister with the same name, but no. That’s the real Misa posing as Avos, planning to wreak havoc on the mixed-blood demons again. Of course, from the looks of things, Misa doesn’t appear to be her usual self, as she’s been brainwashed by her other half, which could be the Child of God.
When the second season began, I originally thought Anos and the gang would be tackling the new enemy, NousGalia, for the entirety of season two. That’s why I was surprised to see that the season took a sharp turn at the end of “The Spirit’s Trial” by introducing the return of Avos Dilhevia and its new identity. Misa being the new Avos resulted in season two taking a similar approach from season one, in which Lay masqueraded as the “Demon King”. However, it offers a difference between Lay (who created the fake Demon King of Tyranny) and Misa to make it stand out from the season one finale.
One difference is that Misa’s true form goes all evil on Anos and the others by casting a spell on the royal people to attack and drain the magic from the mixed-blood demons. One of them they went after is Emilia Ludowell (Dawn M. Bennett), a former pureblood royal resurrected by Anos as a hybrid in “Mother’s Words”. The episode has Emilia getting her just desserts for attacking Anos’s mother and the students by having her magic drained by the brainwashed royals. However, it also showcases Emilia gradually realizing the torture and discrimination the hybrids received from the royals before Anos’s parents rescued her. So it looks like Emilia might be heading down the path of redemption if that’s the case. Although, that would be difficult to do so in a narrative sense because I hated her guts in the first season.
“In Between Royalty and Mixed Blood” revisits the show’s familiar themes from season one thanks to Misa being the new Avos Dilhevia. The result differs from what I expected regarding the direction the last few episodes set up for season two. Still, it offers enough moments in its emotional core to set the stage for the first cour’s final episode. Yes, that includes the potential turning point for Emilia, who’s wonderfully voiced by Dawn Bennett. With Anos and the clan heading into the dungeon from the original Demon King castle, only time will tell if they’ll find what they need to rescue Misa from her dark side.