How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω (2021)

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω is the second season and is a short season at only 10 episodes long. The first season had completed the backstories of the main characters, so now it moves to a new story arc. As a bit of background, Diablo was a shut-in gamer who ended up being transported to this world, that’s based on the gaming he was playing. He assumed the form and power of his character, Diablo, and while he’s overpowered, stronger and stronger enemies are appearing.

A new party member joins (again), and tags along on their adventures. The season focuses on this character and the events stemming from them. To prevent the cast from being too big, some of the other characters are left behind in the city as they travel onward. To be honest, those characters weren’t the focus in previous season anyway, and his first two partners, Rem and Shera are still here so it doesn’t feel too much of a loss.

Diablo was initially introduced as a super strong character, and at an overwhelmingly higher level than everyone else. Yet as the anime went on, he kept encountering other characters that are higher and higher in level too, to the point where they start to match or surpass his level. The way around this is that Diablo managed to carry over some of the high leveled weapons from when he played this as a game, and thus Diablo still outclasses everyone else.

However, there are times where even Diablo will get into trouble and would have died if not for those cheat items. Plus, while he’s got the stats, his combat experience is not quite there. While he often finds himself in a pinch, he will always pull through, and it’s usually through some overly melodramatic way, that manages to avoid being cheesy and has its own charms.

The ecchi content starts to come stronger and become more frequent this season. Diablo himself often comments on it and has those thoughts in his head. It’s doesn’t become too distracting, but it is getting there. Diablo is shown to be that inexperienced geeky guy, which isn’t a great portrayal. He’s also so socially awkward that he has to hide behind his “Demon Lord” persona all the time just to handle the situation. It probably would have been better to portray him as just someone who wanted to roleplay, rather than this socially awkward guy that’s at times, acts pathetically.

There is like a plot break in the middle of the season, before it continues, still dealing with the new character, Lunamachina. Naturally, all the characters seem to fall for Diablo, who’s still trying to pretend he’s something he’s not. He’s self-aware though and is happy about his current situation. The final episodes of the season feel like a repeat of the previous plot arcs, in which a villain comes up, is super strong, but Diablo manages to overcome the level difference and defeat them.

Overall, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω is more of the same. If you liked the first season, then you’ll like this season. It’s still quite shallow in terms of its content, and it is starting to lean heavier into its ecchi content and appeal. At least Diablo’s character isn’t one that you’ll fully roll your eyes at, despite being overpowered and having a harem.

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Toy Review: Transformers Age of the Primes Quintus Prime (Deluxe)

Review:  #926

Name:  Quintus Prime

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Age of the Primes

Year of Release:  2026

Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 1)

Mold Status:  new

ALTERNATE MODE:

Straight away you can tell that the focus was on Quintus Prime's robot mode and not his alternate mode, because this is basically the robot mode lying down and it looks pretty bad.

It's supposed to be a Cybertronian spaceship but only barely.  It looks like a squid actually, and probably would have been better to go the whole way and have him transform into a Cybertronian squid.

In vehicle mode, he is pretty good size for a Deluxe, although that's mainly because of the tentacle thingies at the end that flair out and give him a bigger silhouette.

He does have a cockpit though, and it can open up to reveal... his Emberstone, which is a small piece of transparent plasic.

The smaller tentacle arm on either side of the ship has two configurations.  One is facing the front, while the other faces the back.  They're not that much different but it is mentioned in the instructions.

The spaceship can actually rest in an upright position too and that's when he really looks like a squid.

This is a ridiculous alternate mode and you wouldn't have bought the figure for this mode at all.  It's weak and not great at all.

TRANSFORMATION:

For something that just looked like the robot lying down, the transformation scheme is a little bit more complicated, but not by much.  The legs have a few twists and turns, as in alternate mode, they allow all the other tentacles to peg onto it.  The front splits in half to form the arms.

ROBOT MODE:

Robot mode is a lot better, but Quintus Prime has an unorthodox robot mode.

The lower body is basically a mass of transparent tentacles, and it does look messy, but the design may slowly grow on you.

The head sculpt is quite nice in that it has an alien look to it, plus the lightpiping in his four eyes works really well.

Quintus Prime is around your typical Deluxe height in robot mode.

Despite depicted with tentacle legs, he does have a pair of real legs underneath that "dress", which helps him keep stabilized, and give him poseability options.

Articulation as a result is not hampered at all by the unorthodox lower body, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

The two tentacles from his waist are also jointed, but only at the base.  They're permanently curled and it looks a bit awkward.

There is a minor gimmick here.  Where the cockpit is, which is now on his back, it can open up to reveal the Emberstone, which is detachable.

It's a very small piece, but it can be held in his hand, and on it, is a tiny insignia.

If you take the Emberstone out, it does leave a gap in his chest though.

The tentacles in his lower body are made of soft transparent plastic, and they're four pieces, each hinged at the waist, so you can lift them out of the way.

Despite the weird lower body, Quintus Prime doesn't pose any different to your typical figure.  He is surprisingly not compromised at all in this aspect.

While not an amazing robot mode that wows you, it is a respectable one.

OVERALL:

Quintus Prime will be a polarizing figure.  The alternate mode is weak, while the robot mode isn't strong enough to make up for it.  However, he is an extremely unique design, and one he manages to pull off without too many compromises.  Adding the pair of legs was a good idea, so that at least he can still be posed and played around with like normal, even if it makes him look like he's wearing a dress.

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Toy Review: Transformers Cyberworld Optimus Prime (Cyber Changers)

Review:  #925

Name:  Optimus Prime

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Cyberworld

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class: Cyber Changers (Wave 1)

Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Optimus Prime, as you'd expect, transforms into a red and blue truck... but not a very good one.

The back while bad, may be a little bit better.  Still, it's the robot legs and it's completely hollow.

He is smaller than your typical Deluxe, and since he has a lot of hollow limbs, he doesn't feel hefty at all in comparison to his size.

Looking from the back, you can see how it's basically just his robot legs pegged together.  The only play value is rolling him on a flat surface (which admittedly, is the only play value for a lot of more expensive figures too).

The front is gappy and out of proportion, in order to accommodate the simple transformation scheme.

There's no way around it, this is not a good vehicle mode, and is the worst in the Cyber Changers size class.

TRANSFORMATION:

Optimus shares the basic transformation scheme with the rest of the Cyber changers.  The back splits into two for the legs, the arms fold out from the sides.  Lifting the roof allows some internal gearing to shift the windshield into place as his torso while pushing out the shoulders.  It's quite a neat aspect and surprisingly complex.

ROBOT MODE:

Robot mode is definitely the much better mode of the two, and Optimus looks pretty decent here.

He still has a decent amount of kibble, mainly centred on his backpack, plus the wheels that sticking out behind his forearms and his legs.

The head sculpt is fine and classic Optimus Prime.

He is quite a bit shorter than your typical Deluxe figure in robot mode.

Articulation is very limited, he only has joints for his shoulders, hips and knees.  An elbow joint would have been super welcome and given him so much more potential.

Given his hollow legs, he can actually bend his knees a bit further than you'd expect.  However, that same hollowness gives the figure a cheap feel.

A passable robot mode in terms of display.

OVERALL:

Optimus is a good figure for its intended purpose, which is that it is a cheaper toy for younger fans.  The shades of red and blue used is actually really nice.  The transformation is simple but works well.  Just a shame the vehicle mode is quite poor.

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Toy Review: Transformers Cyberworld Starscream (Cyber Changers)

Review:  #924

Name:  Starscream

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Cyberworld

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class: Cyber Changers (Wave 2)

Mold Status:  new

JET MODE:

As part of the Cyber Changers size class, Starscream transforms into a jet, and looks somewhat familiar, although has some elements of the tetra jet form he sometimes take.

It's not great from the back as his robot legs are completely exposed.  The jet mode is also lacking in paint, as it looks somewhat bland.

In terms of size, he is smaller than a Deluxe, but can be deceptive as he had a wide wingspan that makes him look bigger than he really is.

Due to the way the wings are attached to the fuselage higher up, and then angles downwards, it gives the illusion that he barely has any undercarriage kibble.

It's an okay jet mode.  He's small and does feel cheap, but also does the job.

TRANSFORMATION:

Starscream shares the similar transformation scheme as the rest of the Cyber Changers.  The back splits to form the legs, the arms from the sides.  Folding down the nose will automatically shift his shoulders out.  He has an extra step in that there is an extra joint for the nosecone to fold fully down into his chest.

ROBOT MODE:

Despite the simple transformation, this robot mode is familiar to everyone as instantly being recognizable as Starscream.

He carries a lot of kibble, primarily the wings on his back which are completely unchanged from jet mode.  Makes him feel a bit awkward standing with so much junk on his back.

The head sculpt is fine, it is lacking in some detail but like the rest of the toy, it does the job.

The robot mode shows how much smaller he is when compared to a Deluxe.  The figure also has hollow limbs wherever possible.

Articulation is limited, he has joints for his shoulders, hips and knees, so it's tough to eke out great poses.

Starscream lacks a weapon, he doesn't have the nullrays that's iconic to the character (but it doesn't seem a part of his character model anyway).

Starscream has one of the better robot modes of the line, at least from the front.

OVERALL:

Starscream is an okay figure when you take into consideration the target audience, and the lower price point.  He has an advantage of being a familiar and iconic character, so it able to take some slack.  As a result, he's probably one of the better ones in the line.

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