produced by NHK. It aired across Japan on NHK. The series consists of 117 episodes and 5 OVA episodes. While much the first season follows the original story from the novels, the plot in the following seasons varies drastically. The anime was originally licensed for release in North America by Geneon under the title Kyo Kara Maoh! God(?) Save Our King!, but when Geneon ceased production of their titles in late 2007, it left three volumes of the second season unreleased on DVD in North America. On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon Entertainment will still retain the license, Funimation Entertainment will assume exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles. Kyo Kara Maoh! was one of the titles involved in the deal. In August 2011, Funimation announced that the license expired and that they had no plans to renew the license. On February 22, 2019, Discotek Media announced its license of the first season for an April 30, 2019 Blu-ray release. Musical In April 2013 the series was adapted into a musical titled Kyo Kara Maoh! Birth of the Maou. It showed for 11 days during golden week at the Hakuhinkan theater. It was produced by Sōgō Vision. Reception Carlo Santos called the series "an unusual take on the fantasy genre" due to its "toilet portals between worlds" and its "same-sex engagement. Chris Beveridge. Mania called the series a mixture of fantasy, baseball, and slice of life genres, saying it works "really well.'. Danica Davidson, Graphic Novel Reporter called the manga a "fun and whimsical read" which has fascinating characters and "a strong storyline." References External links Official (FUNimation) website Official novel site Official Anime(NHK) website Official Anime Blog Official Radio Show Website 2000 Japanese novels 2004 anime television series debuts 2005 anime television series debuts 2005 manga 2006 video games 2007 anime OVAs 2008 anime television series debuts 2000s Japanese LGBT-related television series Anime and manga based on light novels Comedy anime and manga Discotek Media Geneon USA Isekai anime and manga Isekai novels and light novels Japan-exclusive video games Japanese LGBT-related animated television series Kadokawa Beans Bunko Kadokawa Dwango franchises Kadokawa Shoten manga Light novels PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 2-only games Studio Deen Tokyopop titles Video games developed in Japan Visual novels Viz Media manga Yaoi anime and manga