PLOT:
Let’s get this out of the way: this set-up is genius. Seriously, it is. It’s a very original take on both the fantasy trope and the slice of life genre. And, honestly, the presentation ain’t half bad, either. The comedy is the show’s main focus, and it’s handled very well. The various arcs are entertaining to watch and try to dive into both the fantasy aspects and the normal life aspects. And they manage to do this better than I expected.
This does not mean it’s perfect. Hell, far from it. Some arcs are rather forced, a lot of them don’t make sense and throughout the show we never actually get to know why the characters stay in this world. Even after they get more than enough magic back to return, they never do. Why?
We don’t even really know how they got there in the first place. Seriously. It looks like the wormhole was opened by Satan, but then they immediately state that nobody has any idea what’s going on. Who opened it? Why?
But honestly? I never expected them to answer these questions. If you are going to watch this show, you do it for the comedy. You do not expect great plotlines, but mediocre ones, if at all. And for what I expected, they delivered more than enough.
CHARACTERS:
The characters are sometimes a bit difficult to get a hold of. And with ‘characters’ I mean ‘Maou Sadao/Satan Jacob’.
His character is something that’s difficult to get a hold off because, for the majority of the series, he’s a laid back, enthusiastic nice guy. He tries to do the right things, is passionate about his work and is has his wits to back him up. Which is all fine and dandy, until you realize that this is the freaking Devil.
The only information we are given of what he was like back in Ente Isla (the fantasy world) is by the Warriors of Light. Apparently, he was a ruthless monster that didn’t think twice about killing innocents. Yeah. Stark contrast, huh?
You could say that this is because it’s that Light giving the information; of course they’re biased. But Maou never denies it, even acknowledges it, as does every other demon, and from the short moment we see him in Ente Isla, it seems like they are right. This leaves only two options:
A) He had, like, the fastest character flip in history.
B) He was never really that evil to begin with, but had a personal agenda for trying to conquer Ente Isla.
I don’t want to say that his character is underdeveloped, but I would’ve liked some backstory, you know? If the unconfirmed rumors are true however and there is a second season on the way, this is all forgiven, as the second season could potentionally fix this.
Now, another character that’s a bit... weird considering her stereotypical charactertropes is Emi Yusa. She’s the ‘warrior of Light’, the ‘Chosen One’, the only one who can possibly defeat Satan.
She’s also a tsundere.
A warrior of light as a tsundere is a bit strange, but hey, I’ve seen stranger things, and if Satan can work at McDonalds, I guess the Chosen One can be a tsundere.
Most of the characters are like this, honestly. None of them are really threatening or evil in the long run, and often can be seen as pathetic. But that’s part of the comedy in this show, and honestly, I love it. I do hope that they’ll get more character development in the second season that’s – hopefully – coming.
That said, I have to mention one more thing, and if I don’t do it now, I’ll never get to it. So, I’ll just say it outright: I. Like. The. Romantic. Subplot.
Yes, I just said that.
I normally HATE the romantic subplots in series, but this time, I could not only bear it, but actually enjoyed it.
The subplot is between Maou and one of his employees, Chiho. She’s the resident moe-and-fanservice character of the show, but surprisingly likeable. She’s very honest and upbeat, which is why I liked the romance between her and Maou. See, one of the main reasons I dislike romantic subplots is because they always take ages to get past the ‘I don’t like you!/Well I don’t like you!/ Fine! WE SO OBVIOUSLY DON’T LIKE EACH OTHER!’ state. This one does this fairly early on with Chiho confessing almost immediately. Sure, Maou doesn’t respond, but it makes it so much easier to watch when everything is out in the open and there is no stupid dodging to be done.
Plus, since Chiho is one of the only characters who didn’t know Maou on Ente Isla, she’s very refreshing. She just goes on what she sees, and she sees a nice, hard-working guy that looks great, too. Even after she learns that he is Satan, she still doesn’t give a damn, because, well, he’s just so nice.
(Though I did hear rumors about Emi/Maou being the main couple, which just seems strange to me, because he killed her father and all, so I don’t see how romance could blossom, but hey, this is anime. I just hope that they don’t do it, since I enjoy this romance so much)
ANIMATION/SOUND:
The animation is great, I like the colorful art style. Yeah... not much to say otherwise. Moving on.
I didn’t really like the opening or ending theme, but most people seem to like it okay, so I must be in the minority here. I do have to mention one thing: Chiho is seen in the opening shooting a bow. She never does in the show. So what’s the point, then?
Even though I didn’t particulary like most of the soundtrack, I didn’t hate anything, either, and since I dislike most comedy soundtracks, this was really the most I could hope for.
SUMMARY:
Hatarakou Maou-Sama/The Devil is a Part Timer is a very enjoyable comedy anime that you should definitely check out. But really don’t expect anything except comedy, since you’re going to be disappointed then. There are enough serious moments here that a negative reaction is understandable, so don’t be fooled. This is comedy, pure and simple.
