[Rating]
Story: 4
Art: 6
Sound: 6
Character: 4
Enjoyment: 7
Overall: 6
[Story: 4]
The story is obviously one of the series' sensitive spots. The premise is engaging and there is potential for all sorts of struggles between characters and their worlds, but it feels like it is lacking guidance. I call these types of shows 'gauntlet' shows, where the protagonist is just fed a series of challenges that they 'pass' in order to develop and push the plot forward. The problem with many of these gauntlet shows is that the challenges presented don't have any significance to the cast, and thus also lack significance for the audience. There are a few villains in this show and they just kind of show up. They have no place in the world before the audience meets them. They are just cast to act as another challenge for Maou to pass.
Aside from this, it is difficult for the audience to get a good idea of what is going on in Ente Isla. There is some kind of church that is scheming to come to power, but the heroes friends are still around so presumably nothing is happening. The audience does not even have a sense of what the church figureheads are and why they really need to eliminate the hero and the devil. How did Maou lead Ente Isla? Obviously he was cruel at some point, but he even mentions that he did not really understand humans back then. It is just hard to get a sense of what is actually happening in the world.
Despite these criticisms, the show mostly functions as a comedy. So we should judge the story primarily by how it acts as a vehicle for a comedy. For most comedies, it just doesn't matter too much beyond the premise -- a good writer can create comedic scenarios in any situation. This series is the same. The story is pretty average, losing points for sloppy construction.
[Art: 6]
At some points -- specifically that intro sequence -- the art looks amazing. That being said, it flubs pretty frequently. The design is pretty average, nothing noteworthy. The action is generally good, we get some dynamic shot angles, and the characters can be quite expressive.
[Sound: 6]
The voice acting by certain characters, Maou and Ashiya, stands out in a great way. These guys are the life of the party. Just listening to Ashiya react to something is fun. Beyond that, the voice acting is fine, sometimes Chi is annoying. The design is just totally average and doesn't shoot for too much, but does what it needs to.
[Characters: 4]
Ashiya is a god. Maou is usually pretty funny. The rest of the cast usually does not do the series any favors, comedically or dramatically. It is tough to rate characters well for a series that tries to go for dramatic moments but fails by virtue of the unrelatable characters. I could dedicate a whole essay on the concoction that is Chiho -- the character defined by her affection for Maou and a chest big enough to have the series brand her as best girl -- but nobody wants to read that.
[Enjoyment: 7]
The series is pretty funny! Any series that can make me laugh is enjoyable enough for me. It's not a great show and even a lot of the humor falls flat since it is the same gag over and over again. But what shines again and again is a combination of the strong premise, the voice acting, and the relatability, not of the characters, but of the situations that we can find them in. Anybody, even the devil or a legendary hero, can find themselves falling into the struggles that we do. The show does a great job of mixing those moments with the moments that emblemize what devils and heroes are all about. The juxtaposition is the crux of the series' success.
[Overall: 6]
Pretty decent show with loads of potential. It really only comes to fruition comedically, which is fine, but leaves the audience longing for more. There are lovely moments like (usually with Ashiya, Maou, or a little sakuga), but beyond that, the show is decidedly average.
