The Devil Is a Part-Timer/Hataraku Maou-sama

By: Zach Goodier

The Devil is a Part-Timer is a series that follows Satan as he is in the closing hours of a war in the land of Ente Isla, being challenged in his castle by the "hero," Emelia.  Satan is on his last leg, when his subordinate, Demon General Arushieru, advises him to retreat through a portal, taking them to another realm and avoiding the immediate threat.  Satan doesn't like the idea of conceding defeat, and vows to return to conquer the land and defeat Emelia.  On the other side of the portal is Earth, specifically modern day Japan.  Satan and Arushieru soon realize that they can't replenish their powers in our world, since magic isn't naturally abundant like it is in theirs.  To survive, Satan ends up having to take a job at a fast-food restaurant in order to make ends meet.  However, he soon finds that Emilia has followed him in order to finish him off, but she is stuck in the same boat as him, and she ends up joining the crew in order to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't cause harm.

Sadao (Satan) is left, Ashiya (Arushieru) is right.

This series starts out with a serious tone; however, it quickly changes into more of a comedy when Satan takes a job and meets a high-school girl.  The further into the series you get, the less threatening Satan seems.  He really isn't as dark as you are lead to believe, or at least he changes when he goes through the humbling experience of having to live in a one-room apartment with Arushieru and having to work to pay the bills.  As the series goes on, you will meet others from Ente Isla, as they try to stop Satan from seizing power in our world.  However, this fails to keep your attention, as this show is far more focused on capturing the trials of trying to fit into our world, and adapting to their new lives.

A look at the perky co-worker, Chiho, as she admires Sadao's general awesomeness.

This show really doesn't offer much in terms of new ideas, but it's the execution that makes this show enjoyable.  The action, when it takes place, is surprisingly good.  Also, the characters fall into your traditional roles such as the "easily-angered" female love interest, "young girl who developed a little too soon" love interest, the clumsy sidekick to the male lead, the lazy but smart guy that helps out from time to time, and you probably can fit the rest of the characters into their cliche roles in the show.   However, that doesn't make this show unpleasant in the least, it actually all works fairly well.  Sadao is a great male lead who does a great job of catching your interest, and his powers do kick ass when you see them.  

Because even Satan has bills to pay (and not they use "MgRonald's" to avoid copyright issues... Made me laugh).

Overall, the action is rare, but solid when you do get a dose of it.  The characters don't break any new ground, but they leave some solid footprints where they do walk, and the show as a whole, while not profound, provides some well-executed scenes that keep you entertained with good writing, and hilarious antics between these characters as they adjust to their new lives.  While there are times when the comedy gives way to more serious suspense and drama, it really doesn't hurt this show like it sometimes does in other shows of this type.  It's refreshing to see a series that can do comedy but still handle the action scenes when they do come up without making you lose interest.   If you like those deeper themes in anime, or want a more serious, action-driven show, then this one will probably be a pass.  While you have the cliche love triangle, it really doesn't get in the way of the rest of the show all that much, which makes this all the more enjoyable.  I would recommend this show for anyone looking to just relax and enjoy a show without having to think about those deeper narrative themes.  This show isn't meant to blow your mind, it just takes you for a leisurely trip that helps you relax and enjoy yourself without getting too worked up about what's going on. 

Good:

-Great comedy between the characters, with Maou being a great character to lead.

-The traditional "love triangle" doesn't get in the way of the series like it so often does.

-Series demonstrates that it can handle both comedy and suspense/action, a rare feat for a relatively small-name show.

Bad:

-Doesn't break a lot of new ground in terms of themes or ideas, relying solely on the execution to get things done.

-Not a very serious show, which means it glosses over those chances to set itself apart as a series.

Scully Rating: 8 out of 10