The Devil is a Part-Timer! Anime Review

I knew something evil was going on at that place...!

PRODUCTION INFO

The Devil is a Part-Timer began in February 2011 as a light novel series written by Satoshi Wagahara, with illustrations by Oniku. In February 2012 it adapted into a manga series, and also became an anime which aired during the spring season of 2013. The anime was animated by studio White Fox (Steins;Gate, Katanagatari, SoniAni) and directed by Naoto Hosoda.

SUMMARY

The dark lord Satan is constantly wreaking havoc, ordering his underlings to murder everyone who opposes him. Enter Emilia Justina, a heroine who wants to put an end to the demon king's wrongdoings! She fights her way to the top and prepares to face off with Satan himself when he escapes into a portal to another dimension and she follows. They soon find themselves scattered among the streets of Tokyo, Japan! Our story picks up from the perspective of Satan, who identifies as Sadao Maou in the human world. His powers have diminished and he now has a human body, leaving him no choice but to find a cheap apartment and a part-time job to pay for it. Of course, what job could be better suited to the devil himself other than a MgRonald's employee?

WHAT TO EXPECT

This show is corny. I mean, come on! Satan is working at a McDonald's rip-off! The name says it all! You can't expect anything too serious from a title like The Devil is a Part-Timer, can you? Truthfully, there are some slightly serious undertones, such as drama and action, but the main focus is obviously comedy, and that's what you're gonna get in this series.

CHARACTERS

Satan goes by the name Maou in the human world. Despite his cruel and evil background, he acts pretty much like a regular guy. His main concern in the human world is to collect money for rent, but he becomes surprisingly attached to other people. When their time of need arrives, "Maou" is ready to jump into action and save them. I suppose he is the protagonist of this show, after all...

Alciel, one of the generals in Satan's army, followed Satan into the human world. He uses the name Ashiya in our world, and he takes on the role of housewife! Well, pretty much everything he does is related to cleaning the apartment and feeding Satan. He's extremely loyal to Satan, to the point that "dog" may actually be a better suited nickname for him than "housewife". (Note: Alciel is not Satan's housewife.)

Emilia Justina is the name of the heroine who drove Satan into running away into the human world. She continues to keep a watchful eye out for him in the human world, but she also, like Satan, must commit much time towards a job in order to make money to live. Despite already having a human-like name, she goes by Emi Yusa in the human world to sound more Japanese.

Chiho is Satan's coworker at MgRonald's. After working with him for a period of time, she starts to develop feelings for him. She is a normal high school student, but she gets involved in a lot of Satan's darker business due to her crush.

Lucifer ended up in the human world for some reason or another. He plays a useless role among Satan's domestic living quarters (apartment) as he is constantly on the computer and refuses to help out. He is a hikikomori and a NEET who obviously holds no intention of getting a job to help pay the rent. He does not even help Alciel cook, and he sometimes makes online purchases, worsening their situation.

OPINIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

There was a lot of potential for this anime... Although Satan appears in a handful of Japanese titles (ie Blue Exorcist, Devil Survivor), he's rarely displayed as a protagonist of comedy anime. The Devil is a Part-Timer! could've gotten huge originality points, and well, it did... but I feel that they could've gone so much further with said originality. They could've thrown in more biblical jokes, had gags set behind every corner, and all sorts of humour! But unfortunately, most of the amusement either comes from the idea of Satan working at a McDonald's rip-off, or the fake names of copyrighted material such as "Jungle" for "Amazon" and "PASTA" for "PSVITA". All things considered, it's still wacky as Hell so to speak... But there are many serious scenes that just don't belong in this type of anime. I think that really took away a lot of the enjoyment I could've had while watching this anime. It's a shame, and I don't want to give a unique anime like this a low rating, but I can't really go higher than average.

If you liked the silly concept of this show and you want to see some better comedies, I recommend Daily Lives of High School Boys, Nichijou, and Wagnaria!!. If you want to see more anime with biblical references, I suggest A Certain Magical Index, Blue Exorcist, and Saint Young Men, which is also a comedy.