The Devil Is a Part-Timer!

This is funniest anime, I have ever came across. I laughed the whole time. I can watch this whole day. However, it had only 13 episodes. Sadly there is no 2nd season.

Many will hate me for this, but that's how I see it. Although at first glance when looking at the first 2 chapters (and some that come later) it seems that it will be interesting and that it has a lot of lore saved for later, the truth is that it does not exploit it at any time. When these important scenes are over, the worst of the worst begins. The series basically boils down to a serious scene, a battle scene, and then 3 or 4 filler chapters. Yes, I understand that the characters do not have their powers and more, but it is that these chapters in between have an extremely generic and repetitive humor (removing certain exceptions that do give some grace), and some of the most filler things i have ever seen, and it is that in the end it simply feels that they put these action chapters very by force, if it weren't for these specific chapters I wouldn't realize that I'm watching an anime that is about demons and that kind of thing. And the series "ends" very openly, with a lot of unresolved doubts. Yes, I know they are going to do a second season, but that is not an excuse for all the other flaws. For the moment, this will be the score that it will have until it improves with time (if im not very lazy to watch it again...).

I absolutely loved this show. From the start it seemed to be an interesting twist on a common theme: a slice-of-life show, but not about high school-age kids, and with the twist that all the characters are supernatural beings from another reality. The only exception to this was Chiho, a 16-year-old high school girl and fellow part timer of Maou-sama's (whose Japanese name is Sadao) at "MgRonalds." Blessedly the anime only visited there once, and at night, in search of a place where Maou might gain some magic.

For once, the protagonist is not a hapless, nervous, inexperienced adolescent, but a 300-year-old being that had been on the verge of conquering an entire world. What a pleasure to have a lead that isn't constantly blushing, falling down, and apologizing, but instead is confident but not arrogant, and quickly grasps the situation whatever it might be.

His antagonist is The Hero, Emilia Justina, whose village and quiet family life were wiped out by Sadao's demon armies, and who is sworn to destroy him. However, in Japan, she is puzzled as to why a being intent on conquering his world by iron and fire would suddenly become considerate and helpful in our world, and rapidly advance in the ranks of fast-food employees.

I don't know why either, but it's a wonderful thematic ju-jitsu, leaving everyone from the "good" side of Ente Isla (their homeland) striving to defeat Sadao, while on his part he seems to be far more interested in being a success in his job at MgRonald's. It's never explained, and it never may be explained, but it's a great source of humor.

I haven't yet listened to the Japanese dub yet, but the English dub is great. Nice to see such voice talent without any of the usual suspects in sight, and the "topical" humor is still old enough that everyone has heard it. In one episode a character remarks that the Internet was like "a series of magical tubes,", and in another one of Sadao's generals overhears The Hero and another character badmouthing Sadao in the "Sentucky Fried Chicken" restaurant, and interrupts them with "I WOULD NOT SAY SUCH THINGS IF I WERE YOU!!!" -- straight from "The Princess Bride." I almost fell off the couch.

I just bought my copy in HD video from Amazon. Perhaps a second season will be made. I haven't read the manga yet, so I don't know where the anime ended up, but I'll follow up with that ASAP. This show is a truly original modification of a classic type of anime.

Ah! This is how I wish Blue Exorcist had handled itself. Make it to wear you have action, humor, and not feel woefully incomplete. The Devil is a Part-Timer! did all those things very well. It knows what it's trying to do, so it doesn't try to create some epic plot line or anything like that. All it does is bring some nicely animated action scenes and plenty of humor. This show is not very deep, so if you are looking for something with a little more meat, you might want to look elsewhere. This is something you would either turn on in the background, or watch when you want to use zero of your brain cells, and I really have no issues with that. There is some minor stuff that bugged me, like "why did the bad guy just say screw it and live with the good guys" and "why did the good guys even think that was a good idea in the first place", but I can't complain too much. It did what it set out to do, which was to simply entertain me. I give this show a 7/10.

From White Fox comes a 13 episode anime based on the popular light novels about when the Devil comes to our world... and works at a fast food joint. Sadao/Satan has been vanquished in a great war in his mystical homeworld of Ente Isla, and with his top general Ashiya by his side, flees to modern Tokyo, where he works part time at MgRonald's (geddit) while trying to recover his magic.

Undeniable fluff, 'Part-Timer' still offers a few fun spins on fantasy anime and slice of life stories to make for pleasant viewing. The animation is often lively and colourful, as well as dynamic for the odd action scene, the voice cast are lively, and the characters themselves do share a strong camaraderie which helps carry the show over its weaker elements. They are by and large really likable youths and a lot of fun to be around, especially the dynamic between the dethroned Sadao and his arch enemy, the 'Hero' Emilia, who tries to keep up their archetypical battle and ends up coming off as more petty and savvy than her supposed 'enemy' as they slowly grow closer, whether they want to or not.

From a writing standpoint, 'Part-Timer' is very much your prototypical slapstick wacky anime comedy (complete with the token fanservice friendly cutie of the group, and boy are the creators not shy of milking that...), but they are some neat little twists. Not only are the 'villain' and 'hero' in the same boat and have to adapt to their new, more mundane environment, but the way they apply their fantasy background allows for some fun gags, such as Sadao's leadership and tactics when trying to compete with a rival restaurant, or treating a mere barbecue like some grand village burning. The subversion of the usual good vs. evil is the heart of much of the comedy, as well as the drama as these characters function in society and take onboard new world views and it's handled fairly well. However, depth doesn't extend much beyond that, and there are some other issues: at just 13 episodes, it's a little short for this kind of story, leaving the world of Ente Isla and bigger questions about good and evil largely unexplored in favour of domestic hijinks and pop culture nods. Plus, the show doesn't have much in the way of a grand villain or arc, and when it does come up, it's usually resolved within two episodes and the villains are more comic than threatening, so stakes nearly feel that high. Drama is not the focus, but it does leave the show with less 'meat' than I would like.

Despite those complaints, it still kept me engaged. Its comical and trope-aware mindset helped overcome its lack of innovation or daring, and it has an energy that's tough to resist. Plus, its lack of finality does leave this world open to more exploration compared to most anime, and I certainly won't be against rejoining this lot for a second round!