The Devil is a Part-Timer! ⬢ A Silly And Fun Watch

Original Run: April 4, 2013 - June 27, 2013
Number of Episodes: 13
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai
Base on the Series Created By: Satoshi Wagahara and 
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***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for The Devil is a Part-Timer. Reader discretion is advised.**

Series Synopsis

Once on the verge of conquering the world of Ente Isla, Demon King Satan (voiced by Ryota Osaka) loses to the hero Emilia Justina (voiced by Yoko Hikasa). Escaping through a dimensional gate, the Demon King finds himself in modern-day Tokyo.

Without magic, Satan, now Sadao Mao, takes on a human form and must find living in his new surroundings. To make ends meet, Sadao gets a job at a local fast-food restaurant.

One day, the former king runs into a pretty redheaded woman who turns out to be the hero Emilia. She has followed Sadao to defeat him for good, but Emilia has lost her own powers, as well. She now lives as Emi Yusa, a call center agent.

These once bitter enemies now work together to find a way back to their world, while having to occasionally save their new home.

Series Positives

Here is an example of a show that relied on pure silliness to carry the day. Fortunately, for the most part, it worked.

The Devil is a Part-Timer’s lifeblood was its humor. Naturally, this makes sense for a comedy. So, what made this series unique?

Often, comedic shows will pull their jokes from relationships, misunderstandings, everyday daily life, you name it, and all these sources were present here. However, The Devil is a Part-Timer took it up a notch since it had highly eccentric people who were forced to live mundane lives.

Think about it. Many of the characters in this show were powerful beings from a world where magic and sorcery were commonplace. Then in a flash, they came to a place where their very existence was a concept of fiction. This is not the sort of switch that sticks overnight; sometimes, a few former tendencies rear their heads.

One of the most annoying things I find when watching anime is when a series insists on being funny despite no reason to be so. Like, for instance, when a story is having a serious, non-laughing moment.

The Devil is a Part-Timer avoided this by never taking itself seriously. Granted, there were complications and events which would lead to later conflict. Still, any tension there was didn’t last. Never once did a joke feel unwanted, forced, or out of place.

This series got away with this because of its characters.

For example, you had Sadao, a once-mighty demon lord. While his power was limited, there were moments when he could tap into it. When this happened, any threat became instantly, and laughably, nonexistent. Thus, any subsequent sarcasm was justifiable and often hilarious.

In short, The Devil is a Part-Timer knew how to have a good time.

Series Negatives

I wish I could give this show a stronger recommendation. Without question, this is one of the funniest anime I have seen. Sadly, there were elements in this series that were inexcusable.

Yes, this story was fun. However, there were some glaring plot holes, and a major one appeared in the first episode.

In Ente Isla, the people knew nothing of Japanese culture; they didn’t even speak Japanese. The Devil is a Part-Timer established that this other world had its own language. Thus, when Sadao and Emi arrived in Tokyo, they couldn’t understand what people were saying.

Then, with no explanation of any kind, they could speak, write, and communicate in fluent Japanese. Somehow within one scene, they were on par with native speakers. There was no magic, no tricks; they were suddenly perfect in a language they didn’t know existed.

This would be forgivable, except The Devil is a Part-Timer doubled back. There were flashbacks to Ente Isla where people would alternate between speaking their own language and Japanese.

Why make up a language and then not commit to it? But, moving on.

What made this show funny was the interactions between the characters. It was like watching bickering children, almost like they were friends.

Too bad that was the problem. These characters weren’t friends; they had no reason to be friends.

While living in Japan, Sadao comes off as a really good guy who cared about other people’s safety and well-being. In a sense, he was a true hero. But don’t forget, he wasn’t.

Sadao was a full-fledged demon lord who led a war of conquest against his homeworld. He was personally responsible for the burning of villages, the destruction of farms, and the deaths of thousands — a real monster.

No matter what he might do in peaceful Japan, it can’t excuse what he did.

By the way, this was not something you needed to realize. The series went well into it. Therefore, the weight of it was always around when everyone was acting so friendly with each other.

Final Thoughts

This was a hilarious anime. It never itself too seriously, with the result being quite funny. All the characters played off each other beautifully, and the premise of the series added nicely to their chemistry.

That said, this show had blunders that brought it down. This series had many plot holes that were frustratingly impossible to ignore.

Nevertheless, The Devil is a Part-Timer is worth taking the time to enjoy.