Original Run: August 1, 2021 - December 19, 2021 Number of Episodes: 20 Genre: Comedy, Supernatural Based on the Series Created By: Wakame Konbu
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
The Great Jahy (voiced by Naomi Oozora) was second-in-command of the Dark Realm, only answerable to the Demon Lord. Her power, strength, and might sent shock and awe through everyone who gazed upon her. She was living high at the top.
Then it all came crashing down.
A mysterious magical girl appeared and destroyed the Dark Realm’s mana crystal. In an instant, Jahy lost her magic and found herself powerless in the human world.
To survive, Jahy takes up part-time work at a small bar, rents out a rundown apartment, and struggles to get by until her next paycheck. She sets out to find the scattered shards of the broken mana crystal and restore the Dark Realm to its rightful glory. Of course, she can only do that provided her bank account has the necessary funds to pay for the night’s dinner.
Series Positives
The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! (The Great Jahy) was easily one of the safest shows I have seen come out of 2021. It was the definition of a run-of-the-mill, by-the-book slice-of-life romp. Yeah, I laughed and enjoyed my time with this series, but there are a lot of lingering questions about what we got. The main one being:
Why the hell did anyone think this show needed to be twenty episodes long?
And I can already tell this review is becoming far more negative than The Great Jahy warrants. This wasn’t a bad anime by any stretch of the imagination.
For starters, this show’s cast was small, and we got to meet all the key characters quickly. Why is this important?
Simple, this series knew what its strength was; therefore, it wanted to play that up as much as possible. The Great Jahy was a character-based anime, and would you believe it, this show’s characters came first and foremost.
How many series have you seen where the story introduces a last-minute character – I have seen examples of this happening as late as the penultimate episode. These instances rarely work out well because there is no time to adequately incorporate a new player and provide any weight to what is going on.
The Great Jahy did have that problem.
By the sixth episode, we had gotten a chance to meet all the primary actors of this series. We understood what our lead, the titular Jahy, was going through, the people she most often interacted with, and there was a foundation from which this show could start building. Even if this were a standard-length anime, that would have left plenty of time for a personality to form.
As a result, The Great Jahy became something you could relax to; we knew what all the pieces were.
While that sounds like me saying this show was predictable (and make no mistake, that is what I’m saying), predictably isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Predictably while something is enjoyable can be comforting. There’s no stress, no worries; we are here to have a good time.
And that is my main point. The Great Jahy was a good time.
Sure, this series animation wasn’t anything spectacular; the scenarios weren’t fantastical, much of the comedy was tried-and-true slapstick, and the main character walked around in a laughably skimpy outfit from time to time. Still, if you just want to watch something without needing to turn on your brain, this show has you covered.
In fact, The Great Jahy was such a safe bet that it would not surprise if we got a second season. I would be down to watch it, too. Granted, I’m not shaking with anticipation, but should the news of a continuation come, that means there is something for me to look forward to.
Series Negatives
Look, I am just as excited as the next person for The Devil is a Part-Timer 2, but that isn’t coming out until summer 2022 (as of this review coming out in February 2022). I guess we can consider The Great Jahy to be something to watch until that time. However, most of us have already been waiting nine years for this sequel, what’s a few more months?
Oh my god, The Great Jahy was just The Devil is a Part-Timer, except not as good.
Again, this series didn’t do anything wrong; it was a competent show. The thing is, though, you better have nothing on your plate if you’re planning to sit through it. The Great Jahy will not hold your attention if, for example, the dishes need to get done or the laundry is sitting in the hamper.
This show has no retention power.
So, where does that leave us?
Well, although I will happily admit to my enjoyment of The Great Jahy while it was happening, I will also not pretend this series left any impact on my memory. Like I said at the top of this review, this show was as safe as any show could be.
The Great Jahy was anime’s version of junk food. Yes, it is something to watch in the moment, but you’re going to want something more substantial in the long run.
Final Thoughts
For a review, this one had a noticeable lack of critiques.
While I could have done a deep dive into the merits and flaws of this series, that would have resulted in me giving more credit and/or grief than there is to give. This show simply doesn’t call for it.
This series is as middle-of-the-road as you can imagine. If you’ve watched any slice-of-life anime comedy before, you’ve seen all the building blocks that made up this one. And though all the right beats and notes were here, doing things this by-the-book rarely leaves much of an impression.
Still, since this was not a failure of a series, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! has earned a recommendation. But keep in mind; you can always wish for more.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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I guess I liked the series a bit more than maybe indicated in this review. I actually thought this was pretty funny, and Jahy’s chibi form is adorable. I tend to like anime about villains that fail their way to success. I’ve seen The Devil is a Part-timer and that is also funny, but I don’t really compare the two. Both are funny in their own ways.